A/N - Dear reader, to say that this story wouldn't have come this far without a lot of help is an understatement! Credit for the driving and creative influences for this work goes to one person; Stefy. If you haven't already seen Stefy's HP Fanart here on Portkey then you have missed something truly special. But the quickest way to see her art it at her Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/19005142@N00/. I urge you all to not pass go, to not collect $200, but to go directly to her site and prepared to be astounded. As you'll see by my frequent comments of her wondrous drawings I am in total awe of Stefy's talent, and how expertly she captures the scenes beneath the words.
`Healing' started when I was knee-deep in another ff (`Their Way' - IronChef OR) and before I knew it I found that Stefy's captivating art had inspired the following story. And then along the way I sort of bumped into one of Stefy's Flickr contacts; another H/Hr tragic known as Mione. You'll be hearing more from Mione later, I promise. Moine helped and guided me at a time I needed it most and has been with me ever since. As a result we are jointly writing the sequel to this work (LCA, coming soon) and we have discussed ideas for a prequel to this work as well as a sequel to the sequel. Tragic I know but Mione is practically bubbling with ideas.
Very soon you'll also be seeing Mione's own works on this site. She has about a hundred ideas, stories, and one-shots in progress and they are all very very good. Watch for her work, you won't be disappointed.
Lastly, my beta, IronChef OR. I cannot thank you enough for your assistance which started even before you agreed to beta this work. Your very long emails filled with suggestions and hints which continue still to prove invaluable. I couldn't help myself but to borrow IronChef ORs idea for the names of Hermione's parents. I hope you don't mind too much and I thank you for all your help.
One
The parchment apparated into the centre of the kitchen with but the briefest POP and immediately began a slow decent under the effect of gravity. She had chosen the kitchen because she thought it the most logical place for her note to be noticed. As it turned out, Ron was less than a meter away from the note when it appeared. Although he was carrying one half of a long and heavy table with Fred (or George, no one was ever really sure which) on the other end, Ron reached out and grabbed the note with a catch that would have caught the eye of the Gryffindor seeker. If he was awake.
"Who's it from?" Ginny asked. She also saw the note as it appeared.
"Hermione," Ron said, reading. "She wants to know if she can come over early to help out."
"Hell yes!" Ginny said, laughing.
Ron continued by and towards the back door, but not without handing the note to his sister. Ginny quickly eyed the kitchen benches and tables, all laden with cakes, pastries, and fruit platters, but could not see a quill. With a sly smile that anyone who knew her was accustomed to seeing, she reached over to the thick chocolate frosting atop a triple chocolate sponge cake and quickly ran her finger along the edge of the frosting, scooping up a small dab of frosting.
She placed her now chocolate stained finger on the note, and traced out a large `Y.' With her wand, she disapparated the note back to its point of origin. Then with a quick glance left and right to ensure her mother wouldn't see, Ginny licked her finger, enjoying the remainder of the frosting. Before Ginny had time to fully enjoy her stolen delight (knowing her mother would threaten to hex her if she found out) she was bumped from behind by the sudden appearance of Hermione who arrived with a CRACK! Ginny quickly turned around and hugged Hermione tightly, Hermione hugging back.
"Hi!" Hermione said.
"Hey you!" Ginny said. "Tell me you've come early to save us from Mum. She's working us to death."
"Sorry," Hermione replied. "I needed to get away from my own parents. They're being - difficult!"
Ron and Fred had just reentered the kitchen and were heading off inside to grab yet another table. Ron smiled at seeing Hermione and stopped nervously in front of her. He knew he very much wanted to give her a huge hug of his own, but he also knew she wasn't fond of such displays of affection - with him. If it were Harry, Ron knew it would be a different matter.
"Hi Hermione, good to see you," Ron said.
"Hermione, it's good to see you. Are you here to take prat-face off our hands?" Fred asked?
"Sorry, Ginny was just telling me how urgently she needs me to help, with - - -"
"Stuff!" Ginny finished for her.
"Yeah, stuff. We're doing stuff," Hermione finished and the two girls giggled.
