Another long-ish chapter~ hope it isn't too long like Chapter 7
It was the first time in any of the students lives to see the Griffindoor table empty so quickly. As soon as everyone was done eating, the entire house disbanded and headed back to the common room to continue celebrating the Weasely twins birthday. Even a disgruntled Ron letting go of the charade and enjoying the festivities. The twins had somehow managed to bring a wonder of toys, displays and music with them from home in anticipation for the celebration, which came to no surprise to anyone. Even Hermione, in the midst of her mental interrogation of her own thoughts, managed to join in amongst the very twins she was suspicious of.
"They really know how to party, don't they?" Hermione asked Ron and Ginny.
"Thats just them, the bloody cheats. Even managed to smuggle firewhiskey in, but I'm not risking getting caught drinking that," Ron replied, taking a sip of butterbeer that was being supplied from somewhere in the house.
"You shouldn't be game to do anything, this can cost us a lot of points, you know," Hermione replied.
"Yeah, but you know as well as I do that we wont- I mean the prefects are bloody drinking," Ron replied, pointing at the seniors who were singing together.
"Well lets hope Mcgonagall doesn't stop by," Hermione said. "Anyways, where are your brothers, I haven't wished them happy birthday yet."
"George is there, Freds lord knows," Ginny said, pointing to her brother who was sitting between Angelina Johnson and Lee Jordan, singing a chant happily.
Hermione approached him in the midst of the song, to which she received a large hug. "Happy birthday George," she smiled, hugging him back.
"Thank you Granger, now can you find Fred he's sulking about over something or another. No clue why," Hermione looked at the boy and wondered why he asked this of her. Did he know they had kissed? Or was this just a chore? She ignored these thoughts and managed a simple 'yea sure', before going off to look for the twin. She wouldn't have usually done what George asked of her, but trying to uncover what was going on through her mind with these removed memories was her top priority.
Walking up the staircase to the dorms, Hermione looked down at the various students who sang and spoke amongst each other, trying to spot the Weasely boy (mistaking all three of his present siblings while doing so), before realising he must have been either in the boys side or in the small kitchen. Opting for the more accessible area, Hermione headed in the direction looking for him. She was lucky in doing this as she found him on the countertop, hidden from the sight of the crowd.
"You alright, Fred? George asked to check on you," Hermione asked.
"Oh hey Hermione. Yeah I'm alright," he grinned. "Needed a break from the spotlight- thats what they don't tell you about stardom." he managed to laugh. Hermione knew he wouldn't admit to her how he really felt, and they weren't close friends so it wasn't her place to pry.
"Well I was wondering if you could answer me a question," she began, not entirely knowing where she was going with it. Her hands went clammy with sweat and she looked at him.
"Of course, what kind of elder would I be if I didn't share my wisdom," he replied.
"Did you put a memory charm on me?" she asked quickly, trying to get over with it.
"Oh… No? Why would I do that?" he asked back, a genuine look of surprise and concern on his face.
"Oh its nothing, just a small prank. Figured it'd be either of you, but George seemed convincing so I-"
"You're a bad liar, Granger," Fred interrupted, hopping down to stand facing her. "Well, actually you're a great liar, but I know what good lying looks like and you're clearly doing it now."
"A white lie is easier than admitting I don't know something," Hermione said, turning away to walk from the conversation, hiding her vulnerability from the boy.
"Take my advice 'Mione- I've felt plenty funny in my life, like someone has put a spell on me in one way or another. The way I see it is, if you aren't dying or incapacitated, then don't worry. I've been feeling plenty funny these days in all honesty, but I just assumed someone somewhere was doing something and I got caught in the ripple effect. Thats the wizarding world for you. Magic isn't always perfect- you know that."
Hermione actually understood what he was saying, and for a split second was ready to accept that something somewhere did happen and that was life- but Hermione wasn't Fred, and couldn't simply allow these recollected memories go. The girl turned back around and faced him once more, looking him up and down.
"And if I told you I lost my memories at some point, and only today managed to recollect some… What should I do then?"
"Accept that life is fleeting. The past is in the past and whats forgotten will probably be like that forever. I mean… You don't remember being a baby do you? What difference is that from what you forgot last week," Fred was now smiling fully, and Hermione realised just how down he'd seemed before. He slung his arm around her shoulder and turned them to the crowd to walk. "Let's just celebrate today, you know."
"I think I should be the one telling you that," Hermione mumbled in regards to his previous attitude.
"I think you need to take a break from telling people whats what and have a drink," Fred pushed her slightly to the direction of Ron and Harry, before walking away to his brother. "Thanks for the chat, Granger!"
Hermione rejoined her friends and managed to brush off their curiosity about her conversation with ease- joining them when they handed her a butterbeer and chatting away like all was fine. She began to feel better- her mind wasn't clouded anymore and despite her natural instinct to wonder, Freds philosophy did put her mind at ease.
