A/N: Hey! I can’t believe people are actually reading what I’m writing! I’m thrilled! You guys are what keep me going!
“Ron…as much as Hermione and I love standing and admiring your house, it’s almost midnight. Don’t you think we should go inside? I mean, we’re gonna have to face your mum sooner or later. And since it’s hot, and I’m tired, I vote for sooner.”
The threesome was indeed standing outside the Burrow; they had been standing there for quite some time, in fact. After climbing onto the Knight Bus, Ron gave the new conductor, John Turkletop, his address, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione spent the short bus ride predicting how angry Mrs. Weasley would be. Harry couldn’t help but think that if they had found something else to talk about, maybe Ron would let them enter his home rather than forcing them to watch him pace in the closed doorway.
Hermione opened her mouth to second Harry’s vote to go inside, but she had only said,
“Ron, I think Harry’s-” when she was interrupted by the door opening.
“What do you three think you’re doing!?! Standing out here in the heat in the middle of the night! I know you’re smarter than this! Come in, now!”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked past Mrs. Weasley, their heads bowed in shame. Mrs. Weasley was, indeed, just as angry as they had predicted.
“Sit down!” Mrs. Weasley barked, pointing at the kitchen table. They sat down, staring at their hands. None of them thought it wise to say anything; it was smarter just to remain silent.
“The stunt you pulled tonight, Ronald Weasley, was even more ridiculous than anything Fred and George could even think of. Yelling at a Muggle! Threatening him with magic! Do you realize what could have happened? What if you had lost control and cursed him? You’d be in Azkaban before you could say ‘Quidditch’! Do you think the Ministry cares that you’ve just become of age? Let me tell you, they don’t! Rufus Scrimgeour is ruthless, and will put anyone in prison if it will make it seem as though he’s doing something to fight You-Know-Who! Foolish boy! Putting that absurd display of foolishness aside, how could you leave without giving us any notice? If Mad-Eye hadn’t followed you!”
“What?” Ron said indignantly, looking up, “Moody was following us? You didn’t trust us?”
“Ron, do you honestly think I would let you three go off on your own with You-Know-Who on the loose? Mad-Eye was watching right outside the Dursley’s house in his Invisibility Cloak. It’s a good thing he was there too! I wouldn‘t have known that you had left, that you were on your own.”
“Mum! I’m not a kid anymore! I’m of age, and you have to trust-”
Mrs. Weasley glowered at Ron, and he stopped speaking.
“I don’t have to trust you at all! You have proven to me that you can’t be trusted!”
“Mum, you have to understand why I did it! He was going to-”
“I don’t care what he was gong to do! You should have held your tongue, and owled me before leaving. You should have waited a few hours for an answer before leaving on your own. Harry’s Uncle could not have possibly done anything that would merit such rash-”
“It was my fault, Mrs. Weasley,” Hermione said softly, raising her head so that Harry, Ron and Mrs. Weasley could see her eyes glistening with unshed tears, “Ron only threatened Mr. Dursley because he was defending me.”
“Hermione,” Ron said quietly, “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault.”
Mrs. Weasley and Hermione simultaneously shushed him. Mrs. Weasley sat down in the chair at the end of the table and grasped Hermione’s hands in her own. Her expression had softened considerably, and she looked warmly into Hermione’s face.
“What happened, dear? Mad-Eye only said he saw Ron pull a wand on the Muggle and speak sternly to him. We assumed he was threatening him for his own reasons. What really happened?”
Hermione took a shuddering breath and began to tell the story from when they first got off the train,
“So, apparently Harry’s cousin, Dudley, was fairly taken with me. I can only assume that he’d never had another girl be kind to him before, because I only just smiled at him. When Dudley invited me to sit and eat with them, Mr. Dursley accused me of putting some sort of love spell on Dudley. H-he ran at me, he was going to attack me when Ron stepped in front of me and told him that if he laid a hand on me, he would curse Mr. Dursley. He only did it to defend me, Mrs. Weasley, please don’t be upset with him.”
