The next few weeks passed quickly. After Ron had calmed down he continued to talk to both Harry and Hermione but that was because, except for George and Ginny, nobody had a clue at the moment that Hermione and Fred could be found snogging in broom closets and secret passageways or spend hours talking to each other in the room of requirement.

They were standing in a secret passageway right now. Her back against the wall as he continued to kiss her.

"Freeeed!" She laughs as they came apart to breath "I need to go. Harry needs my help with his egg."

"Then go." Fred said as he moved towards her neck, kissing her softly "I'm not stopping you."

She pulled him close again and continued to snog him.

"See? It's all you."

At last she pushed him away, gave him one last quick peck and opened the door that led back to the proper hallway.

"You're wounding me love." Fred said, mockingly clutching his heart.

"You'll live." She replied and with that she was gone.

She was smiling all the way to the library, dating Fred had been fun and exciting. He challenged her, being far more knowledgeable than people gave him and his brother credit for. He was funny, respectful and understood her.

"Sorry I'm late." She said to Harry and Ron when she finally arrived in the library. "Got caught in a book."

Neither of them doubted it and she did feel bad for lying but she wanted to keep Ron and his temper away from this for a bit longer. It also didn't feel right to burden Harry with the secret when he and Ron were finally talking again. Settling down she took "magical creatures of Australia" from the pile, trying to look for anything that might make that awful sound.

Suddenly she noticed Fred and George entering the library and settling themselves at a table, right in her eyesight. She tried to hide her smirk as Fred winked at her. He was so going to pay later.

"Why are those two staring at us?" Ron asked "None of you have any sweets with questionable origins on you do you?"

Harry shook his head "Your brothers have been real motivation to keep off the candy." He said after which he growled in frustration. "We're never going to figure this out are we?"

"Of course we will." Hermione said absent mindedly, trying her hardest not to return any of the looks Fred was giving her for fear of being found out. He was so dead!

She was right however, Harry did manage to figure it out and on the day of the tournament she was standing on the stands joined by Ginny and the twins.

"Where on earth is Ron?" Hermione asked as she looked around "I can't believe he's missing this."

"Speaking of Ron." George said "Now we're amongst the four of us. When are you two going to come clean about the two of you shagging?"

"We're not shagging!" Fred said hitting his brother on the back of the head with his hand.

"Whatever! But the longer you wait the more he'll be angry about all of this. It's been two months!"

Fred and Hermione both kept their eyes on the lake. Both knowing he was right.

After the task was done the both of them walked back to the castle together. Keeping their distance from each other.

"Maybe we should have a talk with Ron." Fred said "If you're ready for it."

"He's not going to take this too well. You sure I'm worth having a fight with your brother over?"

Fred made her stop in her tracks and looked at her.

"Hermione… I told you I don't play around. I have never felt this way about any other girl. If telling Ron means that I can finally show the whole school that you're my girl then I'm happy to do just that. Besides…" he said, giving her a grin "… I'm his favourite brother. He can't stay mad at me forever."

Hermione sighed, she just hoped the same could be said about her and Ron's friendship.

"You got a bug in your hair." Fred said, removing the little nuisance from her hair and caressing her cheek in the proces. He wasn't ready yet to tell her that he loved her but he was getting there, fast.

In the end, they didn't need to tell Ron or Harry. Someone else was more than happy to do this for them.

It was a week after the assignment and they were standing in line in front of Snape's classroom when Pansy pushed it right under their noses in the form of the newest edition of Witches Weekly.

HARRY POTTER'S SECRET HEARTACHE

A boy like no other, perhaps — yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen year old Harry Potter thought that he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss.

Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl who had managed to conquer his heart seems to be toying not just with his heart but also the heart of none other than the older brother of his best friend: Fred Weasley. Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Fred Weasley is very smitten with the girl and has told her that he has never felt this way about any other girl. She has quite deviously managed this by making the boys swear secrecy so neither would find out about the other.

However, it may not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate young boys' interests.

"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth year student, "but she'd be well-up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."

Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.

"I told you!" Ron said "She has painted you like some sort of scarlet woman. Well, at least everyone knows it's too ridiculous to be true."

Hermione however was scanning the page a little panicked, this was not how she had wanted her relationship with Fred to get out. She looked at the Slytherins, not intending to let them see that the article did get to her and gave them a sweet smile before entering class.

"You do have to hand it to her," Ron said as they were preparing their potion "she does have a lot of imagination. I mean you went to the ball with Fred once. And she turned this into this affair. As if Fred would ever say things like that to you."

Hermione and Harry cast a glance at each other that didn't go unnoticed by Ron.

"Why are you looking like that, it's not true is it?"

Hermione really didn't want to tell him like this, unprepared and without Fred so she tried to ignore him and continued working on her potion but the guilty expression and blush that had appears on her face gave her away.

"Hermione? It's not true is it?"

"Ron, Fred and I have been seeing each other since the Yule ball."

Ron didn't say anything but he was grinding his dungbeetles so hard that the table nearly seemed to break and his face had turned scarlet. She was about to open her mouth to ask him to say something when he suddenly grabbed his bag and bolted out of the classroom.

"20 points from Gryffindor I take it." Snape sneered and Hermione just stared down at her table, trying not too cry. She felt Harry's hand on hers.

"What did you expect though?" He asked as he let go of it and continued to work on his potion.

"This… which is exactly why we hadn't told him yet."

Harry nodded "And why didn't you tell me?" She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was hurt.

"We didn't want Ron to find out yet before we were really sure and I didn't want to burden you with having to keep it a secret. At least now you're clear."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him later." Harry said softly.