Chapter 3

Harry turned to Tonks, who was looking at him and smiling, but as Harry scanned her face he noticed a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Hullo Tonks," Harry said.

"Hi Harry, sorry about the episode on the bus, but that guy didn't seem to have any brains. Yelling your name on the bus like that, honestly!"

Harry just laughed, "I reckoned you'd been taking lessons from Moody."

"Yes, well that too," Tonks replied with a giggle, "Mind you, near the end of last year everyone was beginning to act a bit like Mad Eye, everyone except Sirius...oh..."

Tonks went quiet and looked at Harry, but he couldn't look back at her. A wave of sadness had just hit his heart as though it was being stabbed. Without a second glance at Tonks or Kingsley he took off up the driveway and into the Burrow.

Harry opened the door as quietly as possible and went up the stairs to Ron's room. Luckily Ron wasn't there; Harry supposed he was downstairs in the kitchen with the rest of the Weaslys awaiting his arrival. Below him he heard the door slam shut and Tonks yell something. Harry stuck his head out the door and listened.

"I'm so sorry Molly, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to mention Sirius, his name just slipped out."

"Well what's done is done; do you know where he went? Where he is, is the most important thing."

"Don't' worry Molly, I saw him come into the house."

"Well let's give him time, when he's ready he'll come say hello. Right now we can give him nothing but time and space."
With that Mrs.Weasly and Tonks headed into the kitchen. Harry crawled back into Ron's room. He didn't know what to think, he felt like he should cry, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Harry didn't know how long he stayed in Ron's room, but after a while he knew he couldn't hide anymore.

When he entered the kitchen 7 of the Weaslys, Tonks, Kingsley, Professor Lupin, and Mad Eye Moody were all sitting around the table. Ron and Mrs.Weasly walked over to him.

"Good to see ya mate!" Ron said clapping Harry on the back.

"Hello Harry dear," said Mrs.Weasly, "You must be starving."

Harry nodded, took a seat at the table, and surveyed everyone sitting there. Mr.Weasly, Tonks, and Kingsley all looked tired - Harry assumed that things at the Ministry of Magic were chaotic with the return of Voldemort – but still cheerful. Bill and Ginny Weasly, Moody and Lupin looked exactly as he remembered, although Lupin also looked extremely tired – Harry guessed that it was close to a full moon -. Fred and George looked happy, and judging by how well they were dressed Harry supposed their joke shop was doing well. He genuinely felt happy to be back. How had he survived all alone for 4 weeks with the Dursleys?

"Hermione's coming tomorrow, she says she can't wait to see you...Harry?

"Er...sorry Ron, that's great, I can't wait to see her either," Harry stammered, he hadn't realized he had been daydreaming.

Harry finished his dinner while he listened to everyone talk amongst themselves. Once he was done he rose and announced that he was going up to bed. Ron and Ginny rose as well and followed him.

"What time's Hermione getting here tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"About 1:00pm, she says she's really excited to come back here and to see you Harry," Ginny replied.
With this final statement Ron looked down towards the ground and his ears turned red, a sign he was clearly embarrassed about something. What it was though, Harry never got a chance to find out as Ron was called back downstairs by George.

"Be back in a minute," Ron said.

Harry nodded in reply and watched Ron go down the stairs.

"What was wrong with Ron? The minute you said Hermione was excited to see me he went all quiet."

"Oh Harry can't you guess? He likes Hermione!"

"Are you sure?"

"Well no, do you honestly think he'd tell me who he likes?"

"Well no, but still, why did he go all quiet? How does he know Hermione doesn't like him?"

"Honestly Harry! How thick can you be? He went all quiet because Hermione likes you! She has since the end of your fourth year, it's just a little obvious."

Harry went all quiet. He knew there was no point in arguing the statement. Ginny's tone had been rather matter of factly and he could have argued with it even if he had wanted to. He was about to ask Ginny if she was totally sure, maybe she was guessing just like she had with Ron. His chance was taken away when ron emerged at the top of the stairs again.

"Sorry, George was being a prat, trying to get me to test something for the joke shop."

Afraid that Ron would realize they had just been talking about him Harry quickly suggested that they get into bed. Ron nodded and they walked into Ron's room.

"How awful was the start of your summer this year?" Ron asked. "Not as bad as last year. As each year goes by I think the Dursleys try and take less and less notice of me."

Not too bad then, well you're here now and this is where the fun starts."

"What about your summer, what have you heard about Voldemort?" Harry asked as Ron flinched at the sound of the name.

"Nothing, Mum won't tell us anything, and she won't let Dad tell us either. I swear she still thinks we're little kids," Ron said. "We know stuff has started though. Dad's been working a bunch of overtime shifts and has barely been talking."

"Well I guess we'll find out when we get to Hogwarts then," Harry commented.

"I s'pose you're right, mate."

They stopped talking for a while and settled into their beds. Harry was almost asleep when a sudden thought pooped into his head.

"Ron...do you like Hermione?"

Ron was silent for a moment before replying. "I s'pose, do you?"

Harry shrugged, "Dunno, never really though of her like that."

With that they both went to sleep.