Chapter Three: The Mistake

    He moved through the halls silently, carefully

maneuvering around the furniture. He carefully went up

the three flights of stairs to the wing he and

Hermione shared with Ginny and Harry. He passed their

closed door, the kitchenette and the small sitting

room and moved on to his room at the end of the hall.

He silently eased the door open and with a wild war

whoop, catapulted himself across the room and onto the

bed, where Hermione lay reading.

     She screamed in surprise as Ron landed heavily on

the bed beside her, bouncing her up into the air. She

whapped Ron on the arm with her book.

     "Damn you Ron!" she pretended to yell. She opened

her book and tried to ignore him, but Ron began

trailing his fingers across the pages of her book.

With an exasperated sigh, she shut the book and turned

over on her side to face him.

      "What is wrong with you?" she asked. Ron tickled

her nose with a feather he conjured out of thin air.

      "Tonight Harry and Sterling need to talk with

Sirius alone again, so why don't we take Ginny and

Remus into London for dinner at the Leaky Cauldren?"

Ron smiled what he hoped was a winning smile. Hermione

had been ill lately, and no one was sure why. It had

been almost four weeks since she was rescued from her

two-week capture by Lord Voldemort, but she was still

tired and listless. However, she surprised him.

      "I'd love to go. It would be good to get out, to

take my mind off things." Ron saw Hermione glance

downwards at he flat abdomen. She looked back up at

him and he saw her eyes glistening with tears she

would never shed.

      "It's going to be all right, Hermione. We can

try for another someday. I know nothing can replace

the one we lost, but..." Ron faltered, not knowing

what to say. When she and Ginny had been tortured by

Voldemort, unbeknowst to Hermione, she had been

pregnant, and the baby died.

       "I know, Ron. Now,let me up, so I can get

ready." Hermione slid out of bed and pulled on her

dressing gown over her pyjamas, heading for the

bathroom before Ron could say another word. He too

left the bed and headed back down the hall, pausing

outside his sister and his  best friend's room. It was

already four o'clock in the afternoon and neither had

come out all day. Bravely (and dreading what he might

find) Ron knocked on the door. There was a crash from

inside the room, several curses, and then Ginny

shouting "Come in!"

      Ron opened the door and stepped inside. Both

Ginny and Harry were fully dressed and sitting on the

loveseat they had put into the room. Ginny had her

legs stretched over Harry and they were both holding

books in their laps. They both looked up expectantly

as Ron came in and took a seat on their bed across

from them.

      "Ginny, Hermione and I were wondering if you'd

like to come to London with us for dinner at the Leaky

Caulderon and a bit of shopping in Diagon Alley.

Christmas is only a week away." 

      "Sure. Maybe we should spend the night, so that

Harry and Sterling can have more time with Sirius."

Ron could hardly believe that Ginny was agreeing to

leave the safety of their four-story house.

      "Ok, I'll go send an owl to the Leaky Caulderon.

Can you be ready to go in an hour?" Ron asked. He went

to the doorway and turned back around. Ginny nodded.

      "Yeah, I'll meet you downstairs. Are we going to

Apparate?" she asked. Ron nodded.

       "Ok then. Please shut the door on your way

out." she said. Ron left the room, pulling the door

shut behind him. At once, Harry turned to Ginny.

       "Are you sure this is a good idea, Ginny?

You're going to be very exposed in Diagon Alley..."

Ginny silenced Harry by placing a quick kiss on his

lips.

       "Harry, what Voldemort did to me was horrible.

However, I'm eighteen and I can't just stay hiding

inside for the rest of my life. Ron will protect me.

I'll be fine."

       "I could Apparate into London after I'm done

with Sterling and Sirius." Harry said. Ginny laughed

and pulled her feet down. 

       "I have to do this Harry. I promise, I'll come

back to you." 

      Harry watched her head towards the shower, a

feeling of dread growing in his heart. Ever since his

graduation day, when he had watched most of his

friends and their parents being killed, Percy, Bill,

George and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley among them, he had had

a sixth sense about when trouble was coming. Lately,

his scar had been hurting more the usual, too.

However, if this was what Ginny had to, he would let

her do it. He only hoped he would see her again...

to  be continued