Chapter Text
The noise in the Gryffindor common room was overwhelming and everyone was pushing each other to reach Harry first so they could congratulate him on getting past the dragon during his first challenge as one of the two Hogwarts champions of the Triwizard Tournament. One of her best friends, Harry Potter, was still clutching the golden egg tightly. Hermione wondered what might be in store for him next. Her other best friend Ron was once again by Harry’s side. Hermione shook her head. Boys. Speaking of boys, Hermione suddenly noticed Ron’s older brother Fred Weasley making his way across the crowded room. It almost appeared that he was swimming through the sea of Gryffindor students.
‘Have you seen George?’ he asked her having to almost shout the words directly into her ears.
‘No I thought he was with you!’ Hermione shouted back at him.
‘Just because we’re twins doesn’t mean we cannot move around independently you know. It’s not like were dangerous when were left to our own devices’, Fred said sounding rather annoyed.
Taken aback Hermione began to answer, ‘That’s not what I..’
But before she could finish Fred waved her off with a dismissive hand movement, ‘I know. I’m sorry it’s just that we were supposed to go down to the kitchens to get some food for everyone. We always do that when there’s a party in the common room, but now I can’t find him anywhere. It’s like he’s just forgotten’.
Hermione couldn’t remember ever seeing one of the Weasley twins searching for the other in vain. However, something else in Fred’s speech had caught her attention as well. The kitchens. He was going down to the kitchens to fetch snacks. The kitchens where all the poor house elves slaved day and night away preparing meal after meal for the students at Hogwarts, who were ignorant of this slavery going on right underneath their noses. Thinking about the house elves made Hermione clutch her hand tightly.
‘I could help you’, she said quickly realizing she must have taken a bit too long to answer Fred. Seeing the way in which he suspiciously eyed her, Hermione tried to give him an innocent and convincing smile which only made him furrow his brows even further. Fred took one last glance around the crowded common room in search of his twin brother. With a sigh he looked down at her.
‘All right you can come, but I don’t want any funny business. I don’t want you going around giving out clothes to the house elves, shouting out Spew songs, or anything like that, all right?’
‘First of all its S.P.E.W, not Spew. It’s the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare how hard can it be to remember? Secondly, me giving the house elves clothes wouldn’t release them from their slavery would it now? Dumbledore is their master, only he could set them free’, Hermione said bitterly. Like she wouldn’t already have given all the elves socks if she thought it would help. ‘And lastly, I don’t’ sing’, she concluded. Hermione could see a spark of mischief in Fred’s eyes at her last remark. For a moment he seemed to have forgotten about not being able to find George. Hermione made a mental note reminding herself not to eat anything Fred might try to give her. You never knew how the pastries or sweets offered up by the Weasley twins might have been jinxed, and by the look of Fred’s expression Hermione guessed he would soon be concocting something to make a person sing.
‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay with them?’ Fred asked nudging his head in the direction of Harry and Ron, who seemed to be telling a doting Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil about Harry’s battle with the dragon. Hermione knew Fred was only trying to make her stay because he was regretting his agreement to her proposal. Hermione glanced at the wink Harry gave Ron when the two other Gryffindors ‘ohed’ and ‘ahed’.
‘No, let them have this. They only just became friends again’, she said.
‘You don’t have to tell me twice. Ron’s been hanging out with me and George for the last couple of weeks. I swear the next time the two of them decide to act like six year old girls, I’m calling dibs on Harry’, Fred said. Hermione laughed, but the laughter was short.
‘They probably won’t notice I’ve gone anyway’, she said feeling the weight of the truth behind those words. Even though she had been spending a lot of time with Harry the last couple of weeks, she knew he hadn’t enjoyed himself nearly as much as he did when Ron was with them. Lost in thought Hermione didn’t hear what Fred said to her. Finally, he placed a large hand on her shoulder.
‘Hey let’s get down to the kitchens, all right?’ He said with a look of pity in his eyes. Pity and something else that Hermione couldn’t quite determine. Was it understanding?
As they made their way down the empty corridors they walked in silence. At first the only sound was the sound of their boots on the cold stone floors and of their cloaks swooshing as wind swept in through holes in the walls of the ancient castle. Fred and Hermione kept glancing sideways at each other. They hadn’t often been alone together just the two of them. There was always a third party which was usually Ron, Harry, or George. In fact, Hermione couldn’t remember if she had ever been alone with Fred before and she certainly didn’t know what to say to him now that she had realized it. And it seemed that neither did he.
