Chapter 11
Spring 1996
Hermione hurried along the darkened corridor, desperate to put as much distance as possible between herself and the detention she'd just served. She turned the corner and yelped in surprise as a hand shot out of an empty classroom and dragged her inside. She brandished her wand before breathing a sigh of relief when she realized her 'abductor' was Fred. He shot a glance down the hallway before carefully shutting the door and warding the room for privacy.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
"It wasn't too bad."
He didn't need to see her face to know she was lying. After spending the majority of the previous summer in close quarters at Grimmauld Place the twins now communicated with Hermione as effortlessly as they did each other. The long hours teaching her how to apparate, practicing defensive moves with Sirius and plotting pranks on Ron and Percy had made the trio's already tight bond even stronger.
"Show me," he insisted.
She hesitated before warily holding out her arms. Carved into her skin by Dolores Umbridge's cursed pen were the words, "I am nothing but a filthy mudblood."
Fred fought back the sick rising in his throat as he spun on his heel and stormed towards the door muttering, "That's it. I'm going to kill her."
"Fred, stop! Wait!"
He kept moving until he heard Hermione plead, "Please? Do you have any essence of murtlap on you? It - it does sting a bit."
Her request stopped him in his tracks. She knew he could no more leave her in pain than he could George. He gave a deep sigh and walked back towards her as he pulled the tin of balm out of his pocket. He motioned for her to take a seat while summoning a chair for himself. He then rolled up her sleeves and began gently dabbing the ointment onto the open wounds.
The tension grew to an almost uncomfortable level until Fred finally spoke.
"Why'd you do it?"
"Do what?"
"You know what, Hermione."
She knew he was upset if they were alone and he was using her given name instead of her nickname.
"Why did you take the fall for that prank?" he growled. "We went out of our way to ensure that you weren't involved. We're trying to keep you as far away from her as possible."
Hermione shrugged. "She'd already gotten her hands on you and Georgie three times this week. You needed a break."
Fred wasn't sure if he wanted to shout at her or hug her. He chose the latter.
"Damn it, Kitten," he whispered, pulling her close. "That's not how this is supposed to work and you know it."
"Yes, well, there are a great many things around here than aren't working the way they're supposed to at the moment," she answered.
Fred couldn't argue with that. Instead he stood and extended his hand towards her. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
"Where to?"
He gave her a look and she raised an eyebrow.
"We'll get in trouble for leaving school grounds," she said in answer to his unspoken suggestion.
"Fine. Would you rather stay here and abide by Educational Decree #26?" he said, referring to the latest school regulation which stipulated that male and female students were required to stay at least six inches apart — an almost impossible task for someone like Hermione who hugged her friends as naturally as breathing.
Sensing her apprehension he added, "If we're caught I'll tell them I used an Imperius and kidnapped you."
Hermione snorted, "That's utterly ridiculous."
"Yeah? Well, welcome to Hogwarts, Kitten." Fred gestured around the room with a dramatic flourish. "The reigning world capital of the utterly ridiculous."
She chuckled ruefully as she nodded her agreement. They were headed towards the door when she suddenly stopped and asked, "Wait. Where's George?"
"George, Lee and Luna are preparing a present for that horrid pink toad as well as the ever delightful Argus Filch. Suffice it to say that neither of them will be in any position to care about a couple of missing students for the next few hours."
"Luna? Really? Again?"
"Again," Fred confirmed as he ushered Hermione out of the classroom and into the forgotten hallway which lead to their escape route. "Turns out Filch's feline loves her. All the girl has to do is sit on the floor and the beast curls up in her lap and falls asleep. Who knew?"
"Georgie, apparently," Hermione grinned.
Luna Lovegood's inclusion in the group was yet another unexpected consequence of the attack on Mister Weasley before Christmas. Each member of the family had reacted differently to the strain of almost losing Arthur and the twins had been no exception.
George dealt with the trauma by slinking off to sit alone for hours on the banks of the Black Lake. It was during one of those interludes that he'd come across Luna, who was more than happy to sit silently beside him, her serene presence helping to calm the turmoil in his mind.
Fred, on the other hand, felt the need to rant and rave whilst breaking things, so the Shrieking Shack — their current destination — had proven to be the ideal location for him. Once she was confident George was in good hands Hermione made it her mission to accompany Fred on his trips to the Shack to ensure he didn't end up hurting himself or blasting the place to smithereens while he vented his pent up emotions.
Tonight they slipped out of the castle via one of their many hidden tunnels and darted across the grounds. Shrouded by their best concealment charms, they made their way towards the dark, angry silhouette of the Whomping Willow. Neither of them reduced speed in the slightest as they drew near, charging full steam along the well practiced route that wound through the labyrinth of thrashing limbs until reaching the knot on the tree's base which opened the secret entrance to the Shack.
In a flash they were in the tunnel that led to the abandoned house on the border of Hogsmeade village. Its run down appearance and reputation for being the most haunted spot in Britain ensured their privacy, even without the additional charms and wards they'd recently put in place around the building.
Once they were safely inside the passage they slowed to a brisk walk, their lumos spells lighting the way to what had become a sanctuary from the madness besieging not only the school but the rest Wizarding World as well.
Upon arrival Fred popped the trap door and gave Hermione a boost before hoisting himself into the makeshift sitting room they'd constructed. With a flick of their wands the room was dusted, the lamps lit and a kettle in the derelict kitchen was on its way to boiling.
