A/N: I know, I know, it's not even five days yet, and I'm posting again already. But doesn't that make you happy? Well, I just finished Chapter 3 really quickly, and then I got excited, and yeah, I just had to get it up. Thanks again to anyone who reviewed, followed or favourited. Means a lot.

Anyways, on with the story!

Disclaimer: Would I really be writing fanfiction if I owned Harry Potter? Exactly. But one day, one day, I shall have Draco Malfoy and Fred Weasley within my possession. :D

CHAPTER 3

The rest of the week passed normally and calmly. That is, if you could count a hassled Mrs Weasley; six kids bustling around a very crowded house, trying to pack their trunks quickly; and Fred and George constantly playing pranks to cheer the atmosphere up, failing, and only succeeding in making Mrs Weasley even more hassled, normal and calm. Hermione had packed everything she needed into her trunk, checking three times to make sure everything was there, and made everyone else do it, too.

On the day, they arrived at 9 & 3/4 thirty minutes early, very much to Hermione's pleasure. She, Ginny, Harry and Ron found a compartment and loaded their trunks in there, then went out to say final goodbyes before departing. After lots of hugs and kisses on Mrs Weasley's part, the train was turning around the bend, and platform 9 & 3/4 was out of sight.

"I have to go to the Prefects' compartment, guys." Hermione said to the others, once the station had disappeared out of sight. "I'll be back."

She made her way towards the back of the train, meeting Dean Thomas, the male Gryffindor prefect, to the Prefects' compartment. A few Prefects were already there when she arrived. She was pleased to see Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil were the Ravenclaw Prefects. They made small talk as they waited for the Head Boy and Girl and the other Prefects.

Shortly after Hermione, other Prefects, including sixth and seventh years ones, arrived. Among them are Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, whom Hermione assumed were the Hufflepuff Prefects. They said hello to each other; none of them had any grudge against each other.

It was an entirely different story for the Slytherins, though. As they sauntered arrogantly into the compartment, Hermione wondered if Fred was right in saying Dumbledore really had lost his marbles. He had made Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson Prefects, for Merlin's sake! Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson!

Pansy raised her eyebrows at Hermione as she walked into the room, clinging onto Malfoy. She nudged him as she sat down. Malfoy's eyes followed her gaze and landed on Hermione. She looked back at him, not breaking her eye contact. She wasn't about to give him any sign that could say she was scared.

"Well, well, well." Malfoy drawled, checking first to see if the Head Girl and Boy was there. Once sure that they weren't, he went on. "Look who's been made Prefect."

He stood up and walked over to Hermione. She kept her eyes on him, not showing any sign of discomfort.

"I knew Dumbledore was stupid, but I didn't think he was this bad." Malfoy frowned down at her. "Putting a Mudblood as Prefect."

Insulting her was fine, but Hermione wasn't about to let him insult Dumbledore. Or maybe it was the other way around...

"I'll have you know, Muggleborns have been made more than just Prefects. I'm not wondering how stupid Dumbledore is, just whether he had lost his marbles in making you two Prefects." she shot back. "Snape must have somehow dunked his hand in this. Without his biased persuasions on Dumbledore, you two won't even make it in consideration."

"Don't you dare." Malfoy growled.

"Oh, I dare." she said back defiantly, glaring him full in the eye.

Thankfully, the Head Boy and Girl arrived just then. Malfoy slunk back to his own seat.

Fred sat leaning against the wall beside the window, his feet propped up on the seat. George and Lee were sitting across from him, already planning some prank, but he couldn't find it in himself to participate in the conversation. He had been fighting with himself to keep it out of his mind all week, but he couldn't ignore it anymore. It had been bugging him.

He knew his reactions to the chain of events that included Hermione in the past week had been strange. It wasn't like him to admit he cared about someone, or for his voice to go soft. He cared for her of course, in an entirely brotherly way, but Fred Weasley doesn't just go around telling people he cared about them.

