Chapter 18
Those Damn Weasels!
Author's Note: I thought about beginning this chapter the day after the events of the previous chapter, but I decided to do it the evening after the events.
It is about to go down! This is the point of no return when it comes to Ron and Ginny! Harry and Hermione are about to discover some hard truths! Heed the warnings in this chapter, friends!
Warning: Explicit Language, Heavy Dumbledore, Ron, Ginny and Molly Weasley Bashing and Plotting.
(Tuesday, December 15th, 1994)
Harry was walking up the Grand Staircase hand-in-hand with Hermione on Tuesday evening, when Hermione squeezed his hand and leaned closer to him.
"I think Ronald and Ginevra are following us," she whispered.
"I think they want to try to figure out where our Quarters are," Harry said.
"I have an idea," Hermione said, "Walk casually for now. We'll go out on the fourth floor. There are a couple of unused classrooms, but mostly it is Private Quarters. They haven't been used for a few years, according to what I've heard, but have been used in the past for married students. If Dumbledore spoke to Ron and Ginny about his guesses concerning the Private Quarters, he'll probably think we're on the fourth floor."
When they reached the fourth floor, Hermione led Harry down a corridor. She stopped outside a door halfway down the corridor.
"Take out the map and tell me when they turn the corner and are able to see us," Hermione said, then pointed to the door. "Then we're going in here."
Harry nodded, took out the Marauder's Map from his robes, used the password and opened it. He soon found the corridor they were in. As soon as he saw Ron and Ginny's footsteps turn the corner, he waited one moment, then he looked at Hermione. Hermione opened the door, and pulled him inside the room – which turned out to be a broom closet.
"Now what?" Harry asked.
"They probably think we're in here to snog," Hermione said.
"Well, we shouldn't upset them then," Harry said, grinning.
Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. "So, we snog for a couple of minutes. Then we'll open the door a little bit, and see what they do. Either one of two things will happen. They'll come to us, and we'll confront them. Or they'll run off, so, in their minds, we believe nobody caught us. If they run off, we use the map, and see where they go. We'll turn the tables, spy on them, and maybe, finally, we can discover what their so-called master plan is."
Harry nodded. "I like it."
He folded the map, pocketed it, then leaned toward Hermione and kissed her. Hermione backed up against the wall, pulling her toward him. They kissed and snogged for a couple of minutes. When they had to part to catch their breath, Harry took the map and opened it. He grinned when he saw Ron and Ginny's footprints still in the same corridor.
"They're still there," he said, "Open the door. I'll watch their dots."
Hermione walked over to the door, and slowly opened it enough to where Ron and Ginny would see it. Harry watched the Weasley siblings' footprints. They turned and scurried off down the corridor in the opposite direction.
"They're running," Harry said. "But they're heading in the direction of those two unused classrooms, not toward the direction of the Grand Staircase."
"They're going to have the discussion we've been waiting for," Hermione said, "We'll use the map to follow them and eavesdrop on what they're talking about. Time to see if these bracelets work! Come on!"
Harry nodded and followed Hermione out of the closet. The couple hurried off toward the direction of where Ron and Ginny had gone. As they turned a corner, they saw the siblings enter an unused classroom. They hurried down the corridor, and crept toward the classroom. Harry took his Invisibility Cloak from his pocket and put it over him and Hermione. Harry and Hermione suddenly felt their bracelets warm up, and suddenly, Ron and Ginny's voice carried – unknown to the siblings – toward Hermione and Harry. The couple grinned. The bracelets had worked!
"… your fault, Ronald!" Ginny growled.
"How is it my fault?!" Ron asked.
"If you would have asked her to the Yule Ball," Ginny said, "Harry wouldn't have been able to do so! Then we wouldn't be in this position being spied on by McGonagall! That damned interfering woman is watching us too closely now! And we can't go to Dumbledore about her, because McGonagall is much too cautious around him, for him to do anything to her!"
"Harry asked Granger almost immediately after McGonagall's announcement!" Ron shot back, "How was I supposed to know he'd do that? I had no idea he liked her already! He never mentioned it!"
"Well, obviously he lost his trust in you, Ronald!" Ginny growled, "Even after you 'apologized' to him! Your poor apology probably made it worse. Worse than when you accused him of putting his name in the Goblet, when it is plainly obvious he didn't!"
