Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters; they all belong to J.K Rowling! And the lyrics you'll find a little bit further are not mine either: they belong to Kelly Clarkson.
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Special thanks to:
All of you that read this and that review me. Thanks for everything!
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Chapter 4- Blame the cat
The sun had finally breached through the clouds, and the afternoon was brighter than the morning. Although it was not warm, the sun seemed to invite those who were inside the house to come out and enjoy the quietness of the garden.
Mrs. Weasley suggested them to go for a walk, and it was only after Ginny's passionate speech about the advantages of a healthy life and contact with the nature that Ron and Hermione agreed to leave the 'Burrow'. So, the three of them were now resting in the grass, after a particularly big walk which had left Hermione breathless.
"I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts!" Ginny suddenly exclaimed, staring dreamily into the blue sky. On her right side, Ron merely shrugged, and on the left, Hermione nodded. "What is wrong with you, people? If you're not talking to each other because of that little accident, let me say you're two complete idiots. Unless there is something else…" the red haired girl said, looking sideways.
"No!" screamed both boy and girl.
"Wow! Are you two synchronized?" the girl joked, but no one laughed. Tearing her eyes away from the place they stood, Ginny spotted a ginger cat sneaking into the middle of some tall bushes. "I think your cat is going to hunt, Hermione."
"What? Where is he? Oh, he'll get dirt all over him!" Hermione hastily replied, trying to spot Crookshanks in the middle of the bushes, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't worry, I'll get him", Ginny stated in an authoritarian tone of voice that leave no space for a refusal. The girl raised and walked in the direction the cat had just disappeared.
With Ginny gone, a cold silence fell over them. Ron looked towards Hermione, and she looked at him at the exact same time. Their eyes meet and remained locked for a while; nevertheless, a pair of brown ones was the first to turn away.
"So, he still writes to you." It was not a question, purely a thought spoken aloud.
"If you're referring to Viktor Krum, then the answer is yes. Does that bother you?" Hermione asked him, though her eyes were turn in the direction where Ginny had vanished just a few moments ago. A soft breeze started playing with her brown hair, making it dance faintly.
Ron did not speak for a while, his features showing a thoughtful expression. Does that bother you?' These words echoed heatedly in the red haired boy's mind, making him wonder if their meaning was as deep as he wished them to be, and also the reason why that question had been placed. "Even if it did", Ron finally spoke, in a strangely hoarse voice, "it's not like you would really care."
"That is right! I don't care about what you think, and I certainly don't need you permission to write to whomever I want", Hermione retorted, turning her gaze to the blue eyed boy. Her brown eyes flashed dangerously as she crossed her arms against the chest.
A sudden rustle made both of them to look over their shoulders, only to see a red haired girl carrying a reluctant ginger cat on her arms.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed, rising to hold the cat. Crookshanks didn't look too happy and tried to escape when the brunette grabbed him. "Bad kitty! I don't want you to get dirt all over your beautiful fur. If you sneak off the house again, I'll lock you up!" she threatened, but the cat simply stared at her with his piercing eyes.
"So, what have you two been up to?" Ginny inquired, a malicious grin appearing on her face. When her question was ignored, the girl protested: "You lot is being such a pain in the ass! I miss those times when you were always firing at each other; it was so much funnier." Once more, silence was the only reply. "Oh, I'm going inside. Anything is better than stare into your gloomy faces, even if it means babysitting Phlegm!"
When she was about to leave, Hermione called her: "Wait, Ginny! I'll go with you." And both of them headed to the crooked house.
"Sure! Leave the poor Ron behind, no one cares about me anyway!" the blue eyed boy snapped, but the girls were too far to hear his words.
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"… and I think my drress is going to be white with golden embroideries. What do you think, Mrs. Weazley?" a young woman with a high ponytail questioned. However, when the short woman called Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to speak, the other woman answered to her own question. "Yez, white with golden embroideries. It's just perfect!"
