CHAPTER TWO
UNFORTUNATE INTERCEPTION
Hermione,
I'm not upset about your feelings for Harry in the slightest so don't worry.
I think a trip to Diagon Alley this Saturday would be a brilliant idea! We could take Harry to Quality Quidditch
Supplies! Quidditch usually cheers him up one way or another! Then we could have some ice cream and maybe talk to him
about his feelings. I have to go to Diagon Alley for Mum anyway and maybe the muggles will let him go for the day. How
does eleven at the Quidditch shop sound? I promise we won't be long and we'll go for ice cream afterwards!
Oh, I'm using Hedwig because Harry was checking up on me after I got attacked by that brain thing in the Department
of Mysteries. She'll wait for you (Pig is tired from the trips to and from your place.) I am having a hard time
sleeping because of that stupid brain-thing that attacked me. Harry told me to talk to Mum, which I'm going to do
so don't worry about that either.
Send a reply back as soon as you can.
Ron
"Hedwig, before I send a reply back to Harry I need you to take this to Hermione, is that alright? Besides I think the muggles won't want any owl post during the day." Ron said very quickly.
Hedwig didn't seem to have a problem with the speed of his explanation and she seemed more than happy to deliver the letter to Hermione. She stuck out her leg and waited patiently as Ron tied the letter to it.
"Please wait for Hermione's reply." Ron said with a smile.
Hedwig hooted softly, she didn't want to wake Pigwidgeon, and flew gracefully out the window with her head held high almost as if she were showing the proper way an owl should act during deliveries.
Ron smiled as he went over his master plan one more time. "Ok, we show up for ice cream and Quidditch shopping. Then I'll suggest a muggle movie, a love story of some type ... I've never been to a muggle cimena, they're bound to not say no. Yeah, then they'll see the movie and I know they'll see something in it that will spur them on. Afterwards, I'll turn the conversation towards a girl I fancy and what they think I should do." He let out a devious chuckle as he looked at the clock. "Cripes, Mum's going to be up in an hour, I should get some sleep while I can!" He gently picked up Pig and put the sleeping owl back in his cage.
Lying down on his bed, he fell asleep with thoughts of Harry and Hermione running into each other's arms declaring their love for one another. They'd have a party and thank Ron for helping them of course, and he would be more than happy to accept their thanks and see their wonder at how he got them together.
"RON, TIME FOR BREAKFAST!"
Ron stirred from his sleep. "I'M UP, MUM! BE THERE IN A FEW MINUTES!" He shouted groggily. Ron swung his feet out of bed and jumped out of his skin. Hedwig was perched on the back of his chair watching him intently.
"Hedwig, don't scare me like that. Why didn't you wake me up?" Ron smiled as he took the offered letter and rewarded the owl with a treat. "Let's see what Hermione says." He said with a smile.
Ron,
I'm so, so sorry to hear that you're having nightmares about that. I think Harry's right, you should talk
with your Mum, she'll know what's best. Eleven at Quality Quidditch Supplies sounds like a wonderful idea! I
hope Harry doesn't pull away from us when we start talking to him though.
I'm glad that you're not upset with me for liking Harry. It would have been much harder to deal with if you
were. Thanks for that, Ron.
I'll see you on Saturday. I hope the muggles let Harry come along.
Hermione
Ron smiled at the response. "One down." He said with a chuckle. He turned to his best friend's owl. "Hedwig, why don't you get some sleep and I'll send you back to Harry tonight when it's dark? That way he won't get in trouble and you'll have some extra energy."
Hedwig didn't have to be told twice, she hooted gratefully then covered her face with a wing and within a few moments was sound asleep.
Ron quickly got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. Ginny was already starting on her chores and Ron had to eat in a hurry so he could get caught up for the day. After shoveling what could only be described as a truckload of eggs, sausage, and toast in his mouth he went to his mother for a bit of a chat.
