A/N: 'Sup! Thanks again to everyone who's written the up-lifting reviews! And thanks to Mindy for giving me the cool notebook for my birthday (I write all my ideas in there)!
One love,
Nathalie
Disclaimer: None of the terms or characters that appear in any literature authored by J.K. Rowling belongs to me. They rightfully belong to J.K. Rowling. Any other allusions mentioned on this page do not belong to me either.
Chapter 19
"No!" Hermione quickly responded after Ginny enlightened her of her newly devised scheme. "I won't keep Ron and Harry in their room while you go up to the attic and pry on them!"
"Why?" Ginny whined and stomped her foot down as if she were eight-years-old. "You haven't talked to them in so long! It'll be like old times!"
"I know that, but it feels like I'm only cheating on them!"
"Okay, then come in the attic with me!"
"What? No!"
"But--"
"I'm putting my foot down!"
"Hermione, please, you've been wanting to snoop on the Order. How is this any different?" she asked.
"The Order is important. This is just rubbish," Hermione answered and then noticed how hurtful her words must have been as Ginny's lip started to quiver and she looked away. "No, Ginny! I didn't mean that! I mean, you do know that this isn't life or death, compared to the business of the Order at least!"
"Yes, I do know that!" Ginny whimpered, wiping her eye with the back of her hand. "And I know that this isn't as important as Order affairs, but it certainly isn't rubbish!"
"Ginny, please! I just got here, and the last thing I wanted to do was make you upset!"
"Good!" Ginny said after she abruptly switched moods and grabbed Hermione's wrist with one hand and grabbed the Extendable Ears: Deluxe Edition and Transpectacles with the other, "Then let's go!" She pulled her out of her room and raced upstairs as Hermione groaned.
"What's your rush? This is my good wand hand!" Hermione said as she was being hurried upstairs by Ginny.
"I don't want to miss anything they say!"
"You are unbelievable!"
They reached the top floor, and Ginny opened the door at the side across from Ron's. They walked in and ascended the narrow staircase before they stridden toward the chief area that Ginny usually placed herself to spy on the boys. "Over here!" she said and sat on the dusty floor.
"How do you use these?" Hermione said, gingerly picking up the Extendable Ears: Deluxe Edition.
"You use them like the regular ones, but the funnel has to face down on the ground, like this!" Ginny said as she modeled and then picked up the Transpectacles, "And you just wear these like normal glasses." She put them on and looked down. "Right now, Ron is writing a letter and Harry's sitting cross-legged on the rug."
"Oh, how remarkable," Hermione said in a non-interested tone, but Ginny could tell she was faking it.
Ginny was listening to the silence in the room below her. She was impatiently waiting for one of them to speak as there was a strange silence in the attic, as well. But then, "Why can't we just go, Ron? I'd really like to see Hermione," Harry spoke.
"I do, too, but we still haven't figured out what Ginny, Fred, and George have been up to," Ron replied after he stopped scribbling.
"Maybe they're not up to anything!" Harry stated as Ron gave him a look that read, Yeah, right.
"I know them, Harry. They are always up to something when one of them is acting strange. I never find out anything until they admit whatever they've been doing. For once, I'd like to figure it out on my own . . . with the help of you, at least."
"All right, then I guess I can't argue with that, but it would help for you to stop doodling and start focusing on the plan."
"I'm not doodling; I'm writing down all the weird things that have been going on, along with all the clues and stuff."
"Clues?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, this," Ron answered as he handed it over to Harry.
"Ron, that's a cheese grater," Harry stated as he took it from him and Ron shrugged, "But here's a real clue!" Harry showed Ron a periwinkle-colored band.
"Harry, that's one of Ginny's ribbons," Ron said.
Ginny giggled as Hermione asked her, "What's so funny?" but Ginny ignored her as she listened more intently.
"Yeah, one of Ginny's ribbons that I found in the attic, today," Harry said and Ginny almost jumped out of her seat.
"They were in the attic!" she said hoarsely and looked at Hermione who mouthed, "Oh!"
"Jinkies!" Ron joked. "It sure was a good idea to skip our baths and search the attic for ribbons!"
"You know it means that Ginny has been up there!"
"So what? We saw her go in there yesterday when you were 'sick'."
"But she was wearing this in her hair last night at supper," said Harry and Ron laughed. "What?"
"Nothing," Ron replied, "Anyway, what are we going to do about Hermy?"
