Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I do not own anything 'Harry Potter,' nor the lyric bits, and I don't make any money from writing about it.

A/N: *Sigh* Another installment of The Demon's Soul. It took a while to get this done, I sent portions out to someone who seemed anxious to beta for me… I never heard back from him. This is un-beta'ed, so any errors are mine alone. I'm not entirely happy with the way this turned out, but I've spent too much time on it already. This chapter deals with the fallout of Snape's visit to Harry, and what happened with Ron when he left Luna.

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Chapter 13: Don't Ever Forget

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Forgetful or pretending.
Tired, ill, or angry, or cold.
More assured of what to do,
but I do care for you.

Reach and you won't lose me.
Destroy the objective, but still survive.
You are angry, and that's okay... yes.
I am not afraid of your anger.
What do you need? What do you want?
I love you and I know that you can figure it out

Vengeance won't wound me.
Destroy the objective, but still survive.
You are angry and that's okay... yes.
I am not afraid of your anger.
What do you need? What do you want?
I love you and I know that you can figure it out.

Excerpt from the song 'Pur' by the band, The Cocteau Twins.

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Harry listened as the heavy footsteps of his ex-professor as they lumbered down the stairs and faded into the distance. He was still trying to subdue the queasy feeling in his stomach when he heard movement from the chair next to his. He looked over to Hermione, who he could see was now awake and facing him with a noticeable wetness in her eyes.

"I was right," she whispered, "I was right all along."

The scowl on Harry's face deepened.

"See? I was right! You should have listened to me!" Hermione said, her voice getting increasingly louder and shriller. "You never listen to me!"

"He killed Dumbledore," Harry hissed icily. Harry was still furious, and in a mild state shock over hearing that Snape fancied his mother and that he might have a bit of Tom Riddle's soul stuck inside of him.

"But he didn't have a choice! You heard him, he said that…"

"He's still a murderer!" Harry yelled while struggling against his bonds, "and I was right about Malfoy! I knew he was up to something, but you wouldn't lift a finger to help me! You were too busy whining about my 'obsession' with Malfoy and harping on me about that bloody book! If I could have stopped him from letting those Death Eaters in…"

"Dumbledore would still be dead," screeched Hermione, as she stood from the chair, "and Snape and Malfoy would be dead, too! Snape was trying to help!"

"The only person Snape was trying to help was himself! He really 'helped' by making our lives miserable in Potions class… He really 'helped' by murdering Dumbledore, didn't he? You're actually sticking up for that murderer… that… Merlin, he was lusting after my mum!"

"You didn't listen!" Hermione yelled, "Dumbledore would still be dead from the potion, anyway. If Snape didn't do what he was told and instead protected Dumbledore, the Death Eaters there would have killed all three of them, and then who would you be blaming for what happened?"

At those words, Harry went silent as the realization hit him, 'It would have been my fault… I forced the potion down his throat.'

Hermione could read it in the shadow that instantly darkened his eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking. He was blaming himself again for Dumbledore's death, which only seemed to fuel the exasperation she was feeling.

"Oh, no you don't! That's not what I was saying! You are not responsible for his death, so don't give me that 'persecuted martyr' act! Merlin, you never listen to me!"

"Why should I? You never listened to me when I was trying to warn everyone about Malfoy. You were too busy plotting with Ginny to get her together with me while obsessing over Ron's spit swapping sessions with Lavender!"

"I what?" bellowed Hermione with an incredulous look on her face, "I did no such thing!"

"Hah! You were going mental over him, confounding McLaggen at the Quidditch try-outs, tossing around canaries when…"

"Not about that," interrupted Hermione crossly, "where did you ever get the idea that I was plotting to get you together with Ginny, of all people?"

"She told me, of course! She said that you were giving her loads of advice on how to 'get' me."

"Don't be ridiculous!" she snapped, "Why on earth would I give anyone advice on getting the man I… getting you?"

