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Chapter 28
A large pile of socks, boxers, shirts, and jeans were lying atop Ron's bed; there was a similar pile on Harry's. They were each siphoning through their newly washed laundry that Mrs. Weasley had delivered when she woke them. She told them that they would have to separate 'what belonged to whom' because she had to get along with the rest of the girls' laundry. So, immediately after breakfast and showers, Ron and Harry had begun the task of separating their clothing. Ron found that this task was not as simple as one might think.
"So what about these?" Harry asked. Ron turned around to see his friend holding up a pair of dark, woolen, grey socks.
"Well, I have some that look a bit like those." Ron replied shrugging.
"So do I." Harry said with a sigh before tossing them at Ron. "Take them. I'm ready to be done with this."
Ron caught the socks and threw them into his opened trunk. He agreed. This task was bordering on being annoyingly tedious. They didn't have much time left anyway. They were to leave Grimmauld Place by nine o'clock and it was already eight-thirty. Just thirty minutes until departure. Thirty more minutes of feeling as though Hermione were completely safe. After they walked out of the front doors of this house, anything could happen. They would be going to Hogwarts. The place that Ron used to believe to be the safest place in the wizarding world. Now he wasn't so sure.
"Okay, I know these aren't mine." Harry said, tossing Ron a pair of bright orange boxers with the Chuddly Cannons' Quidditch logo on them.
Ron smiled sheepishly. "Hey, mate, you've gotta support the team, haven't you?"
"Sure." Harry said, rolling his eyes slightly. "Hey, what do you say we just lob everything into our trunks and separate this stuff at school?"
"Brilliant idea." Ron said as he immediately began grabbing handfuls of clothes and tossing them into his trunk. They were landing haphazardly, and Ron knew that he would have a lot of wrinkled clothing once he got to school. But, once he got to school, he could just do an unwrinkling charm. So, Ron just continued to toss in handful after handful until he saw something strange in one of the handfuls that caught his eye. He was sure he saw a flash of pale pink material fall into his trunk. I don't own anything pink … Ron thought.
A bit curious, Ron bent down over his trunk and rummaged through a few things … and then he saw them. A small pair of pale pink knickers. Glancing up to make sure that Harry was still quite distracted with his own packing; Ron reached down with his thumb and index finger and picked up the soft, cotton undergarment.
Images immediately began to spring into his mind that he was quite sure would constitute as a violation of Hermione's privacy. Were these Hermione's? Ron swallowed hard and dropped the knickers back inside his trunk. He then quickly shoved the rest of his clothes on top and shut the trunk lid with a thud before snapping down the locks. The images remained…Ron closed his eyes tightly. I'm such a pig, he thought, I need to clear my mind…
"Uh…Harry…" Ron began in a somewhat high-pitched voice; he cleared his throat. "So, how exactly are we getting to the station, again?"
Harry looked up from his trunk looking slightly perplexed. "Were you not listening to Tonks and Mad-Eye over breakfast?" He asked curiously. Ron merely shrugged. Yes, he thought, but please just help me clear my mind!
"We're taking one of the cars from the Ministry's Auror office." Harry replied. Ron, of course, already knew this but he listened intently, nonetheless. Goodbye images…goodbye images... "And it supposedly has quite a few security features and whatnot."
Ron nodded. Yes, Tonks and Mad-Eye had informed them all over breakfast that they would be escorted by four Order members. This tidbit should have made Ron feel better, but it had only made his eggs lose their taste. Knowing that the Ministry felt it necessary to send four teenagers to school escorted by four guards made Ron's stomach churn. He knew that it was not only for Harry's protection, but also Hermione's.
"Finished." Harry said with a sigh as he closed the lid of his trunk. "Ready to head downstairs?"
"Yeah, mate. You?" Ron asked wearily, not actually ready at all. Harry nodded and they both grabbed their satchels and trunks before heading out the door. They stopped by the drawing room to pick up their owls and then lugged their cargo down the rest of the stairs to the entrance hall. Hermione and Ginny were seated at the chess table in the corner; their luggage about the floor around them. With a groan Ron saw that Hermione was wearing an adorable pale pink sweater. The images returned.
After Ron and Harry had made their way over, Ron took a seat on Hermione's trunk, which positioned him directly to the side of the table. His eyes went wide when he looked down at the pieces. "Hermione!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, "You've got her beat in two moves!"
