Chapter 16 – Weasley Troubles

The days after the trial of Sirius Black were good ones for Harry Potter and his group. Though perhaps he was essentially the same person as he had always been, others were heard to comment on the fact that Harry seemed to have an extra spring in his step, not to mention the smile which was always hovering, ready to appear on his face at a moment's notice. Not even the presence and the watchful disdain of the resident Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was able to bring him down from his emotional high.

The next morning's Daily Prophet headline, hailing the trial and subsequent acquittal of the head of the family Black—and last to bear the name—induced as large a grin as any of his friends had ever seen, though perhaps the acclamation was not universal. To most of the rest of the student body, it was supposed, it was a matter of relatively little consequence, though Draco Malfoy's disgust was evident. He had been in line to become the head of the House of Black, had Sirius been convicted and executed, and his displeasure that the heir to the Black Estate was alive and well, and innocent of all charges, turned his mood as bad as Harry's was good.

For the forces of the light, Sirius's exoneration was important, though possible only through a certain set of curious circumstances. When Sirius had run away as a young man, his mother had promptly disowned him from the family, blasting him from the family tapestry in her disgust and rage. However, his father had never made the banishment official, and as head of house, only he had the power to do so. Whether this was because Orion disagreed with his wife in this matter or because he had decided that having a blood traitor as an heir was better than one of the cadet lines inheriting, Sirius never knew. Suffice to say that upon his escape from Azkaban, Sirius was astonished to find that he was still a member of the family, and more importantly, its head. One would perhaps think that his time in Azkaban would have negated his rights as head of house, but as Sirius had never actually been convicted of a crime, and had never been banished by his father, the magic which governed such issues had always recognized him as the official head of house once his father and brother had passed away, regardless of the perceptions of society at large.

A more important consideration was the fact that his exoneration kept the Black fortune—which, despite centuries of decline, was still sizable—out of the hands of Voldemort's forces, and specifically, from Draco Malfoy. Privately, Sirius informed Harry that he had already completed the necessary steps to make Harry his heir, so Draco would never have inherited in any case. However, as his will could have been challenged on a number of fronts, being free and recognized as the head of his house was the best outcome for all. Of course, Harry's position as heir was pending upon Sirius never having a child—a son would inherit if Sirius was ever fortunate enough to have one.

Sirius's exoneration also allowed him to assume his family's hereditary seat in the Wizengamot, and to hold the proxy vote for house Potter. In the past, though the Potter vote had always been cast by those aligned with the light, the Black vote had been held by those who had held similar beliefs to those espoused by Orion Black, and though one might scoff at the effect of having one vote defect to an opposing stance, the power and influence of a new and secure Black head was not to be underestimated, especially when that vote had been traditionally dark.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, as the new head of Black, Sirius was able to run the politics of his house, and to specifically determine the status of any present members of his house. Bellatrix LeStrange and Narcissa Malfoy, in particular, would find themselves under close scrutiny, as Sirius had instructed the goblins to investigate the marriage contracts under which the two women had been married. If there had been any breach of contract, Sirius was well within his rights to declare the contracts null and void, and demand any bride prices attached to the contracts returned. This would not affect their marriages, as such—regardless of whether the contracts had actually been breached, the marriages had taken place—but at the very least it could deprive Voldemort's forces of some of their liquid assets. Since the family's history was dark, Sirius was uncertain as to whether the goblins would actually find anything, but he felt it was a reasonable move to make in light of the potential benefits

The reactions of the rest of the school to Sirius's exoneration were in general as expected. Most of the students were indifferent as, though the older years remembered the stories of Sirius Black and his actions during Harry's third year, he was still largely an unknown quantity. The Headmaster was openly relieved at the outcome, and the teachers who had known Sirius were happy that he had finally received the justice he deserved, especially Minerva McGonagall, who had always had a soft spot in her heart for Sirius and his fellow Marauders. As for Severus Snape—whose rivalry with James Potter and Sirius Black had been legendary—he gave the report one of his trademark sneers, and then proceeded to ignore its very existence.

The most curious, perhaps, was Dolores Umbridge. The woman had said absolutely nothing during Sirius's trial, though Harry would have expected her to be vocal in condemning him. Her silence seemed to indicate that Fudge had deemed the situation a lost cause and had ordered her to keep her peace, for Harry doubted privately that the woman was intelligent enough to come to such a determination on her own. But once the report was circulated amongst the Hogwarts population, Dolores was even more obvious in her attention toward Harry Potter. On several occasions, Harry could almost have sworn that the professor was attempting to bore holes through him with her eyes, though why the freedom of Sirius Black should make her even more disposed to hate him than before, he had no idea whatsoever.

