The rest of the summer past by in the blink of an eye. Harry had come to stay at Grimmauld Place, Hermione had learned more about the Order of the Phoenix, spent time with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, and spent a lot of time cleaning.
And now, Hermione was pulling her heavy trunk full of supplies to start her fifth year at Hogwarts. She pulled hard and was getting very discouraged. Unlike someone like Fred or George, who were very muscular and a heavy trunk was no big deal, they barely had anything in their trunk, so it was light as a feather. What a waste! Hermione really wished she had muscles like theirs at the moment.
"Need a hand?" Someone whispered.
"Oh, Fred! No, I don't need a hand. Not after what happened last time, anyway. Don't pretend like you don't think I didn't hear your mother screaming at the top of her lungs at you and George for bewitching your trunks to fly themselves, making them collide into Ginny and send her tumbling down the stairs!" Hermione yelled.
"I was just gonna carry it myself." Fred shrugged. "But that's a much better idea." He finished, and took out his wand.
"No!" Hermione cried, grabbing his arm. "You'll get in a lot of trouble!"
"Alright. But do you still want me to carry them?" Fred asked.
"If the offer's still open." Hermione smiled.
Fred picked up the heavy trunk with much more ease then Hermione had dragging it down the stairs, but even he looked troubled.
"What have you got in here? Rocks?"
"Books." Hermione said simply.
"Of course. Now, just be aware, young prefect, just because you and Ron have a little bit of power doesn't mean we'll be listening to you. We've never listened to prefects before, never will; it doesn't matter if we know you. Oh, and if George and I stop talking to you and Ron in daylight hours, it's nothing personal, it's just because you're a prefect." Fred warned, and Hermione laughed. "But seriously, Ron, a prefect! I mean, you, of course, but Ron! He's not going do anything, except use that nice prefect's bathroom. It is wonderful, by the way. It almost makes you want to be a prefect it's so luxurious, but I couldn't stand the shame."
"And how would you know what the prefect's bathroom looks like?" Hermione asked.
"Snuck in, of course!" Fred said as if it her obvious.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You are…you are…"
"Are what?" Fred said happily.
"One interesting person." Hermione sighed, and Fred laughed.
After a long ride Hermione, Harry, and the Weasley children were on the Hogwarts Express.
"Well, no use standing around." Fred said, "C'mon, George, we've got to find the others."
"You're not sitting-" Hermione began, but stopped herself. She had gotten so used to the fact of having Fred and George around, so used to the fact that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny hung out together even though they were all in different years. But now they were at school. Fred and George had there own seventh year friends and Hermione had Harry and Ron. Fred gave her a quizzical look as to why she had suddenly stopped talking, but Hermione gave him one back as if to make he feel he was imagining, correction, hoping, that Hermione would suggest they sit together. Fred merely shrugged, waved, and followed George to find their friends.
"C'mon, let's find ourselves a compartment before they're all taken." Harry said, and Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Harry did not know that Ron and Hermione had a mandatory prefects meeting and then had to patrol the train.
"Erm, Harry, the thing is, we're not going to be sitting with you. Ron and I have got to go to the prefects meeting." Hermione confessed. "We'll try to catch up with you later."
"I don't really want to go." Ron added for good measure.
"No, it's…fine. Let's go, Ginny. We've got to fine our own compartment." Harry said bitterly.
Hermione gave Ron a nervous look. "There's nothing we can do." Ron whispered. "Let's go before the Percy of this year gets angry."
The prefect meeting was like Hermione had assumed it would be, the Head Boy and Girl telling what was expected of a prefect, prefect duties, shared the new password, and ordered them to patrol the train for any signs of troublemaking and roughhousing. Ron groaned.
Finally, the prefects filed out of the compartment so they could look after all the students and make sure they were behaving on the train. Hermione immediately started walking to the left, and knew someone was on her tail.
"Hey," Ron puffed, trying to keep up with her.
"Hey," Hermione said, wondering why he was following her. "What are you doing here?"
"Patrolling the corridors, aren't I?" Ron joked.
"Well, can't you patrol somewhere else? Like not on my tail?" Hermione snapped.
"I don't know what to do, and I'm not going to do anything anyways. So, it's easier if I follow you around." Ron explained.
"But it's highly annoying."
"Think of it as you tutoring me." Ron coaxed. "I'm learning from the best."
"Alright." Hermione smiled, and Ron returned it.
Everywhere Ron and Hermione went things seemed to be fine, until they reached the cart that was holding Fred and George. They were having relay races up and down it, with cheering students watching and trying to participate.
Hermione had to stop them, especially because Fred was racing Alicia Spinnet, who he had claimed to be his next girl, and on his team was Angelina Johnson, who was his ex- girlfriend. For some reason, that bothered Hermione and made her more determined.
"Our first test." Hermione whispered happily to Ron.
"Leave me out of it." He moaned, hiding behind her.
"Oh, that was a close one!" Lee Jordan yelled. "Okay, next race, George-
"That's enough!" Hermione cried, getting in the middle of the crowd in charge, Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie Bell.
"Oh, Hermione, would you like a go?" George said cheerfully.
"No, I would not! And neither would you if you don't want to get in trouble."
Fred and George laughed. "There's nothing you can do now, Granger." Fred said. "We haven't even reached school. It seems like the power has already gotten to your head."
"Actually, there are things I can do!" Hermione retorted.
"Oh, look, you've brought little Ron to help you." George cooed. "What's he going to do?"
"Leave me out of it." Ron mumbled.
"Tell you what, Hermione. How about a little race, you and me?" Fred proposed. "If I win, you leave us alone, if you win, we can do whatever the heck we want, on the train, that is."
"Don't do it, Hermione." Ron whispered in her ear. "Fred is fast, and you, well, you're not very…athletic."
"You're on." She told Fred confidently.
Hermione and Fred got in their stances. "And, on our left, we have champion Fred Weasley!" Lee commentated, and everyone cheered. "And to our right, we have newcomer Hermione Granger." Ron clapped, but when no one else did, he quickly stopped.
"On my mark," George began, "One…two…THREE!"
Fred and Hermione ran towards the end of the cart, Angelina and Alicia waiting at the end to slap their hands. Hermione ran as fast as she could, but it was no use, Fred was faster, way faster, and he won.
"Good game." He panted, opening his arms for a hug.
"Spare me." Hermione said.
"All or nothing." Ron shouted.
"What?" Fred said, confused.
"I said, all or nothing." He repeated loudly. "I'll race you, and if I win, you guys talk or do whatever you want quietly in your apartment, but if you win, well, I'll test your joke shop products for a month."
"It's too easy!" Fred laughed, and George high fived him.
But, apparently, it was not too easy. The race was close, Fred and Ron going head to head, and surprisingly, Ron came out the victor. After a few 'Well done, Rons!' Fred, George, their friends, and all the spectators begrudgingly shuffled their feet back into their own compartments.
"You lied." Hermione smiled once everything was quiet and she and Ron were alone.
"What?"
"I said you lied. You said you weren't going to get involved, but you did, to help me. And you bet a whole lot, I think testing some of Fred and George's products might be pretty risky."
"Yeah, I bet you're right." Ron agreed.
"Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks." Hermione smiled.
"Any time." He smiled back. "Just next time you need help, please make it not involve me disciplining my older brothers."