"You're telling me that you never told her to 'just be herself,' or to 'just relax around me,' or 'don't treat me like some superhero?' You never told her my favorite dessert was treacle tart, you never told her to…"

"I never told her any of that rubbish! I never talked to her about you at all, other than the fact that I told her to move on, to date someone else because you obviously weren't interested in her, but I guess it turned out that you did fancy her after all."

"What does it matter to you, anyway? At least she liked me for me…"

"Liked you for you?" laughed Hermione incredulously, "Is that what you think? All she went on about is how you were such a hero! How you were, not just everyone's savior, but her personal 'knight in shining armour.' If you want to talk about obsessions, that girl has one over you a mile wide! The first time I stayed at the Burrow, I got so sick of her constantly prattling along about you, about how the 'Great Harry Potter' would could never love a poor, penniless waif like her, that I told her I didn't want to hear any more of it.

"Is that all you can do is pick on Ginny?"

"I wouldn't have a problem with her if it were only her 'hero worship' over you… Personally, I was more disturbed by how she was always spying on you while you were at the Burrow. She'd try to stay hidden, of course, while following you wherever you went. She made the mistake of telling me how she made a hole in her bedroom wall through to the bathroom so she could watch you while you bathed. She actually thought I'd get as excited about it as she did! I really gave it to her, I'll tell you! She was always careful around me after that…"

"Excuse me?" growled Harry hotly, "She used to watch me in the shower?"

What? Do you think that's beyond 'little miss unhealthy fixation?' Did you know she has an old pair of your dirty underwear hidden under her mattress at the Burrow? Honestly, the sounds she made while wearing them when she thought I was asleep! And she absolutely worships the way you fly, it's as if…"

"Merlin, it almost sounds like you were jealous! At least she was there when I needed someone most!"

A scowl appeared on Hermione's face. She gave him one last glare, and then let out an exasperated growl before storming from the room, leaving Harry struggling against the ropes that bound him to the chair.

"That's right, just walk out on me again! Who needs you, anyway?" he spat after her.

Hermione stopped in the hallway and, from what he could see from her shadow on the wall, visibly stiffened for only a moment before continuing to march down the hallway towards the staircase.

He regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. He let out an aggravated grunt as he futilely struggled against the magical ropes that fastened him to the chair before he settled back in resignation and sighed. He wished he could free his hands to rub the tension from his eyes.

"I was right all along…" muttered Harry venomously, mocking Hermione's voice, "She always thinks she's right."

'That's because she usually is right,' commented the annoying voice in his head. He hated to admit it, but the voice was right. As he willed himself to calm down, he wondered why he was yelling at her in the first place. It's not as if she were the greasy slimeball that wanted to have a go at his mum. How could it be that he gets so angry with her when they're face to face, but when she's not in his presence he feels as if he's constantly missing her?

Already, he was missing her, even after only a few moments. He was suddenly gripped with an unreasonable panic. He chased her away again, just as he did at King's Cross Station. He mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'bloody prat.'

"Hermione…" he urgently whispered. He began struggling at his bonds again before he called out loudly, "Hermione!"

Harry hung is head, not believing he chased away the one person he needed most in the world, and not just because of the book that Kotone had given him. Without 'proper' funding, he'd need her resourcefulness and intellect more than ever to even hope to see the end of the war alive. Especially since there's a chance of his scar actually being some quasi-horcrux, he'd be insane to push her away, even to 'keep her safe.'

Harry suddenly felt the bonds that were holding him to the chair loosen. His head jerked up as Hermione's small voice came from the doorway, "Harry?" She stood there fiddling with both of their wands in her hands. "Do you?" she asked in barely a whisper.

Harry gave her a puzzled look, and then asked, "What?"

"Do you still need me?" Her voice sounded weak and frightened.

He felt wretched when he saw the wetness on her cheeks from the tears she had been shedding. He didn't even have to think about the answer to her question.

"Of course I still need you," Harry truthfully said, "more than I can even tell you."

