Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.
*
Chapter Two: Dreams and Warnings
*
AN- Sorry I haven't written any of this for ages! Yet here's the 2nd
chapter- I just remembered they have a dog so excuse me if Pippin's return
is rather random!
An2- THIS IS THE REAL CHAPTER 2!!!! Thanks for pointing it out Mione Weasley; I really appreciate it- I really mustn't post chapters when I'm too tired to concentrate! Lol. Anyway here goes.
*
Hermione was standing in the large sitting room of the new house. But the new furniture had gone and the walls were stripped bare of the wall paper that she had picked out. The hearth didn't look as if there had been a fire in it for years and the ground was cold and dirty. What had happened to the carpet? The glass in the windows was cracked and the warm red curtains that she had chosen were not there. Wind came into the room and rattled the half broken door- hadn't the builders fixed that?
Hermione looked around her in distress. The room- it seemed so dead when only hours before it had seemed so alive and cosy. What had happened? She crossed the room frantically searching for a sign- any sign that related to the work and decoration that had been put into the room. There was nothing familiar. The empty wooden boxes and the sagging old arm chair were not from her time there at all.
"Ron!" She called out but even her own voice sounded alien in this house which was so much like her own and then so different.
"He's not here." A voice said from nowhere. The voice was malignant, hollow and unfeeling, she shudder and suppressed a scream.
"Where is he then?" She asked her voice barely above a whisper.
"No, the question is: where are you?"
*
Hermione woke up with a start and the words- where are you? - ringing in her ears. She opened her eyes to find it was still dark but and a glance at the clock on the wall told her it was only three o'clock.
She turned to find Ron asleep next to her- warm and solid as ever. She sighed with relief and sunk back down into the warmth of her covers. But she could not sleep again- the dream with its voice- so evil- kept haunting her and every time she closed her eyes she saw the empty room.
Hours later she finally fell into a troubled slumber and slept through until morning.
*
"Hermione?" Ron asked, as he watched his fiancée stared distantly out of the window in their kitchen.
"What?" She asked snapping back down to Earth.
"You seem very distant that's all. We don't have to go to my parents today if you don't want to."
It was their day off and they had been invited to the Burrow for the day.
She laughed amused, "No! I love going to the burrow. You know I do! I just didn't sleep well that's all."
"All?" Ron asked raising a sceptical eyebrow.
"I just had a weird nightmare. That's all; it's probably just sleeping in a new place." She said.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" He asked moving over to her to slip his arms around her waits- she was still so thin!
"It was just a dream!" She said, looking up to him her brown eyes as penetrating as ever.
"Still, you know I wouldn't have minded, if you were upset..." He said.
"I wasn't!" She protested.
"If you were."
"I wasn't," she whispered softly.
"Good." He said, leaning down and kissed her, slowly, carefully and tenderly. She twisted round to snake her arms around his neck and returned the kiss.
From where he was still half a sleep in his basket- Pippin- the golden retriever, whined wondering where his breakfast was.
Hermione broke away giggling, "Listen to him! He knows that he won't get any food if we start this."
"Let him whine," Ron said pulling her back to him for another kiss.
It might have gone further but Hermione- her sense of duty kicking in as usual pulled away from him and said, "We haven't got time. Your mum's expecting us there soon. And poor Pip is starving"
He smiled regretfully tucking a soft curl behind her ear.
"Correct as always," He said fondly, "I'll just go and get a shower then we can go. Ok?"
"Ok, that is if I haven't already used all of the hot water."
He laughed. "I'll just have to suffer with cold water if you have."
"Suffer eh?" She asked.
"Yes. Suffer." He replied chuckling.
"I'll feed Pip- your mum won't mind if we bring him along- will she?" Hermione asked.
"No, Mum loves him." Ron replied.
Hurry up then!" Hermione said.
"Ok, Ok, I'm going!"
*
An hour later they were knocking on the burrow door. Molly Weasley opened the door, her arms full of grandchildren.
