Chapter 4 – Hermione's Meeting
A week after Ginny and Harry's argument Ginny still wasn't talking to Harry. When he walked into a room she would discreetly leave soon after without even making eye contact with him. His stomach seemed to drop fifty feet every time she left, making the guilt he felt already, worse.
Hermione wrote during that week, asking Ron, Harry and Ginny to meet her in Diagon Alley at Fred and George's shop the following Wednesday. Her letter didn't specify why she wanted to see them but Harry felt that it was important. Her handwriting was slightly less neat than usual and her routine full sheet of parchment was now minimized to just a quarter of a page.
It took lots of begging and several compromises before the three were allowed to go to Diagon Alley to meet Hermione. Mrs. Weasley consented to letting them go but was determined on going to Diagon Alley with them. No amount of arguing from Ron could change her mind about this.
The following Wednesday morning Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Harry one by one stepped into the Weasley's fireplace, which was filled with emerald flames.
Flooing had never agreed with Harry so he was the last to step through the flames. Hundreds of fireplaces flashed by Harry as he flew through the green flames. Suddenly everything stopped spinning and he fell on to the Leaky Cauldron's wood floor. On his way down he felt himself fall into someone else. Ginny fell beside him, the force of his fall knocking her down.
Harry felt his face turn as red as Ginny's hair. He heaved himself back on his feet and offered his hand to help Ginny up. For a moment Harry thought she was going to take it. She looked up into his eyes and he saw a slight smile cross her lips. Then she raised herself back up.
Harry had been so preoccupied with Ginny he didn't realize that Ron was snickering behind him. When Mrs. Weasley turned her back Harry threw his fist into Ron's shoulder. Ron winced and fell slightly aback.
"Sorry, mate. But you do always seem to land on your stomach when you floo. Not my fault you have a stability problem." With a chuckle, Ron scuttled to the other side of his mother with a grin on his face.
Mrs. Weasley gave one last set of directions to the three before heading toward the shops. Ron and Harry waited until she was safely in a store before heading towards 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes'.
Diagon Alley had changed a lot since the last time Harry had been there. Although Ollivander's had closed the year before his shop had now completely disappeared. There was a hole between 'Madame Guarini's Potions' and the 'Owl Emporium'. There were many other shops that were now boarded and their owners gone. It was looking more and more drab as they walked toward Ron's brothers' shop.
Among all the drab and dull shops there was a burst of brilliant
colors. Each window on either side of the door was filled with
advertisements for the
Weasley brothers' most popular items. In
bright orange a sign above the door read 'Weasleys' Wizard
Wheezes, For all Your Pranking Needs'. Harry saw a head of curly
brown hair below this sign before Hermione turned and her face
brightened, but only slightly. "Good you're here."
"Well hello to you, too," Ron said glumly.
"I'm sorry. I'll explain everything inside. Come on." She opened the door and let them both in.
Fred was standing behind the store counter. "Well hello my dear brother and friends!" Fred said.
"How can we help you today?" George popped out from a door to the left of the counter.
"Actually," Hermione replied matter-of-factly, "We just needed a place to meet." Although the brothers looked slightly disgruntled they pointed to a table and the four sat down at it.
"Alright, what is this about?" Ron asked, impatiently.
