This story will make extremely little sense to anyone who has not read
Please Help Me With a Title! (which still needs a bloody title!!!! This is
called Fate of the Moyens, the next one's called The Power of the Moyens,
do you spot the pattern? Help!!!)
Anywho, everything you need to know in bullet point form:
In the fifth year, Hermione's cousin Daphne and Draco's sister Leonora
(Lori) come to Hogwarts, become best friends and are both sorted into
Gryffindor.
Previously, in the summer prior to the fifth year, Dudley had turned good
and was now friends with Harry. (Complicated why- see Summertime, Harry's
story).
Lori is a Moyen, a Witch who can do certain forms of magic without a wand,
(see ch. 21 in Please help me with a title for a big long explanation) and
is almost kidnapped by her dad.
Lucius Malfoy is captured and chucked in Azkaban for being a nasty old
Deatheater and Narcissa Malfoy runs away without a trace.
Draco, who has been playing up to his dad to protect Lori (ch. 25) turns
good and everyone's friends. He and Lori move in with their aunt Joliet and
little cousin Emily.
The end! Anyway, I would have preferred to finish all my other stories first, but I REALLY want this Moyen series out of my system, and I really think this story is much better than the first. (Not much to brag about). The good news is, this one will only be 18 chapters long, and not 31! Plus, I need these finished before, (brace yourself everyone) JUNE 21ST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I DECLARE HARRY POTTER DAY! 139 DAYS TO GO!!!! 20 WEEKS!!!! ASK ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME AND THEY WILL TELL YOU I AM DRIVING THEM CRAZY WITH MY COUNTING BUT I DON'T CARE! 139 DAYS! WWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 1- Letters and articles
Harry Potter sat in the kitchen of the Dursley's house, watching his Uncle, Vernon Dursley, talk to his son, Harry's cousin Dudley. They were standing in the garden, by the side of the house; just far enough away to make sure that he couldn't hear what they were talking about. He had a fair idea anyway. Harry pretended not to be watching as Vernon finished telling his son whatever he was telling him, and turned to walk towards the car where his wife, Petunia, was already stationed. The Dursleys were going out for the day- to a barbeque a partner in Uncle Vernon's firm, Grunnings, was holding at his house. However, Dudley had been complaining of a headache all morning and was being left behind. Dudley waited until his parents had driven off, and then walked back into the kitchen, rolling his eyes at Harry, who grinned. "What'd he say?" He asked curiously as Dudley sat down opposite him. Dudley shook his head. "Sorry Harry. I'm not allowed to speak to you- you're a bad influence." He said with a wink. Harry laughed. "Oh right. Have you really got a headache?" He asked, knowing the answer already. Dudley pulled a face. "You think I want to go to one of those stupid barbeques? Gag me." He said, pretending to throw up. Harry laughed again and stretched. "Well, this gives me a chance to tell you about what happened this year then." He said. Dudley leaned forward. "Yeah. Rich said something happened a month ago." He said with interest. Harry thought. "It was a few months ago, actually." He said, with surprise at how fast the time had gone. "Well, anyway." And with that he launched into the story of how, in January, the Deatheaters had attacked Hogwarts and the Great Hall had almost been destroyed. He told him about Daphne and Lori, and about Draco's abrupt change of personality after the attack, and about how he was now his friend. (A/N- To find out more about this, read Please Help Me With a Title). Dudley listened intently, laughing every now and then and with an awe struck look on his face when he heard about the actual attack. Of course nothing so dangerous ever happened at his school, Smeltings. Harry also told Dudley about Fudge's resignation just after Christmas and the elevation of Arthur Weasley to Minister of Magic, whose swearing-in had taken place the day before. Right on cue, there was a tap on the window and Harry and Dudley looked up to see an owl hovering outside. Harry was surprised to find that instead of Pig or one of the school owls he usually received, he was looking at Hermes, Percy Weasley's owl. Confused, Harry got up and opened the window for the grey owl, who handed a letter to Harry calmly, reminding him fiercely of his owner. Harry sat back down and opened the envelope. A newspaper clipping and a letter fell out- Harry picked up the letter first.
Hey Harry! Hope you're having a good summer so far. We woke up this morning, picked up the paper and thought that Christmas had come early! Ron doesn't know yet- the lazy sod is still asleep. Hermione practically sprinted out of the house as soon as she saw it, and Ginny went with her. Poor Hermione. We're pretty sure that Ron will feel the same way, though, when he sees it. One thing's for sure- neither of them would want you, or anyone else to read it. Ever. Which is why, as good, devoted, kind brothers, we felt it our duty to send this to you. Enjoy! Gred and Feorge.
