Hermione's mind was already pushed to the rim with worries, thoughts, and feelings – and by the time she finished sorting the majority of them out, it was nearly 7:00.
Gracious, the time flew when one was occupied... she thought as she adjusted her long black robes and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail.
Before leaving, she reached to get her bag – mind still with Fred and the kiss – then paused. Did she really need to bring her bag? Why not just – leave it, and forget about books for awhile?
Suddenly, her ears perked at the sound of Ron's voice in the common room down the steps, and she immediately seized her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. What sort of torture would Ron give her if he saw her without her BAG?
Everything that was taunting and teasing imaginable, so she sighed heavily and proceeded down the steps into the common room, then through the portrait hole.

Ron had spotted her and had half the mind to go chasing after her and join his best friend down to dinner, but Harry wasn't ready yet so he would wait for him instead of bothering her more.
Hermione proceeded down the stone hallway, and down the moving staircases without a word spoken to her, but when she reached the great hall, an excited buzz seemed to have filled it, one unlike any other she had head before.
She paused slowly with a frown when she entered, for quite a few heads had turned in her direction as she entered, and the talk became louder in harsher whispers.
Terror fear and dread filled Hermione like plunging into a cold pool.
Did this have to do with the kiss? Very slowly and cautiously, she walked down through the tables and settled herself at a whisperer-devoid spot near the end up near the teacher's tables, and pulled a plate of food towards her skeptically.
The weather outside the stained glass windows of the great hall was quite wintery indeed.
The snow was now billowing down in great bushels, covering the grounds and making even Hogsmeade look like a Christmas card.
The snow was building up on the long, skeletal fingers of the bony trees, and clouds were always swarming the sky, casting an eerie effect over the lake and grounds.

Fred emerged from the boys' dormitories a few minutes later, looking decidedly ruffled and bedraggled from the hours of pure thinking he had gone through - he had considered just sticking to the common room for the rest of the day, but eventually hunger got the better of him. He gave Ron and Harry a smile, and then with a sweeping, somewhat vain glance about the common room in search of George he sighed and went the same route Hermione took a while ago.

George watched a bit coolly as Hermione sat down across from him. He narrowed his eyes a bit, and immediately began to look over her shoulder in search of his brother. It was par for the course lately. It seemed Fred much preferred the company of Hermione rather than his own twin. He hadn't even attempted an apology. George sighed to himself, knowing he was bit hard on his brother. But he was still mad at him for not really telling him what happened that day at the Ball. He tried to ignore Hermione for a while - though perhaps he was not hopping mad as he was before, he didn't feel like speaking with the "enemy". But eventually curiosity got the better of him.
"Well?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at Hermione at last and giving up all attempts to continue eating his meal. "Where's Fred? Is he not following you?"
His tone wasn't overly bitter - he had seen the way Ron was treating Hermione lately, and didn't want to be a mirror image of his younger sibling. He wasn't angry at Hermione, more at Fred. But like it or not, she was stuck in the middle. Besides - he wanted to know where Fred was. She - likely as not - probably had a better idea of his where-abouts than most at the moment.

Hermione looked up, quite surprised that George was right in front of her.
She hadn't even seen him when she entered – odd... as the bright haired one wasn't difficult to miss.
Her eyes widened and she picked up her fork uncertainly. "Actually I have no idea where Fred is..." She said blankly, staring at him with unease.
"Why?"
Then she remembered something her thoughts had brought to the table a week ago... something she needed to talk to George about....

George shrugged slightly, turning his eyes downwards again. He felt a bit flustered. Well, if Fred was not with Hermione, where WAS he? He suddenly realized that he rather hated not being in speaking terms with his brother. It was ridiculous! They were twins. And, really, conversation with Lee Jordan and their other friends really wasn't the same as plotting with his brother.
"I dunno," he said lightly, in reply to her question. "Just wanted to know where he was, I suppose..."
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He was bored. He could hardly sit through dinner without throwing something at somebody or sabotaging someone's food, but he didn't have the heart to do it without Fred.
Deciding to make some small talk, he said, "What are you up to? All of your usual shadows seemed to have dispersed."

Hermione pushed right past and ignored the question, and instead timidly put her elbows on the long wooden table, and looked downwards.
"George -- I really need to talk to you about something..." She began slowly, as if choosing her words carefully.
She brushed some long hair out of her eyes, and continued to look straight past George, downwards.