Little Mark Weasley ran forward and clamped him arms around Ron's long legs shouting
"Uncle Ronnie!"
"Molly! What a handful!" Hermione exclaimed.
Molly chuckled, "Yes, it's their baby sitter's day off so Percy asked me to look after them while he and Penny are at work. Come on in,"
They followed Molly and her hoard of grandchildren into the living room where Mr Weasley sat with the youngest of Percy's children five month old Susie in his arms.
Emma and Charlotte, the twins moved away from their grandmother and went back to where they had set up a dolls tea party, Pippin, following, taking a strange interest in the dolls for a golden retriever. Ron came in with little Mark clinging onto his hand.
"Hello there," Arthur greeted the couple that had just arrived. "Come to give us a hand with this lot?"
"And I thought it was my day off!" Ron chuckled.
"Uncle Ronnie! Uncle Ronnie! Come and play with my trains." Mark said, dragging Ron off to the corner of the room where he had set up the train track that had been gradually getting larger since Christmas. Reminded of that day Hermione smiled- it had been when Ron proposed to her.
"They get on well together don't they?" Molly said, misreading Hermione's thoughts.
Hermione grinned, it was true, they did, "Yeah," She said, not bothering to put Molly right.
"And how are you little Susie?" Hermione asked the enfant perched on her grandfather's knees offering her a hand.
The baby blinked at her and clasped Hermione's finger with a small but strong hand. Hermione laughed.
"Strong aren't you?" She said.
Susie responded by gurgling happily. Once Hermione's finger was free of Susie's iron grip and her attention diverted by the rattle that Arthur had given her, Hermione went into the kitchen where Molly was pottering about as usual.
"You couldn't give me a hand with chopping those onions, could you my dear?" Molly asked, pointing to some onions that lay in wait next to a vegetable knife on a wooden chopping block.
"Doing things the muggle way?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, it helps keep me sane in my old age!" She replied.
Hermione laughed, "If you can say coped with as much family as you did, then I reckon you're entitled to a little bit of madness."
"You may be right there!" Molly said.
"Little Susie's adorable." Hermione mused as she chopped the onions.
"Adorable enough to make you want your own?" Molly asked, Hermione noticed the conspiratorial smile on the older woman's face. Hermione just laughed in response, best to avoid those sorts of questions.
"We really need to get a move on with planning the wedding," Hermione said.
"Yes!" Molly agreed, "December isn't that far away!"
"Not at all!" Hermione said, "I've still got a lot to sort out as well!"
"Such as?"
"Well, we already have the Wizarding Chapel booked for the eleventh and we have a honeymoon booked to New Zealand for three weeks. But that's about it!"
Molly shrieked horrified, "Only that much! Dear me, you really need to get a move on!
"I know." Hermione replied quietly.
Suddenly it dawned on Molly why Hermione was so behind with her wedding preparation.
"Oh dear me!" Molly said her face softening into a sympathetic smile, "I'm not used to getting involved in the boys' weddings. The girl's mother usually gets to do it all- they want to."
Hermione nodded sadly.
"I'm sorry! I just didn't think without your own mother and all!"
"It's ok," Hermione said, "But I'm at a loss as to what to do! Could you help me?"
Hermione knew that she was lying, she would have managed on her own but she knew that Molly would be pleased to be asked- and indeed she was right. Molly's face flushed with pleasure as she replied:
"Of course me dear! I'd love to!" Molly replied beaming.
So- as soon as the onions where peeled the two women sat down at the old wooden table and started making plans.
*
Ron was fully engrossed in the game of 'Junior Quidditch' that he was playing with Mark, Charlotte and Emma: so much so that he hardly noticed when Hermione called him from the house.
"Ron!" She called, "Ron!"
When finally she had his attention, he said to the children: "Just you carry on playing nicely now. I've just got to go and see Auntie 'Mione."
He set down his old broomstick and walked down to his fiancée.
"What is it?" He asked.
She looked vaguely worried as she said, "It's Remus, and he's in the fire waiting to speak to you."
"Doesn't sound good," Ron muttered, "Can you keep an eye on these three?"
