Isn't He Lovely • A Fred Weasley Story

a n e w p l a y e r

"So everything's worked out?" Hermione asks cautiously.

The two of us are sitting in the Great Hall at breakfast the following Monday morning, students chatting across the tables around us.

"Yeah," I reply, smiling. "It's all okay."

"Are you sure about this, Elle?" she says quietly, leaning in with a skeptical look on her face. "I mean, I just..."

She stops herself, sighing and shrugging.

"I don't know," she says defeatedly. I place my hand gingerly on hers on the table.

"Mione..." I say calmly, "I promise you, it was a misunderstanding. But you're sweet for making me feel so protected."

She can't hide a small grin before resuming her breakfast, swiftly spreading a bit of butter onto a piece of toast. "So where's Alicia now?"

"I don't know..." I say, scoffing out of irritation at the thought of the girl. "Why?"

"Because I'm off to hex her, of course."

I let out a snort of laughter as Hermione smirks, giggling a bit as she takes a bite of her toast. She leans her cheek into her palm on the table as she chews, clearly thinking about something as I pour myself a glass of orange juice.

"It's quite strange to think that it's going to be November in three days," she sighs, a look of disbelief in her eyes. "I feel like it was just the start of school."

"Me too," I agree, nodding. "It's all already going by so quickly."

"I suppose there's always an upside to that..." she says, shrugging. "Like the Holidays, of course..."

I bite my lip in a smile, excited at the thought of seeing Fred again. And George, and I bet even Lee... I miss having everyone together so very much.

"I can't wait to see everyone," I verbalize my thoughts, grinning. "I hope we get to stay at the Burrow again. Well, I suppose that's a given at this point, with Molly..."

I chuckle lightly and return to my toast, but when I glance at Hermione, I notice her staring at her plate with a sheepish smile. Her cheeks are ever so slightly pink as she fiddles with her fork on the table.

"Look at you!" I point out, giggling, "you're blushing! What's got you all in a fuss?"

She fails to hide her flushed appearance and sighs, shrugging shyly. "Well, erm... I just- I'm excited for break, that's all."

"That doesn't seem like that's all..." I say skeptically, smirking.

"Alright, alright, fine!" She says defeatedly. She then leans in just a bit, speaking in a soft tone. "I guess you could say that I'm a bit- erm, eager- to be getting out of Hogwarts for a bit... with... Ron."

I slap a hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh as she bites her lip to avoid giggling, the two of us looking like silly schoolgirls at the table as she blushes harder.

"Oh, oh, I see..." I say between giggles, nodding in understanding. "So... you two haven't...?"

"No," she answers promptly, sighing. "But you can't blame us, can you? I mean... when we got together over the summer, I was a bit too- nervous, you could say, to do it with everyone around..."

"But Mione, that's the way it's going to be during the Holidays," I say bluntly, spooning a bite of cereal into my mouth as I look at her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." she says, looking distraught.