The next morning, Ron woke up to find himself alone in his room, Harry having long since left for the hearing he had been ordered to attend for the patronus that drove the Dementors away. Ron jumped out of bed immediately, suddenly remembering that this was the day that he was going to Diagon Alley. Today he was getting his new broom.

He was dressed and downstairs in the kitchen in a flash, and found it occupied by Sirius alone.

"Morning, Sirius," Ron said, sitting down at the table next to Harry's godfather.

"Good morning, Ron." Sirius said, not looking up. It was easy to see that he was nervous about the outcome of Harry's hearing. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Early?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"It's only half past six," Sirius said. "You've been sleeping until midday for the past month."

"Only half past six?" Ron exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and rushing to the window. Sure enough, only the uppermost part of the sun could be seen, sending London into a pinkish-purple tint. He returned to the table and sat down, thoroughly deflated. "Great. Now I'll have to wait forever until we go."

The kitchen door opened slowly and Mrs. Weasley walked in carrying a tray of food, closely followed by Tonks, Moody, and Lupin. She set the tray down on the table and everyone grabbed a small bit of it, some of them saying good morning to Ron, others too tired to speak.

"What are you doing awake, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked groggily. "Go on back up to bed," she said.

"I'm already up," Ron said. "I won't be able to go back to sleep now."

"Suit yourself then," Mrs. Weasley said simply, sitting down in a chair and pouring some coffee.

"How long ago did Harry and dad leave?" Ron asked.

"Around an hour or so," Sirius answered.

"They're traveling as muggles," Lupin said. "Arthur thinks it will make a good impression on the Ministry, given Harry's charge."

"Either that, or Arthur wanted to satisfy his curious fascination with muggles again," Mrs. Weasley said, bringing about a light laughter from the group.

"So what do you think Harry's chances are?" Ron asked apprehensively.

"They can't find him guilty," Tonks said almost immediately. She wore hot pink spiky hair this morning, though her face didn't share the lively demeanor. "Self defense is definitely legal, no matter what your age."

"But they wouldn't go through all this trouble if he was defending himself, would they?" Ron said.

"They don't want to believe he was defending himself," Lupin said. "Not from Dementors, anyways. The fact that Dementors were on Privet Drive would mean that the Ministry was indeed wrong, and they have lost control of Azkaban. They're not willing to believe that just yet, but soon they will have to."

Sirius grunted in agreement, sounding a little more enthused than he intended. Everyone knew why, however. As soon as the Ministry believed that Voldemort had returned, he, Sirius, would be a free man. He would be able to fight in the open once more and avoid the snide remarks from Snape.

The kitchen returned to silence, and after a few moment's time, Ron decided to go back up to this room and wait for sunrise there, where he could visualize himself soaring through the air in peace. Besides, he hadn't held his prefects badge since the night before, so he was about due.

"When do you think we'll be leaving?" Ron asked as he stood.

"For goodness sakes, Ron, it's too early to worry about that," Mrs. Weasley said irritably.

Ron turned and walked out into the hall. He was wide-awake now, excited about the trip to Diagon Alley. He, of course, had never had a decent broom of his own, and had envied Harry since the day he made the Quidditch team. Finally, he was going to get a broom of his own. As the kitchen door closed behind him and he turned to head up the stairs, he realized that someone was sitting at the top.

"Good morning, Hermione," Ron said, looking up at her. She even looked gorgeous with her bed hair and baggy eyes, which Ron realized look slightly puffy, as if she had been crying.

"Good morning," she replied quietly.

"What are you doing up so early?" Ron asked, climbing the stairs and taking a seat right next to her.

"I could ask you the same," she said smartly. "I'm worried is all," she added.

"About what?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione.

"Harry, of course!" she said, looking over at Ron in surprise.

"He'll –"

"What will Hogwarts be like without Harry there?" she said in a voice slightly higher than her own.

"Well, Malfoy and Snape would most likely breathe a breath of fresh air," Ron said jokingly.

"I'm serious, Ron! What if Harry can't come back to Hogwarts this year? Where will he go? How will he stay safe when he isn't under Dumbledore's supervision?"

"Well, he'd stay here, I reckon," Ron said, glancing around the gloomy staircase of Grimmauld Place. "I must say I won't envy him. But don't worry, Hermione. There's no way he could be found guilty for defending himself."

