"You've done it Neville. You found the Room of Requirement," Hermione said in disbelief. Fred and George followed behind her and Neville as they entered the stone hall that wasn't there moments ago.
"The what?" Harry asked from behind Fred.
"It's also known as the Come and Go Room," Hermione explained. It only appears when a person has real need of it. And it's always equipped for the seeker's needs."
Hermione smiled sweetly, glancing around the room. Fred just was amazed that Neville Longbottom had found a secret in Hogwarts that Fred and George hadn't.
"So say you really needed the toilet…" Ron mumbled. Hermione sighed and nodded.
"Charming, Ronald. But yes, that is the general idea."
"It's brilliant," Harry muttered.
As time passed, more and more students began to enter the mysterious room and then, the first lesson began. All of the members of the newly named "Dumbledore's Army" lined up in two lines and stood before a statue with a target on it.
"We're going to be working on disarming spells first," Harry announced from the front of the line. He looked at Neville who recited "Expelliarmus!" weakly. His wand flew out of his own hands and into the middle of the line.
Harry spoke to Neville and then demonstrated the spell, disarming the statue successfully.
The students went through the line, each of them attempting to disarm the target. Fred and George did it with ease, considering they were seventh years and had learned it years earlier.
Fred tried to avoid the thought picking at the back of his brain, keeping his eyes away from Hermione. He'd felt her eyes on him while he was performing spells but he'd turned the other way, away from her gaze. He knew George felt how tense he was so he was overly talkative the entire lesson.
After the lesson, Fred spent his evening quietly discussing Wheezes business with Lee and George. He put on a smile and a happy face but he couldn't shake the gnawing in the back of his mind.
Fred finally gave into his urges and made an ultimatum.
He wanted to see her.
He wanted her alone.
He was going to meet with her again.
End of story.
"What's on the agenda for today, Harry?" Fred asked him cheerfully. He was feeling much better than he had been over the previous days. He finally knew what he was going to do. It wasn't going to be an easy road but Fred knew it was worth it.
Fred walked in next to George, wand in hand and ready to practice spells.
"I'm just about to start so you'll see," Harry told him before bustling off. People began to line up on either side of him and watched as Harry walked through the middle of the two lines.
"Stunning is one of the most useful spells in your arsenal," Harry began. Fred smirked at Georg at the mention of stunning spells. There was nothing they liked better than a little noise. "It's sort of a wizard's bread and butter, really."
Throughout the lesson, Fred and George flung each other back and forth countless times, reciting the stunning spell "Stupefy". After nearly an hour of wand waving and twin-flinging, the group reassembled and took volunteers to demonstrate.
Hermione, of course, was the first to step forward, dragging Ron with her. Fred smiled as she tied her hair back loosely and he felt George nudge him.
"Come on, Ron," George said, cheering on his younger brother. Fred kept quiet when saw Hermione's eyes fixed on him. He smiled lightly and winked at her, making her giggle.
"I've got one sickle on Ron," George mumbled to Fred.
"You're on," Fred challenged.
The twins watched as Hermione flourished her wand and knocked Ron clean off of his feet. She laughed as he moaned, flying to the ground. He quickly got to his feet and scurried over to Fred and George.
George reluctantly placed a sickle in Fred's hand and shook his head at Ron.
"Thank you," Fred bragged.
"Shut up…" George mumbled.
Ron looked at them, his face a bright pink and chuckled nervously.
"I let her do that," he told them.
"Oh yeah," Fred told him, pretending to agree.
"It's good manners, isn't it?" Ron asked.
"Definitely," George teased.
The twins laughed in unison as a very embarrassed Ron walked past the group of girls surrounding Hermione, congratulating her. She shot Fred another playful glance before returning her focus to the group.
When the group parted, Fred gave George a quick pat on the back.
"I have business to attend to," Fred told him with a smile.
George gave him an encouraging shove in Hermione's direction and Fred jogged over to her.
"Miss Granger," he muttered in her ear, causing her to jump a little. She looked around to see if anyone was watching them. She smiled at him sweetly and raised an eyebrow at Fred.
"Midnight?" Fred asked her in a flirtatious tone.
Hermione giggled and nodded. She stared at him for a moment before running after Harry and Ron who were leaving the Room of Requirement.
Fred stood in silence for a moment before George's hand rested on his shoulder, squeezing it.
"I'm proud of you, Freddie."