Chapter Two

Hermione came up to me that night when I was sat in the common room.

"Hi, Fred."

I was shocked. I thought she, of all people, would know not to bother someone when they were doing homework. I looked into those brown eyes.

"Hi, Hermione!" Shit. My voice was high. I could see the thought running through her head: someone's got hold of his balls.

"I just wanted to talk to you about what George said today." I stared gormlessly at her. "About you…"

I had just caught on to what she was saying. I was too busy staring at her. She probably thought I was listening intently. Girls are slow on the uptake.

"Oh, yeah."

"Do you want to go for a walk?" she gestured at the portrait hole. I was thinking. "Don't worry, you've got homework to do…"

I stood up quickly. "No," I said. "It can wait." And I led the way out of the portrait hole.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Hermione hesitated. "Um, about what George said today. I just wanted to know if it's true or not."

My first instinct was to lie. Lie for your life! My brain said. If I told the truth she'd laugh at me and I'd never be able to look her in the eye for weeks. "No," I said. "Absolutely not."

"Fred Weasley, I can read boys like a book. You do like me, don't you?"

Just keep lying, just keep lying! My brain was singing. "Nope!" We had stopped by McGonagall's classroom.

"You're saying this because I'm going out with your brother. Let me tell you a secret. I don't like your brother. I used to, but I don't anymore. I don't know how to break up with him. He's one of my best friends and I don't want that to change. My only fear is how he'll react when I tell him that I'm in love with you."

My heart lightened.

"So, I'll ask you one more time, Fred. Do you like me?"

I had given up on the nagging voice in my head by then. Fuck Ron. I leant in and kissed her. She hadn't started kissing back. Oh, shit. I told you to keep lying! You're making a complete arse of yourself! Inner voice wasn't right that time. She kissed back.

In the heat of the moment, Hermione got pushed up against the door (please believe me when I say I am not interested in girls for one thing. Hermione is a very adoring kisser and that surprised me). She pulled her lips away.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I felt very disappointed. I was getting to enjoy it.

"There's nothing wrong with you! It just… there's a knob in my back," she said, and then she blushed.

"What?" I didn't know what Hermione was on about. Either there's an excited and slightly pervational boy stood behind her, or she has some scary sort of abnormality.

"No! The doorknobs' in my back. It's kind of uncomfortable." I sighed. "What did you think was going on, Fred?"

"I thought you had an deformity." She giggled and then we both burst out laughing.

We heard footsteps and saw Filch's shadow come round the corner. It was past the curfew. Hermione opened the classroom door and we slid soundlessly inside.

"He's gone," I whispered, my ear up against the door. I know what you're thinking and no, I don't carry Extendable Ears with me everywhere I go.

"Well," Hermione said.

I turned round. She was sat on a desk. "So," I said like a complete idiot. Conversation runs dry after kisses.

"I've had an idea."

"Has it got something to do with us?"

"Um… yeah," Hermione said. "If we were to do things like this often, we need a excuse for the two of us to be alone."

"Yeah…"

"We could say that I'm helping you with revision for your NEWTs."

"Hermione Granger, you are the smartest witch in your year."

She blushed. "Anyone could have thought that up!" she got down from the table and kissed me.

No one should never know about us, I thought. I was getting payback to Ron and he didn't even know it.