Chapter Seven:- A bird in the pub is worth…..more trouble than you can imagine!
Honestly, Hermione thought crossly as she marched across the street, unsure of who she wanted to injure the most. As she came into the pub that was packed with straggling fans still going through the last of their celebrations, it didn't take her long to find Ron's tall frame, his clothes being the only ones that weren't white, although he had somehow acquired a 'bobble hat' and scarf through the course of the afternoon.
He had gotten much taller she noticed over the summer, and Quittich seemed to have done the once wiry frame the world of good. She shook her head in exasperation, wanting to hug him for not being hurt, and at the same time wanting to hurt him for scaring her.
"Ronald Weasley what on earth have you been doing?" Ron's face lit up at the sight of her and he stumbled over, mug in hand, to give her a clumsy hug. Despite the twin's attempt to get Ron to leave, he had asked Joe to show him how to play this other strange game that other muggles in the pub were playing. It was a game where you attempted to move balls into pockets on the side of the table with what looked to him like an absurdly large wand. (Although as Joe explained to him that they called them cues in England). Ron had been pointing the 'wand' at a ball for the last minute in a desperate attempt to move it. The ball however remained unresponsive to his pleas. Fred and George who had posted themselves close by to watch were reduced to fits of laughter on the floor by the time Hermione found them.
"Fred, George" She shrieked angrily making them stand up quickly at once, still gasping with laughter.
"How could you! Of all the irresponsible….." She was cut off by Ron who enveloped her once more in a hug.
"Hermione! My favourite person in the whole world" He explained to Joe very carefully, because it was very important to him that Joe should understand this. Hermione took the mug from his hand, replacing it with her own hands and deliberately ignoring Fred's snickering.
"Ron what have you been doing?"
"I've been being a muggle" he stated proudly, speaking very slowly and carefully. "I figured you were right Hermione, I should know more about muggle things. And Joe here was showing me how a proper muggle football fan behaves! At this Joe grinned appreciatively and both cried out "To England!". Hermione had to hide a smile. He looked so extremely cute and proud of himself that she didn't have the heart to tell him off yet, nor to explain the full effect of what he'd been drinking.
"We shouldn't have left him that long" George explained quickly, having calmed down significantly and now feeling mildly concerned about what Hermione must be thinking of them.
"We had some problems with some turkeys…. long story" he muttered.
"By the time we got back Joe here had well and truly given Ron a lesson in muggle studies". Hermione looked at Ron in surprise, turning slightly pink at the idea that he'd gone to the trouble of trying to find out more about muggle culture after what she'd previously said to him.
"So do you think you could help us get him out of here now? He won't leave for us". Fred added, trying very hard not to grin at the look on her face. He appeased his teasing spirit by whispering "ain't they cute" to George when Hermione had turned her attention back to Ron.
"Ron please come back to the Leaky Cauldron with me" she moved in closer to him, instinctively knowing that gentleness was called for rather than anger and rebuking. He stared at her for what felt like forever, smiling down at her.
"You really are beautiful you know that" She couldn't help but smile, giving him a cheeky grin as she turned to help him swing his arm around her shoulders for support.
"Oh Gag me" Fred rolled his eyes unable to hide a smile though. If his little brother could be that smooth in his current state there was hope for him yet.
"You're not so bad looking yourself Ronald Weasley. Although you can be an awful lot of trouble".
"Its part of my Weasley charm" he paused for a moment as the fuzzy feeling in his head began to make him feel even more unsteady, and the room was beginning to move unpleasantly. As they moved past the next pool table Ron heard Fred mutter a curse, and the twins moved quickly to their side.
"Ah I think we better speed up the process of getting out of here. I think our turkeys just made themselves even uglier by turning back to their original state". Sure enough they were surrounded by four large and very angry looking biker men.
"Oh I liked you so much better as birds" Fred whispered.
"Where do you think you're going freaks" The biggest and the ugliest of the group stepped forward blocking Ron and Hermione from the exit. He stopped momentarily distracted to grin appreciatively at Hermione with a "Hey babe", moving close enough for her to smell his bad breath.
"Why don't you leave with a real man"
"I doubt very much that you qualify" Hermione responded without hesitation, feeling Ron's arm tighten around her.
"Leave it Ron, let's go" she whispered, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach as the rest of Fred and George's 'turkey friends' surrounded them completely.
"What's the hurry baby, you haven't given me a chance to prove myself yet"
"Back off" Ron pushed Fred aside to stand face to face with the leader.
"I don't think these dudes appreciated our 'chicken chukas" Fred muttered to Hermione who was beginning to look very pale.
"Do you have to cause trouble everywhere you go?" she snapped back at him, holding tighter to Ron's hand. Fred sized up the situation quickly, not at all liking the odds of these four that each had at least a 200pound advantage over each of them. Besides he didn't like the way his youngest brother was now facing the leader like he thought himself invincible. He didn't want to see Ron being severely beaten up…. By someone other then himself and George of course.
