A/N: AUGH! I'm soooo sorry this took so long to get out!! I just started school though, and it's been
insane what with all the first week of school crap and then play practice until 6:00 everyday. x.X I
apologize a trillion times for the delay. Hopefully I'll be able to get into a groove and get the next
chapter out quicker. We're swiftly approaching the end of the fic! XD
I'm not overly pleased with the way the characters are turning out, but I think I've slowed it down to
the proper speed and I think that the action is keeping fairly decent. This chapter is particularly
exciting :D
If you haven't noticed already, I'm sort of...ignoring the entire fifth book... -.-;;; That's because a) I
don't want *sudden loss of information* to be dead... ;.; b) I hate it when Harry's all mad and un-
happy ;.; c) I like Percy even though I knew he was a bloody turncoat the whole time ;.; and d) I
can't hardly remember half of what the book included. I'm afraid I'm mixing up fic info with book
info -.-;;;; So yeah. Get over it :)
Btw, thankies for all the wonderful reviews!! They help keep me motivated :D
Also, please tell me if this gets confusing... I sort of mesh thoughts into the actual narration of the
story and I'm afraid that might confuddle some people...please tell me if that's so... I'll fix it so
they're actual thoughts inside single quotations if that's better. Thank you muchly! :D
Anyway, I think that's all... on with the fic! XD
P.S. Sorry if the table description confuses you. It goes:
~Mrs. W--George--Fred--Bill--Char~
Mr. W ___________________________Percy
~Hermione--Ron--Harry--Ginny~
Yes, I realize there are five people on one side and four on the other. It's the Weasley's fault. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening, Fred and George sat across from Harry on their beds grinning broadly.
Harry was smiling in amusement.
"That's absolutely bloody brilliant Harry. He'll flip his lid," George said, sounding delighted.
Fred agreed, "He will. But why can't I do it?" He stuck out his lower lip, pouting.
George rolled his eyes. "Don't be a stupid prat. You've got a girlfriend, Fred."
Fred looked thoughtfully at the wall. "Oh yes…"
Harry shook his head, grinning. "So you'll do it?"
George grinned broadly and stuck out his hand. "You bet, mate."
"Great," Harry took his hand, shaking it. "See you at dinner then?"
The twins exchanged a glance and grinned at him. "See you."
With that, Harry exited the room, smiling. If George did this right, the results would be quite
a spectacle. He reached the bottom of the stairs and immediately Ron appeared. "There you
are Harry! I've been looking for you. Mum wants to know what sort of vegetables you want with
dinner."
Harry shrugged, "I dunno. Anything's fine with me…"
Ron turned to face the kitchen and yelled, "He says anything's fine, Mum!"
"Thank you dear!" Mrs. Weasley called back.
"So, er, Harry, can I talk to you?" Ron said awkwardly, his ears turning red. Harry gave him
a strange look.
"'Course you can, mate…what's up?"
"Well…er…what would you think if I decided to try out for Keeper?" he asked glancing at
Harry anxiously.
Harry grinned broadly. "That would be awesome! Have you been practicing?"
Ron blushed looking relieved, "Er, a little, whenever I can get away from the house…"
"Wow! This is brilliant!" Harry said enthusiastically. "You'll be great!"
He flushed happily. "Thanks Harry."
"No problem," Harry grinned at him.
"DINNER!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed throughout the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few minutes later, all nine of the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were finding seats at
the table in the backyard. Ron and Harry were laughing and joking with Bill and Charlie as they took
their seats across from them. On either end sat Mr. Weasley and Percy and then Mrs. Weasley
sat beside Mr. Weasley. The twins sat between Mrs. Weasley and Bill and then Ginny sat next to
Percy opposite from Bill. When Hermione started to sit down beside Mr. Weasley however, George
stopped her. "Wait! Let me get that for you!" he jumped to his feet and raced around the table,
pulling out her chair for her. Hermione gave him a strange look but took the seat and he scooted
her chair in before returning to his seat. His parents and Ron stared at him, but the others simply
grinned at each other.
