Disclaimer- Believe me, if I owned Harry Potter you'd all know it, because
I would have Ron married to me!
Chapter 7
The clues were getting easier. Ron wasn't quite sure why that worried him, but it did. Somewhere, deep down, he knew that if they were getting easier it meant that the person who had his sister and his best friend wanted him to find them. The clues becoming easier meant he was getting closer to the end.
Hermione hadn't quite caught on to that yet. She was just happy that they had solved another clue and were now on their way to Fred and George's shop, which was located somewhere in Diagon Alley.
"Ron, what do you think we're going to find?" Hermione asked, as they stepped off of the Hogwarts Express and once again entered the London station.
"I'm not sure. Maybe the twins know something they aren't telling us." They got into a cab that would take them near the entrance of Diagon Alley to finish the discussion.
"I really don't think they would hide anything from us on purpose. Maybe they don't know what it is- it's something in their shop."
"That would make more sense- Look, Quidditch!" He pointed to a Chudley Cannon's billboard on their right (bewitched to look like a Got Milk add to muggles of course).
"Can't you ever focus, Ron?"
"Sometimes. But I'd much prefer not to." He grinned (lopsidedly of course) and Hermione felt her heart melt.
By this point the cabby was looking at the two like they were insane. What was this Quidditch nonsense they were talking about, anyway? He dropped them off on a random muggle side street, right next to the entrance for Diagon Alley.
Ron and Hermione entered and began to walk the familiar streets. They had no trouble at all finding Fred and George's store. It was the most colorful place in Diagon alley, and it definitely stood out among the dreary old shops lining the streets.
They opened the door and were immediately attacked from both sides by two familiar, and very similar, faces. "Hullo!" Shouted George. Hermione winced, covering her ears.
"Hello to you too."
"So. . ." Fred said slyly, you two are back, are you?
"Oh, no." Hermione groaned. "I forgot."
"What?" Ron looked confused.
"Hold on just one second." Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him into one of the isles. "Ron, I completely forgot?"
"About what?" He looked utterly and completely confused.
"The joke that we played on Fred."
"Oh."
"Oh? That's all you're going to say?"
"It's really not that big of a deal."
"Wha-?" Before she could finish Ron linked his arm in hers. Smiling down at her, he walked over to where Fred and George were standing.
"So, how mad were mum and dad? I didn't want to stick around and feel their wrath."
"Lucky." Fred muttered. "So why are you here, anyway?"
Ron explained the clue they had found. "We thought we'd come here and look around, see if you guys knew anything."
George shrugged. "Not that I can recall, but feel free to take a look." Ron did take a look. Lots of them in fact. And everything he saw he tested. By the time he was done he'd gone through over half the store.
"Stop playing around! Will you ever grow up, Ronald?"
"Oooh, Ronnikins little girlfriend is mad." Exclaimed Fred, in obvious delight.
"But, darling," Ron exclaimed, stressing the word, "you know how much I love to have fun!"
"Get off." She shrugged him off, trying to ignore the feeling she'd been having while his arm had been around her. "Did you find anything, at least?"
"No, I just keep running into these bloody beetles." He held up a plastic beetle. Seconds after he lifted it, it exploded, sending blue goo all over him.
He turned to Fred and George. "Very funny."
"Aren't they? We've been working on them for weeks, they're our latest invention."
"You know who they reminded us of?" George piped in. "Rita Skeeter."
~~~
"Agh. I'd really rather not thing about that bloody woman ever again."
"I agree." Said Hermione, sincerely.
"Do you know how long she must have spent, trying to find ANYTHING about us that she could put in an article to make us look bad?"
"Over a year." Hermione said grimly.
"Although. . . I bet she has some pretty important things that happened during those years at Hogwarts."
"You mean things from our childhood?" Hermione asked excitedly.
"Do you really think she could-"
"Yes! I bet that's why we had to come here- "
"EXCUSE ME!" Fred cut in loudly. "Could you please explain to the rest of the world what you two are talking about?"
"Well, Rita spent years researching everything about our lives. She knew more about us that we did! If we need to find a clue about our past, she'll probably have it."
"Do you really think she'll just give it to you though?"
"I guess not." Hermione said, suddenly looking quite depressed.
