Disclaimer: All of the characters and world recognised below belong to J.K Rowling. I do not own any of it, this is pure entertainment.

A Shining in the Shadows

Chapter 17: Could Be More

And fools rush in

And I've been the fool before

This time I'm gonna slow it down

'Cause I think this could be more

The thing I'm looking for

Please Don't Say You Love Me - Gabrielle Aplin

Unusually, Hermione slept in the day after Christmas. She spent the majority of the night dancing and kissing Fred, both of them not wanting the night to end. When they finally made their way back to Gryffindor tower, it was the early hours of the morning and Hermione had never felt so rebellious in her life. Not that she hadn't broken curfew before; but it was different when saving the school, it just seemed more reckless and fun and trivial with Fred, they were both loved up and high on endorphins and Hermione felt lighter than she had felt in a while. She was no longer just an orphan, just Harry Potter's friend, just a muggleborn, she was with Fred Weasley who liked her and it seemed to give her an entirely new aspect to her identity; a bright colour in the grey. He had kissed her cheek when he left her at the base of the stairs of the girl's dormitory and she thought her face was going to break from the smiling and that her head would boil from the amount of times that she blushed. Hermione had half expected to be accosted by Lavender and Parvati when she returned back to her room but surprisingly they were asleep. However, when Hermione woke in the morning, the three girls (of course Ginny made her way over) and were sitting expectantly on Lavender's bed, staring at her expectantly. Bleary eyed, she rubbed them tiredly.

'What?' she yawned, extending the 'aaaa' and stretching her arms above her head.

'So, how did it go?' Lavender asked in a sing-song voice that normally would have grated Hermione. Hermione yawned again and this time she felt her back crack from where she was stiff.

'How did what go?' she asked again, feigning ignorance. She wanted to laugh at the petulant and annoyed expressions that painted their faces.

'Please 'Mione, you and Fred disappeared for hours. What happened?' Ginny said impatiently. She smirked and leaned back on Lavender's pillow, getting comfortable. She was trying to piece together the night for herself, it feeling more like a flurry of images in her mind rather than coherent. She took a breath.

'Well, after your brother slut-shamed me like he was auditioning for prat-of-the-year-award, I ran away and Fred followed me. And he cheered me up by asking me to dance again and it was very romantic and well… he kissed me.' Hermione thought she'd be deafened by the shrill squeals that emitted from the three girls, Ginny lunging forward and hugging Hermione.

'You're going to be my sister!' she said. Hermione shoved her lightly off her. She was smiling, but Hermione had a seed of doubt within her. Fred and herself had not actually detailed whether they were together or not.

'Let's not get ahead of ourselves Gin, it was just kissing.' Hermione warned. Last night they were too distracted dancing and kissing to have a meaningful conversation and whilst she knew Fred liked her, she was unsure of his future plans. She had to remember that the past sixth months had brought a lot of change for her life and she had some instability within her. What if Fred decided that that last night was it, that he wasn't into her anymore after they kissed? It seemed as though they had been so hot and cold over the past couple of months that she couldn't be sure.

It was almost as though Ginny could see the smirk on her own face, 'No, I know my brother, he's infatuated and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon.' Hermione wanted to believe her. The girls spent the morning discussing their night; Lavender explained in graphic detail how far she'd gone with Seamus Finnegan (snogging with some above the waist touching), whilst Parvati mentioned that Dean was a gentleman (who did not seem overly interested in her but they had a great time) and Ginny said that Neville had given her a kiss on the cheek before turning red and running away at the end of the night, however he was a phenomenal dancer. Ginny was disturbed when Hermione recounted exactly what Ron said to her - 'Harry better hex him or I will' - but like Hermione, was happy to see George and Angelina looking so happy, 'They're almost as cute as you and Fred.' Hermione blushed at the compliment but also the thought that people had been paying attention to her last night, she was aware that she had been Viktor's date but spent just as much time with Fred, she did not want people to think she was with both of them. She was only friends with Viktor; she had a great time with him but a part of her wished she was just Fred's date the whole time. She also realised that she abandoned Viktor last night and needed to go apologise and check in with him for fear of being not only a bad date, but a bad friend.

