Pairing: Fred Weasley/Hermione Granger

Note: Takes place during OOTP, Fred is 17 and Hermione is 15.

Disclaimer: All properties belong to their rightful owners.

Act I, Scene I

May The Best Wizard Win

It all started with a bet.

Now, Hermione wasn't much of a gambler (far from it, in fact), but the offer Ron had made her was simply too good of a chance to pass up.

It was a chilly Monday afternoon when it happened. Professor McGonagall had asked the three of them to stay after their Transfiguration lesson that day.

Hermione immediately panicked when she said this, fearing the worst. Sure enough, as the professor approached them at the end of their lesson, Hermione quickly turned to give Harry and Ron a pointed look. "Oh, what did you do this time?" She hissed.

"Don't look at me!" Ron retorted. He turned to Harry, but he only shrugged.

Hermione straightened her back and cleared her throat when she came face to face with the older woman. She smiled tentatively, "You wanted to speak with us, Professor?"

"Actually, just the two of you," she gestured at her and Ron.

"Well, that's a first," Harry mumbled under his breath, to which Ron smiled.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, for you, Ms. Granger, nothing at all. I just wanted to congratulate you on your marks for the exam. Excellent work as always."

To that, Hermione's ears turned pink. She beamed at McGonagall, looking just about ready to cry. "Thank you, Professor."

Behind her back, Ron made a gagging noise at Harry.

McGonagall then turned to face the two of them. "As for you, Mr. Weasley," She addressed Ron sternly. "You ought to start taking this class more seriously. You failed the exam, and if you fail any more after that, I'll have to suspend you from the Quidditch Team."

"No!" Ron shouted immediately. "Professor McGonagall, please! I promise I'll do better. Just give me a chance!"

"I am. That's why I'm telling you," she pressed her lips in a thin line. "Fail another test and I'll have you replaced with McLaggen."

Harry and Ron both looked at her in horror.

"That will be all," she said. And with a wave of her hand, she ushered the three of them to leave.

Once they were already walking towards the common room, safely out of earshot, Ron let out a frustrated moan. "Can you believe her? Threatening to suspend me from the team just for failing a test?"

"A transfiguration test, mind you," Harry said.

"Still! It's just one test!" Ron defended. "I shouldn't be kicked off the team for that! Especially not when Gryffindor is so close to winning this year's tournament."

"Is that what you're worried about?" Hermione frowned. "Not the fact that Professor McGonagall said you're failing her class?"

"Well, that, too," Ron admitted sheepishly. "But you know how much I love Quidditch, and how hard I worked to make it into the team. I'd sooner jump off the astronomy tower than be kicked off of it!"

"Yeah, and when you die, McLaggen's going to replace you, and then it'll be my turn to jump off the tower," Harry added helpfully.

Hermione, on the other hand, paid their conversation no mind. There was a self-satisfied smile on her face and a light skip in her step, to which the two boys no doubt took to mean she was silently patting herself on the back for getting top marks once again.

"Say, how did you do on that essay for Charms?" She asked them all of a sudden.

"I'm assuming you got an O?" Ron asked her with a roll of his eyes.

Hermione smiled bashfully and looked down at her shoes. That would be a yes.

"I did alright," Harry merely shrugged and held up his paper to her. "I got an E."

"Brilliant," Hermione smiled at him and turned to Ron, expectantly.

"Uh, me, too," Ron replied, though considerably less convincing. He kept his paper hidden inside his bag.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Ron," Harry said, trying to open it and grab his paper from him, but Ron swatted his hand away.

"I know!" He said, "A-and I'm not!"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Oh, honestly, Ron, if you'd just listen in class instead of thinking about Quidditch all day, then you wouldn't have such a hard time getting decent marks."

At that, Ron turned scarlet and stopped in his tracks. "Alright, 'Mione, that's enough! I've had it with all your nagging and gloating about how bloody brilliant you are just because you read all these books."

Hermione gave a preemptive sigh before responding. "If you actually opened one yourself, Ronald, you'd know that that's what the definition of the word brilliant actually is."

"No, it's not!" Ron stomped his foot, "Don't even try to trick me!"

Harry chuckled, eagerly watching his friends from where he was leaning against the wall.

Ron went on, "There's more to being a great wizard than memorizing potions ingredients and proper spell enunciation and-and-and reading all the bloody time! You act like everything we learn in class is so important but really, when it comes down to it, what matters the most is your defensive instincts. You know, combat magic!"

Hermione lifted her head, defiant. "I'll have you know that when it comes to Defence Against the Dark Arts, I'm one of the best in the entire year."

"Correction: you're second best," Ron crossed his arms and grinned triumphantly. "After Harry. Harry! Who hasn't read a textbook since we were first years!"

"Hey!" Harry piped up.

Now it was Hermione's turn to smile.

"Sorry, mate," Ron said apologetically before turning back to Hermione. "But my point still stands! All that reading, and for what? Harry still has you beat."

"Excuse me?" Hermione fumed. "Are you suggesting that I couldn't beat Harry in a duel?"

"Please leave me out of this," Harry mumbled.

"I mean, maybe you'd come close, but come on, Hermione! Don't kid yourself! You couldn't even beat Millicent Bulstrode!"

"That was back when we were still second years! I've gotten much better then."

"Yeah? Well, so has Harry. I wager you still can't beat Harry in a proper spell fight now, one on one."

"Fine." Hermione huffs. "How much, then?"

Ron stops. "What?"

She narrowed her eyes, "How much are you willing to gamble? Since you're so sure I could never beat Harry in a duel."

He thought to himself for a moment. "Ten galleons."

"Just ten galleons?"Hermione snorted. What, afraid I might actually win?"

Ron smiled at the challenging tone in her voice, "Alright, ten galleons and Harry's firebolt!"

Harry elbowed Ron in the gut.

"Alright, fine, thirty galleons," Ron winced, "Double or nothing! Winner takes all!"

"Thirty galleons it is, then." Hermione reached out her hand and Ron shook it in agreement.

"This time by next week, then," Hermione said. "We'll have our winner."

"May the best wizard win," Ron nodded.

"Or witch," she quipped.

Harry sighed as the three of them began walking again. "Why can't you two ever just leave me out of it?"

Author's Note: Hey everybody! So this is just a short story I've been trying to write for over a year now. I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review and let me know what you think :))