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-five: In which things get bad.
"We don't care!"- Fred
Hermione was silently seething. She, Fred, Lee, Ginny and Angelina were all sitting in the common room, waiting for George and Harry to get back. Fred was pale and furious looking, Lee looked panicked, and Angelina looked ill. Hermione was upset, worried, and royally angry.
"What the hell is taking them so long?" Lee finally exclaimed.
"We don't know anything more than you do," Angelina snapped at him before her eyes went back to the door.
"Why did you have to hold me back? Why didn't you go for George?" Fred's voice held an accusing note in it that Hermione had not heard before. Angelina looked taken aback by his accusation.
"Why? Because I know you both. You were the more dangerous one. George isn't as hot-headed!"
"Stop it you two," Hermione said, forcing her voice to stay calm. "This isn't helping anybody out."
"What do you think she's doing?" Fred's question was directed towards her, and she knew he was more worried about George being alright than upset at Angelina.
"Nothing too terrible. McGonagall won't let them out of her sight. Umbridge won't be able to torture them," she reassured him, placing a small hand on his shoulder as she silently prayed they weren't being hurt.
The portrait hole opened up and all four heads snapped towards it instantly. A heartbeat later two forms stepped through it, vastly contrasting in everything but expression. Both Harry and George looked as though someone had just died.
Fred was out of his chair and next to George before anyone had even realized he'd moved. He grabbed his twin's shoulders and examined him while Harry went the rest of the way to the group. He slumped down on the sofa between Ginny and Hermione. George was saying something to Fred, but she couldn't hear what.
"Angelina," Harry started, his voice horribly hollow and his eyes listless. "You need to find a new seeker and two beaters. Umbridge just gave us all lifetime bans from Quidditch."
There was utter silence for a second, and then everyone started yelling at once.
"WHAT!"
-o-O-o-
Educational Decree 25
THE HIGH INQUISITOR WILL HENCEFORTH HAVE SUPREME AUTHORITY OVER ALL PUNISHMENTS, SANCTIONS, AND REMOVAL OF PRIVILEGES PERTAINING TO THE STUDENTS OF HOGWARTS ,
AND THE POWER TO ALTER SUCH PUNISHMENTS, SANCTIONS AND REMOVALS OF PRIVILEGES
AS MAY HAVE BEEN ORDERED BY OTHER STAFF MEMBERS.
EDUCATIONAL DECREE 26
ALL STUDENTS ARE FORBIDDEN FROM BROOM FLIGHTS
EXCEPT DURING AUTHORIZED QUIDDITCH PRACTICES
EDUCATIONAL DECREE 27
PROPER DECORUM AND UNIFORMS MUST BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES
EDUCATIONAL DECREE 28
ANY UNAUTHORIZED BOOKS SHALL BE CONFISCATED
EDUCATIONAL DECREE 29
MALES AND FEMALES MUST MAINTAIN AT LEAST EIGHT INCHES
BETWEEN EACH OTHER AT ALL TIMES.
EDUCATIONAL DECREE 30
WANDS ARE SUBJECT TO RANDOM, UNSCHEDULED CHECKS
TO ASSURE THAT NO IMPROPER MAGIC IS BEING PERFORMED
IN THE HALLS BETWEEN CLASSES.
Umbridge had gone off the deep end as far as Fred Weasley was concerned. If he saw just one more of those stupid decrees hanging on the wall outside the Great Hall, he was going to punch a Slytherin.
He was already cranky from being kicked out of Quidditch, and finding out that a ludicrous rumor was spreading about him and George was not helping anything.
They were finishing up another DA meeting right now though, and it was the last one before the Holiday break. They only had four more days until they were through for the term. He couldn't wait. He didn't even care if he had to go back to the horror infested Grimmauld place. Anywhere, even his Aunt Marge's, would be better than this place.
"You're distracted again, Fred," Hermione said sadly, not even bothering to try and disarm him. She sat down on the padded floor and indicated that he do the same. He did after a moment, frowning in thought.
"I can't help it."
"I know, and I'm not blaming you. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really, there isn't really anything to talk about. I'm just so tired of it all."
"I get that. Hogwarts has been horrible this year. Everything I love about it has pretty much disappeared." She sighed and brought her knees up, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on top of them. "I wish we hadn't left Grimmauld place."
"I feel like I can't do anything to really stop her," Fred admitted, crossing his legs in front of himself and leaning back on his hands. "That's new for me."
"It'll be over soon though, won't it? No DADA teacher has ever lasted longer than a year."
"Alright everyone, brilliant session. Thank you all for coming and working so hard this term. Remember to practice whenever you can, and I hope you all have a great holiday," Harry called from the front of the Room of Requirement. Fred pushed himself up and offered a hand to Hermione, pulling her up as well.
They walked out of the room of requirement together, chatting about what they wanted to do over the break. Hermione had originally intended on spending it with her family, but she had been sent a letter by her mother telling her that they were going away on a romantic trip for two. She understood that her mother was telling her that her father was still upset, so she had decided to stay with the Weasleys instead.
They were walking slowly, in no particular hurry to get anywhere, and enjoying each others company. Before they quite realized it, they had fallen behind the rest of the DA members, and they were completely alone in the hallway. Fred clasped her hand with his, intertwining their fingers and bringing it up to his mouth to press a quick kiss to her knuckles.
She smiled shyly at him and glanced around the corridor before looking back at him. They were quite alone, so she decided now was the perfect time to let him know how much she loved him. She placed both her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself up, pressing a tender kiss to his lips that he eagerly returned.
