Hermione read the statement several times:
The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
She glanced around anticipation building. When nothing happened, she turned to Tonks with a puzzled expression.
"Do I need my wand or something?" she asked.
"Nah," Tonks said. "Just think about it really hard and then find it."
Hermione did as she was told and started looking for a row house with twelve on it. Then she realised there was no number twelve—the addresses went from eleven to thirteen.
As soon as that specific thought crossed her mind, a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen. Hermione's jaw dropped as dirty walls and filthy windows followed the door. It was like an entire house had materialised from thin air between the other two. The whole landscape of the street was changing to accommodate this new addition.
Even after it stopped expanding, Hermione could barely believe her eyes. Five years of magical instruction could never have prepared her to watch a house basically be birthed into the quiet street.
Tonks chuckled at Hermione's face. "It never gets old, believe me."
"I can imagine."
"Right, so shall we go in?"
Hermione nodded and followed the Metamorphmagus up the worn steps to the shabby front door. On the door was a silver knocker in the shape of a twisted serpent, but it had no keyhole, handle, or anything else that would indicate it to be a door. Nonetheless, the door swung open as they approached.
The front door opened, and Hermione was immediately hit with a damp, rotting smell that burned her nose. She held her breath as they entered a long hallway lit with gas lamps and a large overhead chandelier. The hallway, once a grand entryway with ornate portraits lining the walls, was now filled with cobwebs and peeling wallpaper. The worn carpet beneath her feet did nothing to silence the creaking floorboards underfoot. Much of the decor in the entry hall was in the form of serpents, and the walls were covered with ornate portraits of very irritable and cranky wizards and witches.
Curiously, the most prominent portrait on the wall was covered with a large black tarp or curtain. Hermione jumped at a loud crashing noise as they passed the covered picture. Her head snapped to her right where Tonks should have been. Instead, Tonks was on the floor, tangled with a large umbrella stand that looked suspiciously like a severed troll's leg.
Hermione bent down to help Tonks but froze when she saw the witch's wide-eyed fear. As if in slow motion, Hermione followed Tonks' gaze to the covered portrait, only the picture wasn't covered anymore. The curtain was ripped aside when the first screams pierced the mouldy air.
Then chaos descended.
A shrill, piercing voice from the portrait echoed through the hallway. "FILTHY MUDBLOOD! DISGUSTING BLOOD TRAITOR SYMPATHISER! SCOURGE OF THE EARTH!"
"Shut it, you old hag!" Ron's voice magically floated through the screeching.
"YOU'RE POLLUTING THIS SACRED PLACE WITH YOUR PRESENCE! AND YOU! YOU BLOOD TRAITOR! ALLOWING THIS FILTH, THIS TRASH IN MY HOUSE!"
"Can someone help me get the old codger covered up?" Ron emerged from a doorway off the hallway to the left, immediately grabbing the tarp. "Hi, 'Moine," he said with a silly grin. "Quite the welcome, eh?"
"MUDBLOODS ARE NOTHING BUT SCUM, DILUTING THE NOBLE LINEAGE OF WIZARDS!"
Another flash of red hair appeared in the doorway—Fred and George had arrived.
"Welcome to the Ritz," George said (at least Hermione thought it was George) with a bow before trying to help Ron with the curtain.
"YOU'RE ALL A STAIN ON THE MAGICAL WORLD!"
"All right, Tonks?" Fred said, helping her to her feet (or was it George?).
"Hermione! You're here!" Ginny seemed to materialise out of nowhere, pulling Hermione into a tight hug.
"WHAT IS THIS DISGRACE DOING IN MY NOBLE HOUSE?!"
"We weren't sure when you were coming!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Oi! I said shut it!" Ron yelled, wrestling with the curtain.
"What's going on in here?!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, bustling into the hallway. "Oh, Hermione dear! Welcome, welcome!"
"Uh, hi, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, finally able to mutter some words.
"Don't mind Mrs. Black," Mrs. Weasley continued.
"DISGUSTING BLOOD TRAITOR! WORST OF THEM ALL!"
"She's just a little grumpy," George said, pulling the curtain with so much force that his body nearly paralleled the floor. "Not sure if you could tell."
"Here, let me help!" Tonks said, finally disentangled from the umbrella stand.
