Warring Weasleys

Chapter Five: Rendezvous in the Moonlight

Fred went to visit George as soon as he found out that his brother's foot had been broken in nine places by three very cumbersome books.

"You've only got twenty-six bones in your foot - you're well on your way to a record!" laughed Fred, trying to lighten the mood.

"Listen to you," George said. "I don't mind having my bones cracked, I got Hermione to help me all the way here. She even stopped by this morning to see if I was all right. That's dedication, that is." He pointed to the vase of flowers at the foot of his bed. "She brought those."

Fred snatched the tiny card hanging around the vase and read:

I'm so sorry about the books.

I hope you won't have to miss

any Quidditch practice on my account.

When you're walking again,

I'll make it up to you.

Your friend, Hermione

Fred's temper rose when he read, "I'll make it up to you," but significantly cooled when he saw she'd signed it, "your friend." His intense jealousy waned for a moment.

"How long are you going to be in here?"

"Not long. Madam Pomfrey's going to mend my bones as soon as she's done helping Professor Snape. He was pretty hurt from that explosion yesterday."

"Explosion?" Fred hadn't heard about anything exploding, though he guessed it was Seamus Finnegan again. No wonder the lad never had any eyebrows.

"Yeah, in Potions class."

Fred thought for a moment, and then asked, "What were you doing in Potions? We didn't have that class yesterday."

"I know, but I went down to the dungeons to...to..." he stopped, searching for the right words. "Say," he said, leaning closer to his brother, "have you heard any strange noises lately?"

"What sort?"

"I found Ginny in the hall yesterday and she looked really scared. Said she'd heard some kind of voice, or crying. It was coming out of the walls."

"Maybe it was Moaning Myrtle or Nearly Headless Nick," Fred suggested.

"But she stays in the toilet and Nick doesn't snuffle and cry like that, at least I've never heard him do it before."

"I don't know, he was awful upset at not being accepted for the Headless Hunt."

"But that was ages ago, he'd be over it by now."

Fred wondered what his brother was talking about. His head had been in the clouds so much lately; he hadn't heard anything at all around him, much less crying. He left the hospital wing, promising to bring George back some chocolate frogs, as Madam Pomfrey wasn't set to be done with Snape for another few hours.

Now that George was stuck in bed, Fred had most of the evening to either find Hermione or research the crying phantom. He thought about it for all of half a second and headed toward Hermione's library hideaway. He reasoned that he'd have enough time to look for her and maybe they could chat for a while before he'd have to get ready for Quidditch practice.

The library was crowded with students, all cramming for next weeks' exams. Fred hadn't even opened a book in preparation, and a feeling of guilt washed over him. He pushed it aside and headed for the shelf where Hermione' had grabbed him only the week before. He searched the books, pulling them out and looking for a secret lever or a way to open the door. This room was not on the map that he and George used to find secret passageways, but then again, this wasn't a passage anywhere. It could have been just an old broom closet that was covered by shelves for all he knew. But why would a broom closet have a skylight?

Fred sighed, about to give up. Even if he found a way inside, there was no telling if Hermione would actually be there, or would show up anytime soon. She was probably poring over a spell somewhere, deep in thought. It's not like she'd be thinking about him. If anyone, she'd be thinking about George and his injured foot.

As he was about to leave, something made him stop dead in his tracks. A book flew out from a shelf to his right and landed just inches in front of him on the floor. He reached down and picked it up. From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide. He flipped through the pages for a moment, trying to figure out why this particular book wanted to be read.

"Are you going to be a dragon keeper?" a soft, female voice asked.

Fred looked up from the book and found Hermione Granger watching him with a curious smile.

"Ah, no, I don't think so. It just jumped out at me," he stammered, replacing the book.

"That means you should take it. Books don't just jump out for no reason, you know."

"But I don't think I wan to raise a dragon, I mean, I don't have any, I don't know where to get them...."

"What about your brother Charlie? Didn't you say he works with dragons?"

Fred smiled. "Yes, but..."

Hermione had stepped off to the side and rearranged a few books on a lower shelf. The case next to Fred popped open and Hermione darted inside. Fred stood, watching in bewilderment room the books to the door when Hermione hissed at him impatiently, "Are you coming in or not?"

She didn't have to ask him twice. He stepped into the darkness and Hermione pulled the door shut.

Alone at last.

* * *

"Did you find the frozen Ashwinder eggs?" Draco snapped at Crabbe and Goyle, who were helping him put together his latest scheme. In this case it was a potion - a love potion. Draco intended to use it to make Hermione Granger fall in love with one of the Weasley twins. It would be hilarious, he thought, and make Potter absolutely bonkers. Everyone knew that Harry fancied Hermione, even though they weren't "officially" dating. And Draco would make sure they never would. Harry's little girlfriend would be lost to him forever, if he could only get this potion to work properly. That meant getting the right ingredients, and Crabbe and Goyle swayed a bit too much into dim territory for Draco to fully trust their aptitude at snatching what he needed from the dungeons. He'd given them a few tasks just to see what they brought back.

He'd have to be very careful, as always. Love Potions were forbidden at Hogwarts; Draco had to steal the spell from the library. That goofy Weasley had almost caught him. If only he could tell them apart. He didn't yet know whether to pair Hermione with Fred or George. Oh well, what did it matter? A Weasley is a Weasley, he thought. And Fred and George were the only available Weasleys for the task - Percy had just found out he'd been chosen Head Boy, and Ron was too young. No, it was part of Draco's plan to set Hermione up with someone older than her, someone who would never end up with Hermione in a million years. Aside from sacrificing one of his own toadies to the job, which he had considered, a Weasley Twin was far more expendable. And knocking one of them out with a love potion would open a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team for a less experienced and less talented beater. With one beater down and their star Seeker in a tizzy over a broken heart, Slytherin would be sure to put Gryffindor in its place.

Marcus Flint, Captain of the Slytherin team, had promised Draco a spot if he could find a foolproof yet subtle way to weaken the Gryffindors. Draco thought Flint would want him to take out his old nemesis, Oliver Wood, but Flint said he had too much fun beating Wood during the matches. The thought of publicly humiliating Wood really got him going.

"It's one of the things I love most about Quidditch," Flint explained, his huge, crooked teeth gleaming.

Draco wasn't about to argue. His mind was a steel trap and he'd concocted his master plan on the spot. Now he waited for his loyal companions to deliver the goods.

"We got the eggs but they're not frozen," said Goyle with a shrug and out of breath from trying to run up the stairs. "Do they have to be?"

Draco rolled his eyes and spat at them, "Yes, they have to be!"

"We'll go find a cold place to put them, then. How long do they take to freeze?"

Draco smacked his palm to his forehead and sighed. "Just give them to me," he said, careful to not raise his voice and cause undue commotion. "Now go find the rest of the ingredients. I want to get this done by tomorrow night!"

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other blankly, then lumbered back out of the room.

Draco made a mental note to find two new toadies when all this was done.