Prankful Love

Hermione grinned evilly to herself; she'd plotted for months. Since she'd been at the Burrow for the Christmas of her seventh year. Since the morning when she'd woken up to find a repelling charm on all her books. It hadn't been removed until she'd been getting packed to leave, forcing her to complete her homework on the train. No one had claimed responsibility, but she knew who was responsible. It was always the twins. No one else would dare. But now, it was time for her revenge. The twins would never know what hit them.

In January, she'd started researching placement and sticking charms. Whatever she did to the twins, it needed to be stuck that way until she released it. Finally, she found a charm that was keyed to the caster. No one but the caster or a qualified curse breaker would be able to break it. She grimaced at the fact that a curse breaker would be able to break it, but then remembered the prank the twins had pulled on Bill over Christmas. The look on Fleur's face. Bill would NOT help the twins with anything. She cackled maniacally to herself. Really, the audacity of the twins. How did they think a scampish grin could get them out of trouble? Hermione ignored the treacherous thought that she would forgive George a lot for the sake of that grin.

In February, she didn't manage to get much done. Harry and Ron had become concerned with the fact that she was constantly hiding in the library, making notes to herself in bizarre shorthand and cackling. They became convinced that she was going crazy and had actually staged a fake house-elf rebellion to get her out of the library. The rest of the month had been spent by all of the upper year students; cleaning up the mess they'd made and listening to them plead for forgiveness. Brown spots on white tiles made Hermione think of Weasley freckles, she was obviously going crazy.

In March, Hermione created the potion she'd need. The hard part had been convincing Professor Snape of its usefulness. Even if he had mellowed since Voldemort's defeat, he did not take kindly to the "frivolous" use of his potions lab. Fortunately, she stumbled upon a fertilizing potion, which she managed to enhance both for plants and pranking. Some of the smells she created reminded her of the twin's swamp in her fifth year. She thought of the look on George's face when she'd heard he and Fred discussing the fact that they'd never have N.E.W.T.s. She'd never seen him look so serious; it suited him somehow. Hermione shook her head to clear it. Definitely insane.

In April, she spent Easter break studying the layout of the Burrow. She discovered something that even the twins did not seem to know, the Burrow had hollow ceilings. Also, she observed that the twins always Apparated into their old bedroom. This would be too easy. Waaaay too easy. In her intense study of the twins and their habits, Hermione had accidentally seen George in his boxers while he tried to remove a sticking charm Fred had placed on his clothes. She spent the next few weeks continually distracted by pondering if he was really as strong as he looked. She convinced herself that it was merely academic curiosity.

In May, she practiced attaching her potion to various objects via the charm she'd discovered. Plants were easy enough to practice on, but humans were far more magically complex. Fortunately, she was able to convince Neville that it was to his advantage to have fertilizer on his hands while he worked with his plants. Much to her surprise, and Neville's joy, once she made some small modifications to the charm, it worked wonderfully. Neville's plants looked even better than usual, and the charm was simple enough that he could perform it for himself without any trouble. Hermione woke up on May fifteenth from what could be politely termed a "highly interesting" dream starring George Weasley. She decided that the twins were merely in her subconscious as a result of her prank plotting. She ignored the nagging suspicious voices that asked why she wasn't dreaming about Fred as well.

In June, Hermione stopped plotting for a week to finish her N.E.W.T.s. They were mainly a formality for the group who had participated in the final battle, but Hermione felt that it would be best if she attended. However, she was unusually attentive, even for Hermione, during the Herbology N.E.W.T. and she snitched a full bag of Magic-Gro dirt from Greenhouse Five. She spent the rest of the day pondering, for reasons she refused to comprehend, if George would be impressed by the amount of work she'd gone to. Or would he think the know-it-all was just showing off again?

In July, she gleefully received her N.E.W.T. results and began job applications while still working out the final details of her plans. Her containment charms were perfect and the charms she'd added to the flower seeds worked beautifully. She tested it on her father, with his permission, and he was entranced by the intricate work she could do. She was impressed that it worked so well. But she worried that George wouldn't find it funny.

Finally, it was Harry's birthday. Hermione headed to the Burrow the night before the party to help Molly and Ginny get the house and food ready. However, that night she "borrowed" Harry's invisibility cloak and set her containment charms in place in the Burrow's upstairs hallway. She carefully filled the charms and slipped back to bed before Ginny woke up and noticed she wasn't in the room. She spent the rest of the night alternately falling into dozy dreams where George declared his undying love for her and waking up to tell herself she was crazy.