"When did Harry say he was going to get here?" Hermione asked.
"He is here," Ginny replied, matter-of-factly. At hearing this unexpected information Hermione looked around trying to find him before Ginny continued, "He's asleep. He has been for hours."
"Asleep?" Hermione asked, "It's a bit early isn't it? Is he okay?" It was just before three in the afternoon, and the wedding was to take place the next morning at ten o'clock.
"Nope!" Ron said passing by the girls with another table, again in the direction of where the wedding was to take place outside. "He's a mess, wait till you see him."
"Hasn't slept for days," Fred added. "He got here last night and could hardly stand up. Mum zonked him and he's been asleep ever since."
Hermione's face took on that quizzical look she had when she didn't understand something... an expression she didn't wear often. "What do you mean `zonked'?"
Ginny walked up the hallway in the direction of the bedrooms and Hermione followed. "Ron distracted him by throwing a Snitch in his direction and Mum poured a huge sleeping draught into his pumpkin juice. A minute later he was asleep on the floor and we levitated him to bed. See for yourself."
The door to Ron's bedroom was open; Hermione could see a spare bed had been set up under the only window in the room, and Harry was in it. The girls watched for a whole minute as Harry's chest rose slowly, and then fell with every deep breath. His eyes, though closed were darkly lined, and his skin had a very definite odd colour.
"What happened, it's only been a week?" Hermione whispered. She was shocked at the poor condition of her friend.
"No need to whisper," Ron said. "He's dead to the world. Mum says she may need to get a reviving draught down his throat before he wakes up."
As if on cue Molly Weasley stormed inside and towards her now motionless children to see why they had stopped working. At seeing Hermione she smiled deeply, realising why the tables weren't being set up. She hugged Hermione as she did her own daughter. "Don't you fret, he'll be all right. He just needed a little - - help, and some sleep. Come tomorrow he'll be right as rain."
Ron tried unsuccessfully to suppress a wisecracking grin as he said to nobody particular, "Promise not to ever help me then."
"You've got ten minutes to finish setting up those tables or you'll get double the dose Harry had," Molly told him and she smiled with satisfaction when the boys took the hint and went about their allotted task. As they got to the back door Molly called out after them, "and then you can get back into the garden and finish clearing out those gnomes."
As the boys headed back outside Ginny took Hermione's hand and led her towards the room Fleur and Gabrielle had been staying in. As they opened the door Hermione was suddenly overcome with a blast of fragrant aroma from the hundreds of bunches of flowers in the room. At seeing the new arrival Fleur handed the vase of flowers she was holding to her younger sister and walked the few steps to Hermione, hugging her deeply. "Hermooneey. Eet iz good to zee you."
"Hi!" was all Hermione could say in response as she let Fleur hug her and tried to take the whole scene in. The room was practically bursting with lavender roses, placed in identical vases, and Hermione wondered how Fleur and Gabrielle had room to sleep. Then again looking at Fleur and how her smile positively beamed, her cheeks were blushed red and her eyes sparkled, Hermione guessed Fleur couldn't care too much about sleep the night before her wedding. "These look beautiful!" she said.
"Oui, Molly `as been very helpful. Bill and I simply cannot thank her enuff. And of course for Geeney and her brothers az well," Fleur said. "Gabrielle haz just been telling me how happy she iz to be part of such a large family."
Ginny turned to Gabrielle and said, "Hey, you don't have to say that you know, you're family now. You're allowed to admit that the boys can be pains."
All four girls giggled and Fleur asked Ginny, "Geeney, peraps you can tell me what iz meant by, your words is difficult, `prat'?"
Ginny laughed and Hermione could see how genuine this new-found affection was for the newest members of the Weasley clan. "It means Ron, Fred and George. Don't worry though, you'll get used to them, and if they give you any trouble I'll show you some hexes that will make them leave you alone."
"Or I will," Hermione added, smiling.
"Ah," Fleur said, realising through her broken English what Ginny had said. "You mean zey is just beeing boyz. Not like my Bill. My Bill iz so `andsome and brave, just like our `arry," she said looking directly at Ginny.
