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-Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling
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A Moment of Absolute Insanity
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Not even Hermione Granger could stay focused on her Arithmancy homework as she sat in the great hall awaiting the Halloween feast that was still several hours away. Her eyes drifted between the glowing blue Goblet of Fire just ahead of her, and the fall foliage visible through the windows around her. It was as if even trees and brush wished to impress the visitors that had arrived the day before for the fall colors around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were particularly beautiful that year. In preparation for the Halloween feast the Hogwarts house elves had been putting in extra duty and the rewards of their efforts could be smelled throughout the castle in the tempting aroma of meats, apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon.
Everywhere she looked, things just seemed different this year.
But then, Hermione had begun to see a lot of things differently since she had turned fourteen. She cared more about how her hair looked, how she dressed, how others thought of her, and that her complexion stayed clear... with all the excitement the past few days. Hermione had been sure she would break out all over her chin like she usually did around exams.
Hogwarts was definitely to be the epicenter of excitement that year! Upon returning for the new term they had learned that their school was to play host to two other schools, Durmstrang and Bouxbatons, for the Tri-Wizard tournament. Willing students were to put their name into the Goblet of Fire and the Goblet would chose, one from each school, a wizard or witch who was worthy to compete.
However, to the chagrin of many, in order to make the tournament more safe, an age restriction of seventeen had been imposed and enforced with a powerful age line that went all the way around the Goblet of Fire, a charm put in place by none other than Albus Dumbledore himself.
And so it was that between the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen, the distracting beauty of the landscape outside the windows around her, and the frequent theatrics of those who thought themselves plucky enough to break through the charm of perhaps the most clever wizard to ever live, Hermione was quite unable to concentrate on her homework. Instead, she split her time between being entertained by the antics of her fellow classmates, working a single bit of homework, and gazing out the window.
Hermione had just forced her eyes from the window, back the book in front of her, when the doors opened with a loud bang. The manner in which the great hall instantly filled with loud cheers, shouts of encouragement and jovial laughter could only mean one thing...the Weasley twins had just entered.
Hermione rolled her eyes as the celebratory greeting went on around her. Most of her time at Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasley had been something like a pimple on her cheek that she couldn't get rid of. Oh, she COULD have gotten rid of them, she had plenty on them, she knew a great deal of their hiding places and the secret passageways they used. Hermione reckoned she could get them expelled with just good one conversation with Professor McGonagall.
The thing was, she was best friends with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley and great friends with Ginny Weasley. Harry, was so close to the Weasley family that he was more or less Fred and George's younger brother, and of course Ronald and Ginny Weasley actually were their younger brother and sister. And so, Hermione had diplomatically decided early on to develop a stiff upper lip protocol when it came to the Fred and George. Besides, lately they hadn't been too bad, in fact, she had actually come to like them well enough since they had all spent time together over the summer. Her only irritant was when they were cooking up one of their hair brained, irresponsible, no fail plans.
"...An aging potion!" Hermione heard George proudly announce to the room of Weasley admirers from the table behind her.
She rolled her eyes and closed her book. Of all the ...
"It's not going to woorrrkk" she singsonged at them
Fred and George, always up for a chance to rile Hermione, were on her like mosquitoes on sugar water. George knelt on the floor and propped his arms up on the bench next to her, while Fred, always the more aggressive of the two, straddled the bench right next to her so close his knee bumped hers.
"And why not?" George asked from her other side
Hermione looked up from her stack of homework to look down at at George.
"You see that? It's an age line...Professor Dumbledore made that age line, he would have thought of that." she said with a small condescending shake of her head.
"Ah" Fred said from her other side "That's wh..."
Hermione turned her head and came face to face to Fred Weasley. Their faces were barely three inches apart, he was so close she could feel his breath on her cheeks as he spoke. What he was talking about, she had no idea, because all she could think was that whatever he was wearing...he smelled really good, and also, she had never realized before...but he had really quite lovely eyes. She had never seen them up this close... They were a beautiful shade of light brown and she had never actually seen it before, but there it was right in front her, Fred Weasley's light eyes literally sparkled.
Hermione was mesmerized by Fred Weasley's sparkling light brown eyes.
"Yeah" George tapped her arm on her other side "What do you got to say to that Hermione?"
She turned her head and looked at George, "Um...I s..say" she cleared her throat "I say if Professor Dumbledore doesn't want anyone under seventeen near the Goblet of Fire, no one will get past the age line."
Fred laughed loudly on her other side and she turned her head back to him. He had thrown his head back and his longish hair brushed along his neck and broad shoulders. Hermione had always thought she liked clean cut boys with short hair, but she was wondering now what it would feel like to put her arms around those broad shoulders and run her fingers through all that hair.
Fred was speaking but whatever it was that he was saying was lost on Hermione, her eyes had moved down to his lips, lovely, full ,very soft looking lips...and Hermione wondered what it would be like to kiss them... to kiss him. They were only inches from hers...if she moved forward... just a little...she could pretend to be smoothing her skirt or drop her quill and...
And then he was gone. Fred and George jumped up from the table and the loud cheers began around them again. Hermione sat perfectly still,her eyes open wide, in a state of shock while her mind screamed at her.
"What in the bloody hell am I thinking?! That's Fred Freaking Weasley! You don't like Fred Weasley Hermione! Pimple! Remember, Pimple, that won't go away?! You don't kiss pimple's you git!"
Absently she opened her Arithmancy book again and stared blankly at the pages.
"But he does have very gorgeous eyes, and all that lovely hair, and...and...lips..."
The page went dark as her eyes slowly closed and she was all alone with Fred Weasley, sliding her arms around his neck, his arms went around her waist and he lowered his head to hers as he pulled her closer...
The great hall echoed with a duo of loud bangs and Hermione's eyes popped open just in time to see Fred and George Weasley tossed back over the age line and age dramatically as white hair and long bushy beards sprouted from their faces.
"You!" George pointed at Fred
"You!" Fred pointed at George
To the loud approval of their classmates Fred and George Weasley broke out in a brawl that sent white hair flying all over the great hall.
Hermione felt every bit of attraction leave her and the familiar part superiority, part what-an-idiot, feeling that she usually felt in regard to Fred Weasley returned and she was filled with incredible relief.
"Insanity." she said with a small laugh and reassuring nod to herself "It was ust a moment of absolute insanity."
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then, with a small giggle and a borrowed a phrase from the Marauders...
"Insanity Managed."
...she turned back to her homework.
The door's to the great hall opened loudly and a large group from Durmstrang entered. Hermione lifted her head from her homework curiously and noticed that Vicktor Krum, the Quidditch player, was leading them and his eyes were on her.
She sighed dreamily resting her cheek in her hand as their eyes locked.
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This story was inspired by a still from the Movie
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire",
my vague memories of my own fickle 14 year old girl hormones,
and the fact that Ialways thought it would be hilarious to write a
story about Hermione having a crush
on one of the Weasley twins.
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