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It was July thirty-first. George Weasley woke up in his bedroom at he and Fred's Diagon Alley flat. Today was ickle Harry's eighteenth birthday party. George was happy that Harry had survived to be eighteen and excited that he would have a chance to pull numerous pranks at the party, but he was most excited to see Hermione Granger. Hermione had been an obsession with him since she'd responded to he and Fred's prank at Christmas by doing . . . nothing. He'd noticed her scrutiny over Easter, but had assumed it was mere disapproval.

However, her reaction had sparked something in him and he'd spent the last few months pondering what he knew about the younger witch. It occurred to him that she was a highly interesting person behind her layer of books and rule minding. George had begun to develop a crush on her, but was mostly curious about how she ticked. He'd shared some of this with Fred, who agreed that Hermione probably had some hidden depths, but was more interested in whether she was likely to use some of her brilliance in helping the twins devise pranks.

George woke Fred and the two of them Apparated, as usual, into their old bedroom. They stepped into the hall and didn't notice the shadowy figure hiding in Ginny's doorway. They also didn't notice the whispered charms until they found themselves frozen to the floor, pockets devoid of pranking supplies.

George began to suspect that he'd underestimated Hermione Granger. His suspicions were confirmed when mud fell from the ceiling to cover himself and Fred without dirtying the carpet in the slightest. George recognized the smell of Magic-Gro dirt from his Herbology classes and wasn't entirely unprepared for the hail of seeds that followed and quickly planted themselves all over his body. However, the heavily perfumed green goo that spread itself all over his body did surprise him.

It didn't take long for George to realize what was going on. He'd barely had time to blink when plants sprouted all over his body and Fred's, blossomed into bright green daisies and began loudly singing "Happy Birthday" to Harry. George found himself unfrozen and staring into the amused eyes of Hermione Granger.

George was about to say something when he heard his twin say, "Bloody hell, Woman, that was amazing! I could almost fall in love with you!" "Bloody hell, Hermione, I am in love with you," was all George could think. He had barely managed a stammered, "Indeed, Gred, it appears we have underestimated our Miss Granger," when Fred bolted down the stairs to show his party decorations to everyone else.

George was left staring awkwardly at Hermione, unsure of what to say. Hermione also seemed to feel awkward as she was staring at a point directly behind George's left ear. She kept trying to start sentences, but didn't seem able to say anything.

Suddenly George got a burst of Gryffindor courage and looked Hermione in the eye. She looked lovely, but nervous, not the confident witch who'd confronted him triumphantly only a few moments ago. Suddenly it appeared that Hermione got a burst of the same courage and leaned into George. He didn't even have time to react when she kissed him square on the mouth.

George gasped in reaction to the kiss and noticed that Hermione had taken his lack of response as a rejection was about to run away from him. So he grabbed her and kissed her, he felt her tense for a moment, then relax and start kissing him back. It was almost ten minutes later when he vaguely heard Fred's voice say, "What do you mean only you or Hermione can remove all this and you won't?! This smell is making me ill," and heard Bill laugh in reply. He heard Fred start to run up the stairs, but was so absorbed in the kiss he didn't think about the fact that Fred would see him with Hermione as soon as he got into the hallway.

The next thing he heard was, "What are you and Miss Granger up to, Forge?"

Hermione blushed and pulled away from the kiss, but George held her hand.

"Well, Gred," he replied, "I was just about to ask her to become our research partner. I think she's earned it."

George noticed Hermione's eyes light up. "You'd really take me on as a research partner, that sounds fascinating, I've been looking into so many interesting charms and I really think I'd be able . . ."

"Forge, do hush our new partner up. I believe you two have some other matters to discuss. So if Miss Granger would be so kind . . .," he said, waving a hand to indicate his current state.

George watched Hermione grin and perform the counter charm. Fred raced back down the stairs and George came in for another kiss, but found himself pushed away.

Hermione grinned up at him, "First of all, you still smell of that awful fertilizer. Secondly, we should probably tell everyone about this. Thirdly, I'm missing my best friend's birthday party."

George nodded, "Well then, Miss Granger, I'll race you down the stairs!"

-

Hermione was plotting again. George had cheated at the race. She wasn't sure what she could pull off until she remembered that she was in possession of all the twins' pranking supplies. Oh, he would regret it.