Chapter 5

Ron followed Hermione up the stairs and into a small, bright room. Hermione lifted the screaming baby into her arms. She sighed as she rocked the her. "Calm down, shh, it's okay…"

"So is this your charming sister?" Ron asked, leaning over Hermione's shoulder.

"Yes, this is her. Ron, do you see that pink bag over there?"

Ron nodded.

"Will you pull a diaper out of there for me?"

Ron opened the bag and looked inside. "What do they look like?"

"White, square shaped-"

"These?" Ron asked holding up a diaper.

"Yes, that's it."

Ron handed her the diaper and leaned against the wall.

Hermione pulled the diaper off the child. "Oh, Faith…. What did mum and dad feed you?"

The baby looked at Ron and gurgled. A toothless grin was now spread across Faiths features even though her face was still wet from tears. Hermione smiled, "I think she wants you to say hi to her, Ron."

"What?" Ron wondered. "How do I talk to a baby?"

Hermione huffed. "Same way you talk to a regular human being."

"But she doesn't know what I'm saying." Ron pointed out.

"Doesn't she?" Hermione wondered, putting a fresh diaper on the child.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Oh that's right." He said sarcastically. "She's your sister. She can probably read Latin."

Hermione sighed. "That's right, Ron. Latin." She lifted the freshly diapered baby into her arms, "Can you say libertas, Faith? Lib-er-tas?" Faith reached out towards Ron. "You want to hold her, Ron?"

Ron looked apprehensive. "Not really."

Faith seemed to understand what he said, her lip quivered and she started whimpering. Hermione frowned at him. "She's smarter than you may think. Babies may not understand everything you say but they pick up on tones of voice."

Ron glared right back at Hermione. "I don't baby-sit."

Maybe the week was going to be longer than Hermione expected. She put the baby back in her crib and turned to Ron. "You said you'd be able to help with Faith."

"Did I?"

"I can show you the letter if you'd like."

"You keep my letters?"

"Of course I do." She looked across the hall into her own room. "Well since you don't baby-sit, would you like to sand a wall?"

Ron wiped dust out of his eyes and put down the hand sander. He turned around, still holding onto the ladder, and watched as Hermione as she stood on a chair and cut-in with the paintbrush between the wall and the ceiling. He noticed how careful she was not to paint the white ceiling the light gray colour that she chose for the walls. He also realized that there was music playing from a box that muggles called a radio.

Hermione was quietly singing along with it. She may not have been the best singer, but something about her voice made him stare for a bit too long. "What is it Ron?"

Ron shook his head out of his daze. "Nothing."

Hermione giggled.

"What's so funny?" Ron wondered.

She pointed at him and giggled harder. "You have dust all over your face! And that mask!" She laughed harder and fell to her side, splattering paint on her cheek.

Ron was completely confused at her change in demeanor, but he couldn't help laughing as well. He pulled the medical mask off his face, "Is this better?"

Hermione shook her head. "No."

Ron raised his arm to throw the mask at Hermione he smacked his hand against the ceiling in the process. He looked up, knowing that he had hit the ceiling, but wondering what was so cold. "Hermione, what's this?" He asked pointing at a handle.

Hermione's laughter subsided, "The attic."

Ron pulled it open and started to climb up.

"Ron!" Hermione cried. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Have you ever been up here?"

"No."

"Don't you want to see it?"

"No."

Ron tried a new tactic that he was sure would work. "Aren't you curious? You might learn something."

Hermione glared at him. "You're a manipulative prat, Ron Weasley."

Ron grinned. "Does that mean you're coming?"

"Yes."

He poked his head into the musky attic. It was dark and had more dust in it than Ron had on his face. There were boxes stacked up, a mirror in the corner, an old trunk and clothing hanging in garment bags. A sunbeam shone through a small window landing on Rons hand.

"Whoa, Hermione!" Ron said climbing into the attic and helping Hermione up. "Look at this! I wonder what's in those boxes."

"Probably baby pictures and my parents old stuff." Hermione said waving her hand dismissively.

"Let's look around." Ron said as he opened the trunk.

"Ron, I don't think-"

But Ron was ignoring her. He pulled an old newspaper from the trunk and read the headline aloud. "Sirius Black Captured."

Hermione looked shocked. "What?"

