Fairy Dust

After spending the day in Hogsmeade, Hermione went to bed that night happier and more content than she'd been in weeks.

At breakfast the next morning, Pigwidgeon brought Hermione a brown paper package.

She opened up the package and found a new fuchsia colored tooth brush. She quickly set it down and pulled her hands away from it.

"It isn't going to eat you." Ginny laughed.

"It's from Fred." Hermione stated.

Ginny's eyes became wider and she pulled her plate towards her. "Never mind, I take it back."

Hermione took her knife and jabbed the toothbrush a few times. Nothing happened.

She slowly picked it up and examined it. "You know… he's really starting to lose his edge. It seems to be just a regular toothbrush."

She grabbed a quill and parchment from her bag.

Fred,

Thank you for the toothbrush. I had to jab it a few times to make sure it wasn't going to explode or anything. I appreciate the color; it's very Fred.

I also wanted to thank you for yesterday; it was nice taking a day away (even though I'll have to stay up late tonight to get caught back up on my study schedule). Maybe you should have sent me some of those caffeine candies… Anyway, I am rambling.

Have a great day!

Love,

Hermione

P.S. Don't forget to give Pig a snack. I know you two are stingy with treats.

"Pig, take this to Fred. Make sure they treat you. You have my permission to pester Fred and George until they give you something to eat." She rubbed his head and he flew off.

She looked at the clock and realized it was almost time for Ancient Runes. She shoved the toothbrush in her bag and went on about her day.

She returned from the library later that night and headed up to her dormitory. Setting her bag next to her bed, she saw two letters tied together with string.

"Pig brought it after you left for the library." Ginny mentioned, while reading Teen Witch Weekly on her bed.

She sat on her bed and untied the string and opened the first letter. It was in George's handwriting. It read,

Granger!

She stopped. "Granger? This can't be good." She said out loud to Ginny before she went back to her letter.

Granger!

How dare you! Pigwidgeon dropped the letter by and when I tried to let him out, he bit me! Then when I went after him, he poo'd in my tea! You know how I am about my tea... He then took our monthly ledger and flew around the flat with it, refusing to give it back until I gave him a handful of treats!

When you mess with a man's tea, you mess with the man! This means war, Granger!

Your Worst Nightmare,

George F. Weasley

"Oh honestly. He's so dramatic." Hermione told Ginny, handing her the letter.

Ginny snorted. "He's such a girl. Throwing a fit about some tea?"

Hermione scoffed. "I take offense to that!"

Ginny laughed. "Me too, actually. He isn't man enough to be a girl." After saying it out loud, Ginny's eyebrows furrowed and she looked confused with herself.

Watching Ginny's reaction, Hermione asked, "What does that even mean?" as she bent over in giggles.

Ginny fell back in bed giggling.

After a few minutes, the realized they couldn't stop.

"GINNY…. WHAT…. ARE…. WE… DOING?" Hermione asked between giggles. She looked down at her hands and noticed a fine gold glitter.

"GEORGE!" She growled. George had sprinkled fairy dust into the note before sending it. Fairy dust is one of their newer inventions. It doesn't take affect until a person laughs, but as soon as they start, they find themselves unable to stop.

Hermione had asked the twins why it was called such a thing. They commented that they were fairy godmother's sent here to make people laugh. When she was unable to suppress an eye roll at them, they chased her out of the store with a vial of it in their hands. She realized he wrote the note to get her laughing.

"When… when… when does this… wear off?" Ginny giggled, rolling around her bed.

Hermione wiped at her eyes, which were full of tears from laughing, and grabbed Fred's letter. She hoped he wasn't as miffed as George and would have mentioned how to stop.

My darling dearest,

I'm a little offended by your comment! Tsk, tsk. How could you think that little ole me would send a detonator toothbrush? Maybe I just want to be the reason for your pearly whites when you smile… or giggle… uncontrollably…

Her eyes narrowed as she read this. He was behind this too! They were doomed! She continued:

Glad you enjoyed yourself yesterday. I think I did too…at least my extremely vivid dreams last night told me I did… this is the part where you blush profusely and I'll smirk on my end.

Anyway, darling dearest, let me know how you like the toothbrush! Hope you remember to think of me while you brush!

Love,

Your Handsome Bloke

P.S. Look in the WWW bag I put in your trunk. You might find more than one useful item. *wink wink* And you thought you never had me wrapped around your finger...

P.P.S. Don't tell Georgie!

Hermione looked up at Ginny, who was now laying in the floor, her legs still on the bed, as she clutched her stomach.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at this. She quickly regretted her decision and her giggles that she seemed to calm to a controllable amount were now back in full force.