‘Do you often uhm feel like you’re the third wheel? You know like the boys are freezing you out or something’, Fred asked suddenly sounding very unsure of himself. Hermione looked at him surprised by his personal question. She had been prepared to seem like she was interested in Quidditch or something, but she hadn’t expected that Fred would ask her something like that. She thought about it.
‘Well not often’, she said, ‘But at times it does seem like I am and sometimes it just hits me, you know? The fact that they would rather spend time with each other than with me’. Hermione looked out of the corner of her eye to see how Fred would react. He nodded seriously. Hermione looked at him curiously. She really couldn’t remember ever having had a serious conversation with any of the Weasley twins, who seemed to be spending most of their time discussing things like Quidditch, practical jokes, and the best ways in which to tick off their mum, their brother Percy, or the Filch the Hogwarts janitor. To her, Fred had always just been Ron’s older carefree older brother. A prankster who always had something up his robe. One of the twins who were always getting into trouble. She thought of George.
‘Why do you ask?’ Hermione said looking directly at him.
‘Dunno. You just seemed a little blue back there in the common room. That’s all’, he said shrugging his shoulders. Hermione didn’t believe him. That definitely wasn’t all.
‘Do you feel left out sometimes?’ She asked quietly as they turned a corner and started walking down a dimly lit corridor. Fred’s profile was illuminated by the candle light and Hermione noted that his nose wasn’t identical to that of his twin. He didn’t answer her.
‘By George and Lee I mean’, she said filling the silence. His silence made her regret asking. What if he got angry with her and decided she couldn’t come down to the kitchens with him anyway. Finally, Fred looked at her.
‘Sometimes. Not by Lee exactly. It’s just ever since we came back to Hogwarts it seems like George would rather spend time with Lee alone than with the both of us’, he said.
‘But why wouldn’t he want to spend time with his own twin brother? You’ve always been inseparable’.
‘You don’t have to tell me’, he said a bitter tone in his voice, ‘It’s not until someone starts shunning you that you discover just how many things you’re used to doing with them’.
‘Shunning?’ Hermione echoed thinking it was a rather a hard choice of words.
‘What ever, avoiding then’, Fred said, ‘He’s just keeps disappearing on me and forgetting our plans and then when he is there he just seems distant but he won’t tell me what’s wrong’. Fred suddenly looked up, ‘You won’t tell any of this to Ron will you? He’ll probably start writing home to mum and George will know I’ve been talking about him’.
‘I won’t say anything to anyone if you don’t want me to’, she said. Fred nodded but didn’t say anything.
‘Have you tried really talking to him about it?’ Hermione asked.
‘Weren’t you just listening? He’s not there to talk to!’ Fred said in a loud voice. Seeing the hurt look on her face he added, ‘I’m sorry it’s not your fault and I shouldn’t take it out on you. It’s just that I wouldn’t even know what to say to him if he could bother to listen’, he said looking defeated. ‘Everyone is always teasing us for doing everything together. I used to laugh at it but know I’ve realised that it was true. We did do almost everything together but know he won’t even tell me where he is sneaking off to’.
‘You know people only tease you because they’re jealous. Everyone wants someone to share things with. Even the greatest of experiences get better when there is someone else to share it with and even the minor things can become pretty great’, she said before continuing, ‘Besides you’re Fred and George. Gred and Feorge. No matter what is going on right now you’ll always have each other right?’ Hermione looked at him to see if her attempts to cheer him had had the desired effect.
‘I guess’, he said and shrugged.
‘Maybe you just need to find someone else to hang out with’, she said, ‘Maybe then he’ll notice that he’s been neglecting you’. Fred thought about it.
‘Yeah maybe that would work. If he has the time to notice that is’, he said not sounding very optimistic.
‘I’ll bet he does’, Hermione said, ‘Otherwise you could get involved in some of the afterschool activities or clubs or something’. Fred lifted an eyebrow.
‘You mean like spew?’ He said.
‘Maybe’. Hermione grinned at him. Fred laughed for the first time and stopped in front of a large picture of a ball of fruit.
‘I’m not that desperate yet Granger’, he said and stepped forward to the portrait. ‘Not watch and learn’, Fred said as he tickled one of the fruits in the bowl upon which the fruit transformed into a green doorknob and Fred opened the door and entered.
And what they entered completely took Hermione’s breath away. Instead of the small, dark, confining space she had imagined her and Fred stepped into an enormous, high-ceilinged room. There seemed to be more stoves than Hermione had seen in her entire life and the stone walls were lines with pots and pans of every size and form imaginable.