"Harry and I are just friends Fleur, we all are just friends."
"Ah, friends, I zee, just friends!" Fleur replied with a wink at both Ginny and Hermione. "We all need such `just friends'. I hope my seester Gabrielle finds such a `just friend' as Bill or `arry." Ginny smiled in reply while Hermione found her mind racing. Before she could reflect on what Fleur had said, Fleur looked at Hermione and asked, "Hermooneey, would you like to zee my dress for tomorrow? You muzt promize not to tell my Bill, it muzt be a surprise."
"You bet!" Hermione smiled. Fleur led Hermione and Ginny over to the wardrobe and removed the white wedding dress. It was long, and quite slim at the waist, with sparkling gems reflecting the sun at every possible direction. Hermione could not contain her joy at seeing such a dazzling dress and squealed in delight. "Oh Fleur, it is BEAUTIFUL!"
"Isn't it?" Ginny added. "Mum and Fleur spent most of last night sewing in the gems. This wedding has been the best thing to happen to all of us for so long. I've never seen Mum so happy over the past week, though she's been so busy she has hardly had time to sleep."
"Oui, Ginny, just like our `arry. Is he alright?" she asked with a worried look.
Ginny smiled back at her sister-in-law-to-be as if to reassure them all. "Mum says he'll be alright after he's had something to eat."
"I hope so," Hermione added. "Though I have to say if your Mum has been cribbing on sleep it doesn't show, she looks positively radiant."
"Yeah, I know, Bill says she is in her element. He says she is better at organizing than any of his bosses at Gringotts. Mum's been so happy this week she didn't even threaten Fred and George when they set up wish-bangs underneath the marquee outside," Ginny said.
"Wish-bangs?" asked Hermione
"Exploding fireworks. They go off if anyone makes a wish anywhere near them. They set up half a dozen to try them out and nearly burnt the bloody thing down."
Gabrielle laughed, as she no doubt witnessed the event and for the first time joined the conversation. "Ron waz right next to dem when zey went off. He thought eez `air waz on fire."
"Serves himself right," Ginny told them. "He should have known better."
"And your Mum didn't get mad?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Nope, she's far too happy to be mad. Dad went ballistic though. He threatened to get the Ministry to shut down their shop and said he'd ship the three of them off to Azkaban himself if they didn't behave."
"How is Bill?" Hermione asked
"My Bill ez simply wonderful, and so brave." Fleur had the most wonderful I'm-going-to-be-married-tomorrow smile that quickly spread to the other three girls.
"He looks pretty good Hermione," Ginny told her. "Heaps better than when he got hurt. He's still got some scratches on his face that will probably never heal, and a few on one shoulder. But judging by the way he's constantly smiling you would think he didn't had a care in the world."
"And why would he? He ez marrying me tomorrow and I vill make him very happy."
"And next full moon?" Hermione asked, instantly regretting her lack of tact. She looked quickly to Fleur and was going apologize when Fleur cut her off.
"Next full moon we vill bee in each overs' arms." The three younger girls laughed and Ginny was surprised to see Hermione blush. "And every full moon after!"
"So that's one brother down and only four more to marry off," Ginny said. "How hard can it be? Though if you were to take Ron off my hands - - "
"Nice try sister," Hermione said. "He's a good friend, but I'm not up to getting married; to ANYONE! Besides - - ." Hermione stopped herself from continuing and Ginny stopped to look at her.
"Besides what?" She waited for Hermione to continue but instead Hermione simply shook her head, annoyed that she had said anything. "Come on Hermione, give!"
"Later," Hermione said simply.
"Okay, DON'T tell me. I'll ask Harry when he's awake."
"Harry doesn't know," Hermione said confidently.
"Of course he will. You and Harry tell each other everything."
"Ask him then," said Hermione, with a smug `Harry-doesn't-know' expression on her face
***
Harry was sitting up in bed with his eyes squinted nearly closed and had one hand holding his throbbing forehead. He looked to be in a good deal of pain from a blinding headache, and was quite disorientated. He offered up a weak smile to Ginny who was sitting on the end of the bed watching him closely.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Ginny. Hermione has never mentioned anything about it. Ask her for yourself," Harry told her.
