"'Morning." Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table. "I'm starving!"
Harry merely greeted her, but Ron and most of the other people at the table were staring at her. Hermione frowned. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, uh, er, nothing!" Ron said quickly.
"Ron." Hermione said.
"Nothing!" Ron protested. He turned attentively back to his bacon before he could be bribed to tell her anything. After all, his crush was at stake.
"Harry?"
"I don't know."
"Okay," Hermione said. She didn't seem convinced.
Ron slipped away as soon as possible. He found Fred and George outside the Great Hall. "She suspects something." He said.
"Did you tell her anything?"
"No."
"We'll spread the word that no one's to tell her." George said.
"That's not what I meant!" Ron cried. "I'm not trying to help you make money off of my best friend! I just don't want people making her upset! I won't tell her, but you better! She'll be twice as mad if she finds it out from someone else. Stop it before something happens, like this news that she'll answer any question gets around the whole school!"
"That's a great idea!"
"Stopping?"
"No, spreading the news through the whole school. We can make four times as much money! Thanks Ron!" Fred and George ran off.
Ron looked absolutely furious with himself.
***
"Ron, what has been going on?" Harry asked his best friend in their dormitory that evening.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked innocently.
"You know, with Hermione." Harry pressed.
"What about Hermione?" Ron feigned curiosity.
"Can the stupidity. You know what I'm talking about." Harry said crossly.
"Okay," Ron sighed. "But you can't tell a soul. Here's what's been going on." He leant over and began whispering.
"What! How could you not tell her?" Harry exclaimed after Ron had finished.
"I'm doing my best!" Ron said defensively. "Fred and George won't stop, at least not yet, but I've been trying!"
"I know, but Hermione's going to be furious that we've kept it from her," Harry reminded him.
"But you know what I've got at stake!"
"So which is more important to you, friendship, or the name of your crush?"
Ron sat dumbly. He sighed and leaned back. "Okay, I see your side, but we can't tell her yet. Not yet."
Only a few minutes later, Fred and George had cast the sleeping charm and the line was forming. Fred ran over and opened the Fat Lady's portrait. He hopped out and held it open. A line of people streamed in and got in line behind the Gryffindors.
"You know, Minerva really wouldn't approve of this, and I'm sure that the Headmaster wouldn't either," the Fat Lady babbled.
"They don't have to know," Fred said cheerfully. He closed the portrait and turned around. "First person from the boys' line, please."
Harry and Ron stayed in the common room to keep an eye on Fred and George. Every fifteen minutes, Fred opened the Fat Lady's picture to let more people in. It was nearly three 'o clock when the line finally ended and Fred and George smiled as they counted their money.
"G'night, Ron, Harry," they called as they started up the stairs.
"Wait!" Ron stood up. "What about Hermione?"
"What about her?"
"Wake her up."
"You."
"We don't know the incantation, idiot."
"So, we can tell you it." George said, but then Fred poked him.
"No!" He hissed. "If they know the incantation, they could wake her up right in the middle of it! Do you want to be a dead man?"
"Oh, fine." George muttered and said the incantation quietly. Harry and Ron strained to hear it but were unable to. All four ran up the stairs. Fred and George extinguished the lights in the common room (Professor McGonagall's rule- last one out turns the lights off). The twins walked silently up to their dormitory, but Harry and Ron stayed behind to make sure the twins had said the correct incantation. Apparently they had, because a moment later she rose and stretched. She put her books, quills and parchment in her bag and went upstairs.
***
"I don't believe you!" Seamus Finnigan yelled at Dean Thomas.
"You said that about me?" Angelina Johnson cried to the Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood.
"I'm not speaking to you!" Katie Bell screamed at her best friend.
The entire Great Hall was in chaos.
"People are so mean to each other," Hermione commented. There was the slightest hint of a food fight. People were yelling and screaming and hitting each other. The teachers were having a conference, so the students were all alone in the Great Hall.
"I'll be right back." Ron said. He stood up and went over to Seamus. "What's going on?"
"Everyone's fighting because of what Hermione told them." Seamus scowled.
Ron asked several people the same thing and all replied the same as Seamus had. Ron made his way over to Fred and George, narrowly dodging bowl of tapioca pudding flying towards the Ravenclaw table.
"This is getting out of hand," he said.
"What do you mean? We're earning plenty of money, we've made sure you and Ginny won't tell, no one else is going to tell." Fred said comfortably.
"But everyone's mad at each other!" Ron protested.
"So? That's their problem." George leaned back in his chair.
"Just stop it!" Ron said heatedly. "Just stop it." He turned on his heel and strode back to his seat. "They wouldn't listen." He muttered to Harry.
"Then we'll tell her?"
"If they don't stop soon, we'll tell her."
"Okay. I still think it's a mistake to wait so long."
"Don't worry. If we wait, that'll give me enough time for me to send an owl to Mum. She can stop this. Apparently Ginny wants them to stop too, but they've got dirt on her."
"Okay, then." Harry sighed.
***
"We're not going to stop, Ron." Fred said calmly as he gathered up that evening's earnings.
"Fred! George!" Ginny pleaded. Ron had brought her along in hopes that they could do together what they couldn't do separately.
"Ron, we know she's your friend, but she's also an opportunity for a lot of money. We have our futures to consider, you know." George said coolly.
"I didn't think you could stoop this low. Even Percy wouldn't stoop so low for his job." Ron said scathingly. He and Ginny angrily left Fred and George in their dormitories, counting their savings. "Oh, and by the way," Ron said. He pointed downstairs.