George cocked an eyebrow at her, wondering what Hermione could possibly talk to HIM about. He searched his memory. No, nobody ever really came to him or Fred with anything of importance or seriousness.
"Sure," he said, motioning for her to continue, feeling a bit curious despite himself. He reached for his goblet and swirled its contents a bit. "Shoot."

Hermione took a small breath, then folded her hands and frowned slightly, still avoiding his gaze.
How to put this... oh this would be difficult... maybe to just go straight to the point?
Maybe...
"I – need to sort out, how... w-well how this whole... --" She sighed again and rubbed the side of her face, looking at him now.
"You do, KNOW, don't you? About me and Fred?" Her eyebrow raised inquiringly.

George gazed blankly at her.
"Know - about what?" he asked cautiously.
Something odd struck him. "Me and Fred". Since when did Hermione and Fred become - well, "Hermione and Fred". It was almost like saying, say, "Fred and George". Feeling a bit nervous and apprehensive, he narrowed his eyes at her, as if ready to hear and scrutinize whatever would be told to him next.

Hermione's face looked quite painful. "Well, we're – sort of – together..." She muttered, and it trailed into an uneasy grimace. This was going to be very difficult.
Breaking the news to Fred's twin, and then pummeling him with the subject AFTER the first harsh blow? They were in for a talk and a half... and she had told Fred to meet her there!
Bad bad bad.. well – she supposed she would send Fred off politely if he wanted to sit with them. Tell him that they needed to talk, not to worry, and they would see each other lately. Excellent. Perfect.
She was doomed.

The Weasley twin stared at her.
"Together?" he repeated, his voice adopting an incredulous tone.
Hermione. And Fred. Together - it seemed impossible! George knew - Fred had never even shown the most remotest of interests in those of the female race! It was a thing unheard of. Could this be true?
He got to thinking.
Well, Hermione was the only one that he really showed any desire to take to the Ball. He hadn't even given a second thought to Angelina, who in all truth had rather looked forward to going with Fred again. And - huh. The more he thought of it, the more he realized that Fred was acting completely unlike himself and behaving like an arshe lately. What Hermione was telling him could possibly be the last piece to the puzzle that was his brother.
"-Together-?" he said again, but his voice a bit weaker this time as realization sunk in.

A wince passed over Hermione's face, and she bit her lip anxiously with a slight nod.
"I had no idea you didn't know..." She said quietly, then added, "But that's what I wanted to talk to you about..."
Inside, her thoughts were writhing to dig a hole and crawl into it. This was so embarrassing – admitting this to Fred's own twin brother – as if it were illegal or something!
This brought Hermione to another conception. Why was she ashamed to talk about her and Fred? There was nothing to be shy about! But her feelings on the outside of her burning pink face told her that it was an issue.... To talk about this.
Well, it was quite new to her...

George sighed. No, he hadn't known. How could he know, if he and Fred hadn't been speaking? Or did she now know that? Now he looked nervously at Hermione, nodding a bit hesitantly for her to go on.
He still had no idea what she wanted to talk to him about - if it had something to do with - he winced just to think of the concept - Hermione and Fred, he could not see how he could be of any help. Did she want advice? Did she simply want to make sure he wouldn't pronounce war upon them if - since they've become... "together"?
The thought made him depressed. Now he regretted not talking to Fred. It seemed his brother was able to act completely normally and make major decisions by himself, without him. And - well, George couldn't. Well, more accurately, wouldn't.

Hermione took a small breath, then exhaled and folded her hands. This was going to be awkward.
"I want to make sure that me and Fred, is not going to – well, ruin, your relationship with him... because he's still the same, and he is still your twin – just, with, new.... feelings. That's all..."
She paused and realized how stupid she sounded – her, the one who Fred had fallen for, was talking to his TWIN about the relationship.
"And I don't want to be the cause of any troubles... as I already have between Ron and him...."

