Chapter Seven:
Marigold
The next morning Ron woke up, blinked, and screamed. Then he remebered the previous night and quickly shut up. He was pondering whether or not he should walk into breakfast like he owned the place, when Sirius burst in.
"Rise and shine!" He said. "Come on, put this on." He threw some clean robes at Ron. Just like the Hogwarts robes Ron thought sadly.
"Why are you looking so down?" Sirius asked.
"Just miss 'em, I guess..." Ron let his sentence hang, and Sirius knew what he meant. "What're we doing today?" Ron asked, quick to change the subject.
"Well, you have to meet Harmony's father. Then we're taking a tour of the city, and then you have to go see the King again so he can make his ruling."
"I have to see him twice?"
"Well, once to look you over, and once to decide whether or not you should be tested. The second time you'll be with the Council, you know, dukes and the like."
Ron was a little nervous about the King, but the thought of touring the city put him at ease. He was really looking forward to it.
"All right, let's go!"
"Well, that went better than I thought it would," Ron said as he and Harmony came out of the throne room. She let out a melodius giggle.
"Father definatly likes you," she said confidently. "He'll probably begin the testing after he sees you loter with The Council." Ron remembered that he had to go see the King again, in front of Dukes and Earls, but he wasn't scared. He was as fond of the King as the King was of him. He was a jolly man, like a non-beared Dumbledore. Ron could tell Harmony got her carefree spirit from him. As the approached the courtyard he heard Sirius.
"Are you to coming or not?" he called. They rounded a corner, and Ron stopped dead. Sirius was comfortably sitting on what was unmistakably a large, Persian flying carpet. Seeing his shock, Sirius grinned.
"I-I thought those were banned as Muggle objects. My dad-"
"You're dad works at the human Ministry of Magic," Sirius replied. "They have no say here. Don't worry, these carpets aren't form Ali Bashir."
Ron cautiosly sat on the clorful hovering rug, as if it wouldn't sustian his weight. Harmony grinned evily, winked at Sirius, and jumped onto the carpet, landing hard and scaring Ron out of his wits.
"Don't do that, please!" He begged. She laughed, and the carpet soared into the heart of Marigold. The main road was a strange, almost Diagon Alley like street. People were ealking around idly just enjoying the day. The main transportation seemed to be...flying carpets! None were as large as theirs, though.
The other people left a path wide enough to get through, but not an empty street or anything. The people were quite used to Harmony being in their midst. When she had first come to town she had been treated like a goddess, stopping traffing, blowing trumpets, and bowing. This was still used for formal occasions, of course, but Harmony's requests and frequent visits had caused them to treat her as one of them-almost. A princess is still a princess.
They landed at Iris's Incredible Ice Cream for a snack.
"What flavor do you want?" Harmony asked as their carpet started slowing down.
"Do they have mint chocolate chip?" Ron replied hopefully.
"Of course, that's my favorite!" Harmony exclaimed.
"Mine too..." Ron remembered how once Harry had swiped some ice cream from the kitchens. (Ron had a detention at the time.) He had brought back strawberry, Ron's least favorite flavor. It was strange, this girl he hardly knew paid attention to what kind of ice cream he liked.
"Well, just get me plain chocolate, that's the best." Sirius said.
Harmony returned with two mint ice cream cones and one chocolate. She got back on the carpet and they headed toward the joke shop. Ron could tell it was going to a fun-filled day. He grinned broadly. If only Harry and Hermione were there...
He was in a woods...the forest? He came upon a large castle surrounded by a city. Carpets! There were flying carpets! One was coming toward him! Who was it? Ron! Wait, no, not just Ron...a girl with long blonde hair.
"Ron!" He screamed, but no sound came out.
"Who's that?" The girl asked Ron.
"I don't know." Ron replied. It couldn't be true...
"Rooooooooon!"
Harry awoke with a start. It was a dream...just a dream! Harry let out a long breath. He opened his curtains and instinctively looked over at Ron's bed. Then he got up to meet Hermione for breakfast.
Breakfast was uncomfortable. It just wasn't the same without Ron there. It didn't help that people kept coming up to Harry and Hermione asking if they were a couple.
"YES!" Harry finally screamed when this question was asked by a Hufflepuff fifth year. (It was question #17.)
"And if you've got a problem with it I'll-" But Harry's words were drowned out by the coming of the mail. Harry watched as a tawny owl brought Hermione The Daily Prophet. Harry saw the headline, then spit out his pumpkin juice in surprise.