While it was obvious these guys didn't know they had been turned into turkeys exactly, something about the process didn't seem to go over well with them and he had a feeling they weren't going to make it out of there without a fight.
"Take is easy Ron" George whispered to him from his side.
"We don't want any trouble if we can avoid it". The head turkey had other ideas however
for he grabbed Hermione's arm and something knotted hard and tight in Ron's stomach. Hermione he knew was the first woman to be able to look after herself, but when this lout had grabbed her arm she had looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She could hardly take out her wand and curse him in the middle of a muggle pub. Panic gripped Ron in a way he'd only began to notice happened when it involved Hermione. He felt sick to his very stomach, and all he could think about was being back in that ministry room, being attacked by that brain. He'd wanted to go to her then and help her but he'd been helpless. The sick feeling he felt was fast being replaced by anger.
With a twist of his arm he jerked Hermione away from the guy, positioning himself in front of her. The biker shoved him roughly and Ron grabbed the que off the table turning to point it at him as he would have his own wand.
"Ron NO!" Gasped Hermione.
"You stay away from her" Ron shouted, ignoring her protests, just holding up that que at him as if daring him to move. The man sniggered making a crude comment at Hermione that made Ron's face burn with anger. He yelled out the worst hex he could think of just as the man grabbed the que from him, taking a swing at him and easily knocking him off his feet.
Hermione shrieked in horror, but was surprised by Ron grabbing the que on the ground and using it to block the next blow that came his way. He wasn't sure what he was doing or how, things were too blurry and confused, but he had to protect Hermione, and there was no way this guy was getting anywhere near her. Another blow sent him reeling, and then there was the sensation like he was flying through the air, which ended with a painful sudden meeting of the wall. Fred who had momentarily been stunned and impressed by Ron's actions let out a yell in anger, jumping hard onto the closest attacker while George quickly dragged Hermione to safety.
From where he lay on the ground Ron gasped in pain. He could barely breath and his foot was badly wrenched out of joint but he didn't even notice. He was angry and he was scared and he wanted nothing more than to be the one to stop their attacker. He pulled himself up ignoring the shooting pain, then realised he was struggling against someone that now had a firm hold on him. He looked up in surprise to see Bill was the one holding him, his grip gentle but firm. George was restraining an equally frustrated Fred who was very indignant that his 'test subjects' where just as difficult to handle as muggles as they had been as turkeys. Joe had joined in the frey by pinning two of 'turkey attacker's under his arms with plain disregard of their lack of breathing space.
Bill stood in front of his youngest brother holding him tightly, determined not to let him cause any more damage to himself. He noticed Hermione must have secretly used a leg locker curse on the third member of the gang because the way he was struggling to move on the floor looked suspiciously like that particular curse.
"I can handle it Bill" Ron struggled despite the pain, infuriated that his own brother would try to stop him.
"I can take them". Bill only held him tighter; he could see the blind fury in his brother's eyes and patiently waited for it to subside.
"It's over Ron. It's over!". He told him gently but firmly, forcing Ron to look at him.
"I can take them" he shouted back, the anger and desperation so overwhelming he could barely control the emotions burning inside him.
"Leave it Ron, it's over!"
"NO! I don't want anyone to hurt her!" He gasped desperately, shocked to realised how scared he was that something would perhaps one day happen to her. Something that he wouldn't be able to stop.
"Ron listen to me! No one is going to hurt her! No one! You hear me" Bill put a steadying hand on his shoulder, noting the tension in his body, as he struggled for a moment more, Bill could feel Ron finally begin to let go, the tension ebbing from his body as he slumped into the grip of his older brother.
"I wanted to stop him. I wanted to protect them" Ron muttered softly, unable to meet his eyes.
"I know Ron" Bill pulled him closer, his eyes watchful for injuries. He was desperately relieved that Ron hadn't been more seriously hurt.
"I know you wanted to protect them and you did".
"Hermione is safe, Fred and George are safe (for now)" he added mentally,
"Ginny is safe, Harry is safe. We're all safe… and we'll all keep each other that way".
He felt the grip of tension run through Ron once more then slowly begin to relax. He hung his head, unable to meet the look on Bill's face. Bill looked over at Hermione who was standing tearfully to one side and nodded to her that it was ok. She came over quickly to help Ron, throwing her arms around him despite the fact he wouldn't even look at her.
"Come on you lot" Bill and George helped the struggling Ron whose foot was now turning a nasty shade of purple, and Fred who had acquired a very nasty bump to the head.
"If trouble doesn't find you people you will certainly bring it about yourselves won't you" His voice was neither harsh nor accusing as Percy's would have been, and rather than berate them he gently led his brothers and Hermione back to the Leaky Cauldron…………...