"I did, she said she'll tell me later."
"Then ask her later. What time is it?" he asked.
"Nearly six, Mum's bringing something up for you."
"Six. Is that morning or night?" he asked, looking at the window for clues as to what time of the day it was.
"Night," Ginny told him simply.
"What day?"
Ginny laughed and reached over to give him a hug. "It's Friday, the day after you arrived, and one day before the wedding."
"Friday! What happened to the rest of Thursday?"
"You wasted it asleep," Ginny told him laughing. "Speaking of which, did you have any dreams you want to tell me about?" she asked teasingly.
"If it's all the same Ginny, I'd rather not talk about dreams." Harry's voice had a slight gruffness to it, no doubt the result of his enforced sedation. Although he had slept for nearly an entire day, he felt as if he needed another eight hours straight away.
"Hey you!" Hermione said from the doorway. Ginny stood allowing Hermione to take her place on the bed. Hermione reached out and gently placed an arm on Harry's shoulder, and Harry smiled slightly in response. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel like I've got the world's worst hangover. What happened?"
"Ginny said you were dead on your feet and that her mother had to zonk you.
"The pumpkin juice?" he asked.
"Apparently," Hermione replied.
"It figures! I was too tired to notice that it tasted funny."
Ginny laughed and walked away from the bed, towards the open door. "Don't go anywhere Harry; I'll see what is keeping Mum." Ginny left without giving Harry a chance to answer, leaving him with Hermione.
"I promise I'm not going anywhere. My bloody head!"
Hermione shuffled closer and gave him a slight comforting hug. "What happened Harry, you had everyone worried?"
"Sorry. I guess I pushed myself too far. I spent four or five days in my room trying to come up with an answer for the Horcruxes. I must have slept only an hour or two over the whole week."
"I see," Hermione said, adopting a big sisterly role. "And what exactly did you come up with?"
"Exactly nothing, Hermione. I've got nothing." His voice dropped and Hermione could feel the sadness in his voice. "I don't have anything, not a plan or where I'm going to start or - - or - - ."
"Shhhhhh," Hermione told him, now hugging him warmly, and feeling Harry respond just as warmly. "You should have waited until we were all together so we - - "
"I can't keep relying on everyone Hermione. Everybody else has their own stuff to deal with, and there's a wedding tomorrow and - - "
"And you are not ten feet tall or bullet proof, Harry. Push yourself too far and you'll break."
"And in the meantime Voldemort kills how many innocent people? What about Greyback? How many more die before I can stop him? Before I can stop all of them?"
"Before WE stop them, and the answer is none, for this week anyway." Harry sat back away from her arms and opened his eyes slightly wider. "There've been no attacks for the whole of this week Harry."
"That's strange; I would have thought getting Dumbledore out of the way was exactly what he wanted."
Molly chose that moment to walk in, carrying a tray that held a large bowl full of sweet scented stew. Ginny and Ron trailed behind. Hermione stood allowing the tray to be set upon Harry's lap.
"Thanks Mrs. Weasley, but I've got this splitting headache. I don't really think - - "
"That's alright Harry. Ginny, go and get me some pumpkin juice, as well as that green liquid I gave Harry yesterday would you?"
Ron and Ginny laughed at the thought of knocking Harry out again, but Hermione could only offer a weak smile. It was clear he'd been tormenting himself for too long.
"On second thought Mrs Weasley, I might just sit here eating this wonderful meal. Thank you."
Molly smiled, satisfied at hearing the correct response and turned to leave. "Out," she said to Ginny and Ron who were forced to leave. "Let Harry eat in peace, you can bother him later. Hermione, you can stay if you wish. I'll bring yours up and you can keep Harry company."
"No that's all right Mrs. Weasley. Harry, I'll be back when you're finished." Molly walked out and Hermione turned to follow her out when Harry stopped her.
"Hermione?"
She stopped and offered Harry a very wide smile, one he only just saw from between his slitted eyelids. "Yes?"
