They decide to hold off on telling anyone about Hermione's involvement in the Christmas prank. None of them want to lose the advantage having one of them operate in secret gives them, and it adds another layer to their subterfuge. The ultimate prank, Fred insists, is having Hermione participate without anyone ever finding out. Just like every other prank, it's the others' job to piece together what happened, not theirs to reveal their cards to the world.

For Hermione, of course, there is an addition reason for wanting to keep it quiet; she doesn't know how everyone will react. Will Molly be disappointed in her and freeze her out again? Will Ron feel betrayed that his brothers chose to involve her instead of him?

But she still isn't concerned enough to stop. Even just planning pranks with them – using her intellect and theirs, her experience with Muggle jokes and their expertise with wizarding ones – is addictive. At the end of the day, she knows that the real reason she wants to keep her participation secret isn't fear that they won't approve of what she has done; it's fear that they won't approve of what she knows that she will, regardless of their censure, continue to do.

Because nothing could convince her to give up the feeling of elation when all of the pieces fit together or when Fred, one of the best pranksters to ever go through Hogwarts, compliments her on her ideas. As the weeks pass by and they get closer to instigating another prank, she only grows gets more enthralled with the process. It's not hard to see why the twins have always been so obsessed with it when she herself is being reeled into their midst like a fish on a hook.

The sound of the front door swinging open cuts through her thoughts, and she hastily stuffs the pieces of parchment she has been perusing in her pocket. The chances are that it's just Harry, who already knows about her involvement in the Christmas pranks, but she isn't willing to take the risk.

Fortunately, it is indeed Harry who slips into the room and sits down across from her, so she pulls the parchments back out again so they won't get crinkled. "How did the date go?"

"Good. We went to see a play, of all things, but it was much more interesting than I expected."

"Ron wants to meet her, you know."

"Caitlin?" he asks, looking up in confusion. "Why?"

She blinks at him in surprise. "Because you're dating her." None of them have ever had to introduce one another to boyfriends or girlfriends before, seeing as how they have almost exclusively dated people that all three of them already knew, so maybe he just hasn't thought about –

"We're not serious. It's, um, just casual."

It's hard to hide how taken aback she is by that. From what Caitlin has told her, it is clear that their relationship is – while still unofficial – definitely getting serious for her. She is smitten with him, and, from what she has said about their dates, Hermione thought he was just as enamoured with her.

Maybe he just isn't ready to admit to having those feelings that again, she thinks. Especially not to people who knew Ginny. It's one thing to start dating again, but it can't be easy for him to fall for someone new.

"Alright," she says slowly, not sure how to respond. "I understand."

Harry, however, is frowning, his uncertainty etched across his face. "Do you think he should meet her?"

"I think it's up to you. He would like to meet her at some point, but he can wait as long as you like."

"I just don't want to make a big deal out of it," he confesses, his voice almost entreating.

Her instincts tell her to drop the matter for the time being. If they're not ready for it, then that's all there is to it; pushing them into something they aren't comfortable with might just make it worse for everybody in the long run. But that last statement could mean he's open to the idea of her helping him work through this, and if so…

"It really is up to the two of you," she says, trying to balance offering suggestions with respecting his uneasiness. "If you aren't ready for it, don't do it. But, if you are, it wouldn't have to be a big thing. We could go out somewhere in two separate groups and just meet up for lunch."

"That might be okay. I'll think about it."

A/N: I haven't had the chance to write much since uni went back, but I'm hoping to find the time to catch up on it over the next few weeks.