Hello again! Well, here is another chapter… it's a little short, but it just seemed like the best place to end it, so I did! Please review, it really makes a difference if you have tons of people nagging at you to write! And it's my 18th on Saturday (hee hee!) so be nice to me will you :) Well, on with the chapter!
Chapter Four
They arrived at Harry's house just after twelve o'clock, and after a minute debating who should go in to get Harry, they all bundled out of the car and made their way to the front door.
Mr Weasley knocked on the door and they all waited in anticipation as they heard footsteps coming towards the door. It was opened by a horse-faced woman in a very flowery dress who scowled at the sight of them.
"Oh, it's you is it? Come to pick him up, eh? Well you are welcome to him. HARRY! Get down here, these people have come for you!" She then turned and went back into the house, slamming the door in their faces.
Startled by her rudeness, Hermione stood there with her mouth open. She had seen the Dursleys before but had never witnessed first hand the way they treated Harry (and apparently anyone who was friends with Harry!). She must have been gaping like that for quite a while because she was broken out of her reverie by Ron's hand pushing her lower jaw upwards to shut her mouth. Oh my god, I was just standing there with my mouth open, I must have looked so ridiculous, and Ron was watching me! Arrgh, and he just had to touch me didn't he? She looked over at him, embarrassed and he shrugged at her as if to say 'What can you do but feel sorry for the guy!' Well, at least he's not laughing at me! She shrugged back and turned to the door, which had just been re-opened to reveal a very excited looking Harry.
"Oh thank god you're here, I was about to loose it in there! Mr Weasley, thank you so much for having me to stay, I really really appreciate it!"
"Harry, I can't stand the thought of you living with these people, believe me, it is a pleasure to be able to take you away!" replied Mr Weasley with a smile.
Hermione could contain herself no longer, she flew to Harry giving him a huge hug and exclaiming, "Oh Harry, your aunt is horrible!"
Harry laughed, a little taken aback "I've been telling you horror stories of what it's like to live with them for four years and you still hadn't guessed?"
Hermione broke the hug, a little embarrassed at her show of emotion and gave him a wry smile. "I guess I just hadn't realised quite how bad it all was, I'm sorry."
He waved his hand and shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind and she stepped back to let everyone else see him. Harry met Ginny's eyes and gave her a smile and a nod, then turned to Ron.
"Well Harry, don't look so shocked, at least you got a hug from her, I got a punch in the guts!" teased Ron, although Hermione though she heard the faintest hint of hurt in his voice. However, when she looked at him, he seemed happy enough, so she decided to ignore it. Unfortunately, Harry had no such idea and proceeded to grill her about it.
"What? You can't be angry with him already Hermione!"
Hermione folded her arms, narrowed her eyes and gave Ron a half-serious glare "Well I wasn't until a second ago! Anyway, we were on my doorstep and he was saying I was short!"
Harry, who was still barely taller than Hermione took her side for this one and they both turned on Ron waiting for an answer. Mr Weasley and Ginny had taken Harry's trunk and were currently trying to fit it in the boot of the car with Hermione's. Ron looked as if he would much rather be over there helping than here being confronted by his two best friends who, despite being short, were managing to look quite formidable.
"She brought it up!"
"Oh hardly! I said that you had grown again!"
"Exactly, if that isn't bringing up the issue of height then I don't know what is!"
"Yes, but that's no excuse for making fun of me for my height"
"Or lack of!" said Ron with a chuckle
Though both were still smiling, Harry could see this turning into an argument, so he decided to intervene. "Alright, so you said she was short and she punched you, now that that's all settled, I think you ought to give Ron a hug Hermione, he obviously wanted one!"
That shut both of them up. Harry smirked and watched the two fidget and avoid looking at each other. Although neither one had admitted to him that they liked the other (and he wasn't sure if Ron had even figured it out yet!), Harry had guessed and was looking forward to a bit of gentle teasing (and not so gentle if the twins had figured it out and got involved!) in the next few weeks. He was certainly going to need the entertainment - the past few weeks had been extremely difficult for him, with memories of the events of the third task coming to him un-bidden during every spare moment he had. As he stood there watching his two friends, he felt a surge of happiness at being with them again. There had been no one to talk to, and even though he had no intention of burdening his friends with news of the nightmarish visions he had been having, it would be good to have the distractions and comfort they would provide.
