Okay, I'm taking forever to get to the real good stuff you folks want between Ron and Hermione. I'm getting there and there will be... stuff. But, sorry, this chapter really goes off on a tangent. In fact, Ron and Hermione don't even sit next to each other at the dinner table. I am a horrible person. This chapter's for Harry.
Disclaimer: If you sue me for copyright violations I will never get to the "good stuff. "That stopped you, didn't it?
:: Hermione quickly put off her act. "Next thing you'll know I'll be predicting Harry's death by ferrets in a crystal ball. Or even Ron paying attention to people ever now and then, both of which will never happen." ::
Chapter 3: Muggle Dinner
"Oh Ron! Ginny! Harry! Hermione! It's so wonderful to see you!" Mrs. Weasley engulfed the four in a very loving, bone-crushing hug as they disembarked the Hogwarts Express.
"Mum, please, no mum, get off! Please!" Ron wrenched himself out of her embrace as Ginny, Harry and Hermione snickered behind their hands. Ron blushed profusely and the girls began to laugh harder. Harry distracted them. "How're we getting to the Burrow?"
Mrs. Weasley averted her attention from Ron to Harry. "Arthur and I decided it may be best to go by floo on account of the cold weather."
"Yes, it is getting chilly" Hermione glanced at the sky. "And it looks like it's going to snow." She moved in closer to Ron, the nearest source of body heat. Ron shifted uncomfortably. "Where's the nearest floo we can use?" She questioned
"Just up the road lives and old friend of mine. We're actually going to have dinner there before we go home. We don't want to be rude. Now get your trunks, Hermione's right, it does look like snow." She gave Ron and Ginny a soft shove to get them moving.
A quarter of an hour later they were all misshapenly positioned outside of platform 9 ¾ with the exception of Ginny who was taking a long time retrieving her lost diary.
"Lost diary, more like a lost Dean Thomas" Ron whispered to Hermione and Harry. Hermione hit him as Harry gave a small laugh.
She finally appeared on their side of the barrier, flushed and diary nowhere to be seen. They set off for the exit of Kings Cross Station and into London. They looked like a very odd parade with their trunks and owl cages marching down London. About a block and a half later they halted in front of a narrow brick townhouse with a royal blue door just as the first snowflakes started falling. Mrs. Weasley went up the front steps followed closely by the four teenagers, two of which weren't particularly fond of this muggle area. She rang the bell and made room on the small stoop for Hermione, Ron and part of Ginny. The door soon flew open and they were greeted by a girl about their age with sparkling blue eyes to match the door and very curly black hair. Freckles covered her nose and cheeks.
"Mum! Mum, they're here! Come and help with their trunks!" She yelled into the depths of the house as Mrs. Weasley tried to interject that they could do it themselves. Ron was face to face and very close with the girl and seemed very surprised by this abrupt meeting, but not at all uncomfortable with the awkward position he was in.
And older, more freckled version of the girl quickly joined her and helped pull the trunks and cages into the house.
The woman gave Mrs. Weasley a brief hug. Mrs. Weasley introduced them. "Kids, this is Mrs. Fenwick and her daughter Stephanie. Sylvia" she said referring to Mrs. Fenwick, "This is Ron and Ginny, they're mine. You've met them, but they were still in diapers. And these are their friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."
Harry was pleasantly surprised to see Mrs. Fenwick and Stephanie not react like most people did when they met him. But when he heard the name 'Fenwick' something registered in the back of his mind, but he couldn't place it. "Hello Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry, nice of you to come by. Dinner's almost ready. I expect you're all cold and hungry after spending all day on that train. Stephanie," she turned to her daughter, "show them to the living room, the fire's already lit."
Stephanie ushered them into their small living room and Ron followed closely behind her. "Make yourself at home and warm up." She sat down next to the fire while Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys sunk into armchairs and a sofa.
"Stephanie," Mrs. Weasley spoke up after a pause, "where do you go to school? I didn't think you went to Hogwarts."
"I don't. I've always been home schooled by my mum." Stephanie said shortly
Hermione, like always, wanted to know more. "Why don't you go to Hogwarts?"
"Oh, well," Stephanie paused for a moment. "My dad and mum were part of the Order of the Phoenix as I understand you all are, but my dad was killed by deatheaters when I was just under two years old. My mum felt, and Albus Dumbledore agreed, it would be safer if I laid low for a while as my mum was wanted too, he even put some sort of enchantment around our house. My mum left the Order from fear of her and I risking our lives. For a time, it was really scary, especially when I was about ten and weird things started happening again. We decided it would be best to home school for a while and maybe go to Hogwarts when things died down a bit. Well, things never really died down and I liked being taught by my mum, so I stayed here." She concluded this shocking explanation by gesturing to the house around them.
Ron pounced on her moment of silence. "But, don't you ever want to be around wizards your age? I mean, isn't it all muggles around here?" He seemed entranced by her blue eyes. Hermione nudged him to keep quiet but he continued to stare avidly at her.
She gave a little flighty laugh. "It is mostly muggles, but there are a few wizards around. This way, though, I get to know people from both sides of the 'world': Muggle and Wizard. I know lots of magic and spells and such, but I also know practical, and not-so-practical, muggle tricks too. Stephanie pointed to a painting on the wall. "I painted that with my own hands and brushes. I didn't use magic."
Ginny stood up and studied it with interest. "It doesn't move or talk" She said over her shoulder.
Stephanie laughed again while Ron studied her. "No magic, no movement" Hermione and Harry seemed unmoved, but Ginny examined it even closer and Ron tore his eyes away from her and got up for a look.
"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Fenwick called from within the house. The group got up and followed Stephanie into the cramped dining room. The entire group barely fit around the small table that was covered with dishes of food.
"Oh, Sylvia! This looks delicious!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she squeezed into a seat between Ron and Hermione.
"I actually cooked it the muggle way, with and electric stove and, well, a microwave." She finished abashedly.
Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Hermione dug in, but Ron and Ginny looked skeptical. Stephanie noticed their sudden lack of appetite. "Go on, you two, it's not poisoned or any worse because it was made the muggle way. I eat it often and I'm not dead."
Ron seemed very reassured by this and helped himself to the nearest dish. Ginny, knowing defeat, followed suit and was soon eating hungrily.
An hour later, they had all finished eating and Mrs. Weasley announced they had better get going. "Thank you so much for the wonderful dinner."
"Yeah, it was great." Ron said while again staring at Stephanie.
They all arranged themselves in front of the Fenwick's fireplace, ready to floo to the burrow. "Thanks again" Harry said as he prepared to step into the fire.
"Wait Harry!" Mrs. Fenwick stopped him. "I just want to say how much you look like your dad... and mum."
"You knew my parents?" He was surprised.
Mrs. Fenwick smiled sadly. "They were in the Order with my husband and me. They died a little while before my husband, Benjy."
Harry's mind reeled back in time, all the way back to Ron and Hermione's prefect party before their fifth year. The photograph. Mad-Eye Moody. 'Benjy Fenwick, he copped it too, we only ever found bits of him...' Moody's voice resonated through his head.
"Harry," Mrs. Fenwick brought him back to the small living room, "Harry, take care of your self. Your parents loved you very much. They had love for each other and you like one could never imagine. Lily was my friend. She showed me all their love letters, the sweetest things...." Her voice trailed off and Harry backed into the green fire.
"The burrow!" The last thing he saw was Mrs. Fenwick with her arm around Stephanie's shoulder and a faint, teary smile on her face.