"Don't you see, Ron? You've read The Prophet with me all summer. Fudge is trying to make Harry out to look like a spoiled rule breaker," Hermione said, her eyes meeting Ron's. "If he wants to find Harry guilty of something, it is well within his power to do it."

"You've got a point," Ron said thoughtfully. "Harry won't stand a chance on his own."

The two fell into silent thought. Ron suddenly realized he had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Harry had always been a good friend, and Hogwarts definitely would not have been the same if the two of them had never met. On the other side of the coin, however, getting Harry out of the picture would mean more time with Hermione, and that would mean… who knows what?

He shook his head guiltily. He shouldn't even be thinking how school would be without Harry, especially since Harry has been the best friend he ever had. He sighed, half in disappointment at how much time he would lose with Hermione, the other half at himself for thinking such things.

"But brighten up, Hermione," Ron said suddenly. "We have a whole day of Diagon Alley to entertain us. And besides, worrying about it will not change what happens."

Hermione was silent for a long while, contemplating what Ron had just said. "You're right," she muttered finally. "There is nothing we can do. Worrying about it won't change anything."

"I reckon it will take a while for mum to get everything we need in Diagon Alley," Ron started.

"Probably," Hermione said quietly.

"Well… We could… Err…" Ron mumbled. He fell silent and sighed quietly, causing Hermione to glance over at him.

"We could what?" she asked.

"Well… When we're done with our shopping… I was thinking that we could --"

"What are you two doing?" asked a very tired voice from down the hall. It was Ginny, who had woken up when Hermione left the room.

"Nothing," Ron said quickly.

"Doesn't look like 'nothing' to me," Ginny replied, crossing her arms.

"Well, it is," Ron said, slightly sharper than he intended. His cheeks flushed slightly and he turned away from Hermione. He was beginning to hate Ginny and her absolute dreadful timing.

"Well, since nothing is going on," Hermione said as she stood. "I think I'm going to go back to bed."

"Alright, then," Ron said, standing up as well. His eyes met Hermione's for a moment, and then she turned and walked towards Ginny. Ron glared a hole in the back of Ginny's head as she turned and led the way to their room.

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The time seemed to crawl by to Ron, as he had been sitting on his bed watching the sun slowly make its way into the sky. Finally, after what had to be an eternity, Ron could smell cooking food, which meant Mrs. Weasley was in the process of getting ready for the day and it was safe for Ron to go dowstairs.

He walked into the kitchen and found his mother sitting alone, a freshly filled cup of coffee on the table in front of her. Her chin was resting on the palm of her hand, and her eyes were staring unfocusedly at the opposite wall. The smell of food made Ron's stomach growl, and he glanced over and saw the pancakes flipping themselves periodically, and several spices adding themselves to the meats.

"Morning, dear," Mrs. Weasley said blinking several times and looking at her youngest son.

"Morning," Ron replied, sitting down at the table. "What time do you expect Harry will be back?"

"There's no telling," Mrs. Weasley said, glancing over at the clock on the wall. "It all depends on how the hearing goes."

They both fell into silent thought, wondering where Harry was right now, and wondering how the hearing was going. He thought about what Hermione had said about Hogwarts being different without Harry, and for the first time, Ron really began to worry.

The door to the kitchen opened slowly, and Fred and George walked in, lured by the scent of the food and followed closely by Hermione and Ginny.

"Good morning," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "Breakfast is almost ready, and then we can get ready to go."

"Right," said George, his voice still sounding as though his nose was being pinched, though the tentacles had long since been removed. "We're meeting Lee at Zonko's."

"And what'll you lot be doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked Ginny, Hermione, and Ron.

"Well, I have a few friends to meet," Ginny said.

"It better not be that Michael Corner guy," Ron said, looking over at Ginny.

"Who's Michael Corner?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No one important," Ginny said. "Michael and I have been over for a while."

"Then, it better not be Dean," Ron said.

"Who is Dean?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Gryffindor sixth year that has had his eye on Ginny," Hermione said as she fell into the seat beside Ron. "And it isn't," she added.

"Then who is it?" Ron asked.

"You-know-who," Ginny said with a smile.

"WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley shouted, getting to her feet abruptly. Sirius' mother started wailing in the hall, and the loud thundering of running footfalls could be heard overhead. A few moments later, the wailing ended, and Sirius walked in looking especially tired, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Not YOU-KNOW-WHO, mum…" Ginny said in the same exasperated tone Hermione had used with Ron the previous time "you-know-who" was mentioned.

"Who is You-know-who if it isn't You-Know-Who?" Ron asked.

