Hey ho, back again! Lots of guesses as to what's happened to Ron, but no one got anywhere near! Go me and my, for once, seemingly un-guessable cliffhanger!

Sorry this has been a couple of days late – I tried to update on Monday, but there was something up with the site, and then yesterday my dad was fiddling with the wireless connection, so I couldn't get on.

As ever, adoration and the biscuits I can no longer eat (darn you lent!) to be showered upon the following for their fantastic reviews:

Phantom of a Rose, flower123, dingohart, Nessa19, The Marauderet, seikinoko, Darkingfire, tlfsjs, Lady Potter of Tortall, Kylara Kitsune, HeyLookTheSnitch, PHEONIX39 and x-Xanti-x

Warning – this is no-where near my greatest chapter. It's an awkward filler one that really annoys me, since a well planned story shouldn't have awkward fillers, but here it is. Necessary, if only to cover a few monor plot holes and pass time.

On we go again!

Harry skidded to a halt, and turned to Ron, who was sprawled on the ground.

"Ron! What's wrong?" he asked urgently. To his surprise, Ron winked at him, before moaning theatrically. With a look of dawning realisation, Harry suddenly guessed exactly what his best friend was up to.

"Ginny, Hermione, come back! Ron's hurt!"

Instantly, two worried teenagers were heading their way. But he winked at them, and jerked his head surreptitiously behind him. When he turned back to Hagrid, it was to see the half-giant heading back in their direction, running up the path towards Ron's fallen frame.

"Ron," he panted as he came up, "Are you alrigh'?"

Ron sat up. "Talking to us now, then?" he said grumpily. Throwing yourself on a stone path does hurt a bit, even if you don't mean it to.

Hagrid glowered. "Weasley, that's no way to talk to a teacher! And stop behaving like a silly child!"

Ron blinked – Hagrid was actually shouting at them!

"We're sorry, Professor." said Harry, a little sarcastically. It was Hagrids turn to blink.

"Ere', since when 'ave you lot called me Professor?" he gaped, non-pulsed.

"Since when have you called me Weasley?" countered Ron, gingerly rubbing his knee.

Hagrid glowered. "All righ', all righ'. Suppose you all want to come for a cup o' tea now you're here. And you three as well?" He peered at Izzy, Jane and Charlie.

"Come on then."

Hagrid hauled Ron to his feet, and started back towards his cabin, muttering darkly under his breath. Grinning delightedly at Ron, the others followed.

When they arrived at Hagrids, the door was open and Harry could hear Hagrid clattering about inside. He didn't sound to be in a good mood. Harry was about to go inside when Izzy gasped, and Jane let out a startled cry. They had disappeared round one side of the cabin, so Harry jumped down from the step to see what new monstrous creature Hagrid had bought in this year. In fact, he was pleasantly surprised. Buckbeck was tethered to a post in the vegetable patch.

"Don't go too near, you three." Hermione called nervously. She had never quite got over Buckbeck. Harry and Ron, however, had no such qualms. They walked up to Buckbeck, and bowed low. Jane almost cried out a warning when the large creature made to move towards her brother and Ron, but she bit it back as it to sank into what could only be described as a bow. Ginny stepped forward and bowed as well, but Hermione hung back, still uncertain.

Hagrid appeared round the side of the cabin.

"There you are." he said gruffly.

"I didn't know you were looking after Buckbeak, Hagrid." said Ron, patting the Hippogriffs beak. Hagrid smiled properly for the first time.

"It's good to 'ave him back. Dumbledore bought him back here a few days after Sirius died." Hagrid stopped speaking suddenly, and shot a glance at Harry, who started making an intricate study of Buckbeak's neck.

"Anyway," said Hagrid nervously. "What do you lot want?"

"We want you to talk to us again." said Hermione, sounding almost tearful. "Please Hagrid, we wanted to take Care of Magical Creatures, we really did, but we just couldn't fit it in."

Ron and Harry carefully avoided looking at each other over Buckbeak's back.

"Aye, well." said Hagrid, shifting uncomfortably.

"Honestly, Hagrid, its awful when you're not talking to us." added Harry.

"Aye, well." said Hagrid again. "I can't deny I ain't missed you lot hanging around. And I could do with some help with the Manticore I've got coming next week."

Ron choked, and looked at Hagrid, horror all over his face. Harry and Ginny exchanged nervous glances, and Hermione began,

"Oh, honestly Hagrid. You can't possibly keep a Manticore…"

But she trailed off at the sigh of Hagrids laughing face.

