Title: Theirs
Music: My Best Friend - Tim McGraw
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Relationship: Fred/Hermione/George
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
Important Note(s): AU means Alternate Universe, for those of you who don't know. In essence, while the HP books still stand, there will of course be tweaks made by me. Hermione Granger, by JK Rowling's books, entered Hogwarts at eleven, but because of her birthday being Septmber 9th it wasn't very far into her first year that she was actually twelve. In this story, she starts school at ten and therefore turns eleven while at Hogwarts, meaning that Harry and Ron will be a year below her while the twins are one year above her.
Yes, this is a Hermione/Twin story. It will put in the ground-work of their friendship long before emotions get in the way. Meaning the first while is just Hermione, Fred and George as friends, but romance will ensue. So if you don't like threesome stories, I suggest you stop reading. There will be sexual content later on!
Summary: (AU) Hermione Granger's life takes an entirely different path when she enters Hogwarts a year early and is befriended by a couple of pranksters who know something she doesn't that will very much effect their future together.

Part One

Hermione Jane Granger, born a Muggle and introduced to the incredible world of magic when she was just ten years old, had never imagined her life turning out quite like this. Before entering Hogwarts School for the Magically Gifted, she read every possible book she could find to update herself on the culture she'd be entering, certain that she would not step into her new roll as witch lightly. From a young age, she had done everything in her power to be as knowledgeable as she could in every subject there was and she had grown to be a very intelligent but rather unusual child for her age. So it came as no surprise when her parents and she found out that she was far more than the average person. When it came to her attention that she was a witch, many light bulbs had been switched on, and she took to it rather excitedly. A whole new life, a new world, a new range of subjects and theories and topics for her to dive into head first and immerse herself in and she had done so with the greatest enjoyment.

"Hermione, pumpkin, you do realize what this means?" her father asked, his brow crinkled with worry.

"Yes, of course, daddy..." She lifted her nose as she often did when she was quite certain of something, acting much haughtier than any ten year old should.

Her parents exchanged a look.

"You'll be spending almost all of your time at school, dear... We'll only get to see you during breaks." Her mother looked down, chewing her lip.

Hermione's nose was no longer in the air. If she were to be honest, that wasn't what she had been thinking at all. Her parents were her anchors; they were there to always remind her that she was not, in fact, unusual but instead special. She was bright for her age, and they loved her no matter what she was.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be horrible if I stayed home and continued regular schooling..." She couldn't keep her disappointment from her voice.

"Oh no!" Her father shook his head vehemently. "You have a gift, Hermione. When have we ever hindered that? You must go, we just... We want you to understand what it means. You'll be all alone, pumpkin. You'll make friends, I'm sure." He grinned. "Who couldn't love you?" He reached out, tapping her nose as he had since she was much smaller. His smile wavered with a sigh. "You'll be very far away though and we don't have the same abilities..." He readjusted his glasses, gaze falling to the floor.

"I'll write every day," she declared, nodding sternly. "And I'll visit you as much as I can!"

They smiled at her, proud once more and she felt the warmth fill her stomach just as it had when the letter first arrived.

She was going to become a true and real witch!

On her first day of school, she was younger than most. Her birthday didn't fall until September 19th and so she was ten and not eleven when she stepped off the Hogwarts Express to be met by a large and rather loud man with a beard of scruff and a booming laugh. She saw the others cower some but as she gazed up at this man who looked like what a giant might from her many childhood books, she could somehow tell that he was anything but mean. And as he bent low, not wanting to scare them off with his towering figure, and told them all to follow him, she caught a glimpse of his large kind eyes. His name was Hagrid and she found herself likening his large beard and hair to her own and for that reason she decided she liked him. A completely illogical thought at the time and she'd surely tell herself so later, but instead she stiffened her shoulders, grabbed her trunk and followed along behind Hagrid while the rest of her classmates watched on in uncertainty.

Hogwarts was amazing, even more incredible than all of the dreams and hopes her mind had built it up to be. She was giddy to learn things that nobody back home would ever know. Sorted into Gryffindor, she took her position very seriously and she did her best to stand up to the definition of her house. But while she portrayed an outwardly calm and confident girl, some days she truly missed home. She missed the warmth of her parents and the comfort of her own bedroom and more than that, the easy hideaway that was the many tall bookcases filled with all her treasured books. Here she was in a school far grander than her home and without the reassurances of her parents to keep her confident. She made no friends; it seemed that while she was nice enough and smart beyond the limits of the many in her classes, no Gryffindor's or other houses alike seemed to care much for her kindly attributes. And so she stiffened her shoulders each day and she went on without letting her self-consciousness show. She wouldn't let it get to her.

But it did. Many a night she felt the sting of tears and she clamped them closed tightly. She locked her jaw to stop it from wobbling and she gripped her fists tight so they'd quit their shaking. She muffled what cries did manage to escape in the large pillow of her bed. Each morning though, she'd get right up, do her best to tame her bushy curls, brush her too-large teeth and don her robes as properly as she must. She'd pick up her heavy books and return to classes as if she hadn't a worry on her shoulders at all. And she believed quite strongly that nobody noticed her despair. Until one morning when she entered the Common Room, long before any other witch or wizard had arisen, in hopes of getting to breakfast early before she made her way to the library for a few touch ups on her homework that she hoped to look up in time for class.

As she stepped of the girl's stairs, she heard a tongue click.

"Quite a sorry sight, yeah?"

"Indeed."

"All alone, nothing but books and a spine so stiff it's bound to render her useless soon."

