Hermione had gotten much better in herself, concerning her relationship with the girls. She become quite fond of Lavender in particular, and had realised that she'd under estimated Ginny Weasley! Ginny was neither as sweet nor as innocent as she let on – cheeky little minx! Time had passed, and Hermione was now a firm member of the girls' girly circle, and took frequent part in their overly flamboyant rituals of beautifying and gossiping.

It helped ease the pent up pressure boiling inside her.

The three girls had put a new meaning into Gryffindor bravery, also! A Hogsmade weekend, for them, was not for use to buy new books as it had always been for her. Instead they used it for what they believed was its only purpose: to drink heavily.

Hermione, constant worrier that she was, frantically urged them not to, and definitely not to push her into coming with them! What if a teacher spotted them? What if they were allergic to something in the drink (like Alcohol, perhaps?) and died or ended up in hospital? What if there was a Death Eater attack or they were too intoxicated to fight properly?

The girls responded to her worries with sniggers and unflattering mimicking and teasing, and, because she was now a member of their circle, began picking at her to go. Picking and prodding and blackmailing and general things like that until Hermione, at the end of her tether, finally said that she would go with them to make sure they would be okay, and might partake in the drinking of a Butterbeer later on in the night.

Hermione hadn't reckoned on having to wake up and see them all getting ready three hours before they were bound to set off.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"Getting ready," Parvati answered matter-of-factly. "We were going to wake you but we didn't want you to be too tired. Ginny has a feeling tonight's going to be a mad drama, and Ginerva's always right about things like that!"

"Is she?" Hermione said weakly, staring to doubt whether she was insane enough to do this.

"Don't worry," Ginny interrupted as if she could read her mind. "You'll be fine. We'll take care of you!"

"Or we'll find a man to take care of you," Lavender said with a cheeky grin, looking up from painting her toenails.

"A man to take care of me?" Hermione repeated feeling weaker still, heart beating dully.

"Of course!" The three girls exclaimed together, and laughed.

And yet part of Hermione was excited. Part of her wanted to just let herself go wild. Part of her was ready to experience more than just books and danger. Part of her as ready to grow up.

The rest of her was absolutely terrified.

But she got up and decided to start getting ready.

She knew now why the girls had gotten ready so early. Time flew, and Hermione didn't have enough time to do everything. But Ginny had helped her get ready and Hermione was wearing her best jeans and a blue jumper Ms Weasley had made her for Christmas and her hair was a little more like curls than just plain frizz. She was wearing a tint of bronzer on her face and mascara on her eyelashes. She felt a little more confident than normal, and, with a sudden wild impulse, hoped Ginny was right about this being a mad drama of a night.

She walked into Hogshead pub and began to feel a little self-conscious. Why had she worn a Weasley jumper? Lavender looked extremely pretty in a long flowing skirt, peach sandals and a black modest top. Parvati looked completely over the top in black pants, spiky black heals and a fancy fleshy red top, and somehow not only got away with the outfit, but looked fantastic. Ginny looked beautiful in a plain black dress. And Hermione looked like she was off for her first day on Primary school!

She sipped her Butterbeer slowly, and watched all the other girls. Parvati wasn't drinking much quicker than Hermione herself, but Lavender was drinking fire whiskeys at quite a pace, and Ginny was almost gulping down full glasses in one slug. Hermione urged them both to slow down, but that seemed to only make the other girls laugh and drink more frequently.

"Well, well…look at who we have here." Hermione looked up to see the smirking face of Draco Malfoy, leering over them all.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ginny slurred.

"You ain't wanted!" Lavender sang at him.

Parvati looked scared to look at him, and Hermione only glared.

"Look! Goyle! Crabbe! Look at Granger, with her one glass of Butterbeer!" He pointed exaggeratingly in her face, and his two bodyguards guffawed stupidly. "And look!" he continued, shrieking with glee, "I think she's actually made an effort to make herself look presentable! Try harder, Granger, 'cause it's not working!"

"Malfoy, if you don't get away from this table this minute, I'm going to hex you so hard that, not only will there never be a future Malfoy heir, but you'll have amused every single person here so much that every time they see your newly disfigured face they'll remember this day and laugh at you!"

Malfoy looked behind him at the Weasley twins, both identically smiling eagerly at him, wands at the ready. With little hesitation, he scuttled away and his two shadows followed. Hermione felt strangely disappointed with Goyle, who'd she hoped there was more to, and completely disheartened at Malfoy's words. All she wanted to do now was curl up in bed.

"Alright Hermione?" Fred said, sitting down beside her.

"Don't be worrying about Malfoy, Hermione," George told her bracingly. Then his attention was distracted from her. "Ginny, how much have you had to drink!"

George and Ginny began to bicker. Fred rolled his eyes and smiled over at Hermione. "You're alright, aren't you? You don't care about what Malfoy thinks!"

"No," she lied.

He could see through her lie. "Listen, how about I buy you a drink to help you forget about it?"

This was Hermione's first mistake: letting a Weasley twin buy her a drink.

"What're you doing?" George asked his brother.

"Making up a cocktail," Fred responded cheerfully.

"For who?"

"Hermione. To cheer her up."

"What! Fred, you can't!"

"Why not?"

"Fred, that's not cheering her up, that's getting her drunk!"

"Is there a difference?" Fred challenged.

"What would Hermione be like drunk?" George wondered aloud, looking back at their table where she was sitting with her empty glass, looking pale and miserable. "Alright, why not? We'll be here to make sure she's all right. Which one you making?" For the Weasley inventing days were not all about jokes and novelty items, and both could make up a lethal combination of drinks.