"Thank you…"
George smiled at her, "Of course, Hermione…" Ron raised an eyebrow at him. If he knew
anything about his brother…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As dinner progressed, George continued to gaze at Hermione with a silly smile on his face,
missing his mouth every once in a while as he ate, and laughing at anything she said that sounded
like a joke. He also accidentally-on-purpose brushed his hand against hers as they both reached for
something a number of times. Hermione was beginning to get nervous. His constant gaze on her
and the dreamy smile on his face every time she looked up were making her uncomfortable. She'd
seen the way Krum had looked at her and this was just like it. Merlin, that *couldn't* be it…It would be
too strange to have *George*… She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. Impossible. He
couldn't…could he?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry on the other hand was having a great time. While Ron and his brothers teased one
another and talked about some of the things they'd done when they were younger and while Hermione
was busy writhing under George's shower of attention, he was enjoying one of the once uncommon
chats with Ginny. They fervently discussed Quidditch and argued lightheartedly about which team was
better—the Bellycastle Bats or Puddlemere United.
"Harry, they're *Irish*!" Ginny protested.
"So? They're good!" Harry replied stubbornly. Ginny then sighed in exasperation, throwing her
arms up.
They also discussed the upcoming school year and popular wizarding music as well as a
number of other things. Harry was surprised to find how much he enjoyed conversation with Ginny.
It was when they broached on the subject of relationships that Harry began acting a bit oddly. When
Ginny mentioned how she wouldn't mind going out with Seamus Finnigan, Harry's cheeks burned and
he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something stupid. The thought of Ginny going out
with Seamus made him want to throw something. Across the table, Bill raised an eyebrow at Harry,
noticing that he had taken to viciously stabbing his meat with his fork as he picked it up to eat. Harry
turned scarlet under his gaze, and returned to the conversation, trying to banish all thoughts of Ginny
and Seamus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill watched as Harry blushed furiously and turned back to his dinner and his conversation with
Ginny. He was getting a strange feeling that Harry wasn't quite coming to terms with his feelings either...
He nudged Charlie with his toe and jerked his head towards Harry. "Noticed anything odd about him,
lately, have you, Char?"
Charlie, through a mouthful of lettuce shook his head and said, "No' really...somefing goin'
on wif 'im?"
Bill leaned toward him, conspiratorially, "I think he's beginning to notice Gin, if you know what
I mean."
Charlie coughed, drawing his mother's attention for a moment before leaning in and grinning at
Bill. "Honestly? You think?" He glanced down the table at Harry, curiously. He couldn't help but notice
the odd, ever-present flush in his cheeks, the slight smile constantly on his lips, and the way he grinned
and laughed at things Ginny said.
"Aye...don't you think?" Bill said, looking at him significantly.
Charlie grinned, "This is brilliant. Gin will be ecstatic. It's about bloody time..."
Bill grinned, "Seems he and Ron are a bit dense when it comes to girls, eh?"
Charlie sniggered, "A bit."
"Shall we do something about that?" Bill asked, his eyes twinkling.
"I think we ought. If Harry doesn't do anything in a few more days, we'll work on him, right?"
"Right," Bill let a smile slide across his face and Charlie grinned back. After another look at
Harry, they sat back and went back to their dinner, grinning slyly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Near the end of the meal when Mrs. Weasley had gone inside to get their dessert and Ron
was busy gaping at George, stunned, he smiled at Hermione and said, "Hermione, you're really
beautiful, you know that?"
She turned scarlet and the others tried to hide their sniggers. "Er…thank you, George…I…"
she looked helplessly down at Harry and Ron. Harry tried to give her a weirded out look while Ron
merely stared at her, shocked by his brother's behavior.
George reached forward and took her hand, and Harry saw Ron's ears begin to redden.
"Hermione…I know we haven't really ever talked or gotten to know each other…but I really like you.
You're pretty and smart and funny… I want to get to know you better," he said, managing to keep a
straight face, despite the fact that his twin had to duck beneath the table to hide his laughter.
