Hermione has a crush!
Hermione likes Scabior. Scabior likes Hermione. Hermione hates Scabior's girlfriend, Fleur. Scabior doesn't know if Hermione is legal yet. Hermione's brother Harry, his boyfriend Ron and Ron's brothers, Fred and George decide to rock the boat and get the two of them together! Hilarity Ensues! AU. No magic, all muggles.
Hermione watched Scabior smile at Fleur. She was totally wrong for him. He was a bad boy deep down. He had cleaned his act up for that snooty huzzy. He had even stopped hanging out with his friends, dropped baseball and joined the soccer team, for fucks sake! He was not a soccer player, never mind that he was smoking hot, shirtless. But he'd been even hotter in the baseball uniform!
She tried not to let her mind dwell on him, after all, he WAS four years older than her and already in college. She had her fair share of boys her own age trailing after her but somehow, she just wasn't interested in them.
"Hey, Hermione, come on. We're going to play some miniature golf." Harry coaxed. Her adopted brother was always looking out for her. Funny, really, when you thought about it, because he was actually a year younger than her. Her parents had adopted him out of an abusive home.
"I don't know if I'm really in the mood for golf, Harry." Hermione sighed. Harry followed her gaze. He grinned wickedly at her, then glanced at his boyfriend, Ron. He nodded at Scabior, then pointedly looked at Ron's twin brothers. He smirked, then wiggled his eyebrows. Ron glanced at his brothers, Scabior and back at Harry as he snorted with laughter.
Hermione went back to watching him, covertly she thought as she hid behind a book. Suddenly Scabior turned and looked right at her. She gasped as her book slid out of her hands. He grinned as he raised his hand and waved at her. She blushed as she waved back.
Unfortunately, Fleur turned and caught him looking and her waving. She shoved at him and started bitching at him. He rolled his eyes, threw his hands up in the air and shook his head. She stood up and slammed her bag down. She and three of her friends walked out, evidently going to the restroom.
When they came back, it was clear her friends had managed to calm her down. She walked up to him, leaned down and whispered in his ear. He looked up sulkily and stood to go. As they passed Hermione's group on the way out the door, he glanced down at her and winked, a little smile just barely curling the corners of his mouth up.
She remembered how he used to be, before he hooked up with that huzz. He'd had a small piercing right at the corner of his mouth. He'd delighted in wearing all his shirts sleeveless, showing off his tattoos. Now she was lucky to even get a small glimpse of them. His hair had stayed wild and windblown.
He had been goth, the same as Hermione and Harry. It was seeing him dressed in all black, chains and all, that had inspired her to go goth. His perfectly lined eyes, black hair and black leather clothes had made him the perfect boy to her. Every time she'd seen him, she'd just wanted to grab the chains bracketing his hips, pull him close to her and never let him go.
Now his hair was always perfectly combed, lightened up to its original dark brown and you never saw even a touch of makeup on his face. He was still gorgeous to her though, but she knew there was very little chance of a goth girl like her stealing him from his homecoming queen girlfriend. She smiled sadly at him as he walked on by.
Harry punched her arm to get her attention. "Earth to Hermione! Are we going after him or not!" she blinked at Harry. "What?"
Harry pointed outside. "Do you want him or not? Ron and the twins have been dying to rag on her forever. Especially after she broke it off with Bill to get with Marcus Flint! Who the hell goes from an awesome guy like Bill to a troll like Marcus?!"
"Harry! You almost sound like you're crushing on Bill! Are you?" she watched as Harry blushed, blood red. "Harry! Why didn't you tell me? You know I won't rat you out!" she hugged Harry as he grinned sheepishly.
"He'd never look at a guy, Hermione, you know that. Besides, me and Ron are awesome together as well. You know I'd never hurt Ron like that!" he glanced lovingly over at his boyfriend, conversing with his older twin brothers. "Anyway,,,,we're not talking about me, we're trying to get you with YOUR dream guy, you know you want him!"
"It'll never work, Harry, whatever you do. There's no way he'd leave her for me. Even less chance that she'd LET him leave her. She likes to be the one who breaks things off, remember?" Hermione looked at him sadly. Harry was stunned that she honestly didn't know!
"Hermione, he likes you. Every time he sees you, he flirts with you. She bitches him out over you all the time! I heard some of his friends asking him why she was constantly bitching at him. He'd leave her in a minute if he thought he had a chance with you! The only reason he hasn't made a move on you is because he's afraid you're not eighteen." Harry let that one sink in. Hermione's eyes widened.