"Yeah, of course." She said, as he entered the house.
Remus' worried face was in the fire, "There's an emergency."
"What is it?" Ron asked, suddenly feeling an impending doom oppress him.
"You'll have to come in. I'll explain then!" Remus said disappearing.
Ron shook his head, Hermione would be disappointed. He went back outside to where she was entertaining the children.
"You'll have to go in kids, Gran says tea's nearly ready." He lied- he'd only just smelt the beef casserole.
The three-seeming to pick up the fact that there was something wrong headed back up to house.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, her face worried.
He reached down to rub her cheek, "Oh I'm so sorry," He said, "I've got to go in. Remus just said, there's an emergency and left it at that." Sighing she nodded, "Ok, I'll just stay here then and meet you back at home tonight. Ok?"
"Yeah. See you later then." He said leaning down to kiss her swiftly before apparating with a pop.
* It was late when Ron finally turned the key in the door and entered his new house once more.
Coming into the sitting room he found Hermione still up- wrapped in a dressing gown with her curls all dishevelled-looking anxious and pale.
"Ron!"" She cried leaping up to embrace him.
"I was so worried, you've been ages! I didn't know what to think!"
"It's ok," He soothes hr stroking her hair. "We've just had some bad news."
"And?" She pressed.
"Well you know that we have that monitor going, the one that picks up any activity that is Voldemort related. We get a lot of relics being discovered- you know like the diary? Well anyway it picked up a great surge of energy."
"But he can't be back! We know that he's gone for good." Hermione said.
"I know. But we still have to deal with it. Don't worry, it's probably nothing," He said.
She looked up at him, her eyes trusting yet not convinced, "I had another letter." She said.
"What? Let me see!" He said worried.
She showed him the scarp of paper. The words were simple.
Dear Doctor Granger, It has started, Yours sincerely, X2
Ron felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Is it related to the energy surge?" She asked.
"I don't know," He replied. "I just don't know."
What he didn't tell her- not wanting to frighten her, was that the energy surge had come from the area they were living in. The area around their new home.
OOC- What do you think? Please review.
An2- THIS IS THE REAL CHAPTER 2!!!! Thanks for pointing it out Mione Weasley; I really appreciate it- I really mustn't post chapters when I'm too tired to concentrate! Lol. Anyway here goes.
*
Hermione was standing in the large sitting room of the new house. But the new furniture had gone and the walls were stripped bare of the wall paper that she had picked out. The hearth didn't look as if there had been a fire in it for years and the ground was cold and dirty. What had happened to the carpet? The glass in the windows was cracked and the warm red curtains that she had chosen were not there. Wind came into the room and rattled the half broken door- hadn't the builders fixed that?
Hermione looked around her in distress. The room- it seemed so dead when only hours before it had seemed so alive and cosy. What had happened? She crossed the room frantically searching for a sign- any sign that related to the work and decoration that had been put into the room. There was nothing familiar. The empty wooden boxes and the sagging old arm chair were not from her time there at all.
"Ron!" She called out but even her own voice sounded alien in this house which was so much like her own and then so different.
"He's not here." A voice said from nowhere. The voice was malignant, hollow and unfeeling, she shudder and suppressed a scream.
"Where is he then?" She asked her voice barely above a whisper.
"No, the question is: where are you?"
*
Hermione woke up with a start and the words- where are you? - ringing in her ears. She opened her eyes to find it was still dark but and a glance at the clock on the wall told her it was only three o'clock.
She turned to find Ron asleep next to her- warm and solid as ever. She sighed with relief and sunk back down into the warmth of her covers. But she could not sleep again- the dream with its voice- so evil- kept haunting her and every time she closed her eyes she saw the empty room.
Hours later she finally fell into a troubled slumber and slept through until morning.
*
"Hermione?" Ron asked, as he watched his fiancée stared distantly out of the window in their kitchen.
"What?" She asked snapping back down to Earth.
"You seem very distant that's all. We don't have to go to my parents today if you don't want to."