They drew closer to each other, and their hands began to wander over each other, pulling on each others hair and running over their shirts. Just when Hermione was certain Fred was going to take her further, he pulled away, a wild look in his blue eyes. He pushed her forward, hiding her behind a statue of Helga Hufflepuff, the only statue in the hallway. It was quite cramped, and barely had room enough for Hermione.
"I'm sorry, Hermione," he whispered to her, and then he petrified her. He shoved his wand into his pocket and stepped back, turning to face something at the other end of the hall.
"Mr. Weasley?"
She instantly recognized the voice and she felt her stomach turn unhappily as she realized what he was doing.
"FRED!" she tried to yell out, but she couldn't make her frozen lungs work.
"You're not in proper decorum, and you're out after hours. Tell me, what have you been doing?"
"Nothing," Fred replied. She could hear Umbridge moving around. "I was taking a late night stroll, is there a decree against that now?"
What was he doing? He was provoking her!
"Detention, I think," she snapped, "Every night this week. I will see you in my office in twenty minutes."
Her bellow of rage was silenced, making her fume where no one could hear her. She heard Fred's muttered curse, and then the clicking of Umbridge's heels completely faded away.
"Sorry, love," he said again, stepping up to Hermione and un-petrifying her. She remained perfectly still for a moment, her fists clenching and unclenching furiously.
"Why?" she finally managed.
"I heard her coming. There wasn't enough room for both of us behind the statue, and I know you wouldn't have stayed quietly back there otherwise." He sighed and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear before dropping his hand and stepping back.
"I've got to go, Hermione. I love you." He leaned forward and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to her lips before racing down the hall.
-o-O-o-
Where was George? Fred had already been gone for an hour and she was now beyond worried. Harry and Ron were working on their homework with a slightly desperate air, and Neville was beside her trying to make sense of his potions homework.
"I don't understand," he said again, frowning at his recipe for a calming draught. "Why do we need Chomping Cabbages? They add spice and strength, it shouldn't be used."
"Because it needs to be stronger. You have the wrong amount of Unicorn hair in there. We only use two strands, not four."
"Oh, well that makes more sense then," he said, his frown decreasing some. Hermione nodded her head shortly, tightening her grip on her quill before glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Did Flitwick say Hovering Charms were the same as Wingardium Leviosa?" Fay asked from the couch across from Hermione. Ron looked up from the charm essay he was working on and shook his head.
"It's the same principal, but a different spell," he replied, picking up his sparse notes on the subject and flipping through them.
"Yeah. Hover charms just make things hover, Leviosa can move left or right as well. Right?" Harry directed the last bit to Hermione, looking up from the Charms essay he was also working on.
"Yes," she said shortly, looking at the clock again.
"Hey, I'm sure they're alright, Hermione," Neville said softly, laying a hand on her back.
"They're? You know where George is?" Neville's eyes widened at her unexpected question.
"Ye-yeah," he stuttered. She was clearly worrying him with her questioning.
"Where?"
"He got detention with Umbridge," Ron answered for Neville, his eyes narrowed in distinct dislike. "I thought you knew that. Isn't that why you keep looking at the clock?"
"No, Fred got a detention, I had no idea…"
"He got one too? What'd he do?"
"He was caught out late with a mussed uniform," she said evasively, her stomach turning. "What'd George do?" How did they both end up with a detention? They hadn't even been together!
"He tossed a dungbomb at Filch."
"Why on earth did he do that?" she asked in utter exasperation. It was like he was trying to get a detention.
"To distract her from the fact that Angelina was dripping water all over the floor," Neville answered.
"Why was she dripping-"
"Because I had just snuck back in from Hogsmeade," a miserable voice answered, walking around to the front of the couch. Angelina was dry now, but she looked as though she had been crying. "I had snuck out to see Oliver, and George was covering for me. Umbridge came by right as I was coming back through the passage way. He pushed me back in and tossed the dungbomb."
So neither one of them had actually been in trouble when they were caught. They'd both taken the fall for someone else. Hermione suddenly felt ten times worse.
Right at that moment, the portrait hole swung open and two figures slipped into the room. They were both abnormally pale, and they had their arms looped around each other, using the other for support.
"Hey gang, we're back!" Fred called out jovially, his smile starkly contrasting the paleness of his face.
"Anyone got a firewhiskey or a strong painkiller?" George asked, smiling as well. The room was dead silent, all eyes on the twins.
"Why so solemn?" Fred asked as he and George finally reached the sofa that Fay and Dean had been sitting in. Fay had moved to the floor next to Ron and Dean moved to Seamus' couch across the room.
"Are you both alright?" Hermione asked slowly, her lower lip trembling slightly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, love."
"Take more than her demented quill to bring us down, right Harry?" George said, winking at Harry. He was looking at the twins in utter surprise.
"Hang on a moment," Hermione ordered, finally remembering herself. She hopped up from her chair and ran to her dorm, grabbing up the bowl of murtlap and dittany. She ran back downstairs before kneeling in front of their sofa and placing the bowl between them. She grabbed both their bloodied hands, her eyes stinging with held back tears, and dipped them into the clear liquid. They both bit back hisses of pain, and she cringed internally, knowing it was hurting them.
She ran her fingers across the back of their hands, clearing the blood off and making sure the liquid had the chance to completely disinfect the numerous cuts.
"Godric, that feels good," Fred breathed out as George leaned back in the couch and closed his eyes. Her eyes shot up to Fred's and she felt a tear fall down her cheek.
A/N:Sorry about the late update everyone, enjoy!
