A/N: I skipped most of fifth year, which is fine. I really like this chapter though, and hope that all of you do too! Much Love- Bookworm
They had gone months without being caught, though now they were meeting a little less because of the Inquisitorial Squad. Hermione had been spending a lot of time trying to keep the twins occupied and not thinking of Quidditch. It was probably the only time they would ever regret getting in a fight with Malfoy. The last time they had each been able to ride a broom had been before Christmas, when the Slytherin versus Gryffindor match took place had ended with a fight. Fred, George and Harry had all been banned from playing Quidditch, and their brooms had been confiscated and locked up in Umbridge's office.
Fred and George both had become extremely depressed, and for a while they had stopped pranking. The castle had become calm, quiet. Part of this however, was due to the fact that dozens of students a night would have detention in the Great Hall and attend classes the next day nursing their hands. Hermione was extremely relieved when Fred and George began pranking again, though it started off with small pranks like giving out their Skiving Snackboxes again.
It had taken a while for them to be themselves again after Christmas, after their father had been attacked by Voldemort's snake. Fred had made a habit of crawling into her bed to sleep next to her while they were staying at Grimmauld place, and after George had complained to her about how Fred was never in the room anymore so he couldn't sleep, Hermione would sneak into their room until they were caught by Molly, who had yelled at them for close to an hour before she went hoarse and stormed off to her own room. It wasn't until they were back at Hogwarts that Hermione slept next to him again, when she would sneak into their dormitory. She knew that she shouldn't, since she was a prefect, but the title had sort of lost its meaning since the inquisitorial squad had formed.
Fred had been kind enough to not prank her while she was studying, and even helped her study by quizzing her. She had asked why he wasn't studying for his N.E.W.T.'s, and he had only shrugged and grinned at her.
"Lee, why aren't the twins studying?" Hermione asked one day when they were in the library.
"They say that since they already know what they're going to do, they don't need any." Lee said, avoiding her gaze. She stared at him for a moment, skeptical, before turning back to the papers in front of her.
"Are they okay?" She asked softly, knowing that they had formed a habit of acting perfectly fine in front of her.
"Hermione... I think you should talk to them." He said, sounding pained, and her head shot up to stare at him. He stared at her, his eyes pleading, and she nodded slowly.
"Ask them to meet me in the Room of Requirement after dinner?" She asked him, standing and gathering her things in her book bag, and he nodded. "Thanks, I have to go meet Harry there now to talk about the next meeting." She said, and he began to gather his things too.
"I'll make them eat fast." He said, giving her a smile and a wink. She smiled and left the library, her feet carrying her to the secret room while she thought about Fred and George. They were her best friends, it hurt her so much to know they were sad or in pain.
She was only half paying attention as Harry discussed the next meeting with her, though he really didn't need to. He wanted to just recap everything that they had gone over so far, as everyone was far too busy studying to learn anything new. It would give them a chance to just refine anything that might be wrong with their casting. She nodded her head periodically, agreeing with everything Harry was saying.
"Hermione? Are you alright?" Harry asked, touching her lightly on the arm to get her attention. She stared at him and blinked a couple times before realizing that he had asked her a question.
"What? Oh yes Harry, I'm fine... Just... O.W.L.'s are right around the corner, next week. I just have a lot on my mind." She said, giving him a reassuring smile, and he bit his lip.
"Do you think we should even meet before exams?" He asked, and she gasped.
"Of course Harry! We need this, they need this." She said, gesturing to nobody, but meaning everyone. "Harry, you have taught them everything this year. Voldemort's back... we need to know how to defend ourselves. Isn't that exactly what Sirius has been telling you?" She asked, and he sighed.
"Yeah... but when Snape kicked me out of occlumency lessons... I saw something Hermione. I saw one of his memories, and now... I'm not so sure I should take Sirius' advice on this." He said, and Hermione shook her head.
"What about my advice Harry? We need this. Everyone's marks have gone up in Charms and Transfiguration since we started. This... Dumbledore's Army... It's given people hope. And we need hope now more than ever. Don't you think? She asked, and it took a moment, but eventually he nodded his agreement.