"Oh well." Ron said brightly. "I guess we just won't ask then."
"Ron! Are you suggesting that we break into her office or something?"
"Exactly."
"But how? There is no way we could get in without someone noticing."
"That's where we come in!" George said, excitedly. "You know Fred and I are good at that sort of thing."
Hermione looked worried, so Ron decided to use the only tactic he knew would work. "Come on, 'Mione. Where's your sense of adventure." She sputtered, so he continued. "You're not afraid, are you?"
Her eyes flashed, and she resisted the urge to smack him. Instead she turned to George. "So how do you expect to go about this little scheme?"
He gestured to his shop. "With this."
~~*~~**~~*~~
Slowly, Fred opened the door to the lobby of the Daily Prophet. They managed to get on the elevator to Rita Skeeter's floor without any trouble. "Maybe we won't need to use all of that stuff." Hermione said, pointing to the backpacks both twins wore. They looked disappointed.
However, when they reached her floor, they saw this would not be the case. There were at least 9 guards and numerous cameras located outside the office. "We'd like to see Rita Skeeter, please." Hermione asked.
"She's not here right now." One of the bigger guards replied.
"Oh? Well then why are you all here?"
"It seems that someone reacted badly to one of Rita's articles. We're here to protect her. I'm sorry, You'll have to come back later." The words had barely left his mouth when George pulled out a can from his bag. He sprayed it in the guy's eyes, and the man screamed.
"George, was that pepper spray?" Hermione asked.
"Nope- it's my own special spray. It will make him see nothing but Weasleys for days. Here- take this." He threw a bottle at her. She looked at the label. Bubbles?
"What are these?" She asked, but he was already gone. Hermione looked around her. Ron had thrown a red piece of paper at one of the guards. The paper had taken the shape of Mrs. Weasley and had backed the guard into a corner, screaming at him.
Fred threw water on two of the guards, and they began to sink towards the ground. "Witchy water." He explained quickly. "It'll melt anyone who's magical. Not permanently, of course." He added.
George was having fun throwing exploding beetles at another guard. The man was covered in so much goo Hermione could barely tell he was human. "Quick, give me something!" Ron screamed, since a guard was quickly approaching him. Fred threw him a piece of gum.
"Chew it!" He yelled. Ron did so, and looked back at Fred. "Now throw it at him!" The gum hit the guard square in the forehead. He took another step towards Ron and bounced up to the ceiling. Ron looked questioningly at his brother. "It turned him into rubber." Fred explained.
The twins cornered two more guards and threw a blue cube at them. It exploded, so Hermione ducked. When she raised her head she saw two blue butterflies. "Yes!" George screamed. "It all worked! Come on, let's hurry before someone comes up here."
"Wait a second." Hermione said slowly. "There were nine guards. We only got eight." Ron's eyes were getting wider and wider, and looking her direction, so she turned around. The last guard, at least three times her size, was hovering over her. Doing the only thing she could think of Hermione whipped out the bubbles and began to blow them onto the man.
But nothing happened. He didn't explode, he didn't turn into a butterfly, he didn't even melt. Until suddenly. . . his skin began to change color. It began to get darker and darker, until the man was completely purple. Unfortunately, no matter how amusing purple skin was, it didn't help Hermione out in this situation. The man continued to advance towards her.
"No!" Ron screamed, launching himself at the guy. "Get away from her!" He hit the man and the guy fell onto the floor, at which point Ron promptly pummeled him into the ground.
She watched in silence, with a strange feeling inside. Was it possible? Could she like Ron again? "Shit." She mumbled at the thought.
Eventually, the twins pulled Ron off of the guard. "Let's go, Ronnikins. We've got work to do." They entered the office, looking around to make sure no one was inside. Ron quickly stole a glance at Hermione, expecting her to be mad at him for using violence. Much to his surprise she was positively beaming.
'That's it.' He thought. 'Having the twins around cannot be good for her health. She's going completely bonkers!'
~~~
"You gave me bubbles? You gave me bubbles? You got to turn someone into a butterfly, and I had to rely on turning a man purple?" Hermione wasn't quite ready to work yet.
"It's ok, 'Mione. I had your back."
She turned to Ron and smiled. "I know." She turned around and pointed at the twins. "But YOU could have gotten me killed!"
