The Hardest Part
Harry sat up in his bed and pushed the hair out from his eyes. His shoulder still ached from the battle the day before and he wondered if it would feel better by the Halloween party. Then he woke up enough to remember the battle. Somehow Ron had known the Death Eaters would appear just south of Honeydukes and Harry had the DA ready and waiting for them. As he thought of Ron his faced tightened. They wouldn't let anyone see him last night even when Hermione had begged. They had managed to get Hermione up to her dorm only with the help of all the Gryffindor sixth and seventh year girls. Throwing back the curtain around his bed Harry got out and started to get dressed when he noticed something moving in Ron's bed.
"Ron that you mate." he said quietly not wanting to wake the other boys.
After a minute of waiting for a answer he pulled back Ron's curtains to reveal Ginny and Hermione asleep. As if she could tell she was being watched Ginny woke up a bit and looked at Harry.
"Sorry if we bothered you Harry she was really upset and I thought if she could get in here she might go to sleep."
"I'm not bothered at all Ginny. I'm glad she got to sleep some and you are much better looking than the Weasley who usually sleeps in the bed next to mine." he grinned.
"Well yeah Ron's not much to look at is he." Ginny replied looking at Hermione out of the corner of her eye.
Hermione sat up with her eyes blazing "I'll have you know my Ron is very good looking. In fact I see the other girls looking at him all the time and it is starting to bother me. I will hex them into oblivion if they lay a hand on my boyfriend."
Both of them looked startled and Ginny said "I was joking Hermione I knew you were waking up and I thought I would just tease you a bit. I'm sorry if it sounded mean."
Hermione looked down at the bed. "No Ginny, I'm sorry for biting your head off it's not you I'm mad at. I'm mad at the Slytherins for making fun of him because he's poor. I'm mad at the Prophet for never giving him any credit and it's not just him. The Weasley's are the best family I've ever meet but the Malfoy's get more respect than they do even though the are up to their necks in the Dark Arts."
Ginny got very quiet and was very still.
Hermione didn't notice however and kept up her tirade.
"They take you in Harry and treat you like family. Then they wouldn't let you help them with money even though you're rich because they don't think they are doing anything special. They think they are just doing what you are supposed to do. They come and get me because my family isn't on the Floo network. I'm sick of them not getting credit."
"Well after this last fight I except Ron will get plenty of attention. In fact if we go down to breakfast I bet it will be in the Daily Prophet." Harry told her trying to calm her down,
"Breakfast, I'm not going to breakfast. I'm going to the hospital wing and they better let me in." Hermione jumped out of Ron's bed and started towards the door.
"Umm Hermione they aren't going to let you in until after lunch, remember they told us that yesterday. You also might want to get dressed I mean you are wearing Ron's shirt." Harry stammered.
"Oh for Merlin's sake it's as long as a dress. Good morning Dean, Seamus and Neville, ok I'll get dressed and we'll go to breakfast. Are you coming Ginny?"
Ginny jumped up and looked at Harry as if to say "I hope she calms down" and then followed after Hermione.
They got settled in at the Gryffindor table and started to eat when people started to come up to them asking about Ron. Every time some one asked if he was ok it looked like Hermione would start crying again but she managed to stay composed and to tell them he would be fine.
Half way into breakfast the owls started arriving with the mail. Harry got a letter from Remus asking if he was ok and how everyone else was doing. When Hermione slammed her freshly arrived copy of the Daily Prophet on the table. harry and Ginny both jummped.
"Harry you will want to read this." Hermione said her voice breaking up.
Boy Who Lived Saves Hogsmeade
Once again the wizarding world owes a huge debt to the Boy who Lived. During yesterdays attack on the village of Hogsmeade by Death Eaters the Boy who Lived rallied his fellow students, who he has been training for months, to repel the Death Eater attack. Due to his singular heroism and foresight the people of Hogsmeade are safe to lead their daily lives. Unfortunately none of the Death Eaters were captured there was however one Death Eater killed. Rodolphus Lestrange died while fighting with Ronald Weasley, both men fell from a second story balcony and Lestrange died when his neck was broken. Mr. Weasley has been the loyal sidekick of the boy who lived for many years now.
This reporter can only imagine how proud Mr. Weasley must be of his best friend. It must be a distinct pleasure to be constantly around one of the most famous figures of our age. Certainly it cannot harm young Mr. Weasleys prospects for future success to have such a shining example for first hand study.
"I can not bloody believe this paper." Harry roared. "They make it sound like I'm Merlin and Ron was just standing around. He's going to be furious at me."
"No Harry he's not, he gotten past that sort of thing. But that's not why I showed it to you. Rodolphus Lestrange was Bellatrix's husband you know."
"Good for Ron, let her see what it's like to lose someone she loves." Harry snarled.
Hermione's face fell but she kept on talking. "But don't you see Harry she's crazy. Do you think there's any chance she's not going to come after Ron now?"
Harry just stared at her for a second and then buried his face in his hands.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley I would like to have a word with you if I may."
Hermione looked up "Of course Professor McGonagall."
"If you all will kindly follow me to my office."
'Thank you all for coming I have taken the liberty of having you excused from your morning classes."
"What did you need to talk to us about Professor?" Harry finally asked.
"I need to know if any of you have done any research on the Weasley family with Mr. Weasley?"
They all shook their heads no and waited for an explanation.
"During Mr. Weasley's healing last night he kept repeating the Weasley family motto. I thought that odd and so I thought I would ask the three of you."
"We have a family moto?" Ginny asked.
"This may take some time I'm afraid. Here each of you have a biscuit."
