Children of the Sun: Chapter 2 – The Rabbit Hole

Ron Weasley was unaccountably happy.

Although this feeling was rare, it was not unfamiliar to the red-haired man. The first time he'd felt it was the day his baby sister was born. The next time was the day he met Harry Potter. Close to that was the night Harry pulled Ginny out of the Chamber. Then again when they went to the Quidditch World Cup. The last time that he could recall having this feeling was the day Malfoy the Younger put a locket in his hands that Kreacher had given the blond pureblood. It hadn't been destroyed, merely hidden all those years ago.

It had been five years since he'd been this happy and he was determined that nothing would go wrong.

Harry had Flooed a couple days ago and said he had someone he wanted his best friends to meet. Ron had immediately owled Hermione to ask her opinion on the situation. She had sent a neutral reply and had stressed that he be there on time… or else.

So, Ron was walking down Diagon Alley, whistling, hoping this mysterious 'someone' was an attractive girl for Harry. As he'd often told the man who was his best mate, a good shag would only help in the long run. It usually followed that Hermione, their other best mate, would hit him over the head and reprimand him for saying it.

'It's the truth, though', he thought to himself. He stopped by the window for a Quidditch outlet and peeked in at the prices. 'Ever since the Break-up, he's been strung tighter than he was right before ol' MoldyWart was defeated.' Not that breaking it off with Ginny wasn't a good move on his part.

Ron's smile turned mischievous as he continued walking. Years ago, when Ron was only twelve, all the Weasley Boys had a pow-wow concerning Ginny and any boy she might happen to seriously fancy one day. Frankly, it would have been odd to do half the things they came up with to a guy that felt like another brother. He knew most of the others felt that way too.

Reaching his destination, a new restaurant called the Rabbit Hole, Ron took a deep breath and walked happily in fifteen minutes late.

He didn't have to look long before the five people he was meeting caught his eye.

Harry was smiling and it warmed Ron's heart to see that it appeared stress free. Hermione was scowling and bouncing a little as she tapped her foot impatiently. But that was expected and Ron knew she would forgive him before the hour was up.

But those were his two best friends whom he had known all his life. The three girls sitting across from the, were who he was here to meet. The blond with the funny hair had to be there with Harry as they were holding hands across the table. The other two were free as far as he knew. A delicate looking blond and a tall brunette sat across from Hermione and they held an exotic beauty he hadn't been expecting.

He would never say it out loud but Hermione was his measure for all other girls and had been for the majority of their acquaintance. Sure these foreigners were higher up on the scale than any other woman he'd ever met, but neither of them was even with Hermione. Still…

He tried on a flirtatious grin to see how it felt. Flashing it at a nearby waitress, he nodded in approval when she appeared to swoon.

Ron threw himself into the seat beside Hermione with a cheerful "Hello, love!" and threw a second try of his grin at the Japanese girls across form him.

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Matilda Grey was working late.

She'd had a good day today and saw no reason not to put in the extra hours at the office if she was feeling industrious. And she was glad she had.

The prophecy she'd been working on for the last few years seemed to finally be deciphered. Sighing, Matilda sat back, satisfied. She'd been working on this prophecy nearly her whole career. It was a crowning achievement.

A tap came at the door to her small office. Curious, as it was very late indeed, Matilda called out that it was open. There was silence so Matilda repeated her offer of entrance. There was a strange gurgling in the hall.

Drawing her wand, Matilda stood up and walked around her desk. "Who's there?" Her voice came out much more weak than she would have liked.

This time there was an answer. Her door shot open and she saw the death-glazed eyes of Tanner Casan from a few offices down. She shrieked and dropped her wand. A roaring noise was the last thing she ever heard. The last thing she saw was a refracted world of strange unearthly beauty.

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Aino Minako was a delightful flirt.

That was Ron's conclusion after spending the afternoon and evening in her company. She flirted recklessly and wasn't shy on any subject. He was having a blast.

Hermione was speaking to Makoto quietly about cooking and foods in Japan and England.

Harry was smiling indulgently as he bought Usagi a third ice cream that he would only eat a fourth of.

All in all, the meeting of friends was a success. Until Harry and Ron's pagers went off.

Ron cut off mid-flirt, pulling his from his back pocket with a serious face. Harry grimaced as he released Usagi's hand and reached for his belt loop.

"What is it, boys?" That was Hermione. She may not have chosen the Auror path (which was a blessing to Ron), but she always insisted on knowing what her friends would spend their evenings doing.

Harry and Ron were both reading the scrolling message with drawn faces. Usagi frowned, worried. Minako and Makoto exchanged understanding looks.

"Murder at the Ministry," Ron finally said.

Usagi looked horrified, "That's terrible."

Makoto nodded, "Un. I hope you are able to catch who is responsible." Minako nodded in agreement.

Harry sighed. "Looks like we'll have to leave you ladies here." He reached into his pocket and tossed a number of Galleons onto the table. "Feel free to stay. They won't kick you out."

Minako smiled. "The perk of being seen with a celebrity?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Hermione's cell phone. Pulling it out of her purse, she saw who was calling and frowned distastefully. But she still flipped it open with an irritated "What?" Everyone there could hear the venom dripping from the caller's voice.

"Granger! Where are Potter and Weasley? It's chaos over here."

The bushy-haired woman rolled her eyes at the two men who got the message. Harry blew a kiss to Usagi before Apparating right out of the building. Ron waved to his new friends before winking at Hermione and following Harry's Apparition.

"They're there now, Malfoy." She finally responded to the voice in her phone. She heard her friends' voices, Draco Malfoy's grunt, then dead air. Disgruntled, she put the phone away. "I never should have given this number to him as a way to contact those two." Then she looked at the three girls across from her.

"Now that's it just us girls…" Her smile was fast and amused, "I've known those two since I was eleven. And we shared a flat for a couple of years. Anything you want to know?"

Usagi, Minako, and Makoto all grinned in response and leaned forward as one.