Proving Her Wrong
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: Hermione doesn't respect the true magical genius involved in quality pranks, but Fred Weasley is about to prove her wrong with one of his new inventions.
Hermione looked disdainfully at the other occupant of the kitchen as she entered the room.
"That's not happiness to see me, Hermione," Fred Weasley said with a wink.
"I was looking for Ginny," she explained.
"She and Mum went to Diagon Alley. They should be back any minute," he said.
"I'll just go put my stuff upstairs then," she said, turning to retrieve her trunk.
"Wait, I'll get it," Fred said, hurrying after her. He lifted her trunk effortlessly and took it upstairs to Bill's old room.
Hermione followed him and thanked him as he turned to leave. She quickly unpacked her trunk and returned back downstairs to read until Ginny returned. She knew Ron and Harry were probably out flying.
As she was reading her Advanced Charms book, she kept hearing bangs and explosions from the twins' old room upstairs. She rolled her eyes heavenward and wondered why they didn't do their experiments at their shop in Diagon Alley.
Soon after she started reading, Molly and Ginny shot out of the fireplace. Hermione greeted them both with hugs. The two girls relaxed on the couch, while Molly went about getting dinner ready.
"So how are you?" Hermione asked.
Ginny's face lit up. "I'm good. I can't believe school starts so soon. I feel like we just got here from last term."
"I know," Hermione said. "I can't believe it's my last year." Just as she said this, a loud explosion followed by riotous laughter was heard upstairs.
"No doubt Fred and George are putting their collective efforts into their joke shop still," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
Molly stuck her head into the room, as she girls dissolved into a fit of giggles. "Ginny," Molly called, "would you set the table? Hermione, can you please tell those sons of mine to come down for dinner?"
The girls giggled again and went off in different directions- Ginny with her mother into the kitchen and Hermione upstairs.
Hermione knocked hesitantly on the door and was surprised when it was thrown open almost immediately.
"Can we help you?" George asked innocently. A pungent odor was wafting from the room into the hall, making Hermione gasp and cough.
"Dinner," she choked out.
"Sorry," George replied sheepishly. He waved his wand and uttered a spell making the putrid vapors dissipate.
He grinned at Hermione before turning back to his twin in the bedroom. "Your turn to clean up, dear brother." Without waiting for a response, he nudged past Hermione and bounded downstairs.
Hermione peered into the room at Fred. His face was red and his hair was askew. But it didn't detract from the laughter that danced in his blue eyes.
"Come in," he called to her, "don't be scared."
"I'm not scared," Hermione replied indignantly. She stepped confidently into the room. Fred was waving his wand around, causing things to straighten up and put themselves away. He looked up at her skeptical face and sighed.
"You think we're just children playing around, don't you?" he asked suddenly. Hermione, taken aback by his bluntness, was speechless. Fred continued speaking. "We may not have gotten many O.W.L.S. and never took our N.E.W.T.S., but we know what we're doing," he told her. "In fact, we probably have a lot in common with you."
"Oh really?" Hermione asked with disbelief. "Fred, I'm entertaining ideas of jobs in the Ministry or teaching at Hogwarts. And you're blowing things up and playing childish pranks."
Fred, who had been squatting on the floor, rose to his full height. Though not as tall as Ron, he was considerably taller than Hermione.
"Hermione," he said evenly, "you don't know what goes into creating these 'childish pranks' as you call them. It takes a lot of potions, charms and spells to make sure they work properly." He paused, and Hermione noticed that he no longer wore a smile on his handsome face. "And people do need to laugh."
"Fred, I didn't mean to offend you," she said, blushing with embarrassment.
"You didn't," he said, the trademark "Twin Grin" returning to his face. "I just think you should understand something before you cast it aside." He exited the room quickly.
Hermione couldn't help feeling that she had offended him, though he'd denied it. She hadn't meant to belittle their business, but she didn't understand why, if they were so bright, they didn't focus their minds to something more worthwhile.
She went down to dinner and spent the entire meal avoiding Fred's eyes. She wanted to apologize, but she didn't know what she would say. It didn't matter because shortly after dinner, he and George Apparated back to their flat in London.
A few days later, however, they were back at the Burrow. Hermione sat in Bill's room reading with the door open. She waited until George went downstairs before going to speak with Fred.
She peeked into the room and was surprised to see Fred sitting cross-legged on the floor, brow furrowed as he thumbed through a large book.
"What're you working on?" Hermione asked. He was startled to see her as he looked up. He didn't smile and turned his eyes back to the book before he answered.
"Just looking for a spell," he answered in an emotionless voice. "Did you need something?" His tone was neither rude nor angry nor short. But it wasn't friendly either.
"Fred, I wanted to apologize for what I said the other day," she said hurriedly. "I didn't mean to offend you or your shop. I just spoke without thinking. I didn't mean to imply that I was smarter than you or that what you do isn't important or anything."
