The unexpectable Fred and Hermy!

by Gallie

It's been a terribly long time since this one has been updated, but it's a good read if you're willing to put up with it, and brings along giggles and squirmy feelings inside if you're a Fred/Hermione shipper.

2. Icy Escapade

Hermione reached inside the tree trunk delicately, and withdrew a very small yellow potion bottle that was concealed in the hollowed out area.
Downing it in one gulp, she began to shudder violently, eyes closed tightly.

Fred came to a halt as soon as he had drawn close enough to see what she was doing. His eyebrows raised so high that they were nearly lost in his fiery red bangs. This was most definitely odd. He had been abandoned in the middle of the Halloween Ball so that Hermione could retreat into the freezing cold grounds and drink a potion, hidden in a tree? He blinked. Well, he couldn't exactly turn around now.
"Er. Hermione?" he called tentatively.

Hermione put her back to the tree, sliding down it to the ground and pulling her knees into her chest.
Why did THIS have to ruin her perfect night?
She and Fred were having a wonderful conversation, and this curse had to intrude.
Apparently not hearing Fred, her eyes still closed, she sat there in the snow, still hugging her knees.

Fred shuffled uncertainly. Part of him told him that he had best turn around and run away, part of him told him that now that he had gone thus far, he should go on. He walked closer, clasping and unclasping his hands in his pockets - that candy stick was still there, making his fingers sticky. He looked down at her, and said, a bit louder, "Hermione? Are - are you alright?" Perhaps if he pretended he didn't see her taking the potion, maybe if he said that he just saw her running outside, he could yet get out of this without embarrassment more than was due...

Hermione's eyes snapped open, and darted to Fred.
"Oh . ." She whispered silently, the icy breeze whipping at her hair.
Her face was some-what regretful, sad, disappointed, and ashamed.
Now she would have to tell Fred.
This was -- wonderful.

The lanky twin swallowed down his nervousness.
"Er -- are you alright?" he repeated. "I mean, you ran away, and... it's awfully cold out here..."
He blinked, knowing that he was sounding stupid. For once he admired Percy - he always seemed to know how to talk and not sound like a dolt (depending on the situation, of course) and never used the odd word "er".

Hermione sighed and hugged her knees tighter, opening her eyes and staring in front of her.
"No, I'm not alright. I'm ridiculously upset that I had to ruin the fun we were having . . ." Her voice was extremely quiet, yet not a whisper now.

"Who says you ruined anything?" asked Fred, bristling a bit and grinning at her. "There's no reason we still can't have a good time." He looked about him, a serious expression on his face again. "If you do insist on staying out here, we might even have a snowball fight."
He, Fred Weasley, never made any real effort to comfort someone or make someone feel better. He was completely out of his usual Though, he felt as if he'd been apologizing and making Hermione feel better more than he had done his whole life.

Hermione smiled slightly, rubbing her arm from the cold.
Her long green robes were now askew, the part of the bottom hem was wet from running in the snow, her hair was now loose from it's elegant ponytail, and was hanging loosely in the slight curls down her back.
"Snowball fight . . . that sounds fun . . ."
Maybe Fred wouldn't ask about the potion bottle.

Fred snorted in laughter.
"My specialty," he said, but then he noticed Hermione's state. "Though, it is a bit cold for my tastes. Snowball fights are always best left to the daylight." He shuffled again, and then offered his hand to help her to his feet. "Should we get back inside, then?"

Hermione paused, staring up at him, and then took his hand slowly and stood up next to him.
"I'm so sorry, Fred . . ." She muttered truthfully, looking past him at the castle.

"Nothing to be sorry about," he said fervently, nodding as he did so. He drifted into silence, blinking at Hermione. He was surprised at how much her eyes sparkled when she was cold. He tipped his head slightly, struck by how pretty they could look. Suddenly he realized what she was talking about before - when she said she felt odd and wanted to run away in the library. He blinked, feeling himself going red, and then glanced up at the sky, and back to her again, completely at a loss for anything to do or say. Then he decided to say what he was thinking. "You... you really do look... pretty, Hermione."

