An Acceptable Risk
Part 10
Hermione got up from her bed where she had by lying, writing in her diary, to answer the knock at her door.
"Yes," she said, opening the door, but there was nobody there. "Really," she said. "I mean, aren't we a little above these childish pranks?" She was just about to shut the door when she heard a soft giggle. She looked around but saw nobody. Again, she started to shut he door, when Ginny Weasley's disembodied face appeared before her. Hermione opened her mouth to scream, but stopped when she saw Ginny's arm emerge and motion for quiet.
Hermione opened the door wider so that Ginny could enter. Once Ginny was in the room, Hermione placed wards on the door, ensuring that nobody could enter. Ginny scribbled something on a piece of paper and passed it to Hermione. After she read it, she picked up her wand and said "Silencius Audious,". Lowering her wand, she looked at Ginny and grinned. "There, that should take care of it, nobody can hear anything now. Ginny, what are you doing, did you knick that from Harry?"
Ginny removed the cloak and threw herself on Hermione's bed. "No, but you won't believe where I did get it from."
"You are not going to tell me that Draco Malfoy gave that to you," declared Hermione. "There is no way."
"Wrong, but I won't torture you. Dumbledore gave it to me."
"Dumbledore? Why? Does he think it will be useful?" She crawled up onto the bed and sat next to her friend.
"No, actually, what he said was that it would be helpful in many endeavors, not only the most obvious ones."
"I wonder what he meant by that?" pondered Hermione. "Ginny," she said in an abrupt change of conversation. "Do you want something to eat? I can have one of the house elves bring you something. You haven't been eating well at meals, and you look like you are losing weight."
Ginny burst out laughing and sat up.
"You, the president and founder of S.P.E.W. voluntarily asking a house
elf for anything? I may say yes just to
see if you can actually do it."
"Ginny, don't tease," said the older girl. "I'm serious. I think this whole thing is too much for you. I'm worried about you." She was about to say more, but a knock on the door interrupted her. Ginny quickly covered herself with the invisibility cloak and sat as still as possible while Hermione opened the door to find Ron on the other side.
"Hey Hermione," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Are you ready to go to the library?"
"Oh, er, about that?" she stammered.
"What, did you forget, we were going to start researching our essays for Professor Binns."
"No, I didn't forget Ron, it's just that, I can't go. I've got a terrible headache, and I really just want to go to bed early."
"Headache? Do you want me to take you up to Madam Pomfrey?"
"No it's just a simple headache. I'm sure I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
"It's that rotter Ginny that has you all tied up in knots, isn't it?"
"Ron," Hermione gasped. "Don't talk like that. Ginny is your sister after all."
"That little brat isn't any sister of mine," said Ron strongly. "No sister of mine would treat my girlfriend the way she's treated you. She's been positively beastly lately. It's like she's, like she's a Slytherin or something. Did you know she quit the Quidditch team today? How we're going to come up with a decent keeper at this late date is beyond me."
Hermione struggled to hide a grin.
Trust Ron, no matter what the conversation had been about to bring it
around to Quidditch. "Look, Ron, I'm
really tired. I was going to have one
of the house elves bring me up a small snack, and then I was planning on going
to bed, really. It has nothing to do
with Ginny. You know me, always
carrying too full a schedule that's all."
"A house elf? Blimey, you must be sick. Come on," he said grabbing her by the arm. "I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing right away."
"Ron, will you let go of me," she said pulling her arm free of his grasp. "I am not sick, but I am hungry and I do have a headache. Look, I think it's really sweet of you to be so concerned, but please, just get Harry to go to the Library with you. I just want to go to bed."
"Harry," Ron snorted. "Fat lot of good that would do. "He's busy tearing apart the castle looking for Ginny. He was muttering something about giving her a real talking too."
"Fine, good, go help him, but please, just leave me alone," she said practically shoving him out the door.
"Wait a second, don't I get a good night kiss," he said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Hermione glanced back at her bed and then pushed Ron out the door. "Of course you do, come out here and I'll kiss you goodnight," she said a bit desperately.
"Hermione!" he roared. "You are the Head Girl, you have your own room. We don't have to do our snogging in the hallway!"
"Oh, yeah, silly me," she said weakly. She stood up on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. "There, goodnight, I'll see you at breakfast," she said as she pushed him the rest of the way out the door and closed it firmly.
"Ok," she whispered to Ginny. "It safe, he's gone."
"You only think so," Ginny giggled. "Five, four, three, two, one." As she said one, there was a knock at the door. Hermione opened it to find Ron standing on her doorstep again.
"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked. "You are acting rather particular."
"Ron, seriously, I'm fine. Look, I do have a headache, and I just want to go to bed. I guess you are right. Ginny's behaviour is really starting to get to me. I just want to go to sleep and forget about it for a while."
"Ok, but if you need anything, let me know," said Ron. He leaned down and hugged her and whispered in her ear, "I love you," and quickly stepped out the door, closing it behind him.
Hermione quickly put the wards back on the door and repeated the silencing charm while Ginny threw off the invisibility cloak.
"Wow," she said. "He really does love you, doesn't he?"
"Never mind that," said Hermione, her cheeks dusted with color. "About the cloak."
"Well, Dumbledore had been talking to me about the stress and strain and how hard it was to have everybody hating me. I think he knew I needed someone to talk to, and he gave me a way," said Ginny simply. "Besides, Hermione, did you hear what Ron said about Harry. He's tearing apart the castle looking for me. He's doing something besides sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling. I think it's working, I really do."
"Yes," said the older girl thoughtfully. "But at what expense.