She flung herself at her trunk and dug through it until she found the bag.

She dumped it out on her bed and found what she was looking for. A vial of gold liquid with a stopper. She read the instructions. 'One drop on the tongue will instantly cease the giggling. Shake before use.'

She hurried and shook it and pulled the stopper out and applied one drop to her tongue and swallowed.

The giggles stopped. "Oh, thank Godric!" She said out loud and noticed how sore her stomach muscles and throat were.

"Hey!" Giggled Ginny. "Help!"

Hermione jumped up and ran over to Ginny on the floor.

"Stick your tongue out!" Ginny stuck it out, but was in such a fit, it kept moving and her mouth kept closing.

"GINNY! Stop moving! I need your tongue!" Hermione yelled.

"You need her what?!" Poppy asked, surprised as she headed into the dorm.

Hermione laughed and looked up at Poppy. "Oh, don't make me laugh! My stomach hurts! Oww!"

Ginny began to smack Hermione's legs.

"Oh, right! Sorry, Ginny! Open your mouth!"

Poppy came over and watched Ginny having her fit on the floor. "Has she gone mental? Should we floo St. Mungo's?" Poppy began to sit down on the bed and grabbed for the letter.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH IT!" Hermione screamed.

Poppy jumped off the bed.

"You'll end up like Ginny if you do!" Hermione added.

Ginny was now grasping Hermione's button down shirt and pulling her closer. Their noses were a few inches apart.

"I… AM… GOING… TO… KILL… YOU!" Ginny gasped between giggles.

"Like I can take you seriously right now, Ginny. Honestly! I can't give you this with my face so close!"

Ginny released her and Hermione held the stopper over her mouth. Ginny opened her mouth and Hermione just squirted some in, giving up on the one drop direction.

Ginny's giggles stopped and Hermione watched her as she sat up and ran her fingers threw her now tangled hair. Ginny's face turned into a scowl.

Hermione looked up at Poppy with wide eyes.

"Ginny… you okay?" Poppy asked.

"Yes, why? Just trying to catch my breath and settle down." Her eyebrows were knitted together and her lips were pulled down into a heavy frown.

Poppy chewed her lip. "Well… it's just that your face… it looks…"

"MY FACE? WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY FACE?!" Ginny yelled and ran toward the bathroom.

Hermione hurried over to the vial and continued to read the label. 'Caution: excessive amounts of antidote will cause semi-permanent muscle frown. Effects will wear off within twelve hours.'

"Er… Gin!" Hermione called.

"What did you do, Hermione?!" Ginny asked, coming back in with her wand pointed.

"I didn't mean to! I couldn't get you to sit still! It'll wear off within twelve hours. You'll be back to yourself by tomorrow!" Hermione told her.

Ginny jabbed her wand towards Hermione again.

"Ginny… you're still beautiful! It's late… no one will notice!" Hermione started toward Ginny slowly. "My lovely, gorgeous Ginny…don't be mad!" Hermione coaxed, reaching Ginny and taking her wand, throwing it on her bed.

Ginny leaned her head on Hermione's shoulder and she stroked Ginny's hair.

"It's really not all that bad." Hermione told her.

She heard Ginny whimper and had to suppress a laugh.

"Remember that George is at fault. Not Hermione. Hermione is innocent!" Hermione told her.

Ginny pulled back and started laughing. Although she could hear her laughing and see her abdomen shake with laughter, the frown remained. It was a bizarre sight to see…. almost startling, really.

"Ginny… please don't laugh… you look demented." Poppy mentioned.

Hermione had to turn away from Ginny to hide her laughter. Unfortunately, Ginny saw Hermione's shoulders shaking from her silent laughter and it made her even more angry.

"You two think this is funny, do you?!" Ginny spat.

Hermione sobered and turned around. "Remember… this is all George's fault! We'll get him back, don't worry!" Hermione sat on her bed and started looking through the stuff that she poured onto her bed.

"It's almost 8:00 o'clock. Just stay in the dorm and by morning you'll be fine!" she mentioned while she picked up some caffeinated candies. She smiled to herself. Fred knew her so well.

She looked up to find Ginny levitating George's letter to the rubbish bin and siphon off the gold dust from her bed with her wand.

Hermione looked back down and threw the other stuff back into the bag, making a mental note to look through it again later.

She picked up her school bag and dug for the toothbrush. After a moment of blind searching, her fingers caught ahold of the plastic handle.

She took it out and twirled it around in her fingers. What did Fred do to it? There was no way he let her off that easy… especially when he mentioned in his note that she should tell him how she liked it.