"He,, he doesn't know I'm already eighteen?" she laid a hand over her heart. It was racing like crazy at the thought of him liking her. "But why are we going after them right now?"
"Because, Hermione." Harry turned her to look out just as Scabior took Fleur into the mini golf shop across the street. She smiled and laughed out loud. Suddenly she was eager to play some mini golf.
They jumped up, grabbed Ron and the twins and headed across the street. The twins were already telling them to distract him and the snoot while they worked their trick. 'Distract him? How?' her mind blanked out completely. She froze. Harry and Ron stepped forward. Fleur was standing at the register and Scabior was very carefully pretending he hadn't just seen Hermione walk in and stop dead in her tracks. Ron walked to the register, rudely bumping into Fleur like he didn't see her.
"Oh, hey, long time no see, fancy that. How's Marcus doing these days? Oh, wait, you're not WITH him anymore, are you? Hope this guy knows the score." Ron greeted Fleur sarcastically. While he was yakking, the twins were switching some of the golf balls with trick balls. They hadn't tried them yet but the man at Spencer's told them the golf balls were a big hit. Fleur huffed angrily at Ron, snatched the bucket without looking and stormed away. Scabior reluctantly began to follow her. Right as he drew even of Harry, the teen grabbed his arm. "Just wanted to give you a heads up. My sister IS eighteen now." Harry grinned slyly at him. Scabior widened his eyes in surprise.
Michael Scabior had noticed the girl as soon as he and Fleur walked into the ice cream shop. Fortescue's made the absolute BEST strawberry milkshakes ever. It was the only thing he missed about going away to college. Well, that and his older half-brother, Fenrir Grey.
It was the same girl who lived down the block from him. She'd lived there for six years. He'd practically watched the little thing grow up. He wasn't sure if she was eighteen or not and, damn, it was killing him! She was so cute dressed in her little black miniskirts. She hadn't started wearing black until she and the little boy next door started hanging out together. The boy lived right beside him. From the screams and shouts heard from his house, the little boy hadn't had it any better than he did.
Fleur Delacour was merely a distraction. He'd heard too many stories about her to take anything she said very seriously. If he knew that little girl was legal, damned if he wouldn't drop Fleur like a hot potato! Only problem was, she was just so tiny! How could anyone be that petite and be legal age? It was one reason why he was staying away from her. The only thing with dating Fleur, though, was giving up baseball, Goth and having to pretend to enjoy playing soccer, god forbid!
He was in college on a scholarship so he had to mind his p's and q's. That meant, much as he hated to, dressing normally and keeping his grades up. The old man would beat the fuck out of him if he lost his scholarship. It meant HE would have to start acting like he had a son, paying his sons college bill instead of depending on the government to send him to school.
He had come home for the week, not because he wanted to, but this week was special. It was Fen's birthday in a couple of days. He might not enjoy his own birthday parties but damned if he was going to miss his brother's birthday! It was weird that Fen's mother would welcome him, considering that Michael's mother had basically been the reason she was divorced, but the woman was constantly having Fen bring him over to see her. If they were out in public, she always introduced both of them as her children!
Fleur was a girl he'd dated off and on for a couple of years, in his last years of high school. He'd heard how she tended to treat her boyfriends. She was basically the female version of a womanizer. She dated them, strung them along for weeks or even months. She stayed with them just long enough to give them hope of being 'the one who bagged' Fleur Delacour. Then, when she was bored with them, she dumped them and moved on. She tended to have her next one already lined up and waiting before she got rid of the current one.
She was between guys and he had nothing better to do. So she invited him to the ice cream shop and mini golf. Of course, being Fleur, naturally she got jealous when she saw him flirting with the little beauty. Her friends were quick to haul her off to the bathroom and remind her that she wasn't actually dating him. He was just an in-the-moment guy. She came back, ready to go on to golf and, damnit, he still hadn't had his damn milkshake yet!
He got to wink at the little beauty before they were out the door. He and Fleur walked across to the golf shop and she went to pay her admission. He didn't really care about golf but this was one place that he'd been able to bond with Fen at. Fen's first job had been night watchman here, he'd delighted in sneaking Michael and his friends in here to play golf anytime they wanted to.
As he stood there, waiting for Fleur, a ginger walked by and walked into her, purposely he was sure. He thought the boy looked familiar. When he saw the dark haired boy, he knew without looking, SHE would be there. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her walk in, look at him and freeze. He heard Ron yakking at Fleur and glanced over in time to see two older gingers fiddling with some of the golf balls in Fleur's bucket. She grabbed them without checking and walked away. He hesitated, then followed her. As he passed the dark haired teen, the boy shocked him. "Just wanted to give you a heads up. My sister is eighteen." The boy grinned slyly at him. 'DAMN!'
