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Fred Weasley was walking down the seventh-floor corridor by himself when he heard something bustle about behind the stone wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. He stopped, looking at the stones, a puzzled expression on his face. You normally couldn’t hear if someone was in the room of requirement. Shrugging he decided to keep walking, when he heard the sound of something smashing. It sounded like whoever was in there was really going at it.
Perhaps the reason I can hear them is because they actually want to be found, he mused. Deciding to test his theory and hoping not to find a frisky couple who enjoyed being watched in there, Fred walked past the place he knew the entrance to be three times thinking about what he needed the room to do. A door appeared, and Fred stepped through.
The inside of the room was a right mess, and in the middle of it all was Hermione Granger. Surrounded by what looked like broken china, the witch stood with a half-filled bottle of Ogden’s Old Firewhiskey in her hand, her brown, bushy hair looking even bigger than usual. For a moment she looked at him in confusion.
“Blimey Granger, what’s going on in here?” Fred asked looking around the room which had apparently turned into a china shop ripe for the smashing.
“Oh nothing”, Hermione said before taking a swig from the bottle and picking up a plate from one of the many shelfs lining the room’s walls, “Just letting off a bit of steam is all”. She hurled the plate at one of the walls where it smashed before it joined its fallen comrades on the stone floor.
“Right”, Fred said. He raised his arms, “Well I come in peace to let you know that I could hear your steam off-letting from the corridor”.
“What? That shouldn’t be possible”, Hermione said her brows furrowed as she looked at him intently.
“Yeah, it’s weird. But I could hear you clear as day”, Fred shrugged and went to sit down on a sofa in the corner of the room. It was old and worn but seemed to have survived the battle of the plates unharmed. He padded the cushion next to him. “So, what are your plans now that the plate smashing has to come to an end?”
“I am contemplating drinking this entire bottle of firewhiskey that I nicked from the kitchens and forgetting about everything that is going on right now”, she proclaimed.
Hermione is nicking stuff from the kitchens? What the hell was going on?
“Is this because of Umbrid…”
“Oh to hell with Umbridge!” Hermione said flinging up her arms as she flopped down on the sofa next to him.
“Yeez Granger never thought I would live to see the day where you’re nicking alcohol and swearing like that, and at a teacher to boot,” He said grinning over at her as her faced became increasingly red.
“That woman is many things but she is not a teacher. A teacher…” She flung her hands as she searched for the right words, “Well teachers teach. They educate you on things that you need to know. Important things. What Umbridge is doing is… is bullshit. She is trying to turn everyone in to sheep, Fred. Sheep”. Hermione seemed to be shaking with pent-up emotions.
“But still…”, Fred said and gestured towards the bottle in her hand, “Do you think that drinking yourself senseless and smashing plates will somehow make it better?”. She gave him a murderous look. “Not that I am judging or anything, hell sometimes people just need to get smashed but it does not seem very Hermione-like.”
“Ugh! That is the problem! That right there! Hermione-like!” Her hands started to shake as she began mumbling so fast that Fred had to lean closer to make out was she ranting on about. “It’s like all there is room for right now is fear, and everyone is counting on Harry to be brave for them. But who do you think is keeping him afloat? It sure as hell isn’t Ron. I am the one who is always expected to keep a level head, to keep my emotions in check, and see to everyone else’s needs before I see to my own. But what if I don’t want to be that person all the time? What if I just want to be selfish and stupid and do all sorts of things that I shouldn’t be doing? Shouldn’t I be able to whatever I want just because I want to? Why do I have to be one to always stay in control? Why does it have to be me?” She stopped her monologue to catch her breath. While she had been talking Hermione had been looking down at her hands but now she laid them on top of her thighs and looked up at him. All her frustrations shone in her brown eyes. Fred didn’t know the right thing to say.
“Well I can’t really speak to any of that, but you shouldn’t have to drink alone. If you are going to do something stupid, you should definitely include me seeing as stupid ideas and the execution thereof are kind of my area of expertise”, he said as he snagged the bottle from her grip and drank deeply.
-----------------------
An hour, another stolen bottle of firewhiskey, and 30 plates later, ‘cause why the hell not, Fred and Hermione were both splayed on the sofa. Seeing as Fred had done most of the drinking from the second bottle Hermione had nicked, he was now just as smashed as she was. They had been sitting in silence for a couple of minutes.
“I thought of something really stupid you could do”, he said suddenly.
“More stupid than stealing and getting smashed on a Thursday night, firewhiskey Fred?” She said, hoarse from screaming out all her frustrations as she had smashed the remaining plates in the room of requirement.
“Yep.” Fred grinned at the nickname she had given him and took another swig of whisky without explaining.
“Well what is it?” She said raising an eyebrow.
“You could kiss me.” He said and looked in amusement as Hermione’s jaw dropped.
“I can’t kiss you! You’re Ron’s brother.” She suddenly sounded much less intoxicated than she had mere moments before.
“Ronniekins’ a wanker.” He interjected making Hermione roll her eyes.
“Who would probably not appreciate me snogging his brother.” Hermione concluded as she looked at him probably trying to decipher whether he was taking the mickey out of her or not.
“That’s what makes it such a stupid thing to do.” Fred simply said and emptied the bottle. He put it down leaning just a bit closer. “But if you don’t really wanna do something stupid, I completely understand.” He had a playful look on his face but there was something else in his eyes too, and Hermione seemed to notice his hand shaking ever so slightly.
“Bloody hell.” She mumbled and before Fred knew what was happening Hermione Granger was kissing him. Hermione Granger was kissing him. Deep inside him he felt something stir. He hadn’t thought, hadn’t dare hope that she would actually do it. It must be the drink. The drink. He drew away suddenly. Hermione made a complaining sound.
“We really shouldn’t be doing this considering how much we’ve been drinking”, he said running his fingers through his hair.
“It was your idea!”, Hermione exclaimed. She was out of breath and her cheeks were slightly flushed, though Fred didn’t know if it was from the drinking or the snogging.
“Yeah well, in my defense I’m drunk and as I said stupid ideas are kind of my specialty”. He looked into her eyes. “I just don’t want you to do something that you might not really want to do”.
“But I do want this”, she said, “This is what I need apparently”.
“What?” Fred asked not getting how any of part of their current situation was apparent.
“Why else would you be able to hear me in here? You’re not supposed to be able to hear someone when they’re in the room of requirement.” She looked into his eyes willing him to understand, “I must have wanted you to hear me and so the room made it happen”. Even though Fred had had the exact same thought before entering the room, he still shook his head. She couldn’t have been wanting this. Wanting him.
“No something’s probably just wrong with the room. Anyone could probably have heard your plate smashing fest”. She shook her head.
“A lot of people walked by”, she said drawing the marauders map from a pocket in her robes, “but you were the only one who heard me, Fred”.
“Really?” he asked looking into her brown eyes. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest as she nodded.
“Yeah. You were the only one I wanted to find me, and I guess the room knew that.”
“Wow Hermione you figured that out while deep in the firewhiskey? You really are the brightest witch of our gene…”
“Shut up will you.” Hermione said, pressing her lips against his again, this time even more persistent. She slid into his lap, and Fred put his hands on her hips and drew her closer. Flush against him she slipped her fingers through his hair making him moan as she deepened the kiss. Apparently, she wasn’t entirely done blowing off steam.