Hermione looked up quickly, absolutely shocked.
Her stomach felt as though something large was trying to get out, and fluttering at her insides in the process.
She felt her cheeks get hot, and knew that they had gone pink.
Smiling embarrassedly, she looked back down.
What was this? What on earth was going on? Did Fred fancy her? Or did he just think she was pretty. Wait – she was PRETTY? To Fred????
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it.
What would she say? Thank you? No, that was corny. You too? Even more so.
There were utterly no words.

As silence fell, he realized it. Great. Excellent. Just absolutely bloody spiffing. He made a complete idiot out of himself. A complete, utter, unmistakable, IDIOT, and embarrassed both himself AND Hermione. 'Good going, Fred,' he scoffed at himself. He blushed so violently that he coughed and looked away, turning a mortified glance towards the castle.
"Well!" he said in a slightly high-pitched tone. "We should get back now, eh? I'm freezing..."

Hermione seemed to realize the awkwardness, but decided to undermined the compliment.
Her brown eyes flashed mischievously to the frozen glassy lake, and back.
"I don't know . . ." She muttered quietly, a smile creeping its way upon her lips. "That lake looks very interesting . . ."

Fred looked slightly scandalized. He was about to point out that it was probably dangerous, but then he remembered that he didn't really care. He did anything dangerous just for kicks. And he was also about to warn her that if they got caught - that thought never formed to completion, because it made absolutely no impression of fear on the twin, why would it Hermione? Instead he said, "Er..." and walked up to the edge of the lake. He pressed his foot against the ice, wondering if it would support him. He grinned. "Hmm. Yes, interesting, I suppose."

Hermione followed, pulling her robes closer to her as well.
A few light snowflakes fell softly onto her hair and she too put a put down on the lake.
"Very smooth. Perhaps smooth enough for walking on?"
Just then, some of the skeleton music from the ball drifted down the front steps, sounding far away.
Hermione looked up.
Had someone come out?
Seeing no one, she abandoned the thought.

Fred snorted slightly in amusement. He couldn't exactly see the reason why he would want to walk out into the ice, but since Hermione seemed interested in doing so he wasn't just going to let her very well go by herself. He took a few careful steps out into the frozen lake, and cast an interested look over his shoulder.
"Hermione, what are we doing this ff---" he stopped in his speech as his next step produced an ominous crack, and he blinked, watching spidery cracks spread out from beneath his shoe. "Ooookay," he said, and took a ginger step back. Perhaps the ice wasn't quite frozen enough yet for walking.

Hermione smiled at the look on Fred's face, but did not notice the ice.
She used her heel to push herself forward and glided a few feet.
"Come on, over here is even smoother!" She called out, cupping a cold hand to the side of her mouth.
The snow was falling a little heavier than before.

Ron Weasley was standing by a tree, hunched so that they would not see him.
His mouth was gaping open in utter awe.
Shocked. Stunned. Flabbergasted.
Utterly blown away.
Did Fred and Hermione now fancy each other??
What were they doing out here?
It was indeed he who allowed the front doors to open, and the music from the hall drifted out because of him.

Another alien feeling was creeping up on him -- one he was completely unfamiliar with, even more than the ones he had felt for the past few days - nervousness.
"Er - Hermione, don't... I don't think the ice is..." he trailed off and scuffed at the place that had cracked. It only proceeded to crack further. He edged to the side, slightly after Hermione, though he didn't dare go any further. He looked up towards her in alarm, seeing as she had already gone out further. True, she was not as heavy as he was, but still --- "Eh, Hermione, could you come back? I don't think the ice is going to hold!"

Hermione's eyes darted back to Fred, then slowly down to the cracks in the ice.
"No, stop . . ." She whispered, all trace of happiness and carefree feelings gone.
They were now intense, fearful, and serious.
"Oh how could I be so STUPID." She said angrily, closing her eyes.
"Glossy ice is thin ice . . . I read it in a book WEEKS before term started. . ."

