Altered Perceptions

This is set at some point in fifth year. Enjoy!

'Ron, what are you doing?' Hermione asked as she watched his red hair appear and disappear behind the Gryffindor sofa.

'I've lost my quill,' he responded in an irritable fashion. 'And Pig's flown off with my homework. I think he thought I said take this to Harry'.

Hermione suppressed the urge to smile. Trust someone a bit gruff and cynical like Ron to have the most animated showman-like pet in the country.

'Well at least Harry will have some homework to hand in then.' Her lips quivered.

'I'm glad you think this is funny Hermione. Knowing Pig he's halfway to John o' Groats by now – he tends to get blown a hundred miles off course by a strong gust of wind.' He stood up and rubbed the back of his hair.

As Ron shook his head distractedly Hermione stared. She knew she fancied Ron; when he acted all worried like this it made her feelings worse. She just couldn't put her finger on why she felt this way about Ron – he wasn't exactly what she'd imagined the boy of her dreams to be like.

At that point Harry came wandering down from the dorm with a small feathery owl twittering around his head.

'Why has Pig brought me your homework? I mean it's very generous of you Ron but I've already done McGonagall's essay...' he said, passing Ron the homework.

'Oh don't you start as well Harry.'

'What have we done?' Harry questioned Hermione.

'Ron's lost his quill,' she said vaguely, focusing on her homework.

'I think I can help you with that as well.' Harry pulled Ron's quill out of his pocket. 'Sorry mate, I couldn't find mine so I borrowed yours.'

'Thanks everyone.' Ron took the quill sarcastically. 'I certainly have enjoyed this fun filled half hour courtesy of the resident burglars.'

Pig hooted obliviously and landed on his shoulder.

'Excuse me I hope you're not including me in your kind assessment Ron.' Hermione looked offended.

''Course not Hermione, you're a model citizen.' He grinned, popping a chocolate frog into his mouth whole.

'That means such a lot coming from you Ron,' she responded sarcastically, watching him chew.

'You love me really,' he joked, pulling another chocolate out of a bag on the sofa.

Hermione blushed. She knew he hadn't intended the statement that way but all the same...

Harry put some books down on the table.

'Yeah well as much I'm sure we all fancy Ron, I've got to do more than stare into his blue eyes all afternoon if I'm going to avoid certain death with Snape on Monday,' Harry deadpanned.

'I thought you'd done that homework Harry! You said you'd finished it the other night when you went to Quidditch practice!' Hermione looked scandalized.

'Give it a rest Hermione; I've already been worrying about it all day.'

'You obviously haven't been worried enough to do it,' she berated him.

'Look. It's not exactly on the list of top ten worries at the moment. Oddly enough there's a man with a large snake walking about the country that seems to take up the first ten spaces on his own.'

Ron laughed.

'You better get on with your homework Ron or it will never get finished.' Hermione reminded him.

'I'm doing it, keep your hair on,' he said infuriatingly and placed his quill to the paper.

Unfortunately that's all that seemed to happen for the next ten minutes, until Pig hooted in an almost questioning way.

'What? Are you hungry?' Ron asked the bird.

'No Ron, I want to know why you're not working,' Harry said in a funny voice as though impersonating the owl.

'Very funny Harry but don't give up the day job... I've had enough of this now; can't we go outside for a bit?'

'No, I haven't finished my homework yet!' Hermione responded urgently.

'When's it got to be in for?' He grinned mischievously.

'Not for a couple of weeks...' she admitted sheepishly.

'You're brilliant Hermione. Completely mad but brilliant.'

Just at that moment Fred and George came walking down the dorm stairs rattling a box.

'Don't tell me you're collecting for SPEW now?' Ron gaped at them.

'Don't be an idiot,' Fred said. 'We do need Hermione's help to test something out though. We've just launched a new enterprise – it's going to revolutionise the school!'

'Oh what is it?' Hermione looked excited. 'Will it improve classroom teaching or enhance our learning opportunities?'

'We knew you'd be interested,' George replied. 'But actually it's more to do with enhancing extracurricular activities. That's why we want you to...'

'Give us a kiss Hermione,' Fred finished.

'I beg your pardon?' she responded, shocked.

Ron went a sort of purple colour and spluttered.

Ignoring this, Fred and George continued.

'I can see we're going to have to expand on that...'

'We've developed rings that alter other people's perceptions of what's really going on. So you could be wearing them – playing noughts and crosses in lessons, eating a packet of Bertie Botts beans –'

'Gesturing at Snape...'