Hermione let out a choked sob through the pained smile as she rushed into the room. Much to Harry's surprise, she planted herself on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed onto the top of his head as she hugged him tightly. He tried to reach around her to hug her back, but his arms were still tangled the loosened ropes, which now wouldn't move because of her weight on him.

"Why are we arguing all the time?" she asked with in a squeaky voice, "Why are we always fighting? I never want to argue with you, but it's like I can't control myself!"

Harry found it impossible to come up with an intelligent answer, mainly because his chin was nestled in the cleavage of the breasts that he had ogled not even an hour earlier. All other coherent thought was driven from his brain. He never before realized exactly how much Hermione had grown over the last year. He used to be much taller than she was, but from the view he got earlier in the bathroom, her legs had become long and lean, and from where she was sitting now, he could also tell that her torso had lengthened proportionately. His befuddled brain conjured up images of her lying next to him, judging where certain body parts would be if he were kissing her straight on. He wondered if he wouldn't have to crane his neck if he were laying on top of her while…

Almost instantly, the evidence of where Harry's attention was focused became abundantly clear to Hermione. She squeaked when she realized that she had pulled his face into her throat and jumped from his lap while blushing furiously. She hastily began helping Harry remove the loosened ropes as she stammered, "Oh, God, I'm sorry! I… I didn't realize… I…"

Her eyes narrowed at him when she saw the vacant expression in his eyes and the stupid, lop-sided grin that was plastered on his lips, but then she couldn't help but to start laughing.

With the removal of the fleshy orbs from his chin, Harry's higher brain functions slowly returned to him and it was his turn to blush. His shy smile only lasted a moment before a concerned frown appeared in its place.

Upon noticing, Hermione abruptly stopped laughing and she asked, "What is it?"

"It makes sense, you know? The connection to him, the Parseltongue, all the weird similarities… it all fits. What does this mean? Am I going to have to die to get rid of that bastard for good?

She knelt down in front of him, placed a hand softly on his knee, and calmly said, "Truthfully, I don't know, but you know I'll do everything I can to prevent that, don't you?"

Harry gave her a grim smile and nodded, "You just about exhausted the Hogwarts library, how much is there left to search through at Grimmauld Place?"

"Well, I read all the titles and there are loads of books that the Death Eaters would love to get their hands on, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of horcruxes. We can go back there and look, if you like."

"Lupin thinks that the Fidelis on Grimmauld Place fell when Dumbledore died, with him being the secret keeper, but if Snape was telling the truth, maybe he didn't inform the Death Eaters about where it is. Do you think you can create a Fidelis?"

"I don't know… I mean I've read up on the charm, but it takes quite a bit of time, and some really powerful magic. Of course, I'd be willing to try if it means our safety, but I can't make any guarantees."

Harry smiled at her and said, "I have full confidence in your abilities. I'm talking to the girl who mastered the Protean Charm in her fifth year."

Hermione blushed and waved a dismissive hand at the compliment, but he could tell that she was beaming inside. She handed him his wand and said, "Well, fancy a spot of dinner? I haven't eaten since breakfast, and I'm famished."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have much here. I only bought some bread and some lunch meat before I arrived to last a few days."

"You were planning on staying here? But there's no furniture here. There isn't even a bed, and you can't use magic to transfigure something for another week."

"There's the mat in my old bedroom. That's where I took a nap today."

"Harry, I found you hiding under the stairs, you weren't in your bedroom."

Harry's eyes dropped to the floor and he said quietly, "That was my bedroom until just before my eleventh birthday."

Hermione nodded, "Well, we can always…" Her face fell into an angry frown, "What did you say?"

"It's no big deal," said Harry with a shrug," actually, for some strange reason, I felt I got the best sleep of my life today. I had an odd dream that I was hugging a big, brown teddy bear, even though I never owned one in my life… maybe it was a memory from when I was still with my parents."