Harry looked up at his cousin and told him the basic gist of the letter. They both eyed the article apprehensively. "Go on Harry- I want to know what it's about." Dudley said, pushing the newspaper towards him. Harry picked it up, shook it open, and scanned the heading. He frowned. "It's just about the swearing-in. Here, I'll read it out:
Arthur Weasley Sworn-in: Last evening, at the Ministry banquet halls in Diagon Alley, London, the Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley was formally sworn into his post after five months in the job. Mr Weasley came to the office at a very dark, busy time, which I'm sure no one would really like to dwell on. The swearing-in of a new Minister is traditionally a chance for everyone to really get to know the personality of said Minister and the new 'first family' as our American cousins call them. And what a family they are! Seven children, (one girl, six boys), ages ranging from fourteen to twenty-six, all with flaming red hair and, apparently, an adverse sense of humour. At least, that's how it seemed last night anyway. Although Minister Weasley was originally the main attraction of the evening, his seven children well and truly managed to steal the limelight with seemingly little effort. Bilius, the eldest son of the new Minister and known to the family and all his friends as 'Bill', and his younger by-one-year brother Charles ('Charlie') attracted most of the female attention, and had many young Witches vying for their attention all evening. Bill is a curse- breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Egypt, and Charlie works with dragons in Romania. The term 'adverse sense of humour' is best applied to the new Minister's eighteen-year old twin sons. Frederick ('Fred') and George have just completed their education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and told this reporter that they are planning to open a joke shop in Hogsmeade. Last evening seemed to be a perfect 'opportunity' to test some of their products. Indeed before the night was very old, there had already been an assortment of giant canaries, squeaky wands and exploding puddings appear. The Minister's third eldest son, Percival ('Percy'), held the attention of many of the country's top ministers for the entire evening. Percy is already following in his father's footsteps and, at only twenty, is the second-youngest Head of Department in history. (The youngest being Samuel Greenwoods at the age of seventeen). Minister Weasley's youngest child and only girl, Virginia ('Ginny'), a very beautiful fourteen-year old, and her elder-by-one-year brother and youngest son of Minister Weasley, Ronald ('Ron'), spent much of the evening helping their parents 'fend off' the lowly reporters like myself, who are all obviously very interested in these seven colourful characters, all of whom were Gryffindors. Over the next seven days, we will be bringing to you, exclusive to the Daily Prophet, an in-depth profile of each of the Weasley children, starting today with (my personal favourite) Ron. Find out why on p4."
Harry stopped at this point and looked up at Dudley. "*Personal favourite?* Ron's not going to stop gloating 'til at least Christmas." He said. Dudley laughed as Harry turned the cutting over to page 4. (Fred and George had kindly provided the profile for Harry's enjoyment). It wasn't a very long article, but complete with a large picture that had obviously been taken the night before. The picture (moving of course) showed Ron in the banquet hall, sitting at a table in between Ginny and Hermione, and all three of them were laughing at something. Harry felt a little envious that he hadn't been able to go to the Swearing-In, it looked like a lot of fun there, and he had been invited. However, it was just too dangerous for him to go somewhere that high-profile at a time like this. Harry showed the picture to Dudley and then started to read the article out loud. It was written in question/answer format, with a blurb at the bottom:
"Name: Ronald Weasley. Nickname: Ron. Age: Sixteen. Birthday: 1st March. School: Hogwarts. House: Gryffindor. Likes: Quiddtch, Chudley Cannons, Chess, Potions class." Harry stopped again, looking at the paper incredulously. "Ron hates potions!" He said, frowning. "We both do." Dudley waved a hand impatiently. "Ask him about it later. I want to hear the rest of it. Go on!" He said. Harry shrugged and continued:
"Dislikes: Maroon and corn beef." Harry sniggered and carried on with the blurb:
"The sixth child of Minister Weasley and the youngest son in the family, Ron excelled from a very young age. He won the Annual Under Tens Southern- England Wizarding Chess Championship four times in a row since the age of six and then Under Fifteens once at the age of ten. Huh." Harry stopped again and was about to comment before Dudley pointed at the article again, urging him on. "Ron is an avid Chudley Cannons fan and, if asked, insists that the motto is still 'We shall conquer', if only in spirit. Ron plays Quidditch himself and has held the position of Keeper for the Gryffindor team since last year, when they won the Inter-house Championship for the second year running. On the team with him were his older brothers, Fred and George, who played as Beaters although they have now graduated, and Charlie Weasley was Captain of the team for four years during his time at Hogwarts. Ron has been best friends with none other than Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, since their first day at Hogwarts, when they met on the Hogwarts Express."
"How does she know that?" Harry suddenly said. "How does she know we met on the train?" Dudley shrugged and Harry, feeling confused, carried on reading:
"Oh, look- she explains it now." He said. "You may wonder how I know all of this about a teenager relatively unheard of before now, but don't worry- I haven't made it up. My very reliable source is none other than Ron's other best friend, Hermione Granger, who was stuck next to yours truly at the banquet last night. (Above left, sitting on the right)."
"Hermione told her- oh, that potions thing was out of order. Snape will keep going on about that forever." Harry said, grinning. Dudley laughed and Harry carried on.
"Many of you may recognise the name 'Hermione Granger' from an article published a couple of years ago, entitled 'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache'. Here we go." Harry said bitterly, rolling his eyes. Dudley leaned forward. "What? What's that?"