Just then a large silvery owl burst into the room and circled above their heads as George's voice proudly exclaimed, "Mission accomplished! The three of us have been granted temporary sanctuary in the Badger's Den. Send response to verify you're okay."
With that the bird quickly vanished in a burst of white light. Hermione and Fred grinned at each other and produced their wands.
"Patronus race?" Fred challenged.
"You're on," replied Hermione.
Seconds later Hermione's otter and Fred's osprey were tearing off towards the castle in a mad dash to see who could reach their friends' hiding place in the Hufflepuff Common Room first.
"Are you still glad yours didn't end up being a kitten?" Fred asked.
Hermione nodded. "I'm even more glad we had somewhere like this for the three of us to practice the spell so I could find out in private rather that in front of the entire DA."
They dropped onto the shabby, moth eaten settee and propped their feet on the low table in front of them, mindful of the wobbly leg that been repaired far too many times.
They tipped their heads back and exhaled in relief.
"So..." ventured Fred. "Other than being tortured by a megalomaniacal despot, anything interesting happen to you today?"
"Not really," said Hermione. "I went to class, returned a few library books, participated in an illegal underground rebellion, dodged members of an inquisitorial squad. You know. The usual."
"They make you return library books?" asked Fred, as if that were the most unusual item she had listed. "Maybe that's why old Pince keeps throwing me out of the place."
"She throws you out because you and Georgie enchant the encyclopedias to fly like birds and swoop down on Draco Malfoy's head," corrected Hermione.
"So? I thought that would be considered a public service."
"And what sort of service would you call changing the text in Madam Pince's copy of A History of Charms to that of a steamy romance novel?"
"An essential one. She needed something to get her pulse pounding. Poor old thing looks like a worn out, underfed vulture," he said, then sat up and eyed Hermione suspiciously. "Hold on! How did you know what we changed the words to?"
Hermione shrugged as she kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs underneath her. "I may have skimmed a page or two over her shoulder before she slammed the book shut."
Fred's eyes widened. "You're not serious!"
"Of course I'm not Sirius. He's much taller than I am," deadpanned Hermione, causing Fred to bark out a laugh.
"Yes! Thank you, Kitten! You have no idea how much I needed that today."
There was a whistle from the kitchen and Hermione summoned the kettle along with fully stocked tray onto the table in front of them. She set the tea to steeping and handed Fred a biscuit.
"So, how was your day?" she asked. "The rest of the firework ingredients show up yet?"
"Almost. We're only lacking the recently shed scales from a Ukrainian Ridgeback along with the Blast Ended Skrewt carapaces from Charlie but they should arrive tomorrow."
"Once you have those in hand how long will it take before everything's ready to go?"
"Two days. Three at the most."
Hermione poured the tea and handed a cup to Fred before taking a slow sip of her own. She studied it carefully before laying it aside to pull a pillow into her lap.
"That's...sooner than I anticipated."
"We got the official word on the shop this morning. Thanks to Harry's generosity, everything's been approved and we can take occupancy of the space immediately. We thought it was better to move quick before word got out. We were going to tell you after lunch but couldn't find you."
"Sorry about that. I had an unscheduled stop to make before my appointment with Umbridge," said Hermione.
Fred offered her a biscuit, which she politely declined. He took another swig of his drink and asked, "Have you given any more thought to our offer?"
"I've thought of little else."
"And...?"
"And...while part of me desperately wishes I chuck it all and join you, I'm afraid my answer has to be no."
"Any chance of us changing your mind?"
"There might have been — but not after today."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that the reason you couldn't find me after lunch was I'd been summoned to Dumbledore's office."
Fred tightened the grip on his cup. "And what, pray tell, did our dear Headmaster convince you to do this time?"
"He asked a favor."
"Favor? Is that another polite way of saying he asked you to make a vow?"
Hermione shifted her gaze towards the ceiling, causing Fred to slam his cup on the table. "Bloody Hell! What's he gotten you into now?"
She sighed and hugged the pillow to her chest. "I think he's figured out that you guys are up to something. He asked that I promise to stay at school as long as possible in order to help Harry and Ron."
"Help them with what?"
"He wouldn't get into specifics but it sounded like he envisioned a time when he'd have to send them on a...quest of some sort, I suppose you'd call it and he wants me to assist them. He said worst case scenario the boys might one day have to fend for themselves. Said Harry and Ron wouldn't last two days on their own and he's probably right."
"Why can't he send Longbottom with them? Those three are thick as thieves. Always have been."
"I got the feeling Dumbledore has other plans for Neville but he wasn't about to share them with me."
"Of course not," sniped Fred, shaking his head. "Merlin! I wish you would tell the old boy to sod off."
"It's not just Dumbledore, Fred. How exactly would you suggest I explain to my parents that I'm suddenly leaving school without even taking my O.W.L.s?"
"Because you could take your N.E.W.T.s tomorrow and ace all of them," insisted Fred.
Hermione smiled and reached for Fred's hand. "While I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, Fred, my education is important to me."
"I know. I just hate the thought of not seeing you every day."
"Same here."
Fred gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, taking care not to aggravate her recent injuries. "Any idea of what this 'quest' is or when it might take place?"
"Hard to say but you know as well as I do that it's looking less and less safe for someone of my 'blood type' around here. The fact of the matter is that until You-Know-Who is dealt with there isn't much of a future for me in this world at all…"
As she gestured at the words she'd just been forced her to carve into her skin, Fred pulled her into a firm embrace.
"Then we'll just have to deal with him, won't we? Because you aren't leaving this world, Kitten. Not now. Not ever. Not if I have a damn thing to say about it."