Hermione gawked at George, speechless. This couldn't be *happening*…George was
confessing he LIKED her… And the look on Ron's face… He was glaring furiously at George, his
ears practically glowing red and his blue eyes blazing. He had grabbed a napkin and was now
twisting it violently in his hands as though imagining he were strangling George.
George gave her a pathetic look and Harry had to cover his mouth to hide a snort of laughter.
"Please Hermione…say *something*…"
Hermione looked flabbergasted. "George…I…I'm flattered…but I…this is so *sudden*…"
Honestly…! What could she tell him? 'No, I can't like you or go out with you because I li—I'm friends
with Ron'? Why did he have to like *her*…?
He nodded gravely and, noticing his mother approaching with their dessert, he stood and
leaned over the table, kissing her cheek. "Think about it, will you, Hermione?" he said earnestly, his
eyes pleading.
She blushed embarrassed, touching the spot where his lips had brushed her cheek, and
nodded. "All right…" she murmured. Nooooo…this couldn't be happening…!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry backed away from Ron's chair quickly as he noticed his friend's face beginning to
redden. Finally when George kissed her cheek, he erupted. He shot to his feet, glaring furiously at
George. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID PRAT?!" he demanded, lunging forward and
grabbing his brother's shirt-front. George blinked at him, looking unaffected by the fact that his rather
tall, menacing little brother was practically strangling him.
"What do you mean what am I doing?"
"RON! Get your hands off of George!" Mrs. Weasley cried.
Ignoring his mother, Ron snarled irately at George, "YOU CAN'T GO OUT WITH
HERMIONE!"
George's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why not? She's not taken is she?"
"No she's not taken!" Ron sputtered, "But you can't go out with her!"
Harry bit his lip, Hermione was beginning to look irritated.
"Why not?"
"Because I said so!" Ron said angrily.
"RONALD WEASLEY!"
"I'll go out with Hermione if I want! If she wants to go out with me, you can't stop us!" George
retorted.
Ron snarled and shoved him back, hard. George looked surprised for a second as his chair
toppled over backwards, but a moment later, Ron had scrambled over the table and was grabbing at
his neck. "YOU WILL NOT!" he roared furiously.
George glared at him, blocking his hands from his throat. "GERROFF ME YOU IDIOT!" he
shouted. Ron reached down grabbing at his neck persistently and George growled, and with a firm
heave, shoved Ron off of him and pinned him down, holding him down by his wrists. "You stupid
prat!" George hissed. "Knock it off! What's your problem? It's not like she's YOURS."
Ron blanched and suddenly stopped struggling. He hardly noticed that his mother was
shrieking at him furiously and that his entire family, as well as Harry and Hermione, had gathered
around to watch, awed. George's words had suddenly struck something in him. She wasn't his.
Hermione was not *his*. She could be taken from him at anytime by anyone…Harry, Krum, George…
Merlin…he couldn't let that happen! He wanted her to be his! His and his alone! He wouldn't let just
any stupid prat have her! If any stupid prat would it would be himself. Merlin, he *loved* her…! A small
smile drifted on to his face. He loved her. It felt wonderful to say it—well, think it anyway. He'd had
these feelings whirling around inside him for so long now and finally he knew what they all meant. The
anger was actually jealousy, the butterflies in his stomach, the awe, the tingles that shot down his
spine whenever she even brushed his hand... Then a sudden thought plummeted him back to earth
with staggering force.
What if she didn't love him back?
His heart leapt to his throat and his stomach writhed painfully at the thought. Merlin, he
couldn't live without her… If he told her she might never speak to him again. There was no way he
was going to let that happen. He'd rather be miserable having her nearby than have her reject him
and avoid him. So that was how it was…he wouldn't have her. If she wanted George, she could have
him. As long as they could still be friends…
He finally drifted back into reality a moment later his heart aching horribly in his chest. He
wanted to cry it hurt so badly. George was still sitting on top of him, looking down at him in irritation
and a slight mix of concern. "Ron? HELLO! Will you say something already? What's the matter with
you?" he demanded.
