AN: I'm suffering a case of writer's block so.. uh.. if this part sucks worse than usual that's why. :-D
***
"Come on now, hurry up! Your dinner's getting cold," Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen.
"Coming, Mum," said Ron, standing up. Harry and Hermione followed him into the kitchen, and they sat down. Mrs. Weasley bustled around the kitchen, setting plates full of food on the table. She turned to the stairs.
"Ginny! Percy! Come on you two," she yelled, and then turned to Harry. "So nice to see you again, dear. And you too, Hermione,"
"It's very nice of you to ask us to stay again this year." Hermione said, smiling.
"Oh, its no trouble dear." Mrs. Weasley replied kindly. She appeared to have forgotten completely about Rita Skeeter's article the year before.
Just then Ginny ran down the stairs, and spotting Harry, blushed furiously. She sat down across from him but kept her eyes averted.
"Hullo Ginny," said Harry. He was used to her acting like this.
"Hi Harry," she replied shyly, glancing up and meeting his eyes for a moment before staring fixedly at her plate. Harry had a strange feeling when they met eyes, but didn't know what it meant.
Harry glanced at Ron, and Ron grinned back. Hermione made a sort of impatient noise in the back of her throat. Percy finally walked in, looking rather important.
"Hello Harry," he said pompously nodding to him. "Hermione,"
"Hi Percy," said Harry and Hermione.
"I hear you're getting married, Percy, congratulations" Hermione added.
"Thank you, Hermione," Percy said, still not losing his official tone.
Ron sighed exasperatedly and met Harry's eyes again. This time Harry nearly laughed at the look on Ron's face. Fred and George ran in and sat down at the table, and everyone began to eat. Harry hadn't had a decent meal from the Dursleys' all summer. Dudley was off his diet, but the Dursleys still saw fit to starve Harry.
After dinner, Ron and Harry went up to Ron's room. Ron's room was still colored a violent orange, and plastered with Chudley Cannons posters. Ron's owl, Pig, was sleeping in his cage.
"Harry. . . I have something to tell you," Ron said, blushing. "Can you promise not to tell ANYONE?"
Harry nodded, and sat on Ron's bed. "What is it?"
"I think. . ." Ron gulped and glanced at the door to make sure no one was listening. He mumbled something that sounded oddly like "Ilickhermy".
"What?" said Harry, confused.
Ron gulped again, and, looking nervously at the door said, "I like Hermione."
Harry grinned. He had suspected it, ever since Ron's jealousy at the Yule Ball.
"And if you tell ANYONE I'll kick your arse from here to Diagon Alley," Ron said fiercely.
"Okay, okay," said Harry, grinning. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"So," said Ron. "Do you think that I should tell her?"
"I dunno," said Harry.
***
The next two weeks passed without much excitement, unless you count Fred and George enchanting Percy's robes for the wedding so that they sang "Here comes the bride, all dressed in hides" shrilly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed the time by playing wizard chess and Gobstones, and practicing Quidditch. Hermione, of course, didn't take part in the latter.
When the week of Percy's wedding rolled around, the Burrow lost its feeling of idle fun to frantic planning. Mrs. Weasley was constantly running back and forth between the kitchen and the rest of the house, doing last minute cleaning and getting it ready for the guests. Fred and George managed to make things worse by planting more of their 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' in strategic locations. The first guest to the house on the day of the wedding was unfortunate enough to eat a cake they had made, which caused their skin to turn temporarily purple and yellow poka dotted. By this time, Mrs. Weasley was too worried about the wedding itself to punish the twins to her usual extent.
By the time all the guests had arrived, everyone was ready, and Percy's robes had stopped singing. The ceremony itself went smoothly, with the exception of the Weasley's owl, Errol, accidentally flying head-first into a window and causing a loud crash in the midst of the 'I do's. After the ceremony everyone ate a great deal of cake (although no one turned purple this time) and said their congratulations to Percy and Penelope. Once the house had emptied, and the guests all gone home, did anyone have time to relax. Percy and Penelope had left to go on their honeymoon, and everyone else went up to bed early.
The next morning, as everyone was eating breakfast, a large brown owl swooped into the window, dropping a letter in front of everyone except Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"Hogwarts letters!" said Ginny happily as everyone opened theirs.
As they read through their letters another owl, tawny this time, swopped in and dropped a letter in front of Mr. Weasley. He opened it and read through it quickly.
"Good news, Molly," he said. "Dumbledore's keeping his job as Headmaster."
"Oh, that's very good news." said Mrs. Weasley. "At least Fudge has his priorities right this time."
"Yes. . but there's bad news too. There's been a few Muggle killings again. . It seems You-Know-Who is behind them."
At this point everyone stopped reading their Hogwarts letters, and looked up tensely. Mrs. Weasley, however, hurried them all out of the kitchen, telling them to get ready to go to Diagon Alley later that day.
