Life was a mess in the Burrow. Ginny had told Mrs. Weasley that Hermione had left, and Mrs. Weasley didn't know what to do. She was responsible for Hermione and now she didn't know where the girl was. Her only consolation was the owl that had come a few days earlier.
"Mrs. Weasley, thank-you for your hospitality, but for personal reasons I could not remain at the Burrow. Yours sincerely, Hermione."
There had been many a discussion between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as to the best course of action, and tonight was no exception. The two lay in their bed and waited for all sounds of life amongst the children to disappear.
"I just don't know what to do," Mrs. Weasley confided in her husband, "I know she's quite capable of taking care of herself, but I am quite worried. I don't even know why she left!"
Mr. Weasley looked at his wife with sympathy. Although sometimes he misjudged things entirely, these holidays he had been particularly perceptive.
"I think she left because of Harry," he said quietly, almost to himself.
"What?!" Mrs. Weasley sat bolt upright.
Mr. Weasley looked startled to find that there was someone next to him.
"Haven't you noticed?" He asked her, "They've been avoiding each other all holiday, and when they have had to speak or go near each other, they can't hold their gaze."
"You think that they had a fight and haven't been speaking to each other?" She asked.
Mr. Weasley looked at her closely. "No," he replied, "I think they're in love."
Ron, Ginny and Harry were also having a late night discussion. Sensing that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley might hear them, they asked Fred and George to come in. Since they were of age, Fred was able to put a silencing spell on the room.
"It's simple; we have to get her back to the Burrow." Ginny told the others emphatically.
"Easier said than done, little sis," Fred (or was it George?) replied.
Harry sat quietly, his eyes shut. Suddenly he stood up. Four pairs of eyes looked at him expectedly. Harry started to pace around Ron's bedroom.
"OK, so our first priority is to let her know that we are telling the truth, right?"
"Right," Ron replied.
"Wrong," answered Harry.
Ginny looked confused. "But..."
Harry held up a hand to silence her.
"We've already tried to convince her that what we said was true," he told his gawking listeners. "She's going to have to come back to that conclusion herself. No, what I'm going to have to do is earn back her trust, and at the same time we can get her back to the Burrow."
No-one bothered to respond, they were looking at him in amazement.
Harry continued. "Tomorrow, at night, Fed and George are going to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron."
Ron gave him a funny look. "Why the Leaky Cauldron?" He asked.
Harry didn't miss a beat. "The note that Hedwig brought back had a kind of yellowy dust on it. According to Dobby, that kind of dust only comes from the Leaky Cauldron, it's the cleaning substance that they use there. Anyway, so Fred and George go to the Leaky Cauldron. They wait until she's getting dressed or in the bathroom or something, and then they signal to us, who are sitting on our three broomsticks outside the window under my invisibility cloak, which will be just big enough. We carry another broomstick with us for Hermione, who just got her own invisibility cloak for her birthday."
Fred waved his hand impatiently, "and then..."
"And then I go in and sit on the bed. When Hermione comes back out, she'll find me. The rest of you will be on that really thick ledge outside the window. I'll...erm...I'll...talk to her. If she wants to come back, then we get her onto her broomstick, bring her back and tell your parents that she came back by herself. If not, then no-one need ever know."
The others nodded, they all wanted Hermione back. They began discussing times and co-ordination in earnest.