Whatever the woman's plans had been when she entered the school, she had not progressed very far on them. Thus far, other than the contrived attempt to assign him detention on the day of the trial, things had been fairly calm in her class, and it was now widely acknowledged to be almost as boring as History. And other than the one Educational Decree which was a concern, the rest of them—including two more which had appeared since the first ones had been posted—were almost nonsensical, not to mention completely useless to what they suspected was her cause. If she was trying to infiltrate the school and force changes due to the supposed uncontrolled nature of the students, she was sadly failing. Thus far, she had had relatively little about which to complain, especially if she was attempting to prove the Hogwarts was out of control, and the Headmaster out of touch.

Life at the school continued apace. Classes were attended, homework assigned and completed—or ignored, as the case may be—and Harry found himself becoming even closer to his two female friends than he had been before, if that was even possible. His closeness to Hermione was a given—they had been by each other's side since they had arrived at Hogwarts, after all. However, now that Fleur had become part of the dynamic, and Hermione and Fleur had drawn so close, Ron's distance from the entire group for several days caused a gentle shift in their friendships. It now seemed that Harry, Fleur, and Hermione had almost become the new de facto golden trio as, other than for classes, they could almost always be seen in one another's company. And though Ron was able to see this as well as any other, he was quick to realize that to a certain extent it was his own fault due to his actions the previous year. His distance from Hermione in particular, which, despite his determination to accept the situation, persisted for several days, further cemented the new trio's status.

The one thing in which there appeared to be little change was the status of Harry's relationship with Fleur, or at least it would have to a casual observer. In truth, they were becoming closer and more comfortable with each other all the time. Up to that point it had not translated into a more physical sort of affection, but they were both determined that that particular facet of their relationship did not need to be rushed. It was not like they did not have time for that in the future.

There were two things specifically of note during those few days. The first was that Malfoy was making much less of a pain of himself, particularly in Potions class, but overall as well. He had not taken Snape's set down well, and Dean had gleefully reported seeing the ponce storming down to the owlery soon after the incident in Potions with a letter in his hand, presumably to whine to the senior ponce about his mistreatment in Snape's class. Whether there was ever any response was not known, but the fact that Malfoy was much less obtrusive was undeniable.

The other matter of some note was the furthering of the concept of a defense club to help offset the uselessness of Umbridge's class. Fleur and Hermione had discussed Luna's suggestion at length, and both of them agreed that it was exactly what they needed to help pass their year-end tests. Furthermore, Fleur agreed with Hermione's idea of having Harry lead the group. Not only was he the best at defense, Fleur had pointed out, but running a club such as this was also a good way to further improve Harry's confidence in himself. The problem was convincing Harry to agree with their way of thinking.

Harry was stubborn—Hermione knew this from years of friendship, and Fleur had seen it several times, even in the short time of their betrothal. And though Harry had no problem helping others—and actually possessed a healthy dose of what Hermione coined his "saving people thing"—in this instance he did not feel that he was up to the task of running a club on top of his other activities. Why this was so, the two young women could not precisely say. It may have been a consequence of his new determination to excel at his school work, or it may have been simply because he still lacked confidence. Whatever the reason, he was digging in his heels, and no matter how many times they discussed it, he would deflect any discussion of leading it himself, though he would certainly add his own opinions to exactly how it would be structured, what should be taught, or anything else of any merit.

Hermione and Fleur were not about to give up, though—Harry was the perfect person to lead it, whether he knew it or not, and they were determined to help him see that fact.

Monday morning found the trio in the Great Hall with their other friends, all concentrating on their breakfast. As it was a Monday, none of them were precisely energetic—Mondays had a tendency to have that effect on a person. The conversation was sporadic and desultory, and the entire hall was rather quiet. This quiet and contemplative mood was interrupted when dozens of owls swooped into the Great Hall to deliver the morning mail.

Fleur was watching the spectacle in a rather bored fashion—she had exchanged letters with her parents late the previous week and was not expecting anything—when she noticed a slow and somewhat clumsy owl gliding unsteadily down through the throngs of the other post owls. The clumsy creature was aiming directly—or as close as it could—for their spot along the table.

It hit the table several seats down and spun out of control, knocking over several glasses of pumpkin juice and upsetting a plate of bacon, before it stopped a short distance down the table from where Fleur sat with Harry and Hermione. The creature then picked itself up with whatever dignity it still possessed and shuffled toward them, stopping directly in front of Hermione. From further down the table Fleur heard a gasp.

"Isn't that Errol?" she heard Ginny Weasley ask.

By now the attention of the entire in the area was fixed upon the owl, or perhaps more correctly, on the angry red envelope the owl was even now offering to Hermione.

Hermione gingerly reached out and accepted the red envelope, after which the owl—showing that although it was clumsy and old, it was decidedly not stupid—awkwardly flapped its wings and began hightailing it from the hall, inasmuch as it was physically capable.

