Always the Sidekick

PART II

The Mina of it all

Chapter 8

Ron walked into the kitchen of the Burrow. His first night back home had been restless. He couldn't stop thinking about Harry. He'd sent Pig to Harry as soon as he got home.

He rubbed his eyes and took a seat at the long table. He began spooning eggs onto his plate.

"The people at the Leaky Cauldron were in an uproar. They say Fudge has lied to them all these months. Some of them were even talking about overthrowing him." Bill bit into a biscuit.

"Well they should be. He created a larger mess of things then he needed to. Hurt families too, he did," Molly sighed and went back to the stove.

"Have you heard from Percy?" Bill asked gently.

Molly looked at Ron and shook her head.

"Honestly, Mum, I'm sixteen. I can handle knowing more than you tell me. I'll find out anyway." Ron looked defiantly at his mother.

"He's right, Mum," Bill said.

"I haven't heard from Percy, no. And your father hasn't seen him either. Seems he's keeping out of the way. Wish he'd at least owl." She turned back to the stove and Ron thought it was so he wouldn't see the emotion in her face.

"Heard anything from Harry?" Bill turned to Ron.

"We just left Hogwarts yesterday. I'm not even sure Pig has gotten there yet."

Molly rubbed her hands on her apron and left the kitchen, muttering something about needing more eggs. Bill watched out of the corner of his eye until she left the room then said, "I'm thinking about starting a coup d'etat against the Ministry," Bill said it softly so not to be overheard.

"A coup d'etat?" Ron leaned in closer. He was glad Bill was confiding in him. Glad he wasn't being thought of as 'Ikkle Ronniekins'.

"To overthrow Fudge. People feel betrayed by their government. Fleur and I have started rallying a few people in support. Fred and George are already on bored. Upset they didn't come up with it first, but still."

"Fleur?" Ron smiled.

Bill blushed and grinned. "She's really not so bad. She says she's not sure that I like her honestly or just because she's part Veela, but usually Veela don't affect me. I really fancy her."

Ron laughed. "Well, she's all right. But Veela do affect me, so you probably shouldn't bring her home."

This time Bill laughed. "What about you? Any girls you fancy?"

Ron blushed and took a bite of eggs. "No," he said, his mouth full.

"I don't believe that. But you'll tell me when you're ready."

Ron felt relieved when Ginny entered the kitchen. At least they could stop talking about girls now.

It was nearly a fortnight into his holiday when he woke up to an incredibly annoying tapping on his window. "Pig," he mumbled in his sleep. "Sod off." He rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. Tap tap tap. "Ugh, bloody owl." Ron walked to his window and pulled the note off Pig's leg, letting the bird flutter around the room.

Ron

Have you ever thought about someone so often you wonder if those feelings are normal? Then what if that someone is a person whose friendship you value above all others, would you risk telling that person you have more then just friendship feelings? Do you understand what I'm saying, Ron?

Love,
Hermione

He read the letter three times over. He thought he knew what she was saying, but he wasn't sure. Why did girls have to be so complicated? Ron moved to his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment when there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Ron," his mother said. "Dumbledore is downstairs. He has some very important news."

Ron's heart sank into his stomach. He opened the door and when he saw his mothers face his stomach moved down to his feet. She was pale. Ron didn't say anything but ran down the three flights of stairs to find Dumbledore standing in the living room.

"What's wrong? What happened? It's Harry isn't it?" Ron was frantic.

"Calm yourself, Mr. Weasley. Harry is fine. He's at Grimmauld Place now with Remus Lupin. It's Miss Granger."

Ron just stood in shock. Hermione? "What...is she..." he couldn't finish.

"Her mother is dead. The Muggles say it was an aneurysm, but we think it was the work of Death Eaters."

"Where is she now?" Ron asked, not really taking in what Dumbledore had said.

"For now she is at her house with her father. They have a security wizard at their place around the clock. But she will be moved soon for her safety. We just felt that for the time being to help her with her grief it would be best for her to be with family."

His mother moved in next to him and put her arm around him. "They want us to go to Manchester tonight. Mrs. Granger's funeral is in two days, and our support will be needed. Not to mention we need as many Members of the Order there as we can get."