Soon, Hermione's stomach rumbled fiercely, she was sure that the girls had missed even the belated hours of breakfast in the Great Hall and groaned. They'd have to wait until the later lunch or maybe even dinner before she could eat again, not to mention she needed to have a shower. Her hair was a combination of that spell and Sleekeazy's and felt gross and her make up had not been taken off entirely properly last night. She could not see Fred - or anyone - like this. The girls left her and snuck off to the kitchens to procure food for them all whilst Hermione went into the shower.

She relished in the hot water, it was a cold winter despite the fact that the dormitories were mostly warm. She focused on washing her hair, getting the gunk out before ensuring that she conditioned it and dried it carefully, trying to reduce the frizz. She was excited, but also terrified to see Fred Weasley, unsure of what his reaction to her would be. But they did need to talk again. She dressed carefully and warmly, donning her tartan scarf as she headed down the stairs into the common room. There were a few people lazing around, bleary eyed from the big evening the night before. She couldn't see Harry or (thankfully) Ron but she did notice Fred Weasley, sitting on the couch in front of the fire, picnic basket at his feet, playing a game of exploding snap with George. His twin nudged him, gesturing to Hermione and Fred quickly turned his head to look at her, a wide grin filling his face. Hermione felt melty inside and suddenly all her insecurities vanished.

'Hey, you're up!' he greeted her and she blushed, she pushed a curl behind her ear and bit her lip.

'Sorry, I was talking to Gin, Lav and Parvati and we got carried away and then I needed a shower and…'

'Don't stress,' Fred said softly, getting up from his place on the couch and moving closer to her. Hermione was unsure if he was going to kiss her, it looked like he wanted to, and she wanted to as well… just not in the middle of the Gryffindor Common Room. 'You weren't at breakfast so I got some things from the kitchens, we could have an indoor picnic - it's still snowing outside, if you wanted to, of course.' She smiled at the thoughtful gesture; she was so hungry and it was lovely of Fred to go out of his way to plan something special for her. She loved this about Fred, he was not always good at words but it was his actions that showed how much he cared.

'Thank you Fred, I would love to join you.' she said blushing and he grinned again. Hermione decided then in that moment that she would do anything to see him smile, it was stunning. She looked around but could not see Harry; she wanted to check in with her brother considering how they parted the night before but she also did not want to keep Fred waiting any longer, knowing that it was almost midday. It was as though he read her mind because he picked up the picnic basket.

'Harry is with Neville, I told him of my plans earlier and he said he'd see you at dinner.' Hermione nodded, she hoped that with Neville he was working on the clue for the second task. She bid goodbye to George who winked at her conspiratorially. As Fred led her out of the portrait hole, Hermione wondered where he could be taking her; an inside picnic sounded romantic however there were not many private places outside of empty classrooms, and despite last night, they were not the most romantic places in the world.

'Where are we going?' she asked, they were still on the seventh floor. Fred turned to her and smirked.

'It's a secret!' Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes. She thrived on knowledge and was not a huge fan of surprises; years of bad surprises had ruined the excitement of them. Fred paused in front of a huge tapestry. While the corridor was not largely populated, Hermione was nervous when he put the picnic basket down as surely they were not going to have their picnic in the middle of the hallway? Instead of setting up, he began to pace along the tapestry three times, Hermione looked at him in shock. What have I gotten myself into? She thought. Whilst others may think that Fred and George were a little odd, she was not one of them, however his current behaviour left her purplexed. As she was contemplating this, a door materialised in front of her eyes and she rubbed them, wondering if perhaps she was still dreaming. No matter how many years she lived in the wizarding world, Hermione did not think she would ever get used to the wonders of magic. Fred picked up the basket and held out his hand for hers.

