Chapter 14

The three of them were sitting in front of the fireplace in the living room as Colin walked in. Ron felt Hermione tense up next to him.

"Colin! How was the trip? How's your father?" Harry asked, happy that his friend was back.

"Good, good!" Colin replied looking the other way. Then he turned his gaze on Ron and Hermione who were sitting on the couch next to each other and eyeing him as if he was Draco Malfoy.

"Hey you guys! When did you get here? How've you been! Haven't seen you since Hogwarts!"

"Thanks Colin, we're fine!"

"So you two finally…." Colin caught sight of Harry who was waving his hands energetically behind the couch.

"We finally what?" Ron asked bewildered.

"Ah…um…nothing. Were is that new chef of yours? Heard he makes wonderful sandwiches!"

"Yeah….They're just like the famous Weasly ones." Ron put in.

"In the kitchen with Niles, I imagine." Harry said.

"Harry?" Ron said as Colin had left the room. "We'll need a list of all your employees, if you don't mind. And don't forget to mention how long they've worked for you and of what sort is your relationship with them. You think you could fix it up for dinner time?"

"Yeah, sure." Harry said, looking rather perplexed. How was he supposed put Ginerva Weasly down as one of his employees? Fair enough, she could make a wonderful breakfast, but the sandwiches…. Well, she most certainly had inherited Molly's touch for them. Ron would probably turn the table upside down when reading the list. He could just keep the cook out of it…. Yes, that's exactly what he was planning on doing. Ron would presume that Niles prepares the meals and he'd never know. Brilliant!

"Is that okay with you Harry?" Hermione was talking to him and he had missed the whole story behind it. That was bad. That was very very very bad. Soon Ron and Hermione will think that he has lost it. Thinking, eyes glassed over. He remembered when Aunt Marge had been visiting and how he constantly thought about his Broom Grooming Kit. He smiled at the thought.

"Harry? Are you sure you're alright?" Here came Hermione's voice again.

"Yea, sure. Just playing with you. Do I look nuts to you?" He said grinning his Quiddich-star-headline grin at her.

"Not now, but I have to admit you did look a bit loony just a few moments ago." Hermione stated with a half-smile.

"Well, just because I happen to have a scar on my forehead, doesn't mean that I'm insane. I hope."

"Well, we're off then." Ron said, still giving him a concerned look.

"To where?"

"Remember? Library? Study letters some more?" Hermione said giving him a let's-book-a-room in-the-loony-bin-just-in-case look.

"Can't believe you! You fell for it again!" Harry shouted.

Hermione slapped him on the back of the head and headed off towards the library with Ron.

¤

Reports. Reports More reports. Nothing about me. Good. They haven't gotten too far with it. They probably have no idea whatsoever and Harry will be dead before they'll even notice what has happened. They are too preoccupied with each other anyway. Just friends. Ha! It started at Hogwarts and as I see, it has never faded.

More papers. "What was the subject wearing? What colour were he subjects socks?" Really. They think they can identify someone by their socks?

Voices. Someone's coming.

¤

"I swear, Ron. The sandwiches tasted just like your mothers."

"That can't be. Mum's at home. She hardly takes ten steps away from her grandchildren."

"Really? How many are there? You must have a lot of unceling to do."

"Unceling? Since when is unceling a word?"

"Since now. Come on! Tall me! I bet Gred and Forge married Alicia and Angelina. Didn't they? They could hardly keep their hands away while at Hogwarts."

"How did you know that? I thought it was a family secret."

"One: they used the library to snog and two: they got married as soon as they were out of Hogwarts?"

Ron laughed at this.

"I bet they've got two at least."

"Um…actually…. Four."

"Four?"

"Twins."

"Oh my god! And Percy and Penelope?"

They entered the dark passage of bookshelves.

"Percy said that he wanted to get his career flying first…and then Penny reminded him that it would be her carrying the child, so they agreed to one. Apparently Percy was rather attracted to the little one and so it is that Pen is pregnant with the second one."

"Charlie and Bill?"

"Charlie met a gypsy in Romania and they got married. Remember when we got to the Platform 9 ¾, the day we graduated? Well, that was when I first met her. Mom and dad came to get me and when we got home there was Charlie with his fiancée. She speaks English but no one except Charlie makes sense of what she's saying, so they are attached by the hip. Charlie actually admitted to sometimes not understanding her. He said that at times like that he is in the habit of kissing her and then they…. He got no further as I replied that it was gross by my means to participate in a conversation like this with my brother." He laughed at the memory.

"And Bill?"

"Still single."

"Wonderful."

"How come is that?"

"I always found him to be the most attractive of the Weasly boys."

"Oh really?"

Ron, however, got no response from Hermione as she was staring at the large wooden desk of the library all messed up. Their reports, letters and rest of the paperwork were spilled onto the table. Hermione ran to the desk, looking for the letters. The fire in the mantelpiece had gone out and the torches were giving the room a murderous sort of glow as Hermione went through the papers furiously. Ron flicked his wand at the fireplace and roaring flames rose up, filling the room with a cosy flickering light.

"Got 'em!" Hermione shouted and turned to Ron with a winning smile.

Ron frowned at this and turned to the fire.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We've still got the letters."