"You told me to do that!" Ron retorted. "Because you wanted everyone to believe he cheated and put his name in, so he'd be alone and friendless!"
"Yes, but only because I thought Granger would believe the same thing!" Ginny said, "But no, she had to choose now to be a loyal and true friend! I was counting on her abandoning Harry so I could come in for the rescue, and take her spot of his loyal and true friend. Then he'd ask me to the Ball! But now, thanks to her being so loyal, Harry decided to ask her to the Ball, before you could! Do not lie to me, Ronald! You told me you had an opportunity to ask her before he did, and you didn't take it!"
"I… it was after McGonagall told us about the Ball," Ron said, "I asked Hermione to come with me, but she wanted to wait for Harry. If she had come with me, I would have asked her. But the bitch refused!"
"So you left her be," Ginny growled. "You left her, instead of staying with her. If you had stayed with her, Harry wouldn't have asked her to the Ball! YOUR FAULT, RONALD!"
"I thought Viktor Krum was going to ask her!" Ron growled, "If he asked her, then as her friend, I could have become his friend and gotten to know him. I'd be the friend of the Boy-Who-Lived and a Famous Seeker!"
"Krum would never be interested in being your friend," Ginny said, "He doesn't like fan-boys and fan-girls, which is why he was interested in Granger. She wouldn't care a whit about Quidditch if Harry didn't play."
"Well, if Krum asked her, then Harry couldn't, could he?" Ron asked, "I never expected Harry to ask her, and especially not so quickly! Besides I was planning on asking Fleur Delacour to the Ball!"
"Figures," Ginny muttered, "You screwed up the whole plan, screwed up our relationships with Harry and Granger, and put us under McGonagall's watchful gaze, all because you got captured in the Veela bint's Allure, when she was obviously using it on somebody else! But because you're so stupid and susceptible to Veela charms, you were foolish enough, like most other boys in this school, to believe she'd say yes to a date with you!"
"Hey!" Ron growled.
"You know it's true, you idiot!" Ginny retorted, then scoffed. "When I tell Mum, she's going to blame the whole thing on you!"
"Why me?" Ron asked.
"Why do you think Mum told us about the Yule Ball this summer, Ronald?!" Ginny growled, "So if Harry got interested in the Mudblood, we could cut it off before it got serious! She told you to watch them! If it looked like they were going to get together, you had to ask out her in front of Harry! Why didn't you do it after McGonagall's announcement?!"
"Sorry," Ron muttered.
"Fuck you and your fucking apology, you fucking moron! That's your name now! Moron!" Ginny growled; Harry's eyebrows raised at the level of language from Ginny. He might have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "You knew the plan, and you failed. If Harry thought you were interested in her at all, he wouldn't want to intrude on your relationship. He's predictable like that! He'd leave the two of you alone, so you can have some privacy. He'd be looking for other friends to spend time with. That would give me an opening to get close to him!
"Now you've gone and ruined it all! Mum didn't want to use Love Potions until next summer, but now it looks like she hasn't got a choice! She's probably going to tell us to go to Dumbledore, so he can Obliviate the two of them of any romantic feelings they have of each other!"
"The whole school knows they're going to the Yule Ball together, Ginny!" Ron said, "What happens when that suddenly doesn't happen?"
"Then we'll spread rumors about them like we always do when we want to sully their reputation!" Ginny said, "It'll be easy, given how we were able to convince most of the school how Harry was a cheat and showoff after his name came out of the Goblet, and how he wanted to steal the glory from Hufflepuff. We did it with the Gryffindors didn't we? One minute they were cheering for Harry, the next they were cursing his name because they realized he's a reluctant Champion."
"I did that!" Ron said, "I told Neville those exact words, and Neville parroted them to Harry and he got the idea to tell everyone that he was a reluctant Champion. That was me!"
"So you have one braincell in that head of yours," Ginny said. "Good for you. The rest is up to me! Because you are too stupid to do it yourself without fucking it all up… again! Because of me, once we break them up, everyone will soon believe they got in a big fight and canceled their date to the Yule Ball. That is when we come in and take advantage of it. If it works right, we might be able to prevent damage control, and not have to use Love Potions until this summer as planned!