It was their day off and they had been invited to the Burrow for the day.
She laughed amused, "No! I love going to the burrow. You know I do! I just didn't sleep well that's all."
"All?" Ron asked raising a sceptical eyebrow.
"I just had a weird nightmare. That's all; it's probably just sleeping in a new place." She said.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" He asked moving over to her to slip his arms around her waits- she was still so thin!
"It was just a dream!" She said, looking up to him her brown eyes as penetrating as ever.
"Still, you know I wouldn't have minded, if you were upset..." He said.
"I wasn't!" She protested.
"If you were."
"I wasn't," she whispered softly.
"Good." He said, leaning down and kissed her, slowly, carefully and tenderly. She twisted round to snake her arms around his neck and returned the kiss.
From where he was still half a sleep in his basket- Pippin- the golden retriever, whined wondering where his breakfast was.
Hermione broke away giggling, "Listen to him! He knows that he won't get any food if we start this."
"Let him whine," Ron said pulling her back to him for another kiss.
It might have gone further but Hermione- her sense of duty kicking in as usual pulled away from him and said, "We haven't got time. Your mum's expecting us there soon. And poor Pip is starving"
He smiled regretfully tucking a soft curl behind her ear.
"Correct as always," He said fondly, "I'll just go and get a shower then we can go. Ok?"
"Ok, that is if I haven't already used all of the hot water."
He laughed. "I'll just have to suffer with cold water if you have."
"Suffer eh?" She asked.
"Yes. Suffer." He replied chuckling.
"I'll feed Pip- your mum won't mind if we bring him along- will she?" Hermione asked.
"No, Mum loves him." Ron replied.
Hurry up then!" Hermione said.
"Ok, Ok, I'm going!"
*
An hour later they were knocking on the burrow door. Molly Weasley opened the door, her arms full of grandchildren.
Little Mark Weasley ran forward and clamped him arms around Ron's long legs shouting
"Uncle Ronnie!"
"Molly! What a handful!" Hermione exclaimed.
Molly chuckled, "Yes, it's their baby sitter's day off so Percy asked me to look after them while he and Penny are at work. Come on in,"
They followed Molly and her hoard of grandchildren into the living room where Mr Weasley sat with the youngest of Percy's children five month old Susie in his arms.
Emma and Charlotte, the twins moved away from their grandmother and went back to where they had set up a dolls tea party, Pippin, following, taking a strange interest in the dolls for a golden retriever. Ron came in with little Mark clinging onto his hand.
"Hello there," Arthur greeted the couple that had just arrived. "Come to give us a hand with this lot?"
"And I thought it was my day off!" Ron chuckled.
"Uncle Ronnie! Uncle Ronnie! Come and play with my trains." Mark said, dragging Ron off to the corner of the room where he had set up the train track that had been gradually getting larger since Christmas. Reminded of that day Hermione smiled- it had been when Ron proposed to her.
"They get on well together don't they?" Molly said, misreading Hermione's thoughts.
Hermione grinned, it was true, they did, "Yeah," She said, not bothering to put Molly right.
"And how are you little Susie?" Hermione asked the enfant perched on her grandfather's knees offering her a hand.
The baby blinked at her and clasped Hermione's finger with a small but strong hand. Hermione laughed.
"Strong aren't you?" She said.
Susie responded by gurgling happily. Once Hermione's finger was free of Susie's iron grip and her attention diverted by the rattle that Arthur had given her, Hermione went into the kitchen where Molly was pottering about as usual.
"You couldn't give me a hand with chopping those onions, could you my dear?" Molly asked, pointing to some onions that lay in wait next to a vegetable knife on a wooden chopping block.
"Doing things the muggle way?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, it helps keep me sane in my old age!" She replied.
Hermione laughed, "If you can say coped with as much family as you did, then I reckon you're entitled to a little bit of madness."
"You may be right there!" Molly said.
"Little Susie's adorable." Hermione mused as she chopped the onions.