'Shall we?' he asked. Hermione nodded and put her hand in his. He opened the door and stepping back, ushered Hermione through. The room was nothing she had ever seen before; she was surrounded by a field of sunflowers, divided by a path so Fred and herself could walk through. In the middle, a large picnic blanket was spread out. Although Hermione could tell it was indoors, the room has the illusion she was out on a summer's day.

'This is incredible!' she gasped, spinning around to look at the room properly, 'what is this place?' She turned to look at Fred who was looking at her with an expression that was a mixture of awe and amusement. He looked at her like he wanted to kiss her and she wanted that in return.

'Are you telling me I know something the great Hermione Granger does not?' His dark blue eyes were sparkling at the thought and Hermione grinned in chagrin, knowing he was only teasing her. 'It's the Room of Requirement, commonly known as the Come-and-Go-Room. It can become anything you want as long as it doesn't defy Gamp's Law. George and I found it in our second year when we were running from Filch. It's not on the Marauder's Map either.' He said. Even if Fred did not, Hermione knew that not many people could know of this room if Sirius and Remus did not. The thought amused her, she could not wait to rub that fact in her guardians' faces. She also realised she stumbled on a space she and Harry could use for preparing for the tasks and to work on becoming animagus. She smiled widely.

'You amaze me, Fred Weasley.' He chucked and set the basket down for the final time on the blanket.

'You haven't seen anything yet Miss Granger.' he said with an impish, sly grin that made Hermione shiver with anticipation. She plopped herself on the floor, Fred following her actions as he pulled out pastries and fruit as well as some warm butterbeer and tea. He served Hermione a plate, an action that surprised her after spending most of her time with both Ron and Harry, both of whom tended to think primarily with their stomachs, and waited for her to choose first. She ate slowly, enjoying the moment before she put her plate down and looked at him. She needed to get her insecurities off her chest.

'Did you mean it?' she asked hesitantly. Fred looked up from his plate of food and looked at her curiously, a small crinkle in his brow that Hermione could not help but find cute and comforting.

'Mean what?' Hermione shrugged.

'Last night - the night before. Kissing me. Liking me?' As soon as she asked, she felt foolish and immature at the flash of hurt that appeared on his face.

'Of course 'Mione! How - how could you think I didn't?' he asked. He put his plate down and shuffled closer to her, placing his hand on hers. 'As I said to you, I'm crazy about you. Last night… last night was incredible - dancing with you - kissing you…' he blushed uncharacteristically and Hermione followed as she recalled the feeling of his lips on hers. She wanted to feel that again. She bit her lip at the thought and Fred placed a kiss on her hand.

'I - I want that too. I didn't mean to make you doubt, I just woke up this morning and… well last night was like a dream and I wanted to - make sure.' She looked down. Waking up and not knowing exactly what they were and having people who expected answers was difficult. She normally was so sure of everything, finding the answers to unknown questions and situations within the pages of books that she relied on, yet with Fred Weasley she was an indecisive mess, doubting her intuition. While there were books about boys, there was none that navigated the messy field of her emotions. Hermione had never been good at this part of life.

She felt Fred's finger lift her face and she was looking directly into his sapphire eyes, glittering with emotion - there was something in that expression that Hermione had never seen before, but it made her feel safe, loved.

'I'm not good at this Hermione - I know that. But I will make it clear that I - I care about you a lot. I want to be with you… like that, you know - as your boyfriend. If you'll have me of course,' He started to talk fast, stumbling on his words, 'I know that you're still grieving your parents and getting used to living with Sirius Black and Professor Lupin and with Harry in the tournament I can understand if you don't-' Hermione found the rumbling adorable, feeling relieved that he was as insecure as she was. Feeling emboldened and attuning to her Gryffindor nature, she cut him off with a quick kiss to his lips. Pulling away, he blinked once, stunned before smiling, leaning forward to kiss her back. His lips upon hers were more insistent this time, her lips slightly bruised from the previous evening meaning that they stung. She loved the feeling, automatically reminding her of the happiness of the previous evening. She leaned into him and tangled her hands in his hair, leading him to moan loudly, the vibrations reverberating to below Hermione's stomach. She shivered. Fred moved his hands to her waist, pulling her closer to him. Hermione's skin burned at his touch and she felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach and below. It felt right. She reluctantly pulled away, needing air.

