A/N I know its short, I'll have the next one up bu the end of the weekend. Promise!
Chapter 2: The Letter with a Secret
Harry fell into a laughing fit at Ron's terror stricken face when he realized his scream had sounded oddly like "Hermione". Harry spent a moment or so panting for breath as he stopped laughing, before climbing out of bed to investigate the source of the commotion. Harry was surprised when he saw a dazed tawny owl staggering on the window sill. He carefully picked up the owl and removed the thick parchment letter before giving the owl some water, which he had conjured wish the swish of his wand. After a second glance at letter, Harry was surprised to see that it was not addressed to him or Ron, but to Hermione.
Upon seeing the puzzled look on Harry's face, Ron snatched the letter away and then began to untangle himself from his bedsheets. Harry brow furrowed and he gave Ron a confused look. "Where are you going?"
"Well, if you didn't notice," Ron said, as he pointed to the address on the letter, "it says 'URGENT', so I assume we would use our newly acquired skills to give it to her." Ron stated as if it was the most obvious suggestion in the world. Before Harry could even open his mouth to protest, Ron had disapparated with a small pop.
Within 30 seconds, screams once again filled the air, but this time it was more than one voice. Harry started laughing again as he saw where Ron apparated. As soon as the laughing and screaming stopped there was a thunk and Ron was pushed off of Hermione's cot onto the floor. As bad as Ron's landing was, Harry's was almost worse. He had apparated onto Ginny's bed and was currently half on top of her.
The two teenagers just stared into each other's eyes, green into brown and brown into green, neither wanting to break the eye contact or the closeness. Hermione's voice soon broke the silence and jolted them back into reality. "Ronald? Would you mind putting some more clothes on?"
Ron's ears turned scarlet as when he realized he was in his Chudley Cannons boxers and a white t-shirt. Harry might have started laughing, when he realized he was in red boxers and nothing else. He managed not to blush until he saw Ginny staring at him. He stared at her for a moment taking in her beauty and thinking about how much he missed her, but all thgouhts were abandoned as she spoke. "What's in your hand?"
Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Ron chose this time to speak up and take control.
"It's a letter for Hermione, the owl just delievered it to our room."
Hermione looked at Harry, almost as if in need of verification. "But I n-never get letters." That was all she managed to stammer, and for the first time since they had met, Hermione was speechless.
Then a rare occurrence occurred which Harry supposed would never happen again. "Well whose writing is it?" This is a statement that normally would come from Hermione, but instead it was Ron that spoke. He seemed to be staring at the ground, hiding his worry for Hermione and his embarrassment at his statement.
Then when Harry didn't think anyone could answer, he heard Hermione speak. Instead of the strong authoritative voice she normally possessed, she now sounded quiet and nervous. "I don't recognize it….should I open it?"
Once again, it was Ron who answered her. "Well, I think we should wait until the morning and have someone in the Order look at it." Harry now sat down on Ginny's bed for out of experience, he knew that this would not end well. He looked over at Ginny and rolled his eyes at his 2 friends. He felt his face break into a wide smile as she laughed at him, but as soon as the smile graced her face, it disappeared and the pain returned to her brown eyes.
"No Ron. I'm opening it now." Hermione's voice had now returned to normal, and Harry wasn't sure if she wasn't just opening it now to piss Ron off even more. She carefully ripped the envelope open and proceeded to read. She opened her mouth and gasped as she read, what Harry assumed, to be the first sentence.
--
After wringing his hands nervously for a couple of minutes, Ron couldn't take it anymore, he snapped. "So? What does it say?" They all had their eyes on Hermione as she looked up at them. Ron let out a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding, as she saw her smiling brightly. "She's coming to Hogwarts!"
He began trying to figure out who 'she' could possibly be, when Ginny spoke. "Who is?"
"Ali!" After receiving blank stares from everyone Hermione realized she had never told them. Harry could see the sheer panic play across Hermione's face as she realized she had never mentioned this Ali.
She stood in place nervously for a minute or two, opening her mouth and then closing it. Harry was amazed at the silence in the room, but was thankful for it, as when Hermione finally spoke it was barely above a whisper.
"She- she's my twin."
--
Hermione stared at floor, not wanting to look at her friend's faces. When she finally glanced up, her gaze immediatly went to Ron. She expected to see his cobalt eyes flashing in the anger she knew so well, hell, she would of done anything to see the anger in his eyes. What she did see, was not anger at all, and it almost killed her. Just as they met eyes, hers absorbing the pain and disappointment shining in his, he turned on the spot. A 'POP' resounded in the room and Ron was gone.
A/N: sorry it took so long to get up….I know its short, I should have another one up soon
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p.s. thanks to 'hpfreak' my one anonymous review