Author's notes: Well…second chapter. Well done me! It think that it's going to take me quite along time to write this story, but bare with me…I'm getting there. It's because of all the homework year 10 seems to bring. Anyway, R&R people!

"Speech" 

(My notes)

Letters

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Chapter 2.

Ron was sitting on the train, facing his sister. She was unusually quiet, so was his mother.

They must feel like I do…he thought. He was nervous, there were two days left before school, and they were on their way to meet up with Harry and Hermiony at the Leaky Caldron. The only problem was, he wasn't sure on what he was going to find there, Harry had been so quiet, he wasn't sure on what state he was going to be in. He hadn't been in much contact with Hermiony either. She had been very busy over the holidays. Only Ginny seemed to know what she had been doing, and she refused to tell him anything.

A grumpy old man pushed passed him roughly, damn muggle trains, he thought. They had to use it as the floo network was being monitored and now was only meant to be used for emergences, as for port keys? He didn't even want to think of all the restrictions that were now in place. The only good thing about the new legislations was that the Minister of Magic Fudge had finally accepted that Voldermort had returned.

Ron glared at the old mans retreating back. He was nervous about seeing his two best friends again stupid really, but he had a right to. So much had happened over the past few years, and it had changed them…their relationship. They had grown up…a lot. Fred and George had said that he was no fun anymore, when they came over to see them in the holidays. He'll show them!

Ginny shifted in her seat and looked up from the magazine she was reading, agitated.

"Mum, how much longer? I'm really board!" 

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be much longer…"

As if in answer, the train began to slow and they cruised into Paddington station.

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"Hermiony…HERMIONY,"

The headphones were removed,

"We're here darling."

"Oh, thanks mum."

The car door was opened and Hermiony stepped out. A group of teenage muggle boys passed her and stared, stopping a few meters down the pavement, talking in overly loud voices in hope that she might notice them.

Hermiony smiled inwardly, this had been happening a lot lately. She tossed her now strait hair over her shoulder and took off her sunglasses. She turned, smiled at the group then walked over to help her father with her trunk. She could still feel their eyes on her as she purposely bent over more then usual, letting them get a better glimpse of her long legs.

Spending the summer with what her mother called bad company had changed Hermiony. She was no longer the geeky bookworm, in fact, now she was more laid back, and confident with her body. She was no longer a naive little girl, although still eager to learn, she had had a taste of rebellion and was craving a bit of fun.   

Her mum locked their car and they set off up the street in search of the Leaky Cauldron.

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Tom directed Ron to the highest set of rooms.

He struggled up the stairs, before tripping up over an edge of carpet in the corridor.

"Shit." He mouthed. Ginny giggled behind him, before turning off into her room. Ron was left alone with a throbbing foot. He walked up to the door at the very end and opened the door with the key he had been given.

Inside the room it was dark, and dust swirled around him in beautiful patterns shown up by the sliver of sunlight that came from the thin crack in the curtains.

"Harry?" his voice seemed muffled and weak.

There was a movement in the shadows, a lamp was lit, and Harry came into view. There was a pause as they looked at each other. Ron was shocked; Harry was completely different. He looked gaunt and thin, his hair, longer then usual was unkempt and he had grown a lot.

Ron got over the initial shock of his friends appearance, dumped his stuff on the floor and walked forward to meet him.

"Hi…are you ok?" Ron gave him an apprehensive look. Harry's eyes seemed to bore into him.

"Fine."

Ron gave a weak laughed and drew Harry into a one armed hug, but instead of feeling better, this gust gave him more of an impression of how thin his best friend was, and how his shoulders shook. He pulled away and Harry rubbed his eyes in a tiered way.

"Your too thin mate, mum will have a fit!"

Harry shrugged, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"I've grown though, I'm catching you up."

"Yeah…you've got to stop that. I'm meat to be the tall one remember, has Hermiony turned up yet?"

"No. Where's your sister?"

"In her room, I'm bunking with you."

Together, they helped Ron unpack and Harry opened the curtains to give them better light. There conversation was polite, and occasionally, the mirror in the corner would give her opinion on 'Wizards today'. Ginny gave them a visit to give Harry a hug and to embarrass Ron, something she had been doing a lot lately.

The morning slowly passed to afternoon, and Ron had kept the subject off what was going on in the wizarding world at the moment, but inevitably, it came up.

They were both on Harry's bed, Harry was lying on his back staring at the ceiling, while Ron lent up against the wall at the end.

"So…what's been going on?"

"I've told you all about my summer…"

"You know what I mean." There was a pause. Ron sighed.   

"A lot. There've been attacks…on muggles, they're getting more and more frequent."

"I heard about that. They gave me occasional news updates at the Durslie's. After the attack on Dudley, they want to know what's going on, for protection."

Ron couldn't help but grin at the heavily sarcastic tone his friend used,

"You still hate them, huh!"

"Well…not so much. Vernon cant stand me still, neither can Dudley, but Aunt Petunia has. Ever since she found out that Voldermort was back, she's been a bit kinder and sympathetic. Apparently, she doesn't loath her sister as much as she first made out."

Harry turned his face away from Ron and looked at the wall. "Anyway, don't try and change the subject. What else has happened?"

"Harry, I don't know that much, you know. I'm not the infinite pool of knowledge you seem to think I am!"

He caught the look Harry gave him.

"Fine, 'He' hasn't been sighted very much, I think it's only twice, but his death eaters have been very active. He's busy recruiting still. Meanwhile, everyone else is in on high alert. You can only use the floo network with heavy security, port keys are nearly all band, and there's aurora's swarming the high profile places."

Harry sighed.

"Thanks. Is that all you know?" Ron nodded.

There was a pause; the air seemed to get thicker. Ron decided to change the subject.

"Have you had you Hogwarts letter yet?" Harry nodded. "What have you chosen to do?"

"Every thing McGonagall said, what about you?"

"Same. Did you here about the new students?"

"Yeah."

Another pause.  "Are you prefect again?"

"Yeah, got my badge with my letter."

"Well done!"

"Thanks, I bet Hermiony is as well."

Harry smiled sadly,

"Yeah…She's been writing to me a lot lately, she's been really nice."

Ron frowned at this latest piece of information, was he the only one who hadn't heard from Hermiony?

Silence followed, while Harry plucked up the courage to tell his best friend the thing that had been plaguing his mind most of the holiday.

"I take it that Dumbledore didn't give you the letter personally did he?" Ron shook his head, "Because he delivered another letter to me at the same time, well…I wouldn't call it a letter…more like…Ron, Sirius left everything to me in his will…"

"What?" Ron gasped, staring at his friend.

"I…I had to sign a document, allowing the order to continue using Grimmauld Place, because it's mine…now that Sirius…is gone."

Ron sat and stared at his friend, his mouth open. Harry's eyes clouded over and the shadows playing across his thin face made him look like death warmed up. Ron was scared, in Harry's eyes, there was something there he had never seen before, a mixture of Anger and pure hatred.

At that second, footsteps were heard on the stairs, followed by a scream…

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Mini cliffy here, sorry. So, how'd ya like it, please review! I want to know that people are actually reading this…go on, you know you want to!