Ron was looking down at the table again, his ears red with embarrassment. Harry was watching Mrs. Weasley and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley reached forward and pushed the hair off of Hermione’s face in a motherly gesture.
“Oh, Hermione…I had no idea. Of course I don’t blame Ron. Or you for that matter. You couldn’t have controlled the way those horrible people’s minds work. It’s not that they didn’t deserve to be cursed, after the way they’ve treated Harry, but Ron can’t go around threatening even the most horrible of Muggles.”
“I know,” Hermione said, smiling at Mrs. Weasley through her tears now, “I wouldn’t have wanted him to go to prison either. Not just to protect me.”
The two women stood up, they were both crying, and they embraced. Ron looked at Harry, his mouth open.
“They’re mental,” he whispered to Harry.
“I know,” Harry agreed, “What are they crying about?”
Ron shrugged, “I don’t know mate,” he grinned, “but it doesn’t look like we’re in trouble.”
Mrs. Weasley and Hermione finally broke apart and they each wiped away their tears.
“From what I’ve gathered, you haven’t eaten since you got off the train. So it’s dinner, and then bed for all of you. Bill and Fleur are here. It made the most sense since the wedding’s going to be here, and they need to prepare. So Bill’s in Fred and George’s old room. Fleur’s sharing with you and Ginny, Hermione. Harry, you’ll room with Ron.”
They ate in companionable silence and then bade Mrs. Weasley goodnight. At the door to Ginny’s room, they left Hermione. She shuffled her feet nervously before opening the door. Harry had the impression that she wanted to say something, but was working up to it. He wished she’d hurry it up. He was tired. He glanced at Ron who, was looking down at his feet, appearing to be just as nervous as Hermione. Harry rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. This could take all night.
“Hermione, is there something you wanted to say?” he asked, maybe a bit sharply, but he was really tired!
“Yes,” she breathed, “it’s just, I wanted….thank you, Ron. Really, you didn’t have to stand up to him like that, but you did. So…thanks.”
Harry rarely saw Hermione without words, and every time it happened, he was baffled by it, so this wordy, stuttering thanks stunned him once again. Ron looked up at her and said quietly,
“Any time.”
The two stared at each other, much as they had done that day in Herbology when Ron had softly admitted that he didn’t want Hermione to hook up with McClaggen. Harry was really quite tired of witnessing these exchanges between his two best friends, and he turned on his heel and walked up to Ron’s bedroom, stopping at the foot of the stairs that would lead to Ron’s attic room. He looked back to see Ron, walking slowly towards him. Hermione had gone into Ginny’s room.
“What was that about?” Ron asked, “Why’d you just leave like that?’
Harry looked at his friend, dumbfounded. Did Ron really not realize what had just occurred between him, Ron, and Hermione? Harry just laughed. Ron looked puzzled.
“What? What’s funny?”
“If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you, mate. Just think about what just happened. When you figure it out let me know. Better yet, when you figure it out let Hermione know.”
“Wait, Harry! Hermione knows!?! Why does she get to know and I don’t? Harry!”
“Yeah, I think Hermione’s known for a long time, mate.”
“You’ve been keeping secrets from me for a long time, have you?”
“It’s not a secret, Ron, you just don’t see what’s right in front of you.”
“Harry? Harry, why do I have to tell Hermione? What do I have to tell her?”
Harry ignored him.
“Harry, c’mon, you’re supposed to be my best mate! Help me out here!”
Ron continued to bug Harry until he climbed into bed and said, resolutely,
“Goodnight, Ron.”
Harry rolled over, and fell right to sleep. Though he thought to himself just before sleep claimed him that Ron would be awake for quite some time.
A/N: Right…I want to be able to start the next chapter from the next morning, so I’ll stop here. Sorry it’s so short! I just changes my e-mail once more, and just so you know, it’s book_lover07@yahoo.com. Drop me a line anytime about anything. Thanks guys! Review please!