Pranksters In Love

I know that some of the pairings will seem strange, but there is a method to my madness, and you will see that later! Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review!

Fred stared down at the number in his hand. He turned and watched his brother grab a number and saw the look of sadness on his face before he could mask it. He knew his brother would put on a brave front and make the best of the situation, that was just the way that George was, but inside, Fred knew that his twin’s heart was breaking. He wondered how he could ever have any type of happiness in his life with Hermione, knowing that the one person in this world he would give his life for would be miserable every day watching his brothers wife.

For a brief moment, Fred wondered whom his brother had drawn. He didn’t know the numbers of anybody else, he only knew Hermione’s from listening to her conversation with his sister yesterday. He knew that he could have been happy with her, but he couldn’t do it at the expense of his brother’s own happiness.

“Quick, George, trade me numbers.” He said quietly handing his number over to his twin.

“Huh?” George was lost in his thoughts and had no idea why his brother would hand him his number.

“Take this!” his brother hissed at him.

George took the slip of paper his brother offered to him and read it. Immediately the weight that pulled him down since drawing his own number lifted from his shoulders and he felt hope soar through his heart.

“Fred…” he whispered.

“I know what this means to you, George. I just hope that I don’t get some god-awful Slytherin!”

“Oh Fred, you don’t even know what this means to me. Thank you so much!” he said wrapping his arms around his brother.

“Hey, you sap!” his brother laughed, “Not in public!”

“I love you, bro.”

“And I, you.”

George stared down at the slip of paper in happiness. He would have his dream come true. He would marry the witch that took up all of his thoughts for the past several years. He wondered if his brother would live to regret this sacrifice. He hoped not.

The look on George’s face was worth any sacrifice that Fred would make. His brother was the most important person in his life, and if giving up the witch who would be fun to be around for a total stranger, so be it. In Fred’s eyes, nothing was too much to give for his twin.

The witches all stood at the bottom of the steps to the Ministry of Magic not so patiently waiting for the results of the drawing. Each of them was nervous and filled with apprehension. The rest of their lives would be determined by a little slip of paper.

Hermione stood next to Katie Bell, a fellow Gryffindor a year older than her. “Are you nervous?” she asked the stunning witch beside her.

“As long as I don’t get Malfoy, I will be happy.” She said.

“Yeah, I feel the same way!”

“Yeah, but he didn’t try to kill you with that bloody necklace!” she said referring to the cursed necklace that he wanted her to give to Dumbledore the year he died.

“In all fairness to Malfoy, he didn’t mean for you to get hurt. He was under the imperius curse and didn’t really have any control of what he was doing.” Hermione reminded the girl.

“So what, I still had to spend half the year at St. Mungo’s. If he picked my name, I promise you this, I will spend the rest of my life making that slimy git regret the day that he was born!”

Hermione laughed. She almost hoped that they would be paired up. Malfoy deserved to have someone like Katie to treat him the way that he treated everyone else. Hermione watched as the last Wizard drew a name.

“Now as you have all been waiting for. We will start in numerical order with number one and move on through until all of the numbers are called. When your number is called, both the Witch and Wizard will come up to the podium to sign this magical contract agreeing that they will be married within 30 days, or they will forfeit their wands. There will be no trading numbers, there will be no complaining, and there will be absolutely no backing out. If you so choose not to honor this law, you will loose your wands. I can not stress this enough to all of you.”

Hermione listened as the numbers were called. She didn’t recognize several of the first people called, but then he read out several people in a row that she knew.

“Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood, Draco Malfoy and Katie Bell, Percy Weasley and Susan Bones, Blaise Zambini and Hannah Abbot, Seamus Finnegan and Pavarti Patil, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Padma Patil, Neville Longbottom and Cho Chang, Theodore Nott and Lavender Brown, Vincent Crabe and Millicent Bulstrode, Gregory Goyle and Alicia Spinnet, Fred Weasley and Pansy Parkinson, George Weasley and Hermione Granger.”

Hermione watched in disbelief as numbers were called and the couples went up to the podium. She was shocked to see George walk up with her number. Relief shot through her body as she thought about all of the others she could have been paired with. She grinned over at George knowing that they would be able to get along.

George was ecstatic to have gotten Hermione but he felt his stomach drop when he saw whom his brother would be paired with. He saw the look on Fred’s face as Pansy Parkinson walked up to the podium when her number was called. He knew that witch would make his brother absolutely miserable.

Fred swallowed the bile that rose in his throat when he saw the witch approach him. It couldn’t have gotten any worse than this. A spoiled Slytherin princess was the last person he could have imagined as his wife. He hoped that his brother appreciated the sacrifice that he just made.

“Well at least you are a pureblood,” Pansy drawled to her future husband, looking no happier than he did.

“Yes, but remember, I am a blood traitor also,” he taunted her.

“Oh, but not for long.” She said with an evil smile.

“For the rest of my life I will be, and there won’t be a dam thing you can do about it.” He growled at her.

“We shall see about that, won’t we!” she shrieked.

“Just sign your bloody name, and get out of my sight.” Fred was not impressed with his future bride at all.

“Did you hear, did you hear who I got?” Ron demanded to Hermione and his two older brothers. Not waiting for an answer, he yelled, “Loony Lovegood! I got Loony Lovegood!”

“Actually Ronald, my name is Luna.” She said sneaking up behind him. “As we will soon be married, you should try to remember that.”

Ron turned bright red and mumbled something about needed to visit the loo and raced away.

“Welcome to the family!” George told her giving her a quick hug.

“Yes, welcome to the family!” Fred also gave her a hug. “And you too, Hermione, welcome to the Weasley family!”

“What about me, isn’t anyone going to welcome me?” Pansy asked.
“Uh, yeah, welcome to the family, Pansy.” George said giving her a quick hug, as he had Luna, only not as exuberantly.

“Welcome to the family, Pansy,” Hermione also said.

“Like I care what you say, Mudblood!” she said turning her back on Hermione. Four pairs of furious eyes turned to Pansy.

“In this family we don’t talk like that, and I suggest you quickly remember that,” Fred growled to his future wife.

“I suggest you remember, Fred, that you will not tell me what to do!” she growled right back and him and then apparated away.

“I am so sorry, Mione,” Fred said.

“Its not your fault, Fred, she will be what she is. I know that you don’t speak for her.” Hermione said giving her friend and future brother-in-law a hug. “I am going to go home now, see you guys later.” She also apparated away.

“I need to leave also,” Luna stated.

“See you soon then,” George smiled.

“Yes, bye, Luna!” Fred also smiled to the strange witch who would soon be his sister-in-law.

When she left the two brothers turned to face each other. “I don’t even know what to say to you,” George said.

“Don’t say anything, its done.”

“I feel as though I have just put the nail in your coffin. By taking my own happiness, I have sentenced you to a life of misery.”

“George, I would again make the same choice knowing what I do this moment. Your happiness means as much to me as my own does. It will all work out in the end.”

“You don’t know what this means to me.”

“I know exactly what it means to you. You will marry the witch that you love. That’s enough for me. Just help me come up with new ideas to hex the thing I have to marry.”

George grinned at his twin. “I have an idea already!”

Grinning back, Fred knew that it would be good.