As he was still reeling from that little shocker, he noticed them getting ready to play golf, too. He smiled as he realized they would be with them all through the course, unless they got a shot and Fleur didn't. Then they'd be ahead of them. He glanced back. 'Yep, she had on one of those flirty, little, black miniskirts again.' He decided he very well might enjoy this game of golf.
They came to the first hole and Fleur got ready for her shot. He wondered why the twins had been fiddling with the balls and whether he should warn her. As she tapped the ball and it rolled directly to the hole, he decided it must have been his imagination. They moved on as Hermione's group set their shot up. As Fleur was about to swing, one of the twins had snuck up behind her. He yelled in the loudest voice possible, "FORE!" she screamed and flung her club. Michael burst out laughing. 'Brilliant!'
He remembered now why these gingers were so familiar. Fleur had dated and dumped their oldest brother. That wouldn't have been so bad but she'd actually let him propose to her, accepted and then never showed up at the altar. The next day, she'd been making out with Marcus Flint in the hallway at school like nothing was wrong. Last he heard, the dude was down and out, drinking himself into the ground. Evidently, some of his family had decided some payback was necessary.
He was still chuckling as she retrieved her club. Checking behind her to make no other ginger were there, she lined up her shot and swung. As she hit the ball, it exploded into a cloud of white dust. His eyes widened. "Damn, Fleur, how hard did you hit the damn thing?!" Fleur had shrieked again and jumped back in shock.
"I didn't! I hit it just like I normally would! I don't know what happened!" Fleur stared at the vanishing white cloud that used to be a golf ball.
Behind them, he could hear suppressed laughter. Now he KNEW it wasn't his imagination. They had missed with the balls but he wasn't going to say a word. This was the same kind of tricks he and his friends used to pull whenever Fen had a girlfriend they didn't like. He just wanted to see how far they would take it.
Fleur seemed to approach the bucket more reluctantly now. She picked one up, squeezed it and seemed to decide it was safe. He looked at the balls and thought he could figure out which ones were still there. Fleur lined up another shot and tapped it gently. The ball rolled down and dropped into the hole. She sighed in relief. He shook his head at her. "Come on, Fleur, move it along. You're holding up the line and I still need my milkshake."
Fleur looked at him. "Seriously, that's all you can say?"
"What should I be saying?" he shrugged.
"They messed with my bucket! Are you not going to report them?!" she snapped.
He snorted at her. "Why? I'm not the one playing. You're the one who wanted to play, remember? I just wanted to go to Fortescue's."
Fleur huffed. "Aaarrrgh! They better not have done anything else to this bucket or I WILL report them." She yelled behind them. Michael smiled as he heard more sniggers. 'The damn little twerps knew she hadn't used all the trick balls yet!'
The twins ran through and headed on up to the next hole. Harry led Ron and Hermione into the current hole. They lined up a shot but Hermione took it this time. She stretched her arms above her head, loosening up for the shot. This caused her little black tank top to rise slightly above the waistband of her skirt. Michael crossed his arms and bit the knuckles of his right hand. 'She was right in front of him, she had to have known what seeing that would do to him!' it was all he could do to not pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and find the nearest empty room. He'd have her up against the wall before she could even say his name! She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. 'Oh, the little vixen KNEW what she was doing to him!'
Fleur was staring at her with narrowed eyes. "Take your shot, sweetie. You're holding up the line."
Hermione turned and swung without checking the shot. It rolled right into the hole. She smiled smugly at Fleur. Harry and Ron were chuckling at her and cheered loudly as they headed her toward the next course.
Fleur sighed angrily as she picked up her bucket and followed the teens. Michael gave himself a moment to breathe before he followed them. He almost wished now he hadn't worn such a tight, worn out pair of jeans. On the other hand, all she'd have to do was look down to see what kind of effect she was having on him.
Going into the next clearing, he heard giggling and looked down just in time to avoid stepping on a marshmallow. Laughing softly as he gently kicked a path clear, he looked over as Fleur squealed angrily. Her shoes were basically coated with squashed marshmallows. Ron lined up the next shot and took it as they effectively moved into the lead past Fleur. She grabbed one of the regular balls and got her next shot as well.