"S'not stupid," Fred disagreed, though he swallowed hard. He wondered if summoning spells worked for humans. If the ice under Hermione cracked, could he just say 'Accio Hermione'? "I'm the stupid one, if anything... er... Just - ah - back up, no harm done..."
He remained still, trying to believe his words. Hermione didn't break through yet, she just had to go a bit further and they would be quite safe.

Hermione frowned, and seemed to be thinking hard.
"I think I'm alright for now . . ." She said quietly, but she was very far out.
About 15 feet, to be exact.
Much too far to simply take a step and get off the ice.
"And you're not stupid. You're . . . -- wonderful . . ." Though the last two words were barely audible. She didn't have enough gut to say it aloud.

Fred blinked. He couldn't quite understand the last bit of that, and besides, it couldn't have been what he thought it was - he heard wrong, surely. He licked his dry lips and tried to edge forward a bit, trying to tread lightly. "Alright - come back - we'll try again when it's - er - colder," he said, trying to sound bright and cheerful, like he wasn't standing on a thin sheet of ice, under which was - literally - freezing cold water at who knows what depth...

Hermione looked over her shoulder.
"No! Don't come out!" She said, as if the idea were ludicrous.
"I don't want to put you in danger . . . here, let me try . . ."
Very slowly and as lightly as possible, Hermione put her foot out on the ice and gingerly put some weight on it.
Nothing moved. Nothing cracked.
Sighing with relief, she ran a hand over her face, blinking.

Still with half a mind to go after her and drag her back, Fred obeyed and stayed where he was, though he held his breath with nerves. He cast a look over his shoulder, back towards the castle, as if he were hoping someone just happened to see them from the windows and come with help. It was just fifteen feet - and she got out easily enough - he shook his head and turned back to her. "Good," he said weakly. "Just - er - fifteen or so more to go!"

Hermione smiled weakly, and took another step.
Courage strengthening because of the ice not breaking, she began to walk a little faster.
Quicker, quicker, ten feet, eight, seven, six, until --
CRACK.
The ice beneath Hermione gave way at a particularly thin looking part, causing one of Hermione's legs to sink into the icy water below.
Her eyes widened as she fell, and very quickly her entire body was underneath, not leaving one part of her visible in a frightening rush.

Fred was moving the second he heard the ice crack. He yelled something, he wasn't quite sure what, and had flung himself forward in an attempt to snatch her before she fell through. Yet the effect was disastrous - he seemed to have forgotten that ice was slippery, and so his feet were whipped out from under him and he was hurled flat on his face before he could blink an eye. When he tried to scramble back up, eyes locked on the place Hermione had been seconds before, he froze. The ice began to crack all around him from his rather hard impact, forming sinister white spider-web like patterns over the darker ice. He flinched. Good. Perfect. Great.

Hermione's whole body was plunged into icy bitterness as she went under.
Immediately, she was at a loss for oxygen, and her head felt contracted in the blue dark waters.
What was going on?
Turning around in every direction, she fought to hold her breath in the waters, mind flying in fifty different directions.
Her vision was going fuzzy, and suddenly she felt her right hand freeze, then whip with winds; it had come out of the water.
Surprisingly enough, it felt colder than the icy water itself, nipping at her hand until she fell back under and dropped a few feet in the water from lack of oxygen.

Fred saw Hermione's hand bob up into the surface, and with a soft yelp he tried to scramble forward - bad idea, as the ice began to crack even more. He shuddered as he felt water lap against his fingers. If he went any further forward the ice between them would give way into the lake water, if he moved backwards, he would probably fall through too. If he stayed where he was he would sink eventually. He cursed under his breath and flung another look over his shoulder. He could call for help, but no one would hear him this far out into the grounds.

