Disclaimer: I don't own anything! like usual!
... ... ... ... ...
Chapter 4
The first week flew by and suddenly Hermione was being dragged to quidditch tryouts by a very adamant set of trouble-makers.
"You have to watch us try out, Mione", Fred insisted.
"You wouldn't want us to feel unsupported, now would you?", George added. "We lucked out with both beater positions being open this year, the last two just graduated".
"I'm here, aren't I?", Hermione asked, rolling her eyes. The twins were a handful, alright.
They sat her down in the stands, wrapped tightly in Fred's Gryffindor scarf, and hurried off to the field. Hermione wasn't too sure what was going on for the first 20 minutes, but it seemed like the students were warming up and getting a feel for the pitch. It was clear who the returning team members were because they flew around lazily, knowing they had minimal competition. Hermione would occasionally get a wave from one of the twins, which she sharply returned with sarcastic salutes.
"Everyone to the ground", the muscular, brown-haired captain yelled. Oliver Wood was his name if Hermione remembered correctly. To quote the twins, Oliver was a "bloody genius", so Hermione supposed he must be quite good.
After a whirlwind of flying, tryouts seemed to be coming to an end. Hermione thought the twins did quite well, despite her limited knowledge of the sport. They hadn't fallen or anything, and they'd gotten some good whacks onto the bludgers. She hoped they both made the team, as she wasn't sure quite how to handle the situation if one made it and the other didn't, or even if they were both rejected.
"Alright, everyone. Down to the ground for the final list of players!", Oliver wood yelled, once again calling the players towards him. "I've decided to keep all returning players, but I'd like to say thank you to everyone who came out for those positions". The few contesting students loped off the pitch good-humouredly, and Oliver looked down at his notepad once again. "This just leaves the beaters, as I found a replacement seeker before tryouts".
Hermione saw Fred and George exchanging glances. She crossed her fingers inside her mittens.
"Our new beaters are… Fred and George Weasley! Welcome to the team boys. Thanks to everyone who came to tryouts, but that'll conclude this year's team", Oliver said, putting his notepad back into his pocket and joining the crowd of students congratulating the twins.
Hermione hurried out of the stands and pushed her way through the boisterous team. "Good job, you idiots", she said, receiving a bear hug from the both of them.
"All thanks to you, Hermione", Fred said.
"Yeah, I don't think I could've gotten on my broom without the calming noise of your chattering teeth in the stands", George joked in return.
Hermione punched George's arm, and he faked a debilitating injury, almost dropping his broom with the theatrics of it all.
... ... ... ... ...
The weeks flew by, and before Hermione knew it, it was December, and Professor McGonagall was taking a list of students staying over the holidays. She wasn't quite sure where to be for the holidays, as her parents had said she was welcome at home, but she didn't feel ready to leave the magical world behind just yet. She was already ahead with the textbook readings in all her classes, being careful not to let Fred and George's shenanigans get in the way of her studying, so she knew it wasn't absolutely necessary to read over break. Then again, when had extra studying ever hurt her?
With that, Hermione decided to owl her parents a letter explaining how while she'd love to see them, she'd decided to just stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.
"Hermione? Hermione!", George said, snapping her out of thought. "Have you been outside at all recently? It's just started snowing, and I know you've been cooped up studying all week".
"Yeah, Mione, come have a snowball fight with us", Fred chimed in. "Lee found a spell to charm them so your stack of snowballs follows your wand behind you".
"I suppose I could take a short break from studying for that", Hermione admitted. "Exams are right around the corner though".
"Mione, exams aren't until June. You'll live", George said, laughing. "Come on". The twins dragged her back to the common room where they all bundled up in coats and bright Gryffindor scarves before heading back down to the courtyard.
"Hermione, catch", Lee yelled as he threw a massive snowball straight at her.
Hermione dodged and returned it with one of her own from the floating stack she was leading behind her with her wand. "Can't hit me, Lee!".
"We'll see about that", he yelled back, laughing.
Hermione was so distracted by the incoming slew of snowballs from Lee, that she didn't even notice as Fred and George snuck up behind her and dropped their entire stacks right over her head. "AAAH", she screamed as the handfuls of snowballs were unleashed on her from above. "You're dead! You're all dead!".
"Not if you can't catch us!", the twins screamed, running as fast as they could from the raging first-year. With a mischievous glance at each other, the boys simultaneously headed straight for the big doors that lead back into the castle. Hermione, caught up in the fight, didn't think twice before running after the twins, a pile of snowballs trailing behind her.
The twins and Hermione went hurtling through the hallway, dripping wet. Hermione was determined to catch them, so much so that she didn't even notice Filch's glowering stature in the doorway they were heading for.
"STOP!", Filch screamed. "Puddles and mud in my hallway! On the floor, everywhere!".
The twins screeched to a halt, and Hermione promptly ran into their backs, sending them all to a heap on the ground.
"To my office, NOW", Filch screamed. "For students like these, I wish we could still use torture as punishment. Lousy detentions do nothing", he mumbled angrily as he led the dripping teens back to his office. "Now you'll stay in here while I get Professor McGonagall. Maybe I'll get to properly punish you all", he said, shutting the door to his office and locking them inside.
"Yikes", Fred said.
"Double yikes", countered Hermione.
"If this is where I'm supposed to say 'triple yikes', it's not happening", responded George, sitting down in Filch's chair. "Now let's see what we can find in here. The stupid man left everything open", he said as he pulled open the unlocked filing cabinet labelled 'confiscated and highly dangerous'.
"George I don't know about this, what if he comes back and sees you going through his stuff?", Hermione asked, nervously.
"Oh don't worry, it'll take him ages to figure out McGonagall isn't in the castle. I heard her saying she's visiting Hogsmead for the day", Fred responded, joining George in rifling through the filing cabinet.
"Oh, alright, but try to leave it as we found it", Hermione said, picking up a few stray papers.
"There's nothing good here", George complained. "So much for highly dangerous. It's just some old joke toys, you'd think he would've confiscated some better stuff by now".
"What do you reckon this is, Gred?", Fred said, holding up an aged and folded piece of parchment.
"Probably nothing interesting Forge-".
"Stupid Professors allowing Merlin knows what to happen… No good punishments…", they heard Filch muttering from outside the door. Fred shoved the parchment into his robes and Hermione hurried to look innocent before Filch unlocked the door and came in, glowering once again. "Out! All of you! Out!", he yelled.
The kids didn't need telling twice and quickly hurried out the door.
... ... ... ... ...
Later in the common room, Fred was playing with the parchment, which produced a selection of witty remarks when you talked to it. So far he'd been called any number of ridiculous insults by the characters in the paper, whose names were Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. He was trying to get a repeated response, but so far the characters seemed to respond to everything he said with unique quips as if there were real live people in the parchment.
"By the way, Mione, we know you'd already decided to stay here for Christmas, but mum said you were welcome at home if you'd like to come", George remembered.
"Are you sure?", Hermione asked. "I wouldn't want to impose or anything". She'd liked the fiery redheaded woman when they met at the train station, but she definitely wouldn't want to get on her bad side.
"I mean she's probably already made you half a dozen Weasley sweaters, so it would be rude not to come at this point", Fred joked.
"I suppose I'll tell Professor McGonagall I won't be staying over break, after all then", Hermione said with a smile.
... ... ... ... ...
A/N I think I might skip summer, as Hermione will just be at home, and there won't be too much interesting to write about. Leave a review?