Harry was right, she seemed to fully understand and told him to go ahead and pick up the ingredients for the necessary potions in Diagon Alley that afternoon. She'd mix up the concoction for him so he could finally get some rest.
After his chores, which seemed to go on all morning and half the afternoon, Ron found himself walking cheerfully down the street from the Leaky Cauldron in muggle London looking for a newsstand.
"If I remember what Hermione and Harry said, you could find cimena listings in the newspaper." He stopped before a small kiosk with newspapers and magazines prominently displayed on the front and sides of the small, u-shaped counter.
"Can I help you, young sir?" The clerk asked him with a smile.
"Um ... Yeah, I'm just looking for a film listing for this Saturday." Ron said nervously. He had stopped by Gringotts with his allowance and changed it to muggle money, he hoped he had enough.
"Right, you'll want this one here, then." The clerk handed him a newspaper.
Ron handed over one of the paper bills. "Is that enough?"
"Are you barmy?" The clerk said with his eyebrows raised. "It's more than enough." He dug around in his cash drawer and returned more paper and a few coins.
Ron was excited, he'd never seen this much muggle money before. "Thanks!" He said with a bright smile and he headed back to Diagon Alley with his first muggle purchase.
"Ok, here we are. One of these has to be a love story! I'll just have to let them pick it out." He smiled again as he exchanged his money back to the wizarding kind and hit the Apothecary for the ingredients his mum needed. A short time later, he was back at home looking smug with himself.
"What's got you so happy, Ron?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a smile as she worked on tea.
"Harry has been depressed since Sirius died." He explained. "Hermione and I want to take him to Diagon Alley on Saturday for some ice cream and a chat."
"Do you want me to talk to Dumbledore and see if it's alright?" His mum asked. "With everything going on, we have to make sure that he can leave his relatives' house."
Ron's smile faded. "I hadn't thought of that."
"Well, I don't think there will be a problem if he's out and about for one day. I'll send a letter out with Pigwidgeon, I'm sure he'll say it's fine." She reassured him with a hug. "Now I want you to take this potion tonight before you go to bed. I do hope it helps you rest, dear."
Ron smiled at his mother. "Thanks, Mum. I'll go get Pig so you can send out that letter."
Ron literally ran up to his room and nearly broke his neck when he missed a step on the way down with a happily squirming Pigwidgeon in his hands. "Here we go, Mum." He wheezed. "I'll hold him still so that you can get the letter tied on."
Molly laughed as she attached the letter to the squirming owl. "He sure has a lot of energy. Take this to Albus Dumbledore, Pigwidgeon."
Ron grimaced. "A little bit annoying at times." He said as he threw the small owl out the door and watched as he flitted out of sight.
"Ronald, how many times do I have to tell you not to throw him?!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.
"It's alright, Mum, I think he likes any attention he can get." Ron retorted.
"Still, he's such a small owl, he could get hurt."
Ron nodded and left it at that. "I hope the Professor says it's ok."
"We'll know in a few hours. Now sit down to tea, your father should be here any minute now. GINNY! TIME FOR TEA!"
"COMING, MUM!" Her reply came from upstairs.
Tea at the Weasleys' proceeded the way it always does. Mr. Weasley apparated on the front stoop a few minutes after Ginny sat down and the family talked about the goings on in the wizarding world and around the house. Ron mentioned he wanted to go to Diagon Alley with Harry and Hermione and Ginny gushed on and on about Dean. Ron didn't like that last part one bit, but he kept his cool and only muttered a "that's nice" under his breath when Ginny addressed him.
"What's nice?" She asked in confusion. "I just asked if I could borrow Pigwidgeon tomorrow to send a letter to Dean."
Ron flushed. "I guess." He mumbled in reply. "I'm finished, may I be excused?"
"Sure, son, just put your dishes in the sink." Mr. Weasley instructed from the head of the table.
Ron dropped off his dishes and went to his room.
