Disclaimer:
This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Notes:
Here's the second chapter… I think both of them here were a bit OOC, but I took the chance of writing them this way, anyway. I don't recall any part in the books of when they talked seriously, so let's pretend that this is how they are when they talk about serious things. Anyway, I know this probably don't make sense, but I wanted them to see each other from different perspectives, so that there can be an opening for a relationship. Sorry if it sucks… I'm just starting at this pairing, you see. Anyway, thank you for all those who reviewed… they were all very much appreciated! =)
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A Very Interesting Conversation
(The Conversation in the Hallways)
Hermione's head shot up at the mention of her name and almost immediately, she groaned. Of all the people to see her, why did it had to be him?
"Gee, Hermione… I never knew you used such colorful words," said one, surprisingly alone, Weasley twin. "I wonder if everyone else knew of this hidden side of yours…"
"If everyone else knew of it, then it wouldn't be such a hidden side anymore, would it?" she said, rather scathingly, seeing as this person (whoever of the two it might be) is currently one of her top ten most hated people as of the moment. She was also trying to figure out just who exactly this twin was, but she needed more clues. One other thing that added to her already foul mood was the fact that, this person appeared just as she was thinking of hexing every single red-haired prankster on the face of the planet, preferably those with FW and GW as initials.
"No, I suppose not," he said, a smile playing on the corners of his lips. "but it would still make for a really excellent gossip, ever think about that? Trust you to always get the facts straight and spoil my fun at the process…"
Was it her, or did he seem like he was thoroughly enjoying her irritation. Hermione looked at him closely and realized that he was in fact, enjoying her miserable state. How dare he laugh at her expense? She would show him. Nobody laughs at Hermione Granger and gets away with it… nobody.
"I'm sorry that I have to be alive and spoil your fun then." She snapped, and realizing his smile only grew, she turned her anger towards him and spat, "Something funny?!"
"No… no…" he answered quickly, shaking his head (though his shoulders shook a little and gave away the fact that he was indeed laughing) and raised his hands in front of him like a shield. "I just remembered a very amusing memory all of a sudden and it made me laugh."
'Of course,' she thought crossly. 'Something that made him laugh… maybe something suspiciously like a bushy-haired, bookworm who was slumped on some unknown hallway while she was futilely trying to help enslaved creatures all the while having to carry the brunt of ridicule from people like you!'
Okay, even she had to admit that that thought was uncalled for, but for some unknown reason, the Weasley twins have just landed themselves a higher rank on her most hated list.
He moved and sat directly in front of her slumped body giving her a once over which made her feel a little bit ashamed of her appearance. He sat Indian style and propped his chin on his hands, while he continued staring at her. Suddenly, he smiled, as if liking what he saw, and this disturbed her a little more than she was willing to admit.
"Who are you, anyway?" she asked him sharply, hiding her discomfort with harsh words. She narrowed her eyes at him and was quite glad to see that this question had surprised him somehow.
"You forgot who I am?" he asked, faking a hurt countenance. "The hurt is intolerable… To be forgotten by you is too painful for me to take." He said dramatically. "How could you be so heartless?"
"Right…" she said her voice expressionless. "It isn't so hard to say, is it? You know your name? It's just a single syllable, starts with either F or G, and you probably won't die from saying either one of it…"
He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look at her. She would have laughed at seeing this comical play, but she had to remain expressionless. She wouldn't want him to think that he was getting to her… which he was of course. She just refuse to say it out loud, especially to him.
"You're no fun," he said sulkily. "I'm George, if you must know. It's such a pity, Hermione… I always thought you were psychic or something. You were one of the few people that were so hard to confuse."
She was ready to believe him, but she had to make sure. One can never be too confident when it regards Fred and George. She looked at him fiercely, which was quite scary seeing as she almost at eye level to him, and scowled the most demeaning scowl she could master.
It worked beautifully…
"Okay, okay!" he said, holding his hand up as if in surrender. "I'm Fred. Don't look at me that way, would you?"
Hermione softened her gaze and gave a small smile. One last thing and she can be fully sure. "I figured it was you." She said. "After all, Harry and Ron did say that George thought I was too much of a pain these days…" she sighed for added effect, schooling her expression into one of melancholy. "They said he had decided to avoid me until I grew out of my, I quote, 'so-called S.P.E.W. obsession.' I just thought it weird when you said you were George…" she sighed again. "I never knew George could be that mean…"
He sat straighter at that, an emotion that suspiciously looked like disbelief flashing across his eyes. His eye twitched when she said what Harry and Ron had told her and his expression changer more so when she said the obsession part. Was that irritation just now? Yes, he did seem to be irritated and suddenly he smirked.
"They said that, did they?" he asked, his voice laced with faint traces of irritation and his lips was drawn in a thin line. "Well, George hasn't mentioned anything to me about that and I'm supposed to be his twin. Are you sure that was what they meant?"
Hermione's smile widened. Finally, she was sure. Only one twin smirks when he was irritated and it certainly wasn't Fred. "No. I was just kidding, George." She said, emphasizing his name. "You do know that lying is a sin, right?"
"What the—" George said, surprised, gaping like a fish out of water. "How did you… How did you know I was lying?"
"Oh, I have my ways…" she replied, amused. "You shouldn't have tricked me, you know. I never let myself get tricked by anyone without getting back at them."
"Yes, it does seem that way, isn't it? Aren't you such a perfect Slytherin," he said, his voice bordering on amusement and irritation. "Still, I did say I was George first, didn't I? You were the one who refused to believe me."
"You're credibility level is extremely low on my scale…" she sardonically. "Nothing you can do about it, sorry."
