Fred woke up alone the following morning.
There were no other guys in the dormitory, not even his own twin, and the body he slept with during the night had snuck out sometime at dawn.
He sighed to himself, covering his eyes with his forearm as he tried to go back to sleep. He could feel his body slowly relaxing, his eyes drooping.
Except the sleep never came. Instead, the vivid image of his sister's best friend and brother's long-time crush flashed in his mind. Her wide eyes, her mouth slightly agape, the way she stood frozen at the door. Hermione Granger standing speechless at the door of his dormitory was the only thing he could think about.
He groaned.
Get out of my head, Granger.
Images of her kept running through his mind; how she looked at him, the way she laughed, the way she would lick her lips after finishing her drink.
Stop thinking about her, Fred, he thought as he pulled at his roots. He wanted to stop, he didn't want to keep seeing her, but he knew he just couldn't.
He remembered the way he got so close to her, he could smell the pears in her shampoo and the jasmine on her skin.
What the fuck is wrong with me? I've known her since she was 11 for Merlin's sake!
He lay there, punishing himself for ever imagining Hermione Granger in any other way than what she was; his younger siblings' friend. Little Ginny's best friend, Ickle Ronniekins' crush. Little Granger.
Except she's not so little anymore.
Fred's eyes widened as he realized his thoughts began right after finding out Hermione's experience with guys. She had sex. She's grown up.
Groaning, he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.
The first thing Hermione noticed when she woke up was the fact that the dormitory was deserted.
The second was the urgent need to vomit.
She couldn't remember how much she had to drink last night, but she could tell it was more than she could handle as she didn't know how she even got to bed. She was still in her clothes from last night, only her shoes were removed.
She looked around, slowly moving her head as she room still spinned. A small vial of something was on her bedside table along with a note.
Hangover Cure
I'll be in the great hall.
Love, Ginny.
Hermione smiled to herself as she took the potion and forced herself to get up and stand under the shower for a few minutes.
While the hot water hit her head, she tried to remember what had happened last night. Every memory was intact up until...
Fred had sex with Alicia.
She groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Part of her was hurt, but she shook it away.
I was overthinking everything, he has no interest in me. Nothing has changed.
Quickly drying her body, she changed into a pair of comfortable grey grey joggers and a red sweatshirt with a black tank underneath. Her hair looked like a mess, especially since she was probably rolling around in her sleep, so a messy bun kept it in place.
Feeling better already, she made her way out of the dormitory. The common room was also deserted, but it didn't surprise her seeing as everyone must be eating their hangovers away.
"Hermione!" Called Ginny the minute Hermione stepped into the great hall.
She smiled at her red headed friend as she walked over and sat down between her and George, facing Ron and Harry,
"I'm starving! Thanks for the potion, Ginny." Said Hermione as she bumped her shoulder with the girl next to her.
"No worries, Mione. Ron's so hungover, he almost hexed me when he found out I got you a vial." Laughed Ginny, earning a scowl from her brother.
"So... You were drunk last night." Commented Harry.
Hermione sighed, of course they want to talk about it.
"Yes, I found myself to be intoxicated. And, since you're all probably wondering, yes I was confused about my feelings for a certain someone. But don't worry, they're gone now." She stated as she stuffed a toast with jam into her mouth, following it with some pumpkin juice.
"Gone? What do you mean?" Asked George, putting down the sausage he had just stabbed with his fork.
"I don't know, they're just gone. I see him as nothing more than what he is; a friend."
"Okay, but he's not really just a friend, is he?" Asked Harry as he poured Ginny some more juice.
"Who on earth are you all talking about?" Mumbled Ron as he hid his face between his hands, nursing his headache.
"No one, Ron. And yes, Harry, he's really just a friend." She said, rolling her eyes at the interrogation her friends were putting her through.
"What changed though? Last night you couldn't keep your eyes off him." Asked Ginny as she placed some more pastries on Hermione's plate, a gesture that reminded Hermione of the Weasley's mother.
"Last night? More like the whole month." Added George, earning a glare from his sister.
"I was confused, I think. You know, finding out that most students here have had sex with someone in their own houses was surprising, to say the least. But I'm over it, and last night definetly helped me clear my head." Explained the Gryffindor girl.
"Why? I thought last night would've done the complete opposite, from what we saw..." Wondered Harry.
