Two Can Keep a Secret

Chapter 3- A midnight rescue

Hermione had been working on homework late for the fourth time that week. She stayed up later than Ron and Harry because she felt like she got more work done late at night. The rain and the silence were soothing to her. She was halfway through her potions assignment when she saw Fred come in.

A frown appeared on Hermione's face when she realized the time. It was well past midnight. She also realized that this was the fourth time Fred had come in late that week. She hadn't said anything to him before because she was still giving him the silent treatment.

Fred was holding his hand and wincing when he made his way through. Hermione had a feeling she knew what that was about. She placed the quill on the table and headed over to him.

"Fred?" She asked quietly when she was closer to him.

Fred jumped when he saw her, though he immediately tried to put on a brave face. "Oh, hi Hermione. Were you waiting up for me?" He asked her teasingly.

"No, I was just working on potions. What's wrong with your hand?" She asked quickly before he could walk away.

Fred's eyes widened and he stuffed his hand in a pocket. "Nothing," he answered defensively.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She knew he was hiding something, so she reached for his hand and pulled it out of his pocket. "You've had detention with Umbridge," she muttered quietly without looking at his hand.

He looked at her in surprise. "You really do know everything!" he said in an amazed tone.

"Harry's had a handful of detentions with her. Wait here, I've got some Murtlap still," she said quietly, forgetting about her anger towards him.

"Why are you helping me?" He demanded to know, looking down at her.

Hermione sighed as she avoided looking into Fred's eyes. "I just don't like the idea of Umbridge torturing you...or anybody else," she added quickly so he wouldn't tease her about caring about him. She went to grab the potion and bandages before he could say another word.

They sat down on the couch and she let him soak his hand in Murtlap Essence. The common room was very quiet, so Hermione decided to say something. "So, what did you get detention for this time?" She asked quietly. She tried to avoid looking at what his hand said because she felt like it was none of her business.

Fred hesitated, and he looked a bit uneasy. "Er...I've only gotten myself into detention once," he admitted quietly. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I served detention for three first years. They were just having fun pulling their first pranks. I didn't want them to get in trouble, so I said I did them. Professor Umbridge believed me."

Hermione blinked in surprise. Fred actually stood up for some first years? He actually cared for them? Her arms were around his neck before she knew what was happening.

"Hermione!" Fred said in a shocked tone.

"Thank you," she muttered in his ear.

"You're welcome," Fred whispered, sounding astonished by the fact that she was actually hugging him.

"Maybe you aren't that bad after all," Hermione mused quietly to herself. She looked over at Fred and saw that he had heard what she said.

"I'm not," he admitted honestly. A smile started to spread across his face, and Hermione thought she knew what was coming next.

"Does this mean you'll go out with me?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione's heart danced at his words, but she just laughed sarcastically and whacked him with a pillow instead of answering.

Fred held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm the patient here!" He said jokingly.

Hermione chuckled before she looked down at his hand. "We should probably bandage you up now," she said. Fred nodded and held out his hand. Hermione began cleaning his cut carefully, and slowly wrapped the bandage around his hand

They sat there in silence, and Hermione tried not to focus on how close they were. Her heart seemed to do strange things when she actually noticed things like that.

Their eyes met, and he smiled down at her. "Thanks," he murmured quietly. "Do you mind if I hang out with you? It's peaceful down here. George and Lee will be snoring away by now."

Hermione widened her eyes in surprise. She couldn't imagine why Fred would want to hang out with her after how she treated him the past few weeks. She found herself forgetting why she was mad at him though, and nodded. "You are welcome. And yes," she answered finally, wishing she could say something brilliant. She now understood how Harry ended up feeling like an idiot around Cho most of the time. It was hard forming complete sentences around somebody you... she shook her head as she cut her thought off.

Hermione set the potion on the table and they leaned back on the couch. She was very aware when their elbows touched. Fred looked over at her and grinned at her at this point. Hermione jumped up as her mind whirled.

"Actually, I should go to bed," Hermione said quickly. Fred looked confused and opened his mouth to say something, but she continued before he could say a word. "I've got a potions test in the morning," she blurted out.

"I could help you study," Fred offered quietly. "I'm ahead of you after all."

Hermione shook her head stubbornly as she placed a hand on her forehead. Why was she so hot? Was she getting sick? "No. I need sleep. You know what they say about resting before exams," she said, laughing nervously.

Fred gave her a strange look. "What do they say?"

Hermione backed up quickly. "Never mind. Bye!" She sprinted upstairs and left behind a very confused Fred before he could say another word.

When Hermione was safely in her room, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know why it suddenly felt dangerous being near Fred Weasley now.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! That's all the updates for today, more will be coming! I do not own Harry Potter, this is for fun.