Ron squeezed his eyes shut, making a slight face. "Gerroff George. I'm sorry…"
George raised an eyebrow at him, ignoring the large group of people surrounding them. "Are
you all right? You look ill. What in Merlin's name is the matter with you? Are you trying to kill me?"
Ron grimaced. "Sorry. I'm fine…just gerroff, George. I need to go…"
George frowned, "You won't attack me again?"
He sighed, "No. Now *get off, George*!"
George rolled his eyes and released him, standing quickly. Ron sat up and got to his feet
avoiding the gazes of those around him. "Sorry, Mum…I got carried away…" he muttered and then
headed straight for the house, disappearing inside. Hermione stared after him.
"What was that all about? Harry what's going on?" she said, sounding distressed.
Harry shrugged anxiously. "I'm not sure…" He glanced at Ginny, giving her a significant look
and she nodded slightly.
"Come on Hermione, let's go upstairs and get ready for bed… I've had enough…" she said.
Hermione nodded vaguely and glancing back at the table, let Ginny lead her away.
Harry looked at George, "Are you all right?"
George grinned, "Oh sure, that sort of stuff happens all the time. Never about a girl before
though." His eyes twinkled mischievously.
Harry smiled back, relieved, "So do you think we accomplished anything?"
George nodded strongly, "Oh yeah…he's gone. Absolutely."
"One hundred percent," Fred chimed.
"One hundred and ten percent," George said.
"One hundred and *twenty* percent."
"Don't start!" Bill broke in, giving them both looks. Then he turned to Harry. "They're right
though, if we know anything about Ron—and I daresay we do—he's most certainly head-over-heels
and I think he's finally realized it for himself. That's why he stopped fighting. He realized he could
lose her. He might even tell her tonight."
Percy shook his head slowly. "No, I don't think so… He has realized that he could lose her,
but I think he also realized that if he tells her, she may reject him in the same manner she did
George. He doesn't want to deal with losing her as a friend. He won't tell her," he said wisely.
Charlie nodded, "I agree with Perce. He's madly in love with her, but he won't tell her out of
fear that she'll reject him. So the mission is nowhere near accomplished."
Harry nodded. "We'll issue the third part of the plan then."
"Harry, dear," came Mrs. Weasley's voice from the table, "Would you mind if this were a
less…violent plot?"
Harry grinned, "Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley…this will be sans violence."
She smiled, "Thank you dear."
The others grinned at him and Fred prodded him with a fork. "Come on, then! Spill it!"
He grinned broadly, "I have two words for you. Love notes."
"Ooh…this is gonna be good…" Charlie said, grinning.
"So what does this entail?" Bill asked.
"Well it's actually really simple," Harry explained. "We're going to write love notes,
supposedly one from Ron and one from Hermione and place them somewhere where the other will
find the note on 'accident'. This way we can give both of them a little push and maybe one of them
will reveal their feelings."
The twins nodded, and Fred muttered, "He's not bad…"
"Quite so."
"Quite."
"But we need someone to write the notes," Harry said, looking at them all. "I can't copy
handwriting at all…" They all stared at one another blankly for a moment before Percy slowly raised
a hand.
"I can."
As a unit, they turned to stare at him and his ears pinkened.
"*You* can, Perce?" Bill said bewilderedly.
Percy blushed, "I learned when I was ten… I was bored…"
Fred and George were looking at him scandalized. "And you never TOLD us? All the things
we could have done!"
Percy rolled his eyes. "As though I'd go along with anything *you* wanted."
"But you'll do this, won't you?" Harry said eagerly.
Percy nodded reluctantly, "For Ron..."
Harry grinned. "Brilliant. We'll work on those tomorrow and we can leave them lying around
when we finish. If we're lucky, something will happen."
"Great," Bill grinned. "You know Harry, you're not bad at all this plotting stuff."
Harry smiled, "It's in my blood…"
The others looked at him quizzically, but before they could ask, Mrs. Weasley called out to
them, "Come on in, boys! It's time for bed!"
