@Dungbombs and S-P-E-W@
(7/7)-GEORGE AND HERMIONE FOREVER!
by:GoldenSilence
[email protected]
category:romance/humor
keywords:George, Weasley Twins, Hermione, George/Hermione, Ron/Lavender
spoilers:PS/SS, CoS
rating:PG
summary:Sometimes the most unlikely people are really the most likely to get together. George and Hermione find humor and romance..eventually. First they must deal the gossips that are Lavender and Parvarti, Jordan Lee being his usual self, strange letters from mystery admirers, and Ron's crush.
disclaimer:This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
---------------
A/N=is that a horrible chapter title or what?
Wow. I can't believe this is it. I had so much fun writing this!(especially the George and Hermione and the Ron and Lavender parts.:))Thanks to every single last reviewer that has ever reviewed this, especially those that have reviewed more than once- I'd say all your names, but unfortunately I don't have them memorized.^ _ ^Now maybe someone else will write some more George/Hermione fics too!I hope so. Fanfic.net definitely needs more.
( intresting tidbit that no one wants to know)=The first time I typed this, I accidentally had "Everyone got around to Fred and George's pants" instead of "Everyone got around to Fred and George's pranks"..hehe..good thing I changed that. The first version was ever so slightly perverted..:) Last comment of the story=GEORGE AND HERMIONE FOREVER!..ermm...yeah..
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George staggered out of the infirmary with one hand over his mouth. If it hadn't been there, he was afraid he would have puked out every last drop of vile medicine Madame Pomfrey had forced down his throat. Oh, his headache was gone, alright-in exchange for an awful stomachache.
He could have sworn Madame Pomfrey had simply chosen the bottle nearest by. Why, she hadn't even so much as glanced at the lable before administering it to him. The stuff tasted like the slime scraped off of Snape's dungeon combined with a side of the burned taste that resulted from George's one attempt at making a pop tart the muggle way.
This must be Madame Pomfrey's revenge for the time he had swiped her supply of swab bandages to deck out the library with (George and Fred had orginally planned on using toilet paper from the boy's bathroom-but they had been out, so that plan was nix.)
"Are you sure you're going to be alright, dear? You still look slightly woozy to me. Maybe you had better spend the night in the infirmary.."
It was Madame Pomfrey, standing outside the door to the infirmary and giving him a concerned glance that in George's mind could only mean one thing..MORE lethal medicine and potions. Not in his lifetime.
"Really, I'm fine," George said hastily, scared Madame Pomfrey was going to simply drag him by one arm and throw him into one of the infirmary's cots if he didn't say something.
Madame Pomfrey wore a skeptical expression on her face. "Well, you certainly don't look it."
George grinned. "Thanks for deflating my ego. It was about to go right through the ceiling from all the talk of my dashing charm and grace.."
"Very evident when you fell off your broom backwards." Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "Though it was an astonishing feat of gymnastics, if I do say so myself. Never seen anyone fly head over feet like that."
"Oh, you should have seen Draco when he turned into a ferret. Trust me, the number of somersaults he did as he bounced down the halls was amazing." That was one image George hoped never to forget. That and Draco slapping McGonagall in the face.
Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips. "Well-you certainly sound back to normal enough..but.." She handed George a small jar containing orange syrup. "Take this just in case. You do still have a sort of pale tinge to you."
"I always have a pale tinge," muttered George, but he took the medicine anyway.
"The medicine should help you get to sleep." Madame Pomfrey glared at him. "Perhaps I shouldn't give it to you. Maybe I should just let you stay up all night, thinking about every last toilet seat you've ever sent one of my patients."
"Don't forget the bag of candy disguised as cough drops," reminded George.
Madame Pomfrey expression mimicked McGonagall's at her sternest, as did her tone.
"Oh you did, did you? Funny-I don't seem to remember that. Thank you for informing me, MR. Weasley. I'll just take the twenty points from Gryffindor now to save Professor McGonagall the trouble of doing so when she finds out."
Ohoh. Everyone got around to George's and Fred's pranks sooner or later-when was the last time George had talked to a teacher without them being mentioned? Not since the first day of school probably.
George gulped weakly. "Errm-gotta go. Thanks for the poiso-"
Madame Pomfrey glowered. "Heheheh, I mean medicine. Slip of the-"
"I'll give you 'till the count of three to get moving or the points from Gryffindor are getting taken. 1..2...."
But by the time Madame Pomfrey got to three, George was already staircases away-or more accurately, for those that knew the marauder's map at the back of their hands, a quick turn down the corridor and a portrait hole away.
George stealthily made his way through the dark of the hallway (it was now quite late at night) back to the boy's dorms. But not before he took the bottle of Madame Pomfrey's tonic and mixed it with Norris's bowl of milk, which was lying adjacent to the door.
When George entered the boy's dormitories, his entrance was greeted by the eyes of all the boys who hadn't yet gone to bed.
"Geez, nice to see the concern. Before any of you ask, don't worry-I'm feeling fine. Be able to make faces at Snape behind his back again in no time. No permanent brain damage."
Fred shook his head. "That's because there isn't any brain to damage to begin with."
Before George could comment and the twins could get into another one of their infamous joking insult matches, Jordan spoke.
"Hate to dissapoint you, but we're not all boring holes into the back of your head just to see if you're feeling okay-"
-"Because from the way you were looking in Hermione's direction during quidditch, you obviously aren't," added Seamus.
