A/N. Well hello again! Thank you to EVERYONE for leaving such great reviews. I tried and tried to write an acceptable 2nd chapter, but I always had to go back and erase something, add something else. The story WILL get more interesting. And for those of you die-hard R/Hr fans such as myself, Hermione's coming in the next chapter!
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The benign smile was slowly creeping off Mrs. Weasley's face. "Ronald and Virginia Weasley, I demand to know what is going on."
"Nothing, Mum," said Ron in a strangled sort of voice as he stumbled into the house, Ginny at his heels. He remembered just in time to grab a fluffy biscuit before splinting up to his room and slamming the door.
He fell back onto his bed just in time to hear his mother saying, "All the boys were like that at his age," causing him to cringe. He stared at the ceiling, willing his heart to stop pounding and his goosebumps to disappear. When he was sufficiently calm, Ron sat up, then ran a worried hand through his hair.
What was that all about? he thought, mystified.
A knock came at the door. "Ron, can I come in?"
"Yes," Ron managed, and his sister threw the door open. She stood watching him for a moment, before asking suspiciously, "What is wrong with you?"
"What do you mean?" Ron said quickly. How much HAD Ginny noticed?
"Well first of all, you screamed outside and then acted all - funny - when I found you," said Ginny, her hands on her hips. "And now you didn't even say something like 'Oh, you remember to knock this time?' And," she added, "You haven't even LOOKED at the owl that just arrived, and I bet it's from Hemione."
"Hermione?" Ron leapt at the owl that sat comfortably on Ginny's shoulder that he had failed to noticed earlier. "Whose owl is this?" he said distractedly as he ripped the cord tying the parchment.
"Hermione's parents gave it to her, I don't know why," said Ginny slowly. "She named it Athena - Ron! Are you trying to change the subject?"
Ron paid her no attention.
Dear Ron,
I've discussed it with my parents that even if we go somewhere, Death Eaters will be able to find us, and I wouldn't be surprised if Malfoy has told his father to target my family and myself especially. It's better to stay with an able family of wizards, wouldn't you agree? So I was wondering...I'd rather stay with a familiar family. Would your mother object to having me this summer? Just for protection? And of course, I'd love to visit with you and Ginny as usual. If it's alright, may I come tomorrow?
Love,
Hermione
Tomorrow.
"Ron!" said Ginny angrily, stamping her foot, causing the ghoul in the attic to howl with rage.
Ron snapped out of his reverie. "What? What?"
Ginny pointed furiously at his violently orange bed. "I demand," she said imperiously, "That you sit down and tell me what just went on in the backyard there."
Ron put his hand to his forehead and opened his mouth, but did not sit down. "I think I...had a vision," he said lamely.
Ginny drew in a sharp breath. "What do you mean, you had a vision?"
"A gnome," said Ron. "A gnome bit one of my thought wounds, and then I - wasn't in the garden anymore. I was someone else. And there was some woman there. I thought she was you at first, she had the same hair...but she was holding a baby. And she called the baby Harry. And then I...I killed her," said Ron, finishing in a whisper.
Ginny covered her mouth with her hand. "Ron, that...that sounds as if it were Voldemort murdering Harry's mum," said Ginny weakly.
"Why would I be having visions where I was You-Know-Who murdering Harry's mum? Hey - wait a minute! You called You-Know-Who by his name!" said Ron, momentarily forgetting what had just happened.
"Yes," said Ginny firmly. "I spoke to Professor Dumbledore about it. I've seen better than anyone that Voldemort is just human. He was a child once too. No, Ron," she said, going back on-topic, "Why would you have visions where you were Voldemort...unless the brain that attacked you really did BELONG to Voldemort?"
"Hang on!" said Ron excitedly. "What if - no, wait for it - what if the Ministry somehow - I dunno - got hold of You-Know-Who's brain? And they were keeping it to...dissect it or something. Learn who his Death Eaters were, and who he killed, stuff like that."
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Ginny, reminding him shockingly of Hermione...in a good way. Ron's face turned red, but Ginny didn't notice. "Voldemort can't just be up and walking around without a brain - "
"No, that's just it!" Ron interrupted. "Harry told us last year that You-Know-Who CREATED a body for himself! That wasn't his original body...maybe...no, listen...Okay, the night that he attacked Harry, his curse hit him instead, right? Well, he turned into a spirit, right? So what happened to his body? When you do Avada Kedavra on someone, their body's still there. Maybe when the Ministry got there, they found You-Know-Who's body and took his brain to inspect it!"
"That is so farfetched," said Ginny. "But I can't say it isn't possible..."
"Good thing Hermione's coming tomorrow," said Ron. "She'll tell us if it is."
And at that moment, Ron noticed something: the person he was discussing this with was his younger sister. Not Harry. Not Hermione. Not even Fred or George - it was Ginny. Ginny, saying You-Know-Who's name, and wondering if the offending brain had belonged to him. Ginny, who was suddenly somehow very much his ally, as if she had been discovering evil plots with Harry, Hermione and himself all her life. It felt weird - but at the same time, it felt right.
"Alright. Gin," Ron said, turning to look at his sister. "Take this letter downstairs and show Mum, tell her that Hermione's coming to stay with us. And nothing else," he warned.
"Please, Ron. I'm not stupid," she said coolly. "I did, after all, survive the same battle that you did. With a lot less scars." She turned on her heels, sniffed, and walked out, leaving Ron to stare numbly at the door.
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A/N. Mmkay well, I promise the next chapter's coming soon. And that it'll be longer; I'm sorry this one's so short. I'm on a bit of a roll here - probably within the next week or two, you can expect Hermione's arrival. But I shall warn you - I am willing to beg and bribe for reviews. As in - I BEG you to review, and will not post the next chapter until there are at least five. Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to tell me if you did!
