Wow, has it really been two weeks since I last updated? I think it has, but I'm trying not to count the days at the moment: I only have three more weeks of school, and two weeks of Easter, until I go off on study leave, so, if I disappear, I'll be holed up in my room trying to fill my head with useless Biology knowledge that will have no relevance to my later life. Please bear with me, I really need to do well in my exams if I'm going to be able to return to my school to study my choice of A-levels, and I will need to do well on A-levels if I'm going to get into my choice of course at my select university. So, these exams are important, and Fanfiction may have to take a back seat. But remember, as soon as exams are over, I'll have a ten week holiday, and so should be able to write and update more.
Harry Potter is still not mine, but that's not what breaks my heart. It's that Fred isn't mine either.
The detention slips arrived at breakfast the next morning. Everyone looked at them, and each other, resignedly. They all sat through their classes with their dread increasing as each hour passed. All of them either had experienced a detention from Umbridge, or knew someone who had. No one was under any delusions about what they'd have to do.
Arriving in the hall, Hermione found a seat and looked up to the front, waiting to see what she would have to write with the quill.
Umbridge looked down at the assembled students. "You will all be writing lines for me today, and for the next two weeks, until the holidays, and then for two weeks afterwards. That should be sufficient time to learn your lesson, I think. I will have no qualms about adding time to that, if I think it's necessary. You shall be writing 'I must not break the rules'. Please begin." With these words she sat down on the chair placed at the front of the room, and watched them all pick up their quills with a small smirk on her face.
Hermione gritted her teeth and picked up her quill. Slowly setting it to the paper, she braced herself for the pain in her hand to begin. And sure enough, it did. Head down, she tried desperately to block it out, but struggled to succeed. A quick glance up and around showed her that many of her friends weren't doing any better.
Ron was looking extremely pale, Ginny was biting down on her lip as if to distract herself from the pain in her hand, and Luna's eyes were glistening. Fred and George, however, were glancing at each other, their eyes sparkling with mischief. She stared at them a moment longer before sensing someone's eyes on her. Glancing back round she realised it was Umbridge who had been looking at her, disapproval written all over her face. Hermione immediately looked back down at the desk, and continued writing.
The next thing she knew, there was a tremendous bang and coloured lights were flashing all around the hall. Without thinking, she dropped the quill on the desk and looked around in wonder. Fireworks were exploding everywhere. Fireworks she recognised as Fred and George's creations.
Glancing over at them, she could see them grinning as Umbridge whipped out her wand and attempted to get rid of them, to no avail. Eventually she gave up, yelling for all the students to leave and gather in the entrance hall. They did so, discarding their quills willingly as they left the room, ducking their heads to avoid the occasional firework.
When they got out of the room, many headed towards the steps, hesitating slightly, unsure whether they could go or not. Umbridge let out a sigh as she shut the doors, then turned to the waiting students.
"You will all come to detention an hour early tomorrow, to make up for lost time. You two," she pointed at Fred and George, "come with me. You must be punished for disturbing this detention."
Hermione looked over at the twins, panic flaring in her eyes. Fred shot her a quick, reassuring smile, before he and George followed Umbridge up to her office.
"Come on, Hermione," said Ron, laying a hand on her arm.
She looked at him and nodded, following her friends up to Gryffindor tower. When they arrived, Hermione headed up to her dormitory, and grabbed the couple of bowls of murtlap essence that she had prepared beforehand. Carrying them back downstairs, she gave them to her friends. They all slipped their hands into the liquid.
Ron sighed in relief, Neville worried his lip as he washed his cut, and Ginny let tears finally seep out of the corners of her eyes.
Suddenly she was engulfed by two hugs from behind.
"Ssh, Ginny, it's OK."
"We'll get her for this, we promise."
"Fred! George!" she exclaimed, turning round and giving them hugs.
"What happened?" asked Hermione.
Fred shrugged. "We got more detention."
"Nothing new," added George.
They continued going to the detentions for two weeks. They had a few days of brief respite during the Easter holidays, but all too soon it was time for more detentions. Fred and George had been pulling even more pranks on Umbridge, and getting even more detentions. While Hermione supported what they were doing to an extent, she didn't like the fact they kept so easily getting caught and put in detention.
Once more, the dreaded hour arrived, and they all slowly made their way to the Great Hall. Just before Hermione entered, Fred pulled her back.
"Fred?" she asked, puzzled.
He shuffled his feet, not meeting her eyes.
"Can I talk to you, after detention?" he asked.
"Sure, but what's the matter, Fred?"
"I can't tell you now."
She frowned at him. "Why not?" she demanded.
"Just, trust me, OK? We don't have enough time or privacy here."
She nodded slightly, not sure what was going on.
