Chapter 17 – Failed Dates


HG


Fred leaned closer at the breakfast table the next morning. "Are you sure you don't want us to sneak you out?"

"No." Hermione said for the third time this morning. "You all enjoy your dates. And don't think too much about the Halloween dance. Today has nothing to do with it, alright? Just enjoy yourself."

"Fine, fine. I think by now, I know to listen to you."

"Is that so? What about last week?" She lifted an eyebrow as she grinned.

"We didn't know Snape would be there."

"You have the map!" Hermione laughed. "See, I told you last year, I don't get how you still get busted."

"In all the excitement of a prank; you forget okay. Next time we'll bring you along, you'll see."

"In your dreams." Hermione scoffed.

"I'll convince you; you just wait."

"I like to see you try." Fred was about to reply but Hermione had stuffed a muffin in his mouth to stop him. He chewed the muffin carefully as he looked at her.

"Thanks, little Granger." He padded her head.


HG


Hermione and Katie walked the others to the large doors that led outside. All the third years were giving Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick their permissions slips as they passed them. Fred and George walked over to their dates, who blushed as they approached. Lee linked his arm with Angelina and waved them off while Alicia was scanning the crowd for a certain Hufflepuff.

"I shouldn't let her wait too long." Cedric's voice came from behind the two second years. Katie and Hermione turned to looked at him.

"Better not." Hermione grinned. "Have fun."

"You too." He said, but when he saw the look they gave him he sheepishly added. "Sorry."

"We'll find a way to entertain ourselves." Katie said, locking her arm with Hermione. Cedric smiled at the girls before he headed to Alicia. Hermione and Katie already agreed that if the weather aloud them, which it did, they would go over to the quidditch pitch and try-out Hermione's new broom.


HG


Hermione and Katie were flying in the empty quidditch pitch when they saw the twins arrive early. The girls looked at each other surprised as they flew over the duo. Hermione placed a finger over her lips and when Katie nodded her head, they both flew behind them. Hermione carefully pulled out her wand and silently summoned water from the lake, Katie grinned as two large balls of water hung over their head. Hermione nearly betrayed herself as a laugh wanted to escape, but she pressed her lips together before letting the water fall on the two boys. The boys shrieked and looked around furiously.

Katie and Hermione nearly fell from their brooms laughing when the twins finally found the source. The twins tried to get a hold of them, but they flew up higher in the air.

"You two are going to pay for that!" Fred yelled, but a smile appeared on his lips as he shook his wet hair.

"Who would have figured we could sneak up on the Weasley twins." Katie grinned, high fiving Hermione.

"You got lucky; it won't happen a second time." George said, running his hands through his hair.

"We'll see about that." Hermione clicked her tongue. "What are you two doing back so early anyway?" She asked looking down.

"Come down and we'll tell you." Fred called over.

Hermione and Katie looked at each other before they turned back to the twins. "I don't trust you two at the moment."

"You're one to say." George chuckled. "We promise we won't do anything... today."

Hermione contemplated it, as she looked at George. George seemed honest enough. She looked to the older twin. "Rusty?"

"Alright, I promise." He crossed his heart.

Only after Fred promised too, the girls decided to descend and hop off their broom. The twins looked longingly at her broom.

"You didn't leave your dates in hopes to use my broom, did you?" Hermione cocked an eyebrow.

"No, no." George said quickly. "Nothing like that."

"Alright. Lunch ended already, why don't we head back to the common room. You can try out the broom tomorrow." She smiled at the boys.

"Brilliant!" The twins grinned from ear to ear as they walked inside the castle.


HG


Once they were seated in the nearly empty common room the twins started to explain what happened.

"So, it started out okay." George started. "Fred and I went our separate ways with the girls and just went exploring the town and the shops."

"Helena even dragged me to Puddifoots teashop, gods that place was dreadful." Fred said dramatically. "But you know, it was a date, so I tried to ignore the little pink frilly things around me."

Hermione and Katie listened intently as they talked about their dates, sitting across the table from them. Both girls never been on a date, so it was interesting for them to hear what could go wrong so fast.

"That did pay off, I got to kiss her a bit." Fred chuckled grim.

"So, what went wrong?" Katie asked surprised, looking between the twins.

"Yes, we both kissed the girls but after, we bumped into each other at the three broomsticks. The girls went to sit down, while we got some butterbeers." George answered.

"Uhu." Hermione nodded, still not understanding what went wrong.

"When we both got back, each holding two butterbeers, we heard the girls talking. They didn't see us come up because their backs were to us."

"Apparently the girls are close friends. We knew they knew each other but how they acted before we thought it was just in passing, you know." Fred explained. Hermione and Katie looked confused at each other, but they didn't interrupt as they knew there had to be more to the story.

"They were betting on us!" George cried out in frustration. Harry, Ron and two other first years that sat with them looked up for a moment, before one of them called their attention back.

"Excuse me? Betting?!" Hermione's voice shook with anger.

