A.N. Well! It seems a little angst is all I need to get BUCKETLOADS of reviews! Woohoo! Thank you all, I really, really appreciate it!

Thank you to: tigerteen500, dancerrdw, h256, LuckyDog18, hpmainiac1212, connieewing, rupert grint is sexy, MrsGGSparrow, harrypotterfan2011, and bananahannah You are all amazing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 11: The Eagle is in the Coop

Dearest Ginny,

Ron and I are out and we'll be back at 12. If you're hungry, there is some leftover pizza in the fridge. Hope you're feeling better today!

Love,

Hermione

Harry –

Me and Hermione are out being couple-y.

We'll be back later,

Ron

Hermione and Ron each left separate notes for Harry and Ginny in the bedrooms and left early that morning for Diagon Alley. They had yet to figure out how to ask Fred and George for Veritiserum. Ron had suggested they tell the twins that they were pranking someone, but Hermione wanted to tell them the truth. They made a compromise and said that they wouldn't tell them anything.

"Are you sure that's the best idea? They might not give any to us," Hermione asked.

"Well, Fred, George and I have a sort of …agreement; a don't ask, don't tell thing. I never asked them about their pranks or anything like that, and they better not ask me about this," Ron said, then opened the door to the shop. "After you, milady."

Hermione rolled her eyes slightly and laughed, before walking in.

"Little brother! Hermione! What brings you two here?" Fred said when he saw them in the shop.

"Oh, you know. Some things," Ron said in an effort to be mysterious.

"Very secretive, Ron. Things like that are in the back," George said.

Oh dear. What did he think we meant? Hermione thought. Luckily, when the two went in the back, they saw that, for once, George's mind was not in the gutter. There were serious things back there, like invisibility cloaks, and an array of shady looking potions. There was one that, if drunk, put you in a protective bubble that only unforgivable curses could penetrate. There was another that, if thrown at someone, would make their powers three times weaker. And there, shining like a gift from Merlin himself, was a small bottle of completely clear liquid. Veritiserum.

"Yes! Here it is!" Hermione squealed, grabbing the truth potion from the shelf.

"Finally! Let's go," Ron said, grabbing her unoccupied hand and pulling her towards the register.

Ginny sighed. It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. (A.N. This is the same day as Ron and Hermione's excursion.) Ron and Hermione were downstairs doing one thing or another and she didn't know where Harry was. She had been in bed for three days, crying and sleeping and not eating. Tonight was that dance at the beach, and she figured she should get up and show her face to someone other than Hermione. So, she got up, and went over to her suitcase and pulled out some clothes. She wanted to look nice tonight. She felt her usual rock-hard determination flooding back into her, flowing through her veins and giving her energy.

Yeah! I'll show Harry what he's missing. That'll make him feel bad. Ginny thought. It all seemed so easy! She'd make him jealous, that's all! Make him feel bad for cheating on her.

She got out her Little Black Dress. Hermione had said a few days ago that it was semi-formal. This dress was perfect for it.

This would be the first time Harry or Ron or Hermione, even, had ever seen the LBD. It was perfect. The beauty of it would have the full affect.

Ginny went and took a shower and blow-dried her hair. She kept it straight with a little bend on the ends. After she finished with her hair, she painted her toenails red and painted her nails clear. She did very simple make-up consisting of mascara, a sheer, sparkly eye shadow and a peach-y lip gloss. She wanted to keep it simple and let her natural beauty shine through.

Sitting on her bed, waiting for her nails to dry, Ginny contemplated the dress. It was hanging up across from her and she was just looking at it. It was beautiful. It had a low, scooped neckline and sheer cap sleeves and hugged every one of her curves. The hem was swingy and it stopped just before her knees. She always felt undeniably sexy whenever she put it on. This was a good idea. Ginny needed this.

"How in hell are we going to get the Veritiserum in her mouth? And I think we need to alert Harry of our scheming," Hermione said nervously.

"Fine. I'll go tell him, and then we can put the potion in her drink. See? Stop stressing. Go get dressed. It's 6:30, and it starts at 7:30. Just relax. It'll be fine," Ron said soothingly. Hermione was stressing out more than necessary for someone who had a plan.

Hermione kissed him quickly on the mouth, and then raced to her and Ginny's room. When she opened the door, she saw Ginny, standing in front of the mirror in the most exquisite dress.

"Oh, Ginny. You look beautiful," Hermione said.

"Thank you. It does look good, doesn't it?" Ginny said happily. It always felt good to look good.

"It sure does. I'm glad you've decided to get out of bed. We'll have fun tonight," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Ginny said vaguely, still staring at herself at the mirror, trying to identify what was wrong with her appearance. Something was missing. Ah. Earrings.

She put on a pair of pretty, dangling earrings with blue topaz stones. They looked really lovely.

Hermione was going through her closet, looking for a dress. She only owned a few dresses, as she didn't dress up often. There was a choice between a turquoise halter with a knee-length skirt, or a dark purple spaghetti strapped one with a mid calf skirt. She chose the purple one.

She quickly got dressed and tried to tame her crazy curly hair. Ginny was sitting on her bed, reading Romeo and Juliet. Hermione had brought her a few novels that she thought she might like, and Romeo and Juliet was her last one.

The two girls finished getting ready and grabbed coats because it was night, and the beach was cool. Ginny grabbed a leather duster that completely covered her dress (until she took it off, that is!) and Hermione wore a white cardigan.

"Harry, me and Hermione have a plan. We're going to feed Starla Veritiserum and get her to tell Ginny what really happened between the two of you. Get dressed, we have the dance at the beach to go to in an hour. Semi-formal, so look nice," Ron said a little coolly. He still hadn't forgiven Harry completely for the whole affair.

Harry nodded, and started to get dressed. He was numb and unhappy. He put on a white, silky shirt and black dress pants. Ron wore a black, silky shirt and black dress pants. (A.N. I'm sorry what the guys wear isn't very creative. I don't really know what guys like to wear.)

The guys met the girls in the living room and saw they had their coats on and were ready to go. Ginny felt happy for once in the last few days.

They all left Hermione's house, and got into the car. They drove mostly in silence, Ron and Ginny in the back, Harry in the passenger seat. Hermione tried to make some conversation, but it was forced and uncomfortable. She ceased her attempt.

The quad got to the beach and found a parking space. They met a quaint little make-shift dance floor with a band and a table with food and drinks. There were a few people already on the dance floor, talking and laughing. Hermione's eyes quickly skitted all around until she found the person she was looking for: Starla Weldington. There she was, in an impossibly short, cherry red dress with an alarming amount of cleavage. Her hair was teased and Hermione could see new, long, talon-like nails painted scarlet clutching a beverage.

Ah. Perfect. The eagle is in the coop, or the chicken has flown…No…That doesn't sound right. Oh well, I've never been good with stupid codes, anyway.

A.N. Well! That was chapter 11! I hope you liked it! I'll admit, it wasn't my favorite, but it set up a VERY important chapter that will be coming up in only a matter of time.

Thanks for reading, lovely reader!

R&R!