Fred heard the sobs of his beloved girlfriend before he found her. She was setting near the portrait of the Fat Lady, and her hands were covering her head; holding it closer to her parted knees.

"Hermione?"

"Oh Merlin!" Hermione cried out, sobs growing louder, "Fred! Just leave! Don't look at me!"

"What happened?" Fred asked, sitting down next to his love. He couldn't just leave her when she was all torn apart.

"I look hideous, Fred. You need to leave."

Fred chuckled a bit. This was an insecurity Hermione never showed, and it was shocking to hear her say that. "Hermione, you've never cared about how you looked before."

"But I do now, alright?" Hermione bit out, burying her head even more; if that was possible.

"Okay," Fred composed himself and scooted closer to the balled up girl, "You have every right to care about how you look, Hermione, but just so you know, you always look good."

"You're just saying that because you're not good with crying," Hermione sniffed.

Chuckling, Fred bobbed his head up and down, "You're right. I'm not good with tears, but I'm not lying. You always look beautiful. Always will. Now, let me see that beautiful face."

Even though she was balled up, Fred could still see Hermione's hesitation and slight shake of her head. "What happened anyway?"

"Pansy."

Fred's eyes glared at the name, and he made a mental note to come up with something to get back at the pig nosed twit. "Don't let Pansy get to you. She's as bloody ugly as they get."

"It's not anything she said," Hermione sighed, uncovering her head and setting up. "It's what she did."

Fred immediately noticed Hermione's hair, or the lack thereof. It was a pixie cut, and Fred had to admit, he didn't think he'd ever been more attracted to his girlfriend. It made her look mystical, magical in a sense he'd never quite felt before, and he told her just that.

"You think so?" Hermione queried, running her hands through the bottom of her short locks. "Ginny tried to salvage what was left of it, when we got the fire out."

"Fire?" Fred was mentally throwing daggers at Pansy.

"Hex gone wrong. Don't worry though; I believe Ginny used the bat-bogey hex on her."

Fred chuckled, wrapping around his unbelievably sexy girlfriend. "That's my sister alright."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but the joy she normally had around Fred was shining through them once more.

Maybe, she mused as she pressed her lips to his, this haircut wasn't a bad thing after all.