"Best loosen her up, I say."

"'Tis our job, brother."

"Yes, yes, can't let her be a spot on our Gryffindor house."

"A spot?" She turned around, her cheeks red with anger. "And just what kind of spot do you think I am?" she snapped.

They grinned at her and her eyes thinned. The Weasley Twins; yes, they deserved capitals. For if there was any a student that she simple did not want to attach her name to in friendship or otherwise it was these two.

"Caught her attention, we did."

"Ah, yes, all in the plan of course."

"Rightly so. I thought she might ignore us a bit longer, but-"

"Right to the point, she is."

"Good."

"Very."

Hermione tapped her foot with irritation. "Can I help you or are you done speaking as if I'm not here?"

They were at her sides before she could even blink, lips curled in that annoying smile of theirs. "Just wanna help you out. No need to get uppity."

"Yes, we're very nice chaps, we do promise."

"Oh and I'm supposed to take your word, am I?" She lifted a brow. "The word of two pranksters who don't care who they torture this week?"

"Oh we care, of course. Our pranks aren't to be played on just anybody."

"No, no, they're an accomplishment that even you, Granger, would definitely take a great pleasure in learning."

"I think not," she told them swottily, turning her nose up and quickly circling on her heel before she made her way toward the door.

"When you've grown bored of those books and want a couple friends-"

"You know where to find us!"

"We're very amicable, we promise," they called simultaneously.

She scoffed, shaking her head. Holding her book bag a little tighter, she vowed that even if her tomes were her only friends, she'd be absolutely fine.

But she wasn't.

It took one whole month before she admitted defeat. They weren't the type to give up easily either. They took to sitting on either side of her at meals, talking over her head to each other. They interrupted her library time to crack jokes and plan out whole elaborate pranks with her sitting there, pretending not to listen, all the while completely distracted and rather surprised at just how innovative they could be. They followed her to and from classes, almost as if they were her personal guards, even managing to show up out of nowhere when she'd managed to escape their attention. She was certain they had some kind of knowledge of the school that rare others knew of! And as much as she told herself that befriending the twins would be a very, very bad idea. The promise of friendship was something she wasn't sure she could pass up. It was lonely being so far from her family and she had nothing really to comfort herself with.

"I think McGonagall might suspect something."

"Doesn't she always?"

They were talking over her head once more.

"Yes, but this time I think she may have proof."

"Gasp, Gred. As if we, in all our glorious talent and brilliance, could leave something behind that might incriminate us."

"Too right, Forge. But I believe this time we may have been slightly distracted."

"Oh that's right... Seems our favorite firstie got herself in a spot of trouble."

"She did, she did! I can't believe it myself, but... What was it again?"

"Stealing goods from the slimy git's special storage room."

Hermione blushed but dutifully kept her eyes on her parchment.

"Right, right, of course. How could I forget? And almost getting caught by Mrs. Norris, rooky mistake, wasn't it?"

"Oh yes. Hardly believed my eyes when our brilliant witch was found hurrying her way through the secret passageway, muttering to herself about the abomination that is that cat."

"How did she find that secret passageway anyway?"

"I don't know, brother. She's been very tightlipped, hasn't she?"

"Quite."

Hermione sighed. "So I may have noticed you using it a time or two and it may have been slightly important at the time and there is a small possibility that I needed an escape route when I might've accidentally set off a protection charm on Professor Snape's storage closet, but really..."

"Yes?" they purred, smirking.

She pursed her lips. "You offered to show them to be anyway."

"Yes, we did."

"When, of course, you finally agreed to be our friend."

She rolled her eyes. "You know, there should be a time limit on how long pranks can last."

"Aghast, brother, she thinks we're playing her."

"Indeed she does."

"And we're not!"

"No!"

She sniffed, disbelieving.

"In all this time she still can't trust us." They stared at her with faux-mourn. "What must we do?"

"What we ask?"

She looked from one to the other and sighed. "You know, I really think it's incredibly cruel of you to pick me out of the entire school to bug like this. I'm nice, you know. I do what I have to. I study and I mind my own business and I've never done anything to either of you. So that you two go out of your way-" She snapped her book shut. "Well-"

Their hands covered her mouth, one over the other.

Her eyes narrowed, glaring at them.

"We're not pranking you." They grinned. "We're offering you a grand opportunity. And a brilliant witch as yourself..." She looked back and forth at their identical looks of innocence. "Well she should surely know that being friends with us and learning all she could would only further those smarts."

She lifted a brow.

"Now, instead of thinking of this as a cruel and poorly constructed plan to prank you..."

"Think of it as a way for you to learn the ways of this world in a very interesting manner not written in any of your books."

Interesting.

Their hands fell away and they stared at her, waiting for her mind to come to some conclusion.

"And what, pray tell, do you think you could teach me?"

They smirked and she knew she'd just gained her first and second friend.

A/N Wow... Er, been awhile, yeah? I'm so, sooo sorry. I just... I've had a lot of personal problems I've had to deal with and writing has been put on the backburner for far too long... It's been awhile since I wrote anything... so please be forgiving here. I'm going a new route, this is a Fred/Hermione/George story, not either or. It doesn't delve too deep into the books, I must admit. In any case, I hope you've enjoyed the start here... I already have the majority of this written up, so updates shouldn't be too far off. Also, for those of you wondering about my many other stories, just please give me some time to get back into my writing and I'll try to update as soon as possible!

Please review; it's very appreciated!

Much Love,
-Amanda