Disclaimer: Nope, none of it's mine.

Chapter Two: Realizing....

The morning sun streamed through the window, and Ron awoke with a
word that he would never let his mother hear him say. He had dreamed of
her AGAIN! And this time...this time... she hadn't really...been wearing
a whole lot. And what was worse...the idea of what she HAD been wearing
made him smile a silly smile that he couldn't quite get rid of, even
after saying that horribly naughty word. What was going on, anyway?
He hadn't even heard from her at all...she obviously didn't care.
"Ron!" came the voice of Mrs. Weasley. "It's breakfast time!" Ron
hurried down that stairs, resolved to eat as much as possible, as eating
seemed to be the only thing that could make him forget about the little
annoying voices in his head. It wasn't meant to be, this morning,
however.
Ginny turned to him as he reached the table. She had looked pale the
last few weeks, ever since the conclusion of the Triwizard tournament.
Ron supposed she was worried about Harry, everyone was worried about
Harry. He had sent Pig almost a week ago now, and he had returned empty
handed. Ron had just been about to say a comforting word to her,
when..."So, Ron, have you heard from Hermione?"
Ron jumped, and then turned red. "No, I haven't. She's probably in
Bulgaria, she doesn't have time to write, Vic-Victor is probably keeping
her really busy."
Ginny gave him a LOOK, which in turn made him wonder if she knew
more than she was letting on. "Have you heard from her?", he asked,
trying very hard to sound casual and failing miserably.
Ginny twisted a strand of her hair around her fingers before
answering. "Yes, actually, I have. She didn't go to Bulgaria. Her
parents didn't really like the idea."
Ron tried to smother the feeling of triumph he felt after hearing =
that. Ha! He knew Victor was too old for her! He knew someone besides
him would see reason. "So, what did she have to say?," he asked, a very
faint smile playing on his lips.
Ginny looked at him seriously. "She's worried about Harry, and
honestly, so am I. I know you haven't heard from him, and neither has
she. Maybe you should write to her. Harry shouldn't be alone right now."
Ron nodded. "I've tried writing to him, but he didn't answer back.
I'm sure he's fine, though...Dumbledore wouldn't have made him go there
if it wasn't safe, right?"
Ginny looked doubtful, and for a moment, Ron was struck by how much
older she looked all of a sudden. He had always thought of her as his
little sister, and now she looked tired...and sad..and much older than
her years. It made him feel many things, sadness, for all of them, for
what they had to go though, anger, at Voldemort, and all his followers,
for starting it in the first place, and, well, kind of tired himself. He
wasn't sure if any of them were old enough for all these feelings,
really. And poor Harry, by himself with that terrible family he lived
in. So what if he had money, he was alone now, and Ron was surrounded by
family. For one of the first times in his life, Ron realised that
perhaps money wasn't everything, even if it could buy you a new robe, or
a top of the line broomstick. Perhaps all that really mattered is the
people you had around you. Ron looked at Ginny, and suddenly noticed
with suprise how pretty she was. He smiled at her, then and she smiled
back. It was time to write to Hermione. She would know what to do.


A/N Okay, I think I may have caught the bug. I know it's not very good
so far, but I'm trying really hard! What an incredibly wonderful thing
it is to get reviews! They were all good! I'm so happy! Thank you
DevilChild, Nagini,glo_stick, ronnie's girl,lotrfan, and Trista Setsuna!
That you would take the time to read my 400 word story is so great.
Hope you'll keep reading!!!

Nikalee