Harry rolled his eyes again. "It was a load of rubbish, saying that Hermione was my girlfriend and she was cheating on me." He said. Dudley burst out laughing. "Wish I'd read that. It must have been hilarious!" He said. Harry shrugged. "Well, the thing is, people believed it and Hermione got hate mail for ages. It was so stupid." He told his cousin, who stopped laughing. Harry looked down at the article again. "OK, it's nearly finished."
"However, Hermione assures me that she has never been Harry Potter's girlfriend, and that they are in fact best friends and nothing more. Ron, whom I had the pleasure of talking to when he came over to check on his friend, confirmed this story. Hermione had been at the Swearing-In as a special guest of the Weasley family, and from her description of her friend, Ron quickly became my favourite Weasley thus far. I use the term 'friend' loosely as, judging by the way they looked at each other when they each thought no one else was watching, they won't be 'just friends' for much longer."
It took Harry a moment to realise what he had just read out, and when he did his lower jaw dropped so low that it narrowly missed the floor. Dudley's hands had flown to his mouth to try and stifle the laugh that almost exploded from him. When he had sobered up, he spoke quietly. "It doesn't, *actually* say that, does it?" He asked uncertainly, pulling the article towards him. Harry nodded, looking dumbfounded. When he found his voice at last, he sounded it as well. "I don't believe it." He said. "I mean- Ron's going to, Hermione'll, *everyone* will see it. They'll all know." Dudley shrugged. "So what. It's true. I said to you last year." "Shut up Dudley." Harry said, resting his head on his hands. Dudley shrugged again. "Well, I did. Don't you remember? I actually thought they were going out with each other when we met, and you said." "Yeah alright." Harry said. "The point is, they're not, but this article says that they will be." "And?" Dudley asked. Harry didn't know what to say, but was saved from answering by the noisy arrival of a tiny owl, otherwise known as Pig. Pig landed on the table in front of Harry, who reached for his leg to untie the note that was folded up very small. He straightened it out and could tell that it was from Ron, even though it was not addressed to him or signed. It had obviously been written pretty quickly; his handwriting was very scruffy and it wasn't even finished.
The twins told me that they sent that story to you about ten minutes ago. I don't have a clue what that woman is talking about. Seriously, I'm thinking of suing. Apparently Hermione read it and ran off somewhere. I don't blame her. How the hell am I ever going to even *talk* to her ever again? I'm so embarrassed. Fred and George took a picture of me when I read the stupid thing- they'll probably copy it and sell it to the papers knowing them. They keep looking at me and then saying Merry Christmas to each other. Pricks. Harry- what am I going to do? You don't believe it do you? Because it's bloody rubbish. You know that. I know that. It's RUBBISH! And not only rubbish, but it's bloody mortefying, it's
The note ended there. Harry shook his head and passed it to Dudley to read. It was then that he noticed Pig was trying to get his attention, to show him the other note on his other leg, which Harry hadn't noticed. He untied this as well and smoothed it out. This note was written in small, neat writing that Harry hadn't seen before.
Harry, Sorry about Ron's note not being finished. Hermione came in, read it over his shoulder, told him he'd spelt mortifying wrong and then, (quite rightly) got upset about what he'd written. He is such an idiot. Anyway, Hermione ran off again, and after a little persuasion from me (I had to push him out of the door) Ron went after her. They are both impossible, honestly. Hope you're having a nice summer. Say hi to Dudley for me. Ginny.
Harry laughed and passed the note to Dudley, who had finished reading Ron's. Harry could just imagine Ron trying to talk Hermione round- they were both so stubborn that they wouldn't talk to each other for the rest for the holidays most probably. Dudley finished reading the note and was about to say something when another owl swooped in- this time a grey eagle-owl with a sharp beak. It landed in front of Harry and held out a letter. Harry raised his eyebrows at Dudley and untied it, unfolded it and, seeing who it was from, decided to read it out loud.
"Harry, Have you read the Daily Prophet? I can't believe it! Well, I can believe what it says, I was only saying to Lori the other day that I-"
"Wait a minute." Harry said. "Did everyone expect this apart from me?" He said asked his cousin who nodded. "Yep." He said. "Keep reading."
Harry frowned but continued. "I was only saying to Lori the other day that I think they'll get together by the end of the week. (By the way, I'm at Lori and Draco's house, which is practically a palace, I'd like to add. My parents decided not to go to Tenerife until next week, so Lori asked me to come and stay. This is Draco's owl Thor.) Anyway, what I can't believe is that Hermione didn't tell me about it! I had to read it in a newspaper! I'm her cousin, not to mention her friend, and not a single word! Did she say anything to you? Did Ron? I'm going to kill them. Anyway, Lori wants to write something now. See you in September, and enjoy the rest of your holidays! Love Daphne.