"'Mione, can we please discuss this later? One of the guards is going to wake up soon."
She sighed. "Ok guys, look around, see if you can find anything about the three of us while we were at Hogwarts."
After a few minutes of searching, Ron called out. "'Mione, come here!" He was standing by a filing cabinet. "Look! We get our own filing cabinet." He smiled. "Man, we're good." Hermione looked at him and rolled her eyes.
"Let's just see what's inside." The entire top of the cabinet was filled with stories about the trio. "These must be the ones they never published."
Ron picked up the closest article. "'Hermione Granger Bipolar." He laughed but read on. "It has been discovered that Hermione Granger is secretly bipolar. She is known to have a violent nature and temper, although many of her classmates think that is her normal personality, not a symptom of her disease." Ron was laughing hysterically, but Hermione was fuming.
"I am NOT bipolar! In fact, I doubt that git even knows what bipolar means!" She added harshly.
"Ok, calm down." Ron said soothingly.
Hermione shot him an aggravated look and picked up the nearest article. "Well let's just read this one, shall we?"
"Harry's Betrayal." She looked skeptically at Ron. "Harry Potter was recently attacked by one of his so called best friends, Ronald Weasley, in a fight over the bewitching Hermione Granger." She stopped reading, and threw the paper onto the table, but the ever so helpful George picked it up and continued.
"Hermione Granger has spent years showering her attentions on both boys, and when she finally 'chose' Harry, Ron burst, brutally attacking his best friend." Next to the article was a picture of Harry covered in blood. George looked at it questioningly, so Hermione explained.
"Colin took that during our fifth year, when Harry got hit by a bludger in a quidditch game."
Fred began to laugh. "This stuff is hysterical. I can't believe this bunch of lies!"
"I can't believe she kept these things after all those years." George was laughing, and Hermione soon joined him. The only person who remained conspicuously silent was Ron.
"Ronnikins?" Fred asked, looking at his brother questioningly. Ron had gone deathly pale, and looked on the verge of running from the room. "Are you ok?"
"Yea," He answered slowly. "Yea, I'm fine." There was no way he would ever admit to his two older brothers and the woman he loved that at one point he did pummel Harry, because he had believed that Harry and Hermione liked each other. There was also no way he'd ever admit the fear that the article instilled in him. For it to come true would be his worst nightmare coming to life.
"Ok, let's keep going." Said Hermione. The group began to move at a faster pace, only slightly laughing at the other articles they came across. According to Rita Skeeter, Hermione was a temptress, she hated Quidditch because she had been traumatized by a childhood Quidditch incident, and Ron was really Snape's son. Go figure.
They were finishing up the filing cabinet when Ron called out. The rest of the group turned to see him holding up an envelope. "There is a key inside it- what do you think it goes to?" No one had a clue, so they began to search the office for anything that would need a key.
"I think I've found it!" Hermione cried out. She was trying to pull open a desk drawer, but it wouldn't budge. Ron ran over and shoved the key into the lock. "It fits!" He turned it and slowly pulled the drawer open.
~~~
Inside were a bunch of pictures. They weren't of people, just of really big trees, and dark woods. There was a note attached to the top of them.
--------
Well Ron, I've saved the best for you
Here's a message from your past
You went to save the one you loved
Better get there again real fast
--------
Ron read the note and stood in silence. Hermione looked at him in shock. The one Ron loved? As in, I heart you love? She didn't recall him going on any deep dark missions without her, so the note had to be talking about one of his auror missions. Still, in the year that he had been an auror, she didn't remember him getting into any serious relationships.
Her heart sank. Did this mean that he kept it from her? And why did she care so much? 'Because you love him, you git.' 'Great.' She thought. 'Now that he hates me, I figure out that I love him. Good going Hermione.'
She looked up at Ron and was extremely surprised by the next words that came out of his mouth. "Well, 'Mione, I guess this means we're going back to Hogwarts."
"What? Why?"
"I think we need to pay a little visit to the Forbidden Forest."
~~*~~**~~*~~
Another chapter done! Ok, I know you guys want me to get to the romance, and I'm sorry, but it's coming soon, I swear. And, there are only two or three more chapters until I'm done with the whole thing. So please, tell me what you thought of this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!