"I don't know a you-know-who that isn't You-Know-Who, now that I think about it," Fred said thoughtfully.

"What are we talking about?" Sirius said with a perplexed expression.

"You-know-who," George said.

"Ah… Well, It's about time Molly let you lot talk about him, I say," Sirius said as if Mrs. Weasley wasn't even in the room. "Keeping information out of your ears is the worst thing that anyone could do."

Ron laughed to himself, wondering why, if that was Sirius' belief, he was keeping something important from his own Godson.

"Not YOU-KNOW-WHO, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley hissed. "You-know-who."

"Who?" Sirius said, the perplexed expression returning.

"Exactly," Fred and George said together.

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They ate in silence, each excited about heading to Diagon Alley, where they would undoubtedly see many of their friends from Hogwarts. Ron was finished before anyone and sat watching everyone eat long after his plate was clean. Finally, everyone was fed and watered, and showered and dressed, and they were heading to the fireplace.

"Mrs. Weasley, before we go, could I have a word with you?" Hermione said suddenly as they crowded around the fireplace.

"Sure, dear. You lot wait here," Mrs. Weasley replied. She followed Hermione out of the room, and a few moments later, the pair of them returned. Hermione avoided Ron's questioning gaze, and Mrs. Weasley's face was red, her mouth upturned in a subtle smile.

"Wonder what that was about," Fred muttered, leaning over Ron's shoulder and whispering in his ear. Ron shrugged, very curious himself.

Finally, they were preparing to leave. Ron was the first one up. He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, tossed into the fire, and jumped in with a very enthusiastic shout of his destination. One by one, the others followed, and soon they all had the wonderful smells of Diagon Alley teasing their nostrils.

Fred and George met Lee by the Leaky Cauldron, and Ginny ran for a handful of Gryffindor fourth years, leaving Ron and Hermione with Mrs. Weasley. They walked down the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, looking at all the products as they went.

"Oooh," Hermione said, looking in a small glass display. "I could use a new quill."

"Ok you two, I'll go get your books, you go and buy your parchment and such, and whatever else you might need, and we'll meet outside Flourish and Blott's around midday," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Alright," Ron and Hermione said together.

"Here, Ron." Mrs. Weasley said, pulling out some money. "A bit of spending money."

"Thanks!" Ron shouted, wide-eyed.

"Now you two have fun, and don't do anything Fred and George would do," Mrs. Weasley said as she turned and walked away. Ron and Hermione walked into the shop so Hermione could get her quill, bought a few other things from various shops, and then returned to the street.

"So, where to now?" Hermione said.

"I dunno," Ron muttered. "Anywhere is fine for me," he said. Hermione looked over at him and grinned, and the two of them set off in the opposite direction Mrs. Weasley had gone.

"How about Florean Fortescue's?" Hermione said, gesturing to the ice cream parlor.

"Alright, then," Ron said, craning his head for a better look at Quality Quidditch Supplies, where his broom was waiting for him to walk in. They sat down at a table on the second floor balcony, overlooking the passersby underneath.

"So…" Hermione said between bites. "What were you saying this morning before Ginny came out of her room?"

"Well," began Ron. He took another bite of his ice cream quickly to buy himself some thinking time. How was he supposed to word this without sounding like a prat?

"Come on Ron, it can't be that hard to say," Hermione said, a grin crossing her face. If only she knew…

"I was going to say that we could… You know… hang out or something," Ron said, quickly taking another bite.

"We always 'hang out or something,' Ron," Hermione said.

"Well yeah, but… You know… Actually together… Just… Just the two of us," Run said, deciding it would be easier to just get it over with.

"Oh," said Hermione with a confused look.

"Ron! Hermione!" said a voice from the entrance to the balcony.

"Neville!" said Hermione with a smile.

"Hello, Neville," Ron said. He couldn't help but notice that whenever he was on the verge of progressing his relationship with Hermione, someone had to jump into the conversation.

"Where's Harry?" Neville asked, his eyes scanning the rest of the ice cream parlor.

"At the Ministry," Ron answered quietly, not wanting anyone other than Neville to hear. "He was attacked by Dementors over the summer, and used a patronus to defend himself, and now he's at a hearing."

"HARRY WAS ATTACKED BY DEMENTORS?" Neville shouted. Several heads turned in their direction suddenly.

"Shhh!" Ron and Hermione hissed together.

"Sorry," Neville said quietly as everyone returned to what they were doing.