Hermione looked up at him disbelievingly, "You can tell that just by glancing at the board?"
"Well, yeah, Hermione. Look." Ron pointed out the position of her remaining knight. "You're knight is-…"
"Hey!" Ginny cried, punching Ron in the arm. "No fair!" Harry laughed, so she punched him too.
"Come on Ginny." Ron said with a sly smile, "Let me give Hermione a small hint…unless, of course, you think a small hint from Ron Weasley is worth the game."
Ginny sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, returning his sly smile. "I already have a strategy for my win, thank you. Go ahead and give her your little hint."
Ron slid down a bit on the trunk toward Hermione so that he could lean forward and cup his hands around her ear. He took a deep breath before whispering, "Blimey, you smell good…" He felt a small pinch on his arm, "Sorry…okay, take her knight with yours. I know how Ginny plays. She'll move her pawn after that and then you can use your rook to take her queen. That will equal checkmate. Oh…and…I love you, beautiful."
Ron leaned back from her and looked at a violently blushing Hermione. Ginny was looking at him suspiciously, but Harry simply seemed to be awaiting Hermione's move. Hermione did exactly what he'd told her, and Ginny's knight was promptly busted into bits. Ginny then reacted exactly as Ron had predicted. Smiling broadly, he watched as Hermione took Ginny's queen with her rook.
"Checkmate." Hermione said proudly. Ginny's mouth fell open and she squinted up at Ron. Harry laughed, and was again punished by Ginny. She squeezed him on the back of his knee, where Harry seemed to be ticklish, seeing as how he jerked away rather quickly. While his friend was distracted, Ron reached over and squeezed Hermione softly on her knee.
She looked at him with a timid smile, and Ron suddenly remembered something, "Hey. Do you have your mirror?" He asked quickly.
"Yes. It's in my satchel. You?"
"Yeah. In my satchel." He replied, smiling at her. Having the mirrors on them did make Ron feel a bit better about leaving Grimmauld Place. "Keep your satchel with you at all times on the train. Okay, Hermione? Don't leave it behind if you have to go to the loo or anything. All right? Better yet, take Ginny with you if you have to go to the loo, but also take your satchel. And if you go track down the food trolley; keep it with you then, too. Actually, it won't matter then, I'll just go with you to the food trolley. But if you have to-…"
"Oy, Ron!" Ginny said suddenly, Ron looked up to see Ginny and Harry staring at him with slightly raised eyebrows. He felt his face going a bit red, "Stop going spare! Hermione will be fine."
Ron attempted a half-smile, but he noticed Harry looking from him to Hermione with a strange look on his face. Something akin to…suspicion. Ron leaned back a bit more from Hermione, and then just decided to stand up from her trunk altogether.
"I come bearing gifts!" They all turned to see Ron's dad coming up the basement stairs with four, small metal boxes in his arms. "Picked these up at St. Mungo's that day I visited Dung. They're Basic Healing Kits. I thought they might be nice to carry for…uh…emergencies. You know…safety first and all that."
"Mum made you pick them up didn't she?" Ginny asked as Mr. Weasley began handing one kit to each teen. He gave her a playful, warning look.
"I must say I don't know what you're talking about." He replied with a hint of a smile before reaching down to lift his daughter's trunk with one hand and Pig's cage with the other. Pig gave a loud squawk. "Ron … Harry … you two mind giving me a hand with the girls' luggage?"
Ron shoved his kit into his satchel before grabbing hold of Hermione's trunk with one hand and his own with the other. He then began lugging them to the door. Well, here we go, thought Ron. Goodbye security.
As the door opened, Ron stopped in his tracks. The scene on the other side of the door was a bit… unanticipated. Tonks, Mad-Eye, Kingsley, and Lupin were all standing around a sleek, black car with heavily tinted windows. They were each positioned at one of the four car doors, dressed in crisp, black suits. Tonks was almost unrecognizable with her jet-black hair. Ron suddenly felt like the Muggle Prime Minister as he slowly approached the car behind his father.
"Nice hair." Ron said to Tonks. She shrugged.
"It's a bit bland for me." She replied casually. As Ron looked away from her, he thought he might have seen Lupin staring at Tonks with his head tilted to one side. However, when Ron looked again, he realized that Lupin was merely scratching the back of his neck and coughing.