So they trooped inside, full, happy, and turning over thoughts of their plans in their heads.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
insane what with all the first week of school crap and then play practice until 6:00 everyday. x.X I
apologize a trillion times for the delay. Hopefully I'll be able to get into a groove and get the next
chapter out quicker. We're swiftly approaching the end of the fic! XD
I'm not overly pleased with the way the characters are turning out, but I think I've slowed it down to
the proper speed and I think that the action is keeping fairly decent. This chapter is particularly
exciting :D
If you haven't noticed already, I'm sort of...ignoring the entire fifth book... -.-;;; That's because a) I
don't want *sudden loss of information* to be dead... ;.; b) I hate it when Harry's all mad and un-
happy ;.; c) I like Percy even though I knew he was a bloody turncoat the whole time ;.; and d) I
can't hardly remember half of what the book included. I'm afraid I'm mixing up fic info with book
info -.-;;;; So yeah. Get over it :)
Btw, thankies for all the wonderful reviews!! They help keep me motivated :D
Also, please tell me if this gets confusing... I sort of mesh thoughts into the actual narration of the
story and I'm afraid that might confuddle some people...please tell me if that's so... I'll fix it so
they're actual thoughts inside single quotations if that's better. Thank you muchly! :D
Anyway, I think that's all... on with the fic! XD
P.S. Sorry if the table description confuses you. It goes:
~Mrs. W--George--Fred--Bill--Char~
Mr. W ___________________________Percy
~Hermione--Ron--Harry--Ginny~
Yes, I realize there are five people on one side and four on the other. It's the Weasley's fault. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening, Fred and George sat across from Harry on their beds grinning broadly.
Harry was smiling in amusement.
"That's absolutely bloody brilliant Harry. He'll flip his lid," George said, sounding delighted.
Fred agreed, "He will. But why can't I do it?" He stuck out his lower lip, pouting.
George rolled his eyes. "Don't be a stupid prat. You've got a girlfriend, Fred."
Fred looked thoughtfully at the wall. "Oh yes…"
Harry shook his head, grinning. "So you'll do it?"
George grinned broadly and stuck out his hand. "You bet, mate."
"Great," Harry took his hand, shaking it. "See you at dinner then?"
The twins exchanged a glance and grinned at him. "See you."
With that, Harry exited the room, smiling. If George did this right, the results would be quite
a spectacle. He reached the bottom of the stairs and immediately Ron appeared. "There you
are Harry! I've been looking for you. Mum wants to know what sort of vegetables you want with
dinner."
Harry shrugged, "I dunno. Anything's fine with me…"
Ron turned to face the kitchen and yelled, "He says anything's fine, Mum!"
"Thank you dear!" Mrs. Weasley called back.
"So, er, Harry, can I talk to you?" Ron said awkwardly, his ears turning red. Harry gave him
a strange look.
"'Course you can, mate…what's up?"
"Well…er…what would you think if I decided to try out for Keeper?" he asked glancing at
Harry anxiously.
Harry grinned broadly. "That would be awesome! Have you been practicing?"
Ron blushed looking relieved, "Er, a little, whenever I can get away from the house…"
"Wow! This is brilliant!" Harry said enthusiastically. "You'll be great!"
He flushed happily. "Thanks Harry."
"No problem," Harry grinned at him.
"DINNER!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed throughout the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few minutes later, all nine of the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were finding seats at
the table in the backyard. Ron and Harry were laughing and joking with Bill and Charlie as they took
their seats across from them. On either end sat Mr. Weasley and Percy and then Mrs. Weasley
sat beside Mr. Weasley. The twins sat between Mrs. Weasley and Bill and then Ginny sat next to
Percy opposite from Bill. When Hermione started to sit down beside Mr. Weasley however, George
stopped her. "Wait! Let me get that for you!" he jumped to his feet and raced around the table,
pulling out her chair for her. Hermione gave him a strange look but took the seat and he scooted
her chair in before returning to his seat. His parents and Ron stared at him, but the others simply
grinned at each other.