Ron nodded. It was all a lot to take in. Poor Hermione, what must she be going through now? He turned slowly and walked back to his room.

He pulled out a bag and began to put Muggle clothes in it. Surely they would need to be dressed as Muggles at a Muggle funeral. He forgot all about the owl she'd sent him. Forgot all about the reply he was going to send back. He didn't know how long he'd been crying, but when he put his hand to his cheek he noticed a tear and wiped it away.

It was thanks to some Extendible Ears he'd found in Fred and George's old room that he was able to hear the conversation between Bill and his parents that night.

"They aren't sure why Mrs. Granger got murdered. The only thing they can come up with is Muggle baiting," Bill took a sip of tea.

"How are Hermione and her father?" Arthur asked.

"I guess as good as you'd expect. Kingsley is guarding them now. They're sending Mr. Granger to America, where he has a cousin. Hermione's going to..."

"What are you doing?"

Ginny startled him so much the Extendable Ear fell out. "Shh. I'm trying to hear Mum and Dad and Bill." Ron stuck the flesh colored string back in his ear.

"She'll be much safer there then," Molly said.

"Have they said anything about Harry?" Ginny asked, sitting next to Ron.

"I don't know because someone keeps talking and I can't hear them." Ron gave Ginny a glare, then stared down the stairs.

"There has been a increase on unusual activity, the Ministry is still hesitant to believe it though. The Minters missing, Lovegoods murdered." Arthur sighed.

"Lovegoods? Don't they live not too far from here?" Bill asked.

"Not Thornton. His brother, Oscar and Oscar's wife."

"Has the Ministry thought anything of that?" Bill asked.

"Their deaths appeared to be accidents. It appeared they fell off their broomsticks. The part that we found interesting is they never had broomsticks. Oscar's wife Leena was terrified of flying that way."

"Didn't the Ministry look into that?"

"The Ministry is trying to prove they have You-Know-Who under control. Many Ministry officials refuse to even comment on it."

"How's Remus holding up?" Bill asked after a moment of silence.

"Remus is glad to have the company. He's been miserable the past month. We told him to leave Grimmauld Place, but he doesn't want to."

"Great, thanks Gin. You made me miss the good stuff." Ron pulled the string out of his ear.

"How's Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Dunno. Guess we'll see him tomorrow though. Hermione must be miserable."

"They think it was You-Know-Who?" Ginny looked sideways at him.

"Yeah. But I just don't understand why You-Know-Who would go after Hermione's mum."

"To get to Harry," Ginny stated as if it were obvious.

"But her mum never really even met Harry. That doesn't make sense."

"I can't think of any other reason," Ginny said. "You all packed?" She asked a moment later.

"Uh huh." His thoughts were taking over him.

"Good, 'cause we have to leave early tomorrow, and I don't want Mum all buggered because we don't have all our stuff." Ginny stood up and walked to her room.

They arrived at the graveyard in Manchester in a maroon Buick. Seemed perfectly Muggle until the whole Weasley family, minus Percy, climbed out, followed by the Advanced Guard and Harry.

"Why are they staring?" Ron whispered to Harry. He was quite uncomfortable and self-conscious in the dark blue suit he was wearing.

"Muggles don't usually see that many people get out of a car unless it's a trick."

Ron and Harry followed the group of people onto the green lawn where they met Mr. Granger, Hermione and, "Krum," Ron gasped. "What's he doing here?"

Harry looked like he was about to tell Ron something when Hermione spotted them and walked over. Her eyes were red. Ron's heart felt like it was going to shatter. She said nothing but took them both into an embrace and cried.

After the service Hermione was sitting with her back to a turret. Harry and Ron slowly walked to her like they were walking toward a spooked horse.

"Hermione," Harry said softly. She looked up at them surprised they were there. She'd been crying. "I'm really sorry," Harry said. Really, what else could he say? Ron was incredibly uncomfortable, and he could tell Harry was too.

"Harry," she said, her voice so quiet Ron couldn't tell she'd even spoken at first. "It wasn't what everybody thinks."

Ron stood there. He hated seeing her like this and he really didn't want to. He looked around the graveyard.

"Mum," she started, then stopped again. Ron felt a prickling behind his eyes and a pain in his heart for her. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose his mum.