"He left them here to be found. He didn't want the letters back. He just wanted to let us know he'd been here. He knows how to enter the house without anybody else noticing." Ron had a worried expression on his face. The two stared into the fire wordlessly.

¤

Harry found Ron and Hermione in the library as he got back. To his utter surprise they were laughing over something, pointing at each other and then breaking into new fits of laughter. Harry smirked at the two of them. He wondered whether they had worked out their 'differences'. Not! He thought. Otherwise they'd probably be somewhere else than the library. He couldn't see how they couldn't see what everyone else could see.

"Harry!" Ron was trying hard to breath and talk at the same time. "You never believe what Herm' just told me!" He started to laugh again.

"Shut up Ron! We can't tell him!"

"Oh! Right! Too bad, though! It was a good one!" He said, able to talk normally again

"Yeah! Well, he doesn't know Smith either so…" a few quick breaths "… it'd be dull for him anyway."

An awkward silence fell upon the three of them. They used to talk about everything and everybody… Well, not entirely everybody, Ron thought. He had never told Harry about what he felt for Hermione. He (in some strange way) knew now (Ron was still seriously pondering over the thought of Harry being a mind-reader) anyway and was making strange hints that might just blow his best friend cover that he needed badly. Well, maybe it would be easier if he just came clean. On the other hand, if she didn't feel the same way, he could never look her in the eye again.

"What about my letters? Did you read 'em?"

"Ne, Harry. We just sat here talking the whole time. Of course we read them."

"And?"

"I must admit, they really are a masterpiece." Hermione said, acting all business-like suddenly. "In all my years…" She picked up the letters waiving wind on her face "… I have never come across such a neat handwriting."

"And that's all?"

"If you'd want me to do a thorough search I'd have to get the permission to use the Un-… " She shut her mouth quickly shooting a desperate glance in Ron's direction. They had an exchange of looks.

"If this is about you two being Unspeakables then I already know. Now the letters?"

"You know. You know? You know! What! Do I have post-it on my back saying 'Unspeakable'?"

"Colin told me." Harry said confused.

"Nice. We have a leak." Ron said turning to Hermione bearing an expression as if someone had died. "And just how, if you care to mention, did Colin find out?"

"'Dunno. He never told me. Just said that he had read articles about you two, that said you worked for the Ministry, but not which department, so he just assumed you were Unspeakables."

"Hermione? Have you ever had Lavender or some other reporter from The Daily Prophet interviewing you?" Ron's face stated clearly that if Hermione dared to even hint towards the fact that someone had interviewed her, he would, most probably, strangle her.

Hermione looked as if she had been slapped across the face. "Do you honestly believe that I would betray the department? The entire population of innocent magic folk I work so hard to protect? All just for a silly little interview?" She was furious with Ron, but he seemed nothing but calm.

"No." He turned towards Harry. "I have never even spoken to a reporter since that Skeeter so I could have hardly been interviewed. I think we've got your phsyco Harry."

"No," Harry said to their absolute surprise. "It's not Colin. This isn't even his handwriting."

"He could magic it to look like this" Hermione put in.

"No. We're friends he'd never do this to me."

"Look Harry! You've got to face the facts here. He was your first fan, right? Right after Ginny of course. Never mind that. He was the first one to take pictures, ask for autographs. Now you have thousands of fans just like he was. You haven't paid him enough attention and now his getting back at you."

Harry looked frustrated.

"I hate to admit it Harry, but he's right. It's the classic behaviour of a disturbed person."

Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks as Harry sank into the sofa in front of the fireplace.

¤

He had been staring at the fire blankly for about ten minutes when he heard Ron's voice say: "How is he?" and Hermione's answer: "He hasn't moved in two hours. If you consider that good, then he's fine I guess." He felt one corner of his lip move upward. "His mouth twitched!" Hermione shrieked. "That's natural. He's not in a coma for God sakes!" "I know!" Hermione snapped.

"Hey Harry!" He heard Ron's voice say.

¤

He had been thinking about the situation with Colin and had come to the conclusion that it couldn't possibly be him. He was just a good friend that's it. He was no longer one of his fans, for years now. He remembered when he had received the first letter. They had had a good laugh over it, right there, sitting in front of the fireplace.

¤

"Harry!" Ron bellowed into one of his ears.

"I am not deaf! You don't have to scream! Harry answered furiously turning his deadly gaze on Ron.

"Well, you're sure acting like you are."

"I'm fine! I'm not deaf! I'm not in a coma! I'm fine!" He caught his breath after his furious outbursts and then continued rather calm. "Look, I know all the evidence point to him, but I swear, he's my friend, he'd never do anything to hurt me."

The two looked at him in silence, until Ron finally broke it: "Fine, fine. Anything you say. Now can we please have some lunch? My stomach hasn't seen food in such a long time that it has forgotten what it looks like."

¤

They walked to the dining room and were arguing what they wanted to eat and where, when Harry bellowed: "NILES!"

He appeared in the doorway, bowed and said: "Yes sir? You yelled?"

"We would like some lunch."

"Well, what is it that I may bring to the dear Sirs and Madam?"

"Oh please!" Said Ron who was not used to having servants around. "You can call us by our first names."

"Alrighty then. Still, the question remains."

Before either of them had time to open their mouth Ron had said "Sandwiches" and. Niles, not wishing to hear any bickering, hurried off.

¤

B