Hermione was livid. How could anyone with a shred of human decency force a young child to sleep in a cupboard? If she wasn't so angry at the Dursleys, she probably couldn't have contained the giggle that likely would have escaped her from the memory of waking up with his arms wrapped around her, his face buried in her hair with one hand resting on her belly, and the other softly cupping one of her breasts. It took a while to extricate herself from his embrace, partly because she didn't wish to wake him, and partly because she really didn't want to leave in the first place, but she needed a shower desperately… a very long, very cold shower.

"Well, it's nearly eight," said Hermione as she glanced briefly at her watch, "are there any restaurants around here that are still open at this time of night?"

Harry shifted on his feet. Her question brought his financial situation to the front of his mind.

Hermione immediately noticed his discomfort and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just don't have a lot of money on me right now, so I…"

"Don't worry about, I'll cover us. My dad gave me a bit of money and his credit card, and I just topped the car with petrol, so no excuses!"

Harry smiled as he followed her down the stairs, asking, "So you drove here? How did you even know I was here?"

Being reminded of Tonks' tracking spell, Hermione stopped mid-step, realizing that Harry knew nothing of the raid at the hospital.

"Oh, my, I just realized that you didn't know! There was an attack on St. Mungo's this morning! It was horrible!"

"What? What happened?"

"Right after you left, Death Eaters stormed in, they were probably looking for you. Tonks was in your room under her invisibility cloak and followed you until you left. She was right outside of the building when the Death Eaters arrived, and when they blasted open the front of the building, she ended up buried by the falling debris."

"Wait… Tonks was in my room?" Harry let out a pained groan, "I… I was naked right in front of her?"

Now Hermione understood why Tonks mentioned Harry's 'sexy' bum.

"Just before you left your room, she put a tracking charm on one of your shoes. That's how I found you here," explained Hermione, before adding with a scowl, "under the stairs."

Harry dropped his gaze to the floor in embarrassment. This was one of the reasons why he had never told his friends much about his 'home' life. He hated the thought of them pitying him, although he was strangely grateful for her animosity on his behalf towards the Dursleys.

"It was bad," said Hermione quietly, "at the hospital… So many people are dead. They even attacked the children's ward there, most of the kids didn't make it, but Moody said that Kotone's alive. Somehow, she even captured one of the Death Eaters."

'Kotone…' Harry went to the cupboard, opened the door and pulled out his broom, cloak and the book that the little girl had given him. He handed the book to Hermione, saying, "She gave this to me for you. I haven't even had a chance to open it. She mentioned something about 'Soul Magic.'"

Hermione took the book and opened it. She flipped through different sections, seemingly looking for something.

"Well? What is it about?" asked Harry curiously.

"How am I supposed to know? What made you think I can read Japanese kanji?" she snapped impetuously, then, upon seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, her eyes immediately widened and she put a hand over her mouth, "I'm… I'm sorry… I have no idea where that came from!"

Harry sighed, took the book out of Hermione's hand and said, "It's alright, we've had a bad day, to be sure. Let's go get something to eat."

When they stepped out from Number Four, Harry looked around, "You said you drove here? Where's…?"

Hermione still had a troubled look on her face from her outburst. She casually flicked her wand at the driveway and said, "Oh, I disillusioned it… 'Finite.'"

A moment later, her father's Mercedes-Benz SL600 Roadster Convertible appeared, just where she had left it. Now, Harry didn't know much about automobiles, but he knew a very expensive car when he saw one. His mouth hung open until he heard Hermione say, "Since you know where we're going, would you like to drive? You have a license, or a permit, don't you?"

Harry let out a bitter laugh while still staring at the car, "You're joking? The only time I ever touched Vernon's car was when I was washing and waxing it. Hell, I've only been in the thing during the trips to King's Cross and the times when he couldn't leave me with Mrs. Figg. In other words, you're driving… I wouldn't even know how to start the thing."

"Well, we'll take care of that tomorrow. There are definite advantages in knowing about muggle transportation. It would have taken me ages to find you by apparation, I've never been here before."