"Adorable enough to make you want your own?" Molly asked, Hermione noticed the conspiratorial smile on the older woman's face. Hermione just laughed in response, best to avoid those sorts of questions.
"We really need to get a move on with planning the wedding," Hermione said.
"Yes!" Molly agreed, "December isn't that far away!"
"Not at all!" Hermione said, "I've still got a lot to sort out as well!"
"Such as?"
"Well, we already have the Wizarding Chapel booked for the eleventh and we have a honeymoon booked to New Zealand for three weeks. But that's about it!"
Molly shrieked horrified, "Only that much! Dear me, you really need to get a move on!
"I know." Hermione replied quietly.
Suddenly it dawned on Molly why Hermione was so behind with her wedding preparation.
"Oh dear me!" Molly said her face softening into a sympathetic smile, "I'm not used to getting involved in the boys' weddings. The girl's mother usually gets to do it all- they want to."
Hermione nodded sadly.
"I'm sorry! I just didn't think without your own mother and all!"
"It's ok," Hermione said, "But I'm at a loss as to what to do! Could you help me?"
Hermione knew that she was lying, she would have managed on her own but she knew that Molly would be pleased to be asked- and indeed she was right. Molly's face flushed with pleasure as she replied:
"Of course me dear! I'd love to!" Molly replied beaming.
So- as soon as the onions where peeled the two women sat down at the old wooden table and started making plans.
*
Ron was fully engrossed in the game of 'Junior Quidditch' that he was playing with Mark, Charlotte and Emma: so much so that he hardly noticed when Hermione called him from the house.
"Ron!" She called, "Ron!"
When finally she had his attention, he said to the children: "Just you carry on playing nicely now. I've just got to go and see Auntie 'Mione."
He set down his old broomstick and walked down to his fiancée.
"What is it?" He asked.
She looked vaguely worried as she said, "It's Remus, and he's in the fire waiting to speak to you."
"Doesn't sound good," Ron muttered, "Can you keep an eye on these three?"
"Yeah, of course." She said, as he entered the house.
Remus' worried face was in the fire, "There's an emergency."
"What is it?" Ron asked, suddenly feeling an impending doom oppress him.
"You'll have to come in. I'll explain then!" Remus said disappearing.
Ron shook his head, Hermione would be disappointed. He went back outside to where she was entertaining the children.
"You'll have to go in kids, Gran says tea's nearly ready." He lied- he'd only just smelt the beef casserole.
The three-seeming to pick up the fact that there was something wrong headed back up to house.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, her face worried.
He reached down to rub her cheek, "Oh I'm so sorry," He said, "I've got to go in. Remus just said, there's an emergency and left it at that." Sighing she nodded, "Ok, I'll just stay here then and meet you back at home tonight. Ok?"
"Yeah. See you later then." He said leaning down to kiss her swiftly before apparating with a pop.
* It was late when Ron finally turned the key in the door and entered his new house once more.
Coming into the sitting room he found Hermione still up- wrapped in a dressing gown with her curls all dishevelled-looking anxious and pale.
"Ron!"" She cried leaping up to embrace him.
"I was so worried, you've been ages! I didn't know what to think!"
"It's ok," He soothes hr stroking her hair. "We've just had some bad news."
"And?" She pressed.
"Well you know that we have that monitor going, the one that picks up any activity that is Voldemort related. We get a lot of relics being discovered- you know like the diary? Well anyway it picked up a great surge of energy."
"But he can't be back! We know that he's gone for good." Hermione said.
"I know. But we still have to deal with it. Don't worry, it's probably nothing," He said.
She looked up at him, her eyes trusting yet not convinced, "I had another letter." She said.
"What? Let me see!" He said worried.
She showed him the scarp of paper. The words were simple.
Dear Doctor Granger, It has started, Yours sincerely, X2
Ron felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Is it related to the energy surge?" She asked.
"I don't know," He replied. "I just don't know."
What he didn't tell her- not wanting to frighten her, was that the energy surge had come from the area they were living in. The area around their new home.
OOC- What do you think? Please review.