"Right. Then the reason you're all staring at me like my mum when she spots a tongue-ton toffee is because..?"
"Because you got another letter," said Neville.
"Which means you had better go put on some cologne, brush your teeth, and just generally get prepared for a major mooch fest 'cause the letter said something about meeting by the...," Jordan trailed off.
George covered his face with his hands and sank down into the quilted comforter on his bed. "Jordan, don't tell me you of all people read the letter."
Jordan looked askance. "Of course not! I merely glanced at it while Seamus read."
"..As did I.."
"..and me.."
"me too!"
George picked up the letter and brandished it like a sword.
"Did anyone NOT read this?"
"Yeah. The ones currently off snoring in dreamland," said Fred.
Neville spoke impatiently. "So are you just going to sit there all night or are you going to open it?"
"You guys already opened it," George pointed out.
"Ahh..true. So are you going to read it?"
George sighed. "You know, some sappy love letter isn't what we should be talking about late at night. Why not talk about the quidditch world cup?Or scheme ways to make Pansy's false eyelashes fall off? Now that's manly stuff."
"We're not men. We're boys!" squeaked Colin.
"Speak for yourself," grumbled Seamus, Jordan, and Fred.
"More like annoying little sisters, if you ask me," George said. "Don't see why I should bother to read the letter. Why don't I just get one of you guys to recite it? I bet you all have it memorized."
"Oh sure, no problem. Would you like it recited in iamic pentameter or free verse?," Seamus quipped.
"Just kidding! Just kidding!" he added quickly as the other four gave him raised eyebrows. "We aren't that obsessed in your affairs."
"Yeah right!" George snorted.
"I just want my twin to have someone who compliments his good looks."
"Nice to know you're so concerned," George said to Fred. He opened the letter and a small sheet of thin paper slid out over his lap. He gave it a cursory glance.
Strange. It bore the Hogwart's school heading at the top-and it appeared to have been ripped off a notepad or something. As if the author were desperate for paper and had filched some from one of the teacher's offices.
The letter in itself was short. Very short. Even shorter than the last letter, which hadn't been exactly what you would call long. Its contents ran thus..
I have watched you all day and know you are anxious to unveil my identity. Come meet me at midnight by the set of armor missing a sword and all shall be revealed.
The boys all cracked identical grins. "What are you waiting for?"
George rolled his eyes and pointed at the letter for emphasize. "Try midnight. And no, you guys can NOT keep me company while I wait."
"Damn," said Fred. "And I was going to go over my list of Hogwarts girls who write poetry."
"All two of them?"
******************
Hermione was tired. No, scratch that. She was positively exhausted. Staying up half the night to study for the OWLS had not been one of her brightest ideas.
Even though it was only nine at night, she hit the bed without a second thought. Luckily Lavender and Parvarti weren't present (Lavender's plans with Ron going, well, according to plan) or they would have no doubt roused Hermione instantly to tell her off the small white letter that she was using as a pillow.
However, Lavender and Parvart were present and still awake three hours later. And as soon as they spotted the letter Hermione's head was resting on, they made sure she was awake as well.
Hermione awoke groggily and irritably. "Did you have to get back so soon?"
"We didn't. Hermione, you've been asleep for three hours!"
Hermione yawned and got out of bed. "And I was planning on sleeping for at least ten more. Any reason why you felt you had to wake me up?"
She glanced from Lavender to Parvarti, who both were wearing grins. It wasn't that hard to guess why.
"Oh no. Not another letter!"
"Yup."
"And you've been sleeping on top of it."
Lavender and Parvarti were right. Where her pillow should have been, sure enough, a white, square object-considerably crumpled-lay there.
Hermione held it and stared at the plain white envelope. It didn't even so much as have her name written on it.
She carefully opened it and scanned the writing..which looked, she privately thought, as if the writer had been trying to write in a very small closet. Or in a hurry.
I have watched you all day and know you are anxious to unveil my identity. Come meet me at midnight by the set of arm-
Hermione stopped reading and wheeled around to glance at Lavender and Parvarti. "WILL BOTH OF YOU PLEASE STOP READING OVER MY SHOULDER?"
Lavender and Parvarti both tapped their feet and simply stood their ground.
Hermione sighed. "You aren't going to so much as budge until I finish reading the letter, are you?"
"Nope, " said Lavender.
"Consider our feet glued to the floor," said Parvarti.
In spite of all their goofing off during classes, apparently Parvarti and Lavender could read at the same pace as Hermione (no way they would give up reading over her shoulder) because as soon as she had finished, both of the them gave a short squeal.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at the two girls. After years of rooming with both of them, she deciphered all of their squeals. All ten of them. And the one they had just made was the "OOh this is soo exciting, we have got to come with you!" squeal.
"Okay, let me say this right off. You guys are not coming with me to meet him."
"Oh, no need to be so cryptic, it can only be one person. I mean, Geor-"
"Whoever he is," said Hermione before Lavender could finish off the name of George.
Parvarti, more quick witted than people gave her credit for, saw her chance and pounced on it.
"Exactly. You don't know who he is. What if it's a pervert or something? Or someone dangerous-"
Lavender snorted. "Yeah..about as dangerous as Neville with a plastic knife."
Parvarti gave Lavender a warning look to shut up before she continued. "As I WAS saying, you'll need bodyguards-just in case. We can come along and protect you!"