Ginny looked at Hermione and noticed how falsely bored she appeared. "Here," she took off the Transpectacles, "Do you want to check it out?"
"No thanks," Hermione wavered, "I just don't feel right about it."
"Really? You don't even want to hear what they've got to say about you?"
Hermione changed facial expressions. "Okay, but only for a minute."
Ginny smiled and handed her the equipment. She giggled at Hermione when she put the Transpectacles on.
"What is it?" Hermione asked. Ginny suddenly related to Fred and George when they first saw her in the glasses.
"Those look really silly on you," she pointed out.
"Sorry, but I'm no Fleur Delacour," Hermione responded, and looked down at the ground, she then gave a loud, "Humph!" and Ginny could tell what that meant.
As Hermione was listening and viewing Ron and Harry, Ginny couldn't do anything except attend to her thoughts. Less than a year ago, Harry wouldn't have noticed if I walked around in a Headless Hat, but now he can remember the ribbon in my hair?
She got up and paced around. That has to mean something, she thought. She then recalled the time in her second year when she always took note in what shoes Harry would wear each day. He had two pairs of trainers.
"Oh, no!" Hermione shouted and pulled the Transpectacles off her face. Ginny looked at her, stunned.
"What's the sitch?" Ginny demanded.
"They're coming up here now!" Hermione exclaimed.
Ginny's eyes widened and she tried to quickly think about what to do. "Hermione! Go down to his room!"
Hermione didn't have time to argue so she did just as Ginny said. Hermione raced down the steps and Ginny could hear the door open and then shut.
"I hope they didn't leave the room yet!" she said to herself. She paced around and then decided to put the Transpectacles on and listen through the Extendable Ears: Deluxe Edition. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw that Hermione was talking to the two boys in Ron's room.
"No, Ron, I don't believe in aliens, and I'm fine, Harry!" Hermione said with a fake laugh.
"Are you sure? You look rather tense," Harry said.
"No, I'm just out of breathe. It's a long way from Ginny's room up to here," she replied. She looked up at the ceiling and winked. Ginny knew that was for her.
"You were in Ginny's room? I see," said Ron. "Did she happen to tell you anything?"
"What do you mean? She just showed me some of her new ribbons," Hermione answered and eyed both Harry and Ron in a furtive manner that gave a Snape-like intimation.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances that read, she knows something, as Ginny's jaw dropped.
"Don't give them anymore hints, Hermione!" Ginny said aloud, shaken.
"Well, it's a shame that you came to visit Ginny first," Ron said casually.
"Well, it's a shame that you didn't come downstairs to greet me just as she did," Hermione responded firmly, "Both of you."
"I wanted to!" Harry pleaded, "But Ron wouldn't let me go. He wanted me to help him sort out his underwear first!"
Ron turned red at the lie and gave Harry a face that read, I'll get you back.
Ginny laughed at the suggestion, and then heard the deafening voice of Mrs. Weasley.
"IT'S TIME!" she hollered. Ginny knew that that meant that it was time for the second feast.
"Well, I guess I'll leave you two back to your sorting, and I will see you down at the garden. Oh, by the way, Moony, Moody, and Tonks are here too," Hermione added as she left.
Harry's face lit up. "I can't wait to tell them about my trip with the Dursleys!"
Ron didn't say anything until a few moments later. "She knows. Do you think she knows?"
"Who knows what now?" Harry asked, baffled.
"Hermione knows that we know."
"What? What do we know?"
"We know that Ginny, Fred, and George are keeping something from us!"
"What makes you think that she knows that we know what we know?"
"Didn't you see her with her eyes of wickedness?"
Harry laughed, "Ron, I think you should eat something so you can figure out what you're saying," He then placed a hand to his own stomach. "Me too."
"But now, what if she also knows that we know that she knows that we know what we know?"
"You mean she wanted us to know that she knows that we know what we know?"
"Yes!" Ron exclaimed.
"Okay . . . I don't really think it's a big deal," said Harry.
"Yes, it is! She's playing games with us!"
"I'm starving! Let's worry about this later. Then we can let her know that we don't know what we know or that we don't know that she knows that we know what we know."
"RON! GINNY! HARRY! I SAID IT'S TIME!" Mrs. Weasley yelled again in her shrill voice.
Ginny waited until Harry and Ron left the room and she quickly took her gear off to head off downstairs herself.
"They don't know what they know," she said.