'"we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote'"
16th July 1995
"Ron, do you think I'm okay to let Crookshanks out?" Hermione asked as they climbed the stairs. She was still heaving the basket around and Crookshanks had begun to mewl loudly.
Ron shrugged "Don't see why not, there's a lot for him to chase in the house."
Hermione bent down and unlatched the cat basket. Crookshanks climbed out a gave Hermione a look that clearly conveyed anger at her before stalking off with his bushy tail held high.
"Better hope he doesn't eat Kreacher," Ron said, continuing up the stairs "Or maybe I should hope he eats Kreacher, the elf weirds me out."
"There's a house-elf here?" Hermione said with interest.
Ron rolled his eyes "Don't get excited. He's horrible. He creeps around calling us all blood-traitors and muttering at us to get out of his mistress' house, apparently his greatest ambition is to die and have his head stuck on a pole," and Ron jerked a thumb at the wall behind Hermione.
Hermione turned and let out a frightened yelp, backing away from the wall. There was a series of shrunken elf heads stuck there on sticks, all with snout like noses.
"That's horrible!" Hermione said, covering her mouth with a hand.
Ron shrugged "That's not the worst thing here, honestly this place is practically growing new things it's so filthy."
Hermione made a face and they continued up to the second floor landing where Ron strode across to a door. Inside was another dingy room that smelt faintly of mold and mildrew, twin beds sat in the room along with a wardrobe that was leaning precariously to the left and a blank picture frame.
'Is this where you're sleeping?" Hermione asked, gazing in some disgust at the moth eaten and mold spotted curtains.
"yeah," Ron said, pulling a face and collapsing onto one of the beds "Mum says as soon was we've finished cleaning the kitchen we can start on the bedrooms."
Hermione sat gingerly on the other bed and continued to look around the room.
"So you really don't know anything about the order?" She asked.
Ron shook his head "No. Honestly mum's so strict about it. Fred and George say they might have a way for us to listen to meetings though. Said they're nearly finished with it."
Hermione sighed and reached up to free her hair from the bun she'd shoved it in earlier. She'd cooled down now so could probably cope with it being around her neck. As she let her hair tumble down her back she caught Ron looking at her with a strange expression on his face, he glanced away quickly and cleared his throat.
"Sorry if you didn't want to come here to clean," He said, still looking at the wardrobe rather than her "I thought we might be doing something a bit cooler than that as well."
Hermione shrugged "That's alright. I didn't really think we'd be allowed to do anything serious with what's going on. At least it'll be busier than at home."
Ron glanced at her and she smiled sheepishly "There's no one there when Mum and Dad go to work, I'd rather be here with all of you," she explained.
Ron nodded but didn't say anything.
"So is Harry coming at some point?" she asked, sitting further back on the bed.
Ron sat up a little straighter "I don't know, it's really weird but I don't think he is. Mum said something about Dumbledore wanting to keep him at the mugg…" Ron cut himself off looking guilty as Hermione narrowed her eyes "at his Aunt and Uncles. She said Dumbledore's coming to the meeting tonight and mentioned wanting to talk to us at some point though."
"Dumbledore wants to talk to us!" Hermione said, surprised. Their headteacher had never showed that much individual interest in them.
"Apparently," Ron said with a shrug.
They lapsed into silence for a time, both thinking.
"Do you want to have a look round the house then?" Ron asked.
Hermione nodded and they spent the next couple of hours exploring the old house. It wasn't a very nice place at all. Every room seemed dingier than the last and there was objects and pieces of furniture that sometimes rattled and groaned. Cobwebs were thick with dust in places and everywhere had the sweet smell of something rotting that made Hermione feel faintly sick. As they were making their way back down stairs past the third floor landing they caught sight of Fred and George who waved them over.
"We think we've finished them!" George said excitedly, holding out something thin and flesh coloured.
"What the listening things?" Ron asked, frowning at the objects in the twins hands.
"No the casserole for dinner tonight. Yes the listening things. They're called extendable ears!" Fred shot at Ron.
"I'm going to get Ginny, she'll kill us if we use them without her," George said as he jogged down the stairs.
Ron frowned as he leaned over the banisters. The entrance hall far below was empty and quiet.
"There's nobody here yet?" Ron said, frowning at Fred
Fred rolled his eyes "Meeting started twenty minutes ago you prat. Did you not here them arriving?"
Ron and Hermione shook their heads and explained they'd been right at the top of the house. Fred shrugged.
"Well hopefully we haven't missed anything too important. Should catch the last half of the meeting!"
Ginny and George were now tiptoeing back towards them and they all creeped carefully over to the stairs.
"Time to give these ago then" George said, handing a string out to each of them.
Hermione didn't take hers and bit her lip, feeling worried.
"We shouldn't if the meetings are private," she whispered
Ron rolled his eyes at her as Fred said "Come on Hermione, we've got a right to know what they're up to, we're not children."
Hermione still didn't feel convinced but as everyone else had taken one and would want to discuss what they heard afterwards she accepted the string, following Fred and George's suit and inserting one end into her ear.
"Okay, go!" George said, dropping his string down the stairs. The rest of them copied him and watched as the strings fell three floors into the dark hallway then wriggled over towards the kitchen door.