After stowing his things and her overnight bag in the boot, Harry sat in the passenger seat while Hermione unlocked the roof and hit the switch to retract it. When she started the engine, he was surprised at the deep, guttural sound that came from the exhaust.

"This car is amazing!" he commented, "I've never been in a car like this."

As she wrapped her mane of hair into a shaggy ponytail, she recited, "It's got a 6.0Litre, 12 Cylinder, 389 hp Engine, multi-point fuel injection system, 5 speed automatic, with overdrive, of course, 4 wheel disk brakes, and can go over 260 KPH, but I'd never drive that fast..." She noticed the dumbfounded look on Harry's face as she narrated the car's specifications. "What? I was there when daddy bought it. I read the brochures in the dealership while I was waiting for him!"

Harry smiled and shook his head as they backed out of the driveway. It still amazed him that she could recall everything she had ever read. They just pulled out onto the street when a trio of girls who were passing by saw him and stood staring at the fabulous car and the pretty girl who was driving. He whispered to Hermione, "Those girls always give me a hard time, they're friendly with my cousin Dudley and his gang of punks."

Hermione glanced at the girls, who were surprisingly attractive, considering that they hung around with the obese Dudley and his motley crew. She watched them staring at Harry with awe-struck faces. Hermione smiled, then childishly bunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at them before leaning into the accelerator and leaving a patch of smoking rubber along Privet Drive.

Harry had a death-grip on the door handle as Hermione sped down the street. When they got to the corner, Hermione gave him a little smirk and said, "Oh, relax, I don't always drive like that! I was just giving those snotty girls a little show, that's all."

Harry did relax after a few minutes, and found that he very much enjoyed motoring around Little Whinging with the top down and the stereo blaring Hermione's 'The Smiths' CD. He was amazed at how people's heads would crane at them as they passed, surprised at seeing such a fancy car in this decidedly middle-class town. The restaurant that Harry had in mind was just closing, so they ended up in a small but pleasant looking tavern on the far side of the village. They seated themselves in a corner, far away from prying ears. After both ordering the beer-batter fish and chips and getting their drinks, Harry brought up the subject of the book again.

"So, is there an easy way to translate Kotone's book?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Well, I could try the standard 'Reddum,' but there's a problem. The spell works perfectly for Germanic languages like German, French, Spanish and English, and even works relatively well with the Cyrillic-based languages, like Russian, Czech, Romanian and the like. The problem is with languages that are based on either characters, like Chinese, Japanese, and most of the other Far Eastern languages, or with languages based on emotions like Arabic, Yiddish, et cetera. The spell will translate the characters, but since each character can have dozens of unrelated English counterparts, depending on the context. It would come out being rather difficult, if not impossible to understand."

"Wouldn't the spell know what the context was supposed to be?"

"Not really, say that what was written was supposed to tell you something simple like, 'Harry went to the corner store to buy a loaf of bread.' What could come from the translation may be something totally unintelligible, like 'Buying the pan of one loaf, Harry went to the angle store.' It depends on the caster's understanding of the source language. If I knew anything about kanji, or any Asian language for that matter, there wouldn't be a problem with the translation."

"Well, who do we know that can do the spell and knows Asiatic languages?"

A darkness briefly passed over Hermione's eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by Harry, before she answered in a snit, "Well, you know someone who does. Why don't you just…" Hermione stopped herself and a look of shock came over her, "My God, I'm so sorry, I'm doing it again! I swear, one minute I want to snog you senseless, the next I feel like I could slap you! I… I don't know what's happened to me, but it feels like I've been fighting this for ages."

"Hermione!" gasped Harry, "What do you mean, 'snog me senseless?'"