Hi Harry! Daphne has been acting up since she read the paper about two hours ago, so Draco suggested we write to you about it. We couldn't possible ask Ron and Hermione- that's just far too embarrassing. This is bad enough. I hope you know what we're talking about- if not that's even more embarrassing. You don't get the Daily Prophet, do you? Oh- Daphne's just told me that they'll probably send it to you, and that you'll know soon enough, which I suppose is true. Anyway, we're having a great time here- Joliet is great and Emily is the sweetest little thing you will ever see. She's taken a great liking to Draco, which is really funny because he is just not good with little kids. Sorry, but it's true. See you later! Love Lori.
I'd just like to say for the record that I am brilliant with little kids, thank you very much. And Emily has not taken a liking to me. She likes Dobby better. (He came to visit us yesterday, and told us all about what happened. That was a good idea with the sock). Anyway, Thor, my owl, is actually really friendly, although he looks like Crabbe on a bad hair day. I bet you're shocked about that story, though I have to say it doesn't surprise me. I would have loved to see their faces when they read it though. See you in September. Draco."
Harry finished the letter(s) and looked at Thor who, now he thought about it, did bear a striking resemblance to Draco's ex-henchman. "I'd better reply to all of these." Harry said, getting up from the table to grab some paper.
"Right." He said, sitting back down. "I'll write to them three first." He said, nodding at the letter from Daphne, Lori and Draco. He started to write.
Daphne, Lori and Draco, I'm going to try and write a reply that answers all those questions in order. Yes, I have read the Daily Prophet. I can't believe it either. I, unlike you lot, have not predicted anything like this, and would like to add that *nothing has actually happened*. It's just a story. No, Hermione and Ron haven't said anything to me about anything like this. I really don't think you should kill them- I'd have no one to help me with homework or beat me at chess. Did anyone else know about those chess championships? Anyway, I agree that it's too embarrassing to write to them, and you don't have to feel bad about asking me about it. I know what you're talking about because Fred and George wrote to me and sent me the article, because they knew Ron and Hermione wouldn't have wanted me to see it. I'm glad that you like your Aunt and cousin, but I can't tell who's telling the truth about Draco being any good with little kids. I'll have to ask Daphne for a deciding vote when we get back to school. I hope Dobby's OK. The sock thing wasn't that hard to do- I didn't expect it to actually work though. You're right about Thor, he does look like Crabbe. It's spooky. I was really shocked about the story, but you'll be glad to hear that Fred and George took a picture of him when he read the story, so you can see his face. They didn't take one of Hermione though. Sorry. Have a great summer, and I'll see you all in September! Harry
Harry was about halfway through the letter when it hit him. He had just been writing that 'you don't have to feel bad about it' when he realised. He looked up at Dudley, who was munching on an apple. "What?" He asked curiously when Harry looked up. "They like each other." Harry said disbelievingly. "They really do." Dudley started laughing and nearly choked on his apple. "Of course they do. Have you only just realised? Jeez." He said, grinning. Harry sat back, thinking. Now he thought about it, *really* thought about it, it was totally obvious. The bickering, the jealousy, everything pointed towards it. What the hell was he going to say to them? Harry tried to forget about it for now and finished writing the letter to Daphne, Lori and Draco. He slid it across to Dudley to let him read it and picked up another bit of paper.
Ron and Hermione, He wrote. Then, shaking his head, Harry screwed up the paper and threw it away. Ron, he wrote on another piece. For now, it would be a lot easier to talk to Ron about this- Harry had a feeling he'd be the one who was the most confused. Harry thought for a moment about what to write, and then deciding that honesty was the best policy, wrote the following:
Ron, First reaction- shock. Second reaction- confusion because everyone else isn't at all surprised. Third reaction- feeling stupid. It is so obvious, why didn't I see it before? You probably haven't realised it yet, but you like Hermione. And don't try to deny it, because it is really, really obvious. Seriously. Think about it. Think about all the times that you've almost beaten someone up because they said something bad about her. I know I have as well, sometimes, but most of the time I'm just holding you back. Then think about all those fights you have. You're probably fighting when you get this. I bet you are. You know, they say people who fight a lot care a lot about each other. (I can just imagine how red you are now). And lastly, think what you'd do to Viktor Krum if you saw him kissing Hermione. I'm positive it's something that would get you killed, or worse expelled. Anyway, Draco wants to see that picture of you that the twins took. See you later, and I hope Hermione doesn't kill you for that stupid note you wrote. (Ginny sent it to me). Harry.
Harry put down his pen and read the letter to Dudley. "Yeah." He said, when Harry had finished. "Send that. It's actually pretty good." He said, trying not to laugh. Harry hesitated for a moment, then folded the letter up really small and tied it onto Pig's leg, who zoomed straight out of the window. Then Harry folded up the letter to Daphne, Lori and Draco, tied it onto Thor and watched him fly off as well. He quickly wrote a short reply to Ginny, Fred and George:
Ginny, Fred and George, Thanks for the info. I'm sure Ron's going to love you forever, Gred and Feorge. Ginny, please make sure my best friends don't kill each other- I've got a feeling they'll want to. Harry
He tied this onto Hermes, who flew out of the window as well. Harry looked down at the many pieces of paper that now littered the kitchen table. "Well," Dudley said with a grin. "That was interesting."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The reply from Ron came the next morning. It was very short; and after it came Dudley couldn't stop laughing for an hour, much to the annoyance of his parents.