~ Sugar High
Chapter 7
The clues were getting easier. Ron wasn't quite sure why that worried him, but it did. Somewhere, deep down, he knew that if they were getting easier it meant that the person who had his sister and his best friend wanted him to find them. The clues becoming easier meant he was getting closer to the end.
Hermione hadn't quite caught on to that yet. She was just happy that they had solved another clue and were now on their way to Fred and George's shop, which was located somewhere in Diagon Alley.
"Ron, what do you think we're going to find?" Hermione asked, as they stepped off of the Hogwarts Express and once again entered the London station.
"I'm not sure. Maybe the twins know something they aren't telling us." They got into a cab that would take them near the entrance of Diagon Alley to finish the discussion.
"I really don't think they would hide anything from us on purpose. Maybe they don't know what it is- it's something in their shop."
"That would make more sense- Look, Quidditch!" He pointed to a Chudley Cannon's billboard on their right (bewitched to look like a Got Milk add to muggles of course).
"Can't you ever focus, Ron?"
"Sometimes. But I'd much prefer not to." He grinned (lopsidedly of course) and Hermione felt her heart melt.
By this point the cabby was looking at the two like they were insane. What was this Quidditch nonsense they were talking about, anyway? He dropped them off on a random muggle side street, right next to the entrance for Diagon Alley.
Ron and Hermione entered and began to walk the familiar streets. They had no trouble at all finding Fred and George's store. It was the most colorful place in Diagon alley, and it definitely stood out among the dreary old shops lining the streets.
They opened the door and were immediately attacked from both sides by two familiar, and very similar, faces. "Hullo!" Shouted George. Hermione winced, covering her ears.
"Hello to you too."
"So. . ." Fred said slyly, you two are back, are you?
"Oh, no." Hermione groaned. "I forgot."
"What?" Ron looked confused.
"Hold on just one second." Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him into one of the isles. "Ron, I completely forgot?"
"About what?" He looked utterly and completely confused.
"The joke that we played on Fred."
"Oh."
"Oh? That's all you're going to say?"
"It's really not that big of a deal."
"Wha-?" Before she could finish Ron linked his arm in hers. Smiling down at her, he walked over to where Fred and George were standing.
"So, how mad were mum and dad? I didn't want to stick around and feel their wrath."
"Lucky." Fred muttered. "So why are you here, anyway?"
Ron explained the clue they had found. "We thought we'd come here and look around, see if you guys knew anything."
George shrugged. "Not that I can recall, but feel free to take a look." Ron did take a look. Lots of them in fact. And everything he saw he tested. By the time he was done he'd gone through over half the store.
"Stop playing around! Will you ever grow up, Ronald?"
"Oooh, Ronnikins little girlfriend is mad." Exclaimed Fred, in obvious delight.
"But, darling," Ron exclaimed, stressing the word, "you know how much I love to have fun!"
"Get off." She shrugged him off, trying to ignore the feeling she'd been having while his arm had been around her. "Did you find anything, at least?"
"No, I just keep running into these bloody beetles." He held up a plastic beetle. Seconds after he lifted it, it exploded, sending blue goo all over him.
He turned to Fred and George. "Very funny."
"Aren't they? We've been working on them for weeks, they're our latest invention."
"You know who they reminded us of?" George piped in. "Rita Skeeter."
~~~
"Agh. I'd really rather not thing about that bloody woman ever again."
"I agree." Said Hermione, sincerely.
"Do you know how long she must have spent, trying to find ANYTHING about us that she could put in an article to make us look bad?"
"Over a year." Hermione said grimly.
"Although. . . I bet she has some pretty important things that happened during those years at Hogwarts."
"You mean things from our childhood?" Hermione asked excitedly.
"Do you really think she could-"
"Yes! I bet that's why we had to come here- "
"EXCUSE ME!" Fred cut in loudly. "Could you please explain to the rest of the world what you two are talking about?"
"Well, Rita spent years researching everything about our lives. She knew more about us that we did! If we need to find a clue about our past, she'll probably have it."
"Do you really think she'll just give it to you though?"
"I guess not." Hermione said, suddenly looking quite depressed.
"Oh well." Ron said brightly. "I guess we just won't ask then."
