Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related things belong to JK Rowling. I am making no profit off of this (though, nice reviews are a much more enjoyable reward than money, anyway.)
Author's Notes: Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter: SiriusBabe3033, TheAlphieParadox, LynnJ, oasis, TwilightSorceress, NightSpear and MeoI'm glad you all enjoyed it! It means a lot to me, especially considering that this is the first fic I've done that isn't a one-shot. To answer your questions: TwilightSorceress, yes Ron and Hermione are together in this story; oasis, I can't really give away too much, but I'm glad that you picked-up on the fact that Sirius' life may be very different because it'll be important later on.
Chapter Two
Making Progress
Muggle transportation, in Ron's opinion, was terrible. He was cramped into the back of a small four-door green car, sitting between Neville and Luna, while Hermione and Ginny sat in the front. Neville was looking very tired, and Luna was gazing dreamily out the window.
"Tell me again, why are we using a car?" Ron leaned forward to ask Ginny.
"Because there's nothing else we can use." She replied. "We can't Apparate if we don't know exactly where we're going, and the Muggles'll surely see us if we fly in on broomsticks. Pity we can't use the Floo Network."
Ron sighed. As the war had gotten worse, and the damage in Voldemort's attacks had increased, the Floo Network had been disabled. Too many Death Eaters were popping-up unexpectedly in the fireplaces of innocent people.
"Okay, but can't we use a portkey?" Ron replied irritably. He wasn't in the best mood, especially considering that they had been driving for hours.
"All right, Ron, why don't you go and try to create a portkey when we don't even know where we're going." Ginny replied coolly. "After all, you must be capable of such complex magic, right? We all know how great you are at Charms."
It looked like he wasn't the only one who was grumpy. Ginny, in a good mood, would probably be the last person to be so negative.
Hermione said, "Would you two stop arguing? Ron, stop complaining, and Ginny, stop implying that Ron is bad at Magic."
"Just pointing out his obvious flaws. Ginny said, yawning and leaning her head back, as if she were about to fall asleep.
"Yes, well don't." Ron snapped.
The car fell silent, as Ron flipped through some Muggle newspapers. He was still trying to figure out what a "computer" was, and why there were all these ads to get one.
The five of them had been traveling for almost a week, all over Ireland, looking for the Boy-Who-Lived. The image of Harry Potter, which they had seen in Surrey, seemed to point to him being in some pub in Ireland.
Neville had vaguely recognized the scene outside the window, and had promptly told Hermione that he had seen it when he went with his grandmother to Ireland, many years back. Unfortunately, Neville was not known for his great memory, and he couldn't place which of the towns it had been in, as he had visited quite a few. They already checked two, and were now driving through Dublin.
"Can we please take a break?" Ginny asked Hermione, breaking the uneasy silence and finally voicing the question that Ron was dying to ask.
"Ginny, I know we're all tired, but-" Hermione began.
"I agree with Ginny." Neville said. "Can't we just stop and take a break?"
"We're not going to get any work done if we're all exhausted and under-fed." Ron told Hermione, knowing that it would be one of the rare times he'd win an argument with her.
"All right, all right." Hermione finally gave in.
The car pulled to a stop, outside a small restaurant. "We'll have a bit of lunch here, and then get back to work, okay?" Hermione said.
Ron nodded, and slid out of the car, right after Luna.
The restaurant was very tiny, but well-kept. A waiter showed them to a table, and told them he'd be back to take their orders.
Ron glanced around the table, and saw that Ginny still looked quite grumpy. Hermione seemed to have noticed this, too, because she began asking her a series of questions.
"Are you all right, Ginny? You don't look too good. Is something wrong? Perhaps you're coming down with a cold-"
Ginny shook her head. "It's nothing." She said, unconvincingly. "I'm just still a little shocked that Harry Potter's alive."
The look on Hermione's face told Ron that he wasn't the only one who wasn't convinced of Ginny's claims, but neither pushed the matter.
The rest of their lunch passed uneventfully (with the exception of the waiter's odd expression when Luna asked for an onion in her cocktail drink), and the group made their way back to the car, hoping they would find Harry soon so they could return home.
Ron was about to follow Neville into the back of the car when he noticed that Hermione had stopped moving. Ginny was looking very apprehensive, too, and he saw her exchange a worried glance with Hermione and swear under her breath.
"What's wrong?" Ron said quietly.
Hermione looked quite worried. "I think we're being followed."
"What?" Ron whispered. Oh no, not now. Just when we're making progress ...
"Back there, by that alleyway. Don't those people look suspicious." Hermione replied.
Ron glanced behind him, but his timing wasn't very good, because at just that moment, one of four cloaked figures standing near the alleyway looked directly at him.