She sighed and continued, not noticing that Fred was now watching her intently while standing up. "I know you and George are very proud of your shop, and I really do hope it's successful. We're just so different, you know? I'm serious, and you're not so serious. But that's okay. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it..." Her voice trailed off as Fred slowly walked towards her.
"Hermione?" he asked softly, a smile dancing on his lips. "Do you ever know when to shut up?"
"What?" she asked confused.
"You didn't offend me, like I said the other day," he said. "And I didn't think you were trying to say that you're smarter than me." He paused for a moment. "And we probably have more in common than you think."
"Like what?" she asked, taking the seat on the bed he'd indicated. He sat next to her and leaned his back against the wall.
"Well," he began thoughtfully, "what's your favorite class at Hogwarts?"
"Charms," she answered.
"Mine too," he said. "But is it your best?" She shook her head. "Mine either. What is?"
"Transfiguration," they answered simultaneously.
"I also fancy peace and quiet when I'm trying to concentrate, hence me kicking my brother out just now; and if you hadn't noticed, we both have two very close friends, rather than a whole gaggle," he said.
"Okay, I'll admit defeat," Hermione said, blushing. "I was wrong about you, Fred, and I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "It's alright. Just don't let it happen again." He poked her in her ribs, eliciting a giggle from her. He grinned evilly. "Ticklish are you?" he asked, attacking her again.
She struggled to squirm away from him, breathless from laughing. He finally relented, and the pair grinned at each other.
"You know, you have a really nice smile, Hermione," Fred said. "It's nice to see."
She blushed again and rolled her eyes. "Are you hitting on me?"
"Oh, no," Fred said. "When I'm hitting on you, you'll definitely know."
They stared at each other for a moment before Hermione stood. "I'd better get back to my reading."
"Yeah, I need to find that spell I was looking for," Fred replied. "Say, you'll like this product I'm working on. Why don't you come to the shop the next time you're in Diagon Alley?"
She raised an eyebrow skeptically at him, but agreed nonetheless.
"I'll let you get back to being up to no good, then," she said with a smile as she left.
A week later, Fred owled Hermione, telling her the mysterious product was finished and to come see it the next afternoon.
Upon entering the shop, Hermione was surprised to find it empty. "Hello?" she called.
"Hermione?" Fred questioned as he came from the back stockroom. "Oh, good. You're here." He grinned at her, his dimples showing. "The shop's closed, but I charmed the door so you could open it while I was in the back."
"Why'd you close the shop?" she asked.
He shrugged. "To give us some privacy. I didn't want to be interrupted, and George is out for a while." He motioned for her to follow him. "It's back here."
She followed him to the back of the shop into the stockroom. "So what is this product you wanted to show me?"
"This," he said triumphantly, pulling out a quill and parchment set.
"What is it?" she asked. "Does it explode? Does the ink shoot out the other end into the writer's eye?"
"No, actually, it's pretty tame," he replied. "You see, the ink is spelled to only appear to the original writer or whoever the writer charms it to appear to. So, if I wrote something on it," he paused to scribble something onto the parchment, "it's there when I read it, but you can't." He showed it to her, but it appeared blank. "But if I tap my wand to it and say your name, you can see it." He tapped his wand to the parchment, and said clearly, "Hermione Granger." He showed her the parchment again, but this time, she could read it.
It read: "Fred is the funnest, most good-lookingest Weasley. You should go on a date with him and see."
"Fred, that's brilliant!" she exclaimed.
"Thanks," he said. "I got the idea from you actually." At her puzzled expression, he explained, "When you left the room the other day, you said something about being up to no good, and it reminded me of the Maurader's Map. It's spelled to only appear when a certain incantation is spoken. This works relatively the same way."
Hermione stared at him in awe. "Fred, that's really impressive. I mean, the Map's spells and charms are really complex. I can't believe you got it to work on a quill and parchment. I must say, I underestimated you. You've really proved me wrong. Usually, I don't like that, but I'll admit it this time. I'm really, really sorry I doubted you the other day. I-"
Her words were cut off by Fred's lips on hers. Thoroughly shocked, Hermione pulled away almost instantly.
"What did you do that for?" she asked.
"To shut you up," he replied simply. "You still don't know when to stop talking."
"I beg your pardon, but I do know when to stop talking," she replied haughtily. "Just because you don't want to hear what I have to say doesn't mean I should keep quiet. I really can't believe that you just ki-"
Once again, she was cut off by Fred kissing her. This time, however, she didn't pull back right away. Instead, she allowed him to kiss her gently and softly. Before she knew what was happening, she wove her fingers through his coppery hair, and he drew her closer by wrapping his arms around her waist.
When they finally broke the kiss, he smirked at her. "So, you never did answer my question." At her confused expression, he reminded her, "The date?"
"Fred," Hermione said breathlessly, "you talk too much."
He chuckled against her lips. "That, I believe, is the cauldron calling the kettle black," he said before taking her lips in his once again.