Rolling her eyes, Mrs. Weasley turned around to face the young woman, a fake smile racing her features. Fleur Delacour had been talking for ages, and the unfortunate woman was at the edge of committing a crime. Therefore, it was with a relieved expression that Mrs. Weasley welcomed the two girls coming from the garden.
"Ginny! Hermione! I was just about to go look for you. Come girls, we need to make your lists", the short woman said, waving at them to follow her.
"Er… what lists, Mum?" Ginny asked in confusion, not noticing the significant frowns on her mother's face.
"The lists of things you need to buy before returning to school", Mrs. Weasley insisted. Turning to Fleur, she sighed before explaining, "Teenagers! Never remember their mother's words." And with that, she grabbed Ginny and Hermione by the elbow and literally dragged the girls out of the kitchen.
"Ouch! You don't need to pull that hard", the red haired girl complained, rubbing her left elbow as soon as her mother let go of him. On the right side of Mrs. Weasley, Hermione smiled, clearly amused. "What are you laughing about? It really hurts!"
Not saying a word, Mrs. Weasley left them behind. One of the girls was smiling broadly, but the other seemed to be completely dumbfounded.
"Where is she going? Weren't we supposed to be doing that list I've never heard of?" Ginny asked to the brunette standing right beside her.
"Your mother just needed an excuse to get away from Fleur", Hermione patiently explained. "She must have been driving your poor mother insane."
"Oh! I see…" the other girl said, comprehension enlightening her confused mind. "Well, job done. Let's go to the room and find something interesting to do", she added, leading the way to her room.
"Ok. I have this great book about the history of-", Hermione started to say, but trailed of shortly after notice Ginny's not so thrilled expression. "What?"
"I said interesting, not boring. Girl, you desperately need to find yourself a boyfriend!" the red haired girl advised, shaking her head disapprovingly.
"No, I don't!" the brown eyed girl replied defensively, but her friend merely shrugged.
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"Hi Ron!" Fleur complimented as the boy crossed the door that come from the garden and led to the kitchen.
"Hi!" Ron complimented back, with the voice above a whisper. It didn't take more than two seconds for him to blush. No matter how hard the boy tried, he couldn't help blushing and gasping while around the French girl.
"I know thiz is not my business, but I noticed zhat you and Hermione fancy each other", the blonde young woman declared, her blue eyes fixed on the boy standing at the door.
"Come again?" Ron asked, his mouth dropping and his eyes widening. He was looking at her like if she was a giant spider.
"You don't have to act zo surrprised with me, Ronny! I have zeen you exchanging looks; it's pretty obvious" the blue eyes woman continued, ignoring or pretending to ignore the boy's surprised expression.
"I- we- you…" was the entire thing the red haired boy managed to mumble, running a hand through his air, staring confusedly at Fleur.
Fleur rose from the chair she was sitting in and walked towards Ron. The boy did not move when she placed a hand over his shoulder, and whispered in his ear: "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. It will be our little secrret."
And next, she walked away, not glancing back one more time as she did so. The blue eyed boy stayed behind, his eyes fixed on the door through where the French woman had just disappeared, not knowing what to do afterwards.
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Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces
Can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one…
"Hermione", called a girl with flaming red hair, looking towards a brunette who was sitting on a window-sill. The girl ignored her and continued staring through the window. At that moment, Ginny walked in the direction of the girl, stopping a few inches from her.
The brunette was shaking her head slightly and didn't seem to be aware of the red haired girl's presence. Not many seconds went by until she finally raised her eyes. Jumping with astonish, Hermione removed a pair of phones from her ears, which Ginny had failed to see due to the other girl's bushy hair. "Oh Ginny, I didn't know you were here."
"I can see that. What is this thing you're holding?" the younger girl asked, her eyes observing a small thin black object on her friend's hands.
"This is a Mp3. Basically, is a device where you can store music and listen to it whenever you wish. Muggle's invention", the girl named Hermione explained, smiling at the other girl's startled expression. "Want to listen?"