Fleur gazed at her friend with some trepidation—it was clear that Hermione had most certainly not expected a letter, let alone a howler, and especially not one which was carried by an owl the Weasley family all seemed to recognize. A quick glance at Harry showed his surprise, though Fleur did notice an undercurrent of suspicion and a hint of anger beginning to color his features.

With a shaky hand, Hermione ran her thumb through the flap of the envelope, which was beginning to smolder, and very tentatively, she pulled letter out of the envelope, immediately snatching her hand away when confetti exploded from the howler, and it began to scream.

"HERMIONE GRANGER! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, YOUNG LADY? I SIMPLY COULD NOT BELIEVE IT WHEN I HEARD THAT A YOUNG GIRL LIKE YOU WOULD REJECT MY SON! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ANYWAY? ARE YOU THAT MUCH OF A GOLD-DIGGER THAT YOU WOULD REJECT RONNIE AND SET YOUR SIGHTS ON A YOUNG MAN WHO IS ALREADY TAKEN? I AM UTTERLY ASHAMED OF YOU, YOUNG LADY, AFTER ALL RONNIE HAS DONE FOR YOU, BEING YOUR FRIEND ALL THESE YEARS, AND STANDING BEHIND YOU AND SUPPORTING YOU, THIS IS THE WAY YOU TREAT HIM? IF THIS IS THE WAY YOU ARE GOING TO ACT, YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME IN MY HOME UNTIL YOU COME TO YOUR SENSES! YOU ARE A DISGRACE!

With that final accusation, the howler burst into flame and was consumed, leaving a stunned Hermione with tears already leaking from the corners of her eyes. Without a word to anyone, she stood and fled the hall to the already growing chorus of jeers from the Slytherin table.

Fleur glanced at Harry and, seeing him begin to rise, she put her hand on his arm to restrain him.

"I'll go find her," she told him.

Harry appeared as though he wanted to protest, but after a moment he gave her a tight nod. As Fleur rose to go, she cast a glance at the assembled Weasleys and was unsurprised to see them all sporting the same looks of astonished befuddlement, though she though Ron also had a hint of embarrassment and even guilt in his visage.

Shaking her head, Fleur grabbed both her and Hermione's packs, and made for the door. She exited to the entrance hall to find that Harry had followed her. In his hands was the map his father and friends had made, which he was studying intently.

"She's in an unused classroom on the first floor," he bit out through clenched teeth.

Looking over his shoulder, Fleur noted the location on the map, while inwardly thinking about Harry's protectiveness towards Hermione. How her betrothed could not be fully aware of his feelings for the young witch was beyond Fleur's comprehension. However, that was a subject for later thought—for now, her friend needed her.

"I'll comfort her," said Fleur.

Harry smiled at her and reached out to squeeze her hand, and kiss her cheek. "Thanks Fleur. I'll join you as soon as I figure out what's going on."

Nodding, Fleur slung the two backpacks over her shoulder and set out, noting Harry's determined gait as he returned to the Great Hall. Clearly, certain students were about to be called to account for the events of the morning.

Ron watched as Harry and Fleur followed Hermione from the hallway, his mind spinning at what had just happened. When he had written his mother, it had been in order to release some of his frustration and ease the pressure he felt on his heart. It was widely known exactly how Molly Weasley doted on her children, and for Ron her mothering normally caused him no end of annoyance, as she could be positively stifling at times. However, she also had a way of listening to her children and supporting them regardless of the situation, which at times—like this, he had thought—was immensely comforting. Attacking his friend, however, was not exactly the type of comfort Ron had in mind.

"Ron!" Ginny hissed. "What did you tell Mum?"

"I sure didn't tell her to send Hermione a howler!" Ron whispered back in his own defense."

"Our siblings appear to be up to something, George."

Ron turned and saw the twins regarding both himself and Ginny with looks of suspicion etched upon their faces.

"They do, Fred, and if I'm not mistaken, it has something to do with the lovely Miss Granger, who has just run from the room in tears."

For once, the twins appeared to be completely serious—no hint of their usual playfulness and sense of fun was evident in the suspicious glares they were directing at their two youngest siblings. And if that was not unnerving, the other members of their group—Neville and Luna (who almost always sat at the Gryffindor table recently), not to mention the Gryffindor Quidditch team members—all had frowns upon their faces as they regarded the two youngest Weasleys.

"Well, Ronnie? Gin? What is going on here?"

Ron glanced around with some apprehension, noticing the sea of eyes fixed on their little conference. "Umm… Fred, George, can we have this discussion elsewhere?"

The twins exchanged a look and a glance around the hall where, it appeared, an undue amount of attention was fixed upon their little conference. "I suppose that makes sense," replied George at length.

"No sense in airing our family's dirty laundry in a room full of gossiping teenagers," Fred agreed.

The four stood and made their way from the table, Ron assiduously avoiding Malfoy's smirk—and perversely wishing he could knock it off the poncy git's face. He followed his brothers and sister from the Great Hall where they were confronted by an extremely angry-looking Harry.