"No, please don't!" Mrs. Weasley pleaded.
"MUGGLE-LOVING MATRIARCH OF A BROOD OF BLOOD TRAITORS. WHAT A PITIFUL LEGACY!"
"Mrs. Black?" Hermione asked.
"My mother," said a voice from above. At the end of the hallway, Sirius Black was descending a grand staircase, his presence commanding attention.
"THE SHAME OF THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! MY SON! A DISGRACE TO THE ANCESTORS AND—"
Suddenly, silence fell like a heavy curtain. Hermione's ears rang in the abrupt absence of the cacophony that had just surrounded her. Ron and George (she was 95% sure it was George) finally managed to close the curtains. The group collectively took a deep breath.
Fred was the first to break the silence. "Mrs. Black must have been the life of the party back in her day. 'Hey, everyone, gather 'round! Let's insult each other's blood status until the sun comes up!'" he quipped.
"A real charmer, that one," George chuckled.
"Fred! George! Now is not the time," Mrs. Weasley scolded. "Hermione must be so overwhelmed right now!"
"Just trying to diffuse the tension," George muttered. Fred snickered.
"Let's get you into the kitchen, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.
Hermione tried to shake off the overwhelming whirlwind of her arrival as she allowed herself to be ushered towards a door at the far end of the entry hall—a set of narrow stone stairs led to the basement and the house's kitchen. Though less ornate than the floor above, the kitchen was a large, cavernous room dominated by a massive fireplace at the far end. Iron pots and pans hung from the ceiling above, and a long wooden table sat in the centre of the room, large enough to fit a couple dozen people around it for a meal. It could still be described as "gloomy," but Mrs Weasley brought an instant warmth into the large room.
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and looked around at her found family. Despite the chaotic house that appeared out of nowhere with a screaming picture and snakes everywhere, she felt a sense of home.
"Sorry about that, love," Mrs. Weasley said, giving Hermione a matronly pat as she walked past her towards the stove. "It's so nice to see you. How's your holiday been?"
"Better, now that I am here," Hermione grinned.
Ron plopped himself down at the large table across from Hermione, his excitement palpable. "Did you get to go to that arcade place while you were home?"
"No, I didn't really have time," Hermione said with a smile as she remembered their adventures to the Lavenham arcade last summer. Ron gave his father a run for his money with how incredibly giddy he was to see the lights and sounds of an arcade.
"Maybe there's one in London," Ron said excitedly. "We could look tomorrow."
"I'm gonna guess there are arcades in London," Ginny's sarcastic voice came from beside Hermione. She looked over with a grin and saw her other best friend, Ginny. "London has a bit more than Ottery St. Catchpole, Ronald."
"Yeah, yeah," Ron said, tossing a dinner roll at his sister. "Wait, give me that back. I'm hungry."
"I'm making supper!" Mrs. Weasley called over her shoulder.
"I'll ea' tha' too, don' 'orry," Ron said with his mouth full of bread. Hermione was so happy that things were finally back to normal (albeit the usual chaotic normal of the Weasley family).
"Sorry again about that umbrella stand," Tonks said. Hermione looked up and saw Tonks and Sirius walk through the kitchen door. "I don't know why I seem to fall over it so much," Tonks continued.
"It's fine," Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. Hermione noticed Harry's godfather looked healthier than when they broke him out of Hogwarts in their third year, though the shadows under his eyes hinted at lingering exhaustion. "Hopefully, one of these times, you'll break the damn thing, and we can get rid of it." Sirius looked at Hermione and smiled. "Now for a proper hello! Hermione, welcome to my childhood home. Please make yourself as comfortable as possible in this hell hole, and let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you, Mr. Black," Hermione said.
"Oh no," Sirius said. "Just Sirius. Please."
"Thank you, Sirius."
The Weasley chaos filled the kitchen with laughter and chatter while Mrs. Weasley busied herself with supper. The twins flittered in and out of the basement kitchen. Hermione noticed them nicking things here and there. Tonks and Sirius continued to talk on one side of the table while she, Ginny, and Ron caught up on the other.
"When did you all get here?" Hermione asked.
"Only a few days ago," Ron said. "It took a few days for them to prepare this place for Headquarters." Ron looked around. "Well, ready in terms of safety, not cleanliness, obviously."