'Does that answer your question?' she asked cheekily, brown eyes shining with mirth. Fred shook his head.

'No I could use more clarification,' he said as he leaned forward to kiss her but Hermione put her hand out to stop him, just briefly, not wanting to get carried away kissing him again before this whole situation could be worked out.

'I want to be with you too Fred - like as your girlfriend.' Fred smiled so wide she thought his face was going to break. He leaned over and kissed her softly and Hermione allowed it, she felt complete when he did. 'But-'

'We need to take it slow.' Fred finished for her and Hermione raised her eyebrow inquiringly, wondering how he knew what she was thinking. He caressed her face softly, racing her lips with his thumb. 'I know you 'Mione, you just lost your parents, I don't want to rush or overwhelm you. I've had a crush on you for ages - I'm looking long term with you - I can wait, we can take this as slow or fast as you want. This relationship is on your terms.' Hermione frowned.

'That's not fair on you though Fred, you're older, you shouldn't always have to wait for my life to get on track... I don't want you to resent me.' She really liked him and appreciated what he was trying to say, but this relationship needed to be equal, she did not feel entirely comfortable dictating terms.

'I will never-' Fred started but she cut him off.

'No, I appreciate what you are saying Fred but I am ready for a relationship with you. We've been tiptoeing around each other for months, waiting for the other to make a move so I am going to now. I want to be your girlfriend… whatever that entails. I will tell you if something gets too much or if I don't like something, just like I would expect you to tell me if you were uncomfortable with something.' He was contemplative at her words and she breathed out raggedly. He nodded his head.

'Okay, agreed.' he said, smiling, 'Thank you Hermione.' He gripped her hand and brought it to his lips, the tingles at his touch affecting Hermione, causing her to bite her lip. 'So can we tell people then?' She nodded affirmatively.

'After last night I doubt many would think otherwise,' she blushed. Fred smirked, the action sent butterflies to Hermione's stomach.

'We should take all doubt away.' he whispered as he leaned forward, lips on hers once more. Their picnic was soon forgotten as they both lost themselves in each other's lips. A part of Hermione, a small, tiny part was sure that there was more they should talk about, like whether they tell their parents, things they both needed to do that day, but the bigger part of Hermione shut that voice up. After all, other people and things could wait, she was kissing her boyfriend - Fred Weasley.

Remus Lupin felt something change. It wasn't instant, it had been brewing for a while but he felt it click into place. He felt his world, his pack get bigger and he was not sure who was now part of it. It had to do with one of his two children, it was not a direct connection to him in the same way that he was connected to Sirius, Harry and Hermione. It was more - distant, but somehow, unchangeable. He needed to contact his children (he had begun calling them that in his head) to clarify what was going on. He had a gut feeling it had to do with that Weasley twin. Should have threatened him when I had the chance, the smaller, irrational part inside him said. He knew Hermione was fifteen and therefore well onto her way of being a woman, but he was protective over his little cub and just got her in his life, he did not want to give her up to a hormonal, almost seventeen year old!

He sighed and rested his hand in Sirius' hair as the other man slept soundly. It was a pretty subdued Boxing Day for Remus; better than it had been for years, but the day consisted of only him and Sirius, not that either man was going to complain about the fact. Despite that it was past midday, both men remained in bed, Remus lounging with a book whilst Sirius napped on his chest. Remus looked down at his mate and sighed, there were so many years when he thought he'd never have this again, his mate, a family, a comfortable home, the feeling of belonging once more. Years he had spent alone, knowing that Harry was out there and thinking Sirius was guilty, wasting away in Azkaban. Sirius looked mostly recovered from his days in incarceration; he had been eating right and training again which suited Remus perfectly. He ogled the toned legs and perfect, pert arse of his mate and sighed, leaning back to remember the activities of the night before as well as the extended activities of the morning that caused the animagus to be tired despite his stamina. He took his free hand from Sirius' hair to trace down his back lazily, fingers creeping closer to his glorious behind.