"Hmmmm?" he prompted, enjoying the situation more and more.
"Um, Harry, I was only joking, I mean I don't really care about the hug, you know, it's just a hug" stuttered Ron, his ears turning bright red and his face about to follow suit.
"Oh for heaven's sake!" huffed Hermione, pulling Ron into a rather awkward hug. He stood there frozen in shock for a minute before wrapping his arms around her and squeezing lightly, sending a 'HELP ME' look to Harry from over Hermione's head. Harry grinned, a little shocked at Hermione's daring, then, with a shrug to Ron, turned to see Mr Weasley with a look of mild confusion on his face and Ginny, eyes wide, grinning as if Christmas had come early. Ah, she knows then? This is going to be more fun than I thought! He walked towards the car, giving Mr Weasley a shrug, denying all responsibility for the strange behaviour of his friends. Mr Weasley shrugged back, apparently too shocked to care if Harry had anything to do with it or not, but Ginny narrowed her eyes slightly and cocked her head to one side, as if questioning Harry's innocence and he gave her a quick wink.
Back at the front door, Hermione was just getting used to the feel of Ron's arms around her when she noticed that, not only was Harry leaving them, but also they were being watched by the Dusleys from through the front window. She pulled hurriedly away from Ron, who looked slightly offended before he too noticed their current situation.
"Uh right, um, thanks" he mumbled, ears flaming and cheeks almost as red.
"Er, that's ok, I really should have done that earlier, sorry"
Unsure of what to say or do, Ron looked away and caught sight of the Dursleys again. Angry, he scowled and made a rude gesture at them through the window. They looked shocked and Mrs Dursley tried in vain to cover Dudley's eyes. Seeing Mr Dursley turning an interesting shade of purple, Hermione took Ron's arm "Right, lets go before he decides to come out and reply to that charming display. You're lucky your dad didn't see that Ron!"
"Yeah, well they deserve it!" he replied angrily as she dragged him toward the car.
"True, very true, but we ought to be leaving nonetheless!"
"Hmmph," was Ron's reply, but he picked up his speed and they soon reached the car.
"Oh, you've decided to join us?" teased Ginny and Harry stifled a laugh.
Attempting to control her blushing, Hermione nodded and replied, "Yes, and I think we should be going if possible, I have a feeling the Dursleys aren't too happy with Ron the moment."
This seemed to register with Mr Weasley because he came out of the confused state he had been in and demanded to know why the Dursleys wouldn't be too happy with Ron.
"Did I say Ron?" covered Hermione, "I meant us, uh, I just get the feeling they want us to leave." She gestured towards the window where the Dursleys were still peeping out of the window.
"Hmmmm," replied Mr Weasley, but seemed convinced enough to let it go as he got into the car and gestured for the others to do so too. Ginny leapt into the front passenger seat with a triumphant grin at Ron, who, being the tallest by far, would have benefited far more from the extra space the front seat offered than her. He shrugged to show he didn't care but did feel a little resentful as he squeezed in the back seat next to Harry. However, all thoughts of Ginny and the front seat were banished the minute Hermione got into the car. With Ron in the back it was quite a tight fit and Hermione's entire right side was squashed up next to Ron's left. He felt the heat of her body and was surprised to feel a tingling sensation covering his entire body, but certainly emanating from where they touched. Huh? What the hell is happening? What is this tingling and WHY did that hug feel so weird? Why can't I think properly, arrrgh! Ron decided that since thinking appeared to be out of the question at that point in time he would ignore all the strange things he was feeling and think about it when… well, when he could actually think straight! So he chatted to Harry about their summers and secretly enjoyed the tingling, even if he didn't understand it, and as he relaxed he decided that being squashed in the back was ok really because he was squashed in the back with his friends and they made him happy.
A/N: Oh god how soppy! Oh well, I'm in a soppy mood and I'm the author (mwahahahahah, I could get used to this!). Sorry this one was so short, it just seemed like the best place to stop! As does this, so toodleoo!