I Caught Myself- Chapter six
PERCY'S POV:
I decided to wait behind while everyone traipsed into Diagon Alley to get their school supplies for the year. It would just bring back too many memories. I sat in front of the fire for a while, reading one of Harry's Quidditch books but I soon got fed up with it. It wasn't as if I was really paying attention to it anyway... my thoughts were purely focused on the letter I got last night. I just couldn't get my head around the fact that I had a six week old daughter. I knew what I had to do. I had to go and see her.
I walked up the stairs and into Ginny's room to get a piece of parchment. The room was nothing like I remember. Gone were the days of fairies and princesses and little muggle dolls called, what was it again?, Blabbies or something? Ah, I think that was it. The bedroom was transformed into one for a little lady, a mature girl who was classy...nothing like Ginny! I smirked and opened up on of the drawers to her desk to get the parchment. I saw a bundle of crumpled letters tied in a red ribbon, filled with Ginny's writing, yet not sent. I carefully took them out of the drawer and untied the ribbon carefully...it would be so like Ginny to have put a curse on them as to ensure nobody touched it. But to my surprise, I got them out unharmed. I sat on her little chair and began to read the top one.
Dear Ron, it's been a week since you ran off and I miss you. It's hard at home, I'm not gonna lie, but you're making things worse. You might be thinking that you're just getting away from all the sorrow and pain but you're causing even more and I hate you for that! I hate you for abandoning us when we needed you. I hate you for not even giving us a proper explination as to why you left, I hate you for not taking us with you. I hate you for so many things but I can't bring myself to want to cut you off. I miss my big brother who annoys me so much and I want him back. Fred and George just aren't the same to me. They have each other, even though they're not talking to anyone right now. Bill has Charlie and they're best friends, even though Charlie's really sick. And Percy doesn't want me. I know he hasn't ever came back to us but it always seemed to me like Percy hated me and was really angry that I was born and came to muck everything up. But with you it felt like we had a bond nobody would understand. You were always there for me, like Harry's always there for Hermione. Except we're actually brother and sister. Please come home, I'll do anything Ron.
Stay safe, I love you,
Ginny xox
I looked up from the letter with tears in my eyes. I had no idea Ginny was hurting so much, she looked so brave. And she thinks I hate her? How could I hate her? She's my baby sister and I love her so so much. I don't want Ginny to feel that way. I'd do anything I could to make her see that I love her. But right now I need to go and see my baby. I carefully wrapped the letters up again and put them back to where I found them and got a blank piece of parchment. I took her quill from the ink pot and began to write,
Dear Amilie, thank you for informing me about the birth of our daughter, I'm so happy you did. I realize that you love me but I don't think I can return the feelings, although I'm willing to give it a shot. Even though we are not together, I am eager to come over and meet Perrie. (I love the name choice). I smoothed things over with my family and they have welcomed me back with open arms, I am pleased to say. I will be arriving with you once my siblings (Fred, George, Ginny) and their two friends ( Harry and Hermione) return, once again to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which will be in precisely one weeks time, so I expect to be with you within ten days.
Kind regards, Percy Weasley.
Better to keep it formal, I think. I folded up the letter and used Hermes to post it, before taking a well-earned nap.
MRS WEASLEY'S POV:
"Step aside lass, and I'll get the quills dow- What the bloody 'ell are yeh doin'?"
I put my head in my hands as I saw Ginny trying to reach the top shelf in Flourish and Blotts to get her quills and then Fred's mad attempt to get them down for her by climbing all the way up with sticky notes stuck to his hands like sucker pads.
"Honestly, who let's their children behave that way in public? If they were mine I would have them cuffed around the ear and brought right back home," I heard a woman pass comment. I could feel the heat radiating from my face.
"Ginny and Fred, get over here...now!" I exclaimed before paying for their items and leaving.
"Why do you two always have to show me up? I could expect this from you, Fred, but Ginny, really?" I gave them a disapproving look before heading over to The Three Broomsticks to meet up with everyone else and get a butterbear. When the three of us entered, we were met with a chorus of 'Hello's' and 'Where have you been's'. We sat down beside Hermione, George and Bill before looking around for Arthur and Harry.
"Where has Harry and Dad gotten to?" Ginny asked, looking around the pub.
"Must still be looking at the broomsticks," George said, through a mouthful of steak pie.
"Broomsticks," I said, shaking my head, "Honestly, I don't know what your father is thinking sometimes."
"Relax, he only went because of Harry," Bill said, trying to calm me.
I shook my head and looked towards the door, wondering just how long it was going to take them. Madam Rosmerta brought Fred, Ginny and I over a butterbear each then disappeared back behind her counter again. I gaze followed her towards the counter where I saw a small group of people sitting. They looked unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time. I looked over curiously towards the tallest of the figures. His voice was low and soothing and his large brown hand was holding onto a pale white, vicious hand with long black nails. I took it that this one must be a woman. Her piercing voice was the most recognisable. Bellatrix Lestrange. I shushed the table and nodded my head in the direction of Bellatrix and who I assumed to be Kingsley Shacklebot. We all listened in.
"Yes, Bell, there has been quite a few disappearings lately, some of which, I'm sure you're related to," Kingsley said, a glint in his eye. I knew what he was doing wasn't genuine...he was a spy for the order, just like Severus, but it was disturbing just the same.