Harry, I hate you, I hope you know that. Ron. P.S, if you must know, me and Hermione are now going out with each other. Happy now?
OK, end of first chapter. Phew, that was bloody long, wasn't it? All those letters. I hope everyone isn't too confused to review. I had to start the story like this because I am an avid Ron/Hermione shipper and I hadn't been able to get them together in PHMWAT. Sorry!
The end! Anyway, I would have preferred to finish all my other stories first, but I REALLY want this Moyen series out of my system, and I really think this story is much better than the first. (Not much to brag about). The good news is, this one will only be 18 chapters long, and not 31! Plus, I need these finished before, (brace yourself everyone) JUNE 21ST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I DECLARE HARRY POTTER DAY! 139 DAYS TO GO!!!! 20 WEEKS!!!! ASK ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME AND THEY WILL TELL YOU I AM DRIVING THEM CRAZY WITH MY COUNTING BUT I DON'T CARE! 139 DAYS! WWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 1- Letters and articles
Harry Potter sat in the kitchen of the Dursley's house, watching his Uncle, Vernon Dursley, talk to his son, Harry's cousin Dudley. They were standing in the garden, by the side of the house; just far enough away to make sure that he couldn't hear what they were talking about. He had a fair idea anyway. Harry pretended not to be watching as Vernon finished telling his son whatever he was telling him, and turned to walk towards the car where his wife, Petunia, was already stationed. The Dursleys were going out for the day- to a barbeque a partner in Uncle Vernon's firm, Grunnings, was holding at his house. However, Dudley had been complaining of a headache all morning and was being left behind. Dudley waited until his parents had driven off, and then walked back into the kitchen, rolling his eyes at Harry, who grinned. "What'd he say?" He asked curiously as Dudley sat down opposite him. Dudley shook his head. "Sorry Harry. I'm not allowed to speak to you- you're a bad influence." He said with a wink. Harry laughed. "Oh right. Have you really got a headache?" He asked, knowing the answer already. Dudley pulled a face. "You think I want to go to one of those stupid barbeques? Gag me." He said, pretending to throw up. Harry laughed again and stretched. "Well, this gives me a chance to tell you about what happened this year then." He said. Dudley leaned forward. "Yeah. Rich said something happened a month ago." He said with interest. Harry thought. "It was a few months ago, actually." He said, with surprise at how fast the time had gone. "Well, anyway." And with that he launched into the story of how, in January, the Deatheaters had attacked Hogwarts and the Great Hall had almost been destroyed. He told him about Daphne and Lori, and about Draco's abrupt change of personality after the attack, and about how he was now his friend. (A/N- To find out more about this, read Please Help Me With a Title). Dudley listened intently, laughing every now and then and with an awe struck look on his face when he heard about the actual attack. Of course nothing so dangerous ever happened at his school, Smeltings. Harry also told Dudley about Fudge's resignation just after Christmas and the elevation of Arthur Weasley to Minister of Magic, whose swearing-in had taken place the day before. Right on cue, there was a tap on the window and Harry and Dudley looked up to see an owl hovering outside. Harry was surprised to find that instead of Pig or one of the school owls he usually received, he was looking at Hermes, Percy Weasley's owl. Confused, Harry got up and opened the window for the grey owl, who handed a letter to Harry calmly, reminding him fiercely of his owner. Harry sat back down and opened the envelope. A newspaper clipping and a letter fell out- Harry picked up the letter first.
Hey Harry! Hope you're having a good summer so far. We woke up this morning, picked up the paper and thought that Christmas had come early! Ron doesn't know yet- the lazy sod is still asleep. Hermione practically sprinted out of the house as soon as she saw it, and Ginny went with her. Poor Hermione. We're pretty sure that Ron will feel the same way, though, when he sees it. One thing's for sure- neither of them would want you, or anyone else to read it. Ever. Which is why, as good, devoted, kind brothers, we felt it our duty to send this to you. Enjoy! Gred and Feorge.