The truth is, those moments, he couldn't help it. There had been something urging him to say those things, and they just blurted out. That, thing, had been suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Well, to be honest, he knew when it happened. It started being there when he had caught her on the bus. Some thing had passed between them that made that thing and placed it there. And if he was honest with himself, that thing had been developing since that night he ran into her at the Burrow.

Because of it, he had almost made a fool of himself. What's more, he almost pissed Ron right off. He didn't miss Ron's ears turning red when he had said he cared about Hermione. Hopefully, he had set everything right again when he told Hermione they were just friends. Ron has a crush on Hermione. She doesn't know, but everyone else does, and it looks like Ron's realising it, too. Maybe this would be what pushes him to finally pluck up some courage and ask her out.

What would it be like if Ron did ask Hermione out? Fred wondered. They hang out enough together already, he and the others had always been seeing her around, so it's not like they'll be seeing more of her. Although, they might be caught in a passionate embrace, so to put it. In other words, a snog. Fred sniggered at the thought of Ron kissing, almost surely clumsily.

But his snigger didn't feel right. It wasn't absolutely funny. A feeling shot up inside him. It was clutching at his insides, squeezing softly at his chest. It was soft and faint, but it left him wondering. It was strange. He had never felt like this before. As quickly as it came, it disappeared.

"Fred, what do you think?" Lee's voice drifted to him.

"Hmm? Yeah, that's a good idea." he answered absent-mindedly.

"What?" George sounded shocked. "Fred, did you hear what we said?"

Fred pushed away his thoughts. He turned to the pair, frowning.

"George just said maybe we ought to stop being such troublemakers," Lee explained, "and I was trying to convince him no. I never thought you would agree to stop playing pranks."

Whoops.

"Oh, right."

"You weren't listening, were you?" George asked. "You've been really quiet today."

"Is everything alright?" Lee sounded worried. Well, you should be worried if Fred Weasley has just agreed to stop making trouble. Even if it was because he wasn't listening. That only proved he wasn't listening, and since when did Fred Weasley not listen to a conversation that includes planning pranks? Something had to be wrong, which only gives you another reason to be worried.

"Yeah, perfect." Fred answered. "Just thinking. Drifted off."

"Right." The pair didn't look convinced. "What were you thinking about?"

"Do you really have to know?" he raised his eyebrows. "Can't I keep stuff to myself sometimes?"

"No, you can't, because you have never kept stuff to yourself." George said. "You have always told us anything that passed your mind."

Alright, that was true.

Fred sighed.

"It's nothing, really."

"Hmm, what could the great Fred Weasley be thinking, that he doesn't want to share with his twin and closest friend?" Lee wondered, almost mockingly. "Oh Merlin! What about a girl!?"

George looked at him with wide eyes. Fred scrunched his eyebrows together, making face that said "really guys?". This seemed to only confirm it for the pair. They bursted out laughing.

"By Merlin's pink underpants, he's got a crush!" Lee could barely get a word out, he was laughing so hard.

"It's not a girl, alright?" Fred wasn't about to admit it. It would forever damage his reputation if word got out that he fancied a girl. He may have just agreed to stop pranking (accidentally), but he still had his pride. True, he had taken Angelina Johnson to the Yule Ball last year, but they went as friends. He had no feelings for the girl, other than friendship.

Wait, did he just admit to himself that he liked someone? He just said he didn't want to admit it. Does that mean he really did like a girl? No, that was a slip of the tongue. He had meant to say he wasn't about to say he liked a girl. Yeah, that's better.

He pushed the subject out of his mind as George's and Lee's laughs pounded on his eardrums.

"I do not have a crush!" he almost shouted.

"Sure, Fred, sure." George said in between his laughs.

Fred rolled his eyes.

The car door slid open. Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces poked in.

"We thought we heard your mellow voices." Harry commented. He and the other two stepped inside. "What are you two laughing at?"