George cocked an eyebrow at her, a rather weak version of his usual incredulous gesture. Well, at least he wasn't surprised by the fact that Fred and Ron were fighting. He knew that for a while - he thought he heard them having a tussle a while ago, but he stayed clear of them, wanting nothing to do with it.
He thought. Was he going to let Hermione ruin his relationship with Fred? His twin?
"Nah..." he said slowly, shaking his head and even smirking a bit. He averted his eyes to the side, watching the students mulling about. "... It'll take a bit more than you to ruin our- er - relationship. We ARE twins, after all. I..."
He trailed off, for suddenly he caught sight of his brother entering the great hall.
Fred wandered in, temporarily lost in the sea of whispering and tittering students. He nervously shied away from the said students, wondering whatever got them into a tizzy, and looked about for a safe place to sit. That was when he saw the suspicious sight of George and Hermione near the end of the table. He hesitated, wondering anxiously what those two could possibly be talking about. He guessed the answer and definitely did not like it. He made his way over to them, elbowing past a student that seemed to think he was invisible.
"Hullo," he said once he stopped, a yard or two away from where George sat on his side of the table. "What's up?"

Hermione jumped when Fred had spoken, and turned to him with a rather weak smile.
"Nothing... but, erm, could you come back later?" She cast a meaningful nod towards George, hinting something that she HOPED Fred would understand.
"It's just something private, that's all..." She bit her bottom lip again in unease.

Fred gazed at her, feeling a great deal put off. She was sending him away? Like an unwanted visitor? He looked from George to Hermione, now understanding perfectly well what was going on. They were talking about him, and they didn't want him to be there to hear it. And - she chose to speak to his -twin-, no less! He set his jaw - he could only imagine what George thought of the whole ordeal. Undoubtedly he would make his life miserable now.
"Fine," he said quietly, beginning to back away, trying not to sound a bit hurt. "See you later, then."
Then he turned, and began walking away, seeking a place to sit somewhere else, preferably out of earshot.

Hermione winced and nearly called out after Fred – feeling a large amount of guilt weighing down on her chest. Now Fred thought she didn't want to speak to him!
When that was far from the truth!
She sighed and turned back to George, running her hand limply over her cheek and staring at him miserably. "Anyways, I really hope you mean it, because now I need to ask you a favor. A huge, really, really important favor that you cannot mess up." Her eyes turned to pleading as she took a deep breath and folded her hands, then put them up near her chin.

George half-rose from his seat as he watched Fred go, having half a mind to go after him. But, he realized that he really didn't have any idea what to say. He was still a bit confused over the whole situation himself, and he decided that Fred was mature enough - he almost laughed at himself - to figure out things himself without having a tizzy. So he sat back down, looking at Hermione with a slightly flustered expression.
"... What is it?" he asked warily, wondering what on earth she would want him to do.
He didn't even have the heart to make some sort of smart come-back about "messing it up". So instead he convinced himself to remain serious for the moment.

Hermione bit her lip uncertainly, then looked straight at him.
"I need you to not laugh, mock, jaunt, jeer, annoy, or tease Fred about this." Her voice was pleading, and her eyes really looked it. "If you do, it'll be terribly awkward, and embarrassing to the both of us, considering – we're... new to it and all...so, c-could you? Not, I mean?"

Believing he had heard wrong, it took George quite a few heartbeats to react.
She wanted him not to tease his brother?
He gaped at her. Could that possibly be right?
"You... do not want me to pester Fred about this?" he asked, his tone low and laced with disbelief. "Hermione, I - do you realize..." he trailed off, thinking of the possibilities. "Hermione - what you are asking... you might as well be asking the sun not to shine. The - rain not to fall the... nifflers not to niff."
That last sentence didn't really make sense, but it fit, so he used it regardless. He ran a hand nervously through his hair and shot a look in the direction of his retreating brother, torn.

"I don't mean on EVERYTHING..." Hermione added hastily, eyes widening. "Just on this subject – for awhile, you know? Maybe just for the first week while everything... kind of, sorts out... while – well, while he's getting used to it." She paused and realized that sentence could easily explain her feelings too, for –she– was getting used to this whole new relationship thing as well. The brown haired girl decided to state it simply. "Can you just not tease him about me and him being together for at least the first week so we can get used to it without being embarrassed?" The sentence slipped out of her mouth so fast, she would've thought she'd taken a Babbling Beverage. Boy did she sound ridiculous, and probably even more so to George.

The twin let out a long, drawn-out sigh. He looked down at his hands, anxiously drumming his fingers against the edge of the table. The thing was, he and Fred didn't normally waste their teasing powers upon each other. He probably would not have said anything anyway - or, at least, nothing drastic - if Hermione did not ask him. But he didn't know what he thought about this, being given a specific request for good behavior. If it were anyone else asking him this, chances were he would have outright refused and turned around to make Fred's life miserable. But as it was, he had a good deal of respect for Hermione - even if he did not maybe look at her the same way his brother did - and so was able to consent.
"Alright," he said with a reluctant nod, narrowing his eyes a bit at her. "I suppose I can hold off teasing him for a while. It will be difficult, but I think I can manage..."