Harry looked up at his cousin and told him the basic gist of the letter. They both eyed the article apprehensively. "Go on Harry- I want to know what it's about." Dudley said, pushing the newspaper towards him. Harry picked it up, shook it open, and scanned the heading. He frowned. "It's just about the swearing-in. Here, I'll read it out:
Arthur Weasley Sworn-in: Last evening, at the Ministry banquet halls in Diagon Alley, London, the Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley was formally sworn into his post after five months in the job. Mr Weasley came to the office at a very dark, busy time, which I'm sure no one would really like to dwell on. The swearing-in of a new Minister is traditionally a chance for everyone to really get to know the personality of said Minister and the new 'first family' as our American cousins call them. And what a family they are! Seven children, (one girl, six boys), ages ranging from fourteen to twenty-six, all with flaming red hair and, apparently, an adverse sense of humour. At least, that's how it seemed last night anyway. Although Minister Weasley was originally the main attraction of the evening, his seven children well and truly managed to steal the limelight with seemingly little effort. Bilius, the eldest son of the new Minister and known to the family and all his friends as 'Bill', and his younger by-one-year brother Charles ('Charlie') attracted most of the female attention, and had many young Witches vying for their attention all evening. Bill is a curse- breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Egypt, and Charlie works with dragons in Romania. The term 'adverse sense of humour' is best applied to the new Minister's eighteen-year old twin sons. Frederick ('Fred') and George have just completed their education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and told this reporter that they are planning to open a joke shop in Hogsmeade. Last evening seemed to be a perfect 'opportunity' to test some of their products. Indeed before the night was very old, there had already been an assortment of giant canaries, squeaky wands and exploding puddings appear. The Minister's third eldest son, Percival ('Percy'), held the attention of many of the country's top ministers for the entire evening. Percy is already following in his father's footsteps and, at only twenty, is the second-youngest Head of Department in history. (The youngest being Samuel Greenwoods at the age of seventeen). Minister Weasley's youngest child and only girl, Virginia ('Ginny'), a very beautiful fourteen-year old, and her elder-by-one-year brother and youngest son of Minister Weasley, Ronald ('Ron'), spent much of the evening helping their parents 'fend off' the lowly reporters like myself, who are all obviously very interested in these seven colourful characters, all of whom were Gryffindors. Over the next seven days, we will be bringing to you, exclusive to the Daily Prophet, an in-depth profile of each of the Weasley children, starting today with (my personal favourite) Ron. Find out why on p4."
Harry stopped at this point and looked up at Dudley. "*Personal favourite?* Ron's not going to stop gloating 'til at least Christmas." He said. Dudley laughed as Harry turned the cutting over to page 4. (Fred and George had kindly provided the profile for Harry's enjoyment). It wasn't a very long article, but complete with a large picture that had obviously been taken the night before. The picture (moving of course) showed Ron in the banquet hall, sitting at a table in between Ginny and Hermione, and all three of them were laughing at something. Harry felt a little envious that he hadn't been able to go to the Swearing-In, it looked like a lot of fun there, and he had been invited. However, it was just too dangerous for him to go somewhere that high-profile at a time like this. Harry showed the picture to Dudley and then started to read the article out loud. It was written in question/answer format, with a blurb at the bottom:
"Name: Ronald Weasley. Nickname: Ron. Age: Sixteen. Birthday: 1st March. School: Hogwarts. House: Gryffindor. Likes: Quiddtch, Chudley Cannons, Chess, Potions class." Harry stopped again, looking at the paper incredulously. "Ron hates potions!" He said, frowning. "We both do." Dudley waved a hand impatiently. "Ask him about it later. I want to hear the rest of it. Go on!" He said. Harry shrugged and continued:
"Dislikes: Maroon and corn beef." Harry sniggered and carried on with the blurb:
"The sixth child of Minister Weasley and the youngest son in the family, Ron excelled from a very young age. He won the Annual Under Tens Southern- England Wizarding Chess Championship four times in a row since the age of six and then Under Fifteens once at the age of ten. Huh." Harry stopped again and was about to comment before Dudley pointed at the article again, urging him on. "Ron is an avid Chudley Cannons fan and, if asked, insists that the motto is still 'We shall conquer', if only in spirit. Ron plays Quidditch himself and has held the position of Keeper for the Gryffindor team since last year, when they won the Inter-house Championship for the second year running. On the team with him were his older brothers, Fred and George, who played as Beaters although they have now graduated, and Charlie Weasley was Captain of the team for four years during his time at Hogwarts. Ron has been best friends with none other than Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, since their first day at Hogwarts, when they met on the Hogwarts Express."
"How does she know that?" Harry suddenly said. "How does she know we met on the train?" Dudley shrugged and Harry, feeling confused, carried on reading:
"Oh, look- she explains it now." He said. "You may wonder how I know all of this about a teenager relatively unheard of before now, but don't worry- I haven't made it up. My very reliable source is none other than Ron's other best friend, Hermione Granger, who was stuck next to yours truly at the banquet last night. (Above left, sitting on the right)."
"Hermione told her- oh, that potions thing was out of order. Snape will keep going on about that forever." Harry said, grinning. Dudley laughed and Harry carried on.
"Many of you may recognise the name 'Hermione Granger' from an article published a couple of years ago, entitled 'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache'. Here we go." Harry said bitterly, rolling his eyes. Dudley leaned forward. "What? What's that?"
Harry rolled his eyes again. "It was a load of rubbish, saying that Hermione was my girlfriend and she was cheating on me." He said. Dudley burst out laughing. "Wish I'd read that. It must have been hilarious!" He said. Harry shrugged. "Well, the thing is, people believed it and Hermione got hate mail for ages. It was so stupid." He told his cousin, who stopped laughing. Harry looked down at the article again. "OK, it's nearly finished."