Mr. Weasley was now leaned over the opened boot of the car, in which he had already hoisted Ginny's trunk. He then deposited Pig and Hedwig inside the car through one of the back doors. Then, Ron and Harry hoisted their trunks inside the boot. It was a good thing these Ministry cars had enchanted interiors to hold large amounts of luggage. Of course, Ron wasn't too thrilled about the fact that, with a roomy backseat, he would have no reason to sit close to Hermione.
"Alright, Remus?" Harry exclaimed brightly after closing the boot cover. "I didn't know you would be one of the escorts."
"Well, Harry, I volunteered when I heard a guard would be taking you to King's Cross." Lupin replied giving Harry a swift pat on the arm. Harry and Lupin then began chatting a bit, but Ron quit paying attention. He thought he had heard Hermione's name so he began eavesdropping on a conversation between his father and Mad-Eye while pretending to be bent down tying his shoestrings.
"Yes. We'll be staying at Grimmauld Place." Arthur said.
"That on Amelia's orders?" Mad-Eye asked in his low growling voice.
"I wouldn't call it orders, Mad-Eye. More so a request."
"Well, I think she's right. They know your boy's close to two of their prime targets. And, you know there's only one way to keep one step ahead of them…Constant Vigilance!"
Ron thought he saw his father jump a bit at Moody's exclamation, but Ron then quickly stood from the ground and entered the house. He felt like he could be sick. He hadn't really thought of the idea of Death Eaters continuing to target his family after Harry and Hermione weren't with them anymore. But, he guessed that was thick of him. Of course they would have some beef with his parents! His parents' holiday invitation to Hermione had botched up their kidnapping… And who was this Amelia person requesting that his parents stay at the Order's Headquarters? Amelia…hmm…Ron had a feeling that he should recognize that name, but he couldn't place it.
Once back inside, Ron saw Hermione and Ginny waiting near the door with their satchels over their shoulders. His mum and Dobby were standing off to the side; both of them looked a bit teary-eyed. Ron rolled his eyes slightly before approaching the girls. Hermione had Crookshanks' cage in one hand and Ron reached down and took it from her, taking care to brush his hand across hers.
Hermione smiled at him before reaching her hand inside Ron's satchel, which was still hung over his shoulder. She then pulled out his Basic Healing Kit.
"May I?" She asked.
"May you what?" Ron asked curiously. Hermione then pulled her wand from her back pocket and held it to the kit.
"Decresco." Hermione said softly. The metal box immediately shrunk to the size of a galleon. Hermione smiled as she returned her wand to her back pocket.
"See?" She said holding up the now tiny Healing kit. "Pocket size. Now you can carry it around with you everywhere. To get it back to it's original size, just say, Engorgio." She said simply, before reaching down and dropping it into Ron's jeans' pocket, which, for some reason, made his heart leap. He smiled at her genius at spell work as well as the adorable expression she now wore.
Ginny sighed in exasperation. "Good grief. With you two together…I honestly don't see how anything could possibly happen to either one of you. Hermione, you've got your own guardian. And Ron, you've got your own Healer."
Ron and Hermione both chuckled at Ginny's comment, exchanging quick smiles as Harry and Arthur entered the house. Hermione's guardian? He liked the sound of that.
"Ready kids?" Mr. Weasley asked excitedly. "I think they're waiting for you out there."
Mrs. Weasley sniffed loudly. "Alright there, Molly?" Mr. Weasley asked his wife. She blew her nose on a handkerchief before nodding vigorously.
"I'm fine, Arthur." She said quickly. Dobby then blew his nose loudly on, what looked like, an old sock.
"Alright, Dobby?" Harry asked with a small smile.
"Yes, sir." Dobby said, returning Harry's smile. "Dobby is just expecting to miss Harry Potter and his friends."
Harry approached the elf and knelt beside him. "Here, Dobby. I almost forgot." He said, reaching into his jacket pocket and retrieving a small, brown sack. Ron heard the sound of clinking coins as Harry handed the sack to Dobby. "I order you to accept this from me and use it only for yourself."
Dobby abruptly burst into tears, burying his head in his hands, and wailing something about 'not worthy,' and 'the great Harry Potter.'
Mrs. Weasley then approached the four teenagers huddled near the front door. "Now I want each of you to be extremely careful and well-behaved. Don't do anything foolish or dangerous!" She gave them each a fierce hug before ushering them out the door. Actually, Ron was pretty sure they'd each received more than one hug from his mother by the time they descended the front steps.
