To this day Hermione was not sure where on earth that burst of cheekiness had come from but she'd had to admit she had definitely enjoyed it. And the frustrated look on Fred's face all through their DA lesson, which she had doubled back to after leaving him spluttering, was well worth it.
As she'd stood by Harry's side while he'd explained some unimportant charm, Fred stared at her, mind racing through plan after plan to seek revenge. Yet it wasn't till the next morning that he came up with it. A few days of careful inventing, then he was ready to seek revenge for that delightfully horrible pain she had created in his pants.
Hermione naturally had been on guard for over a week, checking around corners before she turned them with revealing charms, silent ones of course, she didn't want Ron or Harry asking why she was timid to walk around Hogwarts. Yet it now seemed Fred Weasley had forgotten her and the incident in the room of requirement.
0-0-0
Fred would need some help for his plan to work; he knew she wouldn't accept a gift from him willingly.
So that was why he travelled all the way down to the laundry, below the kitchens after dinner. Being one of the legendary trouble makers meant he knew the castle even better than the back of his and George's left hands. The statue of a young women, clothes basket under her arm, stone carved finch on her shoulder, stood erect in front of a small door way. Fred reached up and swirled the suddenly liquid like clothes in her stone, woven basket, she smiled and stepped aside, as the sedimentary bird ruffled its pebble feathers. Fred muttered a thank you and walked past her, pushing open the small door.
'Sir!' three little house elves bowed as he stepped into the warm, spacious room filled with huge copper basins and hundreds of rows of ceiling hung washing lines - covered in the students and teachers laundry.
'Hello Dot, Arie, Dobby' he bowed, making them beam at him.
'How can we help sir?' They bowed back.
'Has you spilt mayonnaise on your night clothes again sir?' Dot asked, reaching for a bowl of soapy water
'No no' Fred blushed 'I was wondering if one of you would be so kind as to help me fix a dear friends school shirt'
'Someone has a broken shirt sir?' Arie gasped in self mortification
'No no, you run a very tight ship here, I just need to...alter it' he grinned kindly at her
'Of course Sir' Arie bowed her little head looking relieved; her small tuft of hair pulled together with a blue ribbon 'Which house Sir?'
'Gryffindor' he smiled, he would love if this plan worked.
'My house Sir!' Dobby squealed 'I will help you! I will help' He took hold of Fred's hand and started to pull him along the many rows of bubbling pools with towels, cloaks, sleeves of jumpers and necks of robes.
As they reached a large area, with banners of red and gold ties hanging around hundreds of black robes, they met more happy helpers stitching up ripped sleeves or ironing pleats into skirts.
'Sir' a tall elf, well tall for house elves, stood up from the edge of a soapy lump of material in a soaking bucket and bowed low 'Your quidditch robes are still soaking Sir, they seemed to have absorbed the mud into their very core Sir'
'Mmm they do that' Fred chuckled, thinking of how last practice he had tackled a bludger mid-flight into the ground and had inhaled half a bucket of mud 'Sorry' he said with a sheepish smile - he knew just how much mud he had removed from the pitch, let alone all the other players.
'It's no problem Sir!' the elf looked almost worried he'd offended Fred 'we will fix it Sir!'
'Oh I know, you do amazingly, thank you' Fred smiled
'Thank you very much Sir' the tall elf bowed
'This way Sir' Dobby said 'here are the school shirts'
'Thank you…which one is Hermione Grangers?' he asked, trying to look innocent.
'This one sir' Dobby pulled a pristine white blouse off the drying line and handed it to Fred.
'Do you mind if I fix it?'
'Is it broken sir? Dobby didn't see! He is so sorry sir! He will do better ne…'
'No no, it's perfect Dobby, calm down' Fred forgot how touchy house elves were, bless them 'I meant, do you mind if I alter it?'
'Wills…wills it…' Dobby looked like he had to wrestle with himself to oppose a students request '...hurt her?'
'No!'
'Good!…Proffessor-Mister-Headmaster-Sir Dumbledore' he blabbered, still not used to his new employers name 'says we must do our bests to keep all uniforms at their bests Sir…'
'It's ok, it will look just the same, you won't get in trouble Dobby, would I do that to my friend?'
'You friend Sir?' Dobby looked shocked and awed, he trembled where he stood.
'Of course' Fred smiled 'you're a good man, elf' he corrected himself
'You is very kind Sir' Dobby said with tears in his eyes, Fred noticed Dobby still had on one of Harry's horrible socks his mother had tried desperately to throw out last time Harry had stayed. He was pretty sure his mother was knitting Harry a whole wardrobe of socks after seeing the state of the ones 'those muggles' gave him.
'Nice socks' he grinned
'Thank you Sir, Mister Harry Potter is a great man Sir'
'That he is' Fred laughed, this elf was certainly different, but he liked him for it 'Now, I'll just alter this…' he did some complicated spell work over the white school blouse, possibly the exact one she had tortured him in... 'and here you go' he handed it back to Dobby, who carefully inspected it then hung it up on the line.
'So it's ok for her to wear tomorrow Sir?'
'Definitely' he grinned
Apples and Beckett
This story was always just meant to be a one-shot, so its been a bit tricky expanding the storyline. Thank you for your enthusiasm and support.