Christmas had been surprisingly busy for the pair; they were required for a Christmas lunch at the Weasley residence which had been filled with a five course meal; Mrs Weasley serving seconds and thirds to the couple before sending food home with them, making both Sirius and Remus feel properly stuffed. Then they had dinner at Sirius' cousin, Andromeda Tonks nee-Black's residence with her husband Ted and daughter Nymphadora, whom liked to be acknowledged by her last name rather than her given. Sirius and Andromeda had been fairly close as children, with Andromeda also cast out of the family and therefore she was one of the first people he reached out to when he was pardoned. They had become quite close again, often going to her for advice about Hermione. Surprisingly yesterday though, Narcissa Malfoy joined the celebrations, having recently gotten back in contact with her sister. That made the event a little more interesting, yet tense, as whilst the three remaining Blacks were in contact, the fact that Narcissa's husband was a known Death Eater was the hippogriff in the room.

Remus was taken out of his musings by a sloppy kiss on his stomach. 'You're thinking too loudly Moony!' Sirius said, lifting his head to look at his mate with twinkling grey eyes. 'Less thinking, more fondling please.'

'Sorry Pads, just thinking about yesterday.' Sirius kissed a scar on Remus's chest before shifting into a more comfortable position. Remus ignored the flare of desire that welled within him, becoming evident under the blanket. Sirius sent him a wicked smirk.

'What about yesterday?' he said, hand resting on his thigh, squeezing. Remus knew that the other man was probably thinking about what they did after they returned from the Tonks residence rather than the Christmas gathering. Not that he blamed him, it was a very happy Christmas indeed.

'Pads.' Remus groaned, biting his lip. 'Quit distracting me - did you know that Narcissa was in contact with Hermione?' The question caused Sirius to remove his hand, something which Remus regretted slightly.

'I'm not exactly happy about it considering I am not sure where Cissy's loyalties lie… but I mean I'm grateful 'Mione got the tome, it was something lost to Dromeda and myself upon being blasted off the family tree and she had the last one but…' he looked down, 'it worries me that she's so easily accessible without our knowledge - especially with the bloody Triwizard Tournament.' Remus humed in agreement, the wolf inside him restless for the safety of his pack, for his cub.

'She's vulnerable right now.' He agreed, playing with a strand of Sirius' black curly hair, feeling the silky strand between his fingers. 'She's still considered a muggleborn and whilst she is under the protection of House Black, it means nothing whilst she still carries the name 'Granger'.'

'We have to blood adopt her.' Sirius said, 'make it official. Something feels wrong Moony - we know something is coming and we have to protect her and Harry as much as we can. Over the summer, we can do the ritual-'

'You can do the ritual.' Remus interrupted bitterly, 'It's too dangerous to throw my blood in the mix and your name is the only one that matters anyway.' He looked away from Sirius. A part of him knew that he was being silly and insecure, he knew in the depths of his heart that Sirius, Harry and Hermione - the people that mattered - loved him for who he was, werewolf and man. However it did not stop the larger part of himself from feeling isolated, as though his blood was a curse. He did not know whether his condition was hereditary, but his name and his blood were both too tainted to be shared. Sirius grasped his chin roughly, forcing Remus to look at him, grey eyes angry.

'Remus John Lupin! Would you please stop being an insecure prat. I. Love. You. Harry loves you! Hermione loves you! You are more than your condition, you're an intelligent, sexy, powerful wizard for the majority of the time, a man who will put his family above all else and protect the ones he loves. The twelve times a year you're a wolf does not matter to me, it does not define you. You're still everything to me, to us.' Remus stayed silent and Sirius sighed and kissed the prominent scar across his cheek. 'These show your strength, that you're a survivor and they're sexy as hell.' Remus was still not convinced. Sirius softened, kissing his lips lightly. 'Hermione considers you her father, I know she does. She trusted you before she even knew you and will continue to love you, regardless of the name she carries or the blood within her veins. We can call her now and ask, she'll back me up.' Remus sighed.