Before Ron knew what was happening, curses and hexes were being thrown in every direction. The four figures had moved closer, and Neville had already gotten out of the car.
Ron had his wand gripped tightly in his hand and pointed it directly at the tallest of the figures. "EXPELLIARMUS!"
The figure ducked the spell, his hood falling down to reveal the face of Rabastan Lestrange.
This is just bloody great, isn't it? Ron thought sarcastically, as he threw another hex towards Lestrange, who was very well known among the Order members. He had been one of the first ones that Voldemort had helped escape from Azkaban.
Casting a shield charm to block a curse that was coming from another Death Eater, he looked to the side to see that Lestrange was now duelling fiercely with Hermione, while Ginny, Neville and Luna concentrated their efforts on the others.
Ron deflected a few more curses, and vaguely noticed that he and the unknown Death Eater were moving further and further from the rest of the group. Hermione was still fighting Lestrange. Ron saw that the other two Death Eaters' faces were now visible and recognized them as Avery and Dolohiv.
Who am I fighting, anyway? Ron thought, before shouting out a spell.
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
The Death Eater easily deflected the curse, and cast a new one in return.
Before he could do anything, Ron felt ropes coil around him, from his neck to his ankles. The rope was quickly tightening around his neck, and he was finding it hard to breathe. "DIFFINDO!" Ron gasped, pointing his wand at the ropes and cutting them.
He ignored the light-headed feeling that came with being temporarily deprived of oxygen, and was about to raise his wand when he saw that the opposing Death Eater already had his pointed at Ron and had started to cast a spell.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Ron heard Ginny shout from across the parking lot, and the Death Eater he was duelling with was caught off-guard as his wand was ripped from his hands and the force of the spell even knocked away the hood of his cloak.
"STUPE-" Ron began shouting a spell, and then realised it was too late.
The Death Eater quickly Apparated away, but not before Ron had time to see cold grey eyes, blond hair and a pale complexion.
Running towards the rest of the group, he saw the other three Death Eaters also Apparate away.
"Thanks." Ron said to Ginny, still slightly breathless.
"No ... problem ..." She replied, though she was visibly shaken.
"I wonder how they found us... At least they're gone." He said.
Hermione shook her head. "That's not a good thing."
"Why not?" Neville asked.
"Because they know where we are. They'll come back..." Hermione answered.
Ron was beginning to get worried. "You don't think they've gone to get Voldemort, do you?" He had just recently begun using the name, rather than saying You-Know-Who.
Neville gasped beside him, though Ron wasn't sure whether it was from the use of Voldemort's name, or from the idea that the Death Eaters mind return with him.
"Let's just get to Harry as quickly as possible." Luna said calmly.
They all nodded, knowing that their task had just become a hundred times riskier than it was before.
The sun was beginning to set, and they were still looking around the town, though they were now on their feet rather than in the car. This time, however, no one dared to suggest that they take a break, as they realised that the sooner they find Harry, the better.
Ginny's mood, it seemed, had not improved since earlier in the day. She still looked very exhausted and irritable. Under ordinary circumstances, his sister's health would have been a huge priority for Ron, but he knew now that it was better that Ginny was tired, than that they stop to rest and find themselves under attack by more Death Eaters.
"Can't we just say Accio, Harry?" Ginny asked.
Ron smiled, not knowing whether she was being grumpy, like she had this morning, or whether she was trying to make light of a bad situation.
"I'd think it'd just scare him if he suddenly found himself being dragged across town into the hands of strangers, by a mysterious force." Ron replied, knowing perfectly well that it was impossible to use the Summoning Charm on a person.
Ginny smiled, and it was one of the first genuine ones he had seen in a while.
"Oh my god." Hermione said, stopping dead in her tracks.
"Wha-" Ron began, but then he saw was she was looking at.
Across the street from them was a line of tiny buildings. The sign hanging in the window of one of them read Ye Olde Pub.
Ron exchanged nervous glances with Neville and Ginny before following Hermione across the street. Luna was the only one who didn't seem the least bit apprehensive.
Hermione took a deep breath, opened the door to the pub and stepped in.
Author's Notes: Re-reading this I noticed that some of the characters may seem a little out-of-character (Ginny and possibly Ron.) However, if you think about it, a lot has been different for them, and while they'll still be basically like the book characters, there'll also be differences. Ron has grown-up with Hermione as his best friend, not Harry, and Ginny's life is much different, especially considering that a certain incident in her first year never occurred. Then again, perhaps, as the author I might be the only one who noticed the subtle changes (or I might just be paranoid…)
Please review! Praise and constructive criticism are appreciated. I'd especially like to know what you thought of Ron's point-of-view.
