Days passed with Hermione continuing to ignore her friends out of her desire to protect them. She missed quite a few meals doing so, though her enormous course-load definitely contributed to that.

Fred and George seemed initially to brush off their incident with Hermione, hardly mentioning it at all. However, Fred took to occasionally staring at various fruits and vegetables and muttering different spells to see if they would explode. Oranges shrank. Apples rotted. Pumpkins turned inexplicably into jack-o-lanterns, but not one fruit exploded.

Finally, on a brisk fall day where the air snapped and the giant octopus splashed students languidly with freezing water (Harry and Ron were sure the twins were behind that piece of work), Fred left George at lunch in the Great Hall with a wave and sauntered vaguely through Hogwarts in the direction of the library.

The library was almost completely empty. Considering that it was lunchtime on a Friday, Fred was not at all surprised. Madame Pince had not been expecting any intrusion and immediately caught him in her steely-eyed glare. Fred smiled ingratiatingly and held up his hands in a show of innocence.

"Spell research for charms class," he mouthed.

Since he hadn't actually done anything wrong yet, other than perhaps walking a little too jauntily for her tastes, Madame Pince had to let him go. She gave him an ultra-vulturish glare, sniffed, and reluctantly turned away. Fred let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

A feverish muttering drew him onward to the study tables at the side of the library. He came across his quarry scratching angrily at her parchment with a broken quill.

AN: I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I'll not see you again, my friends, until the end of this month of November. I am participating in Nanowrimo, and I will not have time to work on this story until I am done. Please enjoy this installment in eager anticipation of the month of December, when I will do my best to continue!