‘It’s pretty wicked isn’t it?’ Fred said as he closed the door behind them. Hermione nodded and he laughed. ‘And it’s really easy getting in here too’.
‘Are we even allowed in here?’ Hermione asked. Fred shrugged his shoulders.
‘Dunno. But, if they didn’t want students in here don’t you think they would make it a bit more difficult to get in? After all tickling a pear isn’t the hardest task in the world’, he said. Hermione shrugged her shoulders and stepped further into the room. She suddenly noticed five tables identical to the ones in the Great Hall placed in the exact formation they were so used to seeing. She looked at the tables and up at the ceiling.
‘Were right beneath the Great Hall aren’t we?’ She asked.
‘Yep’, Fred said simply.
‘So that’s how they do it!’ She exclaimed. Fred looked from Hermione to the tables.
‘You really are one of the cleverest witches of our generation. It took me and George a while to figure out how it worked’. Fred had tried to smile at her but it never quite reached his eyes after he had mentioned his twin. Trying to steer his thought away Hermione spoke.
‘They just place it on the table down here and it appears on the matching tables in the Great Hall doesn’t it?’
‘Yep’, Fred said again and walked further into the kitchens.
‘Brilliant’, Hermione said and looked around the room. Suddenly there was a mummer of voices. Hermione looked over her shoulder and saw a gathering of house elves approaching.
‘Mr Weasley’, many of them said and Hermione wondered how many times Fred and George had actually been down there. Before she could ask there was another greeting.
‘Harry Potter’s friend!’ A high voice squealed.
‘Dobby!’ Hermione said as she recognized the house elf who had almost killed Harry on several occations even though he had in fact trying to save him. Dobby looked much better than the last time she had seen him. Or rather he looked very different and very free. After Harry had tricked Mr Malfoy into freeing Dobby by giving him a sock, Dobby had apparently become very interested in fashion. Interested in the sense of experimentation.
‘Wow Dobby that is some very uhm special clothes you’ve got there!’ She managed. Dobby’s green jumper matched his large tennis-ball-like green eyes. But didn’t really go with the red striped socks he wore on his right food or the spotted purple and yellow one he had adorned on his left. He had apparently tried to get his long, bat-like pointed ears into something that resembled a tea cosy.
‘Thank you miss! You is always so kind to Dobby! Is Harry Potter with Miss? Or is it only Weasey?’ He asked with a big smile on his wrinkled little face.
‘I’m afraid not Dobby. I’m here with Fred, Ron’s older brother, but I’ll be sure to tell Harry that you’re down here so he can come visit you’, she said.
‘Oh Miss shouldn’t. Harry Potter is much too busy with the tournament to come see old Dobby in the kitchens’, he said stepping on his own feet.
‘Nonsense. When I tell him and he’ll wan to come visit you’, Hermione looked around at the other house elves. They were not wearing clothes like Dobby. Rather they were wearing black aprons with the Hogwarts sigil on it.
‘Do you always have to wear those aprons?’ Hermione asked one of the elves standing closest to her.
‘Yes Miss. But we wash them every day so they is always clean’, it answered in a very high, pitched voice indicating that it was a female.
‘But wouldn’t you rather choose your own attire like Dobby does?’ She asked. Hermione saw the house elves exchange looks and give Dobby nasty sideway glances.
‘House elves is not meant to pick out their own clothes Miss. If they do people can’t see to which master they belong’, another elf answered. There was an enthusiastic amount of nodding in the crown. Dobby sighed.
‘They is not wanting to be a free elf life Dobby, Miss’, he said, ‘They is wanting to work always at Hogwarts’.
‘But why would you want that? You don’t get any pay or vacation days do you?’ Hermione asked.
‘We is not wanting that!’, the elves said and threw glances at Dobby once more indicating just how much he stood apart from the rest of the Hogwarts elf community. ‘We is only wanting to stay at Hogwarts’.
‘But why? What is so special about Hogwarts? I’ve read Hogwarts. A History a hundred times and nowhere does it mention anything about the house elves that work here. Why would you want to stay in a place where no one appreciates you?’
‘But the peoples do appreciate us. Without us there would be no food, no fires, and no clean beds, Miss. We house elves have been maintaining the standards of Hogwarts ever since it was founded, Miss’, said the female elf. This time all the elves, including Dobby, nodded their consent.