"Give us five minutes, then come and find us," said George, preempting whatever Harry was about to say.

"We want to talk to our brother and sister first," added Fred.
Harry eyed them with no lessening of his anger, before nodding and entering the Great Hall. Meanwhile Ron and his sister followed the twins to an unoccupied anteroom, where the two pranksters immediately turned on their siblings.

"Well you two? What's going on here?"

"Don't look at me," cried Ginny defensively. "Ron's the letter king, not me!"

George's responding glare seemed to indicate he thought Ginny had all the intelligence of a mountain troll. "Are you not our sister?" he asked rhetorically.

"And more to the point," Fred continued, "aren't you the one who has mooned about, making puppy dog eyes at Harry ever since he became friends with Ron? Come on, Ginny, if you have anything to do with this, tell us so we can save our friendship with Harry."

"I had nothing to do with it," Ginny insisted. "Yes, I like Harry, but I've not said one thing to Mum about Harry or Hermione since we came to school."

"And have you given up on Harry yet?" prompted George.

"No!" was her decisive reply. "Why should I? You both know as well as I that he is able to have more than one wife. I'm not going to give up when there's still hope."

"Ginny, you don't have a chance!" said Fred bluntly. "He's engaged to Fleur, and unless I miss my guess, if anyone has the inside track on becoming the second Mrs. Potter, that person most certainly appears to be Hermione."

"But Harry said he wasn't interested in Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ron, you really are a thick git," said Fred with some disgust. "He may think he has no intentions toward her, but even you, the perpetually blind, has seen that the world revolves around her in his eyes. Isn't that why you actually developed a backbone and went after her yourself?"

"Harry's getting more comfortable with Fleur all the time," George added. "But it's always been Hermione."

"Be quiet for a moment—we'll deal with you after we deal with our younger sister."

Through all of this, Ginny gaped at her brothers. "Hermione is interested in Harry? She told me she wasn't!"

Fred shook his head with some disgust. "It appears like Ron is not the only one who can't see two feet in front of his face. It's like the blind leading the blind!"

"We've got our youngest sister who watches Harry like a hawk and practically undresses him with her eyes," George said, ticking one finger, "and she can't even see how into each other Harry and Hermione are."

"Then we've got Harry and Hermione themselves who can't see how into each other they are," continued Fred, ticking another finger.

"The surprising part is that our resident thicko here," George jerked a thumb at Ron, "has taken his head out of his arse and noticed enough to try to make a move on Hermione before Harry stakes his claim. And even then he believes Harrikins when he says he's not into Hermione."

Ron bristled at the insult but remained silent.

"And George is right, Ginny," said Fred. "I would have expected you to see how important Hermione is to Harry a long time ago, given how much attention you pay to him."

"Look, Ginny, we know you've always had a crush on Harry, but you need to let it go. Even if he does take another wife, there is no guarantee he will choose you."

"I know," said Ginny. "I've already had this conversation with Hermione. She told me to just be Harry's friend, and that's what I'm trying to do."

"Well, that's certainly an improvement on your 'squeak and run' tactics from before," was Fred's dry response.

Ginny's gaze darkened, but George spoke before she could go off on his twin. "You aren't going to be all angry at Hermione now because you know this, are you?"

"Of course not!" Ginny snapped. Her stance and stony expression screamed her defiance. "But I won't give up hope. I won't complain to Mum, or bother Harry, but I'm going to try to get to know him better. Hopefully, he'll come to love me as much as I love him."

There was a moment's silence after Ginny's statement, and though Ron did not say anything, he knew that whatever feelings Ginny had for Harry, they must be deeper than the infatuation he felt for Hermione. A small niggling part of him still thought Ginny was not seeing or even attracted to the real Harry, but he was not about to get in her way. She had to make her own decisions; he was having difficulty enough dealing with his own.

"Ginny, I'd advise you to give it up, but it's your choice."

"As long as you don't go antagonizing our friends, that is."

Ginny nodded, and though there were tears in her eyes, her expression held a determined and almost implacable obstinacy. It was clear that regardless of what the brothers said to her, she was not ready to give up.

Therefore, Ron soon found himself directly in the crosshairs of his older brothers once again. "Well, Ron? Do you want to tell us something?"

Ron shuffled his feet awkwardly, not really wanting to talk about it. The twins already had far too much blackmail knowledge about his feelings for Hermione, and he was reluctant to discuss it further. He tried mumbling a response, hoping that it would mollify them, but the twins were having nothing of it.

"I'm sorry, Ron, I can't hear you. Perhaps you should speak up."

"All right, all right!" Ron exclaimed. "I wrote to Mum and told her that I asked Hermione out and that she had said no."

"And…" Fred prompted.

