Thanks to 93 Diagon Alley For her brilliance (and for writing her own awesome George/Hermione story!) and for beta reading this for me.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Where the Rebellion begins.

"I solemnley swear I am up to no good."


That was bloody awkward," Hermione muttered as she sat back down next to Ron and the rest of the students stood up and formed a line to sign the slip of paper she'd brought. "Remind me never to go into public speaking, yeah?" she finished to Ron who was staring wide-eyed at the number of students in the room.

"Yeah," Fred said, grinning as he finished the 'y' in his last name with a flourish. He handed the quill over to George and moved to the spot beside Hermione, looping his arm around her comfortably.

"You were a bit awkward, love," George said, passing the quill along to Lee before moving to the open spot on her other side. He placed his hand on her chair, his long fingers brushing the back of her robe.

"I was perfectly eloquent."

"Of course."

"We need to grab another wet start firework, Fred. Our last one fizzled out this morning," Lee informed the twins as he moved behind the table. Fred nodded his head and started to follow his mate towards the door.

"Well, wanna grab a butterbeer, Hermione? I mean, since we've been abandoned and all." She nodded her head before pushing her chair back and standing. Her eyes drifted across the room and landed on Fred. He looked awful, pale, ill, and pained.

"Fre-" He shook his head from the other side of the bar, apparently knowing what she was thinking. He stepped backwards, turning around. He was already at the door, so he pushed it open and disappeared out the entrance. She and George shared an equally confused glance, and then they were running after him.

"Fred?" she called out as George pushed the door open. He was gone; all around the tiny village, wizards and witches were crossing the street, but Fred's vibrant head of hair was nowhere to be found.

"What was that about?" George asked, sounding utterly lost and worried. Hermione had a terrible sinking feeling that she knew what it was about. She was pretty sure it had been their fault. Fred had never said anything outright, but she'd recently been getting the feeling that he was jealous of George. She didn't know how to handle it, and she knew it was misplaced.

"You know, don't you?"

"I-I have an idea…"

"Care to share?"

"Not really," she said in a tone that let him know - quite clearly - that the subject was done. "Now, you promised me a Butterbeer, do you still plan on delivering?"

He gave one last worried look out at Hogsmeade before nodding his head. "Yeah, I'll deliver." They went back into the pub and sat by Ron and Harry at the bar. Hermione drank her Butterbeer slowly, trying to figure out how to tell Fred that he was being crazy. They didn't like each other…well, she didn't like George, he was just her friend.

She was sure he knew that too. She was quite sure she knew what was wrong with him, actually.

-o-O-o-

Hermione had officially lost all of what little patience she had had. Her boyfriend had apparently disappeared off the planet. She couldn't find him anywhere. She'd searched Hogsmeade, and now she'd searched Hogwarts. She was officially tired of it. She stepped through the portrait hole with a fiery glare.

Her eyes scanned the room quickly, and she almost let out a gasp of surprise when she finally found him. He was sitting over in the corner of the common room, on the floor. He had his arms wrapped around his legs and he looked like he was trying to disappear into the wall.

His eyes found hers and she held his ashamed gaze with her softening one. She crossed the room in a few steps, not giving him a chance to leave.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, standing in front of him.

"Out," he said evasively, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Did you get your fireworks?"

"Yes."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes."

"Are you upset with me?"

"No." He still wouldn't meet her eyes, and she was officially annoyed.

"Fred, look at me." She waited a moment while he did as she asked. "Stop this. I want you to actually talk with me. Will you do that?" He shook his head, dropping his gaze again. She could hear students starting to pile in the room, and she knew she didn't have a chance to get him to talk with an audience. She frowned in thought for a moment before bending her knees and grabbing his hand. She stood back up and tugged him with her. He came up, and before he could balance himself properly she tugged him towards the staircase.

She didn't head for hers as he would have expected; instead, she ran up the stairs to his dormitory, dragging him with her.

She shut the door behind them and continued to pull him across the room. She stopped in front of his bed and dropped his hand, turning to fully face him. He stared at her uneasily for a moment before she pushed him down onto his bed. She sat on his lap sideways, and placed both her hands on his shoulders before placing a firm kiss on his lips that left him utterly breathless and warm. His hands moved to her, one getting lost in her hair and the other rubbing her back, dropping steadily lower until it rested on her hip.

He moaned her name out and that seemed to bring her back to herself. She broke the intense kiss off and looked at him hard. She got off of his lap and pushed him further onto the bed before climbing up beside him.

"I love you," she said forcibly before crashing her lips to his again. She pressed herself close on his lap, her hands moving to his neck. He responded enthusiastically, more excited than he really cared to admit. He wanted more, though, and he wanted to take the initiative, even if he did find this demanding side of her hot.

