An early update for you all since it's my birthday ;D I hope you enjoy!

15 - The Marauder's Map

HG

The months ticked by and before she knew it, it was march and Hermione had her fourth flying lesson with George that evening. In her second lesson, George let her steer as they flew close to the ground. He didn't need to intervene once. On the third lesson she flew by herself, just a few feet above the ground, but alone. Today she would fly higher, she told herself as she walked back from the library that evening. She was clutching her books as she walked through the empty corridors. She heard a few voices coming from behind a corner. Then suddenly she was standing in front of two third year Slytherins, who grinned wickedly at her, as they figured out who was standing in front of them.

"Oh, it's the little mudblood." One of them spat at her.

"I told you the know-it-all mudblood didn't have any friends. Would she be all alone if she had any?" The other cackled. "Those twins just feel sorry for her. Maybe we should show her some Slytherin hospitality, Broze?"

The boy named Broze grinned creepy, before lunging out at her. Hermione side stepped him quickly, holding her books tight as she ran for it. Her footsteps loud in the empty corridors, not stopping until she bumped into someone.

"Oomph." The person gasped as she nearly knocked him over. "Hey, little Granger." Fred smiled but it quickly faltered as he saw her crying as she pulled away from him. "What happened?" He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Nothing." She said, looking at the ground before pushing Fred away and ran past him.

"Hermione?!" Fred called after her.

HG

"George!" Fred called to his twin as he climbed through the portrait. George looked up from the parchment he and Lee were looking over and found his doubleganger quickly. Fred nudged his head to the staircase, and they made their way up together.

"What happened? Aren't you supposed to go flying with Hermione?" George asked as they reached their dormitory.

"Yes, I was on my way and suddenly Hermione bumped into me, crying. She said nothing happened before she ran. I looked for her, but I can't find her. I need the map."

George looked at him for a moment before diving in his trunk. "What do you think happened?" He asked, his head still in the trunk.

"Don't know but it didn't seem like nothing."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, you have detention, remember?"

"How can I forget? Last time, Snape made me clean out bedpans." George shuddered and he pulled out the map. "Got it!"

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." Fred pointed his wand at the parchment the moment he grabbed it out of George's hand. Fred sat down on his bed and unfolded the map, spreading in out on his covers. George sat across from him as their eyes searched the parchment for one Hermione Granger. After a few minutes George called out pointing on the right corner of the parchment.

"There! She's in the muggle studies classroom."

"Great! I'll go get her; you better get going before Snape gives you double detention."

"Right. Mischief managed." George said, pointing his wand at the map. Fred folded it back up and stuffed it in his back pocket. They both jumped off the bed and hurried down the stairs. When they crossed the common room, Lee looked up for a second before waving at them and continued with his essay.

"I'll see you later, George." Fred said before they parted ways. Fred checked the map again, looking to see if she was still in the same spot, before heading down the secret passageway.

When he reached the muggle studies classroom, the door was closed. He leaned his ear against it, hearing nothing before he softly pushed the door open.

"Hermione?" He asked in the dark room.

A soft chuckle was heard behind the desk of the professor. "You really must've been worried when you call me Hermione."

Fred grinned as he walked closer and leaned over the desk, looking down at Hermione, who was watching little blue flames dance around in a glass jar. "I'm just worried you'll be missing my brilliant teaching skills." He teased, walking around the desk and lowered himself down, next to her.

"Teaching skills?"

"Yeah, flying."

"I was supposed to meet George." Hermione pointed out.

"That's going to be hard, since he has detention with Snape, right about now." Fred chuckled. "That's why you bumped into me earlier, I was on my way to get you."

"Oh." She said quietly, looking back at the flames.

"What are those?" Fred asked.

"Just something I keep myself busy with. They give of light and warmth; I can transport them in a glass jar without them going out."

"That's brilliant." Fred said, grabbing the jar, looking at it closer. He didn't look away from the flames when he asked. "So, want to tell me what happened?"

"I- it was just some Slytherins." Hermione shrugged, looking at the ground. Fred placed the blue flames back down and turned his head to her.

"What did they say? What did they do?"

"The usual, calling me a know-it-all mudblood. They say I don't have any friends and – and that you and George only talk to me because you feel sorry for me."

"You know that's not true, right?" Fred asked serious, Hermione just shrugged in response. Fred nudged her with his shoulder, making her look up. "I'm serious. You are our friend, little Granger. It may look like an odd pairing, but it works. HEY!" He suddenly cried out. "What do you mean with 'the usual'?

"Well, the Slytherins tease me, bully me, whenever they get a chance."

"Katie mentioned it in the beginning of the school year, but I thought it stopped. I haven't seen or heard anyone do that to you."

"Because they never do it when you, George or the others are around. Mostly when they find me alone or in class with Katie. I think they are afraid of you two."

"Well, we do have quite the reputation. But why didn't you tell us?"

Hermione shrugged again as she looked back at her flames. "How did you find me anyway?" She asked changing the subject.

"In the spirits of cheering you up." He said as he pulled something from behind him, holding out a blank parchment. Hermione arched an eyebrow as she looked from the parchment to Fred. Fred grinned before pointing his wand at the piece of paper. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Hermione's eyes went wide when she saw a map forming on the parchment, names filling the page in certain parts of the castle.

"What is this?"

"It's the Marauder's map. It's a map of Hogwarts and you can see every person on it and where they are now. See here, because it's getting late, the common room is now full of students. Here is Professor McGonagall and Sprout." He pointed to the left bottom corner and here are we."

"How did you get it?"

"Nicked it from Filch's office, last year. Took us ages to find out what it did and to let us see what's on it. Just managed it, right before summer break."