'Okay, okay I know, you're right I'm being stupid.' Sirius smiled and kissed the sensitive spot on Remus' neck, causing him to shiver.

'Glad you're self aware enough to acknowledge that.' He trailed his hands down Remus' chest, he growled in response. Sirius smirked in his ear. 'We both know that if I could, I'd take your last name.' Remus moaned as the animagus' hand reached his hardened member, giving it a jerk.

'Who said I'd marry you?' Remus teased. It was something that had been mentioned in passing, but either man had made it official. As tempting as it was, they could not just resume their relationship at the same point that it ended thirteen years previously, they were both changed men and needed to get to know how their changed selves changed their relationship. Sirius kissed Remus again, still gripping his erection.

'In good time Moony, you'll get all of me; bended knee and doggy style.' He winked at Remus' stunned expression before resuming his minstruations.

'Going to finally make an honest man of me then Pads?' Remus growled, eyes flashing amber in desire. Sirius smirked again before dipping his head down.

'Not yet - I'd rather do some very dishonorable things to you instead.' He said wickedly. Remus could not reply as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his retort stuck in his throat as all he could do was moan.

Fred Weasley was not happy. Not one bit. He should have been ecstatic; he had spent the morning kissing Hermione Granger after a night of kissing and dancing with her and them both finally acknowledging their feelings. Hermione Granger was his girlfriend. He was Hermione Granger's boyfriend. He should have been walking on sunshine and revelling in the feeling of her lips on his, reminiscing on the way his hands tangled in her wild hair…

Instead, he was livid, glaring at his younger brother as the boy stuffed chicken in his mouth. Fred gripped his knife and fork tightly in his fist, so tightly he was concerned he might break it. George elbowed him, sending him a look that could only mean stop. On Fred's other side was Hermione, daintily eating her roast beef, potatoes and green beans, chatting to Harry beside her and Ginny across from her. The youngest Weasley was nodding to something Hermione said whilst wearily eyeing him. Fred huffed, the suspicious, concerned looks of his siblings doing nothing to quell the rage within him.

Fred Weasley was aware that his little brother Ron could be a prat sometimes. It was not unusual for the Weasleys to be quick to temper (a trait passed down through the Prewett line considering his father was a placid man), however, Ron had the uncanny ability to repeatedly stick his foot so far up his arse that Fred was surprised the boy could still walk. He heard what his brother had said to Hermione and dismissed it as petty jealousy; yes, Ron was insecure and did not have the capacity or strategies to cope with it in the same way that his siblings had, years of being coddled by their mother gave him a prickly sense of self. However the redeeming quality of Ron was that he always calmed down, acknowledged that he was wrong and apologised.

Except to Hermione.

When Hermione and Fred entered the Gryffindor Common Room hand in hand (Fred was trying to see what level of public displays of affection he could get away with - hand holding, yes, snogging sessions, no), Ron was sprawled upon the couch in front of the fire. When he saw them together, his face turned a disgusting shade of purple.

'Slut!' he muttered, and stormed off to his dorm. It was only the comforting hand of Hermione that stopped him from following his brother and hexing him to oblivion.

'He's not worth it.' she muttered. Fred had nodded at the time, but the more he dwelled on it, the more he could not condone or accept Ron's atrocious behaviour any longer. He needed to say something.

As though she could read his mind, Hermione looked at Fred comfortingly, grasping his hand tightly. He did not know what he did to deserve her kindness, but was entirely grateful she was interested in him. He kissed her cheek, enjoying the feeling of seeing her blush. Merlin, she was beautiful.

''Mione, Fred!' Both Fred and Hermione turned to see Viktor Krum making his way from the Slytherin table, 'It is good to see you both!' Fred felt a bit insecure, seeing the Quidditch star again, however, he swallowed it down; Viktor Krum was Hermione's friend and helped him a lot the previous evening, he needed to be nice for her sake at the very least.

