Willow

Chapter 2

Fred strode along behind the flushed girl. He was doing a strange sort of hop-skip-step-(trip) dance, trying to keep up with her. Damn her long... slender... sexy... shut up sub-conscious...

Legs.

"Hey Hermione! Relax! We'll get to the library way before it closes!" yelled Fred as he jogged a little to catch up with her increasingly long strides.

"Fred! I'm not aiming to get there just as it closes! This is due in only two days and I haven't finished yet. Oh it's a nightmare! How could I forget?"

Fred was just considering throwing a dungbomb in front of her to slow her down when he found himself sprawled on the floor, face down in a tangle of hair. It took a few seconds for him to register what had happened but Hermione's faster-than-lightning reflexes had already seen her jump to her feet. She looked down anxiously from where she was standing.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Why did you stop?" Fred replied painfully, examining his wrist and getting up off the floor to face Hermione.

"We're here," she pointed out. Fred registered for the first time that they were standing outside the entrance to the library. "Honestly Fred. You didn't need to be going that fast, we have plenty of time."

Fred rolled his eyes but all his objections fell on deaf ears as Hermione had already swept inside the doors and was making her way towards the aisle with the Hogwarts texts.

~*~

A few hours later, Fred found Hermione furiously flicking through a huge, battered old book. He crept up behind her, curious as to what she was doing. Hermione was standing in front of a podium-type stand that came up to her waist. It bore the weight of a heavy, yellowing text. Fred crept up as quietly as he could and peeked over her shoulder. The pages were flicking too fast for him to see what was on them.

"Boo!" Fred whispered in Hermione's ear and pinched her sides, causing her to squeal and spin around.

"What did you do that for?" she asked.

"Dunno," Fred shrugged. "You were just irresistible I guess."

"Irresistible?" Hermione laughed and Fred couldn't help but giggle a bit too.

"Yeah! Irresistible..."

They were broken from their bout of hysterics by a disgruntled Madam Pince. "I believe that this is a library, not a fun park. Now out, both of you. It's well past closing time, you should have left ages ago." She walked off, mumbling. "Why I have it in my right mind to speak to Dumbledore about the library closing time. Ten o'clock is far too late for students to be wandering around the corridors. And I need my sleep too!"

Hermione reddened and whispered to Fred, "Did you find any information for whatever horrible trick you're conjuring up now?" Fred broke into an impish grin.

"I don't know what you mean my dear girl. Now we better get out of here."

"Right, there wasn't anything in that book anyway," and she closed it with a loud thump. "Come on, I think there might be some information in the Trophy Room."

"Hermione, I'm shocked. Your not the type to break school rules. Besides, who says I'm coming?"

"Well, I need a big strong protector to stop me getting caught, now don't I?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can't help but follow you like a puppy...Lead on fair maiden." And her marched melodramatically behind her.

When they were halfway there, Fred turned to Hermione.

"What information could you possibly find from the Trophy Room?" he whispered, pulling them into a shadow as an ominous figure passed down the end of the corridor.

"The project is on the History of Transfiguration at Hogwarts, right?"

"Right," Fred confirmed.

"Well... there used to be a competition here. It was a transfiguring one, but they stopped it ages ago. It was too dangerous... the wizards here weren't experienced enough. I hoped that there would be some mention of it in those school records back there. But it seems to have been erased from history."

"Oh! So that's what that book was. Strange."

"Yeah, I only found out about it from Professor McGonnagall. And now I'm going to see if there is a Trophy in there that might have been awarded for it, then I can get some names. Don't worry, I'll only take a second."

When they reached the Trophy Room, Hermione pushed the door ajar, to see if there were anyone in it...as the room was building a reputation of "lets-go-to-the-trophy-room-after-class", where the students...(let's not go there). Seeing that the room was free, they both walked in, Hermione pulling a notebook out of her new bag, which was already starting to wear at the seams.

Fred noticed how everything she did, no matter how rushed, or stressed she was, she always looked smooth and graceful...not unlike a swan. He chuckled, thinking of the 3rd year Hermione, being graceful with her wildly chesnut hair, and stressed lifestyle.

"Hey, Hermione! This Quidditch trophy has James Potter on it...we should show Harry!" Fred was making an effort to look like he too, was there for a reason, as if they were caught they would have a lot of explaining to do. Hermione laughed, and informed Fred that they had found that trophy in their first year

The sight of Fred and Hermione, in the trophy room together would cause most to look twice, but an unknown onlooker watched with glee as the two students laughed together, and without a second glance, he closed the door of the trophy room, wiping the smiles off each of the faces.

Hermione and Fred turned towards the creaking door just in time to hear the click of the lock and a manic cackling, spiraling down the corridor. Fred ran up to the door.

"PEEVES!!!!!!" He was furious with the poltergeist, having had many of his and George's inventions stolen, or broken by Peeves.

"UNLOCK THE DOOR THIS VERY MINUTE, OR THE BARON'LL HEAR ABOUT THIS!!!!" But Peeves had already swooped off, looking for more trouble.