"Then we can finally get the plans underway and I can convince Harry to make a Will, so he leaves the Potter fortune to us when he dies sooner or later. Before he turns seventeen, if Dumbledore is right. Of course, Harry doesn't know anything about the Potter fortune, besides what is in his Trust Vault. Dumb idiot doesn't realize that isn't his only vault, or that the gold in his vault refills each other. Better for us. Can't believe he was dumb enough to give Mum his key, and not ask for it back afterward. He basically gave her permission to steal from him! But what am I complaining about? I'll be marrying him for his fortune, not his brains. If he was as smart as the Mudblood, he might not die when he's supposed to.
"The question is… how are we going to pull this off with McGonagall watching us? She's so close to Potter and Granger now! Fucking pussy who thinks she's a lioness! Fucking Boy-Who-Won't-Die and his bitch Mudblood!"
"You don't want him to die yet, remember?" Ron asked, "I thought you wanted his baby in your belly first!"
"Shut the fuck up about my belly, Moron!" Ginny growled. "That's none of your business! Mention it again, and your bogies will be bats!"
Harry and Hermione had heard enough. They now knew the truth they had been waiting for. They now knew Ron and Ginny's secret plot against them.
Harry saw that Hermione was near tears, and he didn't want her to break down here, and have Ron and Ginny discover them. He took her hand and led her down the corridor, back to the same broom closet they had been in. When they entered, Harry closed the door, and cast a Silencing Charm on it. He hugged Hermione against his chest, as she started sobbing. He wanted to cry too, but he knew he needed to be strong for her.
As Hermione cried, Harry wondered how long this betrayal had been going on. From the beginning? This thought made him look back – using his eidetic memory - to the first time he met the Weasleys.
"Oh, god," Harry muttered, "How could I be so stupid?! It was a set-up from the beginning!"
Hermione backed away from Harry. Her eyes were red, her cheeks were blotchy and she was sniffling. But she still was coherent enough to look at him curiously.
"What do you mean 'from the beginning'?" Hermione asked.
"Hagrid told me absolutely nothing about how I was supposed to get through the portal at Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters," Harry said, "He just gave me my train ticket, and told me to 'stick to it'. That's it! Nothing else!"
"Professor McGonagall told me and my parents how to get me onto the Platform!" Hermione said, "It was a detailed explanation!"
"I am sure that is how it is supposed to be for all Muggleborn and Muggle-raised," Harry said.
"So why didn't Hagrid?" Hermione asked, then her eyes widened, "He didn't set you up, did he?"
"No, but if he was ordered not to tell me the detailed explanation by somebody like his boss," Harry said, "His boss 'the great man, Dumbledore' whom he looks up to and trusts explicitly."
"Oh gods," Hermione muttered, "He'd do whatever Dumbledore asked him to."
"Without a second thought," Harry agreed. "No questions asked. So, there I was at King's Cross between Platforms Nine and Ten, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do next. Then all of a sudden, I hear Molly Weasley talking loudly about Muggles, and how the platform is always crowded. Then… she asked Ginny what number the Platform was?"
"What?!" Hermione asked, "Harry, the Platform's never changed since its debut! It said so in Hogwarts, A History! So why didn't she…?"
"Know?" Harry asked, "She did. By the way, the way she was speaking so loudly about Muggles, and the odd Platform number, she could have gotten in a lot of trouble for breaking the Statute of Secrecy. But I knew nothing about that at the time. However, I did recognize the words 'muggle' and 'Platform Nine and Three Quarters'."
Hermione gasped. "Somehow she knew you'd be there lost and looking for the Platform. Yes, this does sound like a set-up! Dumbledore didn't want Hagrid to tell you how to get onto the Platform, so you would be there lost and worried about getting on the train, and you would go to the first person who said something that would help you get there!"
"Yes, and it gets worse," Harry said, "Did I ever tell you how Ron and I officially met? I was sitting alone in a carriage, and Ron shows up at the door of the carriage, and says 'Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full?'"
"That liar!" Hermione growled, "there were at least two empty compartments on the train car you were sitting in! I passed them by! Also, if Ron couldn't find a place to sit, I am sure Fred and George would have let him join them!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't know that," Harry said, shrugging, "It gets worse, though. As soon as I told him my name, the first thing he says to me is 'Do you have the scar?'"