Ron had been indeed watching from the tree's, and was considering just watching Hermione be rescued by her boyfriend Fred, but when he saw that both of them needed help on the lake, he abandoned his watchful post, and ran all the way around the edge of the lake, coming as close as he could to Fred without stepping on the lake.
"FRED! Whatd'you want me to do?" He asked loudly, eyes wide and breathing heavily, clutching a stitch in his side.

Under the water, Hermione was near suffocation. Her head was feeling even more and more contracted, and her vision was now completely blurry.
To top it all, she was tired, and that did not help, as all her energy for swimming back to oxygen was gone.
Slowly by slowly, she sank lower and lower.

Fred tried to edge away from the worst of the crackled ice, and nearly fell through with the surprise of hearing his brother's voice. He shot a look in his direction, catching a glimpse of his brother at the edge of the lake.
"RON? What're you -- Get help!" he snapped, casting a quite petrified look towards Hermione. She couldn't last much longer. Oh, he only wished he remembered how to do that nifty bubble-head charm that Harry used last year! "HURRY!" he shot at Ron. He decided if something wasn't done in the next few seconds he would have no choice but to go in after her. What a bloody disaster.

Ron nodded and looked around.
"Yea, but what??? I can't run up to the castle and back in time!!!"
He called back, eyes still wide.

Fred tried to wobble to his feet. One foot actually fell through the ice. He yelped and scrambled away, cracking new ice as he went.
"I have no bloody idea!" he roared. "Scream or something... Hermione!"
Did she know how to swim? He wasn't sure - maybe if she could hear him she could tell which way the surface was.

Hermione was near giving up on trying to survive.
Her head was nearly completely contracted, vision completely blurry, and lungs were dying for oxygen.
Was Fred going to save her? Or let her drown?
What was going on??
Hermione felt the icy water brush past her as she fell down, down, into the deep dark water, sinking lower and lower . . .

Ron ran to the edge of the lake nearest the castle.
"SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP! WE NEED SOME HELP DOWN HERE! MCGONAGALL, ANYONE!!!"

Hermione hear Fred's yell and her heart jerked.
He was still up there.
But which direction was it?

Sitting - or rather, balancing - there, floundering on the ice, Fred finally realized that there was nothing for it. He saw the ice giving way all the more, and knew he either had to go after Hermione or just fall through anyway. So, he took a deep breath, scrambled forward to the hole where Hermione had been, and in a matter of seconds was immersed in the coldest water he ever felt. He was frozen into inaction, feeling as if he were incased in ice.

Hermione's heart was pounding, throbbing for oxygen, and she felt that since she had none, it was impossible to swim.
Every time she tried, she would get tired and sink further, and since there was no air to cause her to float to the top, nothing but sinking was happening.
"FRED!" She tried to scream back, but got a fresh mouthful of water and choked, also realizing he would never hear her.
Then all of a sudden, her ears heard the splash of a body entering the water, and a light blast of water brushed past her.
Fred had come in?

Meanwhile, up near the castle, Ron was running as fast as he could towards the steps.
Bursting into the hall, he looked around avidly for help. This was serious.

Cold. Cold. It was cold. He had to find Hermione or they were both going to drown in this freezing lake.
He scrambled around a bit, trying to discern shapes through the murky dark water, yet he could see nothing, and his eyes were beginning to burn, surprisingly. His movements were sluggish and he tried to kick himself down, so that he sunk deeper and at a quicker pace. He began to become afraid that he would never find her, when one of his feet suddenly hit something solid.

Hermione's heart jumped with hope and fear when a foot hit her shoulder.
Reaching up slowly, she made to grab it, but was too weak and realized that she didn't want to pull Fred down.
How long had it been since oxygen? Eight minutes? Ten?
All she knew was that Fred had come to save her. Her brain wouldn't fit anymore at the moment.
Hoping against hope, she let herself fall limp from tiredness and weakness, waiting . . . .