"Yeah, they had a bet going on who got to kiss us first." Fred grumbled. "When we came back, we heard Helena say: I won the bed, I kissed Fred right after Puddifoots. You owe me five galleons."

"Which Cora replied with. I kissed George after Zonko's, so I believe that was before you."

Hermione had never seen the twins so angry, so... hurt. It wasn't that the twins thought it would actually go somewhere, but to be treated liked that.

"But why would they bet on kissing you?" Katie asked.

"We heard them say something around the lines of being the first ones to get the famous and popular Weasley twins' attention."

Suddenly Hermione jumped up as her hair buzzed with magic. Fred, George and Katie looked up at her in surprise. And when she started to walk towards the painting a hand stopped her. She looked down with a frown and saw George's hand around her wrist.

"Where are you going?"

"If you think, I'm going to let them get away with this, you are sorely mistaken." Hermione tried to pull her hand back, but George's grip was tight. George stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders firmly as she still tried to escape.

"They are not worth it, I promise you."

"George!"

"No, he's right Hermione." Fred said from his seat. "We just have to think twice if we ask or agree to go on a date with someone."

"Not worth it." George whispered as he pulled her in a hug. "But you're an amazing friend for wanting to go after them."

"Especially since they are older than you." Fred chimed in as Hermione finally sat back down.

"I don't care if they are seventh years, no one hurts my friends." Hermione said as she crossed her arms.

"I don't want to be on the receiving end of Hermione's wand." Katie said with a small smile as she looked at her friend. "Not even if I was four years older than her."

"At least with got a decent kiss out of it." Fred said. The girls rolled their eyes playfully as the mood became lighter.

"Speak for yourself." George huffed with a scrunched-up nose. "You think older girls would know what they are doing."

That made everyone laugh, while George still had a displeased look on his face. The twins told them that after they heard what they said, they took the four butterbeers and just walked out of the three broomsticks and went to explore the town, twin style. They didn't see Alicia or Lee and Angelina when they were roaming around the town, but they knew they probably had their own stories to tell when they came back. Hermione listened to the twins talk about Hogsmeade, but in the back of her mind she was coming up with a way to get back at those girls. She knew the twins wouldn't do anything about it because it would probably backfire, and the girls would accuse them or lie about what happened that day. After what they already did, she wouldn't be surprised. Little conniving bitc-

Her thoughts were interrupted when Alicia walked in the common room. She shook off her cloak as she walked over to their table. After she placed it on the back of her chair, she sat down.

When she didn't speak up and just stole a chocolate from the twins' bag, Katie spoke up.

"So, how did it go?"

"Hmm, alright. Cedric's handsome and sweet and we had fun. We went to the shops and got some lunch at the three broomsticks, but-" She stopped.

"But what?" George inquired.

"But there wasn't a spark." She said a little disappointed. "I wish there was, I mean, have you seen him?" She waved her hand over her face with a chuckle. "After lunch, we talked about quidditch as we walked back to the castle, and we just said goodbye before we went our separate ways. I think he feels the same."

"So, nothing happened?" Katie asked with a grin. "No, goodnight kiss?"

"No." Alicia smiled as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I knew you liked him." Hermione said as she handed her a glass of pumpkin juice.

"It's okay." She smiled as she accepted the pumpkin juice. "Enough boys in the castle I can set my eye on." Alicia grinned and looked around the room as to try to find the next one here in the room.


HG


It was nearly dinner time before Angelina and Lee arrived back in common room, both laughing as they climbed through the portrait hole, arms linked. Five heads turned to the laughing duo.

"It looks like at least someone had a good time." George laughed as they sat down.

"What do you mean?" Lee, Angelina and Alicia asked. The whole Fred and George date thing hadn't come up since Alicia arrived.

"It didn't turn out the way I wanted, but I had a great time." Alicia said and turned to the twins with a frown. "What happened?"

The twins looked to each other as they both rubbed their neck in unison. Hermione saw the discomfort of the boys and stepped in quickly, coming up with an excuse.

"Those girls were gossiping from the moment they left and when the four of them met in the three broomsticks, they just gossiped among themselves and left the boys hanging." Hermione lied, rather convincingly as she may say so herself. The twins looked surprised at her for a moment before the recovered quickly.

"At least we got a kiss out of it." Fred and George high fived. When Katie asked Angelina and Lee about their day, the twins looked at Hermione and they both mouthed thank you. She smiled at them before the three of them turned back to the others. Angelina took a bag of sweets from Honeydukes out of her coat and passed it through the group. Hermione told the group they could all try out her broom the next day, which they all got excited about and couldn't stop talking about the speed elements of the nimbus 2000 when they walked down the stairs to the great hall for dinner. When she arrived at the great hall she waved at Cedric and his friends, before she returned the small smile Blaise had send her. It was weird, Hermione thought she would've been sorted in Ravenclaw if she hadn't asked to be in Gryffindor, but she was happy the hat listened to her because she had friends, friends in every house except Ravenclaw.