"Hermione, it's okay. You don't have to say..." Harry squatted down next to her.

"No, Harry, listen." She seemed to compose herself a little more. "When we got home from the store, there was something over the house. I didn't think about it at first. Dad thought it was just a funny formation the clouds had made. But when we saw Mum lying there," she stopped, took a deep breath and then continued, "I realized what it was. The Dark Mark."

"What?" Ron gasped. That certainly took his mind off his grief. He too was now squatting down on the other side of Hermione.

"I don't think they meant to get Mum. I think they went there looking for someone else, and when Mum tried to fight them they killed her. Then they had to make it look like it was something else. Aneurisms are very random, and can attack healthy people. Whoever did it transfigured something in her body tissues to make it look like an aneurism."

"You said they were there for someone else?" Harry went back to that. It did seem to be the most important fact. Hermione nodded grimly.

Stupidly, Ron asked, "Who?"

Hermione glared at him. "Who do you think? Me."

The conversation ended abruptly when Krum stalked over. "You alvight Hermy-on-ninny?"

Why did Ron feel the unbearable urge to hit Krum? It was the way he was looking at Hermione. The concern and genuine caring filled his face. It made Ron sick.

Hermione stood up and walked across the graveyard with Krum, he arm around his waist.

Harry turned to Ron and said, quietly, "I couldn't tell you this with Hermione around. But there's a reason I got sent to Grimmauld Place." Harry looked grim. "My Aunt and Uncle took Dudley to Morocco this summer. Of course I couldn't go, so they asked Mrs. Figg to watch me."

"She's in the Order," Ron said.

"I know, that's why I thought it was a good idea. Anyway I stayed at her house and I guess that took the protection I had at my Aunt's off. I don't really know. But I woke up one night and found Mrs. Figg had been bound and gagged and a Death Eater was standing over me. Dumbledore told me one of her cats was able to communicate to an owl and within minutes he was there, and the Death Eater was taken in. He figured that since Sirius left his estate, and everything he had, to Lupin and me that I should just stay in Grimmauld Place. Lupin is still there and he could keep an eye on me, not to mention all the Order members who are in and out."

Ron gasped. "Harry. How come you didn't say anything before now?"

"Didn't have the chance did I? I don't want to frighten Hermione with what's next."

"What? There's more?" Ron couldn't believe all this that Harry had to go through.

"When I was in Mrs. Figg's house the Death Eater told me that if I just went with him and faced Voldemort that nobody else needed to get hurt. But if I didn't then he would start going after the people I care about." Harry sighed. "So I guess it's my fault Hermione's mum got killed," he said in a low voice.

"No, it's not. What were you supposed to do? Let You-Know-Who kill you?"

Harry paced. "We have to get Hermione away from here. Dumbledore thinks she'd be safer in Bulgaria."

Ron wasn't sure he heard right. "Bulgaria? With Krum? Is he mad? Krum went to Durmstrang."

"He's in the Order now."

"Krum's in the Order?" Ron was staring to wonder what Dumbledore was thinking. He looked across the graveyard and saw Krum with his arm around Hermione.

"Yeah, he's turned out to be quite a good asset Lupin told me. He knows about Dark Magic and knows a lot of the Dark Wizards. He's been really helpful. They put in all the safety measures needed in his flat. Krum thinks it's a good idea."

"Yeah, he would." Ron mumbled. "Why can't she stay at the Burrow, or Grimmauld Place?"

"I thought about that, but Dumbledore says that since she is a target, and you are too since you're also close to me, that it's safest if we're all separated this summer. I'll be with Lupin at the Headquarters for the Order, you'll be at the Burrow where half your family is in the Order, and Hermione will be with Krum, who is also in the Order."

"So it works out for everyone then, eh?" Ron was staring now at Krum's hand, which seemed to be making its way lower down Hermione's waist.

Harry noticed and said, "Just tell her."

"Tell her what?" Ron looked at Harry now.

"Tell her you fancy her."

"She's our best friend. That's important. Why does it all have to change? Why did she have to become a girl?" Ron kicked the dirt.

Harry stifled a laugh. "She's always been a girl. You just didn't notice before recently. It's your call, mate." Harry walked away and Ron stood there alone. Watching Hermione sobbing into Krum.