A/N: Read and Review...
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"RONALD WEASLEY!"
Fred and George Weasley broke into fits of laughter at seeing Ron's face go a bright shade of red.
"COME DOWN HERE THIS MINUTE!"
"Hurry up Ron, your mother wants to talk to you," called Hermione Granger who had just entered the twin's room with a puzzled expression.
"Blimey, Hermione, they framed me, honest," sighed Ron giving the hysterical twins a pointed glance.
"FOR MERLIN SAKES BOY, YOU GET DOWN HERE!"
Ron gulped. "Damn, I really wish I was seventeen now. I wouldn't mind putting you two in a body-bind curse for the rest of eternity!" he spat. Fred and George Weasley both let out exaggerated sighs. "Wonder that would be like?" said Fred nudging George.
--
"And if I ever hear about the gnomes swearing and throwing dung at the neighbors again mister, they'll be no new robes for you next year!" concluded an agitated looking Mrs. Weasley. Ron sighed.
"Mother, that's hardly a reasonable punishment. I suggest..,"
"Shut up Percy, no one wants your opinion," interjected Fred Weasley before taking a seat at the kitchen table.
Percy smacked down his teacup and marched out the back door into the garden.
"Sensitive, isn't he?" Ron sniggered.
--
Mrs. Weasley seemed to have gotten over her screaming mood and was currently cooking up a storm.
"When's Harry going to come?" asked Hermione who was reading and re-reading the textbook list. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were all waiting for Harry Potter to come so they could all head to Diagon Alley to get school supplies. They were doing extreme last-minute shopping since they would be on the Hogwarts Express the next morning.
"Any minute now," Mrs. Weasley replied.
As if on cue, the flames in the fireplace turned green and a familiar looking boy stepped into the kitchen. "Harry!" screamed a jovial Hermione who ran over to give him a hug. "Hi m'ione," said Harry in a muffled voice.
"Harry dear, Welcome to the burrow!" said a cheerful Mrs. Weasley and she kissed the top of his head. "Hi guys," said Harry looking at the boys sitting at the table. He ran a hand through his messy black hair. "Hello mate," the twins said together. "Want to know what Ron did this morning?" they asked. "Shut up," said Ron. "Hi, Harry." "I'll help you take your trunk upstairs."
"Right," said Harry grabbing Hedwig's cage.
They started heading up the ramshackle staircase.
"Come down and eat breakfast, Harry. And tell Ginny to hurry up down too. We better get going," called Mrs,Weasley.
Ron sighed. "Mind helping me out here," he said rather grumpily. "Bloody hell, Harry, your trunk is as heavy as Hermione's and I'm sure you don't got a billion extra textbooks in there." Harry laughed and helped him take the trunk up the rickety zigzagged stairs.
--
"More eggs, Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "Sure," said Harry cheerfully.
"Do the Dursleys even feed you," asked Hermione, you ate as much as Ron."
"Dudley's on a diet."
Ron burst out laughing. "Back to eating grapefruit slices, is he?"
--
"Let's get going, Gin!," Fred Weasley called enthusiastically. The twins had told Harry, Ron and Hermione about their plans to buy a joke shop in Wizarding London and were awfully excited on sealing the deal.
"Where is that girl," said an agitated Mrs. Weasley. "She didn't even come down to breakfast…go upstairs and get her Ronald." Percy walked in to the kitchen and after giving the twins an incredibly dirty look, started heading up the stairs.
"I'll fetch her, mother."
"Thank you, Perce.""Now, where is Arthur? He's going to take us in those fancy ministry cars…"
"Dad's here!" interjected Ron.
--
A man with a pale pointed face who had an awful resemblance to Lucius Malfoy opened the car door for Harry. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were to travel in one car while the twins, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were to go in the other.
--
Hermione was explaining to Ron how she and Ginny had spent much of the night talking and Ginny had just woken up before she came down for breakfast. Harry meanwhile, was thinking of his looming final battle against Voldemort which was fast approaching especially since this year was his last at Hogwarts. He had been thinking about Ginny and the exchange of letters they had during the summer when a knock on the tinted window of the car startled him.