Hermione let out a sigh of relieve a tad smaller than George's, and smiled rather weakly.
"Thank you so much..." She said, smiling at him in a rather smirkish way. "That will make things, so much easier..."
She slowly got out from behind the bench under the table, and slung her bag around her shoulder. "Oh I cannot thank you enough, George... thank-you thank-you thank-you..." With a grin, she turned and sped down the tables, looking around eagerly for Fred.

George watched Hermione scamper away with an amused grin, wondering how on earth he would be able to resist the temptation and keep his promise after all of this hullabaloo. He shook his head and turned back to his meal, planning to go corner Fred later that night after she was done with him.

Meanwhile, the other Weasley twin was sitting at on the other side of the table, eating - or, well, more accurately picking at his food and turning over the many events of the day, occasionally sending uneasy looks in Hermione and George's direction. He could just see them around the heads of the other Gryffindor students.
After a few minutes he wasn't so ruffled any more, but was still overtly suspicious and anxious. He definitely did not like the thought of being spoken of behind his back - or, well, blatantly right in front of him without knowing what was being said.
He was glancing that way when he saw Hermione leave, and begin looking for him. He placed down his fork and leaned back a bit, wondering whether to wave her over or just let her find him to make things a bit more difficult. He decided on the latter.

With a small sigh, Hermione continued to peer around the great hall, and when she saw the slightly hunched orange haired figure, walked slowly over to him, head cocked to the side uncertainly. Exactly WHAT did Fred suspect of George and Hermione... and what was he worried about? Surely he knew that this was coming? That if they were to get into a relationship, questions and catches would apply?
She sat down opposite him and cautiously set her bag on the seat, before pulling a dish towards her and staring at him. "Something the matter, Fred?"

Fred lifted his eyes to her, raising his eyebrows a bit at her expression. He thought over his reply. Was something the matter? No, not really, except for the fact that he did not like Hermione going to talk to his brother - well, about him - or them - at least. He tried to look at it from Hermione's point of view - he must be looking childish. Nothing new, to be sure. What if he went to Harry and asked him the same she must have asked George? Would she feel all annoyed or embarrassed? Probably not.
"No," he said cautiously. He glanced in George's direction. "I suppose not. Eh - what were you two talking about, anyway?"

Hermione grimaced and picked up her fork, eyes darting to some rude whispering students behind Fred, and back.
"What were we... ? -- Well, I kind of needed to just ask George a favor, that's all... It was nothing too -- well... " She paused and thought how best to phrase this -- she didn't want Fred taking offense at anything, or taking anything the wrong way. Certainly not.
"It wasn't anything that you need to be worried about..." She said softly, playing with her food a bit and stirring her fork around.

Fred gazed at her with a disbelieving look, but decided not to pursue the matter - if he had to, he could weasel it out of George later. Besides, he didn't exactly look forward to having an argument with Hermione so soon, and he supposed he trusted her enough not to have made a fool of him in front of his brother.
"Alright," he said with a sigh.
He too heard the rude students behind him, and at the moment it was not reacting well with his already frayed nerves. He turned around in his seat to glare at them.
"Whatever got them all into a tizzy?" he demanded to no one in particular, but probably Hermione, since she was the one he had been conversing with anyway.

Hermione grimaced. "I don't know, but according to all the whispers and points in our direction -- it's about us."
She really didn't know how to take this -- for being in this situation of a relationship, and then the fear of people teasing her, she had never known. This was her first -- and probably Fred's first as well.
But what if they DID know about the kiss?
Was that the cause of all the whispering?
What should she do? Bring it up with Fred? Or wait for him to respond?
She decided on the latter.

"Us?" Fred repeated, straightening once more and turning his back on the whisperers to look at her with a slightly scandalized look. "Why on earth would they be talking about us?"
His thoughts were running along the same lines as Hermione's. DID they know? How did they know, if the did? Had anyone been watching them? If so, who?
His first thought was to turn around and toss the nearest bunch of twits across the table, but not everything could be settled with violence or intimidation - he had to admit it.

