Ron Replies

Ron stared at the letter for ten minutes holding the silver and red SMITEM badge is shock. Malfoy couldn't be serious. The muggleborn students were happy. Sure Harry came back a little worse for wear but even his family couldn't be that bad, right? Hermione always came back fine and her parents weren't enormous muggles either. First he thought about just ignoring the letter, but then decided now was the perfect time to tell Malfoy off before this went too far. He started up the fire and shouted "Draconis Malfoy" and within seconds Malfoy's head appeared in the fire.

"Hello Weasley, so happy to see you'll be joining the organization." he smiled winningly.

"Are you out of your mind Malfoy? This can't possibly be true. We'd know about it if it was." Ron reasoned

"That's were you're wrong Weasley. The muggleborns don't talk about it, they think it's normal." he sounded serious.

"No that can't even be right. Hermione's stayed with us over summer. She would've said something when she didn't see any of us being locked in closets!"

"Weasley, your family couldn't afford enough closets to put you all in. She just didn't want to offend you by saying anything. But I digress; they do all that to Potter and he's famous. I'd say owl him yourself but I'd bet gallons he's still locked under the staircase."

"I'm not taking your word for anything Malfoy and you know it!"

"Fine, owl Granger. See if she denies it."

"I can't. She doesn't have an owl and ours are all out."

"So you're telling me you have no way of contacting muggleborns over the summer?" Draco snorted. "And you're the one with a Muggle-loving father with muggle-lover objects all over the place. That's truly pathetic."

"Shut up Malfoy. " Ron thought for a moment. "Wait, we've go one thing. Where did I put the number? Ha got it." He said rummaging through a drawer. "Malfoy, stay there while I call Hermione, so I can tell you off before I go to sleep."

"Fine."

Ron carefully hit the numbers on the 'phone' Hermione had suggested they get and after several rings got an answer.

"Hello?"

"Moine, good I need to talk to you."

"Oh no, this is her mother. I'll go get her."

A long pause later Hermione's voice appeared. "Ron, Harry?"

"It's Ron."

"Sorry Ron, I was just doing some cleaning and got stuck in the closet. It was an accident really."

"In the closet." Ron said unsure.

"Well it's rather dark. Once the door locks it's hard to get out."

"Why were you there in the first place?"

"Nothing big really I had some cleaning to do... I forgot the vacuum."

He was actually clutching the phone now. "Hermione this is important. I need you to answer the next few questions honestly and not ask me why okay."

"Um... okay Ron." she agreed warily.

"Do you have a waffle iron?"

"Two."

"Do you have a tool shed?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever been in it?" he sounded frantic.

"Of course, it seems rather small now, but we mostly use the cellar now so it's not a problem."

"How is the cellar?"

"A little leaky and it has a lot of spiders, but it doesn't bother me too much."

"Bye Mione."

"Ron wait.." as he hung up.

He went running back over to the fire. "We have to do something! They had Mione lock in a closet for forgetting some muggle machine. She says they don't put her in the shed anymore cause she's outgrown it. Now she has to go in a spider-infested leaky cellar." he sounded horrified.

Draco looked at him sympathetically. "Waffle iron?"

"Two."

"Then you'll join?"

Ron's eyes glowed the way only a Gryffindor with a mission's could. "I'm in."