Fred and George were glowing with pride. It was all over the Gryffindor Common room and the Weasley twins liked to think that they were cause of such incredible events. Hermione Granger punched Malfoy! It was magnificent. All day long people were looking for Malfoy just to catch a glimpse of the bruise Hermione had left there.
And then Hermione did the unthinkable. She left class. She had talked back to a professor. She was like a new creature, a completely different person. A rebel in the making.
And Fred and George were taking all the credit.
The next morning, Hermione was sitting with Harry and Ron in the Great Hall. Fred took the seat beside Hermione while George sat across from them. "Wow Hermione," Fred began, "I didn't know we had such a good influence on you." She frowned in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione returned.
"You punched Malfoy!" exclaimed George.
"And then you skived class!"
"We knew you had it in you-"
"And we're very glad we were able to help you reach your full potential." Hermione smiled a little at that.
"Everything I said and did was completely justified," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And you all better beat them in the Quidditch Final. I couldn't bare it if Malfoy won."
"You and us both, Granger," George huffed.
"But we are going to win, right Harry?" Fred murmured. Harry simply nodded.
"But Harry remember-"
"Not to catch the snitch unless we're up by fifty points," finished Harry. "Oliver told me six times last night."
-----
The Quidditch Match was the only thing anyone would talk about in the weeks following. There was so much noise in the Gryffindor Common Room that Hermione found it nearly impossible to do her work there. The team was certain that Oliver would have a heart attack if they didn't win this game.
The night before the game, Fred and George were in the Common Room, being louder, more exuberant, and telling more jokes than normal. They could feel the pressure hanging down on them. They had to win, they just had to.
"Team! Bed!" shouted Oliver. Hermione wished Harry and Ron a good night before approaching Fred and George.
"Good luck tomorrow," she said. They smirked down at her.
"Thanks, Granger," they answered before climbing up to their dormitory. Hermione did the same.
The tension was high the next morning. Hermione was sitting with Ron, Hagrid, and Neville. None of them spoke in anticipation. Hermione had admire the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff efforts to support Gryffindor. They were holding up banners and waving scarlett flags.
Finally, the teams emerged onto the field. "And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a few good years--"
The "boos" issued from the Slytherins drowned out Lee's commentary.
"And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill--"
Hermione couldn't hear what Lee was saying, as the Slytherins "booed" Lee out again. Although, Hermione did agree somewhat with what Lee had said. Aside from Malfoy, the entire team was enormous.
"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch. Flint and Oliver approached one another. The handshake between them seemed to have been breaking a few bones.
"Mount your brooms!" said Hooch. "Three...two...one..." Hooch blew into her whistle, but no one could hear the sound as it was lost in the roaring crowd. Fourteen brooms rose into the air. Harry began flying around, looking for the snitch.
"And it's Gryffindor in possession. Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no-- Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the field." WHAM. Hermione could hear the sound from where she was sitting. "Nice bludger work there by George Weasley. Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by Johnson. Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina. Nice swerve around Montague--duck Angelina, that's a Bludger! SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO GRYFFINDOR!"
Angelina threw her fist into the air as she soared around the end of the field. All around, Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs cheered.
"OUCH!"
Marcus Flint smashed into Angelina, nearly throwing her off her broom.
"Sorry," he sneered. "I didn't see her!"
Fred didn't hesitated, he chuckled his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom causing His nose to begin to bleed. Hermione had no sympathy for him.
"That will do!" shouted Madam Hooch. She flew between them. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"
"Come off it, Miss!" Fred said in outrage. Flint attacked Angelina, Fred was only doing what was right. Madam Hooch ignored him and blew her whistle. Alicia flew forward to take the penalty. "Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee. Silence descended on the crowd below. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"
Hermione watched as Flint, blood streaking down from his nose, flew forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Oliver was hovering in front of the Gryffindor posts. His jaw was clenched, determined to save the shot at any cost.
"Of course, Wood is a superb Keeper!" Lee told the crowd as they waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass--YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE SAVED IT!"
Hermione took a sigh of relief when she saw Oliver jump in front of the Quaffle, keeping it out of the goal. "Thirty more and then Harry can catch the snitch," Ron told her loudly.
"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession--no! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell. She's streaking up the field--THAT WAS DELIBERATE!"
Slytherin Chaser, Montague, swerved in front of Katie and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head. Katie did a cartwheel in the air, but managed to stay on her broom. Understandably, she dropped the Quaffle.
"Slytherins're playin' nasty today," Hagrid commented.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle. She soared over to Montague and began shouting at him, though no one could hear what she was saying. Katie took the penalty shot.
"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING-"
"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way-"
"I'm only telling it like it is, Professor!"
Suddenly, Harry sped off toward the Slytherin end of the field. Malfoy went after him. "Harry can't catch it yet!" screamed Ron. "We still need twenty more points!"
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked in worry. The second bludger grazed Harry's elbow. Bole, a Slytherin Beater was closing in. Hermione watched in horror as Bole and Derrick zoomed towards him, clubs raised. At the last second, he turned his Firebolt upward and Bole and Derrick collided with one another.
"Ha haaa!" shouted Lee. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, Johnson takes the Quaffle--Flint alongside her--poke him in the eye Angelina!--it was a joke, Professor, only a joke--Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on, Wood--"
Oliver failed to save the Quaffle, making the score thirty-ten.
This was easily the dirtiest game Hermione had ever watched. The Slytherins were brutal. They resorted to any means necessary to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Alicia with his club and said he thought she was Bludger. No one believed him, of course. George elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation. Both teams received penalties, the score becoming forty-ten.