"And nothing," said Ron. "That's all I told her. I was hoping she'd help me feel better—you guys know how supportive she can be. I certainly can't expect that from you gits now, can I?"

"So you didn't complain to Mum and ask her to stick up for you against big bad Hermione?"

Ron glared at Fred. "No. I figured she'd write me back, not attack Hermione.

"Look, guys," Ron continued, "I was hurt when Hermione wouldn't go out with me—I won't deny that. But I respect her decision and I'd never want Mum to embarrass her in front of the whole school. Or embarrass me, for that matter."

At that moment the door opened and Harry walked in, looking at them all with a grimness seldom seen. Ron had to do a double take—he had never seen Harry so focused, and rarely had he seen his best friend looking so upset. It appeared the confidence he had obtained from the influence of the Delacours was being unleashed, and a new Harry, complete with the leadership skills and the implacable will to achieve his goals—not to mention his will to protect his friends—was emerging. Ron found himself feeling a little intimidated.

Stepping into the room, Harry surveyed his friends and wondered just exactly what was going on. The howler he had just heard insulting his closest friend reminded him of the crap Hermione had had to put up with the previous year. She would not have to do the same this year—not if Harry had anything to say about it.

What he was not certain of, was Ron's role in this fiasco. He knew that Ron was upset by Hermione's rejection—his behavior during that past few days had made that plain for anyone who knew him to see. Ron was… difficult sometimes. He could be petulant and jealous without a doubt, and his past had shown him to have a certain vindictive streak as well. Harry thought he would not behave in such a spiteful manner simply because Hermione had refused to go out with him, but he was not completely certain. If Ron had caused Hermione's embarrassment, it would be some time before Harry was able to forgive him.

"Well, what's going on guys?" Harry asked without preamble.

The Weasley children all shuffled from side to side, and none of them would meet his eyes. Harry folded his arms and leaned back against the door frame, waiting for one of them to speak up.

"Maybe you should tell him, Ron," one of the twins said.

Ron scowled, but he visibly gathered himself, and turned to face Harry.

"I asked Hermione out, but she told me no."

Becoming a little impatient, Harry gave Ron the hurry up motion with his hand. "And?"

"Well, apparently Mum didn't take it very well."

"Ron, what exactly did you tell your mother?" Harry asked.

"Just that Hermione told me she wouldn't go out with me and that I wasn't happy with it, I swear. I'm not happy about it; you know that, Harry. But I didn't expect Mum to do this. I'd never want Mum to go after Hermione like that. Hermione is my friend."

It was more than likely nothing more than the truth, thought Harry. Ron was not a very good liar—Harry figured he could usually spot when Ron was trying to cover something up. The thing Harry was not certain of was why Mrs. Weasley would react this way. He was well aware of the fact that she wanted him for a son-in-law, but was she really that set on having Hermione as a daughter as well?

No, it was likely not that, exactly. It was more likely that she was being protective of her son, though a certain amount of resentment for the way Harry had suddenly been tied to Fleur had likely bled over into the situation.

"So, what do we do now?" queried Harry.

His friends all looked at one another as though they had not considered what they should do to fix the problem.

"I guess we need to speak with Mum," said one of the twins.

"Not that I'm looking forward to that," grumbled the other.

"Come on now, Fred, where's your sense of adventure?"

"My sense of adventure is completely subservient to my sense of preservation," was Fred's response. "Especially where Mum is concerned."

Harry smirked—leave it to the twins to take a tense situation and release a little of the stress with just a few words.

"Don't worry, Harry," Ron assured him. "We'll talk to Mum and get her all sorted out."

"Thanks, guys," Harry responded. But while he appreciated their willingness to tackle the problem, he wanted to make certain his friends understood his opinion on the matter.

"I just want you all to know that I consider you family—you've all been very good to me, and I really do appreciate it. And I include your mother in that statement—she's always welcomed me to the Burrow, and she and your father have always been there for me when I needed to feel like I had a family.

"But," Harry emphasized, "I will not continue to consider her a part of my family if she continues to attack my friends. She can be angry with Hermione for not going out with you, Ron—that is her choice. But she canno react in such a public manner. I will not allow her to continue to embarrass my friend in front of the entire school. After she believed the articles about Hermione last year, I set her straight—I would have thought she would know Hermione better by now."

"We know, Harry," George responded.

Harry looked at them curiously, and he smiled a little apologetically at Ginny. "Sorry for bringing this up, Ginny—I know it's hard for you. But is part of this related to her disappointment over my betrothal to Fleur?"

The siblings all looked at one another yet again while Ginny blushed, giving Harry all the answer he felt he needed. It was confirmed by Fred, however.
"We're not sure, but it may be."

Shaking his head, Harry fixed them all with a stern glare. "Well, your Mum can't do anything about that. And besides, it's not Hermione's fault, so she I'd appreciate it if your Mum didn't attack her."