"Oh, fine." Fred waved his wand.
"Good."
***
The next morning, Ron, Harry, and Hermione didn't even dare go into the Great Hall.
"I'd rather starve than risk that!" Hermione said, her eyes wide. They peered around the door.
"You'd also rather starve than eat food prepared by house elves."
"Ron, it's only house elves in situations like Dobby used to have that I object to. I've done some reading, and I've told you that S.P.E.W. is officially over." Hermione told him. "Watch out!"
All three pulled their heads back as a bowl of soup Neville Longbottom had thrown arced through the air and landed on Colin Creevey's head. Hermione absentmindedly used a cleaning spell.
"Wow! Thanks!" Colin said admiringly. "You're doubly amazing! With-"
"Colin, why don't I help you with that Potions essay you were having trouble on," George cut in.
"Wow! You mean you changed your mind?"
"Sure!" George smiled convincingly.
"What did he mean, doubly?" Hermione frowned.
"We should tell her." Harry said.
"Okay," Ron sighed. "Hermione, did you know you talk in your sleep?"
"No," Hermione said cautiously.
***
"What!?" Hermione jumped up from the bench she had been sitting on. "Fred and George just better watch out!"
"They're going to put you to sleep as soon as you get back," Harry warned, checking his watch.
"Not if I remove their arms before they use their wands." Hermione smiled mischievously.
"I don't doubt she'll do that." Ron muttered as they followed her out of the room.
"Fred and George Weasley!" Hermione cried as she strode into the room. "How DARE you!"
"Ron, you told." George reprimanded. People were already lined up on the stairs. All attention was on Fred, George, Hermione, Harry, and Ron.
"You mean she didn't know?" Parvati asked, looking shocked.
"No. But everyone's going to know Ron's crush soon." Fred growled loudly. "Ron has a crush on-"
With a loud pop, a furious Mrs. Weasley stepped in the center of the common room. "Fred and George Weasley! What exactly did you think you were doing, taking advantage of Hermione?"
"Mum!" Fred said charmingly. He had barely gotten the word out when he gasped. Hermione had punched him with all her might in the stomach. He fell back on the floor, trying to catch his breath. Hermione caught George in the eye then kneed him. Soon both Weasley twins were on the floor. Hermione kicked both of them and stared at them angrily.
"Sorry," Fred had turned the charm back on.
"Shut up. Don't say sorry unless you mean it." Hermione told them. The twins looked at Ron and Ginny helplessly.
"I told you so." Ron said. "You should have known better."
Ginny smiled sweetly at them.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"That's all right, Hermione, dear." Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. "They deserved it."
"No, they didn't deserve it. I acted badly. Do accept my apologies." Hermione said. "I'll only ask that they give the money back to everyone."
"Very well, Hermione. I'll let you have the judgment in this one." Mrs. Weasley said. "Come on, boys. We're going to Professor Dumbledore's office to make the expelling formal."
Everyone turned very white. "Oh, please, Mrs. Weasley, I don't want them to get expelled! They really didn't mean any harm, they just didn't think it through!" Hermione pleaded. Mrs. Weasley paused.
"I'll agree to let them stay if you wish, but I really think that's for the headmaster to decide."
***
Everyone waited tensely in the Gryffindor common room to hear what the headmaster had decided.
"I can't believe I've gotten everyone into this mess!" Hermione leaned her head on the armrest of her chair.
"I never should have written Mum!" Ron fretted.
Late into the night, Professor McGonagall entered. "The Weasley twins have gone home for the night. They will be back tomorrow morning. Professor Dumbledore or I will announce what we have decided. Until then, I suggest that you all get some rest. Good night."
All of the Gryffindors walked slowly up the stairs to bed. There was none of the chatting as they got ready for bed. No one slept well that night, including the line of people who waited a long time for Fred to come and open the door.
***
"I have an announcement." At the teacher's table, Dumbledore stood up. "This announcement regards the Weasley twins and Miss Hermione Granger."
Many drawn, white faces looked up to the headmaster. Only Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe's faces were normally colored. Harry and Ron suspected that Draco Malfoy, their worst enemy, would have been the same as Crabbe and Goyle's if he hadn't been so pale. All three smirked at Harry and Ron, who disregarded them, as they had seen all three in the line near the boys' dormitory.
"Both of the Weasley twins, after much discussion, will be pardoned." All of the students gave a great sigh. "However, each twin will serve ten detentions. Some of the teachers thought that it was necessary to punish Miss Granger." Here all of the teachers turned surreptitiously (they thought) to glare at Snape, as the Gryffindors gasped in indignation. "However, most teachers thought this preposition was a quote, pile of blast ended skrewt dung, unquote, so the matter has been dropped. Thank you, and please enjoy your breakfast."
Epilogue:
Hermione stopped answering questions in her sleep, because, as it turned out, she could only do that while under a spelled sleep. Draco Malfoy had hexed her dinner the day that Fred and George had discovered her talent, in hopes that she would miss classes and he would have a chance at becoming the smartest kid in the school, which everyone else knew was as stupid a preposition as his brain was small, but he was found out and had to clean out the bedpans in the infirmary for six months without magic. So, everyone at Hogwarts lived happily ever after, except for Draco, and nobody really cared about that.
So, did you like? I'm sorry about the comment regarding Draco Malfoy in the Epilogue, for all you Draco lovers, but please don't flame me about it! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I personally basically hate his guts. Please review in the little box below, and if you liked this one, try some of my other ones. Thanx!