"Hello, Hedwig. I brought you some ham." The owl hooted her thanks and ate the piece of offered meat. "I'll send you back to Harry after Pig gets back." Ron explained. "We're waiting for something from Dumbledore."
Hedwig didn't seem to mind and just continued to eat her light snack.
"RON, DUMBLEDORE SAID IT WOULD BE OK! LUPIN IS GOING TO DROP HIM OFF HERE AT TEN!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the ground floor.
"THANKS, MUM!" Ron shouted back excitedly. "Time to write a letter!" He said with a diabolical chuckle.
Harry,
Sorry I took so long to respond, I figured the muggles wouldn't want Hedwig flying around the neighborhood during
the day.
Don't worry about it, mate! I'm not upset at all.
Listen, Hermione and I want to take you to Diagon Alley this Saturday. I had Mum ask Dumbledore if it was ok and he
said YES! He's sending Lupin to pick you up and he's going to drop you off here, be ready to go by ten. Hope
you can make it! Let me know as soon as you can!
Ron
He quickly tied the parchment to Hedwig's leg. "Sorry it took so long, Hedwig. I think you should head out before Pig remembers to come back upstairs."
Hedwig agreed with the warning and after a few seconds flew off into the night.
Ron smiled his most wicked smile and rubbed his hands together. "The plan is going perfectly."
"What plan?" Ginny asked from the door.
Ron's face went white and he jumped back from the door. He looked wild-eyed for a second as he tried to quickly come up with something clever. "The-the trip to Diagon Alley. I just sent Hedwig off to let Harry know when to be ready."
"Oh, ok." Ginny said half-heartedly.
"Why are you here anyway?" Ron asked suspiciously squinting his eyes at her.
"I was just wondering if you knew what Dean's favorite cookies were." She said quickly. "I was thinking about making him a batch and sending it to him. Do you think he'll like something like that? Or is it too soon for me to be making food for him? You've been his roommate for five years now, what other kinds of food does he like?" She said this all very, very fast.
"Ginny, you're giving me a headache." Ron said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Haven't you watched him in the Great Hall during feast?"
"Well, no, I'd been watching Harry most of the time and then when I started dating Michael I spent more time with him." She admitted with a blush. "Ron, do you know what football is?" Ginny quickly changed the subject.
"What? Why do you ..." Ron looked confused. If it wasn't talking a mile a minute, it was sudden changes of topic that his sister was best at. "Oh, Dean again." He said with a frown. "I don't know what it is, I think it's like Quidditch but it only has one ball ... And they don't fly."
"That's weird." She said with a furrowed brow. "Why would anyone play a game that didn't have at least four balls and broomsticks? I don't know if I'll ever be able to appreciate the muggle world. Did you know they have pictures that don't move?"
"Yes, Ginny, I know. Dean has a football poster on his wall that doesn't move." Ron was starting to get irritated with all the Dean talk. "Listen, I haven't been able to sleep for the past two weeks since that brain-thing attacked me. Could you leave me alone for a while so I can try and get some? Mum even made a potion of dreamless sleep to help me out."
"Oh, sorry, Ron, I forgot about that." She looked disappointed. "Well, ok, sleep well then." Ginny left the room and closed the door quietly behind her.
She's going to drive me nuts! Ron started massaging his temples. I wish she still had that stupid crush she had in second year! I'd invite Harry over just to keep her quiet!
He sat on his bed with a huff and looked dubiously at the potion his mother had made for him. "Well, it's now or never." He whispered and brought the mug to his lips. But before he could drink any of it, Hedwig landed quietly on his window sill.
"Welcome back, Hedwig. Do you have Harry's reply?" He put the mug down and smiled as Hedwig offered her leg. Ron took the letter and read it quickly because he was starting to get very tired again.
Ron,
That'd be great! I don't know how much more of this stupid diet I can stand. I wish the muggles would realize
that Piggly Wiggly was just getting bigger instead of smaller. I'll be ready for Lupin on Saturday and I'll see
you when I get there!