"I would've thought so too, but after walking in on him and Alicia Spinnet, I'm back to normal." She said, picking at the pastries her friend had given her.
"Walked in on them doing... what exactly?" Asked Harry.
"Fucking, of course."
None of her friends knew what to answer to that; Ginny was too busy giving Harry napkins as he coughed up his juice while George stared at the girl next to him with wide eyes, Ron wasn't even taking part of the conversation.
"Are you alright, Hermione? Need me to roughen him up?" Asked George as he placed his hand on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her.
Hermione looked at him with furrowed brows, "I'm alright, why on earth would I need you to roughen him up?"
"Hermione, it's alright. We're your friends, you can open up to us." Said Ginny, holding Hermione's hand.
"I know, Ginny. But I don't understand what exactly I need to be opening up about?" Giggled Hermione, confused at her friends' reactions.
"You mean... You're not hurt? Or upset?" Asked Harry slowly.
"Of course not. It was just a little crush anyway, but it's gone now." Stated Hermione.
The minute George saw Fred, he slapped his head.
"Ow! What was that for?" Groaned Fred, rubbing his head.
"You're an absolute dickhead, you know that?"
"I'm sure, but why?" Asked Fred as he sat up on his bed, making space for his twin to sit.
"Why? Last night, dear Freddie, you had a chance with one of the brightest girls you'll ever meet in your life. You had a chance with the best girl out there for you, and you throw it all away for a one night stand with Alicia?" Said George, not understanding what his brother was thinking.
"What on earth are you talking about, Gred?"
"Did you or did you not sleep with Alicia last night?" Asked George, exasperated.
Fred nodded.
"After you almost snogged Granger." Added George
Fred sighed as he covered his eyes with his forearm.
"I didn't almost snog Granger, she's like a little sister." Groaned Fred.
"Yet you couldn't keep your eyes off her last night, heck you couldn't even keep your hands off her. So tell me, Forge, why on earth would you throw all that away for another girl?" Asked George.
"Granger is... Granger. She's Ginny's best friend, Ron is in love with her. Sure, she's a fit bird and all, but there's no way I'm getting in that mess." Explained Fred.
"Well, you're already in the mess. You initiated contact with her last night, and less than 20 minutes later you've already buried your dick in another girl. How on earth is that not getting in that mess."
Fred sighed.
"It's not like I deliberately wanted to ditch Granger and go for Alicia. It just happened." He shrugged.
"It just... happened. You just happened to bring her up to your bed and get naked with her. Don't lie, Fred. Ginny already wants to hex you." Threatened George.
Fred rolled his eyes.
"I was going to come back to talk to her. I went to get something, and I was going to come right back, but Alicia cornered me on the stairs and she was saying all these things about how I never pay attention to her. I ended up having sex with her but Hermione walked in." He explained.
"Yeah, I know. She told me at breakfast." Commented George.
"Was she mad? I didn't mean to leave." He asked.
"She didn't care much. Didn't affect her." Said George.
For some reason, Fred's chest didn't feel quite right that morning.
Hermione had gone most of the day without running into Fred. She didn't mind though, she wasn't excited to have to talk to him and apologize for interrupting him last night. She had somehow managed to repeatedly get herself into awkward conversations in the past month.
"Mione, are you sure you're okay? It's just us now, you can tell me anything." Ginny said as she sat on the foot of Hermione's bed, resting a pillow on her lap.
"Ginny, I'm okay. Sure, at first I was completely devastated and felt like ripping my heart out, but when I woke up this morning I was fine. Fred is someone I've known for ages, it's the first time I've taken in to account the man he's grown to be so I had a little crush. Thank Merlin it's gone though, now everything's back to normal." Smiled Hermione, holding her best friend's hand.
"Okay, great! Because Seamus had a brilliant idea for tonight, and we need your help," started Ginny as she began to explain what their friends were planning.
"You want to do what?!" Exclaimed Hermione, not believing what Ginny had asked for.
"With Harry's cloak no one will notice, plus it's only a small group of people. It'll be fun!"
"Ginny, there's no way I'm gonna be a part of this. Sneaking out of school is forbidden!" Hermione couldn't understand why they would even think about such a plan.
"Oh c'mon! It's just the black lake, we'll be back early. If we're quiet, there's no way Filch will see us." Whined Ginny, making Hermione roll her eyes.