Fred gasped as soon as he realized he had found her. Mistake, as freezing water filled his mouth and almost forced its way down to his lungs. He lunged, somersaulting and trying to grab for any part of the dark shape he presumed was Hermione that he could grab. In the end one hand closed around a handful of robes, the other around a wrist, and then he was stuck. Which way was up? And were was the gap in the ice that they had fallen through? It seemed he was surrounded by his billowing robes, tiny bubbles, murky water and shadows. He didn't even have time to feel relief for finding Hermione.

At that moment, Ron came sprinting down the lawn, closely followed by Professor McGonagall.
"There, Professor!" He gasped, pointing a finger at the hole in the ice.
Professor McGonagall went rigid and whipped out her wand, waving it at the spot.
Ron stood, watching. He was very white in the face and his eyes were wide.
Using a spell that did not need words, McGonagall began to lift Fred and Hermione out of the lake slowly.

Was it possible that the air was colder than the water? Fred had no idea, but he felt as if it had almost been warm in the lake compared to the biting cold atmosphere of Hogwarts' grounds. He had absolutely no idea how one moment he thought he and Hermione were going to drown, and the next they were on the solid ground again. Still clinging to Hermione's robes, he choked harshly on whatever water had managed to get into his lungs, and tried vainly to look around and see what was happening.

Hermione's head spun as they exited the water, and then went fifty different directions as she landed on the hard-packed snow next to the lake.
Ron and Professor McGonagall came speeding up to them, Ron who was as white as the snow, and McGonagall looking worried, but harsh.
Hermione coughed and put her hands on the ice, not caring at the moment if they were numb.
Her coughing couldn't stop. There was so much water in her lungs, and she kept wanting to take deep breaths – yet every time she took a breath, the water would enter her lungs again.
Her long brown hair felt like icicles against her forehead, and was hanging limply down as her head was faced down, coughing uncontrollably

Ron looked highly concerned for Hermione as he kneeled down beside her, McGonagall was using her wand to stir something in two goblets that had appeared along with a tiny table, just high enough for her to reach down and set them on it.
They were steaming.
"Drink this, the both of you." She said harshly, yet allowed some time for Ron and maybe Fred to care for Hermione.

Fred, who was not nearly so bad off as Hermione, stopped his coughing relatively quickly, though his body was shaking so badly he could barely control his movements. As soon as he had composed himself even minorly he was next to Hermione, a hand on her shoulder, looking with alarm upon first her, then Ron, then McGonagall, then Hermione again, his mind slowly working around this. Ron went for help. McGonagall came. He blinked at the professor, and then put his full attention on Hermione.
"Her - Hermione?" he gasped, feeling uncharacteristically disoriented. "Are you -- is she -- wh...?"

"She'll live." Mcgonagall said tartly as Ron tried to peer under Hermione's face.
"She might have gotten a mild case of Arethnomia, but I doubt it's serious. . ."

Fred looked back up at McGonagall. Relieved that she would not die, though unsure what Areth-- thingy - was, he began to breathe at a more regular rate. He stole a look at Ron, and he remembered what happened at their last parting. "Er - Ron?" he tried through chattering teeth. "Th-thanks, mate..."

Ron looked up and despite the fact that his best friend was in trouble, a brotherly grin cracked across his lips.
"Yeah, alright." He muttered, then got on his knees and looked back at Hermione.
"Reckon we should get Hermione up to the castle? It's bloody freezing out here . . ."

Professor Mcgonagall tapped her foot impatiently.
"I would highly advise you drink these goblets, you and Miss Granger!" She said tartly to Fred, looking over at him through her square spectacles.

Fred smiled weakly at Ron, but jumped at the sound of McGonagall's voice. He had almost completely forgotten her presence. He knew that he would be in massive trouble later, but he was glad that she was not yelling quite yet. He looked at the goblets hesitatingly, though he was in no position to argue. With a nervous look at the professor he took one in his hand and looked at Hermione, edging closer. "Will - do you think she can drink, Professor?

