"It does seem pretty stupid to kill a member of your own team," Ron said thoughtfully. "If it had been a Slytherin player you two'd be in jail by now."

"So. the rest of the school aren't going to kill us, are they?"

"Yeah, it was an accident..."

"Don't be stupid," Hermione said confidently. "I mean, they all know it was an accident."

"Yeah, you're right, Hermione," Fred said hopefully, "Ron says you're always right."

Hermione glared at Ron who went bright red. "I didn't say that!"

"I'm sure he meant it in the nicest possible way," Fred said sincerely.

"Yeah, he also said--" began George, but he was cut off by a loud noise of a crowd of people appearing behind them.

Hermione panicked, imagining the angry mob, and nearly yelled, "quick Fred! George! Into the cupboard for your own safety!" But she didn't, because she realised it was just a group of Slytherin-type people.

"We heard your friend had a little accident," one of them sneered, but Draco Malfoy elbowed him in the stomach. "Oww!"

"We actually came," Malfoy interrupted his friend's moaning, "To say we're really sorry about what happened yesterday."

"Yeah, sure," Ron muttered. Hermione took that as a moment to elbow her friend in the stomach.

"I'm sure it was an accident. After all, why on earth would the Weasley twins want to kill the famous Harry Potter?" Malfoy continued. He mumbled, "jealousy, maybe," just loud enough for them to hear and then turned around and left again.

Ron scowled. "Oh, he just makes me want to..." But he didn't really know what.

"Eat chocolate?" George offered, pulling some out of his sleeve. "You want some, Hermione?"

"This is no time to eat chocolate!" Hermione said angrily. "They just..."

"Relax," Fred said.

"They don't scare us," George said.

"And they're not an angry mob trying to kill us," Fred finished.

All four of them settled down to eat George's chocolate.

"We're honestly really sorry about what happened," George said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Yeah, we'll probably have to apologise publicly, but it's not like we meant for it to happen," Fred said, equally full of chocolate.

Hermione gave a great sniff.

"Don't cry, Hermione," Fred and George said together.

"Have some more chocolate," George offered. "That makes us feel better."

Hermione wondered if it was a Weasley Thing. She sniffed again but she didn't cry.

"Perhaps we're in the paper," Fred said thoughtfully. "The famous Weasley twins! We could sell our story."

"Don't you dare," Hermione said.

"Joke!" George said quickly. "But still, it'd be good, wouldn't it? We could be in the news and everything."

"Yeah, great," Ron muttered.

"Chocolate," Fred said, to shut him up.

Ron said "hmph" but took it anyway.

"I wonder if Hagrid's okay?" Hermione wondered out loud.

"Should we apologise to him?" Fred asked.

"We have SO much apologising to do," George sighed. "Hermione, do you know a spell so that we don't have to write out fifty million apology letters?"

"Yes, but I'm not telling you it," Hermione said haughtily. "You'll have to write them all out yourself."

"Hermione, you are SO mean," Fred said, with a completely straight face. Then he turned to Ron. "You can make her give it to us, can't you?"

"Go on Ron, she really likes you, she'll do whatever you say," George pleaded.

Hermione said, "hhhmmmph," and turned away from them. "I'm going to see Hagrid," she announced.

Ron followed her.

"We'll just stay here," George said. "If anyone comes with a pitchfork, we'll be in that cupboard over there."

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was sulking. He'd had a heart attack and no one had come to visit him. They'd all been too busy mourning the loss of Harry Potter. The boy who lived had died and taken all the attention away from him. Him! Albus Dumbledore! It wasn't fair. All he had was one small Get Well card from Professor McGonagall. All there was to do all day was sit in his study and sulk. And so that's what he planned to do.

"Heya Hagrid," Ron called.

"We just came to see if you were all right," Hermione added. "Well, I did. I think Ron is just stalking me."

"I am NOT stalking you!" Ron protested. "Why would I stalk you?"

Hermione refused to answer.

Hagrid didn't so much as look up.

"Have some chocolate, Hagrid," Ron offered, but Hagrid refused and merely blew his nose into his gigantic handkerchief.

Hermione sniffed. "We'll never see him ever again!" she wailed dramatically.

Ron began sobbing. Hermione held her sleeve out for him.

"It's a sign of true love when you'll let someone wipe their nose on your sleeve," Hagrid said bluntly.

Ron glared at him.

"I was only sayin'," Hagrid said defensively.

Ron wiped his nose on Hermione's sleeve. "Thanks," he sniffled.

Hagrid began mumbling, "poor Harry, poor Harry," over and over.

"It's not fair," Hermione wailed. "Why couldn't Fred and George have hit someone else?"

"Like-like who?" Ron asked, doing that shuddery-crying thing.

"Draco Malfoy," Hermione said instantly.

"No one woulda blamed 'em, either," Hagrid agreed.

Hermione went silent for a moment, and then wailed, "oh, Harry!" and collapsed sobbing on the table.

"Oh cruel fate, why couldn't you have taken me instead?" Ron demanded of the ceiling.

"Because you weren't playing Quidditch," came the reply. At first Ron thought the ceiling had answered, but no, Hermione had said it from underneath her hair.

"What would yer mum say if yer own brothers had killed yer?" Hagrid asked.

"I-I don't know, I'd b-be dead," Ron said, still crying.

"What's she going to say anyway?" Hermione asked, her head still on Hagrid's table.

Ron paused, and then put on his mother's voice. "I, *sniff*, am so disappointed in you two, *sniff*," he announced. "Of all the *sob*, things you've done, *sniff*, this is by far the worst." All the sniffs and sobs were put on as an act. He continued. "Harry was *sob* like a son to me."

Hermione sat up and said, in her best impression of Fred (or George), "but Mum, aren't we your sons too?"

Ron carried on. "But, *sob*, Harry Potter was special! He *sniff*, was..." Ron paused to think of something his mother would say. "He was my only son who wasn't a redhead and now he's dead!"

Ron and Hermione were quite enjoying the whole thing. Hermione said, "He wasn't even your son!"

"Yes, *sob*, but he almost was..."

Hagrid had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. "Alright, that's enough..." he said.

Hermione let one small giggle escape, and then felt guilty. She wailed, "Harry's gone!" and collapsed on the table again, banging her fist repetitively.

"It's not fair," Ron wailed, just to join in.

Hagrid just gave a low moan of "ohhhhhh."

"It's all my fault," Ron said suddenly. "I KNEW something bad was going to happen, but I didn't stop him. I could have stopped him and he'd still be here now!!! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!!" Ron howled.

"No, it's my fault," Hermione disagreed. "I could have used a spell to catch him before he hit the ground. If he hadn't hit his head falling from several hundred feet in the air, he would have been all right!!! It's all MY FAULT!!!"

"It wasn't your fault," Hagrid argued further. "IT WAS MINE!!! I should have done something to stop it from happening! But I didn't!! And now he's gone!!"

"My fault!" Ron yelled.

"Mine!" Hermione yelled back.