Each of the four Order members promptly opened a car door as the four descended the steps quickly followed by Ron's parents. Kingsley got in the driver's seat while Mad-Eye took the passenger side. Tonks and Lupin, however, waited patiently beside the opened back doors for the kids to finish saying their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
Ginny and Hermione then entered the backseat first, quickly followed by Ron and Harry. Tonks and Lupin piled in after them. The backseat actually reminded Ron of one of the compartments on the Hogwarts Express. There were two benches facing each other with a wide foot space in between. Although, these seats were shiny, black leather that squeaked a bit when Ron sat down.
Tonks and Lupin each had a window seat with Hedwig and Pig sitting between them. The four teenagers sat across from them on the bench. Unfortunately, Harry and Ginny sat smack dab in the middle of the bench. So, Ron sat beside Harry and tried not to feel too antsy over the distance between him and Hermione. Glancing down, Ron noticed that Tonks' black, shiny shoes had bright pink shoestrings. He almost laughed out loud, but an unexpected question entered his mind that took him by surprise. 'If those pale pink knickers were Hermione's, I wonder what other colors she's got?' Aghast with this sudden thought, Ron shook his head. He truly was a great, foul pig!
As the black Ministry car pulled away from Grimmauld Place and began the drive to King's Cross Station, Hermione began taking deep steadying breaths. She suddenly felt very faint.
Ron was seated on the other side of Harry, looking quite attractive in his Muggle clothing, but that wasn't why Hermione felt faint…she didn't think. She was fairly certain that it was nervous tension causing her wooziness. Nerves over the upcoming school year…classes, tests, alleged kidnappers… Nerves over getting ever closer to telling Harry about her and Ron…and nerves over riding backward in a moving car. It was an odd sensation, and Hermione wasn't too keen on it. She had been known to become carsick once or twice on road trips with her family.
"Alright, Hermione?" Tonks asked suddenly. "You look a bit peaky."
"Oh, fine…fine." Hermione lied, very aware that she was now receiving a worried stare from Ron. She decided to close her eyes, lay her head back against the cool, leather seat, and try to rest for the duration of the drive. This proved to be effective as she surprisingly drifted off to sleep for the hour-long trip.
What felt like a mere five minutes later, she was woken by someone prodding her in the arm with their finger. "We're here, Hermione." Ginny said softly. Opening her eyes, Hermione saw that the car was already parked and Tonks and Lupin were already standing outside.
She exited the car to join Ron and Harry, who were helping unload the boot. After they had each retrieved their luggage, they made their ways toward Platform 9 ¾. The guard followed in a close perimeter. Tonks and Lupin even came through the barrier with them.
"Well, you kids be safe." Lupin said sincerely, and then turning to Harry with a smile he said, "And I'll see you starting the second week of school."
Hermione was glad to hear that Harry's training would continue. Although, she honestly didn't know what else Lupin and Dumbledore could teach him. Of course, he could always hone his newfound skills. Harry and Ginny had already begun walking toward the train, at a friendly distance, of course. But, Hermione noticed Ron saying something to Tonks, who was smiling brightly. Hermione decided to approach them.
"No problem." Tonks said to Ron. "I know what it's like to have a secret relationship."
"Really?" Hermione asked with interest. She guessed Ron had thanked her for being such a helpful accomplice in keeping their relationship hidden over the holiday. But…what was this about a secret relationship?
Tonks sighed, and Hermione thought she saw her look over at Lupin. "You two better hurry now. The train leaves in about ten minutes." Hermione and Ron both said goodbye and waved to Lupin before lugging their trunks and caged pets to the train, where Harry and Ginny were waiting. Tonks and Lupin didn't leave until they saw that they were all safely onboard.
Once they were aboard, the four searched a while until they found an empty compartment. Hermione watched as Ron lifted his trunk to the luggage carrier. It was pleasing to watch, but as Harry was also in the compartment, Hermione looked away. She grabbed her trunk and hoisted it up on the bench; she was about to hoist it up the rest of the way, but it suddenly became weightless.
"Hermione..." Ron said firmly as he grabbed it from her and easily hoisted her trunk up in the carrier beside his. She smiled at him briefly before taking her seat on the bench beside Ginny. Ron sat down beside Harry. For the time being, both couples would have to pretend to be merely friends.