"Harry!," cried a familiar voice. The door opened revealing a beaming Mr. Weasley. "How was your summer?"
"Great, thanks," Harry lied. He didn't want to tell him the torture and humiliation he had gone through the summer. It was already enough that he had to tell Ron and Hermione.
"Wonderful. I remember my seventh year with all the pressure of the N.E.W.T.s from the professors and meeting Molly…"
Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione looked up from her list of school supplies.
"Anyways, I'm going to get Ginny. She's slowing everyone down," he said. He slammed the door shut and the driver grimaced.
"Harry, I was meaning to ask you… uh…are you and…Ginny..."
"C'mon Ron," said Hermione impatiently. "We already went over this."
Ron said nothing, "Yeah, sorry mate," Harry said a minute later.
An awkward silence enfolded upon the threesome for the next few minutes while they waited for the tardy Ginny. Hermione suddenly broke the tranquility with a scream.
"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, Harry!" screamed Hermione gleefully. "I'm Head Girl!"
"Congratulations," said Harry.
"Yeah, big surprise there," Ron added who had seen Hermione open the letter from Dumbledore sometime last week.
"I was going to write to you and tell you, but I wanted to surprise you," Hermione continued ignoring Ron. "I wonder who the Head Boy's going to be, probably a Hufflepuff. Percy told me that the Heads have to share a dorm and they have their own common room. Isn't that great, Harry? We can hold study parties without annoying first and second-years around."
"Sounds great," said Harry overwhelmed with all her excitement.
"Yeah, study parties would be awesome," said Ron sarcastically. "I reckon you could've become Head Boy Harry if you had been prefect last year," said Ron.
"Yeah," said Harry absent-mindedly. He was growing impatient stuck in the car that smelled kind of weird with a driver that looked like a death-eater. Ron seemed like he read his mind.
"Doesn't he look like Malfoy's dad?" he whispered. Harry laughed while Hermione jabbed Ron in the elbow with a quill.
"OW, that really hurt. Why do you have a quill on you, anyways?" asked Ron incredulously. "Don't tell me that you have a head-start on this year's homework."
"Of course not, I can't see the future, remember?" said Hermione. Harry vaguely recalled fourth year when Hermione had taken divination and laughed.
"I'm on a tight schedule here. Please tell them to hurry up," the driver said looking at Ron and pointing to the burrow. "Alright," said Ron grumpily making Hermione get up so he could exit the car. "I'll come with you," said Hermione. Harry, not wanting to be alone with the driver, tagged along as well.
--
A pale Percy descended the stairs and simply stared at his mother. "Where is she?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"I don't know, mother. I looked everywhere. It's not like her to just disappear like this…"
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Weasley. "Go look outside. She's probably in the car already."
Percy nodded and went quickly towards the the front door running into Mr. Weasley who was coming in.
"Is Ginny outside?" he asked.
"No," Mr. Weasley replied. "The twins are annoying the driver. Go stop them," he ordered Percy who unwillingly consented.
Mrs. Weasley hurried to meet him.
"Is Ginny already out," she asked anxiously.
"No, Molly. Let's go look upstairs," he said.
--
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley searched the entire house and garden in vain. Harry, Ron and Hermione joined them soon afterwards. Mr. Weasley paid no attention to the driver's increasing impatience when Ron told him about it and he ordered the trio to help them search for her.
Hermione seemed to be the last person to have seen her all morning. Percy, and the twins soon joined the search party. Ginny's name could be heard being shouted throughout the house and everyone was becoming increasingly worried. Hermione had suggested if perhaps Ginny had left a note but no one found anything in her room.
--
Fifteen minutes later, a blood-curdling scream was heard and everyone ran to the kitchen to see a pale Mrs. Weasley pointing at the family clock. Harry gasped when he saw the unusual clock. Instead of telling the time, the clock showed the whereabouts of every Weasley. Harry could see every Weasley hand on the clock except Ginny's.
It was missing.