'... And no-one would know because the teacher's not focusing on you whilst you're wearing it!'

'Brilliant!' said Harry.

'We know. But we know that people are also going to try and use them to have a good snog in the corridors in the middle of the night and since we respect some laws more than others we understand that we need to be able to see what's going on in that department...' Fred explained.

'Only so Angelina doesn't get off with Roger without Fred knowing...' smirked George.

'Anyway we thought if Hermione would take part in a small experiment...'

'You want me to kiss you... so you can see if it's visible to everyone else?' Hermione responded slowly.

'Exactly!' George confirmed.

'Only trouble is, it needs to be more than a peck on the cheek because that would be perceived anyway...'

'You can't ask Hermione to do that!' Ron spluttered looking scandalised. 'What would mum say if she heard you talking like that to a girl?'

'You always were mummy's boy.' Grinned Fred.

'Glad to see Ron's not forgotten his Weasley morals... Ron we're not completely ill-bred you know. I'm sorry to say we do come from the same family as you...'

'And we recognise we can't go around snogging girls without a completely good reason.'

'So what are you doing talking like that to Hermione then?' Ron demanded.

'It's okay Ron they don't mean anything by it,' Hermione said.

'I don't know what they mean, and I'm not sure I like it,' Ron fumed at the twins.

'Look,' said Fred with the amused air of someone who knew this was going to happen, 'if you don't want one of us kissing Hermione – and it literally would be a quick peck on the lips – how about if Harry did it?'

Harry looked nauseous at the prospect.

'No offence Hermione but I don't really see you that way.'

'None taken Harry – me either.' She looked equally repelled at this suggestion.

Ron's face lit up at this admission.

'Really?'

'Why? Did you think we went off to snog in an empty classroom every night?' Harry raised an eyebrow.

Ron stood there with his mouth open.

'I've got it!' George said gleefully, pretending he'd just thought of something. 'How about if Ron were to do it!'

Hermione flushed and looked down at her homework intently.

Ron spluttered.

'I'm not... I can't... I'm not kissing Hermione so you two can test a stupid invention!'

'He's gone red George!'

'Ah bless him, isn't that cute!'

'Are we to assume from this protest dear brother, that you would kiss Hermione if it weren't to test our invention?' Fred grinned.

'I... what?'

'We'll take that as a yes. Stand in front of the fireplace you two and put these on.'

Fred passed Ron a ring, and Ron went from gaping at the twins to the ring in his hand. Hermione took her ring from George and looked at Ron furtively whilst still sitting at the table.

'Come on time waits for no man!' Fred quipped, taking Hermione's hand and standing her up, gesturing to the fireplace.

Hermione uncertainly approached Ron; he looked up from his staring reverie and blushed, quickly reverting to gazing at the ring in his hand.

'Look, Fred and George are completely mad. You don't have to do this Hermione.'

'I know,' she said. 'I was going to say no...'

'Right, of course you were.' He looked disappointed.

'I don't mind now though...' she admitted in a small voice, putting on her ring. 'Put on your ring.'

Ron placed the ring on his finger whilst staring at Hermione.

'You don't mind if I...'

'No,' she cut him off.

'Are you sure? Because you don't have to you know...'

'Just snog her Ron! Honestly I can't believe we're related sometimes...' Fred said loudly.

Hermione grasped his hand and smiled encouragingly.

A determined look passed across his face and he leaned towards her. Giving her a quick, soft peck on the lips he pulled back with a redder and more confunded face than when he'd started.

'Oh for the love of...' Fred grinned.

'You two are special, honestly. Next time Ron, make it last more than a fraction of a millisecond. Well – we know it works Fred! I saw everything!' George said happily.

'Yeah so did I...' Harry said, looking like he'd have rather seen Snape posing in a men's underwear catalogue.

'Thanks you lot. A unique experience as always!' Grinned Fred, and the twins disappeared back up to the dorms leaving a trail of confusion in their wake.

I was writing an R/Hr story when I decided Fred and George ought to be included plus their latest invention. Then I had an idea – what if they'd come up with something that made your actions not directly visible to others without actually being invisible? The idea is much like the perception filter in Doctor Who; the characters wear the TARDIS key on a chain around their necks to hide from the Master. It's like you can see that someone's there, but you aren't bothered about them.

Please review – let me know whether I should carry it on :D