Hermione and Lavender both cracked up.
"Hahahahaa."
"Hehehehe."
"Sorry, Parvarti. But do you have any idea how stupid you just sounded?"
Hermione made an effort to stop laughing. "Over my dead body. Look, I'll tell you all about how it went when I get back, okay?"
Parvarti and Lavender both gave determined grins. "Over our dead bodies."
And so that was how Lavender and Parvarti came to be sneaking behind Hermione as she herself sneaked down the halls of Hogwarts-which were tricky enough to find a way around in the broad daylight, but absolutely maddening to try and cross when you hadn't studied the marauders' map since year one.
Huh, protection? These two offer about as much protection from scary would-be physcopaths as a teddy bear, thought Hermione. Even though both girls thought Hermione wasn't aware they were following her, Hermione most certainly was.
***************
George and Hermione had one common goal-but both were coming from different directions, so they didn't see each other at all.
"Please don't let Parvarti and Lavender ruin the whole thing. Please don't let Parvarti and Lavender ruin the whole thing!" was all Hermione could think. Neither of them had much of a chance to. Because someone else did first.
The moment Hermione stood by the suit of armor, she spotted a very unwelcome presense grinning at her from the opposite wall. Even more unwelcome that her two tagalongs.
"Peeves, get out of here!" she hissed.
Peeved just grinned even wider. "Oooh, perfect little prefect to be is breaking the rules, is she? Hehehe, both of you'll get what's coming to you." He cackled.
"Bot-?" Hermione noticed a pair of decidedly human legs standing on the other side of the suit of armor. Could it be?
Hermione never got to finish her question out loud because Peeves chose that moment to flick his wrist. It may have looked like the most harmless of actions-though, nothing Peeves did could be described as harmless-but instead with that mere twitch, Peeves had summoned a gust of wind. A mischevious gust of wind that strangely didn't rattle the set of armor in the slightest but instead settled for blowing both Hermione and whoever the other person was backwards against their will into none other than...
Filch's office. The door clicked shut behind both of them. It was only after a quick survey of her surroundings-and shouting five charm spells at the door to try and get it to unlock-that Hermione noticed who else was present.
Apparently he noticed her as well. He spoke quite rationally and calmly considering the situation. Both attributes Hermione was not feeling at the moment.
"Oh hey, Hermione. On a mission for Filch or something?"
It hadn't hit George just what Hermione was doing there locked in Filch's office with him. Or that she had been standing by the suit of armour same as he had. His head, which had been cured by Madame Pomfrey only earlier that night, now hurt as bad as ever from colliding headlong into Filch's desk.
It took a few seconds of Hermione staring at him with her jaw dropped for George to realize just exactly why she was there.
"Oh. Ohhh. Oh no."
Hermione frowned. "My thoughts exactly."
"You set this whole thing up," George said accusingly.
Hermione's frown deepened. "Me, why would I do that? No way!I'm not that desperate!"
Fine. If she's not going to admit she sent the letters,I'm not going to admit I like her, thought George. And how could I have set this whole thing up? She obviously sent the letters.
"Hah! You call disobeying rules on purpose to come up here at midnight not desperate?" said George.
Had she broken rules just for him? Hmm. Maybe she was just too shy to tell him she wrote the letter. Not that that was exactly what he thought of Hermione as. Bossy, loud, funny, and extremely pretty was more like it.
"Same could be said for you, you know," Hermione said curtly, wishing that the door would just magically open so she could escape-either that or she could die of emberassment then and there.
"'Mione, I always disobey the rules," pointed out George.
"Oh," Hermione said, feeling incredibly sleepy and very stupid. It then dawned on her just what George had called her.
"George! You just used my nickname. Only close friends use my nickname."
Whoops. Bad slip. Probably best not to let her know he always called her "Mione" when she wasn't around to hear.
George tried to cover up. "See? Prooves this letter's not from me."
Hermione gave him a skeptical sort of once-over. "Don't be silly! It has to be from you. Why else would you be here? The letter specifically said midnight by the suit of armor."
George's eyebrows went up. "Waiit a minute-you got a letter too?"
Hermione was exasperated. "Do I have to mime? Yes, I got a bloody letter. The one you wrote."
"I didn't write it!" Realizing yelling his head off probably wasn't the best way to go around getting back on Hermione's good side, George lowered his voice. "I got a letter too and it said the same thing. Coincidence, huh?"
"Yeah-but who would?"
"Peeves," both stated simply.
It was a highly uncomfortable moment for both. Hermione stared at George. George stared at Hermione. George moved a step closer. Even though he had only been stepping closer so he could pick up his wand from where it had fallen on the ground, Hermione was thinking along quite a different line, influenced by Lavender and Parvarti's lovely little chat as they had pulled her along to meet her "mystery admirer." She backed up from him, her eyes widening.
Her one foot stepped back across the well polished floor-her other foot, however, jerked down into thin air, causing Hermione to fall flat on her face. Hermione wasn't exactly a common visitor to Filch's office and had no clue of the trick cracks in the floor throughout his room to discourage visitors such as George, Fred, and Peeves- all of whom came through regularly to cause havoc.
What did Filch polish his floors with? Grease?
It took a few painful tries for Hermione to unstick her foot from the pesky hole in the floor boards. She accepted George's hand to pick herself all the way back up, dusting off her robes once she was uprighted.
