The next morning, Thursday, dawned bright and sunny, the exact opposite of Ron's mood. He had woken up late due to the fact that he could not get to sleep the night before. He had tossed and turned for hours, the night's events playing over and over in his head. He shook his head, trying to shake all bits of those thoughts from his mind and looked around. The room was already empty, i probably at breakfast, /i he thought bitterly, i eating all the food. /i He hurried and threw on his robes over his favorite Chudley Cannons T-shirt and jeans, then stuffed his feet into a pair of fairly new trainers. They were already beginning to pinch his toes, doing nothing to improve his already sour disposition. Sleepily, he descended the stairs to the common room, hurrying so he could have some breakfast without being late for class. He ran his hands through his tousled hair, trying to make it look somewhat presentable and had just started towards the portrait hole when something caught his eye. There was a large group of students crowded around the notice board, looking at something and chattering excitedly. Wondering what all the fuss was about, Ron turned to walk over there but stopped short when Ginny bounded up to him.
"So, who're you asking?" she piped excitedly.
"Asking who what?" he replied, thoroughly confused.
"Well I guess you haven't seen it yet then," she said, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Seen what," Ron practically shouted; he was beginning to get a bit impatient with Ginny.
"Oh, come on," she growled, grabbing his arm and pulling him with an amazing amount of force for such a small person, toward the board, shoving their way through the mass of people until they were at the front.
"Read," she commanded. Ron did so and was a bit surprised when he got an odd sort of tingly sensation in his chest. He was confused when he realised that he was feeling nervous. He pulled a face at this thought and Ginny saw him.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, though it seemed as if she already knew the answer.
"Nothing it's just--oh the agony!" he said, putting his face in his hands.
Ginny smirked and, sounding just like Fred and George said, "Aww, is ickle ronniekins afraid of all the little grilies?"
Ron looked up at her, scowling. "No, it's not that; it's..." he paused, not knowing how exactly to explain what it was.
"That the person you want to ask is too far out of your reach. Or maybe it's that they're too close," she offered, raising her eyebrows at him as she finished.
"W-what do you mean?" stammered Ron, the tips of his ears beginning to turn red with the infamous Weasley blush.
"Oh nothing, nothing at all, my dear brother," said Ginny, but Ron could distinctly hear her laughing to herself as she threaded her way back out of the crowd of people.
i Is she mad? /i he thought, incredulously. He shrugged and then he too wove his way out of the masses and left the common room.
He was not at all surprised to see that the Great Hall was almost empty, occupied only by a few stragglers who were hurriedly grabbing last pieces of toast or muffins that they could eat on their way to class, and Harry and Hermione. The last two were sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table, their heads bent low, whispering. Ron walked a little faster, not only because he wanted to eat but also because whispering meant something had happened. Hermione stopped talking when Ron walked up behind her and the two of them looked up at him. Ron was surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes and looked at Harry, questioningly.
"There's been an attack," he said in a low voice.
"What?" Ron shouted, astounded, "Where, when did this happen?"
"Keep your voice down," said Harry, "it happened last night. They--" but he was cut short when Hermione whispered, eyes wide.
"They attacked my parents."
Ron could not help but feel bad for her, even though he was still fuming about last night, so he said nothing for a minute, then, "Your parents?" he asked her in a very small voice. Hermione nodded and then began sobbing once again.
"It was that-- that cow, Bellatrix Lestrange and some other Death Eaters," supplied Harry, angrily.
"Ron, my-- my father's--dead," added Hermione, whispering the last word.
This comment left Ron speechless. He had only really met the man once, last summer, and he was one of the kindest, funniest people he had ever known. And now he was dead.
"What about your mum?" inquired Ron.
"She's in St.Mungo's," said Harry, answering for Hermione who seemed unable to speak, "They say she's going to be okay."
Ron heaved a sigh of relief at this news, glad to hear that she too was not dead. Harry glanced at his watch and gave a small yelp of surprise.
"We've got two minutes to get to class." And with that, Hermione stood up, wiped her tear streaked face, then lifted her chin high into the air and led the way out of the Great Hall to Transfiguration.