Harry paused, thinking of what he was going to say. He bowed his head; he appeared to be embarrassed about something. "Sorry," he said softly. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes.
"Sorry about what Harry?" she asked
"Sorry I didn't listen to you. Sorry I didn't throw that bloody book in the bin. Sorry I - -"
"Shhhhh, it's okay Harry - - "
"No, it isn't!" He looked up and almost met her eyes, but not quite. His own started to tear and he forced himself to continue. "I got so carried away I couldn't see what I was doing. I couldn't see you were just trying to protect me. I got so bloody obsessed over Malfoy I - "
"And you were right, Harry, about Malfoy."
"But If I listened to you, I - - WE might have been able to stop him before he --"
"Harry, you were right about Malfoy. It's the rest of us who couldn't see -- "
"Because you guys are normal. You aren't consumed with hate, and revenge, and --"
Hermione walked over and lifted the tray, placing in on Ron's desk. She sat back on the bed and resumed hugging her friend, her best friend. "It's okay Harry. You are pushing yourself too hard and punishing yourself for something that isn't your fault." She paused so as to allow her words to sink in. "We're a team Harry, always have been. You can't do it alone."
He sat there hugging her for a few long minutes before he found courage to speak. "I thought you'd hate me." If Hermione wasn't still hugging Harry she'd never had heard him, his voice was just above a whisper.
Hermione broke away from his grasp, albeit reluctantly so she could look him squarely in the eyes, and smiled. "Then you were wrong, Harry James Potter. You have to let us help."
He sat motionless, but silently admitted she was probably right. Then again she usually was.
Standing, Hermione looked down at Harry and said, "So start eating before I ask Mrs. Weasley for that green liquid."
Harry smiled but shook his head. "Okay, but I'll eat in the kitchen. I have a whole day to catch up on."
***
"Get ready to leave in ten minutes!" Bill called out as he walked up the hallway.
"Yeah right," Ron remarked. "I'll bet anyone a bottle of Firewhisky we'll still be here in twenty minutes. I mean how long does it take to say goodnight?"
"Ron, you brainless prat! They ARE getting married tomorrow," Ginny said, hitting Ron on the arm.
"Your point being?" he asked. Harry laughed to see Ginny, Hermione and Gabrielle all rolling their eyes.
"My point being that the groom can't see the bride the day of the wedding. I think it's romantic that Fleur and Bill maintain tradition," Ginny finished, not really sure if her brother didn't know or didn't care about tradition.
"Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm all for us guys to get together and spend some quality time away from you lot," Ron said.
"Us lot?" Hermione said. "Maybe I can ask Bill to leave you there."
"Fine by me, as long as the Firewhisky holds out."
"Speaking of which," Molly said as she walked by, hearing the last words of the conversation and spoke to all the boys as one. "If you, ANY of you, show up for the wedding hung-over, I promise you the wedding will be immediately followed by a funeral. Your own!"
"We'll be fine," Fred said. "We'll make sure little brother behaves himself or we'll petrify him."
"Nah," George cut in "Petrifying him won't do, we'll still have to look at his ugly face. Now if we transfigure him into a rat we can just put him in the pocket of Bill's suit."
"'With this rat, I thee wed!'" Fred said and they all started laughing, even Ron.
"I don't theenk Ron's face is u-gly at all," Gabrielle said and Ron could do nothing but blush in response.
"Ron will be okay Mrs Weasley. I'll keep one eye on him at all times," Harry said.
"YOU!" Ron cried. "Look at yourself; you'll be asleep the minute we get there. You're not going to be any fun."
"And you should think about following Harry's shining example Ronald," his mother told him. "I mean it, show up tomorrow the worse for wear and you won't hear the end of it."
"COME ON ALREADY, " Ron called out. "HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?"
"Easy up, Ron, leave Bill alone," Harry said.
"Yeah," Ginny added. "Just because no one wants to waste their time kissing YOU goodnight."
Ron threw a glance in Hermione's direction and watched as she deliberately avoided his gaze, and he simply shrugged. "Their loss I say!"
"One day, Ron, you'll very much like to have someone to say goodnight with, no?" asked Gabrielle.