'Hello Viktor,' Hermione greeted warmly, 'I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly last night, I was a bad date.' Fred resisted the urge to look at the reason of Hermione's sudden departure who was staring, slack faced at the exchange.

'No, I understand you vere upset. I vanted to see if you vere okay.' Viktor replied, 'I know you were in good hands last night-' with this he sent Fred a wink, '-but my mother raised me vith proper manners.' Fred appreciated this, Viktor, despite being the Durmstrang champion, was shaping up to be a great ally for them. Fred was embarrassed to admit that maybe he judged the seeker too promptly on his famous persona rather than taking the time to get to know him like Hermione had, a mistake he hoped to rectify if given the chance.

'I'm fine now thank you.' Hermione replied, looking at Fred slyly, he couldn't keep the smile off his own face.

'Good, good!' Viktor said, he turned his head towards Fred, who was surprised at the attention given to him. 'I vas vondering if you and your brother -' he gestured to George beside him, 'vould be interested in a Quidditch game tomorrow. My classmates wanted to put together an informal game. I heard you both are good beaters. Harry, vould you be interested as vell?' Harry looked over and nodded enthusiastically, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

'That's fantastic, thanks Viktor.' Fred said, speaking for the group, the others a bit too stunned to speak.

'Great! Cedric and his girlfriend Cho will also join us! Mid-day tomorrow, if the sky is clear!' Fred saw Harry's face go slightly red and he was unsure if it was in reference to Cho Chang whom he knew Harry had asked to the ball but had been rejected. Viktor clapped Fred on the back and kissed Hermione's hand formally before heading back to the other students from Durmstrang. Unlike five minutes previously, Fred was not jealous at the action - Viktor seemed to not be interested in Hermione as anything more than a platonic friend and the extension of the hand of friendship towards himself and George was not only noted, but accepted. Fred and George had always been fairly popular - after all, everyone loved a good laugh or prank - but outside of Lee, Angelina, Katie and Alicia, they did not have many close friends, Lee was the closest outside of Quidditch. It never bothered Fred at least, he was never alone as long as he had George, but it was always nice to be included, especially when a Quidditch star was involved.

Fred could not help but gain a grain of pleasure from the jealous expression on Ron's face. He was a huge Quidditch fan and a great player, even if he was not on the Gryffindor team, and it must have been killing him that he was not invited to participate in the informal game. Fred figured that this may have been Viktor Krum's way of punishing his little brother for the comments he made to Hermione at the Yule Ball. A part of Fred thought that by tomorrow, Ron would probably be punished enough, but a pettier, angrier part of Fred was not convinced; after all, Hermione was his girlfriend and he needed to stick up for her, even against Ron and it was his duty as an older brother (the oldest currently present at Hogwarts) to make sure that his little brother pulled the Quidditch broom out of his arse and began to act as a decent wizard.

Fred took his opportunity after dinner to corner Ron in an empty classroom; ironically, it was the same classroom that he and Hermione danced the evening prior. He and George had left Hermione with Harry and their sister, heading up to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione had informed him that she wanted some time with her brother anyhow. They were going to contact Sirius and Remus as they did not have the opportunity to do so on Christmas.

Fred grabbed Ron by his robes and threw him against the wall of the classroom.

'What the fuck? Fred, George what the bloody hell is this for?' his little brother spat. Fred glared in response while George stepped back.

'You know exactly what this is about. You've crossed the line Ron one too many times.' Ron looked back incredulously. 'You're cruel to Hermione and let your jealousy get the best of you. If I hear you say one more bad thing towards Hermione, you say one more cruel thing or you call her one more derogatory name, I swear to Merlin, You-Know-Who will be the last of your worries.' Ron looked visibly shaken but kept his ground.

'Why do you care Fred? She's just using you.' He spat back. It took all of Fred's patience (a significantly lesser amount than George) to not punch his brother in the face. He felt George's calming, reassuring hand on his shoulder. Hermione would be disappointed, he could almost hear him say.