Hogwarts Seventh Year Missing
Ron Weasley, son of Arthur Weasley (heads of the misuse of Muggle Artifacts office) and Gryffindor seventh year, hasn't been seen for ten days. You may remember him as being Harry Potter's best friend, or from the flying car incident covered by Rita Skeeter several years back. If anyone has seen a tall, red-haired 17-year-old boy, please contact Mr. and/or Mrs. Weasley by owl post.
Ron was last seen wearing a green...
The article went on and on, but Harry couldn't
read anymore. This must be some horrible nightmare! He glanced at Hermione. She was blinking like mad to keep the tears back. He put a comforting around her, oblivous to the whispers this sent around the hall like a shockwave. He wouldn't have cared even if he had noticed.
"Schedules," Said Hermione softly, pointing out Professor McGonagall, who was headed their way with a bundle of papers.
"Seventh years!" She announced in her usual strict voice. Harry took a schedule, looked it over, and almost spit out his pumpkin juice again.
"This can't be right..." Hermione muttered.
"Are you sure these are seventh year schedules?" Harry asked, but Professor McGonagall didn't hear him. Harry returned to staring at his schedule, especially Thursday.
At ten o'clock in the morning on Thursdays, the Gryffindor seventh years had potions, but that wasn't what was strange. For the first time since coming to Hogwarts, Harry didn't have potions with the Slytherins and Draco Malfoy.
Harry didn't know whether to cry or get on his knees and thank the Lord. Undoubtedly, no longer being with the Slytherins would mean impossible-to-do work. On the other hand, not being with Malfoy&Co. was worth it. On the other hand, he would probably fail potions. On the other hand, who cares? Snape would probably fail him anyway. On the other hand...there was no other hand.
"Ron would be thrilled," said Hermione softly. Harry looked over at her sympathetically.
"Come on," he said. "Herbology in Greenhouse 5 first."
"Impossible," He muttered to himself. He looked back into the pond. There she was, that stupid wood girl who would be his end. How had another one found her? Together they could finish him off by the end of the year.
"No they won't!" He said furiously to no one in particular.
"No one can beat Lord Voldemort, especially some teenage brats." He took a pebble and threw it into the tiny pond, making the picture of the happy teens disappear.
Marigold
The next morning Ron woke up, blinked, and screamed. Then he remebered the previous night and quickly shut up. He was pondering whether or not he should walk into breakfast like he owned the place, when Sirius burst in.
"Rise and shine!" He said. "Come on, put this on." He threw some clean robes at Ron. Just like the Hogwarts robes Ron thought sadly.
"Why are you looking so down?" Sirius asked.
"Just miss 'em, I guess..." Ron let his sentence hang, and Sirius knew what he meant. "What're we doing today?" Ron asked, quick to change the subject.
"Well, you have to meet Harmony's father. Then we're taking a tour of the city, and then you have to go see the King again so he can make his ruling."
"I have to see him twice?"
"Well, once to look you over, and once to decide whether or not you should be tested. The second time you'll be with the Council, you know, dukes and the like."
Ron was a little nervous about the King, but the thought of touring the city put him at ease. He was really looking forward to it.
"All right, let's go!"
"Well, that went better than I thought it would," Ron said as he and Harmony came out of the throne room. She let out a melodius giggle.
"Father definatly likes you," she said confidently. "He'll probably begin the testing after he sees you loter with The Council." Ron remembered that he had to go see the King again, in front of Dukes and Earls, but he wasn't scared. He was as fond of the King as the King was of him. He was a jolly man, like a non-beared Dumbledore. Ron could tell Harmony got her carefree spirit from him. As the approached the courtyard he heard Sirius.
"Are you to coming or not?" he called. They rounded a corner, and Ron stopped dead. Sirius was comfortably sitting on what was unmistakably a large, Persian flying carpet. Seeing his shock, Sirius grinned.
"I-I thought those were banned as Muggle objects. My dad-"
"You're dad works at the human Ministry of Magic," Sirius replied. "They have no say here. Don't worry, these carpets aren't form Ali Bashir."
Ron cautiosly sat on the clorful hovering rug, as if it wouldn't sustian his weight. Harmony grinned evily, winked at Sirius, and jumped onto the carpet, landing hard and scaring Ron out of his wits.
"Don't do that, please!" He begged. She laughed, and the carpet soared into the heart of Marigold. The main road was a strange, almost Diagon Alley like street. People were ealking around idly just enjoying the day. The main transportation seemed to be...flying carpets! None were as large as theirs, though.
