A/N: I am officially off Hiatus. I just had too much going on at school to be able to juggle both writing and posting to fanfiction on a constant basis and maintaining my grades. Now that it's summer, though, I should be able to post with much more frequency. Thank you everyone for your patience while I was away, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
To: MadalaineMalfoy: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed them and I hope you continue to do so :)
To: iLoveRomance2o11: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I think Fred would be a fabulous boyfriend, too :D
To: jhieweL.16: Thanks for adding my little story to your favorite stories!
To: voldyismyfather: Thanks for adding my story to your story alert!
Was it you who caught me staring?
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Mrs. Weasley shouted over the noise, bustling through the crowds and towards platform nine and three-quarters. Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Fred, and George, all of whom were pushing carts, followed her closely. They hurtled down the platform and toward the stone barrier that separated platforms nine and ten. Without missing a beat, the six young wizards slipped through the barrier after their mother, going unnoticed by the throngs of people crowding the station. Once they emerged beside the glistening scarlet steam engine that would take them to Hogwarts, their carts were taken and their things loaded for them. Mrs. Weasley said her tearful goodbyes and warned Fred and George to behave, then slid back through the barrier. Ginny spotted Dean Thomas and a few of her other friends, Harry and Ron went looking for a compartment, and George, after winking saucily at Hermione, sidled off to his left where Lee was standing. Fred looped his arms around Hermione's waist and puller her close to him, pressing his lips to hers. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment, feeling nothing but him, and her. The sound of the train's horn blaring loudly shocked them apart, and Hermione realized with a jolt that she was going to be late for her prefects' meeting. They jumped on board the train just as the conductor was issuing the last call, ignoring the wolf-whistles and catcalls they received from the students who'd been watching them. Once they were safely onboard, Fred pulled her to him again, pressing their lips together eagerly. This time, though, she pulled away. "I have to go to the prefects' meeting, Fred," She said apologetically, still pressed up against him, "And you've got to find George and Lee," She reminded him, trying to gather the will to leave Fred. Sighing, he released everything but her hand, and stepped backward a little. He raised her hand to his lips and, with a cheery smile and a wink, kissed it gently. Hermione was shocked by the gesture, and Fred suddenly looked frightened. "Should I not have done that? Dad said it's a muggle thing and I thought…" Hermione kissed him swiftly to silence him. "I think it was very sweet, Fred." He grinned cheekily, "Does this mean you'll stay longer?" "I can't, I'm already late. I promise I'll come find you as soon as I can, okay?" Fred nodded, looking morose. Hermione slipped away with one last kiss and hurried to the Prefect's compartment, nearly running into Ron outside the door. The two slipped into the room quietly and found the last empty seats. Ron leaned back, already looking bored, but Hermione leaned forward eagerly.
Nearly twenty minutes later, Ron and Hermione emerged from the compartment, having been tasked with patrolling the middle three cars of the train periodically. Ron yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head. "Honestly, Ronald," Hermione snapped at him, "How could you fall asleep?" "I was tired," He mumbled, "'Sides, it's not that complicated." Hermione huffed in frustration and stormed off toward the rear of the train. "You start in that direction, Ron," she called over her shoulder. She reached the end of the three cars that she and Ron were supposed to be patrolling and turned around. The first thing that caught her eye was a flash of red from the compartment to her left. She glanced in and saw Ginny, snogging with Dean. Grimacing, she turned the other direction and saw another flash of red a few compartments up. She watched it for a moment before realizing with glee that is was two flashes of red. She hurried toward the compartment; her desire to see Fred propelling her along almost faster then her feet could carry her. She stopped in front of the door, heart pumping, and watched the two twins conversing quietly. She slipped the door open and slid inside just in time to hear George say, "Skiving Snackboxes." Smiling to herself, she spoke up, confident that the boys hadn't heard her enter. "You'd better not be skiving off anything important with those snackboxes." Fred's head snapped up, while George merely looked amused. A moment later Fred had picked her up off her feet and spun her around in a circle, kissing her the whole time. "I missed you too, Fred." She leaned up to kiss him quickly. "I'm supposed to be making rounds of the compartments. I just thought I'd check on yours first. After all, you're the troublemakers." Fred looked offended, throwing his hand over his heart dramatically and sniffing loudly. "Well miss Prefect, I'll have you know that my girlfriend happens to be quite well-behaved. She's also the smartest student at Hogwarts and bloody hot," Hermione felt her face warm as Fred spoke, and he smiled lopsidedly at her when he noticed. George laughed behind her, "But thanks for the complement." Fred pulled her toward him until she was flat against his chest. "Can't you just stay here with me?" Hermione, though she wished she could have stayed, pulled pack gently. "Fred, it had only been twenty minutes since we boarded the train. You will be fine for another ten while I make my rounds." Fred released his hold on her, but kept their hands intertwined.. He ran his free hand through his hair and she heard him mutter, "Twenty minutes too long." "Frederick Gideon Weasley," She said in her best Professor McGonagall impression, before smiling at him fondly, "I love you." She kissed him, still smiling, "I'll see you soon." She slid her hand out of his, spun on her heel, and before she could change her mind and stay, she left his compartment, shutting the door behind her.