"However, Hermione assures me that she has never been Harry Potter's girlfriend, and that they are in fact best friends and nothing more. Ron, whom I had the pleasure of talking to when he came over to check on his friend, confirmed this story. Hermione had been at the Swearing-In as a special guest of the Weasley family, and from her description of her friend, Ron quickly became my favourite Weasley thus far. I use the term 'friend' loosely as, judging by the way they looked at each other when they each thought no one else was watching, they won't be 'just friends' for much longer."
It took Harry a moment to realise what he had just read out, and when he did his lower jaw dropped so low that it narrowly missed the floor. Dudley's hands had flown to his mouth to try and stifle the laugh that almost exploded from him. When he had sobered up, he spoke quietly. "It doesn't, *actually* say that, does it?" He asked uncertainly, pulling the article towards him. Harry nodded, looking dumbfounded. When he found his voice at last, he sounded it as well. "I don't believe it." He said. "I mean- Ron's going to, Hermione'll, *everyone* will see it. They'll all know." Dudley shrugged. "So what. It's true. I said to you last year." "Shut up Dudley." Harry said, resting his head on his hands. Dudley shrugged again. "Well, I did. Don't you remember? I actually thought they were going out with each other when we met, and you said." "Yeah alright." Harry said. "The point is, they're not, but this article says that they will be." "And?" Dudley asked. Harry didn't know what to say, but was saved from answering by the noisy arrival of a tiny owl, otherwise known as Pig. Pig landed on the table in front of Harry, who reached for his leg to untie the note that was folded up very small. He straightened it out and could tell that it was from Ron, even though it was not addressed to him or signed. It had obviously been written pretty quickly; his handwriting was very scruffy and it wasn't even finished.
The twins told me that they sent that story to you about ten minutes ago. I don't have a clue what that woman is talking about. Seriously, I'm thinking of suing. Apparently Hermione read it and ran off somewhere. I don't blame her. How the hell am I ever going to even *talk* to her ever again? I'm so embarrassed. Fred and George took a picture of me when I read the stupid thing- they'll probably copy it and sell it to the papers knowing them. They keep looking at me and then saying Merry Christmas to each other. Pricks. Harry- what am I going to do? You don't believe it do you? Because it's bloody rubbish. You know that. I know that. It's RUBBISH! And not only rubbish, but it's bloody mortefying, it's
The note ended there. Harry shook his head and passed it to Dudley to read. It was then that he noticed Pig was trying to get his attention, to show him the other note on his other leg, which Harry hadn't noticed. He untied this as well and smoothed it out. This note was written in small, neat writing that Harry hadn't seen before.
Harry, Sorry about Ron's note not being finished. Hermione came in, read it over his shoulder, told him he'd spelt mortifying wrong and then, (quite rightly) got upset about what he'd written. He is such an idiot. Anyway, Hermione ran off again, and after a little persuasion from me (I had to push him out of the door) Ron went after her. They are both impossible, honestly. Hope you're having a nice summer. Say hi to Dudley for me. Ginny.
Harry laughed and passed the note to Dudley, who had finished reading Ron's. Harry could just imagine Ron trying to talk Hermione round- they were both so stubborn that they wouldn't talk to each other for the rest for the holidays most probably. Dudley finished reading the note and was about to say something when another owl swooped in- this time a grey eagle-owl with a sharp beak. It landed in front of Harry and held out a letter. Harry raised his eyebrows at Dudley and untied it, unfolded it and, seeing who it was from, decided to read it out loud.
"Harry, Have you read the Daily Prophet? I can't believe it! Well, I can believe what it says, I was only saying to Lori the other day that I-"
"Wait a minute." Harry said. "Did everyone expect this apart from me?" He said asked his cousin who nodded. "Yep." He said. "Keep reading."
Harry frowned but continued. "I was only saying to Lori the other day that I think they'll get together by the end of the week. (By the way, I'm at Lori and Draco's house, which is practically a palace, I'd like to add. My parents decided not to go to Tenerife until next week, so Lori asked me to come and stay. This is Draco's owl Thor.) Anyway, what I can't believe is that Hermione didn't tell me about it! I had to read it in a newspaper! I'm her cousin, not to mention her friend, and not a single word! Did she say anything to you? Did Ron? I'm going to kill them. Anyway, Lori wants to write something now. See you in September, and enjoy the rest of your holidays! Love Daphne.
Hi Harry! Daphne has been acting up since she read the paper about two hours ago, so Draco suggested we write to you about it. We couldn't possible ask Ron and Hermione- that's just far too embarrassing. This is bad enough. I hope you know what we're talking about- if not that's even more embarrassing. You don't get the Daily Prophet, do you? Oh- Daphne's just told me that they'll probably send it to you, and that you'll know soon enough, which I suppose is true. Anyway, we're having a great time here- Joliet is great and Emily is the sweetest little thing you will ever see. She's taken a great liking to Draco, which is really funny because he is just not good with little kids. Sorry, but it's true. See you later! Love Lori.