He glanced at Ginny and smiled, which she returned somewhat hesitantly. "I'm sorry if this is all difficult for you Ginny. I don't mean to hurt your feelings."

Ginny gamely smiled at him and murmured that she was fine, which was heartening—maybe she was starting to outgrow this infatuation. She was behaving a little more familiarly around him, rather than the almost silent shyness he had always seen from her in the past. He liked the change in her—it was much better having another friend, rather than someone who would not even speak when he entered a room.

"Look guys," Harry stressed, "I can handle your Mum's disappointment over what has happened. But she has to get used to it because she cannot change it. I really don't want to have to break ties with the first mother figure I've ever had."

The message he had just imparted did not seem to have escaped any of his friends—Molly Weasley had been the first woman he had ever met who had any of the criteria he would expect in a mother. Petunia Dursley certainly could not be accused of being motherly—not even to her own son, regardless of her sickening displays. However, Harry now had another woman who he looked up to, and to be completely blunt, Apolline Delacour was far less overbearing and nosy than Molly Weasley. Apolline would eventually become his mother-in-law, and her personality made her much easier to approach than the Weasley matron. Harry still liked and appreciated Molly, but he would not continue to associate with her if she persisted in her attacks.

The redhead siblings readily agreed with his sentiments, and after a few more moments of discussion, Harry exited the room, consulting the map as he left. He had a hurting friend to find and comfort.

For the rest of the day, Harry, Hermione, and Fleur were a little cold to all the Weasley siblings, though in truth Hermione did not hold a grudge against her friends—they could not control the actions of their mother, after all. That did not change the hurt she felt, nor what her friends felt on her behalf. She was able to be gracious when, one by one, the Weasley children approached her to apologize for their mother's behavior. But even so, she could not help but be aloof from them, regardless of their best efforts—the humiliation she felt from receiving such an accusing howler was still too acute for her to forget it so easily.

The one who held back, though, and watched them from a distance was Ron. She knew Ron would not have maliciously encouraged his mother to attack her—Harry's account of his conversation with the Weasley siblings forced her to agree with that assessment, not that she would have thought him complicit in the event anyway. Still, it was disappointing and hurtful that Ron's mother would have thought she was capable of such gasping behavior, and she was not eager to see the woman again any time soon. And given the distance between her and Ron—the distance Ron had already created due to his own disappointment—Hermione was not exactly surprised when Ron did not approach her during the day like his siblings had. Perhaps Ron was making some progress, but in Hermione's eyes he was still had some growing to do.

The one thing which struck Hermione that day was Harry's attitude and actions. He positively doted on Hermione throughout that entire day. He was gentle and caring, and very solicitous for her feelings, and Hermione found herself enjoying the attention. And she knew that Fleur had not missed it at all—in fact, the French witch had smirked at Harry's behavior any time she thought the two of them were not looking, though Hermione did catch her at it a couple of times. And when Hermione confronted Fleur about it, the Veela simply smiled and asked if she still doubted the depth of Harry's feelings for her now.

After classes were finished—and Monday was their heaviest day of classes—a very relieved Hermione dropped her books off in her dorm, happy that she was finally done for the day. She had been the subject of attention from all quarters that day, and though no one had actually said anything to her—even Malfoy had been cowed to a certain extent by Harry's glares, she thought—still it had been a trying day, and one she was happy was over. Now all she had to do was make it through dinner, and she could relax with her friends and work on her homework.

She made her way down to the common room, and was surprised to see Ron pacing the floor not ten feet from the foot of the stairs. She paused for a moment, and then resolutely stepped into the room, causing Ron to stop his pacing and look at her with a certain measure of nervousness.

"Umm… Hermione, can I talk to you for a moment?" Ron stammered.

"Of course, Ronald. What can I do for you?"

She noticed Ron's slight flinch at the moniker "Ronald"—he knew as well as anyone that she only called him that when he was in trouble—before he glanced about the room and motioned her to a nearby corner which was unoccupied. Once they had moved there, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair in agitation, before he turned to face her with determination.

"Hermione, I wanted to apologize for my mother."

"Thank you, Ron, but I'm certain it wasn't your fault," Hermione replied. "Right?"

Though perhaps she should have had more faith in her friend, a part of Hermione still could not help but wonder if Ron had had something to do with his mother's actions. His own actions the previous year toward Harry, not to mention what he had done over the broom incident in third year, made her hesitant.

"I did write my mother a letter, but I was disappointed, you know? I do like you and I did want to go out with you, and I told my mother that. I do have feelings for you, Hermione, but I respect your feelings as well, and would never want to see you hurt and embarrassed the way you were this morning."

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione said, patting his hand. "Thanks for saying this—I know it wasn't easy. However, I don't hold you responsible for your mother's actions."