"I doubt if she can . . . if she can't, then that's not a good sign, but we'll see." Walking over briskly, Professor Mcgonagall took the goblet off the table, leaving the one in Fred's hand for him, and leaned closer to Hermione.
"Miss Granger?" She said, trying to pull back some of the brown hair.
Hermione's coughs faded out, but still occasionally entered as she replied.
"Yes –"her eyes widened. "Professor! I-I, where, what happened?"

"You explain, Mr.Weasley." Professor Mcgonagall said tartly, standing up and tending to the small table.
Ron was still goggling at Hermione.

Fred watched Hermione with fearful eyes, forgetting to drink his own potion. He couldn't believe he had let this happen. Score one for old Fred - what was he doing, letting her go out on the ice? And FOLLOWING her? Did he have his head on backwards? He was never going to hear the end of this. He continued to silently berate himself as he mutely watched Hermione until he remembered to drink the stuff.

He looked quickly up at McGonagall. "M-me, Professor?"

"Oh, nevermind." Mcgonagall replied curtly. "You fell through the ice, Ronald came and got me, Mr. Weasley here tried to save you –"
"Fred tried to, SAVE me?" Hermione asked silently, hair still dripping now and then.
She then shivered and looked at Fred.
"Really?"

Fred shifted nervously, looked at Hermione quickly and then back down at his cup.
"Er. Well. I went after you... yeah..." he shrugged. He didn't feel like much of a hero. He had managed to find her, but then what did he do? "But if it weren't for Ron and... and Professor McGonagall..." he trailed off, shivering and taking a long gulp of the potion, feeling steadily warmer as he did so.

Hermione smiled, and – quite abruptly, leaned her head on Fred's shoulder gratefully.
If it hadn't been for him, she would probably be dead.
Ron, on the other hand was looking quite indignant.
It had been HIM who had saved her! HE who went to get Mcgonagall!
If it hadn't have been for HIM, Hermione AND Fred would've both gone down to Davy Jones's locker!
Professor Mcgonagall conjured three cloaks out of midair and laid one over Hermione's back, then handed one to Fred and tossed one to Ron.
Then again, thought Ron as he caught the cloak, watching his best friend.
It was kind of cute, Fred and Hermione, really. . .

Very startled, Fred looked down at Hermione, wondering why she behaved thus. If it weren't for him, Hermione could have been walking back to the castle by now, perhaps returning to the ball. But no, he had to be nosy and follow her out...
He blinked. Well. At least everything ended well... or at least without any deaths. He glanced at Ron as he took the cloak, hoping not to see him seething with anger, and tried to decide whether to try to stand up and dislodge Hermione's head from his shoulder or let her get up first.

Ron cleared his throat, still smiling in a silly way at Fred.
"Come on, you two love-birds, we'd better get up to the castle. It's -" He said something that made Mcgonagall give him a glare. "Alright, alright. -- freezing out here."
Hermione looked up at the word love and blushed furiously.
Downing the goblet, she stood up hastily and handed it back to Mcgonagall.
"Thank you very much, Professor." She said, immediately feeling warmth spread to the tips of her toes that matched how hot her face was getting at Ron's comment.

Fred shot Ron a look. He wasn't sure whether it was the potion or his own embarrassment making him warm. Yet at least now he didn't feel like chucking Ron into the lake, though perhaps for that comment he could be kicked in the pants once or twice. Either way, he copied Hermione, finishing the last of McGonagall's concoction and handing the goblet off to her.
"Yeah, thanks," he said with a grin upon getting to his feet. He percieved it a miracle that they didn't get into any trouble - or at least lost some housepoints. "Yes, we should be getting back, shouldn't we? Err - thanks for your help, Professor."

Professor Mcgonagall blinked beadily at Fred, then the goblets vanished and she pulled her cloak over her shoulders more, shielding herself from the snow that was falling heavily now.
"I daresay we shall get inside. But may I ask what on earth YOU were doing out here Mr. Weasley? I know perfectly well why Miss Granger was, but how about you?"
She began to walk up to the castle, and encouraged them to do the same.
Ron offhandedly pretended to not care, but he himself was dying to know why Hermione had come out in the first place.