Love,
Renee
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The benign smile was slowly creeping off Mrs. Weasley's face. "Ronald and Virginia Weasley, I demand to know what is going on."
"Nothing, Mum," said Ron in a strangled sort of voice as he stumbled into the house, Ginny at his heels. He remembered just in time to grab a fluffy biscuit before splinting up to his room and slamming the door.
He fell back onto his bed just in time to hear his mother saying, "All the boys were like that at his age," causing him to cringe. He stared at the ceiling, willing his heart to stop pounding and his goosebumps to disappear. When he was sufficiently calm, Ron sat up, then ran a worried hand through his hair.
What was that all about? he thought, mystified.
A knock came at the door. "Ron, can I come in?"
"Yes," Ron managed, and his sister threw the door open. She stood watching him for a moment, before asking suspiciously, "What is wrong with you?"
"What do you mean?" Ron said quickly. How much HAD Ginny noticed?
"Well first of all, you screamed outside and then acted all - funny - when I found you," said Ginny, her hands on her hips. "And now you didn't even say something like 'Oh, you remember to knock this time?' And," she added, "You haven't even LOOKED at the owl that just arrived, and I bet it's from Hemione."
"Hermione?" Ron leapt at the owl that sat comfortably on Ginny's shoulder that he had failed to noticed earlier. "Whose owl is this?" he said distractedly as he ripped the cord tying the parchment.
"Hermione's parents gave it to her, I don't know why," said Ginny slowly. "She named it Athena - Ron! Are you trying to change the subject?"
Ron paid her no attention.
Dear Ron,
I've discussed it with my parents that even if we go somewhere, Death Eaters will be able to find us, and I wouldn't be surprised if Malfoy has told his father to target my family and myself especially. It's better to stay with an able family of wizards, wouldn't you agree? So I was wondering...I'd rather stay with a familiar family. Would your mother object to having me this summer? Just for protection? And of course, I'd love to visit with you and Ginny as usual. If it's alright, may I come tomorrow?
Love,
Hermione
Tomorrow.
"Ron!" said Ginny angrily, stamping her foot, causing the ghoul in the attic to howl with rage.
Ron snapped out of his reverie. "What? What?"
Ginny pointed furiously at his violently orange bed. "I demand," she said imperiously, "That you sit down and tell me what just went on in the backyard there."
Ron put his hand to his forehead and opened his mouth, but did not sit down. "I think I...had a vision," he said lamely.
Ginny drew in a sharp breath. "What do you mean, you had a vision?"
"A gnome," said Ron. "A gnome bit one of my thought wounds, and then I - wasn't in the garden anymore. I was someone else. And there was some woman there. I thought she was you at first, she had the same hair...but she was holding a baby. And she called the baby Harry. And then I...I killed her," said Ron, finishing in a whisper.
Ginny covered her mouth with her hand. "Ron, that...that sounds as if it were Voldemort murdering Harry's mum," said Ginny weakly.
"Why would I be having visions where I was You-Know-Who murdering Harry's mum? Hey - wait a minute! You called You-Know-Who by his name!" said Ron, momentarily forgetting what had just happened.
"Yes," said Ginny firmly. "I spoke to Professor Dumbledore about it. I've seen better than anyone that Voldemort is just human. He was a child once too. No, Ron," she said, going back on-topic, "Why would you have visions where you were Voldemort...unless the brain that attacked you really did BELONG to Voldemort?"
"Hang on!" said Ron excitedly. "What if - no, wait for it - what if the Ministry somehow - I dunno - got hold of You-Know-Who's brain? And they were keeping it to...dissect it or something. Learn who his Death Eaters were, and who he killed, stuff like that."
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Ginny, reminding him shockingly of Hermione...in a good way. Ron's face turned red, but Ginny didn't notice. "Voldemort can't just be up and walking around without a brain - "
"No, that's just it!" Ron interrupted. "Harry told us last year that You-Know-Who CREATED a body for himself! That wasn't his original body...maybe...no, listen...Okay, the night that he attacked Harry, his curse hit him instead, right? Well, he turned into a spirit, right? So what happened to his body? When you do Avada Kedavra on someone, their body's still there. Maybe when the Ministry got there, they found You-Know-Who's body and took his brain to inspect it!"
"That is so farfetched," said Ginny. "But I can't say it isn't possible..."
"Good thing Hermione's coming tomorrow," said Ron. "She'll tell us if it is."
And at that moment, Ron noticed something: the person he was discussing this with was his younger sister. Not Harry. Not Hermione. Not even Fred or George - it was Ginny. Ginny, saying You-Know-Who's name, and wondering if the offending brain had belonged to him. Ginny, who was suddenly somehow very much his ally, as if she had been discovering evil plots with Harry, Hermione and himself all her life. It felt weird - but at the same time, it felt right.
"Alright. Gin," Ron said, turning to look at his sister. "Take this letter downstairs and show Mum, tell her that Hermione's coming to stay with us. And nothing else," he warned.
"Please, Ron. I'm not stupid," she said coolly. "I did, after all, survive the same battle that you did. With a lot less scars." She turned on her heels, sniffed, and walked out, leaving Ron to stare numbly at the door.
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A/N. Mmkay well, I promise the next chapter's coming soon. And that it'll be longer; I'm sorry this one's so short. I'm on a bit of a roll here - probably within the next week or two, you can expect Hermione's arrival. But I shall warn you - I am willing to beg and bribe for reviews. As in - I BEG you to review, and will not post the next chapter until there are at least five. Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to tell me if you did!
Love,
Renee