George laughed, throwing his head back. She was extremely entertaining to have around. Without her book always buried in a nose… oops! Without her nose always buried in a book, Hermione Granger was a very fun person to be with. He gave her a look that showed approval, but this made him remember something.
"So," he started. "What is Ms SPEW doing here, so far away from her usual haunting ground and screaming at walls, not to mention saying things she normally wouldn't say?"
Hermione scowled at the coined name, and even more so because she was now reminded of her problem. She also remembered that George was supposed to be one of her most hated people as of the moment. It was something that quite saddened her because his presence had lifted her mood considerably.
"Would you help me if I tell you?" she asked.
"If I could do anything, then I would." He answered back.
"You could do something, but you have to promise me first." She challenged. "Promise you'll help me and I'd tell you."
George scowled. It must be something of great importance if she was being so adamant about it. Was she in trouble? He hardly thinks she'd do something that could anger the teachers… George scanned his memory for anything that could ail Hermione. Only one thing was brought to mind…
"Wait a minute," he said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "This wouldn't be about a certain movement to free the so-called oppressed house-elves, would it?"
Hermione blushed a little, until she seemed to gather her resolve. "So what if it does?" she retorted, irritation evident in her voice. "Don't they have the right to have the same rights as we do? They do so much for us and get nothing —absolutely nothing— in return! That is total injustice!"
"Hermione, they don't want anything in return, can't you see that? They're happy as they are. You'll only make them more unhappy if you continue this." He argued, but she seemed deaf to his logic.
"How would you know if no one has ever tried it?" she said stiffly. "Look at Dobby. He was extremely happy to be free."
George became unusually quiet and when he spoke, his tone was serious. "Do you remember Winky? Crouch's elf?" he asked her. Of course she did… Winky was the very elf that made her see the injustice against house-elves in the first place.
"Seen her recently?" She shook her head at that. "Well good for you, because you know what, she's miserable." She wanted to ask how he knew this, but he held up a hand to silence her. "Completely and utterly miserable. She's been miserable since she was sacked, I gather, and why wouldn't she be? The person she'd worked for practically her whole life suddenly thought she wasn't of use anymore… he fired her, just like that…"
"That's exactly what I'm—"
"And," George interrupted her, his voice considerable stronger. "now, she, herself, believed she is of no use anymore. What would you feel if that thought entered your mind?"
Hermione stared at George, her eyes full of disbelief. She can't believe this was the same prankster that was almost as immature as Peeves was sometimes. The depth and knowledge he showed in his argument both made her think and intrigued her. More so, she was even more intrigued of the complexities that he might have had, somewhere, in that mind of his…
"Still," she said, never one to be persuaded easily. She pushed her thoughts about George Weasley in the back of her mind. She would think about it some other time. "If they haven't been enslaved for so long, they wouldn't be that way. When they realize that there is more to life than the things they were brought up to believe, they'll realize they could do a lot more and be more useful."
George sighed. Hermione was one of the most intelligent and open-minded person he knew, but there were times when it was so hard to talk to her. Sometimes, talking to her was like talking to a wall… both were deaf to other's views on things…
"Suit yourself, Hermione," he said, as he stood up. "I just wanted you to see both sides of the argument. Good luck on that," said George turning away. "You seriously need it."
George started walking away but he suddenly felt a backward pull. Looking back, he saw that Hermione had also gotten to her feet and was holding the back of his robes. He looked at her questioningly and realized she was blushing slightly.
"Um, George? Could you…" she hesitated. Sighing, she seemed to gather enough courage to look him properly in the eye. "Could you show me the way to the kitchen?" she asked. "I promise you, I won't do anything to scare the house-elves."
He laughed and held his hand in his, noticing how soft they were even though she use them all the time. "Sure thing, Hermione. You should have said so in the first place…"
She smiled as he started leading her down several corridors, her small hand still enclosed in his big ones. After a few more corridors, she suddenly realized that they were at the entrance of their common room.
"Uh… George? Why—"
"I know… why are we here? Well, we'll start here so that you'll know exactly where the kitchen is from here, okay?" he asked, and she nodded. "But first," he added, smirking as he did so. "I have to get something in return… The way to the kitchen is a tiring and perilous journey."
Hermione wanted to snap back a reply (in accordance with the tiring and perilous journey part), but she can't help turning pale. "What do you want?" she asked in a voice quite unlike her own. She felt like she was biting off more than she could chew.
"You'll see…" he said mysteriously and then they were off again.
Hermione suddenly dreaded asking for his help…
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Author's Notes:
Okay… finally decided on which twin to pair Hermione up with. Like I said, I know they might seem OOC, and I'm sorry about that, but, eh… actually, I have no excuse as to why. I wanted them to see each other outside the usual look at them; a prankster and a bookworm. I want Hermione to see that George can be quite an intellectual too, and that Hermione can be entertaining sometimes, too. Okay, enough ranting… I always do this. Anyway, I do hope this was okay… please review! I really want to see how people view this… It seems so weird to me…
Thank you again to all those who reviewed! =) sweetevangeline, wishinstart, pinkchicklet, c-fleurbleue, Jana B, and Ziegod Lizski. They were really very nice of you and it gave me a very warm and fuzzy feeling inside! (WAFF-y, WAFF-y feeling) It also gave me this notion that my story might actually be considered sane… I don't understand my plot you see… =/
Special thanks to Ziegod Lizski for the help regarding my grammar. I didn't know that! =) Please (if it wouldn't be such a bother) help me again, if you see words that I have, yet again, misused… (is misused a word? Oh well…)
Man, long A/N… Oh well, I hope this could have entertained you somehow…
Later then,
~c!
