Whispers in the dark

Chapter 24: Late riser

A/N: I own nothing except my mistakes

"Well look what we've got here," George beamed as soon as Hermione came through the kitchen door. "If that isn't the second late riser." He continued to tease, and Hermione dared a quick glance at the kitchen clock. It was half past ten in the morning.

Letting her eyes travel to George, she soon found herself looking at Fred, who was watching her as she stopped in her tracks, a quirky smile on his lips, licking them as he looked away with a smile that looked like he was trying to hide something forbidden.

Pretending like she didn't see that, she took a seat opposite of the twins and grabbed some bread that had been left on the table. "Where are Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked, this time looking to her side as she watched the little red haired witch, who was violently stabbing a piece of toast until it was cut.

"Off to play a game, I s'pose," Ginny said, her voice coming out in huffs, followed by a loud clinging sound as her knife finally made contact with the plate. "Had a good late night stroll?" Ginny asked, averting her eyes as she looked at her toast. Although she carried a taunting smile just the same.

Hermione puffed out her chest, feeling the burning stares from the twins opposite her. "Actually, I did, thank you." Hermione answered, earning her an immediate side-glance from Ginny, who raised her eyebrows at her. "At one point I began to wonder if you had gotten lost." She pressed, but Hermione wasn't going to step back down. She would play the game.

"I would have if Fred had not been so kind as to find me," Hermione smiled innocently, taking her eyes off Ginny and pointing them to the twins. George was watching the entire thing with a wicked smile on his face, and Fred simply watched in amusement.

"That is me, kind-hearted Fred." He confirmed, but his twin brother scoffed as he laughed. "Right, you sure that you didn't abuse that kindness, my dear brother?"

Fred tutted at George, took a sip of his juice, and then shook his head. "I like to consider myself quite chivalrous if you'd like." At that Ginny choked on her own juice as she spluttered out her next words. "Right, and I am the queen herself."

Hermione chuckled as she continued eating her toast, quietly watching as the siblings got into a heatedly teasing discussion about who was the most chivalrous.

"Good morning to you both," A voice boomed behind her, and as she turned around she could see Mrs Weasley coming their way. At this the chatter between the siblings died out, and when Molly had approached the table she handed both her and Fred a letter.

"They came in this morning, the rest have already gotten them." Molly said, then put the kettle on the stove after filling it with some water.

Both Hermione and Fred were busy opening the envelope, but were stopped midway when Molly continued to speak. "I let you both sleep in because it's the last day before school, but I do expect an early riser tomorrow morning."

At that she looked between Fred and Hermione, an intrigued look glistering behind her eyes, though she was quick to push that away. "Now open up," she urged, and they did just that.

Hermione was quick to skim through the letter, and found herself in delight after reading that she had been made prefect. "Any news, dear?" Molly asked, watching Hermione who carried a broad smile on her face.

Reading the part aloud where it informed her that she had been made prefect, Molly ended with a kind laugh as she clapped her hands together. "That is wonderful, dear! Ron had received a letter same as yours."

"Ron has been made prefect?" Fred asked stupefied. "Yes, I am so proud to the both of you." Molly said to Hermione, completely ignoring the twins for the latter. Earning her some remarks from the twins in a hushed whisper that Hermione was very glad about that only she could hear.

"Hang on a second," Fred began as their mother left the room once more. George shot a curious look at his brother, wondering what it is he was going to say. "If you are made Prefect, Hermione.."

At this George immediately caught on to what he was going at, and jumped in with: "You aren't going to be on our skin, are you?" He easily finished for Fred.

At this Hermione let a smile play on her lips, making a face that looked like she was seriously pondering this, enjoying the light worry on the twins' faces. "I'll do whatever I have to do to keep order in the school, boys." Hermione told them, a wicked grin on her faces that neither of the boys could carry.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off to find Ron." She innocently said as she picked up her plate and dropped it in the sink. The utensils – which where bewitched – immediately began to scrub it all clean and tucked themselves away back in the cabinets.

