"Getting cosy?" Fred teased, feeling Hermione rest her head on his shoulder.
She sighed. "I've had a long week too…"
He hugged her closer, and she had to remind herself that this was a very Weasley thing to do; that he was only being friendly. "Well before you nod off, shall we open this scroll George has given you and see if that gives us any clues?"
"That's a good idea." Hermione unrolled the scroll and looked into Fred's eyes when she saw what it contained. "It's a poem!" Her voice sounded excited and she sat up straight again, realising there was a small chance that this could be fun now that she had got over the initial shock of George's plot and the fear that the portkey was going to take them somewhere unfamiliar or far from home.
"Are you going to read it for us then?" Fred used his free hand to pour them both a glass of eggnog and, with his own knees occupied by Hermione, he balanced a mince pie for each of them on her leg. Hermione clinked her glass with Fred's, took a sip of eggnog, cleared her throat and began.
"Twas the night before Christmas and Georgie the great
Had a plan for the man who's his very best mate
And also the witch who's his favourite too
So sit down and read; you'll find out what to do."
"He's quite good at rhyming … I had no idea!" Fred exclaimed, mouth full of the mince pie that he had just bitten into, and Hermione laughed, reading on.
"Now that little black box is the key to your time
And when you're all done with my metrical rhyme"
"What his what?" asked Fred.
"He means after we've read his poem." Hermione took the chance to drink more eggnog and take a bite of her own mince pie.
"Oh. OK, please continue when you're ready, love."
Handing the glass back to Fred so she could better hold the scroll, she did just that.
"Just press the button, for I've put on a show
Of memories old that I want you to know.
So yes it's a pensieve and a TV screen too
And be reassured that all this is true."
"Clever," said Fred, and Hermione agreed before reading the rest to him.
"There's no trickery here in what I am showing
I think I have spotted an important thing growing.
And it's time you both knew; that you see what I see
For time is too short now we're happy and free."
Hermione took a deep breath. It was clear to her that George wanted Fred to find out how she felt about him. She chanced a glance at the wizard underneath her but couldn't read his expression. She didn't think he knew at the moment, though; he just seemed eager for her to read the poem to him. Perhaps, if she could think hard and fast enough, Hermione could get ahead of George and stop him from embarrassing her completely. Which, she remembered, a tad crossly, he had promised not to do.
"And there's just one more thing for my lovely fair witch
If you'd like your curls back, then back they will switch.
If you just speak your truth to that brother of mine
Tell him what I know and you'll be done with pine.
Swap Slytherin green for your lovely deep brown
And once you've been true, you can both come on down.
But before you come out, you need to know this
That chain will remain til you both share a kiss."
Hermione closed her eyes. She didn't know what would happen when they pressed the button, but it was clear that George had ensured that the only way her hair would return to normal and the door would release was if she told Fred how she felt about him. It was equally clear that the chain was charmed only to release if the two of them kissed. She managed to restrain herself from burying her head in her hands, but she felt herself becoming warmer than would be accounted for by the eggnog alone.
"Does that all make sense to you?" Fred was now selecting his first Christmas cookie.
Hermione nodded. "Mostly. And you?"
Fred shrugged, the cookie poised in his long fingers. He wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to share his suspicions or not. It seemed to him that this might be an attempt at matchmaking from his brother. But experience had taught him that his instinct wasn't always right and, when unsure, it was often better to say less rather than more. He decided to hedge his bet. "I get that we need to watch something. And I don't know what he wants you to tell me about, but clearly he's charmed the chain to be released with a kiss like the mistletoe we have in the shop, so that bit's easy." He leaned forward, whispered, "May I?" and, when she nodded with a blush, gave Hermione a quick eggnog-flavoured peck on the lips.
Nothing happened. Unless one counted the fluttering of Hermione's heart, but that wasn't going to get them out of the twins' childhood bedroom anytime soon.
"Oh, well maybe not quite as easy as I thought," Fred shrugged, wondering if he had misread George's intent after all, "but what about the rest? You're the brains of this operation, love…"
Hermione gave him a look with raised eyebrows. "Really, Fred? Even I know that you could have got just as many OWLs and NEWTs as Bill or I if it had been what you cared about. You've got a perfectly good brain there, so don't you go suggesting otherwise."
He grinned. "I love that you've noticed…"
"I'm not unobservant about everything!" He held her gaze, unblinking, eyebrows raised until her face collapsed into a big smile. "Well, maybe a few things!" She was remembering when he teased her mercilessly and until New Year for being the last to notice when Harry got down on one knee to propose to Ginny the Christmas before. The entire family had had to wait while Fred leaned over from his end of the sofa to gently pat Hermione's attention away from her new book and point it onto the cute family scene that was unfolding before her oblivious eyes.
The memory bolstered her spirit a little. They had history, her and Fred. Even though George was going to make her confess her true feelings to him, they would get over it. She would make him laugh it off; they would be OK. She would be embarrassed, but she would convince him that George was a git. They would hug it out, get out of the room and join the rest of the family for a loud, boisterous, loving Christmas holiday.
Just as soon as they found out what George wanted them to see on the pensieve TV. Hermione suspected that no amount of kisses would release the chain until they had done that.
"Are you ready?" asked Fred, taking the black box into his hand and pointing it at the screen before biting into his cookie.
Hermione took another deep breath and a large slug of eggnog. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be…"