"Right, that gets shafted to us," Ginny said with a scowl.
"What do you mean?"
"Every day, Mum has a new project for us to clean," Ginny said.
"It's torture," Ron said. "That's why I think we should go looking for an arcade. We can't clean if we aren't here."
"Like Mum would let us leave headquarters to wander around London," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"You never know," Ron said. "Now that 'Mione is here, she may let us."
"What do I have to do with it?" Hermione asked.
"All Ron has been talking about is how good you are at magic," Ginny explained with a wink. "And that you could probably cast the same kinds of spells Dumbledore did on this place. 'Oi, I bet 'Mione could do that one.' 'She could do that one too!'"
Ron shrugged. "It's true. Everyone says He Who Must Not Be Named is scared of Dumbledore, but that's because he hasn't met Hermione yet."
A warm flush crept up Hermione's face, turning her cheeks bright red. She was having flashbacks of Viktor's flirting all of a sudden. Ron was usually a bit more subtle. She glanced back at Ginny, who wore a goofy grin, and Hermione knew she'd be hearing more about this later.
"Speaking of Dumbledore, I haven't told you both yet," Hermione said, successfully changing the subject. "I got a letter from him while I was home, and it was really unsettling." She proceeded to tell them about the incident. "Honestly, I was kind of afraid to do anything in my room after that."
"Yeah, I would be changing in the loo if I were you," Ginny agreed.
"That's mental," Ron whistled. "I wonder how he knew."
"I don't know, but it was weird," Hermione said. "Have you heard from Harry?"
"No, not yet," Ron said. "And I don't think Sirius has either. We should probably write him, yeah?"
"After that letter, I technically can't," Hermione said. "But maybe you can?"
"Yeah, I'll give it a go after dinner," Ron said. "Unless you want to send him one of your love letters, Gin."
"Shut it," Ginny said.
Hermione was surprised Ginny didn't get angrier at Ron's teasing but was glad it wouldn't be an issue this year. The three friends continued to catch up until Mrs. Weasley announced it was time to eat. There was a loud crack, and Hermione nearly fell off her chair. The twins had appeared right next to Mrs. Weasley.
"Need any help, Mum?" said Fred.
"Because we're at your service," said George.
"Just because you can apparate doesn't mean you have to apparate all the time," Mrs. Weasley said. "Now, set the table."
The twins pulled out their wands, and with a few swishes, plates and pots of food zoomed through the air. Hermione flinched, trying to dodge the flying dishes, but both Ron and Ginny remained unfazed.
"You get used to it after a while," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
As the last plate was set, Mr. Weasley walked through the door. He gave Mrs Weasley a quick peck on the cheek before embracing Hermione in a big hug. "Hermione, so glad to see you!"
"Likewise, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said.
Tonks slid down to make room for Mr. Weasley, which moved her closer to Hermione, Ginny, and Ron.
"Wotcher, Hermione," Tonks said. "Sorry about before. I should have warned you about Mrs. Black."
"It's ok," Hermione said. "So, tell me about yourself! I've never met a Metamorphmagus before! It's fascinating!"
"Sure," Tonks said. "But I'm not that special. Believe me. I was just born this way. That's all. I could change my appearance as a baby, even. Freaked my parents out, that's for sure."
"Oh, I bet," Hermione said. "Are your parents Metamorphmagi as well? Is it genetic?"
Tonks tilted her head in amusement. "No one has ever asked me that, actually," she said. "Good question. No, neither of my parents is a Metamorphmagus. My dad is a Muggle, so unless he had some secret magical sect of his family we didn't know about, he didn't pass it along to me. My mum is a pure-blood witch, but we aren't sure if any of her relatives have it in their blood."
"That's fascinating," Hermione said. She felt as though she needed to write this down. "Can people evolve into Metamorphmagi?"
"Not without help from a wand or spell," Tonks explained. "It really came in handy during school. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all. It was great."
"Oh, so you're an Auror! Is that how you know Finnegan and Keelin?" Hermione asked.
"Yep, you got it!"
"Oh, guess what! Tonks was a seventh year when we were first years," Ron said.
"Really!" gasped Hermione.