Leaving some grumblings twins behind her in the kitchen she walked into the living room – "I'll get her to change her mind," – and spotted Harry and Ron indeed hunched over a game in the corner of the room. "No, you won't," Hermione replied to Fred, not bothering to lower her voice as her friends already knew about their bond.

Yet, they both looked up in surprise as they watched her moving her way to them. "Who are you talking to?" Ron asked in confusion, then shook his head as it dawned on him. "Right, my dear brother." He confirmed, a bit bitterly.

Knowing it was fruitless to get into an argument about this, and also a major waste of her time, she decided to not go into his bitterness and instead came to talk about what she came there to talk about.

"I heard you've been made Prefect as well, Ron," Hermione said, watching as Harry's knight was violently knocked off the board after Ron gave his queen the orders. "Yeah," he absent-mindedly replied, but that wasn't good enough for Hermione.

"Aren't you the least bit excited?" She pressed, and felt herself growing a bit annoyed by their lack of attention. Usually when they played chess they would at least try to hold some sort of active conversation with her. Or at least acknowledge her presence.

Right now, however, she didn't even get a simple side glance. "Oh, it's all right," Ron mumbled.

Biting her lip, she wondered if she should bother to stay and hold a conversation with her friends if they didn't intend to do the same. However, with all that had been going on with her and Fred last year, she had noticed the toll it had taken on their friendship, and she really did not want to lose them further. Especially because it was such a minor thing. After all, Ron and Fred were bloody family.

"Do you like him?" Hermione had almost not heard this question as she had been occupied with her own thoughts, but the snapping of Harry's head at Hermione when Ron asked the question had brought her back to her senses just in time to process the question.

Momentarily at loss for words, she furrowed her eyebrows together as she watched as Ron made a point of it to not look at her at all costs.

"Why do you care?" Was all Hermione could say, wanting to buy herself some time before she knew she inevitably had to answer it.

"Do you like him?" Ron asked once more, a bit of an urgency clinging to it. She noticed how he made quite a sloppy move on the chessboard, losing his chance at winning. She figured he was trying to buy himself some time before he had to look at her. "I saw you two the other night, you know." He added in a hushed voice.

Letting out a sigh, she glanced around the empty room that had begun to feel like home already after all these weeks spent in it.

What was she going to tell Ron? Did she even know herself? What Fred and her shared last night had only brought herself in confusion, so what was she supposed to say right now? Besides, it didn't feel very comfortable to truthfully speak her mind right now knowing that Fred was listening in. It's not like she didn't want him to know, but if she were to talk about it, she'd prefer doing it with him first before with anyone else.

Then again, they also had this 'façade' going on where they were putting on a show. Was she going to sabotage that in order to maintain friendship with her friends? But what if the façade they were putting up had not been fake. What if they had actually liked each other? Why would that matter for her friendship with Ron and Harry?

She knew she couldn't tell the whole truth. Especially because she did like to put on that little show that Fred and her did. It gave her a daily reason to smile, all by the means as Fred would put it 'a harmless joke.'

"There is no denying that Fred and I have grown a bit closer, yes," Hermione began to answer, but was cut short with a muffled "That wasn't what I asked".

"Don't spoil the fun now, 'Mione," She heard Fred say, but knew better than to reply to him right now. She had a feeling that Ron would lose his mind if she did that. So, instead she simply focused on her friends at hand again.

"Truth is, Ron," Hermione said, and she could hear Fred presumably saying to George "She's going to ruin it, I'm tellin' ya,", "I don't know what I feel."

Ron scoffed and let out a humourless laugh. "I thought you were the brightest witch of your age who knew everything." Hermione pursed her lips together at this, not understanding where all this anger was coming from.

She shot a desperate look at Harry – who had thus far not even said a word to either her or Ron since she had gotten into the room – but he simply shrugged his shoulder as he focused back on the game. So much for his help, thanks Harry.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, Ronald," Hermione said, and heard her voice shaking a bit. "But you need to sort out your priorities." And with that she stood up and left the room, along with a seething redhaired boy.