"Hear ye! Hear ye!" a loud voice chanted from the centre of the room. Seamus, who seemed unsteady, stood atop a table with a grin on his bright red face, putting a hand out for his counterpart Dean, who wasn't as obviously drunk as the Irishman, but clearly tipsy. "Dean and I are inviting every Griffindoor in the history of Hogwarts to our wedding! And Fred, George, I would like you to be my groomsmen!"
"Sod off, Seamus! Harry and I have only been your friends since we started- but sure pick the bloody twins!" Ron shouted with a grin.
"You two can be Deans, I want the fun ones!" Seamus chanted back, recieving a slight push from Dean. The common room broke out in somewhat a chant, and Fred and George lurched to climb the table with the other two, holding them and swaying before beginning to break out in a love song. Hermione clapped joyously along as everyone else sang and clapped to the song- the twins inserting the boys names where fit.
The night eventually wound down. While no teachers showed up, nobody was game to stay up partying too late on a school night. As students clocked off, the crowd got quieter and quieter until near everyone was gone. Hermione, who had waited for things to quieten so she could begin studying, sat at the now cleared tables with a book. She thought to herself the convenience of magic to help clean. While the common room hadn't gotten dirty or trashed- she also couldn't imagine any of her peers to be game to cleaning the muggle way. The young witch felt a weight on the bench and turned to face none other than Fred Weasely, who was looking down at the book she was reading.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, assuming he'd be on some level of drunk.
"Clear as a day- got an early class so I thought I'd be responsible," he replied and Hermione managed a giggle, telling him he was full of it. "Okay fine, in all honesty I don't feel like any of this is real. I mean I know it is, but I dunno."
"Growing up can be like that. Sometimes I don't even feel like any of this is real, like it's all a dream and I'm still a little girl from the muggle world," she admitted, to which Fred ruffled her hair.
"Oh I'm very real, I'll pinch you to prove it," he said, pinching her cheek softly with a smile, Hermione smiling back at him.
"My point is, don't worry too much… Thats what you told me to do, not very dignified if you don't take your own advice," Hermione said.
"Yeah you're right. Anyways, thought I'd say goodnight. Wasn't really feeling the party until you came and got me," he admitted, shifting to leave.
"And why's that?" Hermione asked, hoping he couldn't see her blush in this light.
"Because you're a good friend," he said, standing up. "And also, finding out you're slightly crazy made me feel a lot better about myself."
"I'm not crazy!" Hermione declared, also standing up.
"Then tell me why you think I'd put a memory charm on you then," Fred sneered with a sly grin. Hermione didn't know what kind of game he was playing, but Hermione had somehow fallen into his trap.
"Well… That's not exactly your business now is it," Hermione crossed her arm defiantly, hoping he wouldn't see through and realise how anxious she was feeling. She couldn't tell Fred what she remembered, could she?
"Well I dunno, Granger. I think I have a right to know why I'm being accused of something, don't you think?" he had a point, and she also knew how adamant the boy could be when he wanted to know something.
"I just… Hm," she started, not knowing where to begin. Hermione took a deep breath and looked at him, figuring it'd be better for him to know the truth than her protecting her own pride. "I felt funny… And I went to Madam Pomphrey and she gave me some blowfly juice-"
"Thats absolutely disgusting, don't tell me you drank that,"
"Shush! Anyways then I was walking and Dean said something about the first day back at Hogwarts- and I had this memory come back. And you were in it… But I can't for the life of me know why I couldn't remember in the first place- but I assumed it was you since you were there," she admitted, hoping he would come clean.
"That is weird… What were we doing?" he asked her, to which her face went bright red.
"We were here … In the common room… Talking, you know," she said uncomfortably, twiddling her fingers.
"Oh," he replied. "Well I didn't remove your memories. If you remember something forgotten it was probably for a reason- like I said sometimes things happen because of something else… I don't remember us talking in the common room though. If you care so much, I could remove them again." he laughed at this, but Hermione didn't. "Or you could try and accept it and move on. It can be scary but honestly the older you get the more often this might happen. Think of it like… you know the spell Obliviate right?"
"Yeah, I'm aware," Hermione replied, wondering where this was going. She had read about it, but because it wasn't part of their studies, she didn't look far enough into it to learn it fully.
"Well if Ron were to obliviate himself from your mind, you wouldn't just forget about him. You'd forget about mum and dad and the burrow. You probably wouldn't forget about the rest of us, but you also wouldn't remember the things he had a big impact of. In the same way, you'd forget a lot of the memories you had, as would Harry in some ways. It's the same for a lot of things in the wizarding world. Like I said before, the best thing you can do is remember what I said before- life is fleeting."
Hermione took this in, looking at Fred in appreciation. She knew he was smart, but only tonight realised how wise he could be.
"You're a lot nicer when we're alone," Hermione said, to which Freds face went red, Hermione's following.
"Well you're easier to be around than most," and with that Hermione was again left alone to study, her mind unable to stop thinking about Fred and the forgotten kiss they'd had.