"It's ok," Hermione said, looking around at the people around them. "I don't think it would be wise for everyone to know that Harry is in trouble, especially since the Ministry will use it in the Daily Prophet to discredit him."

"So, have you had a good summer?" Ron asked, trying to change the subject quickly.

"It wasn't bad," Neville said. "You?"

"Wonderful," replied Hermione. "Ron and I have been studying all summer."

"What for?" Neville asked.

"Fifth year is OWL year," Ron said.

"OH NO!" Neville said, getting to his feet. "I haven't studied at all!" And just like that, he turned and hurried off, obviously heading to study right away.

"Hopeless," Ron said.

"Ron!" Hermione said with a grin. "Anyways, where do you want 'the two of us' to 'hang out'?" she asked.

"I just wanted… You know… To talk…" Ron stammered.

"Ok," Hermione said. "Let's talk."

"Alright," Ron said.

Naturally, the two of them fell into silence and didn't look at each other. The sounds of Diagon Alley continued to ring through their ears, and thoughts of what to say continued to run through their mind, but neither of them spoke for some time. Ron opened his mouth, attempted to say something, swallowed, and gave it up. He tried again, but again couldn't muster the courage.

"Are you two ready?" said a voice from the street. It was Mrs. Weasley, laden with bags and looking up at them. "Let's go get your broom."

Ron stood up quickly partially relieved to be done with the conversation he and Hermione didn't have. He tossed his trash away and was in the street in an instant, followed quickly by Hermione. The three of them headed towards Quality Quidditch Supplies, Ron leading the way and cutting through the crowds.

"Like I said, mum," Ron began, "it doesn't have to be anything too expensive, as long as it's new."

"Well, go ahead and look around," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. Ron and Hermione walked around the shop, looking at various brooms and robes and service kits.

"Blimey," Ron said, looking at the price tag on the Firebolt. "Snuffles must have really wanted to repay Harry after what happened to his other broom," Ron said, shaking his head. Hermione was silent, watching Ron's face light up as they passed each broom stick. He was more excited than she had ever seen.

"Okay mum, I think this one will work," Ron said, gesturing towards the latest in the Cleansweep series.

"Oh, come on, dear," Mrs. Weasley said dismissively. "Sir," she said to a clerk. He walked over and rested on the counter. "We would like a Nimbus 2001, please," Mrs. Weasley said. Ron's jaw dropped so fast that it nearly popped out of place.

"But… But mum, you don't have to… We can't…" Ron stammered.

"A gift from Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "We've been keeping it from you all this time. He told me to have your mum pull some money out of his vault specifically for the broom."

"But I can't take a Nimbus 2001 from Harry!" Ron said, turning on Hermione as if she was daft.

"Oh, come off it, Ron," she said. "His parents left him more than enough money for the rest of his life. He said, though, that you shouldn't expect much in the way of presents for the next few Christmases."

"But he… I…" Ron stammered.

"Here you are," the clerk said, returning from the back. "A Nimbus 2001." He handed it across the counter to Ron, who took it and held it with relish. His hands stroked the smooth handle, and his eyes scanned every inch of the broom before Mrs. Weasley forced him to let the clerk wrap it so they could leave. Very reluctantly, Ron allowed the broom to be taken out of his hands.

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"He bought you a what?" Fred said when they had met up to return to Grimmauld Place.

"A Nimbus 2001," Ron said smugly, holding the broom in his hands as if it would break if he dropped it.

"He did not," George said stopping, his mouth opening in a similar way Ron's had.

"He did," Hermione said.

"But why?" George asked.

"He doesn't even play Quidditch!" Fred complained, as if Ron wasn't even there.

"He could," Hermione said.

"That would be a long year for the Gryffindor Quidditch team," George said, causing Ron's ears to turn red as he walked ahead of them.

"How would you know?" Hermione asked. "Have you ever seen him play?"

"Of course we have," Fred said simply.

"And it was dreadful," George added. Ron turned and looked at his brothers.

"I blocked a fair amount of shots from both of you when you made me keeper," Ron said.

"Come on, you lot! You're blocking the path!" Mrs. Weasley had turned and realized that the children were no longer following her. Indeed, a large throng of travelers were behind them, waiting for them to use the Floo powder so they could have their chance. One by one, they walked forward, grabbed a handful of the powder, and tossed it into the flames. Eventually, all of them were back at Grimmauld Place, looking up into the eyes of none other than Severus Snape.