"You're parents have the muggle version of the newspaper when Wormtail killed those people and blamed Sirius!"

Hermione read it over his shoulder.

Police captured Sirius Black, who killed thirteen people last Sunday, today. Police commissioner, Kenneth Erickson, stated, "The man didn't put up any struggle whatsoever! We were expecting him to attack us."

Erickson also explained that Black was muttering something that sounded like "traitor" repeatedly.

The article went on like that for a while. Hermione looked up. "It's a small world isn't it?"

Ron nodded. "Er, Hermione, why is your dad on the list of people who were killed?"

Hermione looked the name over. "That's not my dad. That's my grandfather's name. Pettegrew killed my grandfather?"

"That's what it says."

Hermione seemed to be deep in thought. "Funny."

"What's funny?"

"I was connected to the wizarding world before I was even born."

The two teens were quiet for a moment. From downstairs they heard the front door slam. "My parents are home! Come on! We have to get out of here!"

Ron crawled over to the ladder quickly and started to climb down. He looked up to see Hermione's small foot come through the hole, not quite reaching the ladder. "Ron, I can't reach--"

Ron was ahead of her though. He held his arms out. "Just let yourself fall, I promise I've got you."

Hermione scooted herself down a bit more until she could feel Ron's hands on her hips. She swiveled around so she could pull the door to close as she dropped onto the ladder, coming face to face with Ron in the process.

The last time she had been this close to Ron was when she'd gone and kissed him on the cheek before Quidditch. She certainly shouldn't be this close to him now. His eyes were glued to hers, why did he have to look at her like that? And why did he have to smell so good? She tried to move away but Ron held her firmly. "Do you have a good grip?"

"Yes--"

"Okay, let's get down then."

Hermione sucked in a breath as he climbed down the ladder, and her in the process. If he wasn't her best friend she would have tacked him to the ground and snogged him right there on the dusty floor.

"Hermione, you coming?"

She shook herself out of her fantasy and ignored the double entendre. "Yeah on my way."

Thankfully Hermione's parents allowed the teens a break from babysitting and sent them on a short walk to the market. Ron was munching on a candy bar as Hermione pointed out various muggle things Ron never knew about.

"See those boys?" Hermione said directing her gaze towards a park.

"Mmm hmm."

"They're playing football. You just kick that ball into that net and you get a point. There's a certain time limit and at the end of that time limit the team with the most points wins."

Ron snickered. "They call that a sport?"

"Yes, well, there are other sports like basketball and hockey… well I don't really like sports, so I don't know of many."

Ron laughed.

"I can show you how to play basketball sometime. That's one I know."

They walked a little ways in silence. Ron admired everything around him, the stores were all so different and the streets weren't full of people, but full of cars. There were kids playing in the parks but they were all playing games unfamiliar to him. He sighed, he had only spent a few hours in the muggle world and he already wanted to go home.

Hermione looked at him. "Are you okay?"

Ron nodded. "This is just a lot different from what I'm used to."

She smiled. "No brothers harassing you? Or sister reading your journal."

"Well not just that- Ginny reads my journal?"

Hermione laughed. "I assume so."

Ron growled. "I'll have to get her for that one."

"So you have a journal?"

"No."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't."

Ron thought about what they had found in the attic and how Hermione didn't seem to be very surprised. "So, what do you think about your grandfather's death?"

"I'm not sure. It just reminds me that everyone's lives cross paths before they meet."

"What do you mean?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, Harry's parents knew Wormtail, right?"

"Yes."

"And he killed my grandpa."

"Okay…."

"So then Harry's life and my life crossed paths."

"Oh." Ron said feeling his stomach clench with jealousy.

"And our lives have crossed a few times before I knew you," Hermione said, seeming to read his mind.

"What are you talking about?"

Hermione smiled. "You're father studies muggles. And you told me that he brought you to a candy store in London. 'Sugar is Sweet' is the name of it."

"Yeah so?"

"My father brought me there only once as well. They don't like me to eat sweets you know, but he let me have a licorice whip."

Ron laughed. "I had that, too."

Hermione smiled at him. "You see, good friends have had their lives intertwine before they met formally." She grabbed his wrist, "Now come on, I've got something I want to show you."

A/N: It's always fun to toss fate into the mix.

Lenny