Hermione started to snicker as she looked over at the parchment.

"What is It?" He asked, leaning forward to look at the map. Hermione grinned as she pointed to a cupboard on the fourth floor. "Oh, Charlie and Veronica. They're still going at it then." He said laughing.

"Do you still want to do your flying lesson?" He suddenly asked. "I know I'm no George but-"

"Yes, I'm feeling better now, thanks to you. So, I think I can endure a flying lesson with you." She grinned as she folded up the parchment and handed it over.

"Brilliant!" He said standing up, holding out his hand to help her up, which she took. "Ah and if you're done, just say: mischief managed." He said it while tapping the paper, the map disappeared within seconds.

"How are we planning on flying without brooms?" Hermione asked as they walked out of the classroom.

"That would be hard indeed... Accio brooms!" He called out as he walked further, a flabbergasted Hermione following him quickly, nervously looking around. When they rounded the corner, Fred stopped as he heard the whizzing of the brooms come closer, he winked at Hermione before holding out his hands. Two brooms slowed down when they neared and carefully flew in Fred's hands. Fred smiled before handing one over to her.

"Thanks." She snickered as they walked out in the cold air. "There is something I don't get."

"There is something Hermione Granger doesn't know!? Pray tell, what don't you get?"

"You and George have the map and you still get caught by the professors doing God knows what!" She grinned teasingly.

"Oh, you'll pay for that little Granger." Fred laughed as he lunged after her. Hermione running away on the grounds, Fred hot on her heels.

HG

"Ready?" Fred asked as they both mounted their own brooms.

"Yes." She answered, nodding her head.

"Three, two, one." And they simultaneously rose from the ground. Fred took the lead and flew a bit higher than her and let her catch up. They did it like that until they were about 5 meters in the air. "Don't look down, look at me." Fred instructed as Hermione tensed up as she glanced down. She looked back up and locked her eyes with him. "Just look at me, follow me."

She did as she was told, following Fred around in the air as they flew above the ground. Fred zigzagged a bit and Hermione nervously followed his movements. After about fifteen minutes flying and zigzagging in the air, Fred stopped next to her.

"Georgie taught you well." He grinned, hovering next to her.

"Georgie had a lot of patience with me." She chuckled. Fred wrapped his hand around her arm suddenly, making her look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't freak out... look down."

Hermione looked down and sucked in a breath. She didn't notice they had climbed higher as they zigzagged through the air. And because Hermione had her eyes fixed on Fred, she didn't notice the trees getting smaller, that they were now hovering only a few feet away from the Gryffindor tower.

"You're a great flyer, if you don't focus on the height."

"Tt-thanks." She choked out. Fred suddenly grinned mischievously at her.

"Want to give Katie and Lee a fright?" He said, pointing at the window of the tower. Hermione flew closer to Fred and looked through the window.

"I don't know." She said unsure, biting her lip.

"We're already up here, may as well have a good laugh."

"Alright. What's the plan?"

Fred sat up straight on his broom, releasing the handle as he searched for his wand in his robe. When he found it, he pointed it at the window, whispering something. Hermione looked at the duo near the window and saw Lee's papers suddenly flying around. Lee and Katie looked shocked at the papers around them as Lee searched for the culprit around the common room. When he didn't find anyone, he grabbed the papers and sorted them neatly back on a stack. Hermione and Fred laughed as they watched through the window. Hermione let one hand go of the handle and reached for her own wand, pointing at Katie's papers. Fred had to squint to have a better look of what was happening. On Katie's paper, words appeared out of nowhere. I SEE YOU. Katie frowned at the newly appeared text before glancing over the common room, just like Lee did a minute ago.

"I see you?" Fred asked.

"It's from a movie." She flicked her wand again and the words disappeared before Katie could show Lee. Katie shook her head as she glanced down at the paper. 'I spy with my little eye.' Appeared next. Katie suddenly shook Lee's arm and pointed at the sentence before it disappeared again. The both of them jumped up and glanced around the room.

"I'm betting, they are searching for me or George." Fred laughed. "I spy with my little eye, a jokester in training." He grinned at her.

"No, no. No, you don't." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Come on, big finish." She directed his attention back at their friends. "Let's fly closer, heads almost pressed against the window, I'll write. 'Look outside'."

"You're already at stage 3 of jokester in training, well done Miss Granger." Fred snickered as they flew closer. Hermione pointed her wand at the papers again and wrote 'Look outside' on Katie's and Lee's parchments, appearing at the same time. Fred and Hermione flew as close as they could get before the pair looked wide-eyed at each other and then at the window. The both of them shrieked as they saw their heads almost flat against the window, before they both fell of their chairs in fright. Fred and Hermione were leaning against each other as they laughed. Angelina and Alicia got up from the sofa's when they heard the commotion. When they looked from their friends at the ground to the window they were pointing at. Their eyebrows raised before they started laughing. Angelina walked closer and opened the window.

"Good evening to you, milady." Fred bowed his head.

"Flying lesson is going good then?" Angelina said between laughs.

"It's going great!" Fred grinned, placing his arm around Hermione's shoulder. "As long as she isn't focused on the ground."

"You two better get in before curfew. Filch is on a war path after your latest escapade." Alicia said, standing next to her best friend.

"Is it that late already?" Hermione asked surprised.

"Yeah, you two and George have been gone for a while now."

"George's not back yet?"

"Snape likes to keep us as long as possible." Fred grunted.

"Because he loves you so much?" Hermione teased, shoving his shoulder. "Come on, let's get down."

"See you in ten girls. Bye Lee, Katie." Fred grinned as the pair had recovered from their shock and took their place back on their seats, sticking out their tongues at him.

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