"Thank you…"
George smiled at her, "Of course, Hermione…" Ron raised an eyebrow at him. If he knew
anything about his brother…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As dinner progressed, George continued to gaze at Hermione with a silly smile on his face,
missing his mouth every once in a while as he ate, and laughing at anything she said that sounded
like a joke. He also accidentally-on-purpose brushed his hand against hers as they both reached for
something a number of times. Hermione was beginning to get nervous. His constant gaze on her
and the dreamy smile on his face every time she looked up were making her uncomfortable. She'd
seen the way Krum had looked at her and this was just like it. Merlin, that *couldn't* be it…It would be
too strange to have *George*… She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. Impossible. He
couldn't…could he?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry on the other hand was having a great time. While Ron and his brothers teased one
another and talked about some of the things they'd done when they were younger and while Hermione
was busy writhing under George's shower of attention, he was enjoying one of the once uncommon
chats with Ginny. They fervently discussed Quidditch and argued lightheartedly about which team was
better—the Bellycastle Bats or Puddlemere United.
"Harry, they're *Irish*!" Ginny protested.
"So? They're good!" Harry replied stubbornly. Ginny then sighed in exasperation, throwing her
arms up.
They also discussed the upcoming school year and popular wizarding music as well as a
number of other things. Harry was surprised to find how much he enjoyed conversation with Ginny.
It was when they broached on the subject of relationships that Harry began acting a bit oddly. When
Ginny mentioned how she wouldn't mind going out with Seamus Finnigan, Harry's cheeks burned and
he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something stupid. The thought of Ginny going out
with Seamus made him want to throw something. Across the table, Bill raised an eyebrow at Harry,
noticing that he had taken to viciously stabbing his meat with his fork as he picked it up to eat. Harry
turned scarlet under his gaze, and returned to the conversation, trying to banish all thoughts of Ginny
and Seamus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill watched as Harry blushed furiously and turned back to his dinner and his conversation with
Ginny. He was getting a strange feeling that Harry wasn't quite coming to terms with his feelings either...
He nudged Charlie with his toe and jerked his head towards Harry. "Noticed anything odd about him,
lately, have you, Char?"
Charlie, through a mouthful of lettuce shook his head and said, "No' really...somefing goin'
on wif 'im?"
Bill leaned toward him, conspiratorially, "I think he's beginning to notice Gin, if you know what
I mean."
Charlie coughed, drawing his mother's attention for a moment before leaning in and grinning at
Bill. "Honestly? You think?" He glanced down the table at Harry, curiously. He couldn't help but notice
the odd, ever-present flush in his cheeks, the slight smile constantly on his lips, and the way he grinned
and laughed at things Ginny said.
"Aye...don't you think?" Bill said, looking at him significantly.
Charlie grinned, "This is brilliant. Gin will be ecstatic. It's about bloody time..."
Bill grinned, "Seems he and Ron are a bit dense when it comes to girls, eh?"
Charlie sniggered, "A bit."
"Shall we do something about that?" Bill asked, his eyes twinkling.
"I think we ought. If Harry doesn't do anything in a few more days, we'll work on him, right?"
"Right," Bill let a smile slide across his face and Charlie grinned back. After another look at
Harry, they sat back and went back to their dinner, grinning slyly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Near the end of the meal when Mrs. Weasley had gone inside to get their dessert and Ron
was busy gaping at George, stunned, he smiled at Hermione and said, "Hermione, you're really
beautiful, you know that?"
She turned scarlet and the others tried to hide their sniggers. "Er…thank you, George…I…"
she looked helplessly down at Harry and Ron. Harry tried to give her a weirded out look while Ron
merely stared at her, shocked by his brother's behavior.
George reached forward and took her hand, and Harry saw Ron's ears begin to redden.
"Hermione…I know we haven't really ever talked or gotten to know each other…but I really like you.
You're pretty and smart and funny… I want to get to know you better," he said, managing to keep a
straight face, despite the fact that his twin had to duck beneath the table to hide his laughter.
