Hermione woke late the next day, deciding almost immediately that she needed to shower the remaining Sleekeazy's out of her hair. It didn't leave any real noticeable residue, but it still felt fake to her. She decided that if it could be avoided, she'd never use the grease again.
If Hermione could have altered her memory, she would've chose to have forgotten about Viktor Krum entirely, but she didn't want to end up as Lockheart had. She shuddered violently and knocked her shampoo of its shelf several times, turning up the heat until the water was scalding.
When she finally went down to the Common Room, Ron and Harry were talking quietly. Hermione wasn't quite sure how to handle Ron, while he had been wrong about Krum's intentions, Krum had ended up hurting her, so Ron wasn't entirely wrong about his character. She decided not to tell him of the incident, and tried to be polite.
Hermione didn't see Fred at all that day, which made her simultaneously relieved and anxious. Had the Ball been a fluke?
Harry told Hermione that Hagrid was half-Giant, which wasn't very surprising. If anything it just confirmed Hermione's theory.
But when a few days later, Malfoy showed then the article about Hagrid the wretched bat Skeeter had written, Hermione was outraged. How wizards could be so extraordinarily intolerant was beyond her. Still, Professor Grubbly-Plank was better suited to teach in general. Hagrid's abnormal tendency to like anything that could send one to the Hospital Wing was tiring. That didn't mean Hermione wanted him to leave, but she had her education in mind more than Harry did.
More intriguing to Hermione was how the bat had gotten her information. After their visit to Hogsmeade, Hermione was determined to get Skeeter before the bat could get her, though she couldn't imagine what Skeeter could make up that would matter.
"Look at this," Fred plopped down on a chair near Hermione, eyebrow raised. Open textbooks and stacks of parchments surrounded 3 sides of her like a small fort. Hermione jumped, he hadn't talked to her for several days, except to mumble 'hi' as he passed. She hadn't seen him at all withoug George clinging to his side.
"That's neglect, that is," George said, crouching beside her, gesturing to her half completed homework.
"Shit!" Hermione cursed, picking up her quill again, glancing at her text book as a reference as she hurriedly began scribbling in answers. She tried to focus in the face of being so close to Fred, but it was difficult. Since the Yule Ball, they hadn't been together alone again, though, Hermione sensed, not for Fred's lack of trying. She'd caught him once trying to shoo George away, though his twin didn't do anything but grin and cling to him. Hermione didn't care either way, or so she'd convinced herself. She didn't notice how he sat so very close to her.
"That wasn't an excuse to ignore us," Fred said, grabbing her ink, narrowly avoiding being jabbed in the hand by Hermione's quill.
"You see we-" George started.
"-need a spot of help," Fred finished.
"And then you can have your ink back," George grinned.
"But that's due Friday!" Hermione hissed.
"It's Monday," the twins said, in unified confusion.
"It's only my second draft!" Hermione protested.
"You have got to stop worrying about things like this," Fred said with a soft laugh.
"What do you want?" Hermione asked quietly, glancing around the Common Room. No one was paying them any attention, Hermione was relieved to discover.
"We're a bit stumped," George said, just as quietly, "See, there's this girl that Fred likes-"
"Stop right there," Fred said, blushing, "We just wanted to check up on Harry, see if we could help."
"He's not supposed to get help," Hermione said, remembering Bagman's offer.
"That's the first rule I've known you to break," Fred chuckled quietly. "Besides, he's probably better off getting help from us versus ickle Ronny."
"Really though, about this bird," George started. Fred groaned and shoved George off his seat as Alicia, Katie and Angelina walked through the portrait hole. George glared but smoothed his hair and put on a broad smile. "Oi, Angelina!"
"This ought to be good," Hermione heard the dark skinned Chaser mutter. George, waved on by Fred, left them to corner her.
"So who is 'this bird?'" asked Hermione. She didn't care really, Fred was completely free to go out and snog whoever he wanted to. She did not care one bit. Not one bit.
"She's a fiesty pretty little thing," Fred blushed uncharacterstically. "Undeniably smart. You know her, um, pretty well."
"Oh," said Hermione stiffly. Fred nervously handed her back her ink as she thought up the next sentence in her essay.
Hermione expected him to leave, but he didn't. She tried once more to complete her essay. She got two more sentences in before she looked up at Fred.
"Shouldn't you be making fake wands or something?" She asked.
"Come with me," Fred said softly.
"But my-"
"You have until Friday, relax," Fred stood, offering his hand. When Hermione didn't move, he rolled his eyes and waved his wand. All her school things packed themselves away into her bag.
"Fred," she protested.
"I'll walk you to the library," he said.
Hermione slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Fred out of the Common Room, where he immediately turned the wrong way. She started to protest, but sighed, knowing it wouldn't change anything.
He brought her to a room Hermione had never seen before, and sat down on the last step of a spiral staircase. Hermione sat beside him, leaning against him lightly.
"Have they remodeled?" Hermione said, "I remember the library very differently."
Fred gasped, "So you do have a sense of humor!"
Hermione hit his arm, surprised to find that even though Quidditch had been cancelled, it was still firm. At this thought, Hermione blushed again.
"I was only joking," Fred said, rubbing his arm, "Merlin, you do have a strong punch."
"Ron told you about that?" Hermione asked.
"You hit him?!" Fred asked, surprised and a little pleased.
"No, of course not!" Hermione said hurriedly, "Last year I punched Malfoy."
Fred roared with laughter, and it echoed off the walls indefinitely. Hermione smiled a little herself. Everything was so easy with him, and she relished in the lack of complications.
"You are a bloody genius, Hermione Granger," Fred said taking her hand. As he set his hand on her waist, Hermione felt a tingle shoot down her spine. She wondered how he could like some pretty girl and still spend even a second with her instead.
"What are you doing?" she asked as Fred began to sway.
"I never got to dance with you, not really," he said softly. Hermione smiled but bit her lip, looking up at Fred before glancing nervously at her feet. Fred chuckled, "I swear I won't step on you."
Hermione couldn't help herself, her nerves were frayed and she blurted out, "You kissed me that night."
"Hmm," Fred murmured. "Yes, I do seem to recall that."
"What about that fiesty smart girl?" asked Hermione, almost too scared to ask. She was too curious not to.
"I'll let you in on a secret," whispered Fred, leaning down distractingly close to her ear. His warm breath sent shivers, the good kind, down her spine and awakened every nerve in her body. "She's in the room with us now."
Hermione frowned, then gasped as realization hit her. A smile spread across her face as Fred leaned back again. "Is she imaginary? Oh, you poor sod."
Hermione laughed as he spun her to an unheard tune, even though it felt like a familiar beat to her. He stopped moving after a few minutes, just staring intently at her, slowly drawing closer to her. Hermione's nose had brushed against his when there were footsteps outside the door, and Fred pulled Hermione into the little spiral staircase in the back of the room.
"What?" Hermione heard an irritated Harry ask.
"Thought I heard Hermione," Ron's voice said. Then the door shut. Hermione realized that Fred was looking up at her, one step below her, smiling broadly. The look was contagious, and soon Hermione was returning the smile.
"I really do have to go to the library Fred," Hermione breathed, her heart racing.
"Harry can figure it out on his own," Fred answered, taking a step up so he towered over Hermione. Fred leaned down until his forehead bumped hers softly. They both giggled a little at this.
"I actually don't think he can," Hermione whispered, because she didn't know what else to say. Fred was too close to her for her to think properly. "He improvises more than anyone I know, but that won't work for him this year. I don't know why they don't just-"
"'Mione," Fred smiled. "Shut up."
Hermione let out a nervous puff of air and kissed him.