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, please! Don't act as if you didn't know. I've liked you since we first met, and those feelings have only grown over the years, but I know you don't like me like that, and I'm okay with it, really. That's why this… this irrational 'hostility' towards you is so disturbing to me. I mean, it's normal for Ron and me, but we've never acted that way to each other. It's just confusing to me."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Hermione laughed at the question, and then said, "I've explained this to you before, remember? Girls don't just come out and say things like that. It's not proper, and no girl wants to feel as if she's acting desperate, but I have been dropping anvil-sized hints. I thought you would have at least picked up on the 'You've never been more fanciable' comment."

Harry stared vacuously at her, saying, "Why are you telling me this now?"

Hermione sighed tiredly while looking deeply into his eyes. After a few moments of thought, she said, "You're going to die..."

Harry still had the blank look on his face, "What?"

"Harry, you're going to die. I'm going to die. Ron, your aunt, uncle and cousin, Professor Lupin… everyone. Everyone dies, but it doesn't matter how or when you die, what matters is how you live. Over this past month, while you were missing and in the time you were at St. Mungo's, I've had a lot of time to think. I thought about what has been going on in my life, about our friendships, about what I need and what I want for myself in the future, and now with the possibility that you have a bit of Voldemort in you… If you live to be one hundred and fifty, or if you die tomorrow, I just want you to know that there's somebody in this world who loves you." Hermione reached over and took one of Harry's hands in hers before continuing, "No matter what happens, I want you to know that, and know that I'll never abandon you again. I promise."

Harry swallowed hard, "You love me?"

Hermione smiled and patted his hand before releasing it and softly saying, "Of course I do. I've been in love with you for years."

Hermione saw a single tear rolled down Harry's cheek. She had a concerned look in her eyes when she asked, "What's the matter? What's wrong? I didn't tell you this to make you uncomfortable."

He took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions under control. He picked up a fork from the table and began fiddling with it as he whispered, "Nobody has ever told me that. You're the first person that I can remember that has told me they love me."

"Oh, come on! I'm sure your aunt told you, at least when you were younger, and I'm sure Ginny has told you loads of times."

Harry's gaze dropped to his lap and he just shook his head while wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she growled dangerously, "Your aunt, your mother's own sister… the woman who has raised you since you were a baby… never told you that she loved you? What about Ginny? Not even once?"

Again, he just shook his head and said, "Never. The most endearing thing my aunt ever said to me was to call me 'freak' with slightly less venom than usual, and Ginny… I don't know, she just never said it, but I assumed..."

The server arrived at that moment with their food. They quickly ate in near silence, only broken by Hermione muttering angrily under her breath. As soon as the meal was over and the check came, Hermione threw a twenty-Pound note on the table, which was more than enough to cover their meals and tip, and roughly pulled Harry from his seat and practically dragged him to the exit, seething the entire way. She unlocked the car, climbed into the driver's seat and waited for Harry to get in. As soon as he closed the door, Hermione threw her arms around him, pulling him into a fierce hug and began crying.

"I can't believe those awful, wretched people! Imagine treating a child that way! I knew you were never treated very kindly there, but I had no idea how bad it was for you. How could Dumbledore leave you with them? Did he even know how horribly you were being treated?"

"It wasn't that bad, after all, I didn't know any better at the time. The only time it really bothered me was around the holidays, and my birthday. For the longest time, I didn't even know that I was supposed to get presents."

"What about the cupboard! How could they lock a child in a stinking cupboard… and I didn't fail to notice all those locks and the cat-flap in that oversized closet they called a bedroom! That's just… unacceptable!"

Hermione relaxed her grip around his neck to pull back enough to look into his eyes and spoke to him between her sniffling, "Well, maybe I should have told you sooner. Being never told that you're loved is no way to go through life, I should know. That is changing for you today. I love you, Harry. No matter what else I say or do, and no matter what happens, don't ever forget that."

Harry sat there, mesmerized by the depths of her dark eyes. Even in the dim light, he could see the tiny flecks of gold mixed in with the chocolate. He found himself wondering where the tiny freckles that used to line the bridge of her nose went. He could feel her breath on his face as she spoke… He glanced at her cherry-red lips… they were so close… just a few inches away… just a little lean forward and…

Hermione released his neck and sat back. She started the engine, shifted into drive, and before she pulled out of the parking space, she gave him a teary smile and said, "Just don't ever forget."