"How about we go get some food?" He asked and she shook her head.
"No, I'm going to stay and study for a bit. I'll see you later Harry." She said, lying about why she was staying. He nodded and exited the room, and she closed her eyes. She had been studying so much that she was getting headaches, maybe she should see a doctor once school was out about getting some glasses. She rubbed her forehead a little, and the action helped so much that she dozed off in the stuffed chair she had been sitting in.
"Hermione?" A voice asked, and she jumped, opening her eyes to see Fred and George standing in front of her. "Hello love, Lee said you wanted to see us?" Fred said, stepping forward and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. She smiled and pulled him down to the stuffed chair, forcing him to sit next to her. She gestured for George to take a seat, and he did so with a wide grin on his face.
"What's this about then?" He asked, dramatically crossing his legs and holding his hands together in his lap.
"What's going on with the two of you?" She blurted out, and she watched as the smiles she had been greeted with slid off of her beloved twin's faces. "You aren't studying, you are barely going to classes. Why?" She asked, and the twins looked at each other. She watched as George shook his head slightly, and she stood, now angry. She walked to where she was facing both of them, and placed her hands on her hips.
"Hermione love-" Fred started, already an apologetic look taking over his features.
"No. You tell me. You tell me right now. No more hiding whatever it is you have been." She said. Fred and George linked gazes once more, and nodded at the same time. George stood and produced a paper with a flick of his wrist, handing it to her. She read over it quickly and looked up at them.
"But.. this is right after school gets out. Where would you find the time... you aren't finishing school, are you?" She asked, looking back down at the grand opening flyer that was clenched tightly in her hands.
"No. We aren't." Fred said simply, and she took a moment before nodding.
"When are you leaving?" She asked in an almost whisper.
"We aren't sure yet, it has to be the right time." George said, and Fred nodded in agreement.
"We want to hack off that evil toad as much as possible." Fred added, and Hermione laughed lightly.
"Of course you do." She said with a sigh, her anger replaced with sadness. "You're leaving me." She said this directly to her boyfriend, who had stood and walked right up to her. He shook his head viciously.
"Never. I'm just leaving this school. You're welcome to come along if you want." He said brightly as George nodded enthusiastically.
"And how long do you think Harry would live without me?" She asked, and he sighed.
"Look, I am not going to break it off with you, I'm just... graduating early." He said, and she rolled her eyes. "I mean it. If you want out, you have to be the one to break it off." He said, and she threw her arms around his waist.
"Never say that again." She said into his chest, and she felt him chuckle slightly.
"Of course love." He said, kissing the top of her head. An idea popped into her head, and she began to laugh uncontrollably. Fred, startled, released her and looked at her in shock.
"Erm… Hermione?" George asked nervously, and she shook her head, still laughing.
"Love?" Fred asked, and she was able to get a deep breath into her lungs before a second wave of laughter rolled over her.
"Has she gone mad?" George muttered, and Fred glanced at his girlfriend.
"She might have. Did we break her?" He asked, and she finally took a few breaths, letting the laughter fade. She grinned at them both, knowing exactly what they needed to do.
"I know when you two should leave to make her the most mad." She said, grinning. "When she is overseeing the fifth year O.W.L.'s." She said, and the twins looked at her, shocked.
"But... you'll be there." Fred said, and she waved a hand at him.
"She's only overseeing it, she's not the practitioner. I'll do just fine." She said, and the twins glanced at each other, wondering how they hadn't thought of that before. "It's a good thing Harry made sure to go over Accio a few weeks ago." She said thoughtfully, and they all became fully engrossed in going over the plan.