"Oh yeah," Tonks grinned. "I remember hearing about you, Ron, and Harry with that troll in the dungeon and then again when you broke into the third-floor corridor. You three have quite the reputation."
"Still do," Ginny said with a grin.
"What house were you in?" Hermione asked, trying to place her.
"Hufflepuff," Tonks replied. "I think I rocked the yellow and black hair for most of that last year at Hogwarts."
Hermione could finally vaguely recall seeing Tonks at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall and being shocked at her unnatural hair. "Now that you mention it, I think I remember you now!"
"I also enjoyed transforming into teachers every now and then," Tonks smiled and went to take a drink of her water. Her hand missed the glass, sending its contents flying across the table towards Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh no, I am so sorry!" Tonks said, standing up abruptly and knocking over her chair.
"It's no worry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said in a tight voice.
Ginny's eyes sparkled with amusement as she leaned over and whispered, "Tonks is… clumsy, to say the least. Mum can't stand it. It's hysterical to watch."
"Is Tonks here often?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, pretty much every night," Ginny said. "I reckon she comes so much because she wants to see Lupin."
"Professor Lupin? Why?"
"She fancies him," Ginny said. "Just wait to see how clumsy she gets around him. Mum usually has to leave the room whenever Lupin comes over."
"Is Professor Lupin part of the Order?" Hermione asked, leaning in to make sure she caught every word.
"Yeah," Ginny answered.
"Who else?" Hermione figured she could take advantage of Tonks creating a ruckus to learn more about her new home for the summer and what kind of visitors she should expect.
"Well, there are loads of people, but not everyone comes here. Dumbledore, obviously," Ginny said. "The ones we know are Lupin, Sirius, Tonks, Mum, Dad, Charlie, and Bill. Then you have some undercover Ministry folk: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, and Sturgis Podmore. And finally, I think pretty much all of the Hogwarts professors are members: McGonagall, Flitwick, Hagrid, Snape-"
"Snape!?" Hermione gasped. "You're joking."
"That was the same reaction we had when the greasy git showed up," Ron added, taking another bite of roast.
"Why would Dumbledore-"
As soon as the name was out of Hermione's mouth, a flash of purple caught her eye at the doorway.
"Good evening," Albus Dumbledore said, striding into the kitchen. Everyone around the table rose to greet him. "No, no, please. Enjoy your food. I am just early for the meeting. Ah, Miss Granger! So glad you made it here safely."
Hermione nodded politely, but, truth be told, she felt very uneasy to be in the headmaster's presence.
"Let me make you a plate, Albus," Mrs. Weasley said, getting up and turning toward the stove.
"No bother, Molly," the headmaster said. "I took advantage of being in the city and treated myself to some delicious curry takeaway from a little Indian place down the road. I will take an empty plate, however."
Mrs Weasley looked slightly offended that Dumbledore had gone out of his way to get takeaway but had got him an empty plate. The delicious smell of curry filled the kitchen as Professor Dumbledore dumped the contents of his food onto the silver serpent plates and talked in hushed tones with Sirius, Mr Weasley, and Tonks at the far side of the table.
After they were all finished, Hermione and Ginny helped clear the table. Out of habit, Hermione went to the sink and grabbed a dishrag to start washing the dishes.
"What are you doing?" Ginny said, her eyes widening.
"Starting to wash the dishes, why?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Hermione," Ginny said with a grin, "we're witches. One swish of Mum's wand and all of these will be sparkling."
"Sorry, sometimes I forget," Hermione said, blushing slightly.
"Pardon me," Dumbledore said from behind the pair, causing Hermione to startle. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you both and Mr. Weasley."
Hermione nodded and followed Ginny and Dumbledore up the stairs and into the drawing room. The drawing room was at one time exquisite, with large windows overlooking the street in front of the house, a large fireplace flanked by two ornate glass-fronted cabinets, and an entire wall covered with a tapestry of the Black family tree. Ron was already there, having gone to the twins' room right after dinner.
Hermione felt her pulse quicken and looked around nervously at Ron and Ginny. They seemed as confused as she was, though not nearly as uneasy. There was just something she couldn't shake about that letter. It was invasive and put her on guard around the Headmaster.