They were all silent for the next twenty minutes as they listened to different voices make reports to Dumbledore. Once the meeting was over they all hastily yanked the strings up before any of the adults could see them.
"Well that wasn't that interesting!" Ginny said, frowning.
Hermione shrugged "I suppose if it's one of their first meetings they're still setting a lot up. And we missed the beginning. Once they all start doing things they'll be more interesting I guess."
"So they've got some of the order tailing Death Eaters, that's what Dumbledore was asking people to do when he was talking about following Rookwood, Goyle and the others," Ron whispered
They all nodded in agreement.
"And then they're taking it in turns to do guard duty over something?" Fred said, frowning "I wonder what it could be over."
They all shrugged, all the people downstairs had said was 'guard duty' nothing about what they were guarding.
"And most of them are just trying to recruit new order members," Hermione murmured.
Before anybody could answer a shout from the first floor landing made them all jump guiltily.
"Ron! Hermione! Could you come down here please. Now!"
Fred and George quickly stuffed the extendable ears into their pockets and retreated into their bedroom, Ginny quick on their heels. Ron and Hermione looked at each other slightly scared but began to make their way down the stairs. Once they reached the first floor they saw that Mrs Weasley was standing with Professor Dumbledore, who's gleaming white beard and hair looked out of the place in the dingy surroundings of Grimmauld Place.
"What were you doing up on that floor," Mrs Weasley said sharply to them.
"Just talking to Fred and George mum, chill out," Ron said quickly
Mrs Weasley narrowed her eyes but didn't probe any further
"I'll leave you to it, come down to the kitchen for dinner once you've spoken to Professor Dumbledore please," She said, turning to walk back down the stairs.
Ron and Hermione stood in front of their headmaster feeling faintly awkward. Neither said anything.
"I haven't got too long to discuss what I need to with you but I hope you are both well?" He said, smiling at them over his half-moon spectacles.
Hermione and Ron nodded, both of them saying 'yes' and 'very well thank you' at the same time.
"Good, I am glad" Professor Dumbledore said "Now I assume you both keep in correspondence with Harry whilst you are away from Hogwarts?"
Both of them nodded again.
"I see. Well I would like you to promise me that you will not write to Harry about anything that is happening in this house, absolutely nothing about where you both are or what is happening here." His voice was still light, but there was a definite firmness to it.
Ron and Hermione looked at each other and Hermione could see her confusion mirrored on Ron's face.
"Owls can be easily intercepted you see," Dumbledore explained, fixing them both with his piercing gaze "And Harry is much safer where he is now, without knowing what's going on here. Do you understand?"
There was a beat of silence before Ron said nervously "I think Harry will really want us to tell him what's going on, is there no way we can…"
Dumbledore shook his head "None. It will be best to tell him nothing. I need you both to promise me this."
They glanced at each other then but there seemed to be no choice. They both muttered "I promise"
"Thank you." Dumbledore said, lifting his cloak from over his arm and fastening it around his neck "Now I must go. I trust you will both be helping Molly and Sirius in their task to make this house more habitable."
He waited until they both nodded then continued "I shall see you soon then. Goodbye," and he swept down the stairs and into the hallway. A second later they both heard the front door click.
OOO
"Why are you locking the door?" Hermione asked, frowning at Ginny as she walked back towards her bed.
"Kreacher," Ginny replied, sitting down and beginning to brush hair. "He wanders into rooms whilst you sleep. Second night I was here I woke up to find him going through the wardrobe. I woke the whole house up I screamed to loudly,"
Hermione began to plait her own hair "I feel really sorry for Kreacher. He's been cooped up alone for ten years, you're bound to go a bit mad aren't you?"
Ginny shrugged unconcernedly and Hermione didn't push the matter. The girls continued to get ready for bed. Once they were both lying down Hermione rolled over to look across the room at Ginny.
"So how's Micheal? Have you heard from him?"
Ginny grinned and rolled to look at Hermione "Yes, he writes to me every few days!" she said excitedly "I really like him I think"
Hermione smiled at her "That's great! So you're definitely over Harry?"
"Yes I think I've given up on him for now," Ginny laughed "Too much effort. But what about you. Have you heard from Krum, I never even found out what happened when you said goodbye to him"
Hermione sighed "Well he already knew I wouldn't come to his for the summer, too much is going on now and I was never really sure I wanted too. Now he's not here I feel…"
Hermione tailed off, she wasn't sure how she felt about Viktor anymore. When he was at the school everyday she'd felt a little swept up with his affections for her. She'd felt flattered but also constantly flustered and a little unsure. Now he had gone back to Bulgaria she could see that maybe he might not be the best person for her, she'd never felt as strongly for him as he did for her. And he'd never made her laugh, which is something she really liked about … Why was she thinking about Ron in comparison to Viktor? Ron was her friend, of course he made her laugh.
Ginny was still staring at her so Hermione cleared her throat and continued "If he writes to me I'll write back, I like him as a person but I don't think I want to keep seeing him. I don't even know how that would work."
Ginny nodded then said "And are you sure it's not because you started fancying someone else?"
"Like who?" Hermione said quickly.
Ginny closed her eyes slowly and shook her head, a look of exasperation of her face. Finally she said.
"Like nobody Hermione, don't worry about it."
I'm loving these annual boy chats with Ginny (although I'm sure they talk more than once a year about boys haha!)