She pulled out onto the empty street and headed for the main road heading east. Harry gave her a puzzled look. "Ummm, Privet Drive is that way," he said while pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

She gave him a smirk and said, in her trademark, bossy voice, "If you think you're going to spend the night in an empty house that doesn't even have a proper bed, you have another think coming. We're going to my house in St. Osyth. It's only a few hours away, we have plenty of spare rooms and my parents won't mind at all… and I won't take 'no' for an answer, so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Get some rest if you like, we have a long day coming up tomorrow."

-----~-----

Ron appeared in a clearing in the woods behind the Burrow. He sat heavily on a fallen tree and rested his head in his hands. Necromancy... How desperate is Ginny that she has to resort to dark magic? Hell, Necromancy is black magic. Re-animation of corpses, the Crucatus and the Avada Kedavra curses, Hermione even mentioned that the creation of the horcruxes was probably Necromantic in nature. Nothing even remotely moral comes from the use of that school of magic.

He wondered if Ginny even knew that it's dark. He pulled the copied page from his pocket and studied it, but couldn't really interpret what made it so dark. He assumed that the 'subject' the page referred to was Harry. It appears to drive Harry away from someone, and towards Ginny.

At first glance, it just seemed like a bit of love potion, but then he realized that love potions should only affect two people, not three, and it has the effect of creating negative feelings in the 'Object.' It was obvious to him who the Object was… Cho Chang. After all, who else was Harry romantically involved with? The way Harry and she broke up was pretty messy. Then he considered that Cho had left Hogwarts, she just graduated. Why was Ginny still using this 'perfume?' Would it work while it's only affecting one party?

Although he was still reluctant to accuse Ginny outright, he couldn't help but to feel the elixir was responsible for Harry's condition and he needed to know more about it. He couldn't really deny it any longer. Luna was hardly any help at all… he reluctantly admitted to himself that he needed Hermione's expertise.

He stood from the log and walked from the clearing out of the woods, across the makeshift Quidditch field and into his house. Once in his room he hastily scribbled out a short note.

Dear Hermione,

I don't want to say much in a letter, but I've got something very important I need to talk with you about. I can't discuss it here at the Burrow, so meet me at the Leaky Cauldron. Send Pig back with the time you can make it there, and PLEASE come alone.

Love,

Ron

As he was writing, his tiny owl began to madly dart about the room like a feathered snitch, excited at the prospect of making a delivery. Once he finished the letter, he tied it onto Pigwidgeon's leg and told him, "Take this to Hermione, and wait for a reply… and be quick about it. With an underhand toss, he sent the hyperactive bird out through the window and off on his mission. Now all he had to do was wait for the reply.

As he watched the little owl disappear into the distance, he heard a muffled gasp from the doorway. He quickly turned to see Ginny standing there, looking very flushed and breathing rather hard, but she seemed to be desperately trying to hide these effects.

"Th- that letter… is it to H- Harry?" she asked in a very strained and breathy voice.

Ron felt a surge of anger towards his baby sister as he watched her panting in his doorway. With a poorly concealed scowl he answered, "No, if you must know, it's to Hermione, asking if she'd meet me somewhere. I have things to discuss with her."

Ron was surprised that, at the mention of Hermione's name, Ginnys lips dropped into an angry scowl and she said, "Good! When the hell are you going to shag her already? You know you want her. The longer she's single, the more… less chance you have of getting her, you daft git!" Saying that, she turned on her heel, stormed down the stairs to her room and loudly slammed her door, leaving a perplexed Ron standing in his room and scratching his head.

'If it were that easy, wouldn't she think I'd have done it already?' he thought to himself as he walked down to the kitchen to see what his mum had prepared for lunch.

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