The thought hit Hermione like a Bludger to the face. She supposed she had seen it before, but had never paid much attention to it. Fred and George Weasley protected their own. They protected the people they cared about. Why else would they retaliate in such violent ways when the Slytherins attacked their team mates? If they didn't care, they wouldn't have risked the penalties. But they did. And that was when Hermione realized that Fred and George were more than just pranksters.
Fred and George were flying closer around their teammates, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's and George's absence to aim both Bludgers at Oliver. The Bludgers hit him in the stomach, one after another. He rolled over in the air, clutching his broom tightly.
Madam Hooch was beside herself.
"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" her words echoed across the field. "Gryffindor penalty!"
Angelina scored. Moments later, Fred pelted a Bludger at Warrington. The Quaffle was knocked out of his hands, Alicia seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal. Seventy-ten.
"Harry can catch the snitch!" squealed Ron. "He can end this!"
Hermione glanced up at Harry. He had seen the snitch! He put on a huge burst of speed. "Malfoy's thrown himself on Harry's broom!" exclaimed Hermione in disbelief and anger. Malfoy was pulling the Firebolt back.
"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!" Hooched screeched. Malfoy slid back onto his broom.
"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Jordan yelled into the megaphone. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING-"
Even Professor McGonagall was glaring at Malfoy and shouting furiously. Alicia took the penalty, but she missed, her anger getting the better of her.
"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal-- Montague scores--" Lee groaned along with the crowd. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor..."
"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on Angelina...COME ON!"
Every Slytherin single player, except Malfoy, was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina. Even the Keeper was with them. They were all going to block her. Harry shot the Firebolt down towards the Slytherins, making them fly out of Angelina's way. "SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads eighty to twenty!"
Hermione saw Harry glance around, and then, upon noticing that Malfoy had seen the snitch, shot downwards towards the golden ball. He was gaining on Malfoy and dropped down just in time as Bole sent a Bludger his way.
Harry jumped off his broom, knocked Malfoy's hands out of the way and-
"YES! YES! YES!" screamed Lee Jordan. Harry threw his hand into the air, showing the stadium that he had caught the snitch.
The screaming and cheering from the crowd was deafening. They had beat Slytherin! Hermione ran down to the field along with Ron and Hagrid. "We've won the Cup!" shouted Oliver in excitement. The Gryffindor team pulled themselves into a seven person hug in their excitement. Hermione smiled widely at Harry as Dumbledore handed the Gryffindor team the enormous Quidditch Cup.
-----
The celebration continued in the Common Room. The game was the only thing anyone would talk about. But Hermione found she didn't mind. Tomorrow she would return to the mountainous pile of homework that was always awaiting her. But for now, she was going to enjoy the glory of beating Malfoy and the Slytherins.
Fred and George entered the Common Room with a plethora of food following them. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Where did you get those?" she asked.
"Kitchens, of course," they replied. As everyone ate, Hermione found herself standing beside Fred.
"You played very well," Hermione commented.
"Thanks, Granger," Fred replied. "Told you we'd win, didn't we?" Hermione smiled and nodded.
Just then, Alicia Spinnet walked over to them.
"Fred, I know what you did was wrong, but I thought it was really sweet how you elbowed Bole in the face when he hit me with that club." She stood up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.
Fred didn't have the heart to tell her that George was the one who had actually elbowed Bole in the face. Especially when the girl kissed like that. George would understand. "Yeah, any time," he stated before kissing her again.
Hermione walked awkwardly away, going to find Harry and Ron.
-----
George was only a little annoyed that his brother had stolen the kiss that was meant for him. Alicia seemed to be with them everywhere nowadays. Fred supposed they were together now, not that they had discussed it.
The excitement of the Quidditch Match disappeared about a week later. Soon, it was time for exams. The fifth years had O.W.Ls. Fred and George found they couldn't procrastinate any longer and actually opened their books to start studying.
Fred and George had already discussed what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. They didn't need O.W.L.s for it either. But they knew their mum would be beside herself if they didn't get at least one O.W.L. So, they studied. But they didn't allow the pressure to get to them.
Patricia Stimpson seemed to have gone mad from the pressure and she kept fainting, too. Kenneth Towler broke out in boils. The exams loomed over them. So, they studied, they did the best they could.
But they didn't care for the tests the way everyone else did. They were just apart of life in Hogwarts. Once the left, they would open a joke shop. They could sell items that would help others skive off of class. It was their goal to improve the average lives of Hogwarts students. They had great ideas. This was what they wanted with their lives. They didn't want to work in the Ministry, like Percy did. They didn't want live in Romania and work with dragons like Charlie. They definitely didn't want to work at Gringotts like Bill. They wanted to spend their lives making jokes and playing pranks.
McGonagall sighed exasperatedly when they told her that was their life's ambition. She urged them to study and do the best they could in school. She claimed they would change their minds, but that seemed unlikely.
When they mentioned it to Lupin, he just smiled. "That would suit you," he told them genuinely.
One night, after studying late into the evening, Fred noticed Hermione was still on the sofa, probably studying as well. George went up to the bed without him. "Granger?" Fred said cautiously. He walked over to where she was studying and found her dead asleep, her books strewn all around her.
He smiled a little at her. She looked so peaceful while she was sleeping, he didn't want to wake her. He was certain if he did wake her, she would just go back to studying. She needed rest. Fred raced up the stairs to his room, grabbed an extra blanket before returning to where Hermione was on the sofa.
Gently, he placed the blanket over her. He picked up her discarded books and stacked them beside the sofa. "Night, Granger," he murmured.
And as he made his way up to his dormitory, he could have sworn he heard, "Night, Fred."