Thanks for not being upset with me, mate. I really appreciate it. I didn't want my feelings to mess with our
friendship. I don't know if I should tell her or not, I don't think I could handle it if she pushed away from
me further than she has.
Anyway, I'll see you on Saturday! Hope you can get some sleep! Did you talk with your Mum? Well, I'm getting
tired. I'm going to go ahead and go to bed.
Harry
Ron sighed. "Hedwig, can you wait just a little bit? I'm going to send some food with you so Harry doesn't starve again this summer, ok?" Hedwig hooted in what could have only been an affirmative way because she didn't fly off.
Ron went downstairs quickly and explained the situation to his mother who immediately started worrying and gathering food for a care package.
"The nerve of those awful muggles." She muttered over and over as she worked on slicing a large ham into slices. "Ron, see that he gets this and we'll talk with Dumbledore about getting him here sooner than usual. It won't be this weekend, but maybe a week or two after that."
Ron smiled happily. "I'm sure he'd love that, Mum. I'll get this right off then. I'll let Hermione know so she can send him something as well."
Ron dashed back upstairs and quickly scribbled a reply.
Harry,
Shame to hear that you're stuck with that diet again. I told Mum and she put this together for you. She's going
to talk to Dumbledore and see if you can come out here sooner than you usually do but it won't be this weekend,
unfortunately. I'm going to let Hermione know your situation so expect something from her as well.
I don't think Hermione will push you away, mate, but she can be strange sometimes. I guess being a girl and all she
thinks differently than we do.
Have a good night and I'll see you this weekend!
Ron
"Big delivery, Hedwig." Ron said as he attached the care package and return note. "Here's an owl treat for the 'road'." He said with a grin. Hedwig accepted the morsel gratefully and was soon in the air.
Ron stuck his head out the window. "PIG! I HAVE A LETTER TO SEND!" He shouted into the warm night air. Within a few moments, the gray mass of feathers shot into the room and flew in circles so fast that Ron got so dizzy watching the spectacle he nearly fell over. "Calm down, Pig! Why are you always so bloody hyper?"
Whatever the answer was, Ron was not interested and just sat down and wrote a quick note to Hermione about Harry's predicament. "Take this to Hermione, Pig." Ron said as he struggled to tie the letter to the bird. After a few agonizing minutes, he succeeded and the small bird rocketed out the window on its latest mission.
With a sigh of relief, Ron took the potion that his mother had mixed for him and laid back into his pillows. He fell asleep almost immediately and didn't wake until someone started shaking him.
"Hrmph. Go away, Ginny! Just take pig and let me sleep!" Ron said from underneath his pillow.
"Ron, come on and get up! We're going to be late meeting Hermione."
Ron jumped and turned around. "Harry? Why are you here so early, mate? You're not supposed to be here until Saturday."
Harry laughed. "It is Saturday, Ron." He explained. "Your mum told me that she made the potion a bit strong so you could rest up."
"I've been asleep for four days?!" Ron said with surprise.
Harry nodded. "I think you need to talk to your mum about toning down the motherly-worry-factor a tad." He laughed again.
Ron joined in the laughter and got ready for their day out. It's good to see Harry laugh. Ron thought. But I can tell it's not entirely happy.
"We have to be back here by eighteen at the latest." Harry said as they were walking downstairs. "The muggles don't want me to have too much fun. I wish they'd make up their minds. Get out of their life or lock me up ... I don't like being a yo-yo."
"Well, soon enough, you'll be able to move out on your own, Harry." Ron said with a smile. "Then you can move in here or get your own flat."
"That'll be a day of celebration, Ron." Harry said with a distant smile on his face. "Maybe we should head to Diagon Alley early so Hermione doesn't have to deal with the Quidditch portion of the trip?" He added after a moment.