Ginny eyed the device apprehensively for about a minute, and then she nodded and sat beside the brunette in the window-sill. The sky outside was dark and little stars could be seen here and there, illuminating endless fields that were laid ahead the house. However, the younger girl was not interested in the beauty of the night; she watched as Hermione gave her one of the phones and instructed her to put it on her left ear.
As she did so, the girl widened her eyes when a female voice was heard singing:
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes
"Wow! Great voice!" Ginny commented in a loud tone of voice, moving her body slowly with the rhythm of the music. "What's her name?"
"Kelly Clarkson", the brown eyed girl answered. "She is my favourite singer. Her songs make me think about… about many things", Hermione concluded shortly.
"I like the song so far. But this Mp4 thing or whatever is its name, gives you the impression that the music is inside your head. It's a little bit strange", Ginny replied.
Hermione laughed at those words, and the red haired girl raised an eyebrow. "It's Mp3, Ginny!" the brunette corrected, trying to control her laughter but failing miserably.
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"Crookshanks, what are you doing here?" Ron inquired when a ginger cat jumped to his bed, placing a blue book on his lap. "What is this?" the boy asked to no one, since the cat could not give him an answer.
Looking puzzled, the red haired boy grabbed it and turned it so the front cover was visible. There was some inscription there and so the boy leaned to read the words: "Keep out, or you'll be cursed!"
"Bloody hell!" cried Ron, throwing the book to the floor. It landed with the front cover facing him, where silver chains could be seen shaking menacingly, while the words flashed in red. "What in the world?" muttered Ron, climbing to a chair nearby at an incredible speed.
Crookshanks walked over to it, and laced a fluffy paw on the chains. Quickly, they stopped twitching and it was only then that the blue eyed boy felt safe enough to descend from the chair.
"Where did you get this from?" Ron questioned, eyeing the book suspiciously. "Well, I guess I'll have to go look for the owner… but I won't touch that wicked thing!" the boy spoke for himself. He decided to pick up a filthy shirt that was lying on the floor, and carefully wrapped the book with it.
Walking at a rather fast pace, Ron headed to the girl's room from where he suspected the book was from, given its thickness. He was in such a hurry that he didn't stop to knock at the door.
"Ron!" Ginny shouted, but as she saw the volume on her brother's hands, the girl went silent.
Crookshanks entered and made his way towards Hermione, who was blinking at the abrupt appearance of Ron. Her face became pale when she saw the boy unrolling the shirt and revealing a blue book. Running to him, she snapped it from the boy's hands with such harsh moves that he almost lost his balance.
"Hey! What was that for? I jus-"Ron started, only to be swiftly interrupted by the brunette.
"How dare you? Haven't you read the sign? This diary i-" Hermione trailed of embarrassingly, aware of the boy's curious expression. Her cheeks were now crimson red, and the girl seemed to be struggling for air.
"Is that your diary?" Ron asked awkwardly, glancing to his younger sister who was doing her best not to burst in laughter. "I'm sorry, but Crookshanks took this to my room…" the red haired boy tried to explain one more time. His blue eyes were fixed on the book the girl was holding; the words had stopped flashing in red.
"It's not your business!" the brown eyed girl replied, putting the book inside a trunk and locking it. She was shaking in rage, clenching her hands so hard that her knuckles were turning white with the effort.
"I'm sor-", Ron tried t apologize for the third time, but yet again he was interrupted.
"I truly hope this was the last time you touched my- this diary! I will- you shouldn't- oh, I hate you!" Hermione screamed, walking right beside Ron and exiting the room. As the boy opened his mouth to speak, the brunette walked inside again and gripped Crookshanks by the neck, taking him out with her and slamming the door hardly behind her.
The two siblings exchanged incredulous looks, not daring to move with fear that Hermione would storm inside the room another time. "What have I done? It's Crookshanks fault… I mean, he took the diary to may room. If someone is to blame, that would be the cat", Ron managed to say at last.
"If I'm not mistaken, dear brother, Crookshanks is about to get his punishment", Ginny declared in a dark voice.
Note: I just want to apologize for any mistakes that you may find here; English is my second language. Thanks for the attention!