"Yes, Kingsley, you know me only too well," she cackled, "We currently have eight people locked in our cellar at the Malfoy's, although Draco knows nothing about it, he's much too young and we can't risk him blabbering. The Dark Lord has gave him orders, set him on a mission, but we can't risk losing these eight. One of them is about as close to The Boy as we're going to get," Bellatrix continued. All of our eyes locked. The last fifteen words were enough to make my blood go cold. They kept replaying in my brain, 'One of them is about as close to The Boy as we're going to get'. That could only mean one thing...
HERMIONE'S POV:
I instantly felt sick. We all knew what it meant, we just didn't want to face the facts. The Death Eaters have Ron locked in the cellar at the Malfoy's manor along with seven other hopeless victims. In spite of hating what I was hearing, I just had to hear the rest of their conversation. I needed to know as much as I could.
"Ah, and which one is that? There are quite a few people close to Potter, Bellatrix."
"That little ginger friend of his. Ronald Weasley...nasty little blood traitor is locked up in our cellar with some of his school-chums," Bellatrix cackled. I started to shake...which school friends could she mean?
"Which school-chums?" Kingsley pressed on.
"Well, The Dark Lord requested people that were close to the Potter boy, see if we could drive him right to us, so we got his best friend, a guardian of his, two pretty young ladies and a few Hogwarts teachers," she laughed.
I tried to think it through. There were eight of them, right? One of them was Ron, that left seven. There were two pretty young ladies that were close to Harry, the obvious would have been Ginny and I but we're both here, so how could it be? Maybe the Patil twins? Although they weren't exactly close to Harry, he still cares about them! That left five. A guardian of his...Petunia or Vernon Dursley. That left four. Four teachers. The ones they would want to go for would be McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape and perhaps Flitwick, but Snape is on their side and he wasn't close too Harry. Suddenly, it was staring me right in the face. The teachers were McGonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick and Hagrid.
HARRY'S POV:
I left the broomstick shop feeling warm and elated. Mr Weasley and I made our way over to The Three Broomsticks, chatting merrily about the time we went to the Quidditch World Cup. The night of the match, everything went hay-wire but the match itself was great! We got into the pub and looked for the familiar ginger crowd and found them all with angry expressions and tears in their eyes, but Mr Weasley didn't notice. He went bounding over and put his bags on the table, exclaiming merrily, "What did I miss?"
"Oh Arthur," Molly cried, collapsing into his arms. Mr Weasley looked alarmed at first but after a few seconds he began to soothe her and try to coax the problem out of her. When that clearly failed, I looked to Ginny and Hermione.
"The Death Eaters have Ron," Ginny said, before puking all over the table.
PERCY'S POV:
Once again, my family arrived through the fire place after about six hours, looking extremely sick. I hoped another explosion hadn't happened, or Dad'll have to get that looked at!
"Percy," Mum sobbed, wobbling over to be and hugging me hard. I was utterly baffled. What's happened now?
"Mum, what's going on? Are you okay?" I asked frantically.
"Percy, darling," she said, taking big, deep breaths,
"It's Ron."
HARRY'S POV:
I felt horrible. It was all my fault. I've gotten Ron kidnapped by Death Eaters. I was so angry with myself it was unbelieveable. I just couldn't believe I'd let this happen to my best friend. I knew what I had to do. I had to disappear. I had to get away from everyone I love...It's the only way to keep them safe.
HERMIONE'S POV:
Harry's face when he found out about Ron broke my heart. He must feel so guilty! Of course, none of this is his fault. He didn't ask for any of this. He would never purposely put someone in danger. Not even He Who I Will Not Name. That's just not the kind of person Harry is. We hadn't told him about the guardian, the two pretty girls or the four teachers, but I thought it would be best for me to seek him out and tell him. So I went upstairs and gingerly knocked his door.
"Come in," came a gloomy voice at the other side of the door. I gently pushed it open and looked inside. I saw Harry's trunk open on his bed while he took things from drawers, neatly folding them and putting them inside the trunk.
"Harry James Potter, what in the world are you doing?" I said, sighing and flopping down on his bed.
"I'm leaving, Hermione," he said, blankly, as if it hadn't really sunk in yet.
"No you're not," I shook my head and began to take things from his trunk.
"What are you doing?!" he demanded, crossing his arms.
"I'm unpacking your trunk, what does it look like I'm doing?" I snapped back at him.
"Hermione, you don't understand, I have to leave."
"No you don't."
"I do, okay? You just don't understand."
Then I lost my temper.
"Well make me understand! Make me see that you need to go! Don't just stand there and tell me I don't get it, Harry, because I understand the situation completely!"
"If I leave...nobody else gets hurt," he said quietly, looking down at his feet, tears welling in his eyes. I sighed.
"Oh Harry, I know what you're thinking, okay? But that's not true. If you go, it just leaves us all wide open for attack. You leaving won't save anyone."
"I need to help Ron," he whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek. I reached up and wiped it away with my thumb.
"Ron wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger for him, especially if you're here taking care of the people he loves the most."
"I know but it would be the right thing to do."
"No Harry. Please listen to me. Ron and the others wouldn't want you to do that."
Harry's eyes narrowed and he looked me dead in the eye. "What others?"
Author's Note: Hey there, I'm sorry this chapter was so short but it was important.
Another quick announcement: In a previous chapter I mentioned the "Review Box Name Game" and I picked a winner. This person didn't want a shout out so I have now decided that the name of the review box is...(Drumroll please)...Jim Bob!
So please feed Jim Bob and make him happy (He's very hungry right now).