'She's my girlfriend you prat, and she's not using anyone. Hermione has been through a lot lately and if you continue to be the world's biggest git to her - or Harry for that matter - you'll not just have me and George to deal with, but Mum and I'm sure Sirius Black and Remus Lupin as well.' Ron paled at that thought.

'Fine.' he said.

'You better apologise Ron - and mean it!' George threatened, unusually gruff for the softer twin. Ron sighed in defeat.

'I will, I promise.' he said softly. Fred loosened his grip on Ron's robes and let him down so his feet hit the floor. Ron was not that much shorter than he was and Fred wondered if in a couple of years Ron might overpower him. He saw the sullen look on his little brother's face and his brotherly instincts kicked in; something was up with Ron and it was Fred's responsibility to find out what it was. He looked at George who nodded in understanding before speaking Fred's mind.

'What is up with you Ron, why are you acting like this?' Ron looked down at the floor and shrugged.

'Dunno.' Neither twin liked that answer, it was clear from the boy's expression that something was up. Himself and George stared Ron down, who sighed again in defeat.

'I - I kinda started to like Hermione and I - I was jealous okay!' He said, flinging his hands up in the air before letting them crash by his sides, a blush tinging his cheeks. Fred's eyebrows shot up in surprise, it took him a second to recover, exchanging a bewildered look with George, who was similarly dumbfounded, but he patted his younger brother on the back.

'Ron - I'm sorry, I - I didn't know…' Fred honestly did not know what to say. It was never clear that Ron liked Hermione - in fact, history almost stated the opposite as they fought all the time - Fred did not like to feel as though he stepped on Ron's toes. 'You're so cruel to her Ron, how was anyone meant to know that you liked her?' Ron shrugged.

'I mean - I don't think I liked her, liked her, but I dunno, she started to be a bit girlier and not as bookish as before and I mean then she's been getting the attention from you and Viktor bloody Krum and I was jealous, she was my friend first!' Fred's expression softened.

'Ron, you have not been the bestest, most reliable friend to either Harry or Hermione lately, but you are a good kid. Hermione loves you - as a friend. You need to work on that before you take things any further.' Ron looked up hopefully and himself and George, 'Although, I want to make it clear that I like Hermione so perhaps you should look somewhere else - there are some amazing witches in this school that would love to get to know the smart, sensitive and talented Ron I love.' Ron let out a weak smile.

'Thanks Fred, you're a good brother. I'm sorry I've been a prat. I'll apologise to Hermione and Harry too.' He said and he straightened out his robes. He patted Fred on the shoulder. 'For what it is worth, I think that you and Hermione are good together. It is unusual, but somehow you both make sense.' Fred appreciated that, Ron was fairly straightforward and he knew that he could talk some sense into him. Ron exited the classroom after saying goodbye to George and they followed. They watched with a critical eye as Ron approached Hermione and Harry, head bent, unusually humble.

'Can we talk?' he said. Hermione nodded hesitantly, Harry, more stiffly. They moved to their spot near the fire which meant that Fred could not hear what they were saying without moving closer, he was about to when George pulled him back.

'Let them work it out themselves Gred - you've done your part.' He nodded in understanding, he was just worried for Hermione but realised that she could protect herself, she was a formidable witch who managed herself long before she was his girlfriend. He took a deep breath and stepped back, but kept his eyes on the trio. He watched Hermione - first she was guarded, then her expression softened. She hugged him. Harry was more reserved - Fred knew that Ron would have to work hard to earn both their trust again despite their apparent acceptance of his apology - but it seemed as though the air was cleared between then. Fred felt his anger completely dissipate at his brother, he hoped that what he said would help moderate his behaviour in the future. After all, he had a Quidditch game to get ready for.

A/N: Firstly, I want to say SORRY for not posting last week. I was basically bedridden all weekend and then got food poisoning and it's taken me a while to recover from it all. Hope this chapter is repayment enough and I promise to stick to my once a week schedule as much as possible!

Secondly, THANK YOU for all the love for the previous chapter. Honestly I'm so glad to see so much passion and interest in my story and the characters! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!

Dani xx