The other people left a path wide enough to get through, but not an empty street or anything. The people were quite used to Harmony being in their midst. When she had first come to town she had been treated like a goddess, stopping traffing, blowing trumpets, and bowing. This was still used for formal occasions, of course, but Harmony's requests and frequent visits had caused them to treat her as one of them-almost. A princess is still a princess.
They landed at Iris's Incredible Ice Cream for a snack.
"What flavor do you want?" Harmony asked as their carpet started slowing down.
"Do they have mint chocolate chip?" Ron replied hopefully.
"Of course, that's my favorite!" Harmony exclaimed.
"Mine too..." Ron remembered how once Harry had swiped some ice cream from the kitchens. (Ron had a detention at the time.) He had brought back strawberry, Ron's least favorite flavor. It was strange, this girl he hardly knew paid attention to what kind of ice cream he liked.
"Well, just get me plain chocolate, that's the best." Sirius said.
Harmony returned with two mint ice cream cones and one chocolate. She got back on the carpet and they headed toward the joke shop. Ron could tell it was going to a fun-filled day. He grinned broadly. If only Harry and Hermione were there...
He was in a woods...the forest? He came upon a large castle surrounded by a city. Carpets! There were flying carpets! One was coming toward him! Who was it? Ron! Wait, no, not just Ron...a girl with long blonde hair.
"Ron!" He screamed, but no sound came out.
"Who's that?" The girl asked Ron.
"I don't know." Ron replied. It couldn't be true...
"Rooooooooon!"
Harry awoke with a start. It was a dream...just a dream! Harry let out a long breath. He opened his curtains and instinctively looked over at Ron's bed. Then he got up to meet Hermione for breakfast.
Breakfast was uncomfortable. It just wasn't the same without Ron there. It didn't help that people kept coming up to Harry and Hermione asking if they were a couple.
"YES!" Harry finally screamed when this question was asked by a Hufflepuff fifth year. (It was question #17.)
"And if you've got a problem with it I'll-" But Harry's words were drowned out by the coming of the mail. Harry watched as a tawny owl brought Hermione The Daily Prophet. Harry saw the headline, then spit out his pumpkin juice in surprise.
Hogwarts Seventh Year Missing
Ron Weasley, son of Arthur Weasley (heads of the misuse of Muggle Artifacts office) and Gryffindor seventh year, hasn't been seen for ten days. You may remember him as being Harry Potter's best friend, or from the flying car incident covered by Rita Skeeter several years back. If anyone has seen a tall, red-haired 17-year-old boy, please contact Mr. and/or Mrs. Weasley by owl post.
Ron was last seen wearing a green...
The article went on and on, but Harry couldn't
read anymore. This must be some horrible nightmare! He glanced at Hermione. She was blinking like mad to keep the tears back. He put a comforting around her, oblivous to the whispers this sent around the hall like a shockwave. He wouldn't have cared even if he had noticed.
"Schedules," Said Hermione softly, pointing out Professor McGonagall, who was headed their way with a bundle of papers.
"Seventh years!" She announced in her usual strict voice. Harry took a schedule, looked it over, and almost spit out his pumpkin juice again.
"This can't be right..." Hermione muttered.
"Are you sure these are seventh year schedules?" Harry asked, but Professor McGonagall didn't hear him. Harry returned to staring at his schedule, especially Thursday.
At ten o'clock in the morning on Thursdays, the Gryffindor seventh years had potions, but that wasn't what was strange. For the first time since coming to Hogwarts, Harry didn't have potions with the Slytherins and Draco Malfoy.
Harry didn't know whether to cry or get on his knees and thank the Lord. Undoubtedly, no longer being with the Slytherins would mean impossible-to-do work. On the other hand, not being with Malfoy&Co. was worth it. On the other hand, he would probably fail potions. On the other hand, who cares? Snape would probably fail him anyway. On the other hand...there was no other hand.
"Ron would be thrilled," said Hermione softly. Harry looked over at her sympathetically.
"Come on," he said. "Herbology in Greenhouse 5 first."
"Impossible," He muttered to himself. He looked back into the pond. There she was, that stupid wood girl who would be his end. How had another one found her? Together they could finish him off by the end of the year.
"No they won't!" He said furiously to no one in particular.
"No one can beat Lord Voldemort, especially some teenage brats." He took a pebble and threw it into the tiny pond, making the picture of the happy teens disappear.