"A very long time ago the wizarding world was controlled by certain families which called themselves Houses. They were in fact the model for the four houses of Hogwarts. You can tell which of the houses were the oldest by where the vaults are in Gringotts. Well these houses controlled the wizarding world for a very long time. As time went on certain Houses formed alliances with each other based on how they viewed the world. For example the Malfoy's and the Lestranges believed that the muggle world should be subjugated and that muggles should be the servants if not slaves of the wizarding world. As their alliance became more powerful other families banded together to oppose them. The leading families of the opposition were the Potters and the Blacks."
"As the two sides struggled against each other they enlisted help from Houses that although not at the social peak still wielded influence and power. The Weasley family joined the side belonging to the Potters and Blacks. They soon became renowned for their prowess at war and because of it drew the ire of the Malfoy's and the Lestranges. In the end through the work of many generations the Potter/Black alliance moved the wizarding world towards hiding from the muggles and living totally separate lives. They also instituted the Ministry form of government. Ironically this caused them to lose a great deal of their power as they gave up more and more control. Over the years the families moved away from actively trying to influence the wizarding world as they weren't needed to keep the other families from taking over. The Malfoy and Lestrange House concentrated on commercial enterprises and at the time it was seen to be less of a threat.
After a great deal of time had passes both the Potters and Weasleys even ceased to refer to themselves as Houses and adopted the term families like most of the wizarding world. The Blacks were not able to do this out of pride and I suspect that this had at least a small part in how many members of the Black family turned to the Dark Arts over time."
"Due to some financial misfortunes what House treasures the Weasley family had were sold to cover a long string of losses, which is why you have never seen anything with the motto on it. In fact most of the Weasley family wouldn't even know they had a motto."
Professor McGonagall handed them a very old book on Heraldry which was open to the listing for Weasley.
The house of Weasley, principle retainers for the house of Potter.
Motto; For Honor, All.
"Professor McGonagall are you saying the Weasley family were my families servants?" Harry asked horrified.
"Of course not, the term retainer was used to describe a person on the same side but not of an equivalent family ranking. In fact there was a substantial amount of intermarriage early on."
"It does sound like the Weasley's have always been sidekicks though." Ginny spoke up sounding not thoroughly pleased with that idea.
"If by sidekick you mean brave and loyal defenders of their friends and family then yes Ginny you are correct." McGonagall said peering over her glasses.
"What I want to know is how Ron knew about the motto" Harry interrupted.
"I would like to know that as well." McGonagall answered.
At that Hermione spoke up "Well it seems that he has been doing some research on his own."
"Go on Miss Granger."
"Well last night I could sleep so I was looking through Ron's things for something to make me feel better. While I was looking I found a great deal of notes on the process of becoming an Animagus. If he has been doing that then he could have just stumbled across the motto."
"That might well be true Miss Granger if I didn't know that the notes on becoming an Animagus were from his detentions with me."
"You are helping Ron become an Animagus?" Harry stuttered.
"Ron is researching the method of becoming an Animagus during detention. I did not say he would become an Animagus."
"But you are helping him right?" Harry pressed.
"Mr. Potter please make sure the door is closed tightly and lock it."
Professor McGonagall raised her wand and mumbled the words of a spell quickly.
"I will take the three of you into my confidence. Please do not repeat what I am about to tell you to anyone other than the three of you and Mr. Longbottom and Miss Lovegood."
"Not even Ron?" Hermione asked.
"No Miss Granger not even Mr. Weasley though if I am correct he will find out soon enough. If you cannot give me your word on this I will be unable to tell you."
They all quickly agreed to keep anything she told them a secret.
"I have come to suspect that Mr. Weasley is a shape shifter. Unfortunately if he is indeed one it will have to manifest on it's own."
"Do you mean like Tonks or do you mean like Professor Lupin?" Ginny queried.
"Shape shifters are more like natural born Animagi so in that regard it is more like Nymphadora. They also are more like the animals they become even when in human form. In that regard they are more like Professor Lupin."
"Professor if Ron is a shape shifter is there any way to tell what he might be?" Harry asked softly.
"It is my opinion and just that Mr. Potter that he will be some form of big cat."
"Professor if Ron really is a shape shifter then why do you have him studying the process for becoming an Animagus?" Hermione questioned.
"Well Miss Granger I just assumed that since I had never had much luck in keep all of you apart when I tried it would be easier to help you all stay together."
"Are you saying we can become Animagi?" blurted Ginny.
"I am most certainly not. I am saying if you happen to keep finding Ron's notes and do some outside work on spell theory to keep him company then so be it. Remember it is very hard to become an Animagus however you are all extraordinary young people and as such I would not put anything past you."
Harry and Ginny had big smiles on their faces but Hermione just kept looking at the floor.
"Professor how is Ron?" she said her voice breaking.
"He will be fine Miss Granger, in fact you can see him in a few hours if you wish. He will likely be sore for several days. When he first woke up in the Hospital wing he demanded to see you and even went so far as to threaten to get up and go to the Gryffindor common room to find you."
Harry and Ginny just laughed.
"I wish he wouldn't take such chances. He's going to get himself killed one of these days." Hermione sniffed as tears started to flow down her cheeks.
"If you like the three of you can go to your common room until you can visit Mr. Weasley."
They got up one by one and started to leave.
"Oh Miss Granger one moment."
"Yes Professor."
"I just wanted to let you know that I am here if you ever need to talk. I have noticed that you and Mr. Weasley have developed quite a relationship and it never hurts to have another set of ears to talk to."
Hermione stood silently for a moment "Thank you Professor I think I would like that."