***
***
"Come on now, hurry up! Your dinner's getting cold," Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen.
"Coming, Mum," said Ron, standing up. Harry and Hermione followed him into the kitchen, and they sat down. Mrs. Weasley bustled around the kitchen, setting plates full of food on the table. She turned to the stairs.
"Ginny! Percy! Come on you two," she yelled, and then turned to Harry. "So nice to see you again, dear. And you too, Hermione,"
"It's very nice of you to ask us to stay again this year." Hermione said, smiling.
"Oh, its no trouble dear." Mrs. Weasley replied kindly. She appeared to have forgotten completely about Rita Skeeter's article the year before.
Just then Ginny ran down the stairs, and spotting Harry, blushed furiously. She sat down across from him but kept her eyes averted.
"Hullo Ginny," said Harry. He was used to her acting like this.
"Hi Harry," she replied shyly, glancing up and meeting his eyes for a moment before staring fixedly at her plate. Harry had a strange feeling when they met eyes, but didn't know what it meant.
Harry glanced at Ron, and Ron grinned back. Hermione made a sort of impatient noise in the back of her throat. Percy finally walked in, looking rather important.
"Hello Harry," he said pompously nodding to him. "Hermione,"
"Hi Percy," said Harry and Hermione.
"I hear you're getting married, Percy, congratulations" Hermione added.
"Thank you, Hermione," Percy said, still not losing his official tone.
Ron sighed exasperatedly and met Harry's eyes again. This time Harry nearly laughed at the look on Ron's face. Fred and George ran in and sat down at the table, and everyone began to eat. Harry hadn't had a decent meal from the Dursleys' all summer. Dudley was off his diet, but the Dursleys still saw fit to starve Harry.
After dinner, Ron and Harry went up to Ron's room. Ron's room was still colored a violent orange, and plastered with Chudley Cannons posters. Ron's owl, Pig, was sleeping in his cage.
"Harry. . . I have something to tell you," Ron said, blushing. "Can you promise not to tell ANYONE?"
Harry nodded, and sat on Ron's bed. "What is it?"
"I think. . ." Ron gulped and glanced at the door to make sure no one was listening. He mumbled something that sounded oddly like "Ilickhermy".
"What?" said Harry, confused.
Ron gulped again, and, looking nervously at the door said, "I like Hermione."
Harry grinned. He had suspected it, ever since Ron's jealousy at the Yule Ball.
"And if you tell ANYONE I'll kick your arse from here to Diagon Alley," Ron said fiercely.
"Okay, okay," said Harry, grinning. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"So," said Ron. "Do you think that I should tell her?"
"I dunno," said Harry.
***
The next two weeks passed without much excitement, unless you count Fred and George enchanting Percy's robes for the wedding so that they sang "Here comes the bride, all dressed in hides" shrilly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed the time by playing wizard chess and Gobstones, and practicing Quidditch. Hermione, of course, didn't take part in the latter.
When the week of Percy's wedding rolled around, the Burrow lost its feeling of idle fun to frantic planning. Mrs. Weasley was constantly running back and forth between the kitchen and the rest of the house, doing last minute cleaning and getting it ready for the guests. Fred and George managed to make things worse by planting more of their 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' in strategic locations. The first guest to the house on the day of the wedding was unfortunate enough to eat a cake they had made, which caused their skin to turn temporarily purple and yellow poka dotted. By this time, Mrs. Weasley was too worried about the wedding itself to punish the twins to her usual extent.
By the time all the guests had arrived, everyone was ready, and Percy's robes had stopped singing. The ceremony itself went smoothly, with the exception of the Weasley's owl, Errol, accidentally flying head-first into a window and causing a loud crash in the midst of the 'I do's. After the ceremony everyone ate a great deal of cake (although no one turned purple this time) and said their congratulations to Percy and Penelope. Once the house had emptied, and the guests all gone home, did anyone have time to relax. Percy and Penelope had left to go on their honeymoon, and everyone else went up to bed early.
The next morning, as everyone was eating breakfast, a large brown owl swooped into the window, dropping a letter in front of everyone except Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"Hogwarts letters!" said Ginny happily as everyone opened theirs.
As they read through their letters another owl, tawny this time, swopped in and dropped a letter in front of Mr. Weasley. He opened it and read through it quickly.
"Good news, Molly," he said. "Dumbledore's keeping his job as Headmaster."
"Oh, that's very good news." said Mrs. Weasley. "At least Fudge has his priorities right this time."
"Yes. . but there's bad news too. There's been a few Muggle killings again. . It seems You-Know-Who is behind them."
At this point everyone stopped reading their Hogwarts letters, and looked up tensely. Mrs. Weasley, however, hurried them all out of the kitchen, telling them to get ready to go to Diagon Alley later that day.
***