"Hey, everyone."
They all looked up to see Dean Thomas standing in the doorway of the compartment. He looked slightly different to Hermione. What was it?
"Hey." Everyone said in greeting.
"Uh…actually…um…" Dean began crossing and uncrossing his arms, and Hermione suddenly realized what looked different. Dean looked timid and a bit nervous; She'd never seen that in him before. "I actually wondered if I could speak with you, Harry?"
Harry looked a bit taken aback, but he stood up slowly. "Sure."
Dean then came further into the compartment, closed the door, and took a seat beside Hermione and across from Harry's standing form. "We can talk in here, Harry. I don't mind if these guys hear what I have to say." He said before looking around at them all and smiling weakly. Harry sat back down with a furrowed brow.
Dean took a deep breath before continuing, "Okay. I don't know if any of you have ever heard of a newspaper called The Stealth, but-…"
Just then the compartment door opened and Luna Lovegood appeared in the doorway, "Pardon me, but is there room for one more?"
There was a sort of awkward moment in which no one answered because Dean was waiting on Harry or one of the other three to answer since it was their compartment. Yet, none of them were answering because they didn't know if Dean minded Luna overhearing whatever it was he wished to tell Harry. Finally, though, Dean nodded at Harry, who then motioned for Luna to enter.
Once the door was shut and Luna settled, Harry cleared his throat and replied, "Yeah, Dean. We actually have heard of The Stealth."
"Oh!" Luna said, her eyes protruding with a dreamy expression, "That's quite an interesting paper. They are always outselling father. I think many people prefer the, not so cheerful news."
"Um…yeah." Dean said, looking down sadly. "Well, did you guys read the article on the Death Eater that was killed about a month ago?"
"Well, we didn't see an article on that, but we heard that Lestrange-…"
"No." Dean said quietly. "Not him. I was referring to Avery."
"Avery's dead?" Harry asked in disbelief. Hermione's mouth fell open slightly.
Dean looked up at Harry and for a brief second, Hermione thought he almost looked like he would cry or be sick. But then, he looked down and muttered. "I killed him."
Hermione's eyes went wide as Ginny gasped, and a hand flew to her mouth. Harry's expression was blank, and Ron looked utterly shocked. Hermione glanced over at Luna, who was seated beside Ron, but she was merely reading an issue of The Quibbler. The turning of pages was the only sound in the compartment.
"He was sent to kill me." Dean continued quietly, Hermione felt sick, "I think that…um…You-Know-Who may have found out that I plan to be an Auror."
"What?" Ginny breathed, looking horrified. Voldemort targeted him because they found out that he wanted to be an Auror? Hermione thought. The sick feeling in her stomach deepened as she glanced at Ron.
"Malfoy." Ron said through gritted teeth. Dean raised an eyebrow at him, but Ron continued, "He's in that History of the Dark Arts class with you and Harry, isn't he? He must know what career you're taking the class for."
Dean looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he merely shrugged. "I don't know how the Death Eaters found out, exactly, but I guess Avery wanted to do me in like he did my father."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked quietly.
"In the last war, my father was killed by Death Eaters because he wouldn't join them." Dean said with his lip twisted in disgust. "It took about five of them to take him down…at least, that's what my mother heard from the authorities. But, I guess You-Know-Who just saw me as a stupid kid, so he only sent Avery. I…"
Dean's voice broke off and he looked down at his hands. "I didn't mean to kill him, Harry. I just pointed my wand at his heart and…and a green light shot out of my wand, and then…he died."
"Dean, it was self-defense. I mean, if you hadn't killed him, he-…" Harry began, but Dean looked up from his hands with real sadness in his eyes.
"They said I performed the Killing Curse, Harry. The Killing Curse!" Dean said, his voice strained.
"They?" Harry asked.
"The Ministry officials that came to my house after the incident. They said that I wouldn't be prosecuted since I performed an unspoken, unintentional Unforgivable Curse in self-defense." Dean said, now talking rather quickly. "You must be asking yourself, 'Why is he telling me this,' and Harry, I honestly don't know. But, ever since it happened, I've been thinking about the rumors that went about after our first year. Something about you killing Professor Quirrell by accident. I guess I thought…well-…"
"You thought I might understand how you feel?" Harry asked. Dean nodded slowly, and Harry heaved a large sigh. "Dean, I honestly never felt guilt over Quirrell's death. He tried to help Voldemort back into power. I guess I see the death of one dark wizard as equaling the saved lives of many good wizards…and Muggles."