"I'm joking." he promised, grinning widely. Ron sighed with relief, while Hermione still seemed suspicious. But the tension was broken, and Hagrid seemed to have forgiven them.

"So who are you?" he said, peering down at Jane, Izzy and Charlie. "I remember you from the firs' night. You're Harry's sister."

Jane nodded, staring up at the man in front of her. He beamed, his hairy face stretching so much it looked almost painful.

"I read that thing in the Prophet. I wanted to come with Professor Dumbledore, but he said best wait. But I can't tell you how happy I was." Hagrid grinned happily. "You will tell them I said hello?"

Harry promised, and Hagrid moved on to the other two.

"And you're...?" He looked questioningly at Charlie.

"Charlie Chang, Professor." said Charlie nervously.

Hagrid laughed. "No need to call me Professor. I'm Hagrid. And you are the Malfoy who got put in Gryfinndor." Hagrid examined Izzy thoughtfully. "What was your name again?"

"Izzy." she said, looking as though she wished the ground could swallow her. Hagrid nodded.

"Well, that was a turn up for the books. I bet your families none to pleased."

Izzy shrugged half-heartedly. Hagrid studied her for a moment, and then turned to the others.

"Anyway, come in, all of yer', you ungrateful little..." Hagrids voice trailed of into a growl, a grin plastered across his hairy face.

HTCHB

The first two months back at Hogwarts passed in a blur for Harry. When he woke up on Monday morning of the week of Halloween, he could hardly believe he had been at Hogwarts so long. Homework, detentions, and, to his delight, letters from his parents, had caused the weeks to fly by. The first Hogsmeade trip of the year had been planned for the Saturday before Halloween, much to most people's excitement. The morning dawned cloudy, with a cold bite in the air, and by the time breakfast was over the rain was starting to fall. After saying goodbye to Jane, Charlie and Izzy, Harry, Ron and Hermione headed for the Entrance Hall. Filch seemed to be in a filthy mood – he glowered at them all as they left, and greeted Ron's sarcastic "Lovely to see you too." with a particularly hard poke from the dark-magic sensor.

They walked down to Hogsmeade, heads bent against the bitter wind and driving rain. By the time they reached the village, Harry felt as though he'd swum the channel with all his clothes on. Ron pointed towards Honeydukes – every time he opened his mouth he gained one full off water.

The three thankfully slipped in the warmth of Honeydukes. They weren't the only ones. Half of Hogwarts seemed to be packed against the shelf covered walls. They spent a happy hour picking out sweets to take back to Jane, Charlie and Izzy, and trying out the free taster's. Eventually, they decided to brave the wind and rain once more. A quick call at Zonkos, which looked particularly bleak after Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and then to the Three Broomsticks.

They entered the packed building, looking around for a table. There were none free, but Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Neville and Luna were sitting in one corner. They pushed their way over.

"Hey you guys." said Ginny, grinning at them as they sat down. Harry and Hermione grinned back, but Ron was preoccupied in drying himself. He shook his head rapidly, spraying water all over everyone. Ginny shrieked, and Hermione exclaimed "Ron!"

"What? I'm wet." Ron said defensively.

"So're Harry and me, but we're not drenching everyone, are we?"

Ginny caught Harry's eye, and rolled her eyes as the two argued. Seamus looked like he was trying not to laugh, and Dean had a look of vast amusement on his face. Luna, meanwhile, was dreamily stirring her butterbeer, humming under her breath. Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, pulled out her wand and muttered a spell. Instantly, Harry felt as though he'd been sitting by the fire all day.

"Thanks Hermione." said Ron gratefully. "I'll get us some drinks."

Hermione shook her head as he disappeared into the throng.

"Honestly." she muttered under her breath.

Ron eventually returned, and the group spent the afternoon discussing anything from Quidditch to the latest news in the Daily Prophet. Eventually, when the rain seemed to be abating, they left, battling their way back to the castle.

Jane, Charlie and Izzy were all in the common room when they entered, looking enviously warm and dry. Hermione disappeared up to her dormitory to have a shower, while Harry and Ron stood in front of the fire, the moisture rising of them as steam.

"Here you lot, we got you some stuff from Honeydukes." said Harry, tossing the now half empty bag to his sister.

Jane caught it gleefully and tipped the contents onto the floor.

