Part 12 -2

He had never seen Hermione this mad before. Her face seemed to become more angular and contrasted, her voice had become colder, and her eyes light brown eyes had seemed to light on fire. No, he had never seen Hermione like this. And all because of a stupid cat.

"Honestly. Crookshanks shouldn't mind if we take a little fur, he's got loads. and we were USING it, not just getting it for fun. Hermione shouldn't be this mad. Its just a cat, right?" Fred thought.

But, as Fred thought about it some more, he remembered how Hermione had talked to Crookshanks, in a soft, light voice. He remembered how she softly petted his fur, and how she had talked to him when Crookshanks had run into the Great Hall. Fred stopped. Maybe... Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe, to Hermione, Crookshanks wasn't just a cat... Maybe...Crookshanks had always been around Hermione since she bought him a couple years ago. Since them, Fred had often seen them together in the Common Room, Hermione stroking his fur while she studied. and it was at this point that Fred realized what he had done. He had hurt one of Hermione few friends, and then he had laughed if off. He had laughed at her when she had gotten all fired up, ad now, Fred felt terrible. And knew he had to fix it.

Part 13

Hermione was in the library. Again.

"How could Fred have been so STUPID? Shaving Crookshanks, I ask you! HONESTLY!" Hermione exclaimed, slamming down her Potions book on the table. Furiously flipping the oages, Hermione continued to let out huffs, and "stupid", and "shaving! Honestly!" .

"How could Fred think that shaving my cat would-be alright? And he didn't even feel SORRY! He laughed at me! He LAUGHED!" Hermione said under her breath. Then, Hermione couldn't be mad anymore. Now she just felt sad. Sad and tired.

"Honestly..." she whispered.

Part 14

Removing his scarf, Fred ducked under the archway into the library. He glanced through the aisles, in the Study Hall, the front desk, and he even slipped into the Restricted Section. Nothing. He couldn't find Hermione anywhere.

"I thought she must've been here" thought Fred.

Now just wandering, he mindlessly walked around the library, not yet ready to go back out into the snow. Sneaking a chocolate out of his bag, Fred started to unwrap it as he turned to bend to his procrastination corner, only to find it already occupied.

"Hermione?" asked Fred, suddenly anxious now that he had actually found her.

Hermione didn't look up at him. Instead, she scooted her chair so it faced away from him, and buried her nose further into her Potions book.

"... Hermione?" Fred asked, louder this response. Sighing, Fred slung his bag off his shoulder and placed it on the ground next to the desk.

"Hermione, I came to apologize." he said.

"Well. don't bother" she replied.

"Hermione..." Fred started to say, trying to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Go away, Fred. I'm studying." said Hermione, moving her shoulder out of the way.

"Well, whatcha studying?" Fred asked, hoping to keep Hermione talking.

"Golpalott's Third Law" she said. "I have to remember what kind of poison it's used for."

"Blended" Fred said.

Hermione looked up at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Blended poisons. Golpalott's Third Law is used for finding the antidote to a blended poison." Fred said simply.

Hermione stared.

"What?" asked Fred.

"How do you know that?" asked Hermione.

"Because I know it." replied Fred.

"Obviously, but... how? How do you remember?" she asked.

"I dunno, I just do" said Fred.

"Well then, what does Golpott's Third Law state?" Hermione asked.

"That the antidote to the combined poison will be greater than the sum of the poison's individual antidotes" Fred replied simply.

Hermione looked back at her book, her eyes blazing left and right.

"That's... right." she finally looked back up at Fred.

"I know" he said.

Offering half of her textbook, Fred grabbed the edge, pulled up a chair, and sat next to they sat, hour after hour, Hermione asking questions and Fred answering them, until the moon had come high into the sky.

"Hey... Hermione?" asked Fred, yawning.

"Yeah, Fred" she replied.

"I'm sorry about your cat. I really am. I didn't know that it would upset you that much, and I'm really sorry I laughed when you got mad" Fred said.

After a pause, Hermione looked up at him.

"That's okay" Hermione said. "and Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't try to shave my pets again. 'Kay?"

"Fred smiled.

"Okay"

Part 15

Fred watched as the flames of the Common Room fire Blazed red, orange, and yellow, reaching up the chimney flume, as if trying to escape toward the night sky. Fred had always laved fire. The power and passions of some fires, and the soft light of others. Fire could change, bit it was always fascinating. As he listened to it crackle on the firewood, Fred heard someone enter through the portrait.

"Hey George"

"Hey Fred."

George sat down on tine cushion next to George, obviously tired and in need of some sleep.

"Fred?" asked George.

"Huh?" said Fred.

George paused, as it compiling his thoughts. Finally, he spoke.

"Do you believe in soul mates?"

Fred looked at George, a bit confused. George was never very serious,

"What do you mean?" asked Fred.

"I mean do you think that threre someone out there who's just for you? Like, your perfect match?"George asked, not looking at Fred.

"Uuhhhh..." Fred said.

"Never mind, it's stupid" said George, getting up to leave.

"No, its not stupid, Georgie." said Fred. "and if you want to know, yes. I do believe in soul mates, I just think that sometimes you dont't find them, or they pass you by, or you don't recognize them, or theyre in love with someone else.." at this, Fred's voice trailed off, and he looked back to the flames, grateful that the low light would hide his hot cheeks

."but you think that soul mates exist?" asked George, still not looking at his twin.

"Yeah, I do" Fred answered.

George didn't reply. He simply continued staring at the flames, their flickering light reflecting long shadows on the Common Room walls. After a while in silence, George spoke.

"Thanks, Fred."