Hermione narrowly missed her falling on the floor on her rump yet again. But when she saw what exactly had kept her from a tumble, she almost wished she had fallen. Hermione Granger had fallen completely into George Weasley's arms.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Hermione's senses were very acutely aware that George's face was only a matter of inches from hers-and his arms were holding her tightly. Much tightly than a friendly sort of hug warranted. And much longer than him saving her from falling on the floor warranted.
Was her face covered in floor wax? Because George was staring at her as if it was.
"I mean no. No I'm not," Hermione barely managed to mumble. She shivered and moved quickly away from his encircled arms, regretting she had done so almost immediately.
"Make up your mind," said George with a bit of a grin.
Hermione began back up again slowly, this time making sure she went to the right of the crack in the floor. She had almost made it to the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. A gauntleted hand. It was just a suit of armor-evidently Filch liked to keep a set in his office as well-but Hermione didn't turn around to find out. She gave a scream of surprise.
George ran over and put his hand over her mouth. "Hermione, shhh! Are you daft? This is Filch's office. He'll come running if he hears you screaming! I happen to know from experience he has excellent hearing-either that or wears his hearing aid turned up on high at night."
George didn't remove his hand. Hermione, who had run out of his arms earlier, had no wish for him to. And neither did George. Her lips underneath his touch. Something about the setting felt so perfect-even though they were locked in Filch's office in the middle of the night-and he had to get it out. Out it came, all in a rush.
George told Hermione he liked her in a manner much similiar to Angelina Johnson's conveying of the same message to him.
Face flushed, he waited for Hermione's reply, not sure what to expect.
"Mmmm" was all she said. She's not saying anything, George thought panicking. She doesn't like me!I'm doomed..emberassed for eternity...
That was when he realized he still had his hand over her mouth. He promptly took it off. Hermione acted as if he had never said a word.
Focusing on the rusty coat of arms on the wall, she began talking hurriedly of a way to get out of Filch's office, her words running into one another. If she was trying to pretend she hadn't heard a word he said, she was doing a horrible job of it.
"-or maybe I should try another one of my spells. Though, I don't remember-was it abdicus or adbicus?On the other hand, maybe....-"
"Hermione, that's not important right now," George said gently.
"it's..it's..not?" stammered Hermione.
"Nope," said George, fairly sure of what he was going to do now.
He roughly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him. Then, he lowered his face to her own wide-eyed one and kissed her. Hard.
She responded with just as much vigor, shocking George..and herself. When the kiss ended, alot of explaining was done by both, but Lavender and Parvarti didn't stick around to hear as much.
Lavender, looking at George's and Hermione's entwined figures through the door knob, turned around and nodded to Parvarti, who had been listening against the wall. They both jumped up and down and gave each other high fives. Being woman of..ermm..gossip, they hurried off towards the boy's dormitories, but not before Lavender went up and made the door was still locked. They could unlock it when they got back.
Once in the boy's dormitories, both Lavender and Parvarti went straight for Ron's bed. The first words that woke him from his dream were Parvarti's to Lavender. "Pay up."
Ron sat bolt upright in bed, fully awake now. Of course. The bet on George and Hermione, how could he forget? So he had been correct. He knew it, he just knew it!
It made it ten times better that he hadn't just asked for some measly old galleons in return if he won...
"Ooh, pay me as well!"
Lavender glared. "No."
"Aww.. Saving for the end of our second date, eh?" he gave her a devilish grin.
"It's most definitely not that!"
"Then come on. Just one." Ron pouted.
"NO, I tell you! I'd like to kiss you,but I can't Ron. I just brushed my teeth!"
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Ron said, forgetting he had eaten eight garlic Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans in a row followed by three onion ones earlier that night when he had been on a date with Lavender.
Parvarti and Lavender hadn't, that was for sure. "See you toomorrow, Ronniepoo! I'll pay up then!" shouted Lavender, laughing loud enough to wake the whole dormitory.
***********
Meanwhile, Hermione and George had just stepped outside of Filch's office-the door had mysteriously unlocked when George had kicked it, and though Hermione was a bit miffed her ten spells hadn't had any effect when his foot had done the trick, she didn't say anything. Romantic moments weren't to be ruined, right? Right.
George was smiling widely at her. Not that he had stopped ever since they had kissed.
"So, you want to go stick some dungbombs in the faculty toilets?"
Hermione grinned right back. "Love to." George didn't so much as raise an eyebrow-he was rapidly discovering Hermione had alot more personality to her than just the scholary, play by the rules side.
"On one condition.. you join S-P-E-W," Hermione added slyly.
"I may be in love with you, but I'm not that far gone."
George relented when he saw the adorable begging expression on her face. "Oh alright, alright. I'll bloody join. Just don't tell anyone."
"If you don't tell anyone about the dungbombs."
"You mean, if anyone finds out more like," George said.
Hermioned pulled him off down the hall. "Oh, they won't. I haven't been studying in the library for nothing. I just happen to remember a spell that makes everyone within a twenty mile radius go deaf for a limited time. Just long enough for a little mischief."
George looked at her in awe before placing a small kiss on the tip of her nose. "Alright, it's now official. You're my dream girl."
Entranced with each other, Hermione and George were oblivious to two scampering pairs of feet as they rushed away back to the girl's dormitories, giggling like crazy. So many people to tell, so little time....