"Brilliant! Thanks Harry!" she exclaimed, picking up a chocolate frog and opening the card. Charlie instantly fell upon an open packet of Bertie Botts – he had an unusual love for the sweets - and Izzy was licking a sugar quill.

Harry smiled, and looked over at Ron. He had to stifle a laugh – the heat of the fire had turned Ron's face red, and that combined with his hair and the steam still rising off him made him look like a small volcano. Hearing Harry's snigger, Ron rolled his eyes and moved away from the fire. He was about to help himself to a cauldron cake when his gaze fell upon an armchair in one corner of the room. Harry frowned as Ron's face contorted in anger. He followed Ron's gaze, and saw Ginny sitting cuddled up next to Dean, apparently joined at the lips. Ron leapt to his feet and strode across the rooms.

"Oi!" he shouted, causing several people to look up in astonishment, and Ginny and Dean to break apart. She looked furious.

"What?" she glared back aggressively.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What did it look like?"

"It looked like you were trying to suck each others faces off!"

People in the common room started shifting about uncomfortably, Dean looking as though he wished he were anywhere but there. Harry, however, was having an internal argument of his own. At the sight of Dean and Ginny, a feeling of terrible anger had risen up inside him that he didn't know he had. Harry was so busy trying to suppress his sudden desire to rend Dean limb from limb that he barely heard a word of Ron and Ginny's argument. It was only when Hermione came back from her dorm that he snapped back into reality.

"What IS going on in here?" she exclaimed at the sight of Ron and Ginny standing ten feet apart, faces red with shouting, Harry standing half heartedly in the middle, helplessly trying to calm them down, and Dean cowering behind a cushion.

"Oh, nothing Hermione, don't you worry about it." said Ginny in an acidly sweet voice. "Just my dear brother invading my life, as usual."

"Ron?" said Hermione threateningly.

"She was…well… she was thrashing around with him like there's no tomorrow!" Ron spluttered.

"For gods sake Ron, will you give it a rest!" cried Ginny. "There's nothing wrong or dirty with kissing! Just 'cause you've never kissed anything more than our Auntie Muriel!"

By now the entire Common Room was silent.

"Just cos I don't go round doing it in public!" cried Ron.

"Oh, come on!" snorted Ginny. "Anyone here ever kissed my brother? Anyone at all?" Ginny asked the common room at large. A few people shifted uncertainly in their seats. The sight of two angry Weasleys was enough to make anyone nervous.

"Ha!" snorted Ginny. "Face it Ron. Harry snogged Cho, Hermione snogged Viktor, I snogged Dean! It's only you who goes round treating it like it's something dirty!"

Hermione had gone bright red as Ron's accusing eye turned on her. But Ginny hadn't finished yet.

"Its only you, Ron!" she cried, appearing to have let leave of her senses. "Only you! Why don't you just get over it and finally admit you like her? Its obvious to everyone else you do! So quit all this idiocy and flaming well ask her out, and leave me and Dean in peace!" Ginny practically screamed the last line. Then her hand flew to her mouth, her face paled, and a mortified look covered her countenance. Ron had gone a funny colour, eyes bulging in disbelief. He mumbled something Harry couldn't hear and fled to the boy's dormitory. Ginny was shaking her head, moaning a little.

"Oh Merlin," she breathed. "Oh Merlin, I didn't mean to say that."

Harry approached her along with Hermione. Dean had re-appeared from behind his cushion and was tugging Ginny's arm.

"Come on Ginny." he said. "Lets go somewhere else."

Ginny shook his arm off. "No, Dean. You go find Seamus. I need to talk to Harry and Hermione."

Dean nodded a little uncomfortably, and disappeared.

"Oh Merlin." murmured Ginny again. Hermione shook her arm gently.

"Its alright, Ginny, honestly. He'll come round."

But Ginny shook her head. "I can't believe I said that! I always told myself, no matter how angry I got with him I would never tell anyone. And now I've told the whole common room. Oh Merlin. Oh god. Oh Merlin."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. Out the corner of his eye he could see Jane, Izzy, and especially Charlie all looking at him with wide eyes. Drat.

"Go check he's ok, Harry. He might blast me out the roof." Ginny was saying, her voice muffled.

Glad of an excuse to avoid what looked like it was about to become a very awkward question time with his sister and her friends, Harry readily ran up to the dormitory.

"Ron?" he said to the closed curtains.

"Go away." Ron's muffled voice came back. Harry sighed.

"Oh come on Ron, it wasn't that bad."

"It was! Did you see her face?"

