DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, I simply like dabbling in the world! Please don't plagiarize this story.

Credits for the idea for this storyline goes to a beautiful, angelic, but anonymous guest reader who commented on my story Promise to the Past. Enjoy!

I.

~ Gryffindor Common Room

Hermione couldn't remember the last time she'd been so exhausted. The upcoming OWLs had been a pain in the arse and Harry's constant stressing over his Occlumency lessons weren't helping. Not that she blamed him; as much as she respected Professor Snape, he was no walk in the park. She hated the fact that she couldn't even come back from the library during late hours without constantly being on guard for Umbridge and her goons, who'd all love an excuse to punish her.

She wearily pushed through the entrance of the common room, much to the shrill complaints of the Fat Lady; she simply didn't have the patience tonight. Much to her surprise, she heard hushed voices as soon as she entered the room. Though snooping was much more up Ron and Harry's alley, she couldn't help but pause at the familiar voices.

"Everything's ready, Freddie. Their first OWL is scheduled right after lunch so we have plenty of time."

"Right," his brother responded. "Did we double check all the stocks?"

"Fred," George stressed in exasperation. "You know we did."

"Right, right," Fred repeated anxiously.

"You're not having second thoughts are you?"

"Second thoughts? You've got to be joking, you know the world of academia was never really our scene."

"Because if you are," George continued unfazed, "it's not too late to change our minds. It's not as if we aren't fully prepared to take our NEWTS."

"What good would they do, Georgie? We'd be our own bosses anyway, wouldn't we?" Fred asked confused.

Hermione easily caught on to the brothers' conversation, and for some reason that instilled a panic in her she didn't like.

"You can't go," she insisted suddenly from the doorway.

The twins looked up at her startled.

"Blimey, Hermione. How'd you manage to do that? No one ever manages to sneak up on two pranksters," George cried in blatant shock.

"You can't go," Hermione insisted again, taking deliberate steps towards them.

"Hermione, I don't know what you think you heard but-"

"Oh don't patronize me, Fred, I've got ears!" She whisper-yelled.

George smirked at her outburst, warning Fred to step down before the kitty decided to take out her claws. Hermione glared at him until he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Please, don't leave early," Hermione begged.

The twins' eyebrows shot up to their hairline at her sincere tone. Unlike when she usually told them off for their pranks, there was no admonishment in her voice or judgement- merely a desperate plea.

"You can't convince us to stay just so we finish our NEWTS," Fred informed her.

"Because we already have our shop ready to be set up for business. We don't need them." George added.

"No- it's not that," Hermione started.

"And don't try to convince us to do it for mum," George started.

"Because she'll love us either way. We're her favorite twins!" Fred finished.

"No, no-"

"And if you're trying to convince us not to cause trouble, don't bother because-"

"Because this pot could use a bit of stirring," George said with finality.

"No, no, no, that's not why," Hermione insisted. "Even though they should be perfectly good reasons for you to stay as well."

The twins smirked, amused by how their resident bookworm seemed to be unable to stop herself from lecturing them on scruples even as she learned they were planning to leave.

"Then why my dear Granger should we stay?" Fred asked in mock inquisition. "You couldn't possibly be telling us you'll miss us."

"You can always visit us at our shop, love. No one would stop you," George added with a wink.

Hermione growled in frustration, almost giving up right there and going to her room so she could collapse in her bed like she'd been looking forward to doing all night. She stepped towards the staircase when the twins finally eased up on their laughter. Fred caught her wrist as she made to move past him, pulling her back in front of them with the slightest hint of guilt in his gaze.

"Really, what is it?" He asked somberly, looking at Hermione completely serious now.

Hermione glanced back and forth between the two, suddenly feeling quite irrational and childish for even bringing it up. But her instincts had never led her astray before, and who was she to care about how others judged her?

"I just... I have a bad feeling."

George raised an eyebrow inquisitively, prompting her to continue quickly lest she make a fool of herself.

"I don't trust Umbridge. I don't trust what she's capable of. And Harry's been agitated ever since he saw the vision of your father over the holidays."

The twins' gazes quickly darkened as they quickly caught on to Hermione's line of thought.

"I don't know if anything will happen or not, which is probably why this is really foolish," Hermione admitted, laughing at herself. "But it's only a few days anyway. Can you please just stay? Until the end of the term?"

After a long pause, Fred and George glanced at each other, silently communicating in the uncanny way they seemed to be able to do.

"I don't know, Hermione," George said slowly with a small grin. "We do have a reputation to uphold you know."

Hermione huffed in outrage. "I mean you could stay and simply not sit for your exams if you're that intent on being unconventional, no one can doubt that you're both brilliant either way." The brothers stared at her in surprise, not saying anything when Hermione finally ran out of her patience. "Oh forget it, I don't even know why I asked."

Hermione made for the staircase again when Fred jerked her back for the second time, unable to mask the surprise in his gaze.

"Will you stop jerking me around?" She cried impatiently, yanking her arm away none too easily. She took a deep breath calming her errant emotions and this deep seated and unfound panic. "I'm sorry... look I'm just stressed and tired, don't mind me."

"Hermione," George tried to interrupt softly.

"You can do what you have to, it's really fine," Hermione rambled on.

"Hermione." Fred said more firmly, finally drawing her attention. "We'll stay."

"You will?" She asked hopefully, a visible relief filling her features.

"Of course we will," Fred said. "We were leaving partially because we thought the school could use the spirit from the grand escape we'd orchestrated."

"Shame it won't be used," George said sadly. "Now that was a masterpiece."

"But if you lot need us here, we're here." Fred said, completely serious.

Hermione studied his expression for any sign of a cracking smile or a 'just kidding, did you actually believe us?' but she could see nothing but sincerity. Hermione smiled, launching herself into his arms. Fred let out a soft grunt at her sudden impact, surprised by the affection she usually only saved for Harry and sometimes Ron. He chuckled softly, rubbing his palms up and down her back soothingly.

"Dumbledore's Army, we gotta stick together, yeah?" He mumbled into her hair.

"Hey I'm one half of this decision, do I not get any love?" George cried petulantly.

Hermione laughed, withdrawing from Fred much to his dismay, and drawing George into her arms next. Fred frowned slightly at the sensation, not liking the loss of warmth, and definitely not liking his awareness of it. He quickly shook it off when George's laugh snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Thank you guys," she said genuinely.

"Hey, do you mind putting it in writing that you think we're brilliant?" George asked mischievously. "You know just as proof for when others call us delusional liars."

Hermione laughed joyously, feeling much less stressed then she'd been all night. "I never said you two weren't brilliant, just that I didn't approve of your using first years as guinea pigs."

"What pigs?" George asked.

"Testing animals," Hermione clarified. "Besides if someone calls you a liar, send them my way. I'll straighten them out myself."

The Weasley twins chuckled at her easy going demeanor as she finally made her way up the staircase, never having seen such a witty and teasing Hermione.

"Did we really just give up our master plan for bookworm Granger?" George asked in slight disbelief.

"Well at least Mum will have one less reason to scream our ears off now that we're bringing NEWTs home," Fred said.

George nodded in agreement. As their mother, the Weasley matriarch would always forgive them. Did that mean they weren't afraid of her? Hell no. Molly Weasley was a formidable witch, and the less the twins tried her patience, the better.