THE END(expect a sequel very soon.:))
(7/7)-GEORGE AND HERMIONE FOREVER!
by:GoldenSilence
[email protected]
category:romance/humor
keywords:George, Weasley Twins, Hermione, George/Hermione, Ron/Lavender
spoilers:PS/SS, CoS
rating:PG
summary:Sometimes the most unlikely people are really the most likely to get together. George and Hermione find humor and romance..eventually. First they must deal the gossips that are Lavender and Parvarti, Jordan Lee being his usual self, strange letters from mystery admirers, and Ron's crush.
disclaimer:This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
---------------
A/N=is that a horrible chapter title or what?
Wow. I can't believe this is it. I had so much fun writing this!(especially the George and Hermione and the Ron and Lavender parts.:))Thanks to every single last reviewer that has ever reviewed this, especially those that have reviewed more than once- I'd say all your names, but unfortunately I don't have them memorized.^ _ ^Now maybe someone else will write some more George/Hermione fics too!I hope so. Fanfic.net definitely needs more.
( intresting tidbit that no one wants to know)=The first time I typed this, I accidentally had "Everyone got around to Fred and George's pants" instead of "Everyone got around to Fred and George's pranks"..hehe..good thing I changed that. The first version was ever so slightly perverted..:) Last comment of the story=GEORGE AND HERMIONE FOREVER!..ermm...yeah..
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George staggered out of the infirmary with one hand over his mouth. If it hadn't been there, he was afraid he would have puked out every last drop of vile medicine Madame Pomfrey had forced down his throat. Oh, his headache was gone, alright-in exchange for an awful stomachache.
He could have sworn Madame Pomfrey had simply chosen the bottle nearest by. Why, she hadn't even so much as glanced at the lable before administering it to him. The stuff tasted like the slime scraped off of Snape's dungeon combined with a side of the burned taste that resulted from George's one attempt at making a pop tart the muggle way.
This must be Madame Pomfrey's revenge for the time he had swiped her supply of swab bandages to deck out the library with (George and Fred had orginally planned on using toilet paper from the boy's bathroom-but they had been out, so that plan was nix.)
"Are you sure you're going to be alright, dear? You still look slightly woozy to me. Maybe you had better spend the night in the infirmary.."
It was Madame Pomfrey, standing outside the door to the infirmary and giving him a concerned glance that in George's mind could only mean one thing..MORE lethal medicine and potions. Not in his lifetime.
"Really, I'm fine," George said hastily, scared Madame Pomfrey was going to simply drag him by one arm and throw him into one of the infirmary's cots if he didn't say something.
Madame Pomfrey wore a skeptical expression on her face. "Well, you certainly don't look it."
George grinned. "Thanks for deflating my ego. It was about to go right through the ceiling from all the talk of my dashing charm and grace.."
"Very evident when you fell off your broom backwards." Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "Though it was an astonishing feat of gymnastics, if I do say so myself. Never seen anyone fly head over feet like that."
"Oh, you should have seen Draco when he turned into a ferret. Trust me, the number of somersaults he did as he bounced down the halls was amazing." That was one image George hoped never to forget. That and Draco slapping McGonagall in the face.
Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips. "Well-you certainly sound back to normal enough..but.." She handed George a small jar containing orange syrup. "Take this just in case. You do still have a sort of pale tinge to you."
"I always have a pale tinge," muttered George, but he took the medicine anyway.
"The medicine should help you get to sleep." Madame Pomfrey glared at him. "Perhaps I shouldn't give it to you. Maybe I should just let you stay up all night, thinking about every last toilet seat you've ever sent one of my patients."
"Don't forget the bag of candy disguised as cough drops," reminded George.
Madame Pomfrey expression mimicked McGonagall's at her sternest, as did her tone.
"Oh you did, did you? Funny-I don't seem to remember that. Thank you for informing me, MR. Weasley. I'll just take the twenty points from Gryffindor now to save Professor McGonagall the trouble of doing so when she finds out."
Ohoh. Everyone got around to George's and Fred's pranks sooner or later-when was the last time George had talked to a teacher without them being mentioned? Not since the first day of school probably.
George gulped weakly. "Errm-gotta go. Thanks for the poiso-"
Madame Pomfrey glowered. "Heheheh, I mean medicine. Slip of the-"
"I'll give you 'till the count of three to get moving or the points from Gryffindor are getting taken. 1..2...."
But by the time Madame Pomfrey got to three, George was already staircases away-or more accurately, for those that knew the marauder's map at the back of their hands, a quick turn down the corridor and a portrait hole away.
George stealthily made his way through the dark of the hallway (it was now quite late at night) back to the boy's dorms. But not before he took the bottle of Madame Pomfrey's tonic and mixed it with Norris's bowl of milk, which was lying adjacent to the door.
When George entered the boy's dormitories, his entrance was greeted by the eyes of all the boys who hadn't yet gone to bed.
"Geez, nice to see the concern. Before any of you ask, don't worry-I'm feeling fine. Be able to make faces at Snape behind his back again in no time. No permanent brain damage."
Fred shook his head. "That's because there isn't any brain to damage to begin with."
Before George could comment and the twins could get into another one of their infamous joking insult matches, Jordan spoke.
"Hate to dissapoint you, but we're not all boring holes into the back of your head just to see if you're feeling okay-"
-"Because from the way you were looking in Hermione's direction during quidditch, you obviously aren't," added Seamus.