"And why isn't Fred laughing?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Fred...has...crush..." Lee managed to say. The two were still laughing their asses off. Fred scowled.

"I do not!"

"You have a crush?" Harry seemed bewildered. He and Ron joined Lee and George in laughing, while Hermione raised both her eyebrows, her mouth forming a small smirk.

"And who might this lucky lady be?" she teased.

Fred was slightly taken aback by her sexy smirk. He managed to regain himself in time, though.

"I do not have a crush." he said exasperatedly.

Wait, did he just describe Hermione's smirk as sexy? What the hell?

"Whatever you say." she sang. Really, he was grateful to her for not laughing, but only so that she can tease him? Oh Merlin...

"Oh, come off it, Fred." Lee said, the boys finally managing to stop laughing. "Who is the girl who has distracted the almighty Fred Weasley enough that he wouldn't listen to a prank-planning conversation?"

"And consequentially, agree to stop being a trouble-maker." George added. Ron's and Harry's eyes widened significantly, and they broke out in another fit of laughter as Hermione's eyebrows lifted even more in amusement.

Fred rolled his eyes.

"Guys..." Oh Merlin. What the hell? He might as well just say he liked someone, it might just shut them up.

Actually, that's a pretty good idea.

"If I say I have a crush, would it shut you lot up?" he said, testing his plan. They looked like they were actually thinking it over!

"Probably not." Harry said.

"Definitely not." Ron continued.

They bursted out laughing again.

Fred sighed.

"Alright, guys, that's enough." Hermione came to his rescue. "Enough teasing, let's get back to our compartment. And we have to change soon, too, we're nearly there."

Thankfully, the boys did as she instructed. Harry and Ron followed her back to their compartment, and the other two didn't tease him anymore.

Well, not much.

The next week passed quickly. Hermione and the others settled back into Hogwarts with more than a little ease, enjoying the food, and warmth, and just Hogwarts in general, because it's Hogwarts. Just when they were beginning to relax, they were bombarded with work from the teachers, as OWL's were coming up, and the work was so hard, even Hermione was barely keeping up with it all.

So if Hermione was borderline struggling, you can tell Ron and Harry would be drowning in their homework. The Quidditch practice didn't help them much in the time department, and they were flunking slowly after just one week. Hermione had to help them regularly, in between Prefect duties and doing her own homework.

There were things to look forward to, though, like her birthday. She was turning 16 on the 19th, which was just two weeks and a half from the start of school. It wasn't on her mind too much, though, stressed as she was trying to keep up with everything.

The first Thursday night after they arrived back, Hermione trudged back into the common room after doing Prefect rounds. Harry and Ron were there, despite it being late, books and parchment spread around them. They seem to be whispering to each other about something. Intrigued, Hermione stayed in the shadows of the portrait hole for a moment.

"It's best if you do it on the day," Harry was saying. "It gives you a better chance, girls like that thing."

Hmmm, what thing? And what day? Interesting...She rapped her fingers softly on the wall without knowing it, which unfortunately alerted Harry and Ron that she was there.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed. He and Harry seemed quite nervous to find her there.

"Boys." she said evenly. "Do you need anymore help with homework, or can I go to bed?"

"No, you can rest." Harry said, glancing at Ron. Something's going on.

Well, whatever it is, it's their thing. She was too tired these days to worry.

"Alright, then," she said. "Goodnight."

As she turned around the corner at the top of the girls' dormitory stairs, she could see Ron and Harry continuing their whispered conversation as soon as she was out of sight.

A/N: So hopefully, that was a fun-filled chapter for you guys. I have a feeling there won't be much humour coming up :/ I'll try, though. I'm onto chapter 4 already.

So what are Ron and Harry planning? I think you guys can guess already. I'll be asking for your opinion in the future, so please PM me or review when I ask. I want to make you guys happy.

So yeah, see ya!