AN: Updated version of chapter four with just a few changes to Hermione's behavior. Enjoy
Chapter Four: Spill My Lovelies
Everything was ready to go the next morning. I had downloaded the picture onto my Kindle so that I could show Fred and George. It was of a beautiful young woman in a pink traditional Indian dress. She had long black hair that flowed to her waist. Her smile was perfect, and she was going to win over Fred without a doubt. In the Great Hall, I sat by Luna. She was smiling more than she usually did which added to my giddiness. She raised an eyebrow at me to silently ask if I was set to do this. I gave her the smallest of nods because Ginny was now watching us. Hopefully she wasn't about to get suspicious. Merlin knows she was nosy, but we all loved her anyway.
To ease the tension around the table with Ginny, I slip into a conversation with Harry and Ron. Of course, because it was them, it was about Quidditch again. It's all they ever talk about. Apparentlythe first game of the season was going to be on Saturday, and it was Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The way Harry and Ron spoke of the match made it sound like it was going to be some epic battle between two countries that had been in war for the past century. Which, to be honest, was exactly what the hostility between the two Hogwarts' houses was like. We fought like it was a war. Even after the actual war, people still didn't approve of the Slytherins. Most of us thought of them as Death Eaters. I had to admit that even I didn't change my opinion of them very much. Yes, there had been a few Slytherins that had changed, and it was evident that they had. The ones that did were nice to all houses, no longer bullied first years, and stood up against the Slytherins that hadn't changed.
"Hermione, are you coming to this game? Please, pretty please with a cherry on top," Ron begged.
"Yeah, Mione. Come watches us cream the snakes," Harry joined in.
"I'll think about it," I say mostly so I don't upset Harry,
I hadn't been to a game since our the beginning of sixth year. I was lying to myself when I had said I didn't get why people enjoyed Quidditch. If I was going to be truthful, I did like Quidditch. Not playing, but watching. I knew a lot of plays from listening to the boys, but I was terrified of heights so I stayed away from the game. If Ginny, Ron, Harry, Fred and George knew that I enjoyed the game they would have tried to force me into playing, and I couldn't stand the thought of that. I was literally scared out of my wits of flying. I didn't want to hear the laughter of my friends when they found out. Sure, they were nice and loving, and it would have just been light teasing, but it was just easier to avoid the whole situation by not involving myself in Quidditch at all.
"Great, Mione. We would love to have you at the game," Harry says.
"Yup," I hum.
I go back to eating my breakfast of eggs and toast. Within minutes, I am done eating. I gather my bag from the floor, wave goodbye, and walk out of the Great Hall. I make it about ten steps before an arm is tugging at my sleeve, dragging me into an empty room. I turn around to snap at whoever it is, but stop when I see that it is just Ginny. Shit!
I take in a deep breath before sighing, "Yes?"
"What was that back there? You're up to something, Hermione. I can tell. It's why you haven't been sleeping. You've been acting weird lately. These past few days there has been a glint of amusement in your eyes. It's different, but I like it. It makes you appear so much more alive. What is making you happy, Hermione? Is it a guy? Surely Ron hasn't done something to make you this cheerful. I love Ron, but boy can he be an arse of a boyfriend." Ginny said all in one gush, changing her tone of voice in every sentence, demanding to be buoyant to distaste. She was like a roller coaster.
"It's nothing. I am fine, and you're right; it isn't Ron," I say, hoping she will leave the subject at that.
No such luck.
"First off, Hermione, you are a terrible liar. Second off, tell me what this is about, or I will find out on my own."
Bad liar, as if. If I was so bad at lying I wouldn't be able to trick Fred into believing he was dating a girl from India. I was half an hour away from achieving victory. By victory I mean setting Fred up with an imaginary, yet not imaginary, girl. I could definitely lie. Just not to Ginny.
"Fine," I sighed in defeat after a bit of thought. "I'll tell you...if you promise to keep it a secret."
"I'm your best friend. Of course I will keep it a secret. Now spill your heart out."
"I don't feel like spilling my heart out, Gin. I might die if I do that, but I will tell you what is going on."
"Good," she nods, grinning like a fool.
Let's just see if she can stop grinning after I tell her just exactly what I have up my sleeve.
"I'm pranking your brother."
"Ron...why?"
"No, Fred."
"What!"
"Um...yeah."
"What possessed you to do that, and how?"
"I'm tired of being a boring bookworm. This is my last year to live and be free as a teenager before I am going to be thrown into real life. I don't want to waste away the year hidden behind a book."
"Oh...that's...well...um...brilliant, Hermione."
"Seriously?"
"Yes. You need to be a teenager for once. If messing with my older brother is how you are going to do it, fine. Now just tell me, how do you plan on pranking the most popular, not to mention greatest prankster, of Hogwarts?"
"I have a pen pal from India named Anna. She sent me an email, and I let Professor Burbage read it to our Muggle Studies class. That's when Fred started asking all these stupid questions about Anna. He wanted to know if she was hot, and if he could have her 'digits.'"
"That's so Fred. Hitting on a chick before he even sees her," Ginny was already unable to stop grinning.
"I know," I nodded.
"Okay, so go on. How does this play in with pranking him?"
"I am go-" I was cut off by the squeal that erupted from Ginny's direction.
"You're going to make Fred think he is dating Anna!"
"Gosh, Gin, you are good. No wonder you always know every single piece of gossip going around this school. You guess it, and you're correct every time. I hate that, but I had a strange unexplainable respect towards you because of it."
"Thank you," she giggled proudly.