Hermione contemplated the plan for a few minutes before she sighed, making Ginny squeal and clap her hands.
"Let's go over the plan again..."
At 9pm the Gryffindor common room was filled with whispers of 15 students, all of them excited for what they had planned.
Hermione sat on the couch, annoyed at the fact that more than "a small group of people" had gathered. If it weren't for Ginny's death grip on her arm, she would've gone back to the dormitory. She was relieved when she saw Neville's anxious face; it let her know she wasn't over reacting and what they were planning to do was indeed breaking the rules.
The Weasley twins snuck in the common room carrying two baskets each, all filled with drinks and treats. Hermione had succesfully avoided directing her eyes to a certain twin, she had even ignored the burning feeling of his eyes staring at the back of her head.
"Ready? Everyone's so excited!" Squealed Ginny as she jumped on the couch next to her.
"Excited? Neville looks like he's about to damn well piss his pants." Chuckled Hermione, sympathizing with the pale boy.
"I'd say he always looks like that though."
Hermione shut her eyes as she took a big breath in.
"Hi, Fred." She greeted, trying to keep her voice from trembling
Get ahold of yourself! Why are you acting like this?, thought Hermione, scolding herself for being so awkward.
"How're you doing, Hermione?" He said as he sat on the floor infront of her, smiling at her.
"Regretting ever agreeing to take part in this activity, yourself?" She sighed, really just wanting to go back to bed.
"Cheer up love, it's a Saturday night. The night is young and so are we, am I right?" He said as he tilted his head back dreamily, leaning back on his hands while stretching his long legs.
"I'd say we're about ready to go. Harry's map says Filch is on the other end of the castle." Said Ron, rubbing his palms together.
"Right, everyone get in pairs then!", George packed up blankets and pillows in another basket as he rallied up all the teens.
The plan was fairly simple, and would take about 40 minutes to complete. Fred, George, Harry, and Ginny would head out first, the latter carrying the baskets and covered by Harry's invisibility cloak. The twins wouldn't need to hide since they knew the castle like the palm of their hand, and knew how to get out of a sticky situation without breaking a sweat. Once they get to the black lake, one of the twins comes back with the cloak to get the rest of the students in pairs while the others stay setting up. One important detail was the crucial fact that Hermione and Neville have to be the last pair to leave the common room in case of any teachers suspecting anything; as long as they pretended to be studying, everything would be alright.
Hermione and Neville sat by the fire, chatting quietly as the group of people began decreasing in size. They talked about Neville's herbology assignment and how they had both enjoyed the Yule Ball, even though Hermione had ended her night with mascara streaks down her cheeks. They eventually quieted down, yawning from time to time and rubbing their eyes.
The silence was interrupted by the creaking of the door opening and a sweaty twin coming in.
"Fred? I thought George was taking people?" Asked Hermione.
"He was, but he got tired so I replaced him." Explained Fred, out of breath.
"Shall we get going then?" Said Neville as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head.
"Right then, tiny problem. Filch is on this side of the castle now and almost caught me on my way back, and since the cloak can only first 2 people, I'll make two trips." Explained Fred.
Hermione's stomach dropped slightly.
"I recall Ron, Harry, and I fitting fine under the cloak." She added, hoping to avoid having to spend time alone under a blanket with Fred.
"Yeah, when you were younger and none of you was tall." Commented Fred, wiping his brow with his forearm.
Hermione kept her mouth shut, knowing that he was right.
"George said to take Neville first, you're more used to lying to teachers than he is." Said Fred as he placed the cloak over the boy next to him.
She wanted to tell him that she hated lying, and that she actually rarely lied, but bit her tongue instead and watched them leave.
She sighed, wondering how upset Ginny would be if she would simply climb into bed right now. Instead, she lie on the couch as she stared at the fire.
"Granger, wake up." She heard as someone shook her shoulder.
She slowly opened her eyes, letting her brain analyze the face that was mere inches away from hers before gasping and abruptly sitting up to create some distance.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." She said as she rubbed her eyes.
"It's alright." He answered back.
Hermione wrapped the cloak around her shoulders, mentally preparing herself.
"Shall we?" Asked Fred and she nodded, ignoring the warmth of his arm against hers.
How did I manage to get myself into this?