Hermione frowned. "That proves right there that he never wanted to be a friend of 'just Harry'. He wanted to be the friend – the best friend – of the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter."
"There's also the fact that – until that Halloween – he was pretty much rude to anybody I wanted to talk to," Harry said, "Especially you. And Neville, now that I think of it."
"He was rude the first time he ever met me… when I met you," Hermione frowned.
"Yeah, because you wanted to be my friend, and he knew that," Harry said, "Because after he met you, he said 'Whatever house she's in, I hope I'm not in it.'. He hoped you were in a different house than him and I, because he knew you would try to be my friend, and –"
"And it is difficult to make friends with students in other Houses!" Hermione gasped. "Most of the time, those friendships were made through inter-house Study Groups."
"And Ron isn't the type to join one of those, is he?" Harry asked. "If I had known about those study groups, he'd convince me not to join, because it would be 'mental' or something."
"He would have known you'd probably make other friends in these groups, including me," Hermine said, "You're the Boy-Who-Lived after all, you could have made easy friends with anybody on that factor alone. Then there is the Children of the Great Alliance. Even if they couldn't remember House Potter's part in the Great Alliance, they might still have wanted to become your friend."
"Hey, you're right," Harry muttered, "I might not like being famous, but you would think others would approach me to try to be my friend, even if it was just to get to know me because of that."
"Right," Hermione said, "Ron wanted to be your only friend. He was actively being rude to me, trying to prevent me getting close to you. I'm sure he was doing that with others too! And the reason nobody has told you about this, is because Ron's probably made them all think you'd be mean to all of them, that you wouldn't want to be their friend. We already know he's apparently been spreading a lot of negative rumors about you."
"I was being rude and mean to you too, Hermione," Harry said frowning, "Until that Halloween."
"Because of Ron's influence, Harry," Hermione said, soothingly. "You saw him being mean to me, and you wanted to be his friend, so you did the same, so you wouldn't lose his friendship."
"I still shouldn't have done it," Harry said, "Looking back, he was a real bully. I should have been discouraged away from bullies, because of my cousin, Dudley. But, as you said, he was my first friend, and I didn't want to lose that."
Then he realized something else. "That must have been around the time I was dosed to be loyal to Ron! It is why I forgave him so easily, even though I would normally be affected by his bullying so much! And those revulsion Potions must have put me off attempting to even try making friends with others!"
"There's something else, I think," Hermione said, "Another reason he was trying to get you to avoid me. Okay, we just discovered Ginny has been concocting plans and plots with her mother. She wants to marry you, to gain the Potter fortune, because for some reason, they think… they think you're going to die sometime soon."
"Well, Dumbledore said it earlier today, didn't he?" Harry said, "He thinks I'll be Lord Potter at seventeen. Ginny even said Dumbledore thinks – or hopes - I'll be dead by seventeen."
"That bastard!" Hermione growled, "This is not just about Ginny having your baby, and gaining the Potter fortune. This is also about the Potter and Peverell seats on the Wizengamot!"
"Right," Harry said, "They are pretty powerful pieces in the Wizengamot. Which is why the Great Alliance was enchanted to forget about me and my House until recently. Though I am not sure whether or not the Children of the Great Alliance know about it yet. They haven't mentioned it to me. Not even Neville, Padma and Luna, who we know are Children of the Great Alliance, even though we've been sitting with them."
"Harry," Hermione said, "What if the Weasleys – and Dumbledore - had this plot before Ron even started at Hogwarts? What if he was ordered to keep you from being friendly with any girls, because they could ruin Ginny's plan of being your future girlfriend and wife, if you became romantic with any of them… including me?"
"Sounds right," Harry scoffed. "Now we know why they're jealous you and I are a couple. I bet that was planned all along."
"Well, remember what Ginny said?" Hermione asked, "Ron was supposed to ask me to the Yule Ball, likely in front of you. Seeing such a thing was supposed to discourage you from any romantic feelings you might have for me, because you wouldn't want to mess up anything that could happen between me and Ron. I am sure Ron was encouraged – ever since the three of us became friends – to slowly make it seem as if he had a serious fancy for me. I am sure he'd subtly make suggestions to you about him fancying me, so to convince you not to interfere in any possible romantic relationship he and I could have had."