In that week disaster struck. The last meeting before O.W.L.'s, the DA had been found out and the inquisitorial squad had brought them all before Umbridge. Hermione had smirked at the sight of the girl with the word SNEAK written across her face in nasty blemishes. Umbridge had separated them, setting the rest of the students that had been caught to lines, taking Harry and Marietta to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had vanished, not cooperating with the ministry by going to Azkaban and leaving Hogwarts to the mercy of Umbridge. The only reprieve they had from detention was their exams, and Hermione could hardly wait for their last one, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Remember, setting up the swamp should take up enough time that we should be nearly done, that's when you set off the fireworks and get your brooms. And make sure its the unvanishable ones, yeah?" She went over the plan with them in whispers that morning, both of the twins mentally ticking everything off. "It will give plenty time for you to get out of the castle and to the grounds." She said, and they nodded enthusiastically. She stared at Fred for a moment before seizing him and kissing him full on the mouth, getting some cheers from people surrounding them in the Great Hall.
"Hem Hem." Came that horrible noise from behind them, and they slowly parted, Fred looking dazed as his girlfriend smiled.
"Yes Professor?" She asked sweetly.
"You are both in compliance of Educational Decree number-" She began, but Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to her meal.
"Just give us detention and move on." She said, and a few students surrounding gasped at the fact that Hermione Granger had just spoke like that toward a professor.
"Very well, both of you will have detention every weekend until school is out, and if you continue like this it might go into next year." Umbridge said, and Hermione turned toward her, a sympathetic look on her face.
"Oh, don't you know miss, the position is cursed. No professor has ever lasted more than a year. Our first one died actually, personally I'm hoping that happens again this year." She said, and a few students choked, staring at Hermione with bewildered looks.
"You little-" The professor began, and this time Ron interrupted her.
"So sorry miss, but there's a fight in the entrance hall, something about Quidditch." Ron said, and the professor glared at Hermione for a moment before turning and walking quickly out of the Great Hall.
"What's gotten into you?" Ron asked, staring at Hermione, who just shrugged. Fred was staring at her, and she opened her mouth to make sure he was okay, when he pulled her to him and began to snog her. After a moment, a throat cleared and someone smacked Fred's arm, he released her and scooted an inch away as Umbridge walked back into the Great Hall looking furious.
"I bloody love you witch." He said to her, and she beamed.
She had just finished her exam when the first bang rang through the Great Hall, practitioners and students alike looking around, searching for the source of the noise. Hermione didn't try to hide her grin, it was time. Umbridge made the mistake of opening the doors that separated the Great Hall from the rest of the school, and as fireworks flew into the hall, Hermione joined the throng of students that exited the hall.
She was at the front of the crowd that surrounded Fred and George, Umbridge was screaming at them, threatening them with all sorts of punishments.
"You two will pay! You will finally understand what becomes of wrongdoers at my school!" She screamed, and Filch came up to her, holding some papers.
"I have the papers ready Mistress, the whip is ready. Oh please let me take them to the dungeons." He pleaded, and Umbridge smiled at the twins in front of her.
"Oh yes. You will pay." She said simply, and the twins glanced at each other, matching grins on their faces.
"No, I don't think we will. Will we George?" Fred asked, and George shook his head.
"You know, I've always thought our talents laid outside our academic achievements." Fred said, they raised their wands in tandem and grinned.
"Accio broom!" They both shouted, and there was a short silence as Fred made eye contact with Hermione.
"Last call love. Care to join us?" He asked, and she smiled sadly, fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes.
"I love you." She called out to them as their broomsticks crashed through the doors and came to a rest next to their owners, who had no hesitation as they mounted them.
"Love you too." They said in unison, kicking of the ground. They set off a few more fireworks, dodging the spells that Umbridge was throwing at them. "If anyone fancies buying a portable swamp, as demonstrated on the sixth floor, we will be selling them at ninety-three Diagon Alley, our new premises!" George called out, dropping a few new fireworks. Fred swooped down and hovered next to Hermione long enough to give her a sound kiss before taking back to the sky. They turned on a dime and faced Peeves, who had been swooping and shrieking at Umbridge and Filch.
"Give 'em hell Peeves." Fred said, and the poltergeist snapped into a salute as they red headed twins took off to the sky. Hermione watched them fly until they were only small dots in the distance, students all around her cheering and waving as they receded into the sky. Hermione smiled, she knew that they would be fine, they had a place to live. She sucked in a deep, raking breath as a few tears escaped her eyes, she would see them soon enough. She just had to wait for term to end.