Hermione gawked at George, speechless. This couldn't be *happening*…George was
confessing he LIKED her… And the look on Ron's face… He was glaring furiously at George, his
ears practically glowing red and his blue eyes blazing. He had grabbed a napkin and was now
twisting it violently in his hands as though imagining he were strangling George.
George gave her a pathetic look and Harry had to cover his mouth to hide a snort of laughter.
"Please Hermione…say *something*…"
Hermione looked flabbergasted. "George…I…I'm flattered…but I…this is so *sudden*…"
Honestly…! What could she tell him? 'No, I can't like you or go out with you because I li—I'm friends
with Ron'? Why did he have to like *her*…?
He nodded gravely and, noticing his mother approaching with their dessert, he stood and
leaned over the table, kissing her cheek. "Think about it, will you, Hermione?" he said earnestly, his
eyes pleading.
She blushed embarrassed, touching the spot where his lips had brushed her cheek, and
nodded. "All right…" she murmured. Nooooo…this couldn't be happening…!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry backed away from Ron's chair quickly as he noticed his friend's face beginning to
redden. Finally when George kissed her cheek, he erupted. He shot to his feet, glaring furiously at
George. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID PRAT?!" he demanded, lunging forward and
grabbing his brother's shirt-front. George blinked at him, looking unaffected by the fact that his rather
tall, menacing little brother was practically strangling him.
"What do you mean what am I doing?"
"RON! Get your hands off of George!" Mrs. Weasley cried.
Ignoring his mother, Ron snarled irately at George, "YOU CAN'T GO OUT WITH
HERMIONE!"
George's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why not? She's not taken is she?"
"No she's not taken!" Ron sputtered, "But you can't go out with her!"
Harry bit his lip, Hermione was beginning to look irritated.
"Why not?"
"Because I said so!" Ron said angrily.
"RONALD WEASLEY!"
"I'll go out with Hermione if I want! If she wants to go out with me, you can't stop us!" George
retorted.
Ron snarled and shoved him back, hard. George looked surprised for a second as his chair
toppled over backwards, but a moment later, Ron had scrambled over the table and was grabbing at
his neck. "YOU WILL NOT!" he roared furiously.
George glared at him, blocking his hands from his throat. "GERROFF ME YOU IDIOT!" he
shouted. Ron reached down grabbing at his neck persistently and George growled, and with a firm
heave, shoved Ron off of him and pinned him down, holding him down by his wrists. "You stupid
prat!" George hissed. "Knock it off! What's your problem? It's not like she's YOURS."
Ron blanched and suddenly stopped struggling. He hardly noticed that his mother was
shrieking at him furiously and that his entire family, as well as Harry and Hermione, had gathered
around to watch, awed. George's words had suddenly struck something in him. She wasn't his.
Hermione was not *his*. She could be taken from him at anytime by anyone…Harry, Krum, George…
Merlin…he couldn't let that happen! He wanted her to be his! His and his alone! He wouldn't let just
any stupid prat have her! If any stupid prat would it would be himself. Merlin, he *loved* her…! A small
smile drifted on to his face. He loved her. It felt wonderful to say it—well, think it anyway. He'd had
these feelings whirling around inside him for so long now and finally he knew what they all meant. The
anger was actually jealousy, the butterflies in his stomach, the awe, the tingles that shot down his
spine whenever she even brushed his hand... Then a sudden thought plummeted him back to earth
with staggering force.
What if she didn't love him back?
His heart leapt to his throat and his stomach writhed painfully at the thought. Merlin, he
couldn't live without her… If he told her she might never speak to him again. There was no way he
was going to let that happen. He'd rather be miserable having her nearby than have her reject him
and avoid him. So that was how it was…he wouldn't have her. If she wanted George, she could have
him. As long as they could still be friends…
He finally drifted back into reality a moment later his heart aching horribly in his chest. He
wanted to cry it hurt so badly. George was still sitting on top of him, looking down at him in irritation
and a slight mix of concern. "Ron? HELLO! Will you say something already? What's the matter with
you?" he demanded.
