Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…unfortunately.

Chapter 9

Fred. Fred. Fred. Fred. Fred. Fred.

She wrote his name over and over again. What had gotten in to her lately? She never knew she had those feelings for him.

He's Ron's brother Hermione! Why can't you just come to your senses? Unless you have lost them, which is a possibility.

She sighed heavily and threw the paper in the fire. She was in the common room, as usual. Studying, as usual. Or at least the tried to.

''Hey, Hermione!'' someone yelled.

She turned, and faced the one person she absolutely did not want to see. She put a fake smile on her face and tried to make it look real. It felt like a ton of butterflies were fluttering I her stomach. Luckily she had a pretty good poker face.

''Hi Fred. George, Lee.'' She nodded to the two other boys.

She hadn't seen Lee in a while, but he hadn't changed at all. He was just like he used to be, except that he know had a girlfriend at his side most of the time. He was still friends with the twins – of course – but he spent more and more time with Katie.

''Where's Katie?'' she asked Lee and looked around. The girl was nowhere to be seen.

''Oh, she's off doing something with her friends,'' he said and smiled. ''Apparently we've spend too much time together, so her friends didn't want to be her friends anymore if we kept going on like that.''

Hermione laughed. ''I know what you mean. You surely have spent much time together these last couple of weeks.''

Fred frowned. ''Are you sure that it's been that long? To me it's felt like… maybe a couple of ten years or so?''

''Ha ha,'' Hermione said and punched him lightly on the arm.

Fred grinned at her and turned to George. ''What do you say, shall we go down to the lake? I bet it's still warm enough to swim.''

Hermione stared at him. ''You're crazy. It's the beginning of November! By the way, the lake should be frozen at this time of the year.''

Fred gave her a mischievous look. ''Yeah, but it isn't. Like I said, it's warm.''

''You're not going with him, are you?'' she asked the others.

Lee shrugged. ''I don't see why not. The last chance to go for a swim with the giant squid.''

She looked pleading at George. ''Please… if you go then I will have to go as well. Don't go with them.''

Fred laughed loudly. ''Who said you would have to come?''

She threw an angry glance at him. ''You were going to make me. I could tell.''

''Wow… you really know us, don't you?'' George said in amazement. ''Come on now let's go!''

Hermione didn't move, she stood with her legs apart and her arms folded – refusing to go with them.

''I'm not going. I don't want to get sick.''

Fred rolled his eyes. ''Oh, come on. What kind of excuse is that? We know you want to.''

Hermione shook her head angrily. If they thought that they could make her, they were wrong.

''You're the most stubborn person I've ever met, do you know that?'' Fred said and grabbed her arm. He pulled her towards the portrait hole.

''Let me go Fred!'' she shouted and tried to wriggle loose.

''Can you give me a hand here, lads?'' He nodded towards George and Lee, who immediately came to help him.

What were they doing forcing her to go with them? And why so much fuss just over going to the lake for a swim?

''Help me!'' she pleaded to some other students in the common room, but they didn't care.

The boys dragged her down to the lake. It was pretty cold outside. It was late in the afternoon, but the sun was still shining.

''Let. Me. Go.''

Did they really want her to go mad? Apparently they thought it was fun, for they never stopped laughing. Not even for a second.

They walked with her towards the water, which looked terrible cold and dark to Hermione.

''I'm still not going to do it,'' she muttered as they let her go and got into the water, still wearing their clothes.

''Hermione!'' Lee yelled. ''Come on! It's not cold at all.''

Hermione looked at him sceptically. ''You're blue.''

He was blue. Or, as close to blue as a human's skin can get.

He looked down at himself, and then looked at her again and grinned. ''You're right. I'm blue.''

Hermione didn't know if it was the way he said it or how he looked when he said it, but something about it made her laugh like crazy.

Fred got out of the water.

Oh, God.

Hermione froze. Why did he have to look so… attractive?

She loved the way he pulled his hair away from his eyes. And how concentrated he looked when he was planning something with George and Lee. He usually got a very cute wrinkle on his forehead.

Oh, dear. What am I thinking? I have to stop doing this… It can't be good for me, can it?

''Hermione,'' he said mischievously. ''You're going for a swim, whether you like it or not.''

And with those words he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him into the water.

Hermione had been right. It was freezing! She could already feel how she became stiff with cold.

''FRED!'' she screamed and splashed water on him. He just laughed and splashed back.

And then a big water fight began. All against all.

Hermione didn't even see who she splashed water on, she just – well, splashed. One time she accidentally hit someone, and showered him with excuses.

Until she saw that it was Fred. The excuses stopped at once.

And of course, she had to blush instead. How more embarrassed could she possibly get?

But he just laughed his usual Fred-laugh and pulled her beneath the water surface. When she got up she gasped for air and hit Fred again, but on purpose this time.

''Hey!'' he said, pretending as if it hurt.

Suddenly she felt how something grabbed her leg, and how long, sharp claws scratched her leg. Something warm ran down her leg. She screamed, and tried to shake her leg to get the thing – whatever it was – of of her. But it wouldn't let go. It dragged her beneath the water surface, deeper and deeper.

''Hermione!'' Fred screamed. ''What is it?''

All she could do was shake her head, before she was dragged under the water.

Sorry for the delay, and for this short chapter. But I promise that the next one will be more than four pages. I've been quite busy lately, with homework, concerts and stuff…

But anyways, I hope you at least liked it a bit!