Or was it me who caught you?
Fred stared glumly out the window of the compartment he and his twin brother were sharing. The Hogwarts Express was chugging steadily toward its destination, and still Hermione hadn't come to his compartment. George, noticing his twin's obvious gloominess, chucked a licorice wand at Fred's head. "Cheer up, mate," he laughed as the wand made contact with Fred's nose, "Your little prefect girlfriend will be here soon. 'Sides, you only just snogged her before you got on the train." Fred rubbed his nose absently as he ate the wand, his eyes fixed firmly on the compartment door. "So, Freddie," George tried again, "had any brilliant ideas for the shop lately?" Fred shrugged halfheartedly, "Mmmph." He mumbled around a particularly large bite. In his haste to swallow the bite he choked a bit, but managed to cough out, "Sort of." George thumped him on the back, "So tell me what you've thought up, brother mine!" Fred was sufficiently diverted, launching into the ideas he had been mulling over the past few weeks. George vetoed the exploding wizard's chess and the miniature giant squid, but he loved the idea of putting together all the clever ways to get out of class they had been perfecting over the summer. "What if the student didn't even have to go to the hospital wing, though?" George tapped his wand against his knee thoughtfully. "What if we added a second step," George mused, "That counteracts the initial effects once the student is out of class?" Fred added, leaning across the compartment toward his brother. "Wicked!" They high-fived. "What'll we call it?" "Well, it seems as though it'll be a sort of snack-box." "How about Skiving Snackboxes?" George offered, and Fred nodded enthusiastically. "You'd better not be skiving off anything important with those snackboxes," Fred's head jerked up toward the door as his ears were met with his favorite sound. He leapt up and snatched his girlfriend, spinning her in a circle and kissing her enthusiastically, her bushy hair tickling his forehead pleasantly. "I missed you too, Fred," She smiled and kissed him quickly. "I'm supposed to be making rounds of the compartments. I just thought I'd check on yours first. After all, you're the troublemakers." Fred feigned offense, clasping his hand over his heart and sniffing loudly. "Well miss Prefect, I'll have you know my girlfriend happens to be quite well-behaved. She's also the smartest student at Hogwarts and bloody hot," He twitched his lips into a smile as she blushed. "But thanks for the complement," George added with a laugh. "Can't you just stay here with me?" Fred asked, pulling her toward him again and holding her flush to his chest. "Fred, it has only been twenty minutes since we boarded the train, you will be fine for another ten while I finish my rounds." She pulled back gently and he released all of her but a hand with a twinge of regret. "Twenty minutes too long," He muttered, running his loose hand through his hair. "Frederick Gideon Weasley," She said sternly, "I love you." She smiled and kissed him. "I'll see you soon." She spun on her heel and left the compartment, the door closing firmly behind her. A few minutes later, Lee Jordan rushed in, looking harried. "Your girlfriend is on a rampage, mate," He glanced wide-eyed at Fred, "She's rushing about and shouting at everyone." Fred chuckled, "She's just being 'Mione." Lee shook his head emphatically, "You're bloody crazy, mate." George laughed aloud. "He's mental, that one. I don't think our brother's forgiven him for asking her out, yet." Lee shook his head again. "Anyway," Fred chimed in, "Enough about my love life, Georgie. Tell him about the Snackboxes!" George needed no further prodding, launching into full salesman mode. Fred peered out into the corridor in time to see Hermione shouting at a scared-looking first-year who had evidently been trying to bring a Fanged-Frisbee into school. Hermione confiscated the Frisbee, while it tried to bite her fingers, and shook her head at the boy before striding off again. He watched her until she had moved too far up the corridor and was out of his sight.
Eight minutes later, she came bursting in to their compartment and sat down beside Fred on the cushioned seats. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head affectionately. She grinned tiredly at him and leaned in toward his chest, stretching her legs out. She yawned and closed her eyes, and Fred began gently stroking her arm. Her breathing evened out and Fred thought she was asleep. He turned back to George and Lee, who had paused in their conversation when Hermione had entered, and gestured that they should continue. "She's a lot less frightening when she's not shouting," Lee commented. "I was just trying to finish more quickly," She murmured, her eyes still closed, "I wanted to get back to Fred." Fred felt his heart hammering in his chest, and a grin spreading across his face. "I love you so much, 'Mione," He whispered in her ear, and she smiled. "Love you, too," she murmured. "I'm tired," She yawned again. "Then sleep, love. I'll still be here when you wake up." "Promise?" She asked, still quiet. "Promise you'll never leave me?" "I promise, I'll be here forever." She smiled again before her breathing evened out and she went slack against him. Fascinated, he watched her sleep for the next hour, Lee and George's conversation fading into background noise. Finally, his eyes drooped, his head sagged, and he too fell asleep.