"Ron! Are you suggesting that we break into her office or something?"
"Exactly."
"But how? There is no way we could get in without someone noticing."
"That's where we come in!" George said, excitedly. "You know Fred and I are good at that sort of thing."
Hermione looked worried, so Ron decided to use the only tactic he knew would work. "Come on, 'Mione. Where's your sense of adventure." She sputtered, so he continued. "You're not afraid, are you?"
Her eyes flashed, and she resisted the urge to smack him. Instead she turned to George. "So how do you expect to go about this little scheme?"
He gestured to his shop. "With this."
~~*~~**~~*~~
Slowly, Fred opened the door to the lobby of the Daily Prophet. They managed to get on the elevator to Rita Skeeter's floor without any trouble. "Maybe we won't need to use all of that stuff." Hermione said, pointing to the backpacks both twins wore. They looked disappointed.
However, when they reached her floor, they saw this would not be the case. There were at least 9 guards and numerous cameras located outside the office. "We'd like to see Rita Skeeter, please." Hermione asked.
"She's not here right now." One of the bigger guards replied.
"Oh? Well then why are you all here?"
"It seems that someone reacted badly to one of Rita's articles. We're here to protect her. I'm sorry, You'll have to come back later." The words had barely left his mouth when George pulled out a can from his bag. He sprayed it in the guy's eyes, and the man screamed.
"George, was that pepper spray?" Hermione asked.
"Nope- it's my own special spray. It will make him see nothing but Weasleys for days. Here- take this." He threw a bottle at her. She looked at the label. Bubbles?
"What are these?" She asked, but he was already gone. Hermione looked around her. Ron had thrown a red piece of paper at one of the guards. The paper had taken the shape of Mrs. Weasley and had backed the guard into a corner, screaming at him.
Fred threw water on two of the guards, and they began to sink towards the ground. "Witchy water." He explained quickly. "It'll melt anyone who's magical. Not permanently, of course." He added.
George was having fun throwing exploding beetles at another guard. The man was covered in so much goo Hermione could barely tell he was human. "Quick, give me something!" Ron screamed, since a guard was quickly approaching him. Fred threw him a piece of gum.
"Chew it!" He yelled. Ron did so, and looked back at Fred. "Now throw it at him!" The gum hit the guard square in the forehead. He took another step towards Ron and bounced up to the ceiling. Ron looked questioningly at his brother. "It turned him into rubber." Fred explained.
The twins cornered two more guards and threw a blue cube at them. It exploded, so Hermione ducked. When she raised her head she saw two blue butterflies. "Yes!" George screamed. "It all worked! Come on, let's hurry before someone comes up here."
"Wait a second." Hermione said slowly. "There were nine guards. We only got eight." Ron's eyes were getting wider and wider, and looking her direction, so she turned around. The last guard, at least three times her size, was hovering over her. Doing the only thing she could think of Hermione whipped out the bubbles and began to blow them onto the man.
But nothing happened. He didn't explode, he didn't turn into a butterfly, he didn't even melt. Until suddenly. . . his skin began to change color. It began to get darker and darker, until the man was completely purple. Unfortunately, no matter how amusing purple skin was, it didn't help Hermione out in this situation. The man continued to advance towards her.
"No!" Ron screamed, launching himself at the guy. "Get away from her!" He hit the man and the guy fell onto the floor, at which point Ron promptly pummeled him into the ground.
She watched in silence, with a strange feeling inside. Was it possible? Could she like Ron again? "Shit." She mumbled at the thought.
Eventually, the twins pulled Ron off of the guard. "Let's go, Ronnikins. We've got work to do." They entered the office, looking around to make sure no one was inside. Ron quickly stole a glance at Hermione, expecting her to be mad at him for using violence. Much to his surprise she was positively beaming.
'That's it.' He thought. 'Having the twins around cannot be good for her health. She's going completely bonkers!'
~~~
"You gave me bubbles? You gave me bubbles? You got to turn someone into a butterfly, and I had to rely on turning a man purple?" Hermione wasn't quite ready to work yet.
"It's ok, 'Mione. I had your back."
She turned to Ron and smiled. "I know." She turned around and pointed at the twins. "But YOU could have gotten me killed!"