A relieved smile stole over Ron's face, and he pulled Hermione into an enthusiastic, but clumsy hug. This was more like the Ron she knew—uncomfortable speaking of his feelings, and awkward in his actions, and more endearing than the Ron attempting to be a suave ladies' man. She was grateful to see his reappearance.

"I also want you to know that I respect your feelings too, Ron," Hermione replied when Ron had finally pulled back. "I don't have the kind of feelings for you that you want, but I'd never hurt you over them either.

"I just really would like you to be a little more consistent in your friendships to both Harry and me. I really want to return to the way we used to be when we were younger, before all these feelings and hormones started getting in the way."

"I'm working on it, okay?" said Ron with a cheeky grin.

Hermione could not help but laugh at his antics. He waggled his eyebrows at her and bowed in an exaggerated manner.

"Shall we go to dinner now, milady?" he asked.

Giggling, Hermione grasped his proffered arm and joined their friends who, unnoticed, had gathered behind them, all ready to head out of the portrait hole and go for dinner.

As they walked toward the hall, Hermione could not help but reflect yet again on the day, and on her close friend. Ron had always been somewhat immature, but if there was a silver lining to his mother's regrettable actions, it seemed as though it was giving him a push to finally grow up a little. It was definitely a start.

Albus had been in the Great Hall that morning when Miss Granger opened her howler. Even so, he was somewhat surprised to receive a visit from the Weasley twins later that afternoon, asking for permission for a rather odd request—they wanted to Floo the Burrow and talk to their mother about the howler.

He had been considering doing something about the situation himself. The pressures on Harry, particularly with Umbridge in the castle spreading her vitriol, were such that Albus did not wish for his favorite student to have even more stress than was already the case. And certainly not from one he considered family.

Molly Weasley was a good woman, and a staunch supporter of the light, having brought her children up with the same set of beliefs and strong desire to do the right thing as she and Arthur already possessed. For that, he could only be grateful—the Weasley family was amongst the strongest opponents of Voldemort and his forces, and their assistance and support were invaluable.

But this obsession of Molly's to run her children's lives and her insistence that Ginny would be a perfect match for Harry was not helpful in the slightest. And Albus knew that her frustration over the situation regarding the now-enacted marriage contract was behind this, far more than any disappointment she felt over the young Muggleborn rejecting the advances of her youngest son.

Albus had to chuckle—he was not so old that he did not remember his own attempts as a youth. He had been just as awkward and lacking in confidence as any young person, but if he had to guess, he thought young Ronald would have put him to shame, as socially awkward as the lad was known to be at times.

He was quick to accept their request—it was best to resolve the matter in as timely a fashion as possible, after all. And it was far better that the reprimand come from her own family than from him. Albus did not wish to embarrass her, after all.

As Albus was to be briefly absent from the school that Monday evening, he requested the siblings' presence in his office on Tuesday. Once they had all gathered together, he grasped a handful of Floo powder, and called the Burrow. He received the requisite permission and motioned for the children to precede him, stepping through once they had all left. He arrived in the living room of the Burrow, where Molly and Arthur awaited them noting that the Weasley parents' faces were etched with concern—no doubt they suspected that their children had done something to warrant a visit from the Headmaster. How ironic that exactly the opposite was the case.

"Albus, are the children all right?" Molly fretted the moment he had entered the room.

"They are fine, Molly, but they do have something important to discuss with you," responded Albus. "I will stay only to give support, but I will allow the children to tell you the problem."

By this time, the children had greeted their parents with hugs all around, and then made their way to the various pieces of furniture which was set about the room. Young Ronald was the one to break the ice, and Albus was unsurprised that his words were a trifle blunt.

"Mum, why did you attack Hermione that way?"

Molly appeared taken aback at her son's forthrightness, but it was only a moment before she collected herself.

"Ron, I'll ask you not to speak to me in that manner," she admonished. "I did not attack Miss Granger—I merely tried to point out to her that she was making a mistake."

"Making a mistake?" asked George.

"That's rich, Mum," said Fred. "I thought it was a person's choice who they wanted to date."

When Molly was about to respond, Arthur, with a look of confusion, interjected, "What are you talking about? What happened?"

"I asked Hermione to be my girlfriend, Dad," said Ron with a hint of embarrassment.

Arthur smiled widely. "Good for you, son. She's a wonderful girl."

Ron's expression was stoic. "She refused me, Dad. She told me she doesn't have anything but brotherly feelings for me."

Clearly Arthur did not know what to say. "It's okay—I was a little upset, but I respect her feelings."

"That's good, son," Arthur said with a hint of pride. "We cannot force our feelings on others, no matter how much we want them to be returned. It sounds like you handled it properly."

Arthur glanced at Molly, who was now blushing faintly, clearly suspecting what her children wished to discuss. "Then what is the problem, Ron?"