"Right. Then the reason you're all staring at me like my mum when she spots a tongue-ton toffee is because..?"
"Because you got another letter," said Neville.
"Which means you had better go put on some cologne, brush your teeth, and just generally get prepared for a major mooch fest 'cause the letter said something about meeting by the...," Jordan trailed off.
George covered his face with his hands and sank down into the quilted comforter on his bed. "Jordan, don't tell me you of all people read the letter."
Jordan looked askance. "Of course not! I merely glanced at it while Seamus read."
"..As did I.."
"..and me.."
"me too!"
George picked up the letter and brandished it like a sword.
"Did anyone NOT read this?"
"Yeah. The ones currently off snoring in dreamland," said Fred.
Neville spoke impatiently. "So are you just going to sit there all night or are you going to open it?"
"You guys already opened it," George pointed out.
"Ahh..true. So are you going to read it?"
George sighed. "You know, some sappy love letter isn't what we should be talking about late at night. Why not talk about the quidditch world cup?Or scheme ways to make Pansy's false eyelashes fall off? Now that's manly stuff."
"We're not men. We're boys!" squeaked Colin.
"Speak for yourself," grumbled Seamus, Jordan, and Fred.
"More like annoying little sisters, if you ask me," George said. "Don't see why I should bother to read the letter. Why don't I just get one of you guys to recite it? I bet you all have it memorized."
"Oh sure, no problem. Would you like it recited in iamic pentameter or free verse?," Seamus quipped.
"Just kidding! Just kidding!" he added quickly as the other four gave him raised eyebrows. "We aren't that obsessed in your affairs."
"Yeah right!" George snorted.
"I just want my twin to have someone who compliments his good looks."
"Nice to know you're so concerned," George said to Fred. He opened the letter and a small sheet of thin paper slid out over his lap. He gave it a cursory glance.
Strange. It bore the Hogwart's school heading at the top-and it appeared to have been ripped off a notepad or something. As if the author were desperate for paper and had filched some from one of the teacher's offices.
The letter in itself was short. Very short. Even shorter than the last letter, which hadn't been exactly what you would call long. Its contents ran thus..
I have watched you all day and know you are anxious to unveil my identity. Come meet me at midnight by the set of armor missing a sword and all shall be revealed.
The boys all cracked identical grins. "What are you waiting for?"
George rolled his eyes and pointed at the letter for emphasize. "Try midnight. And no, you guys can NOT keep me company while I wait."
"Damn," said Fred. "And I was going to go over my list of Hogwarts girls who write poetry."
"All two of them?"
******************
Hermione was tired. No, scratch that. She was positively exhausted. Staying up half the night to study for the OWLS had not been one of her brightest ideas.
Even though it was only nine at night, she hit the bed without a second thought. Luckily Lavender and Parvarti weren't present (Lavender's plans with Ron going, well, according to plan) or they would have no doubt roused Hermione instantly to tell her off the small white letter that she was using as a pillow.
However, Lavender and Parvart were present and still awake three hours later. And as soon as they spotted the letter Hermione's head was resting on, they made sure she was awake as well.
Hermione awoke groggily and irritably. "Did you have to get back so soon?"
"We didn't. Hermione, you've been asleep for three hours!"
Hermione yawned and got out of bed. "And I was planning on sleeping for at least ten more. Any reason why you felt you had to wake me up?"
She glanced from Lavender to Parvarti, who both were wearing grins. It wasn't that hard to guess why.
"Oh no. Not another letter!"
"Yup."
"And you've been sleeping on top of it."
Lavender and Parvarti were right. Where her pillow should have been, sure enough, a white, square object-considerably crumpled-lay there.
Hermione held it and stared at the plain white envelope. It didn't even so much as have her name written on it.
She carefully opened it and scanned the writing..which looked, she privately thought, as if the writer had been trying to write in a very small closet. Or in a hurry.
I have watched you all day and know you are anxious to unveil my identity. Come meet me at midnight by the set of arm-
Hermione stopped reading and wheeled around to glance at Lavender and Parvarti. "WILL BOTH OF YOU PLEASE STOP READING OVER MY SHOULDER?"
Lavender and Parvarti both tapped their feet and simply stood their ground.
Hermione sighed. "You aren't going to so much as budge until I finish reading the letter, are you?"
"Nope, " said Lavender.
"Consider our feet glued to the floor," said Parvarti.
In spite of all their goofing off during classes, apparently Parvarti and Lavender could read at the same pace as Hermione (no way they would give up reading over her shoulder) because as soon as she had finished, both of the them gave a short squeal.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at the two girls. After years of rooming with both of them, she deciphered all of their squeals. All ten of them. And the one they had just made was the "OOh this is soo exciting, we have got to come with you!" squeal.
"Okay, let me say this right off. You guys are not coming with me to meet him."
"Oh, no need to be so cryptic, it can only be one person. I mean, Geor-"
"Whoever he is," said Hermione before Lavender could finish off the name of George.
Parvarti, more quick witted than people gave her credit for, saw her chance and pounced on it.
"Exactly. You don't know who he is. What if it's a pervert or something? Or someone dangerous-"
Lavender snorted. "Yeah..about as dangerous as Neville with a plastic knife."
Parvarti gave Lavender a warning look to shut up before she continued. "As I WAS saying, you'll need bodyguards-just in case. We can come along and protect you!"
