The following day was a mixture of preparing for the Finals, playing games and doing chores. Despite being a large house, there wasn't much of the latter to do as most things were charmed. But still, Hermione, Ron and Harry managed to keep busy outside, observing Mrs Weaselys garden to find what could be picked for dinner. Despite taking Herbology, none of the three knew all to much about every day gardening- not even Ron, who relied mainly on his mother or to take on this task.
"Do any of you know what we're supposed to be doing?" Harry asked the two, looking from the pumpkin to the parsnip in the ground.
"Hermione, you're a girl, you should know," Ron said, gazing at the parsnips as well, but Hermione looked at Ron confused.
"What in the world does gardening have to do with girls?" she responded, straightening up to challenge him.
"Well I dunno, it seems like a girly thing to do, y'know. Tending for the plants and what not, and you're supposed to be smart too so thats extra reason for you to know what to do," Ron retorted. Harry took a step back and glanced in the window for someone to hopefully join him in commentating this, but alas was left to witness the developing fight alone.
"Thats quite rude of you, Ron. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I have to automatically know things that you consider girly," Hermione huffed.
"Well I guess you are right. And you aren't really much of a girl anyways, so it wouldn't matter. But we've got to pick something from the garden." Completely unaware of the comment he'd made, Hermione's face went red and she stormed off into the house. Ron raised his eyebrow to Harry, whose only response was to wack his friend on the backside of his head. "What did I do, now?" he asked himself.
Hermione marched through the house livid, and nearly on the verge of tears. It wasn't unlike Ron to make a blissfully unaware comment about Hermione's own insecurities, and she usually dealt with it better than this, but every once in a while they would get to her and she would storm off in a fuss. She walked up the stairs holding back tears, and as she did she passed a room that seemed to be having somewhat an amusing conversation. Avoiding this, she walked ahead to Ginnys and slammed the door shut. Now that she was alone, Hermione wasn't sad and she didn't want to cry. Instead, she was fuming to herself, and pacing the room angrily as she digested Rons comment about her not being a real girl. It reminded her of the times in the past he'd say something like this or something else that was just as mean, but the thing that annoyed her the most was that he wasn't saying it as an insult- he was saying it as a fact! As if he'd never noticed that she was in fact an actual girl-
"Heyo?" she heard called from the door, and turned to find who she knew as Fred standing by the door, smiling.
"I'm not in the mood for your antics," Hermione responded flatly. "Now please I'm very busy and would like to be left alone."
"Oh don't be so silly, I'm here to be a friend for once," Fred smiled. "And for what its worth, you're plenty a girl." Hermione raised her eyebrow. While she wasn't sad, she also wasn't in the mood to be picked on by either of the twins.
"What do you want, Fred. I'm really not in the mood." Hermione stated.
"Which is why you're perfectly in the mood. I'm going to let you in on something, and I'll tell you quick before you stop being pissed off at my darling little brother," Fred stated. "I would like your help, right now, for me to make a potion. It's not much, and I'll let you know fully in a second- but very quickly I need a tear of rage."
Ironically, this instantly made Hermione go calm, "Tear of rage? What kind of ingredient is that?" she asked.
"The kind you wont know about unless you start crying right this minute, missy," Fred responded.
"Well I'll be honest, you aren't the right fit for making anyone cry- except maybe Ginny. And I can't help you because I'm not really that mad anymore," Hermione sat on the floor, now almost completely recovered from Rons comment. "Now tell me what its for before I tell your mum that you've made a spying device that you're planning on using on the girls dormitory."
Freds mouth nearly dropped at this, "Hermione Granger you are absolutely evil, but I'm sure you're already aware of that," Fred sat down across from hermione in the middle of the floor and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Hermione avoided looking at his biceps, as she also avoided thinking of Georges comment about liking the boy in front of her. Instead, she sat straight to listen to what he had to say. "Alright, I was just talking to Charlie and he told me something very interesting, and even more interestingly, he's let slip a potion that I've grown a sudden attraction to. Its quite difficult, but between George and I, I doubt anything can go wrong."
Hermione sat, waiting for more information, before realising that this was the end of the story. "So what did Charlie tell you that was so interesting, and whats this potion that you're trying to create?" she asked.
"Well you aren't mad anymore, so theres no point telling you. And if you tell Harry or Ron I swear I'll slip a garden worm into your dinner or something as equally horrible," Fred threatened, but Hermione only giggled. And then, hyper aware of her action, she stopped. Fred got up off the floor and gave Hermione a hand, which she accepted.
"Let me know if Ron pisses you off again, yeah? Give me some tears, I'll tell you everything and I'll even buy you a butterbeer," Fred said. Hermione was smiling fully now, and was even ready to talk to Ron again.
"As nice as that sounds, I hope it doesn't happen," Hermione said, walking out of the bedroom to find her friend and sort out their grievance.