After looking it over thoroughly she headed toward the bathroom. She still had her other toothbrush, so if this one did something like make her teeth black or leave a nasty taste in her mouth, she'd still have the other.

She shrugged her shoulders and ran it under the tap before applying the toothpaste.

She opened her mouth and began to brush, watching it in the mirror. When nothing happened, she sighed.

She jumped, hearing Fred's voice. 'I love Fred Weasley! I think he's the beez neez! Fred Weasley sure is handsome!'

She took the toothbrush out of her mouth and stared at it for a moment.

"IT HASN'T BEEN TWO MINUTES! PUT ME BACK IN!" It shouted at her.

She jumped and stuck in back in her mouth.

'Now. Where was I? Oh yea…Fred Weasley has the sexiest eyes…' She giggled and kept brushing.

'I love Fred Weasley's pouty pink lips…'

She noticed both girls watching her in the mirror. She pulled her toothbrush out to explain.

'SHOVE ME BACK IN!' It yelled.

She put it back in her mouth and began to brush again, holding a finger up to tell them it'd be a minute.

'Ah…that feels good.'

"FRED!" Hermione screamed, toothbrush still in her mouth.

'Haha… just kidding… anyway… back to it then? Fred Weasley is so dreamy! I can't wait for the brushing to be done so I can dream about my beautiful boyfriend named Fred Weasley.'

Hermione rolled her eyes. What other boyfriend did she have?

'Fred Weasley loves me...' She smiled. That one wasn't so bad. 'I can't wait to marry the handsome Fred Weasley and have a litter of our own Weasley's…'

Hermione blushed profusely as the girls watched her from the door. Poppy was in silent laughter, hand covering her nose and mouth while Ginny… well… Hermione didn't know what Ginny was thinking cause she was still stuck in a frown. She was suddenly thankful for that.

'Ding, ding, ding' Fred's voice said. 'Looks like our time is up for tonight, but don't worry! I'll be here in the morning. And I'll warn you… I will not be ignored!'

Hermione rinsed the brush and her mouth before turning to the girls.

"That is going to do that twice a day?" Poppy asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I guess so." She bit her lip.

"What happens if you don't use it?" Poppy asked.

"Not sure… but I'd rather not find out." Hermione answered.

"Now tell me again why you love him so much?" Poppy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Hermione smiled as they headed back to their beds. "After dealing with George, I've learned that Fred isn't all that bad."

Ginny snorted. "To you! Fred is the mastermind behind most of the pranks!"

Poppy nodded. "He was the one responsible for changing my quill into a worm during Professor Snape's final exam! When I told him off for it he told me that maybe next time I shouldn't forget my quill and have to ask someone to borrow one right before a big exam!"

Hermione bit her lip. "Well… he's sort of right…"

"Hermione!" Poppy said, exasperated.

"Well… it's sort of your fault that you asked one of them for it… why did you ask Fred for it?"

Poppy flushed.

"Poppy?" Ginny asked, her face now looking more like a grimace as she tried to smile, her muscles working against her.

"I thought it would make someone else jealous."

"Who?" Ginny asked.

"I don't want to say." Poppy mentioned, sitting on her bed and toeing off her shoes.

"Why?" asked Hermione. She gasped. "You still like this someone!"

Poppy's face burnt crimson. Hermione and Ginny looked at one another and bounced over to Poppy, looking much like the twins, one sitting on each side of her.

"Now come on, Poppy!" Hermione told her.

"You can tell us!" Added Ginny.

"We won't tell!" Hermione mentioned.

Poppy laughed and shook her head. "You two have been spending far too much time with the Weasley twins."

Ginny and Hermione smiled at one another.

"I am their sister!" Ginny noted.

"They were bound to rub off sooner or later!" Hermione nodded.

Poppy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on! We're just playing around. Please tell us!" Ginny tried to pout, but looked terribly constipated.

"Ginny, she'll never tell us if you look at her like that!" Hermione turned Poppy toward her. "Now… tell Hermione who you fancy. Ignore the mean mug over there." Hermione told her, trying to keep things light.

"Well… I sort of like Dean…"

Hermione smiled. "Good choice! Muggleborns are so much more fascinating!"

Poppy turned to Ginny. "You aren't angry are you?"

Ginny snorted. "No! Is that what you were worried about? Dean is a great guy, just not for me. I think he's a brilliant choice!"

Poppy nodded. "He and I have been owling, but he doesn't know…"

Hermione put her arm around her. "By George, I think we found her a date for the ball!" Hermione exclaimed to Ginny.

"No… I'm Ginny."

"It's an expression, Ginny!" Hermione huffed.