Hermione and Lavender both cracked up.
"Hahahahaa."
"Hehehehe."
"Sorry, Parvarti. But do you have any idea how stupid you just sounded?"
Hermione made an effort to stop laughing. "Over my dead body. Look, I'll tell you all about how it went when I get back, okay?"
Parvarti and Lavender both gave determined grins. "Over our dead bodies."
And so that was how Lavender and Parvarti came to be sneaking behind Hermione as she herself sneaked down the halls of Hogwarts-which were tricky enough to find a way around in the broad daylight, but absolutely maddening to try and cross when you hadn't studied the marauders' map since year one.
Huh, protection? These two offer about as much protection from scary would-be physcopaths as a teddy bear, thought Hermione. Even though both girls thought Hermione wasn't aware they were following her, Hermione most certainly was.
***************
George and Hermione had one common goal-but both were coming from different directions, so they didn't see each other at all.
"Please don't let Parvarti and Lavender ruin the whole thing. Please don't let Parvarti and Lavender ruin the whole thing!" was all Hermione could think. Neither of them had much of a chance to. Because someone else did first.
The moment Hermione stood by the suit of armor, she spotted a very unwelcome presense grinning at her from the opposite wall. Even more unwelcome that her two tagalongs.
"Peeves, get out of here!" she hissed.
Peeved just grinned even wider. "Oooh, perfect little prefect to be is breaking the rules, is she? Hehehe, both of you'll get what's coming to you." He cackled.
"Bot-?" Hermione noticed a pair of decidedly human legs standing on the other side of the suit of armor. Could it be?
Hermione never got to finish her question out loud because Peeves chose that moment to flick his wrist. It may have looked like the most harmless of actions-though, nothing Peeves did could be described as harmless-but instead with that mere twitch, Peeves had summoned a gust of wind. A mischevious gust of wind that strangely didn't rattle the set of armor in the slightest but instead settled for blowing both Hermione and whoever the other person was backwards against their will into none other than...
Filch's office. The door clicked shut behind both of them. It was only after a quick survey of her surroundings-and shouting five charm spells at the door to try and get it to unlock-that Hermione noticed who else was present.
Apparently he noticed her as well. He spoke quite rationally and calmly considering the situation. Both attributes Hermione was not feeling at the moment.
"Oh hey, Hermione. On a mission for Filch or something?"
It hadn't hit George just what Hermione was doing there locked in Filch's office with him. Or that she had been standing by the suit of armour same as he had. His head, which had been cured by Madame Pomfrey only earlier that night, now hurt as bad as ever from colliding headlong into Filch's desk.
It took a few seconds of Hermione staring at him with her jaw dropped for George to realize just exactly why she was there.
"Oh. Ohhh. Oh no."
Hermione frowned. "My thoughts exactly."
"You set this whole thing up," George said accusingly.
Hermione's frown deepened. "Me, why would I do that? No way!I'm not that desperate!"
Fine. If she's not going to admit she sent the letters,I'm not going to admit I like her, thought George. And how could I have set this whole thing up? She obviously sent the letters.
"Hah! You call disobeying rules on purpose to come up here at midnight not desperate?" said George.
Had she broken rules just for him? Hmm. Maybe she was just too shy to tell him she wrote the letter. Not that that was exactly what he thought of Hermione as. Bossy, loud, funny, and extremely pretty was more like it.
"Same could be said for you, you know," Hermione said curtly, wishing that the door would just magically open so she could escape-either that or she could die of emberassment then and there.
"'Mione, I always disobey the rules," pointed out George.
"Oh," Hermione said, feeling incredibly sleepy and very stupid. It then dawned on her just what George had called her.
"George! You just used my nickname. Only close friends use my nickname."
Whoops. Bad slip. Probably best not to let her know he always called her "Mione" when she wasn't around to hear.
George tried to cover up. "See? Prooves this letter's not from me."
Hermione gave him a skeptical sort of once-over. "Don't be silly! It has to be from you. Why else would you be here? The letter specifically said midnight by the suit of armor."
George's eyebrows went up. "Waiit a minute-you got a letter too?"
Hermione was exasperated. "Do I have to mime? Yes, I got a bloody letter. The one you wrote."
"I didn't write it!" Realizing yelling his head off probably wasn't the best way to go around getting back on Hermione's good side, George lowered his voice. "I got a letter too and it said the same thing. Coincidence, huh?"
"Yeah-but who would?"
"Peeves," both stated simply.
It was a highly uncomfortable moment for both. Hermione stared at George. George stared at Hermione. George moved a step closer. Even though he had only been stepping closer so he could pick up his wand from where it had fallen on the ground, Hermione was thinking along quite a different line, influenced by Lavender and Parvarti's lovely little chat as they had pulled her along to meet her "mystery admirer." She backed up from him, her eyes widening.
Her one foot stepped back across the well polished floor-her other foot, however, jerked down into thin air, causing Hermione to fall flat on her face. Hermione wasn't exactly a common visitor to Filch's office and had no clue of the trick cracks in the floor throughout his room to discourage visitors such as George, Fred, and Peeves- all of whom came through regularly to cause havoc.
What did Filch polish his floors with? Grease?
It took a few painful tries for Hermione to unstick her foot from the pesky hole in the floor boards. She accepted George's hand to pick herself all the way back up, dusting off her robes once she was uprighted.