I laughed, causing her to laugh louder. Wow, I had been a nonstop laughing machine for the past three days. I loved it. Maybe that was why the twins laughed so much. It put you in such a high, everything was light and feathery, and nothing could make you sad when you laughed this much. It truly was its own magic.
"Time to tell me everything that has already happened."
I told her everything, just like she asked. I told her about Fred's reactions, my crazy late night laughter, Anna, how Luna was in on it. When I was done explaining everything she asked to see the picture we had picked. She approved. Ginny then made me promise not to take it too far and hurt Fred.
Luckily no one was around when we exited. I waved her goodbye and rushed off to Muggle Studies. Nobody was in the room besides George and a few third year Ravenclaws. When George noticed me he strolled over to my table.
"Bet you didn't get that picture."
"Doubting my abilities, George? Well, you're wrong. I got it," I say this all with a smirk that could rival Malfoy's.
"No way! Let me see it. Is she hot?"
I just laugh and take my Kindle out of my bag. I scroll through the carousel of apps until I get to my photos. I tap the screen, and the picture we had picked out pops up. I hand over the Kindle to George. I watch in utter amusement as his jaw drops.
"Ohhh," he exclaims. "She is bloody hot. Fred has got to see this."
A second later my Kindle has found its way back into my hands, and my hands have found themselves in George's as he pulls me out into the hall. The corridor is now very crowded as students make their way to classes that are about to start. With my short demeanor I cannot see over the sea of heads to find Fred. George pulls me in another direction. I stumble after him and end up bumping into someone. I look up to apologize to whoever it is. To my surprise it is Fred Weasley himself. How I missed him with his height I don't know. I had always known that he was tall, but I had never really thought about it. I noticed now that I barely reached his shoulder.
"Oops! Sorry," I say while taking a step back.
"Fred, you gotta see this chick. She is so hot," George draws out the word 'so,' and pushes me towards Fred.
I blush because of how close we are standing. Fred has his arm around my waist to catch be from falling back. He looks down at me, and I am lost in his brown eyes. The flecks of gold in them made his eyes alluring. After a second I snap out of it and direct my gaze to just past us where I can see Lee Jordan. I risk another glance at Fred. He is still staring into my chocolate brown eyes. I blush an even deeper shade of pink. We are abruptly thrown apart when someone in the corridor jostles into us to my relief.
Still blushing, I nevertheless hand him the Kindle. Fred studies the picture with his jaw dropped open in shock. Who would've known that pretty women could do this to men? Life was about as hilarious as it could get right now. His face was priceless. I had never seen, much less heard of a speechless Weasley twin. Yet here one was, standing right before my laughing eyes. Fred's jaw opened and closed as he fumbled to find words. I mentally thrust my fist into the air in silent victory. There was no way he could say no to dating her. I had won.
"Lee, get over here. You have to see this chick. She's Hermione's pen pal."
Fred drags us into the classroom. He takes the Kindle to his desk and stares at the girl in the picture. A signature Weasley grin is forming on his face. I am giggling like crazy at our desk. Fred has me show off the picture to the other boys in the class. A group of ten boys surround me and Fred, gaping at the picture. Someone in the crowd asks if she is a model. I brush off the question as if I didn't hear it. No need to devil into the details.
"So, Fred, will you be her boyfriend?"
"Let me see the picture of her again."
I chuckle and hand the Kindle back to him.
"Does she have a Facebook yet?"
"I don't think so."
"Well, she has to make one that way I can messenger her."
"But you'll date her if she does?"
"Sure," he shrugs, running a hand through his long red hair.
"Great. Anna should be pleased." I smile pleasantly at them, but in my mind I am smirking in a very evil Slytherin way.
"Can I see the picture again, Hermione?"
"Sure thing," I say, passing the Kindle back to him.
"Fred Weasley, stop staring at that damned picture of the Indian girl," Professor Burbage snapped from behind us.
I jumped. She wasn't even being cruel. You could hear it in her tone that she was just joking around. Honestly though, I got her point. Fred was obsessing over this picture like I was obsessing over this prank.
"But she wants to be my girlfriend," Fred whined to her.
"No, she wants to be my girlfriend because it is clear to all eyes that I am the better looking twin," George piped up, popping up from behind Fred.
Professor Burbage turned to me. I panicked. This was the end of the prank. She was going to bust me. She knew it was all a hoax. How do I get out of this? I had never been more scared in my life. Well, I guess I had during the war, but this was a different kind of terror. This wasn't the fear of dying at any given moment, or losing one of my loved ones in a blink of the eye. No. This was the fear of losing the giddiness and excitement I had never felt before. I wanted to hold onto it so bad. 'Please turn away', I silently begged the professor.
"You said that I could tell Anna anything, right?"
"Yes, I believe so," I stammered, a blush flushing my cheeks.
"Run, run, run. She better run as far as she can if George wants her."
I laugh in both relief and amusement. This was why Professor Burbage was one of my favorite teacher. She was strict, didn't take shit from anyone, and she had a great sense of humor. Around me the class erupted in laughter. One laugh stood out among the others. Luna's. Her laughter that resembled bells chiming could be heard the loudest over all the others. Of course she was the only one in the room that knew what was truly happening. I sent her a wink before sinking into my chair.
I was grinning for the rest of class. I was more content doing my work know that I had ever been, and I was even more involved in the class discuss than usual…if possible.
When the bell rang I was the first out, along with Luna. We found Ginny waiting in the corridor for us. She pulled us into the empty classroom that Luna and I had been in yesterday. We all looked at each other with smirks, eyes dancing with amusement.
"Spill my lovelies."