"'Mione, can we please discuss this later? One of the guards is going to wake up soon."
She sighed. "Ok guys, look around, see if you can find anything about the three of us while we were at Hogwarts."
After a few minutes of searching, Ron called out. "'Mione, come here!" He was standing by a filing cabinet. "Look! We get our own filing cabinet." He smiled. "Man, we're good." Hermione looked at him and rolled her eyes.
"Let's just see what's inside." The entire top of the cabinet was filled with stories about the trio. "These must be the ones they never published."
Ron picked up the closest article. "'Hermione Granger Bipolar." He laughed but read on. "It has been discovered that Hermione Granger is secretly bipolar. She is known to have a violent nature and temper, although many of her classmates think that is her normal personality, not a symptom of her disease." Ron was laughing hysterically, but Hermione was fuming.
"I am NOT bipolar! In fact, I doubt that git even knows what bipolar means!" She added harshly.
"Ok, calm down." Ron said soothingly.
Hermione shot him an aggravated look and picked up the nearest article. "Well let's just read this one, shall we?"
"Harry's Betrayal." She looked skeptically at Ron. "Harry Potter was recently attacked by one of his so called best friends, Ronald Weasley, in a fight over the bewitching Hermione Granger." She stopped reading, and threw the paper onto the table, but the ever so helpful George picked it up and continued.
"Hermione Granger has spent years showering her attentions on both boys, and when she finally 'chose' Harry, Ron burst, brutally attacking his best friend." Next to the article was a picture of Harry covered in blood. George looked at it questioningly, so Hermione explained.
"Colin took that during our fifth year, when Harry got hit by a bludger in a quidditch game."
Fred began to laugh. "This stuff is hysterical. I can't believe this bunch of lies!"
"I can't believe she kept these things after all those years." George was laughing, and Hermione soon joined him. The only person who remained conspicuously silent was Ron.
"Ronnikins?" Fred asked, looking at his brother questioningly. Ron had gone deathly pale, and looked on the verge of running from the room. "Are you ok?"
"Yea," He answered slowly. "Yea, I'm fine." There was no way he would ever admit to his two older brothers and the woman he loved that at one point he did pummel Harry, because he had believed that Harry and Hermione liked each other. There was also no way he'd ever admit the fear that the article instilled in him. For it to come true would be his worst nightmare coming to life.
"Ok, let's keep going." Said Hermione. The group began to move at a faster pace, only slightly laughing at the other articles they came across. According to Rita Skeeter, Hermione was a temptress, she hated Quidditch because she had been traumatized by a childhood Quidditch incident, and Ron was really Snape's son. Go figure.
They were finishing up the filing cabinet when Ron called out. The rest of the group turned to see him holding up an envelope. "There is a key inside it- what do you think it goes to?" No one had a clue, so they began to search the office for anything that would need a key.
"I think I've found it!" Hermione cried out. She was trying to pull open a desk drawer, but it wouldn't budge. Ron ran over and shoved the key into the lock. "It fits!" He turned it and slowly pulled the drawer open.
~~~
Inside were a bunch of pictures. They weren't of people, just of really big trees, and dark woods. There was a note attached to the top of them.
--------
Well Ron, I've saved the best for you
Here's a message from your past
You went to save the one you loved
Better get there again real fast
--------
Ron read the note and stood in silence. Hermione looked at him in shock. The one Ron loved? As in, I heart you love? She didn't recall him going on any deep dark missions without her, so the note had to be talking about one of his auror missions. Still, in the year that he had been an auror, she didn't remember him getting into any serious relationships.
Her heart sank. Did this mean that he kept it from her? And why did she care so much? 'Because you love him, you git.' 'Great.' She thought. 'Now that he hates me, I figure out that I love him. Good going Hermione.'
She looked up at Ron and was extremely surprised by the next words that came out of his mouth. "Well, 'Mione, I guess this means we're going back to Hogwarts."
"What? Why?"
"I think we need to pay a little visit to the Forbidden Forest."
~~*~~**~~*~~
Another chapter done! Ok, I know you guys want me to get to the romance, and I'm sorry, but it's coming soon, I swear. And, there are only two or three more chapters until I'm done with the whole thing. So please, tell me what you thought of this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!
~ Sugar High