Moving on, he could see a pattern developing. Harry always took first shot, Hermione would take the second and Ron would finish up. Making the most of that pattern, they were rapidly finishing the course. Fleur took the next ball out of her bucket and lined up a shot. Michael's lips twitched as he noticed it was a trick ball. He moved a small distance away from her. She swung and the ball exploded again, this time into water vapors. She screamed and threw her club down. He was bent double, laughing at her.
"Those beasts! They did it again!" she yelled.
"How do you know they did anything? When did they do it?" Michael asked reasonably. Fleur was unable to answer but she knew those little hellions were responsible! Some people just could not leave well enough alone!
With relief, Michael noticed they were almost to the end of the course. Now that he knew what was going on, he knew the last two tricks to watch for. Fleur again picked a regulatory ball and easily sank it. One more hole and she'd be caught back up to them. She pulled one of the trick balls again.
If he wasn't mistaken, this would be either the streamers or the off center ball. She swung and almost fainted as the ball exploded into multicolored streams of ribbon. Michael paced over to where he could just see their group and wagged his finger at them, laughing. The boys were on the ground, laughing, and she blew him a kiss, then giggled.
Fleur stomped her foot angrily. "You are not helping matters! You are just encouraging them!"
"Lighten up, Fleur, it's just a game and the tricks are harmless." He told her.
"Maybe for you, they're harmless. Do you know how many times I've practically jumped out of my skin over a stupid exploding ball?!" she raged.
"You're almost done. Come on, finish up already! I didn't eat before I came in and I want my damn milkshake!" he complained. As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly. Fleur looked closer at him. He did have that edgy look he always got when he was hungry. Without another word, she took another ball out for her next shot. He noticed, with relief, that it was the last trick ball. 'Finally he might actually get to eat!'
She tapped the ball and watched as it rolled almost to the hole then tipped off and rolled into the water. She clenched her hands and gritted her teeth. It was all he could do to not fall over, laughing at her. She was so pissed off, it took her two more tries to get the shot. As he was waiting for her to finish up, he glanced over at the teens. He noticed the twins had rejoined the group and were holding another ball and pointing at Fleur. They saw him watching and pointed at the ball, then him and saluted.
That's when he knew they were about to launch a Scabior special at Fleur. He'd come up with that one on his own. Many a time, he'd launched that baby at an especially disliked girlfriend of Fen's. It was a cream ball filled with strawberry jam. He'd figured out how to coat it in a white chocolate hard shell. It actually looked like a golf ball at first. He moved to the other side of the clearing as he watched Hermione set the 'ball' on the tee and launch it at Fleur. She was concentrating on her last shot and had no clue what was coming her way.
SPLAT! It was beautiful to behold and he couldn't help but burst out laughing again as she started screaming incoherently. Strawberry jam slowly dripped off her face onto her sweater. The teens ran out, laughing, as she charged angrily after them. He followed them into the lobby, in time to see Fen walk in. As sure as Fleur saw him, she'd be filing a report on the kids. He decided to intercept and run a bit of interference.
He ran over to Fen and grabbed his arm, knowing they were watching warily. "FEN!" he screamed dramatically. Harry and Ron burst out laughing. They'd figured out what he was going to do.
Fenrir jumped as his little brother yelled at him. "Boy? Are you ok?"
"I didn't do it, Fen! Don't listen to her! She's crazy, man, crazy! I didn't do anything!" he wailed, hanging onto his brother for dear life. All four boys were almost in the floor laughing but inching their way to the door.
Fen stared worriedly at his brother. "O. K. What did you not do?" he carefully questioned Michael. He pointed at Fleur, rapidly approaching them. Fen turned and, before he could stop it, burst out laughing, "Oh, now, Michael! Normally, it's only my girlfriends you slime!"
"I didn't do it, I tell ya, I didn't!" Michael yelled. Hanging on to his brothers shoulders comically, he motioned them out the door.
"Alright, if you didn't, who did?" Fen asked, still sniggering. He'd recognized his little brother's handiwork from the many times his own girlfriends had met the wrath of Michael!
The boy flopped into the floor dramatically. "I don't know, Fen! I didn't see anything till it hit her, BANG!" He fake sobbed until he was sure they were out the door. Then Fleur was there shouting angrily, telling Fen the whole story.
Michael jumped up. "Well, I'm hungry. I'm going across the street to get some food and my milkshake!"
Fen was chuckling but taking down the story and waved him out. He practically ran across the street and walked in. They were seated at the same table as when he first saw them. As he drew even of them, he stopped, ran his fingers into her hair and leaned over, whispering into her ear. She smiled, laughed, then blushed red. He pecked her on the cheek and went on to the counter.