‘There has been house elves here ever since the school was founded?’ Hermione asked thinking about all those poor creatures that must have wasted away in this very room during the last centuries.
‘Ever since Helga Hufflepuff invited the first of our kind to live here’, the elf said proudly.
‘The elves where introduced by the founder of Hufflepuff House?’
‘Yes, Miss Helga Hufflepuff couldn’t stand to see how awful the house elves was being treated by people so she asked them to come here, to a place where they would always be treated with kindness by wizards and where no one would abuse them’.
‘But if Helga Hufflepuff did that why is there no mention of it anywhere? I’m sure I would have read it somewhere. I’ve read all the books there is to read about Hogwarts’, she said feebly.
‘We house elves do not like to draw attention to ourselves Miss’, the elf said and shot Dobby and his attire a poisonous look, ‘We do not need to be praised to feel appreciated. Knowing that our work here is doing the student and teachers of Hogwarts good is enough for us’. Hermione didn’t know what to say and Fred apparently decided it was time for him to jump in.
‘Well, we really just came down here to see if you might have some leftover snacks for us to bring the other Gryffindors. There’s a big party in the common room because Harry got past that nasty dragon’, he said and winked at Dobby. There was a sudden commotion in the kitchen as the house elves all shouted ‘Yes sir’ and ‘We’ll get something for sir’ before taking off in every which direction to fetch them some food.
‘Really? You’re just going to make them run around like crazy to find snacks for us?’ She asked.
‘They want to Hermione. You heard what they said’, he said. Before she could begin to argue he continued, ‘Besides I thought we agreed no spew business while we’re down here’, he said.
‘It’s S.P.E.W’, she said bitterly but didn’t say anything more. She knew how to get into the kitchens without him now so she could just come back another time. But how to go about convincing the elves that they should fight for their rights? Her planning was interrupted by the return of the house elves. They carried a basket loaded with kettle cakes, pumpkin pasties, and all things delicious. The basket was bigger than most of the elves and Hermione quickly got out her wand.
‘Locomoter basket’, she said pointing it at the basket making it float in the air.
‘Thanks’, Fred said and smiled at the house elves who bowed to him. They nodded their heads in Hermione’s direction before retreating to the great brick fire place at the back of the room.
‘Come on’, Fred said as Hermione stared after the bowing creatures. Somehow, she was going to help them understand that they were worth so much more than they seemed to believe. She was going to let them know that weren’t going to be left to their own self destructive devices. They were going to be helped.
Hermione and Fred left the kitchen. The basket was flowing beside Hermione midair as they made their way up the stairs and down corridors.
‘I didn’t even know you had had the Locomoter charm in class yet. I don’t think we learned it until later on’, Fred said.
‘We haven’t actually had it in class yet. I’ve just been reading a bit ahead on my own time’, she said blushing. Fred looked at her sideways.
‘Blimey Hermione I think you could do my homework better than me and I’m two years ahead’, he said. Hermione laughed nervously. She didn’t often get compliments on reading ahead from other students.
‘Wait’, Fred said stopping so suddenly in the middle of the corridor that Hermione almost knocked into him. What was he on about?
‘What is…’, she began to say. She didn’t get to finish her sentence before Fred hushed her. He held his index finger in front of his lips signalling for her to be quiet. Then he pointed to his ear. Hermione listened. And sure enough there was something. If she strained her haring she could detect the faint mummer of voices and someone coming towards them. Fred grabbed her and they both jumped behind one of the countless armoured knights. Neither them nor the flouting snacks where concealed in its entirety and Hermione made a silent prayer that the approaching people where not staff. She was quite convinced that the students weren’t actually allowed in the kitchens and especially not when it was after curfew. Pressed up against the wall and Fred, Hermione was so close to him that she could hear his heart beat and when two silhuets rounded the corner and stepped in to the light she could feel it beginning to beat even faster. The two people were laughing while also hushing each other. They were so taken by each other that they didn’t even see Fred and Hermione. But they saw them. They saw George Weasley and Angelina Johnson rush into an empty classroom and shutting the door behind them. Hermione stayed in place. She didn’t know if she should move or not. If she should say anything or not. There was a long silence.
‘Well at least now you know why he’s been so distant lately’, Hermione said trying to break the silence. Fred looked down at her with an empty look on his face.
‘Yeah know I feel so much better’, he said and left their hiding place. He began walking down the corridor at a fast pace, walking directly past the door to what could no longer be said to an empty classroom. Hermione hurried after him with the levitating food. His long strides meant that she was practically running to keep up with him.