"That sounds like a good plan." Ron replied. "I know I don't want to spend too much time in Flourish and Blotts than I have to." He added with a smug grin.
"Do you want a bite to eat before you head out, Dears?" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "It's so good to have you here, Harry, even if it is only for a day."
"Thanks." Harry said simply. "Believe me, I'd rather be here than there."
"I don't think we're going to have time, Mum." Ron added. "We thought we'd go and get the Quidditch stuff out of the way before Hermione got there. She's not really into it."
"Alright, Ron. You two have fun and don't get into trouble!" Ron's mother said sternly. "Take a few extra sickles with you, Ron. Get yourself something to eat while you're out. You've been sleeping for a couple of days and you'll need something to eat and drink."
After a flurry of motherly hugs, Ron and Harry were soundly on their way to Diagon Alley via Floo. Ron stepped out of their exit grate and found Harry lying on the floor, covered in soot.
"I'm never going to get used to that." Harry said with a sick look on his face. "I can't wait until I can apparate."
Ron laughed. "It's alright, mate. You're just not used to it yet." He produced a small, beat-up garment brush from his robes and brushed himself off and offered it to Harry.
"Thanks, Ron." He said as he brushed himself off. Harry then pulled out a moistened towelette and cleaned his hands and face of any smudges. "Here, you've got dirt on your nose." He said with a smile.
Ron took the offered towelette and cleaned himself up as well. "I'm going to have to remember to get me some of these." He said with an approving look. "It would have made first year a bit more bearable when Hermione pointed out the dirt smudge I had."
The two best friends laughed and made their way to the Quidditch store.
Harry seemed nervous and he kept glancing at his watch. His nervousness seemed to build the closer it got to eleven.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron said in an attempt to look serious. "You seem nervous."
"Huh? Oh ... um ... I guess I'm just anxious to see Hermione. I know I'm not her type, but I still want to see her, you know? She's going to be here in five minutes." Harry stammered.
Ron held back his knowing laughter. "I know, Harry. Listen, I wouldn't worry about it. She's been our best friend for five years now. No need to get nervous just because she's coming to spend the day with us."
Harry nodded nervously. "I-I know, Ron. You're right, I'm just being stupid." He seemed to regain his composure.
"Harry?"
The two friends turned around in surprise.
"Ch-Cho?" Harry said quietly.
Cho Chang nodded shyly with a pink tinge to her cheeks. "I-I was wondering if we could talk for a minute? I-I know that it might be too early after we broke up, but would it be ok if we did?"
No, Harry, don't ... You don't like her, just leave it be. Ron had closed his eyes and thought desperately. When he opened them, Harry had walked a short ways away with Cho and he seemed to be listening carefully.
Ron sighed miserably. "Why do you always have to be such a nice guy, Harry?" Ron huffed under his breath. He moved a little closer pretending to look at some new pads so he could hear what was going on.
"Harry, I'm sorry the way I acted last term." Cho was saying. "I was unfair to you because I couldn't forget about Ced ... Ced ..." She cleared her throat and made a conscious effort to keep from crying. "I couldn't forget about C-Cedric." She said at last and straightened a bit. "And I know that Hermione has been your best friend since first year. I shouldn't have treated you so badly."
"I know you miss him, Cho, and I'm sorry about what happened. If I could have saved him, I would have." Harry replied as he looked at his feet. "And ... Uh ... Thanks for understanding about Hermio-"
Ron couldn't believe what was happening. Cho just put her finger to Harry's lips and cut him off. She stepped closer to him and lifted his chin with a cupped hand.
NO! Ron shouted desperately to himself. He was so dumbfounded that he couldn't move or speak. He looked around anxiously to find something that could distract the two of them. His eyes settled on the front door where Hermione was standing. Her eyes were wide open and her jaw was slack.
Before Ron could do anything else, Cho had firmly planted a kiss on Harry's lips. Ron looked back at Hermione. The only thing he saw was her back as she ran out of the store with her head bowed.