"I guess." Dean said slowly, but he didn't sound convinced.
"Dean," Ginny said suddenly, "Avery helped kill your father, and then he tried to kill you. And on top of that, he's been a Death Eater for ages and has undoubtedly killed numerous others. What he's done with his life is unforgivable. The curse you cast…was not."
Dean gave Ginny a weak smile and swallowed rather hard; Hermione thought that this time, he lookeda bitmore convinced. "Thanks, Gin…and Harry. Look, I'm sorry I interrupted you guys with depressing news as soon as you got on the train."
"Not to worry." Harry replied. Dean slowly stood from his seat, but Harry quickly added, "Why don't you just hang out with us for a while? No need to rush off."
"Sure." Dean said with a surprised smile as he sat back down. Hermione felt extreme sympathy for Dean at that moment. He had just killed the murderer of his father, and he actually felt guilty about it. That spoke volumes about his character to Hermione.
"Oh my." Luna said suddenly in that dreamy voice, "There's a new Minister of Magic."
"What?" Ron asked skeptically. Hermione noticed that Luna was still reading The Quibbler.
"Amelia Bones." Luna said calmly. "Hmm. She likes cribbage."
"Amelia?" Ron asked suddenly and then he started nodding as if he just realized something. "Amelia…Bones."
"I really don't think-…" Hermione began, wondering why Ron was reacting in that way, but Dean interrupted.
"No. That's right. I read that early this morning in the Daily Prophet. Apparently Fudge was sacked. I don't think he had very good approval ratings among the wizarding community. My mother couldn't even stand him, and she's a Muggle! I think he lost a lot of support because he was so rotten to you and Dumbledore, Harry." He said matter-of-factly.
"So, Luna's right?" Hermione asked incredulously. Luna looked up from her paper and looked at Hermione with a slight frown, "I mean, I'm just really surprised that there's a new Minister!" She added hastily. Luna turned back to her paper, and Hermione felt herself blush.
"What about Magical Law?" Ron asked almost fearfully. "Who'll take her place as professor of my N.E.W.T. class?"
"No one." Dean said plainly. "I read that she would continue to teach the Magical Law class at Hogwarts." Ron looked relieved at this news.
"Well, she'll be better than Fudge." Ginny said cynically.
"How can we know for sure?" Hermione asked. Although, Hermione truly thought that anyone would be better than Fudge.
"Because, Hermione. She's a woman." Ginny said. They all chuckled at this, although Ginny looked completely serious.Dean then leaned over Hermione slightly and patted Ginny's knee.
"Still think a woman's going to rule the world, Gin?" He asked good-humoredly. "And…I bet you still think it's you."
Ginny forced a polite smile, but Hermione could feel the tension in the small compartment. She was sure that Dean and Luna couldn't, but that didn't change the fact Dean had just made a slightly flirtatious remark and gesture toward Harry's 'girlfriend.' Hermione glanced up at Harry, and saw…wait…Hermione shut her eyes tight and then opened them again. For a second she could have sworn she'd seen a faint green glow in his eyes. Now, however, it was gone. She must be getting tired.
Fortunately, the rest of the train ride went by without any more awkward moments with Dean, who was actually quite humorous. Hermione always knew that he had a sense of humor, but she didn't know he could make a whole group of people laugh for an hour straight. After an hour, however, Dean left to go back to his compartment with Seamus.
As soon as he'd left, however, a somewhat awkward moment did occur with Luna. Luna was sitting up straight on her bench, listening to a conversationg between Harry and Ron about this upcoming term's Quidditchpractices. And, out of nowhere, she turned to Harry and spoke.
With the utmost casual wistfulness, she said, "So, how long have you been dating Ginny?" Hermione watched as the color drained from Harry's face; Ginny actually smiled.
"How did you know?" Ginny asked in awe.
"Ginny." Harry said sternly. Ginny cast him a half-scowl before he turned to Luna. "Luna, what makes youthink that we're dating?" He asked with forced calm. Hermione knew his insides were squirming like mad.
"Because." Luna stated plainly. "I can see it…You didn't like it when Dean Thomas touched her knee."
Harry's color came back slightly, but now it was very flushed. "Well, alright. That's not the point, though. The point is that we really need to keep this quiet, Luna. Could you please not tell anyone?" He asked quietly.