"Mum sent Hermione a howler," Ginny stated. "She called Hermione a gold-digger and insinuated that she was a tramp trying to go after Harry when he's already taken. She embarrassed Hermione in front of the whole school."

"And embarrassed me as well," Ron added. "Hermione's more important than me here, but what Mum said made me look like a little whiner, going to his mother for protection. I expect I'll have the Slytherins on me as much in the next little while as Hermione."

"Oh, Molly," Arthur said with some resignation and a shake of his head.

"It wasn't like that," Molly protested. "The girl doesn't know what is best for her, and I was just trying to help her come to a better decision."

"On the contrary, Molly," Albus spoke up, feeling the need for a little back up for the children's claims, "I was there when Miss Granger received your howler. It was rude, overbearing and completely uncalled for—you should not have sent her that. You are not her mother, after all."

The woman had probably not been set down in this manner since she was a schoolgirl at Hogwarts, Albus reflected. Certainly he had never spoken to her in such a manner since he had gently reprimanded her for some mild misbehavior during her sixth year. Clearly she was not used to it. She said nothing, however, though her nervous glances at everyone in the room made her appear as though she was feeling slightly besieged.

"Mum, I want to know why you are trying to drive away our friends," said Ginny with a cold implacability.

Molly was surprised at Ginny's accusation, but her eyes immediately narrowed. "Ginny, I will not have you speak to me in this manner."

"It's true, Mum," said Ron, supporting his sister. "You know what Harry told us? He told us that he considers us a family, but he won't if you keep attacking Hermione."

Molly threw her hands up in the air with some exasperation. "I was not attacking the girl, and I resent the implication that I was. Ron sent me a letter which clearly told me he was heartbroken, and I was trying to support him by pointing out that Hermione should think about it a little more before she dismissed him out of hand."

"Mum, no one is accusing you of being intentionally hateful," said Fred. "But the letter you sent to Hermione was not a gentle remonstrance."

"Hermione was crying as she left the hall, Mum," added George. "She was embarrassed about it, and I don't think I need to tell you how the Slytherins reacted."

"Well… perhaps I may have been a little… forceful in voicing my opinions," said Molly, now having the grace to appear embarrassed.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a little forceful, Mum," said Ron. "But I'd really like to know why you're so set on a match between me and Hermione. I mean, I know you want Ginny and Harry…" Ron trailed off, looking a trifle embarrassed himself.

Albus was interested himself. The fact that Molly wanted Harry and Ginny together was about the worst kept secret in existence, but Albus had never given much thought to the other two members of the trio, and whether Molly had any ambitions in that quarter.

Though she did not answer at once, Molly threw a few surreptitious looks at her youngest son, leading Albus to believe that her reasons revolved around him. When she finally did break her silence, his suspicions were confirmed.

"I… I don't want you to feel badly, Ron, but sometimes you have a tendency to be a little… unmotivated. Hermione is a driven girl, and I think she would be perfect to help you achieve your potential."

"Oh Mum," Ron said with some exasperation. "I know what I'm like sometimes, and I'm trying to get better. To be honest, Harry's new attitude has been a great help, and I think I'm making progress.

"But even I know that that is nothing to base a long-term relationship on. I like Hermione, and I'd love for her to like me back, but if we're really that different, then it's really for the best this way."

"Good job, Ronnie," said George with a slap on his brother's back. "There's some hope for you yet."

Ron backed that statement up when he very maturely crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at his brother, causing laughter around the room. Even Molly appeared to feel somewhat better as the tension eased out of the room. She was not a bad woman, Albus told himself—she was just somewhat of a meddling one, and she sometimes had a tendency to believe that she knew best. Painful as it was, it was a trait she shared with Albus, if he was completely honest with himself.

Once the laughter died down Arthur spoke up, seemingly deciding it was time for him to take control of the situation. "You have to let it go, Molly. Hermione is a bright and mature girl—she can decide for herself what she wants, and there is nothing you can do to change her mind."

"Very well," said Molly. "I will leave the children alone. I'm not happy with the situation, but it is what it is."

"It is that indeed," said Albus kindly. "I thank you, Molly. I know this is not easy, but it is necessary. We all need to be focused on what is important here, and Harry does not need to be distracted by such matters."

Molly nodded her head in agreement, and then announced that her children needed to get back to school. Once again hugs were exchanged all around, along with the Weasley matriarch imparting some final few pieces of advice for her children, while telling them that she was proud of them. That was where Molly was at her best, Albus reflected—supporting, teaching, and loving her family was where her true qualities lay. Albus had no doubt that Arthur would continue to work with her and help her to find the proper outlet for her frustrations.

As for the children, Albus was very impressed with the maturity they had shown on this evening. The Weasleys had always been staunch supporters of the light, as he had already reflected upon. The young generation was shaping up to be just as important and steadfast as their parents.

Updated 06/07/2013