Warring Weasleys

Chapter One: Over Dinner in The Great Hall

     Fred and George Weasley usually sat opposite each other at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall but this particular evening found them sitting next to each other directly across from Hermione Granger. It was their third year at Hogwarts and Hermione's second, and they'd noticed a change in her over the summer. She looked - almost pretty; softer than the harsh girl they remembered from the year before. Even her wild, bushy hair seemed more tamed.

    Silently the boys picked at their food as they watched Hermione take delicate bites of bread and gentle, ladylike sips of soup. After two full courses like this, Hermione put down her spoon and leaned back.

     "What are you two doing?" she asked, annoyed. Her accusing gaze moved from Fred to George and back to Fred again.

     "Nothing," they said in unison.

     "Nothing. Are you sure? Because I could have sworn you were both staring at me. It makes me uncomfortable to be studied while I'm eating. Would you kindly stop it?" she said, matter-of-factly, making Fred wonder if she even had a soft side.

     "We weren't staring at you," said George, adamantly. "Were we, Fred?"

     Fred nudged his brother in the ribs and whispered, "Put the blame on me, like always!"

     "I never did! Hermione's got the idea that you're staring at her, though."

     Fred opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione pursed her lips tightly and stood up.

     "Nevermind. I'll go finish my dinner in the common room. Alone." She looked each astonished twin squarely while delivering her final word, picked up her dinner plate and marched off. The boys watched her leave.

     "Her hair is so pretty when it flounces like that," said George.

     "Yeah, it's really bouncy when she's angry."

     "Wonder what else is bouncy?" George snickered.

     "With all those robes on, we'll never know."

     Percy Weasley, Hogwarts Prefect and voice of authority to the twins, sat two places down at the Gryffindor table, watching over the first years. He'd overheard his brothers' comments and grew red in the face.

     "Fred. George. Don't speak like that about your fellow Gryffindor!"

     "Especially while we're trying to eat," sneered Draco Malfoy, striding over to the Gryffindor table. "You won't want to make us all throw up now, would you?"

     Fred and George feigned innocence. "What did we say? We were just talking about her hair."

     "Right," said Draco. "Any talk about that Mudblood is enough to make me ill. But at least you've succeeded in clearing her from the room." He turned, and with a flourish of his Slytherin robes, stalked back to his two toadies, Crabbe and Goyle.

     Percy looked sternly at his younger brothers and shook his head. "Please say you don't fancy Hermione. I don't need this kind of trouble in the house."

     "We just said she looked nice, what's wrong with that? Honestly, Percy." Fred rolled his eyes and got up to leave.

     "Where are you going?" asked George anxiously.

     "Don't worry, I'm not going to the common room." As he walked away Fred muttered, "yet" under his breath. George stayed at the table and helped himself to another serving of roasted pheasant while his mirror image made his way to the library.

     With all of the books in the Hogwarts library, there had to be a book that Hermione hadn't yet read, and Fred was determined to find it. He was sure he could entice her by showing how smart he could be. She was mad for all things studious, and Fred thought he'd been paying just a bit more attention to Hermione's literary tastes than George had.  Even though they were identical, Fred convinced himself that we was the more handsome of the two, and that he was the one who would win the girl who had recently been making him feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach whenever she was near. The only problem was, Hermione was already in love - with fellow Gryffindor Harry Potter.