She nodded a few times before tilting her head to one side as she looked at Harry, "I don't want to tell anyone." She replied. Harry let out a sigh and leaned back against his seat. He seemed convinced with Luna's promise.
The rest of the train ride was fairly uneventful. And, before they knew it, the Hogwarts castle was looming large and beautiful in the distance.
"I guess we should get our robes on." Hermione said as she stood from the bench. Remembering the look Ron had given her earlier when she had tried to hoist her trunk up by herself, she added, "Ron, could you get my trunk, please?"
"Sure." Ron said with a smile as he quickly rose to retrieve both of their trunks. Hermione wasn't exactly sure why Ron seemed to enjoy doing these small tasks for her, but she found it quite endearing. Again, Hermione had to stop herself from staring as Ron reached up for their luggage.
Harry retrieved his and Ginny's luggage, as well, but Hermione noticed that Ginny did not attempt to stop herself from staring at Harry. Ginny then poked Harry in the ribs and motioned for him to help Luna with her trunk, which he did.
"Ron?" Hermione said holding back a smile as she looked up at his collar, "Come here." Ron approached her tentatively, but she just giggled at him. She reached up and fixed his collar to where it wasn't flipped out at odd angles. "There." She said.
He smiled roguishly at her. "Maybe I was trying to make a fashion statement." She smiled up at him.
"Well, if you're trying to say, 'here's an example of what not to do.'" She replied playfully. He chuckled at her and their gazes locked for a brief moment before Hermione realized that Harry was still in the compartment. Glancing at him she noticed him looking from her to Ron, and…was that a hint of a smile?
When the train finally came to a halt, Harry opened the compartment door and waltzed out into the hallway, which was quickly filling with students and their luggage. Hermione was about to follow after Ginny and Luna, but Ron grabbed hold of her wrist. She turned to look at him, and was a bit surprised to see a look of apprehension in his eyes.
"Ron? What's wr-…"
"Hermione, will you promise me something?" Ron whispered urgently. Her heart was beginning to beat faster as his tone and expression were sort of frightening.
"What?" She asked.
"Listen, you're a brilliant witch, Hermione. But you and I both know that…well…that you didn't perform all that well in our bi-weekly defense classes last term." He said, looking at her apologetically. Hermione's face fell.
"Ron, I…"
"Hermione, I just want you to promise me that you're going to try harder in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We're going to have that new teacher…uh…what's his…um…Williams…Wilson…"
"Edgar Whitman." Hermione replied quietly.
"That's him." Ron said quickly. "Hermione, promise me that you'll try harder, alright?"
"Ron, I am trying!" Hermione replied truthfully. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just…I just can't-…"
"Don't…say…can't." He said sternly, grabbing hold of both of her hands.
"Ron, you're kind of scaring me." Hermione whispered as a lump formed in her throat.
"Hermione, I'm not meaning to scare you. I'm going to be with you all term, and you won't ever be out of my sight long enough for anything to happen to you." He said reassuringly, absently stroking her fingers with his, "I just need you to pr-…"
"I promise." Hermione said softly, suddenly very ready for this conversation to end. "I will try my hardest." A somewhat relieved look passed over Ron's face before he gave her a small smile and squeezed both of her hands gently. He then quickly bent down to grab the handle of his trunk; Hermione did the same.
They then squeezed their ways into the confusing flood of students in the narrow hall. With each step she took as she trudged along toward the train exit, Hermione found herself growing more and more anxious about the upcoming term. Ron was obviously anxious for her to better her skills in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione wanted to, as well...but would she be able to? And, even if she were able to better her skills, would she actually have to use them before the term was up? A cold shiver ran down Hermione's spine.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, Wow! I hate not posting for a couple of days. It makes me feel bad for those of you that check for updates everyday, but I really couldn't help it. You know how sometimes everything will be going smoothly and then BAM! Tons of stuff happens all in one weekend? Well, that's what happened to me. I won't bore you with the details, but hopefully things will slow down after tonight. (I have another test...blegh!) But, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Now, they can finally start their new term! Yay! I'm excited. Well, thanks everyone so much for the reviews; they are so great. I actually called my fiance from the road on the way to my friend's house, and asked him to read them off to me! Lol, well, have a wonderful day and hopefully I can post another chapter tomorrow night!