"Um," Harry frowned, "whose face in particular?"

"Hers!"

"Ron, cut it out. Ginny said nothing more incriminating than the fact that you like someone. She didn't even say a name."

"Doesn't matter. I'm never going down there again."

"Don't be stupid. Ginny's really upset; she knows she went to far. She's sent Dean off so she can try and sort things out with you."

For a moment there was silence. Then Ron's face appeared between the curtains.

"Really? She got rid of Dean?"

"Only while she tries to sort you out. She's really upset, Ron."

"Well," Ron seemed torn between his embarrassment and wanting to see if Ginny really had sent Dean away. "Ok."

Ron climbed out. His face was still slightly red and his robes were in a state, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You coming?" he asked, heading for the door.

Now Harry hesitated.

"You know what? I think I'll just stay here."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "What have you got to be embarrassed about?"

Harry grinned a little. "You didn't hear what else your dear sister told the common room?"

"What, about you and Cho Chang? Oh come on Harry, everyone knew that."

"Charlie didn't, nor Jane, by the looks on their faces."

Ron stared for a moment, then laughed.

"Oh brilliant, this I have to see."

Grabbing Harry's arm, Ron practically dragged him back to the common room. Almost the minute they set foot of the staircase, Ginny threw herself on Ron.

"I am so so so so so so sorry!" she cried, looking worriedly at his face. Ron blushed a little, and shifted uncomfortably.

"Where's Dean?" he asked warily.

"I don't know, I sent him to find Seamus." said Ginny impatiently.

Ron brightened a little.

"Really?"

"Of course. I went too far, Ron, I'm not too proud to deny it. But you've got to stop trying to control my life. And telling the twins."

Ron hesitated. "Are we making a deal here?" he asked suspiciously.

Ginny shrugged. "If you like. I'll try not to 'thrash about' to much if you stop erupting at me like that."

Ron hesitated. "Alright." he sighed, a little reluctantly.

Ginny beamed. "Well thank god for that."

Harry smiled at Hermione, who was nodding contentedly to herself, and he wondered how much of a hand she'd had in arranging that agreement. Jane's voice bought him out of his thoughts.

"Harry!" she called from where the three first years were sitting. "Come here a minute."

Reluctantly, Harry walked towards them.

"Have a seat, Harry." said Izzy formally. Harry sat.

"Now Harry." began Charlie. Harry was starting to feel uncomfortable with the number of times they were saying Harry.

"What exactly have you been doing with my sister?"

HTCHB

"He didn't!" exclaimed Ginny, her face red with laughter.

"He did." said Harry, hiding a grin of his own. It was the next morning, and Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were eating breakfast; in recognition of their new agreement, Ginny had bypassed Deans waving arm.

"So what did you say?" asked Ron eagerly.

"Well, I sort of said ummm, ahhh…"

"Then I came to his rescue." declared Hermione with a grin, a piece of toast half way to her mouth. "And told them that he had kissed her, nothing more."

Ron's laughter was curtailed by the arrival of the post. Hedwig swooped down and deposited a letter on Harry's bacon, before moving along a little way to help herself to his sausage.

Harry slit the letter open, recognising his Mums handwriting. Ginny and Ron were just getting into a conversation about quidditch with Neville, who had sat down next to them, when Harry let out a moan.

"Harry? What is it?" Ron asked worriedly.

Harry shook his head, then looked around the Hall. "Where is she? I swear I'm going to kill her!" He cried with anguish.

"Kill who?" Ron asked, looking confused. Harry shoved him the letter. Ron scanned it quickly, then let out a loud laugh.

"I don't believe it." He said, passing the letter to Hermione. Ginny peered over her friends shoulder.

The letter seemed normal enough. Harry's parents had seen a lot of Remus, some of Tonks. Mrs Weasley was mentioned, as were several other names they vaguely recognised from the Order, but there was nothing of any great concern. Then, right at the bottom, was a small note.

"P.S – Harry, who's Cho Chang?"

Ginny laughed at the look on Harry's face. Even Hermione seemed to be struggling to keep a straight face.

"Told you having a little sister wasn't all fun and games!" said Ron, still chortling.

Harry grunted. "And to think, when I met her, she seemed such a shy, timid thing." he said grumpily.

"Where did you go wrong?" Ron toned seriously, before cracking up once more.

Ach, bless 'em. Who'd have a younger sister?

Next week…a diversion back to the Potter household with a look at what Lily has been up to since the two eldest have left.

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