"It would have worked, you know?" Harry frowned, "I wouldn't have wanted to mess up our friendship over something like that. If I thought Ron fancied you, I wouldn't want to ask you on a date. I'd probably do anything to make it look like I didn't fancy you, just so you wouldn't get suspicious, and it wouldn't create drama between you and Ron. I'd probably do something like say you're like a sister to me, someone I could never fancy."
"Harry, you've never had a sister," Hermione said, "How would you know what having a sister was like?"
Harry shrugged. "I still probably would have used the excuse if Ron asked me if I fancied you, and it seemed you and him were going to be a couple. It'd be a lie, of course. But I'd do it. If only because I wouldn't want to lose my friends. Plus there were all those Potions trying to make you and I avoid any romantic feelings toward each other. Ginny's right, though. I am predictable."
"Maybe a little," Hermione said; she smiled after he emitted a sad snort, "But none of that matters now. None of that happened. Their mad plan failed. So did the Potions. You and I are together. I know how you feel about me, Harry James. You don't need to tell me. I know. I love you too, okay?"
Harry smiled, then leaned toward her and kissed her again. The couple kissed for a couple minutes before they had to regain their breath.
"Mallory!" Hermione said, suddenly.
Mallory appeared in the broom closet.
"Please ask Professor McGonagall to meet us in the Private Common Room in the Lion's Den," Hermione said, "Tell her we've discovered what the Bad Weasels are planning."
"Mallory be doing so, Harry Potter's Hermy," Mallory said.
She vanished with a pop. Hermione turned back to Harry.
"Harry, I can't tell the future," Hermione said, "But I don't see a time – unless I am influenced by something sinister - when I'm not going to be in love with you. Even if that happens, I will still be your friend. I will never hate you or be repulsed by you. Not under my own power anyway."
Harry choked and felt tears in his eyes. "Same for me."
"Harry listen to me," Hermione said, "If I ever say I do not love you. If I seem to be suddenly infatuated or in love with someone else. If I behave as if I'm repulsed by you, or if I hate you, do not believe me, Harry Potter. Not without getting me checked out for mind-influencing magic. Promise me, Harry Potter. Even if I resist you, or try to get away from you. If this happens, you have my consenting permission from now on to do everything you can to get me help, because I'd likely not be in my right mind. Stun me if you have to."
"I promise, Hermione," Harry said. "I know how you feel about me. I can't not believe you don't love me, without good enough explanation. I would make sure you're one-hundred percent yourself if that ever happens. Even if you are one-hundred percent lucid, I'd still probably try to convince you I'm still in love with you, and that you deserve my love, and that I deserve yours. I probably don't, but that isn't my choice. I love you too much."
Hermione smiled, tearfully, and cupped Harry's face between her hands then kissed him soundly. Harry returned the kiss, praying, hoping beyond hope this wouldn't be the last time he would be able to kiss her. They continued kissing, with closed and open mouths, and tongues, as their cheeks became wet with the combination of each other's tears.
When they separated, both panting from loss of breath, Harry took the Map from his pocket and opened it up. First, he looked for Ron and Ginny who were no longer in the unused classroom or the same corridor they were in. He soon found their dots. They were traveling toward the Gryffindor Tower.
"They're probably looking for us," Harry muttered sourly.
"Or they're going to write a letter to their mother," Hermione said. "If so, then they'll be headed to the Owlery soon enough. At least they aren't going to Dumbledore yet. But that might be because they need to ask their mother if they should go to him first. They probably need her permission first. That might actually help us!"
"How?" Harry asked.
"Molly Weasley's overbearing attitude might actually prevent Ron and Ginny from doing anything without her permission," Hermione clarified, "She is so controlling, especially of her youngest two children. Especially if she believes she needs to be paranoid and cautious about any plans she has for you. She wouldn't want Ron and Ginny to mess up any of her plans, so she would want them to ask her permission to do anything too serious."
"Asking Dumbledore to Obliviate us of romantic feelings for each other probably qualifies," Harry said with a snort.
"Yes," Hermione agreed, "In fact, I am sure she would want to ask him herself, instead of having Ron and Ginny do it."
"Even if it means Dumbledore could Obliviate us today instead of tomorrow?" Harry asked.
"Harry, we've been together for nearly a week," Hermione said, "We're lucky it hasn't happened yet! Which means Ron and Ginny probably know they can't go to him without asking their mother."