Fred didn't respond, instead letting his brother watch him make up the drink. George chucked at the final result. "Poor girl."

"Yeah," Fred said distantly.

"Now what are you doing?" George asked.

"What else?" Fred looked surprised. "Making one up for myself." He grinned. "To cheer me up."

Fred brought back the drinks, sitting beside her again. She looked at the strange coloured drinks and looked at him inquiringly.

"Try it," he insisted.

Hermione didn't want to. But Ginny and George had continued their bickering and Parvati was over talking to Michael Corner and Lavender had completely disappeared. Fred was here talking and smiling at her, being nice to her, and she didn't want to seem rude. So, taking a deep breath, she slid the drink to her and took a teeny sip.

"It's really tasty!" she exclaimed.

"You sound so surprised," he laughed. "As if I'd make up something that would taste horrible."

"You made it up?" she asked, and took another sip.

"Yeah. I'm having one to. We'll switch if you want, in case you think I've poisoned it."

"I don't think that," she protested, after seriously considering his proposal and deciding against it reluctantly.

"Sure you didn't." He winked at her. "Just relax, Hermione. For once, let yourself have a good time."

"I've let myself have a good time before!"

"Sure you have," he said, looking pointedly at the bag she had brought that was weighed down with books.

Feeling defensive, she took a huge gulp of the lovely tasting drink and told him, "There!"

"Prove me wrong, so," he dared her. "Drink the full contents of that glass."

"What do I get if I do?" she said, and took another gulp.

"Another drink?" he offered easily.

Hermione thought he was joking, but she wasn't sure. Just what was in this anyway…but one drink couldn't hurt. And, if he was drinking it, it surely couldn't do anything too bad to her! Anyway, she couldn't not drink it now; she would be proving him right. And it was about time she let herself have a god time. For once.

And, feeling oddly satisfied with herself, Hermione began gulping it down and was aware of Fred's approving eyes watching her drink it.

Fred made good with his deal. Her glass was empty for about half a minute before he went to the bar and refilled it. He refilled his own too, and was sitting back beside her before she could even begin to mess his fun presence.

With every gulp she took, the nicer the drink tasted. There was no nasty tang of normal alcohol and no major heaviness of sugar. She wasn't really sure she had tasted anything like it, it was fruity but not strong, and it slid down her throat easily. This glass must have slid down a lot easier than the last because it seemed like only a second before Fred was up refilling both their glasses again.

She hadn't a clue where everyone else was. She was only aware of Fred's where-a-bouts. She knew that Ron and Harry had entered some time ago, but she wasn't sure they'd seen her. Lavender was talking to Ron closely and Ginny and Harry were over in a dark corner sitting beside each other. Neither of the two boys had said hello but Hermione didn't care, Fred was with her so she was not alone.

The room was spinning. Fred was up again, and refilling the glasses. Malfoy was suddenly leaning over her, "Merlin, Granger, you're drunk!"

"I most certainly am not!" she spotted indignantly.

"Come dance with me?" Malfoy offered then, and tried to pull her up by the hand.

"NO!" Hermione looked over at Fred. "Fred will be angry if I did! He's very protective, like a brother…" she blabbered on.

"Not really a brother, is he, getting you pissed?" Malfoy sneered and disappeared finally.

Fred came back with the drinks and she greeted hers gratefully with a large gulp of it. The story was a lot funnier when she told it to Fred. Everything seemed funnier actually.

"You're not pissed!" Fred told her. "You're just merry, like me!"

"That's it, yeah!" she yelled.

Fred had his arm around her. She didn't know why, but it was rather nice. She was sitting very closely to him, and was losing track over which glass was hers or his. She drank from both of them.

She seemed to have completely forgotten who she was.

"C'mon, Hermione, we'll go for a walk." The thought of not going with him didn't even occur to her. She staggered along with him, leaning against him for support, wondering why she couldn't quite walk straight. He still had that arm around her, and it felt even nicer when they walked outside and it was cold.

"It's gotten dark," she said. "What time is it? They will be closing the Hogwarts gates soon."

He shushed her. "Aren't you having a good time? Nobody's gone home yet, why should you?"

"Because I'm Hermione Granger, and that's what I do."

"No, you're Hermione Granger, letting yourself have a good time," he told her importantly.

She glowed with pride.

"I have had a good time," she smiled. "With you. We've never really gotten along well but I think, Fred Weasley, that you've made me had such a good time!" It wasn't quite the powerful and meaningful statement she wanted it to be and so she just dispersed into giggles along side him.

He lifted her chin up so it was level with his. "I've had fun. You've been a lot of fun. You should do this more often. And you're looking very nice tonight."

And then Fred Weasley was kissing her!

There was no inhibitions or doubts where she was, there was no deep thoughts or revelations, and yet she was immensely satisfied with herself.

Malfoy had wanted to dance with her, she had drunk loads of Weasley-invented cocktails, and she was kissing Fred Weasley! Fred was Ron's brother! She was wearing a jumper sent to her by Fred's mother! He was eighteen, and she only sixteen! It was wrong, and she just didn't care.

And the world just wouldn't stop spinning….

Sorry about this now, when I said I wouldn't update. But now I have. I was inspired, so here we go! Inspired by real life events…drink carefully, won't you?

Anyway, dunno why the pairings will be so wacky but they will be! This isn't a romance…but there will be little parts of romance and a lot of pairings! Okay?

Thanks to: PinkTribeChick, sugarnspice, WalkBeneaththeTrees, and MJT13.