"Thank you all for indulging me and my need for a brief word. As Miss Granger has probably already told you, I have asked her not to reach out to Harry at this time. I'd like to extend that request to you, Mr. Weasley, and you, Miss Weasley, and reiterate it for you, Miss Granger. I am aware of how this request may sound, but I must insist that you all adhere to it for Harry's safety. He cannot know what is happening in the Wizarding World, and he cannot know about the Order."
"But why?" Hermione blurted out.
"As I said in my letter, Miss Granger, you are going to have to trust my judgment on this," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye that made Hermione shiver.
"But he is all alone," Ginny blurted out and then seemed to remember who she was speaking to.
Hermione nodded along stubbornly and continued on Ginny's behalf. "All alone with his uncle and aunt, who we all know are ghastly. All alone after watching his mortal enemy rise from the dead and his classmate take his place!" Hermione's voice had risen so much it rivalled Mrs. Black's.
Dumbledore nodded slowly and crossed to the window, turning his back to the trio to look outside. Ron's face was one of surprise and awe. He had never seen Hermione stand up to a professor quite like that before.
They stood in a very awkward silence for a few moments. Just as Hermione was about to continue her rant, Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke with his back still to them. "I understand your frustrations and concerns, Miss Granger. I, in fact, share them. However, as we all know, Voldemort has returned. He intended to kill Harry in that graveyard, and I believe he will not stop until he completes that task."
Dumbledore paused and turned around to face them. "Whilst I know Voldemort's return is a solemn and terrifying thought for you three, I fear you do not fully comprehend how much danger Harry and, frankly, the rest of the world is in."
Hermione started to interject again, but Dumbledore held up his hand. "I am not infantilising you. No, not in the least. I know the three of you can and do recognise the threats. However, it would be quite easy for you to minimise those threats because your best friend has faced and survived Tom Riddle four times in his life. It would be quite simple, quite logical to deduce that if a child with limited magical experience can do that, then Voldemort can't be that bad. That thought has crossed my mind a few times as well.
"Nevertheless, I must caution myself and you to ignore that line of thinking. Harry has been lucky. So incredibly lucky. But I fear that with Voldemort's full return in the graveyard, Harry's luck will run out soon."
"And that is why I must insist Harry be kept in the dark, at least for now," Dumbledore said with authority. Then, he sighed. "May I be frank? Knowing Harry's propensity for taking action before knowing all of the facts can, I fear, be his downfall. If you provide Harry with even some of the information you may learn whilst here at Headquarters, I'm afraid of what he would do or what the Death Eaters would do if that letter were intercepted. He is much safer with his Aunt and Uncle under the surveillance of a rotating Order of the Phoenix member."
The room was silent for a few moments. Hermione did agree about Harry's tendency to act first and think later. It made sense, as much as she didn't want to admit it, but knowing Order Members were watching him did help slightly.
"But," Ginny broke the silence, "isn't there a very, very good chance that Harry will do something stupid because he doesn't know anything and feels as though everyone is ignoring him?"
Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Yes," he said simply. "But the difference between doing something stupid and doing something dangerous is worth the risk. Now, do I have your word?"
Hermione looked from Ron to Ginny. She could tell they were as uneasy as she was, but did they even have a choice?
"Yes," the three friends agreed. Hermione just hoped that this wasn't one of the few instances when disobeying a teacher was the right thing to do.
After Dumbledore accepted their promise to stay contactless with Harry, he left them and joined the other Order members for their meeting. Ginny offered to take Hermione on a house tour and show her the bedroom they would share. Conveniently, it was right down the hall from the drawing room. The room was dim like the rest of the house, with two twin beds and two decent-sized wardrobes. Hermione's trunk was already at the foot of one of the beds, and Crookshanks was also balled up there.
Hermione gave Crookshanks a few pets and followed Ginny up the staircase to the second floor, where Ron's bedroom was. It was a complete mirror image of the one she and Ginny stayed in, down to the serpent door knobs. There was another bedroom that Charlie or Bill used when they visited, a bathroom, and a sort of weird parlour.
The second-floor landing, Ginny explained, was a great place to sit and watch who entered Headquarters without attracting much notice.
As they reached the third floor, Ginny pointed out Fred and George's bedroom and Mr and Mrs Weasley's bedroom, indicating that Hermione should enter the third room. That room had a very ornate black door with a massive nest of snakes carved into it. Hermione tried not to shiver as she turned the doorknob and peeked inside.