Hermione narrowly missed her falling on the floor on her rump yet again. But when she saw what exactly had kept her from a tumble, she almost wished she had fallen. Hermione Granger had fallen completely into George Weasley's arms.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Hermione's senses were very acutely aware that George's face was only a matter of inches from hers-and his arms were holding her tightly. Much tightly than a friendly sort of hug warranted. And much longer than him saving her from falling on the floor warranted.
Was her face covered in floor wax? Because George was staring at her as if it was.
"I mean no. No I'm not," Hermione barely managed to mumble. She shivered and moved quickly away from his encircled arms, regretting she had done so almost immediately.
"Make up your mind," said George with a bit of a grin.
Hermione began back up again slowly, this time making sure she went to the right of the crack in the floor. She had almost made it to the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. A gauntleted hand. It was just a suit of armor-evidently Filch liked to keep a set in his office as well-but Hermione didn't turn around to find out. She gave a scream of surprise.
George ran over and put his hand over her mouth. "Hermione, shhh! Are you daft? This is Filch's office. He'll come running if he hears you screaming! I happen to know from experience he has excellent hearing-either that or wears his hearing aid turned up on high at night."
George didn't remove his hand. Hermione, who had run out of his arms earlier, had no wish for him to. And neither did George. Her lips underneath his touch. Something about the setting felt so perfect-even though they were locked in Filch's office in the middle of the night-and he had to get it out. Out it came, all in a rush.
George told Hermione he liked her in a manner much similiar to Angelina Johnson's conveying of the same message to him.
Face flushed, he waited for Hermione's reply, not sure what to expect.
"Mmmm" was all she said. She's not saying anything, George thought panicking. She doesn't like me!I'm doomed..emberassed for eternity...
That was when he realized he still had his hand over her mouth. He promptly took it off. Hermione acted as if he had never said a word.
Focusing on the rusty coat of arms on the wall, she began talking hurriedly of a way to get out of Filch's office, her words running into one another. If she was trying to pretend she hadn't heard a word he said, she was doing a horrible job of it.
"-or maybe I should try another one of my spells. Though, I don't remember-was it abdicus or adbicus?On the other hand, maybe....-"
"Hermione, that's not important right now," George said gently.
"it's..it's..not?" stammered Hermione.
"Nope," said George, fairly sure of what he was going to do now.
He roughly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him. Then, he lowered his face to her own wide-eyed one and kissed her. Hard.
She responded with just as much vigor, shocking George..and herself. When the kiss ended, alot of explaining was done by both, but Lavender and Parvarti didn't stick around to hear as much.
Lavender, looking at George's and Hermione's entwined figures through the door knob, turned around and nodded to Parvarti, who had been listening against the wall. They both jumped up and down and gave each other high fives. Being woman of..ermm..gossip, they hurried off towards the boy's dormitories, but not before Lavender went up and made the door was still locked. They could unlock it when they got back.
Once in the boy's dormitories, both Lavender and Parvarti went straight for Ron's bed. The first words that woke him from his dream were Parvarti's to Lavender. "Pay up."
Ron sat bolt upright in bed, fully awake now. Of course. The bet on George and Hermione, how could he forget? So he had been correct. He knew it, he just knew it!
It made it ten times better that he hadn't just asked for some measly old galleons in return if he won...
"Ooh, pay me as well!"
Lavender glared. "No."
"Aww.. Saving for the end of our second date, eh?" he gave her a devilish grin.
"It's most definitely not that!"
"Then come on. Just one." Ron pouted.
"NO, I tell you! I'd like to kiss you,but I can't Ron. I just brushed my teeth!"
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Ron said, forgetting he had eaten eight garlic Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans in a row followed by three onion ones earlier that night when he had been on a date with Lavender.
Parvarti and Lavender hadn't, that was for sure. "See you toomorrow, Ronniepoo! I'll pay up then!" shouted Lavender, laughing loud enough to wake the whole dormitory.
***********
Meanwhile, Hermione and George had just stepped outside of Filch's office-the door had mysteriously unlocked when George had kicked it, and though Hermione was a bit miffed her ten spells hadn't had any effect when his foot had done the trick, she didn't say anything. Romantic moments weren't to be ruined, right? Right.
George was smiling widely at her. Not that he had stopped ever since they had kissed.
"So, you want to go stick some dungbombs in the faculty toilets?"
Hermione grinned right back. "Love to." George didn't so much as raise an eyebrow-he was rapidly discovering Hermione had alot more personality to her than just the scholary, play by the rules side.
"On one condition.. you join S-P-E-W," Hermione added slyly.
"I may be in love with you, but I'm not that far gone."
George relented when he saw the adorable begging expression on her face. "Oh alright, alright. I'll bloody join. Just don't tell anyone."
"If you don't tell anyone about the dungbombs."
"You mean, if anyone finds out more like," George said.
Hermioned pulled him off down the hall. "Oh, they won't. I haven't been studying in the library for nothing. I just happen to remember a spell that makes everyone within a twenty mile radius go deaf for a limited time. Just long enough for a little mischief."
George looked at her in awe before placing a small kiss on the tip of her nose. "Alright, it's now official. You're my dream girl."
Entranced with each other, Hermione and George were oblivious to two scampering pairs of feet as they rushed away back to the girl's dormitories, giggling like crazy. So many people to tell, so little time....
THE END(expect a sequel very soon.:))