"Meet me in the Room of Requirement, half an hour after detention ends."
"Hermione, Fred, come on!" called George. "You don't want to give her another reason to punish you!"
Hermione nodded, and headed into the hall, finding an empty seat and picking up her quill. She'd attended enough of these detentions by now to know that they had to sit down and get straight on with writing.
Two and a half hours later, her hand ached, and blood streaked her skin. Standing up, she left the hall with a profound sense of relief that it was over, at least for today. She headed to the Gryffindor tower to heal her hand the best she could quickly, before rushing off to meet Fred in the Room of Requirement. She had no idea what he wanted to say, but something in her gut told her that it couldn't be good.
Reaching the wall, she paced in front of it, willing the doors to appear. They did, and she immediately pushed one open and slipped inside.
Fred was already there, waiting for her. He was seated on a sofa, gazing into the flames in the fireplace. When she entered the room, he glanced over at her, and stood up. He took a couple of steps towards her, then stopped. Raising a hand, he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Hermione..."
"Fred?" she asked, taking a couple of hesitant steps forward. "Is something the matter?"
He bit his lip. "Hermione, I think we need to talk, about us."
"What about us? We're great, aren't we?"
Fred shrugged, not saying anything.
"Fred? Fred? You're scaring me."
"Look, Mi-Hermione. George and I, well, we're leaving school."
"I know that. You're in seventh year – you're graduating soon." She took a couple of steps forward, and reached for his hand. He pulled away.
"No, you don't get it. George and I - we're not graduating. We're not even going to get our NEWTs."
"What?" Hermione asked, shocked.
"We overheard Umbridge talking while we were doing a detention. We're going to leave – we've got a shop in Diagon Alley all ready. We don't know exactly when we're going to leave, but it'll be soon."
"What does that have to do with us?" Hermione questioned.
Fred sighed. "It's not fair on you. I'll have left – you'll still be here. It's not fair on you to ask you to waste your time on me – we'll hardly get to see each other. It'd be better if things stopped."
"What?!" asked Hermione dumbfounded. "You want to split up with me, just because you're leaving Hogwarts? Fred, we both knew you were going to leave Hogwarts at some point – don't tell me this would have happened even if you stay to graduate. I thought you loved me..." she trailed off, hurt beyond words.
This time is was Fred who reached out, but Hermione shrugged him off. "Mione, please-"
"Don't call me that!" she spat harshly.
"Hermione, I don't want to do this-"
"Then don't!" she cried, eyes flashing. "Admit it – you're not doing this for my benefit. You just don't want to be tied down when you leave Hogwarts. There's going to be so many girls in the wizarding world, you don't want to be stuck with a girl who's still at school. This is nothing to do with me, it's all because of you!"
"That's not true!"
"Then prove it!" she challenged. "Tell me, how will us splitting up benefit me? Will it improve my grades? Will it make me happier? Will it mean I'm going to go date other guys? Because the last time I checked, the only person in school who I was at all interested in being with was you – and, in all honesty, I can't imagine me becoming enamoured with a first year arriving next year."
"You shouldn't have to be limited in what you want to do!"
She rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear a word of what I just said? I'm not interested in being with anyone else. And it's not as if I don't have options. I'm sure I could find someone, but the thing is, I don't want to!"
"Hermione, please, just understand-"
"Understand what? I was under the impression that I understood perfectly well. You want to split up with me to allow me more freedom to do whatever I want while you're doing whatever you want in Diagon Alley. Which is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. So, unless you can come up with a good reason for the end of us, I'm done. I'm not going to stand here and listen to your pathetic excuses. If you don't want to be with me anymore, just tell me. I'm a big girl, I'm sure I can handle it."
"That's the thing, Mione, I do love you. So much, I meant that. But it'd be best if we- Perhaps in time...when you finish school and Voldemort's defeated-"
"No!" she said sharply. "If you end things, you end them. I'm not going to agree to one day take you back. You want to be with me, you be with me, through thick and thin, through me being at Hogwarts, and you running the shop. You don't want to be with me, just say so. I'm not going to hang around here while you make up your mind, though. You know where I am if you have something to tell me. But, if you do come find me, whatever you have to say better be good."
And, with hurt evident in her eyes, she turned her back, and shoulders thrown back, left the Room of Requirement, leaving Fred standing there alone.
So, I disappear for a fortnight, tell you my updates may be becoming even more sporadic, and then leave you with that. I'm sorry, I feel so guilty. But, don't worry, I know what I'm doing with this story, and I'll work everything out to a conclusion. But you'll have to stick with me to find out if, to quote from my story summary 'hearts are broken'. So I will leave you with that thought, and save this document ready to be added to A Chain Of Events.