"Buckbeak!" Hermione exclaimed. She went to rush over to the beautiful animal but remembered her manners just in time. She bowed deeply, hoping her initial surprise explosion didn't disrespect the creature. To her relief, Buckbeak returned the bow, allowing her to approach and give him scratches.
"I thought you'd be excited to see him," Ron said from the door.
"I definitely didn't think he'd be here," Hermione said.
"Buckbeak utterly hates the twins," Ginny giggled. "He nips at them any time he gets the chance."
They continued the tour to the fourth floor, where Ginny pointed out Sirius's bedroom and another vacant one. "And that concludes the House of Black tour," Ginny said. "Get ready to explore it in ways you never thought possible when you go on the backstage tour as Mum's cleaning crew."
"Wait," Hermione said, a thought crossing her mind. "Where does Percy stay?"
Both Ron and Ginny got angry looks on their faces. "The git's not here," Ron said. "Took the Ministry's side straight away. Then Fudge randomly promotes him to 'Personal Assistant to the Minister of Magic' so he can keep tabs on us. When Dad pointed that out to Perce, he started running his mouth—denying He Who Must Not Be Named's return and condemning the family for 'taking Dumbledore's side,' whatever that means."
"He moved out within hours," Ginny added. "Which, to be honest, is probably a good thing because now he's Fudge's narc. He couldn't live here in Headquarters."
"But don't bring it up," Ron said. "Mum and Dad are all kinds of broken up about it."
"Understandably," Hermione said. "I'm so sorry," she added.
"Just showing his true colours," Ron spat. "Bloody git."
Hermione felt terrible for them—the fact they couldn't risk letting their own brother come to Headquarters because he might tell the Minister where they were. Suddenly, a thought slid into Hermione's mind. "Why are we here?" she asked.
"What?" Ginny said, confused.
"Think about it—why are we here? Why is your whole family living here? Why was I brought here? Are we in danger?"
Ginny and Ron let this sink in. "Come to think of it," Ron said slowly, "we moved here the day after the big blowout with Perce."
"Do you think they have the Burrow being watched?" Ginny asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
"Maybe," Ron said. "I never really thought about it like that."
Hermione shivered. Dumbledore was right—they had no idea how much danger there really was.
They returned down the staircase and met the twins on the second-floor landing. "Who's here tonight?" Ginny asked.
"We saw Snape, Kingsley, and Elphias come in so far," said George.
"Mum's been coming out and checking the front window now and then, so someone else must be coming," Fred added.
"Are your Ears working yet?" Ginny asked.
"No, still have a few tweaks to work out," George said. "It's the strangest thing; I can't get it to work on my left ear. The right works okay, but it's pretty echo-y."
"It's echo-y for both of my ears," Fred said. "It's mental."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked.
"Extendable Ears!" George said with a grin, pulling a long jumble of flesh-coloured string from his pocket.
"Now you can listen to any conversation without being seen!" Fred said in an announcer's voice. "Extend your ears and hear what people have to say!"
"Want to hear what your boyfriend really thinks of you?" asked George, getting into it.
"Or how about listening to your professors plan a pop quiz?"
"Don't forget to eavesdrop on your parents too!"
"Hear it all for the low, affordable price of two Sickles!"
As much as Hermione hated the twins' little tricks and trinkets, she must admit they had a great imagination.
"We've been testing them out to listen in on Order meetings," George said in a normal voice. "Want to try?"
Hermione put one of the ends of the string to her ear and watched as Fred fed the other side of the string down over the edge of the landing. She had to give them credit—while she couldn't understand what was being said with the echo, she could hear something. The twins really were exceptional at magic.
"That's amazing," Hermione conceded. "I hope you're able to figure out the echo problem."
"If you have any ideas, let us know," George said, and Hermione realised he genuinely meant it.
"We know you're pretty brilliant and will take any help we can get," Fred added. Hermione blushed. She wasn't used to the twins giving her compliments.
"I told them to ask you," Ron said indignantly. "Because you're much smarter than them," he added.
"Down, boy," George laughed but didn't elaborate. The twins reeled their invention back up and escaped to their room. Ron's face turned beet red.
Hermione couldn't help but smile and turn a little red herself.