I'd just like to say for the record that I am brilliant with little kids, thank you very much. And Emily has not taken a liking to me. She likes Dobby better. (He came to visit us yesterday, and told us all about what happened. That was a good idea with the sock). Anyway, Thor, my owl, is actually really friendly, although he looks like Crabbe on a bad hair day. I bet you're shocked about that story, though I have to say it doesn't surprise me. I would have loved to see their faces when they read it though. See you in September. Draco."
Harry finished the letter(s) and looked at Thor who, now he thought about it, did bear a striking resemblance to Draco's ex-henchman. "I'd better reply to all of these." Harry said, getting up from the table to grab some paper.
"Right." He said, sitting back down. "I'll write to them three first." He said, nodding at the letter from Daphne, Lori and Draco. He started to write.
Daphne, Lori and Draco, I'm going to try and write a reply that answers all those questions in order. Yes, I have read the Daily Prophet. I can't believe it either. I, unlike you lot, have not predicted anything like this, and would like to add that *nothing has actually happened*. It's just a story. No, Hermione and Ron haven't said anything to me about anything like this. I really don't think you should kill them- I'd have no one to help me with homework or beat me at chess. Did anyone else know about those chess championships? Anyway, I agree that it's too embarrassing to write to them, and you don't have to feel bad about asking me about it. I know what you're talking about because Fred and George wrote to me and sent me the article, because they knew Ron and Hermione wouldn't have wanted me to see it. I'm glad that you like your Aunt and cousin, but I can't tell who's telling the truth about Draco being any good with little kids. I'll have to ask Daphne for a deciding vote when we get back to school. I hope Dobby's OK. The sock thing wasn't that hard to do- I didn't expect it to actually work though. You're right about Thor, he does look like Crabbe. It's spooky. I was really shocked about the story, but you'll be glad to hear that Fred and George took a picture of him when he read the story, so you can see his face. They didn't take one of Hermione though. Sorry. Have a great summer, and I'll see you all in September! Harry
Harry was about halfway through the letter when it hit him. He had just been writing that 'you don't have to feel bad about it' when he realised. He looked up at Dudley, who was munching on an apple. "What?" He asked curiously when Harry looked up. "They like each other." Harry said disbelievingly. "They really do." Dudley started laughing and nearly choked on his apple. "Of course they do. Have you only just realised? Jeez." He said, grinning. Harry sat back, thinking. Now he thought about it, *really* thought about it, it was totally obvious. The bickering, the jealousy, everything pointed towards it. What the hell was he going to say to them? Harry tried to forget about it for now and finished writing the letter to Daphne, Lori and Draco. He slid it across to Dudley to let him read it and picked up another bit of paper.
Ron and Hermione, He wrote. Then, shaking his head, Harry screwed up the paper and threw it away. Ron, he wrote on another piece. For now, it would be a lot easier to talk to Ron about this- Harry had a feeling he'd be the one who was the most confused. Harry thought for a moment about what to write, and then deciding that honesty was the best policy, wrote the following:
Ron, First reaction- shock. Second reaction- confusion because everyone else isn't at all surprised. Third reaction- feeling stupid. It is so obvious, why didn't I see it before? You probably haven't realised it yet, but you like Hermione. And don't try to deny it, because it is really, really obvious. Seriously. Think about it. Think about all the times that you've almost beaten someone up because they said something bad about her. I know I have as well, sometimes, but most of the time I'm just holding you back. Then think about all those fights you have. You're probably fighting when you get this. I bet you are. You know, they say people who fight a lot care a lot about each other. (I can just imagine how red you are now). And lastly, think what you'd do to Viktor Krum if you saw him kissing Hermione. I'm positive it's something that would get you killed, or worse expelled. Anyway, Draco wants to see that picture of you that the twins took. See you later, and I hope Hermione doesn't kill you for that stupid note you wrote. (Ginny sent it to me). Harry.
Harry put down his pen and read the letter to Dudley. "Yeah." He said, when Harry had finished. "Send that. It's actually pretty good." He said, trying not to laugh. Harry hesitated for a moment, then folded the letter up really small and tied it onto Pig's leg, who zoomed straight out of the window. Then Harry folded up the letter to Daphne, Lori and Draco, tied it onto Thor and watched him fly off as well. He quickly wrote a short reply to Ginny, Fred and George:
Ginny, Fred and George, Thanks for the info. I'm sure Ron's going to love you forever, Gred and Feorge. Ginny, please make sure my best friends don't kill each other- I've got a feeling they'll want to. Harry
He tied this onto Hermes, who flew out of the window as well. Harry looked down at the many pieces of paper that now littered the kitchen table. "Well," Dudley said with a grin. "That was interesting."
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The reply from Ron came the next morning. It was very short; and after it came Dudley couldn't stop laughing for an hour, much to the annoyance of his parents.
Harry, I hate you, I hope you know that. Ron. P.S, if you must know, me and Hermione are now going out with each other. Happy now?
OK, end of first chapter. Phew, that was bloody long, wasn't it? All those letters. I hope everyone isn't too confused to review. I had to start the story like this because I am an avid Ron/Hermione shipper and I hadn't been able to get them together in PHMWAT. Sorry!