Fred flipped them over so that she was lying on her back and he was hovering over her. Her eyes were wide with surprise, but he didn't take long to study them. Fred leaned down, trailing kisses down her cheek, her mouth, and down the line of her throat. She uttered a breathy moan at the touch and gripped his face with her hands, bringing his mouth back up to hers. He deepened the kiss quickly, his hands rising up her soft form and earning more soft sounds from her. Their snogging quickly escalated, the passion between them easily passing their anniversary night.

He was growing warmer and more excited, and he knew he was minutes away from letting things get out of hand. The advice his brother had given him came back to him full force and he broke the kiss off, rolling over and lying on his back as he tried to regain his breath.

"Fred?" she whimpered, sounding confused.

"Sorry," he gasped out, bringing his arms around her. He tugged her nearer, and she moved to him. She laid her head on his bare chest and draped her arm over it...she couldn't remember removing his shirt. Odd. "I was about to lose control," he finished, smiling sheepishly as his cheeks heated up in a blush.

"Oh," she answered, finally having regained her breath. The hand draped over him started tracing little designs into his bare chest, causing his heart to start racing again. She wasn't helping him calm down. Percy was right, he should avoid beds.

Percy. He missed his brother. He hated that he was the only one who knew. He hadn't betrayed them, not at all; he was proving daily how devoted he was to them. He was the bravest Gryffindor Fred knew, and everyone thought he was a traitor.

"Will you tell me what's bothering you now?" Her voice was soft and airy, barely more than a breath when she spoke. Fred, for his part, was still breathing heavily and his heart was still pounding a steady rhythm in his chest. His eyes dropped down to her, and he let out a breath. Her hair was extremely mussed from where he had run his fingers through it, and her lips were swollen from their intense kissing. His chest tightened painfully and he found himself unable to say no to her. He gave his head a slow nod.

Fred took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her waist before answering her. "I-I was scared you'd leave me for George."

"What? George?" she asked, feeling dumbfounded. She had been pretty sure he was jealous, but it had never occurred to her that he thought she would actually leave him.

"Well, yeah. I mean..." He sighed heavily, his eyes drifting back up to the dark ceiling over them as he tried to formulate a way of saying what he was thinking. Hermione propped herself up on one arm and looked at him, her face registering the utter surprise she felt.

"What are you talking about? I've never fancied George. You're the only one I fancy."

"But he fancies you," he said, his voice heartbroken. He loved his twin, more than anything else. He was the only one he could count on no matter what. He knew George would never say or try anything on Hermione, but it broke his heart to think his twin, his George, loved the same girl he did.

"No, he doesn't, not really," she answered slowly; he could practically hear her brain whirring as she formulated her answer. "He was really hurt by Katie," she continued, "so he's scared to like another girl. He knows I'm safe, we've been friends forever. He's using me to test the female waters, as it were."

"Really?" Fred asked incredulously, lifting a disbelieving eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"Because I know George, and he would never do that. We really can't be anything but friends. It would be like me dating Harry; it simply wouldn't work," she explained, her eyes sincere. She was smiling at him softly now, her look one of obvious love. His chest wasn't quite as tight now, he could almost breath again.

"I guess," he said, dropping his eyes from hers. She didn't let him get away with it. She moved the hand she had on his chest and lifted his chin up, holding his eyes with her own.

"Hey, what brought this on?"

He sighed again. "I don't know…I just can't understand why anyone would want me over George. I can't understand why you're with me and not him." He hated admitting it, but he couldn't stop himself. She just seemed to bring the truth out of him.

"Oh, Fred. You don't get it, do you? I'm lost without you." Her voice was soft, her eyes full of emotion. Fred barely registered the words, not wanting to let himself get hurt. He had fallen for Hermione too hard too quickly, and he couldn't handle losing her - especially not to George. He couldn't hurt George either, though; he loved them both far too much.

"You're always lost, Hermione," he answered, opting for a more humorous answer as was his nature. Her slight frown let him know he wasn't getting away with it. She reached for him and tilted his chin towards her again, the warm touch of her fingers driving him to distraction.

"No, silly, I'm not. Think about it. Any time, any time I get lost, you're always there. I don't get lost, I find you. It's like I have an instinctive Fred detector. My feet just know where you're going to be, I just have to let my mind allow my heart to lead them to you."

It was with out a doubt the corniest thing she'd ever said to him, but he had never needed to hear it more, either. The pain in his chest lightened up and he found himself fully able to breath again.

It was going to be alright.


A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter, don't forget to leave me a review, you're really making my day ;)