Hermione bit her lip again and rested her cheek on her upstanding hand, still stirring her food uneasily.
"Well I would think THAT'S a little obvious Fred.... It would be nice --" She added loudly to the kids behind Fred, scowling at them. " -- if you took a photograph. Then it might last longer."

Fred couldn't help but smirk - it was always worth his while to see Hermione in a fluster, though he did sympathize with her - as he was one of the victims to the "innocent titters".
"You know," he said thoughtfully, stabbing a piece of meat on his fork. "It's what they want - they'll probably get bored after a while if you don't give them reason to make our lives miserable. Besides --" he chuckled. "--if all goes well, they'll be able to talk about another couple soon. A toad and a snake should be more interesting than us, eh?"

This did seem to brighten Hermione's mood slightly, as she smiled and took a small bite of her food.
"I suppose..." She agreed quietly, swallowing and taking a sip of her goblet.
"But we need to get the ingredients soon... -- maybe I'll ask Harry to borrow his cloak today so we can sneak in and get Most Potente Potions.... I wonder where he is?"
Craning her neck up to look in the hall, Hermione discovered no Harry, but only more eager eyes and snickering whispers ahead.
She slunk back down and stirred her food miserably again.

"I don't know," Fred said, also taking a quick look about him. "He and Ron were up in the common room before, I think. Plotting something no doubt..."
He didn't like seeing Hermione being made so miserable by the tittering and yammering students. He wondered whether it would be worth it, making a scene - probably not. It would only bring more attention to themselves, and would only egg them on in the end. Also it would be admitting that their gossip had merit - and though he wasn't denying anything, it wouldn't do for the whole school to have a hay-day on his and Hermione's behalf. No, he would have to wait to have his revenge. But when the time came, it would be well worth it, he assured himself.
"But, yeah," he said, brightening. "You should ask him. Couldn't hurt, hmm?"

Hermione returned with a nod, and blew some air out of her mouth slowly, head still rested on her upstanding hand.
At that moment, two heads entered the bustle and buzz of the great hall and its many twinkling candles up above.
A slightly taller red-head and a jet black head... though Hermione did not notice, for her brown eyes were trailing unhappily over her plate of food – which she had suddenly lost all appetite for, in the process of hearing the phrase, "I know, I can't believe he kissed her either! I mean, who on earth would fall for someone like HER?" from her right, and from directly behind her, "I thought they hated each other! And since when did Fred like studying?"
Hermione had half a mind to turn right around and tell all the idiots behind her to shut their gobs about it – for it really wasn't their right to go nosing about - but Fred and Hermione's own personal business, yet decided it was better not to.
She and Fred needed all the privacy they could get at the moment.
Ron and Harry made their way through the hundreds of students and the crammed bodies around the tables, all scavenging for food, and sat themselves a few large people down from Hermione.

Fred wondered if it was possible to remain oblivious to the comments for so long, as they were becoming brasher and brasher. He wondered if he would be able to pull of walking down the aisle, pushing every student as he went down the rows into their food, claiming it was an accident. Just as he was contemplating the pros and cons of this endeavor, Fred saw Ron and Harry approaching, and gestured towards them for Hermione's benefit.
"Speaking of the devils..." he smiled. "Well, I suppose I now how Harry feels now, eh? He's always having things whispered about him."

Hermione gave Fred a wry smile, then, as if just realizing they had actually entered, jumped up to her feet. After giving one of the particularly loud students a glare, (she wasn't about to push them like Fred certainly would), walked over to Harry and tapped him on the shoulder.
Almost immediately, Harry looked up, astonished, then raised his eyebrows at Ron, who scooted aside so Hermione could fit in between them.
She did this, and after sighing slightly, turned to Harry, trying to ignore the whispers.
There were a few moments as Ron eagerly listened, trying to catch what Hermione was muttering to Harry, and after he had nearly fallen off the seat – realized that Hermione had stopped whispering.
Harry did not even bat an eye. "Er, sure Hermione." He said blankly, and Ron took a bite of his mashed potatoes silently. "When d'you need it?"
"How soon can I get it?" she replied quickly.
Harry grimaced, and nearly laughed at Hermione's eagerness. "Tonight, I guess."
"Alright!" Hermione said brightly, too cheerful to notice that Ron was rolling his eyes.
"Yea, why don't you go tell your boyfriend Fred..." He muttered, just quietly enough as Hermione rushed back over to Fred.