‘Fred wait’, she panted, ‘I can’t make the food levitate that fast’. For the second time, Fred stopped and this time Hermione did knock into him. Fred however didn’t even seem to notice.
‘Why didn’t he just tell me?’ He said.
‘Well uhm probably because he thought you might take it sort of like this’, Hermione said making a vague gesture with her hands.
‘Like what exactly?’ He said crossing his arms.
‘Uhm rather badly’, she said trying to meet his gaze.
‘Humpf and exactly how am I supposed to react? He’s been lying to me for nearly a term perhaps even longer than that’, he said his voice shaking a bit.
‘I don’t know Fred but I guess he thought you might be jealous or something’, she said.
‘Why would I be jealous? Because he has a girl and I don’t’?’ He said looking at her like she had suggested something preposterous like setting all the house elves from the kitchens free by giving them tea cosy hats to match Dobbie’s.
‘Maybe, how should I know? Or maybe he thought you would be angry with him because it’s Angelina’, she said. Fred looked at her as if she had just been telling him about what they were studying in Arithmancy classes with Professor Vector. ‘You know because you like Angelina?’ She said suddenly sounding unsure of herself.
‘I don’t like Angelina’, Fred said sounding almost surprised.
‘You don’t?’ Hermione said looking at his expression to see if he was telling the truth. He didn’t blink. ‘Well I think everyone sort of thinks you do’, she said.
‘They do?’ He said running his fingers through his hair without seeming to notice it himself. ‘Well I don’t. She’s just one of my friends’.
‘Well if you’re not jealous because George has a girl or because that girl happens to be Angelina then why are you so angry?’ She asked.
‘Who said anything about being angry?’ Fred said in semi threatening voice. Hermione lifted an eyebrow and looked from his clenched fists to his face. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. ‘All right. Fine I’m angry. Are you happy now?’
‘Why would that make me happy I don’t want you to be angry’, Hermione said not getting why people always accused girls of being the complicated creatures – boys where equally bad if not worse. ‘I was just trying to figure out why you’re acting like this’. Fred was silent for a while. He looked back down the corridor probably thinking about his brother and Angelina inside the classroom.
‘I’m not sure. I guess it just hurts that he didn’t think that he could tell me’, he finally said. Hermione nodded but didn’t say anything in an attempt to make him continue on his own. ‘I thought that we were closer than that. We used to tell each other everything and if he didn’t tell me bevause he thought I would be jealous he doesn’t know me as well as I thought’.
‘But if he thinks you like Angelina he probably didn’t want to hurt you’, Hermione said. Fred looked at her.
‘Even if I had liked Angelina, I would have stepped aside and let him have her. If he likes her and she likes him who would I be to stand in the way?’ He said.
‘You would really do that? Even if you really had liked her?’ Hermione asked.
‘Of course’, Fred said, ‘He’s my brother. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him’, he said. Hermione and Fred looked at each other for what seemed like minutes.
‘Then maybe you need to tell him that’, she said. He opened his mouth to argue but Hermione stopped him. ‘I know that he’s the one who has been sneaking around without telling you what’s been going on and I know that it seems unfair that you shouldn’t confront him about it, but maybe this time you can be the bigger man and just forgive him?’, she said. Fred was silent for a couple of seconds before nodding.
‘That’s sounds like a good idea. He’ll tell me about him and Angelina when he’s ready’, he said.
‘Of course he will. He’s your brother’, Hermione said making Fred smile.
‘You’re actually not bad at giving advice Granger’, he said grinning as they started walking down the corridor once more. ‘I can see why my little brother hangs out with you all the time’.
‘I doubt it’s for the advice’, she snorted, ‘I don’t think he’s ever listened to a single one of them. Actually I think you might be the first male Weasley to do so’.
‘A title I will honour always’, he said bowing to her. Hermione narrowed her eyes.
‘But?’ She said sensing that there was something Fred was leaving unspoken.
‘Just because I’ll be taking your advice about being the bigger man doesn’t mean that I won’t have a bit of fun with them before they come clean. You’d be surprised at what can happen when you sneak out around the school after hours looking for a place to snog’. Hermione groaned and Fred grinned.
‘And there’s the Fred Weasley I know’, she said shaking her as Fred winked at her. But, when she thought about it he wasn’t really the same Fred she had known for years. Somehow, a different version, a deeper and more sensitive version of him was walking beside her. Somehow, he had changed right in front of her. It was definitely not for the worse. And it definitely did him good to be left to his own devices.