A Knut for Your Thoughts

An Accident

If anyone ever asked, Fred would say that it was an accident. Although, to be honest, it was an accident. All it was supposed to be was another one of their inventions. Fred really hadn't anticipated everything that came from it.

The idea for the potion was simple. The drinker would have their thoughts suddenly broadcasted to anyone within a ten foot radius. And once Fred perfected the potion, he was going to slip it into Ron's pumpkin juice, just to watch the chaos it would cause. Perhaps, the git would finally admit his feelings for Granger.

Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Of all the women in the world, Fred had to fall for Hermione Granger, the girl who obviously fancied his little brother. Nothing good could come from this and he was definitely going to get his heartbroken. But that didn't stop him.

Fred shook his head and turned his attention back to his potion. He decided he quite liked brewing on Hogsmeade days. The Gryffindor Common Room was essentially vacant and there was no one to interrupt him.

Well, that was until Hermione Granger came storming into the room.

At first, Fred wasn't even sure that she had seen him. She charged into the room in a fury, stomped up to the girl's dormitories, only to return a few minutes later with a book. She plopped down across from him. "What's got your wand in a twist?" Fred asked.

For a moment, it appeared as though she hadn't heard him, until finally, the book fell to her lap with a sigh. "That woman! She's completely vile! Did you know she's using that–that quill on first years! And with Dumbledore gone, there's not much we can do!" She looked as though she wanted to throw something across the room in her anger. "Naturally, I can't condone your actions," she continued, "but I have to agree that a little chaos is exactly what she deserves."

Fred gave her an impressed smirk. "Always knew you thought me and George were geniuses." She frowned.

"I never said that," she said.

"You can now if you like," he murmured. He caught the sight of her rolling her eyes before he returned to his potion.

Curious, Granger stood up and made her way over to where he was standing over the cauldron. "What are you brewing?" Hermione asked.

"Nosy, aren't we?" he answered.

"Come on," she prompted. Her hair fell past her shoulders as she leaned across him to further her inspection. His eyes were trained on her now, his potion all but forgotten. How could his brother not see how utterly enchanting Hermione Granger was? She was beautiful in all the ways that couldn't be seen. Well, and all the ways that could be seen as well. "Is it a sleeping potion?"

Fred shook his head to clear it, her words bringing him back to reality. "Something better, Granger," he stated. "Haven't quite finished it yet, though."

"This is one of your Weasleys' Wheezes products, isn't it?"

"It's Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he corrected. "But yes." She shook her head at him and returned to her seat with her book. "What's this, Granger? Not going to write my mother? Not going to give me detention?" She smiled a little.

"As long as you don't test on first years and you use whatever that is against Umbridge, I really couldn't care less." Fred smirked.

"Always knew you had a rebellious side to you."

"Can't say I know what you mean."

In retrospect, perhaps this was all Granger's fault. There she sat for hours, her eyes flittering across the page as she read. Fred had no idea watching someone read could be so interesting. Every now and then, her eyebrows would knit together in a frown when she was particularly contemplating something that she had read. Merlin, she was just too endearing for her own good, and Fred couldn't keep his eyes off of her. And in his distraction, he failed to notice that one of her hairs had fallen into the potion.