Ron squeezed his eyes shut, making a slight face. "Gerroff George. I'm sorry…"
George raised an eyebrow at him, ignoring the large group of people surrounding them. "Are
you all right? You look ill. What in Merlin's name is the matter with you? Are you trying to kill me?"
Ron grimaced. "Sorry. I'm fine…just gerroff, George. I need to go…"
George frowned, "You won't attack me again?"
He sighed, "No. Now *get off, George*!"
George rolled his eyes and released him, standing quickly. Ron sat up and got to his feet
avoiding the gazes of those around him. "Sorry, Mum…I got carried away…" he muttered and then
headed straight for the house, disappearing inside. Hermione stared after him.
"What was that all about? Harry what's going on?" she said, sounding distressed.
Harry shrugged anxiously. "I'm not sure…" He glanced at Ginny, giving her a significant look
and she nodded slightly.
"Come on Hermione, let's go upstairs and get ready for bed… I've had enough…" she said.
Hermione nodded vaguely and glancing back at the table, let Ginny lead her away.
Harry looked at George, "Are you all right?"
George grinned, "Oh sure, that sort of stuff happens all the time. Never about a girl before
though." His eyes twinkled mischievously.
Harry smiled back, relieved, "So do you think we accomplished anything?"
George nodded strongly, "Oh yeah…he's gone. Absolutely."
"One hundred percent," Fred chimed.
"One hundred and ten percent," George said.
"One hundred and *twenty* percent."
"Don't start!" Bill broke in, giving them both looks. Then he turned to Harry. "They're right
though, if we know anything about Ron—and I daresay we do—he's most certainly head-over-heels
and I think he's finally realized it for himself. That's why he stopped fighting. He realized he could
lose her. He might even tell her tonight."
Percy shook his head slowly. "No, I don't think so… He has realized that he could lose her,
but I think he also realized that if he tells her, she may reject him in the same manner she did
George. He doesn't want to deal with losing her as a friend. He won't tell her," he said wisely.
Charlie nodded, "I agree with Perce. He's madly in love with her, but he won't tell her out of
fear that she'll reject him. So the mission is nowhere near accomplished."
Harry nodded. "We'll issue the third part of the plan then."
"Harry, dear," came Mrs. Weasley's voice from the table, "Would you mind if this were a
less…violent plot?"
Harry grinned, "Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley…this will be sans violence."
She smiled, "Thank you dear."
The others grinned at him and Fred prodded him with a fork. "Come on, then! Spill it!"
He grinned broadly, "I have two words for you. Love notes."
"Ooh…this is gonna be good…" Charlie said, grinning.
"So what does this entail?" Bill asked.
"Well it's actually really simple," Harry explained. "We're going to write love notes,
supposedly one from Ron and one from Hermione and place them somewhere where the other will
find the note on 'accident'. This way we can give both of them a little push and maybe one of them
will reveal their feelings."
The twins nodded, and Fred muttered, "He's not bad…"
"Quite so."
"Quite."
"But we need someone to write the notes," Harry said, looking at them all. "I can't copy
handwriting at all…" They all stared at one another blankly for a moment before Percy slowly raised
a hand.
"I can."
As a unit, they turned to stare at him and his ears pinkened.
"*You* can, Perce?" Bill said bewilderedly.
Percy blushed, "I learned when I was ten… I was bored…"
Fred and George were looking at him scandalized. "And you never TOLD us? All the things
we could have done!"
Percy rolled his eyes. "As though I'd go along with anything *you* wanted."
"But you'll do this, won't you?" Harry said eagerly.
Percy nodded reluctantly, "For Ron..."
Harry grinned. "Brilliant. We'll work on those tomorrow and we can leave them lying around
when we finish. If we're lucky, something will happen."
"Great," Bill grinned. "You know Harry, you're not bad at all this plotting stuff."
Harry smiled, "It's in my blood…"
The others looked at him quizzically, but before they could ask, Mrs. Weasley called out to
them, "Come on in, boys! It's time for bed!"
So they trooped inside, full, happy, and turning over thoughts of their plans in their heads.
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