"No!" Fred, George and Ginny all said as one, and laughed.
"So Harry what are your plans after tomorrow?" Ginny asked.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and lowered his eyes. "Not sure, why?"
"You know you can stay here," Ginny told him.
"Of course Harry's staying here Ginny," Ron said. "Aren't you mate?"
"Thanks guys, I know you mean it. But I'm sure your Mum will be happy to have just the family around. After what we've all been through and all."
"So you're going back to the Dursleys then?" Hermione asked.
"Not a chance. I guess I'll head to Grimmauld place. I'll be all right. It should be quiet enough and Merlin knows I'm used to that."
Hermione wrinkled her brow and continued questioning him. "But you haven't been there a whole week Harry. The blood protection - - "
"Forget it, I'm not going back and they don't want me back. And before you ask, NO I didn't deliberately pick a fight just so I wouldn't have to stay there."
"So what happened?" Hermione asked.
"He was yelling at me after fifteen minutes; telling me how inconsiderate I was to go and get my headmaster murdered and have the school close right at the busiest time of his year," Harry said simply.
"He didn't!" Hermione said shocked.
"He did. Fifteen minutes, ten seconds after I arrived I shut myself up in my room and stayed there. Except for Kingsley Shacklebolt stopping by, all I had to do was watch the walls of my room."
"Kingsley?" Ron asked, "What did he want?"
"Funnily enough, he turned up Tuesday morning and said he had come to take me to the Ministry of Magic. I got the whole guided tour."
"You're kidding!" Ginny said.
"Nope! He took me all around. The best part was seeing the Department of Magical Transportation on Level Six. I even got to talk to the people running the Floo Network Authority. I felt a little odd going back to the Department of Mysteries, especially when he showed me the Brain Room, but it was kind of neat."
"I don't understand Harry, what was that all about?" Ginny asked.
"No idea. He said something about the Ministry needing as many good Aurors as they could get their hands on. I guess he figured if he showed me around I'd want to go back to Hogwarts and finish my courses."
"Are you going back, Harry?" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. He had no good answer. "I know I said I wouldn't, but - - "
"But what?" Ron asked.
"Something tells me I have to go back!" Harry said.
"Something?" asked Hermione. Harry was amazed at how quick she was to see through his attempts to misdirect others when they were closing in on the things he didn't want to talk about.
"All right, someone! But I don't know what I'm going to do. I'd be happier if Remus was staying at Grimmauld as well, but he tells me he goes away for long stretches of time, and when he IS back, he stays with Tonks."
Ginny's eyes lit up at the mention of the other happy couple. "I sense another wedding!" she said smiling.
Ron shook his head and merely added his usual thought on the subject. "Girls!"
Fred leant in and ruffled Ron's hair, "You don't know what you're missing little brother."
"Fine by me,' he said. Ron turned to Harry and smiled "We're all going back. If the school opens, Mum says she'll drive the Hogwarts Express herself if she has to."
Harry laughed at the thought of Ron's mother driving the train. "And if the school doesn't re-open?" he asked.
"Got it all figured out. Ginny and I will work in the shop with Fred and George."
"Not a chance prat-face," one of the twins quickly interjected. "The closest you'll get to our stuff is when we test it on you."
"Business is crap anyway," the other one said. "Most of the stores in Diagon Alley have or are in the process of closing."
The conversation died down before Harry realised there was still one other person to ask.
"Hermione?" he asked. Harry had only just noticed that she was biting her lower lip, a sure sign she was nervous.
"Mum and Dad aren't too thrilled at the thought of me going back. I've heard them arguing about pulling me out of Hogwarts for good." Hermione bowed her head and could no longer face anyone's eyes. Something she'd learnt from Harry.
"They can't do that!" Ron said.
"Ron," Harry said with sympathy, "They are her parents. You can't go and tell them what they can and cannot do. They are obviously worried about her safety. Think of how Hermione feels!"
"We're worrying about nothing," Ginny said. "Of course they'll let her go back."