Fred blinked after her, glanced nervously at Hermione and Ron, and then began to follow.
"Er - well - I didn't know why she left the ball so suddenly," he said, walking almost sideways so that he could look at Hermione too. He still wasn't sure why she left him so abruptly -- and he would still like to know. "I thought I must have done something wrong or - something. So - I followed y- her."

Professor Mcgonagall continued to trudge through the snow.
"It was nothing you did . . ." Hermione muttered, keeping her cloak closed to shield the snow that continued to fall into her soaking wet hair.
"No, it wasn't. It was a completely different reason." Mcgonagall said curtly as she climbed the stone steps towards the front doors, also giving Hermione a different uneasy look.
Hermione shook her head slowly and went inside.
"Which – I am not at liberty to say." The Professor continued, holding out her hand for Ron and Fred to enter.
Ron gave a small groan.

Fred sighed deeply, quite in agreement with Ron. He stumped in after Hermione, feeling frustrated. Didn't he have a right to know what was going on? He was not accustomed to being walked out on - not that he blamed Hermione for ditching him, but if there was a reason, he would like to know it. Once inside he shook his head sharply to dislodge snowflakes that had begun to stick to his damp red hair, and realized that he rather hated winter. Summer was most certainly much better for swimming.
"Well," he said with a small smile. "This certainly was fun..."

Hermione smiled at Fred's comment shyly and Ron cocked his eyebrow.
"Now, I want you two. . ." Professor Mcgonagall pointed at Ron and Hermione.
"To go up to your dormitories, and get warm, fed, everything else that needs tended to. You –" She pointed at Fred. "I need to speak with you."
Hermione cast Mcgonagall a slightly alarmed look, but Mcgonagall waved it aside and looked back to Fred. "Alright Mr. Weasley?"

Fred gaped at professor McGonagall, at once suspecting that he didn't get off scott-free after all. He shuffled uncomfortably, and nodded. It wasn't as if he wasn't use to recieving punishments by now - just it didn't seem fair at this time, was all. When he got a lecture, he'd like to have earned it, thank you very much.
"Yeah, alright," he replied, watching Hermione and Ron out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione still looked very skeptical, but not about punishment . . . it seemed almost worried that Mcgonagall might let something slip.
Slowly, she nudged Ron's arm, and he too went down the hall.
Professor Mcgonagall watched them for a few moments, then turned to Fred.
"I trust you would like to know what Miss Granger was doing outside the hall?" She asked tartly.

Fred's eyebrows lifted in minor surprise. He tilted his head at her, as if wondering whether there was a catch to answering. Yet McGonagall's face was impossible to read correctly. She always somehow managed to seem stern and reproachful, even when she smiled...
"Er, yeah, that'd be nice actually," he said reluctantly, but he had caught the look on Hermione's face before she left. "Though if she really doesn't want me to know..."

"That's because I am not at liberty to tell you." Mcgonagall replied with a small sigh, still looking over her square spectacles.
"Though I must say, Miss Granger will be quite worried indeed if I tell you. So I won't. But I can tell you this . . . when Miss Granger is ready, I doubt you'll get an explanation from her. Terribly sad, really, it is . . ." Her eyes were full of – was it pity for Hermione?
"Anyways . . .you may ask her, and if she chooses to, she will tell you. Excuse me now, I must go talk to the Headmaster on an issue. . ." And quite suddenly, Professor Mcgonagall turned, and walked in the opposite direction of the Gryffindor Common Room, where Hermione and Ron had gone.
The music from the ball drifted into the hall, and she disappeared through the door.

... Fred watched after her with not a little surprise as she walked away. Her words, far from explaining anything, only made the situation more complicated in the Weasley boy's eyes. Confused, and a bit worried, he shook his head and turned in the direction opposite of McGonagall's route, walking after Ron and Hermione. Well, at least he never had to complain about boredom in Hogwarts. The place sure did a good job of keeping him on his toes.