"Hermione, as far as the wizarding world is concerned, you are of age. If your parents don't want you to go then it's tough luck, go anyway!" Ron had that smug smile that said he was one hundred percent confident he was right. He couldn't understand how anyone could not agree with him.
"RON!" Harry said. "Stop it! You don't know what you're talking about. In the Muggle world she ISN'T of age. Think about someone other than yourself for one second!"
"Harry, not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems to me YOU don't know what you're talking about. But that's okay, you can't help it, it's not your fault."
Harry could feel himself starting to get angry, but Ron was one of his best friends. Whatever Ron had meant by that last remark he was sure he didn't mean for it to come out as it had. "What isn't my fault?"
"The fact that you lived as a Muggle for so long. You didn't know you were a Wizard."
Hermione now looked up and stared at Ron, trying to understand his thought processes, or lack thereof. "What's that got to do with anything?" she asked.
"Same goes for you Hermione. I mean you're way smart and everything, but your parents are Muggles, both of them."
Harry jumped in defending Hermione, just as she seemed to be doing for him. "What are you talking about?"
"We've got a head-start on you, that's all. On both of you."
Harry looked to Hermione, he could now feel that he was getting very angry, and he could see by Hermione's expression that she was too. Hermione looked back at Ron and started at him as a hungry owl would at a field mouse.
"I mean," Ron continued looking at Harry, "you were, what, eleven before Hagrid told you that you were a Wizard?"
Harry nodded slightly; he wanted Ron to finish before he let him have it.
"Then we have got eleven years head-start on you. We all knew we were wizards or witches from the start. We knew our stuff back at the beginning."
"Stuff?" Harry asked.
"Magic stuff. You're still coming up to speed. How old were you Hermione before you knew?"
"I did some accidental magic when I was six. What do you mean `coming up to speed'?"
"You're magic! Both of you! If someone tells you to do something you don't like then you don't have to worry!"
"So," Harry said, as if to sound out Ron's reasoning, "you are telling Hermione that if her parents don't want her to return to Hogwarts, then she is to disobey them?"
"You can't get all high and mighty, Harry. You never exactly followed every rule your Aunt and Uncle gave you."
"You idiot, Ron, My Aunt and Uncle hated me. I lived under the stairs for crying out loud! You can't compare them to Hermione's parents. For a best mate you can be a real prat you know?"
"Just telling it as I see it... one of my most redeeming features."
Hermione glared at Ron and then stood up, indicating this conversation was OVER. "Have a good time tonight, Harry," she said, smiling sweetly at Harry, and then looked back to continue glaring at Ron. "And Ron?"
"Yes?" he asked.
"Have some Firewhisky, LOTS of it!" she turned and stormed out of the kitchen before he could say another word.
"I plans me to," Ron said smugly.
Ginny shook her head at Ron's gross insensitivity and went off after Hermione as Bill finally walked out. "Come on lads, we've a buck's party to get to."
"Finally!" Ron said, "What took so long?"
"I'll tell you later," Bill said and started whistling.
"Really?" Ron asked.
"No!" Bill, Fred and George all laughed. Harry followed the Weasley boys out of the Burrow, already going over the conversation he'd just had in his mind.
Ginny caught up with Hermione who had just found her mother.
"Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Weasley. I have to be getting home." Hermione tried to be pleasant to Ron and Ginny's mother even though she was furious at what Ron had just said.
"Thank you for your help, Hermione," Molly said and she walked out of the room carrying a large vase of roses.
"Hermione! I was hoping you could stay, with us girls," Ginny quickly said.
"Sorry, Ginny. I promised my parents I'd be home. Anyway I have to get ready for tomorrow. I didn't bring anything with me."
"Don't be upset with what Ron said. He hasn't got a brain."
"Do you agree with him?" Hermione asked.
"It's true we ARE a little different from Harry and you, due to way we've been raised. But different doesn't mean better."
Hermione smiled slightly, although she wasn't entirely satisfied at the answer Ginny gave her.
"See you tomorrow, Sis," Ginny said, hugging Hermione.
"Tomorrow. Bye." Another CRACK! replaced the spot Hermione where had been standing.
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