"So why haven't they done it yet?" Harry asked.
"Ginny said that, didn't she?" Hermione said, "McGonagall has been watching them too closely. But now it seems they've decided they have no choice."
"So they'll write to their mother," Harry said, "And she'll talk to Dumbledore. "That might be good news for us. Especially if he doesn't get the message until tomorrow at the earliest. That will give us plenty of time to figure out what to do tonight. Where is Dumbledore anyway?"
He checked the Map again, and looked for the Headmaster.
"In his office, pacing like he usually does," Harry replied; then he looked for Professor McGonagall. "McGonagall's on the floor below us. Come on! We might be able to meet her on the way to the Lion's Den."
With that in mind, they left the closet, and made their way through the castle. But only after kissing each other again, both hoping that wasn't their last kiss. They were still using the Map so they wouldn't run into anyone who they didn't want to meet. As soon as they stepped out onto the Grand Staircase, they found Professor McGonagall. She saw them immediately, and noticed the panicking looks on their faces.
"Come with me, you two," she said, calmly.
Harry and Hermione nodded and followed the Transfiguration Professor up the Grand Staircase. Ten minutes later, they stepped into the Private Common Room and sat down in their usual spots.
"Before we begin," McGonagall said, "Tell me this. Is what you're going to tell me serious enough that we may need to contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"
"Honestly, Professor, I think that would be for the best," Hermione said.
McGonagall grimaced, then nodded. "Mallory!"
Mallory appeared once again. "Yes, Mistress?"
"Find Pomona Sprout," McGonagall said, "Have her find Susan Bones and escort them both here, and to do her best not to run into the Headmaster. Escort them both here if you must. They will both have permission to come in here."
"Yes, Mistress McGonagall!" Mallory said.
The house-elf bowed, then vanished. McGonagall turned back to her students.
"Susan Bones has a similar communication mirror like Sirius gave to you," McGonagall said, "She uses it to contact her Aunt, Director Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in case of emergencies."
"We'll be able to use her mirror to contact Director Bones!" Hermione said.
"Correct," McGonagall said, "Now, if you will, please tell me everything you discovered about Ron and Ginevra Weasley."
So Harry and Hermione began telling the story, beginning with them discovering the youngest Weasley siblings following them from the Grand Staircase, up to them retreating from the unused classroom. Harry also told her about his suspicions regarding the first time he met the Weasleys.
"It certainly sounds as if the Weasleys – Ronald, Ginevra and their mother at the very least – have been planning this for quite a while," McGonagall said.
"I believe the Muggles would refer to it as a 'long con'," Hermione said.
"We believe Ron and Ginny either have sent – or are in the process of sending – a letter to their mother informing her about us," Harry said.
McGonagall sighed. "I wish I could have stopped them from doing this, but only the Headmaster has the power to stop owls from leaving the castle. Any idea what they're going to ask their mother? Aside from – as you said - their idea to ask her about giving you Love Potions?"
"We think they want her to ask Dumbledore to Obliviate us of our relationship," Harry said.
"I don't think he's going to agree to that plan," McGonagall said. "For a couple of reasons. First, was our plan to make sure the whole school knows how serious your relationship is. That has been working quite well. Especially with Rita Skeeter's articles. Second, was Dumbledore's plan for the Second Task."
"He wants me to be the one Harry misses the most," Hermione said, "So he could… assassinate me when I'm a hostage, and make it look like an accident."
"But I thought the hostage plan has been scuppered," Harry said.
"There's still two months between now and the Second Task, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, "Dumbledore may truly believe he can still arrange for there to be human hostages for the Second Task. Therefore, I am sure he wants the two of you to be close and romantically involved right up to the Second Task."
"None of the Weasleys will like that," Hermione said, "Especially Ginny. She'll probably demand her mother uses the Love Potion plan, if she hasn't done so tonight."
"Which, of course, wouldn't work thanks to our house-elf security service when it comes to the post," Harry said.
"If she fails to send you Potion-filled gifts through the post," McGonagall said, "She could still do through other ways, I am sure. Luckily, we are now well-warned of such a plan. We can tell all of this to Director Bones, and she can take care of it. I'll also make plans to have my house-elves check any post that comes for a Weasley. If Ron and Ginny know I'm watching them, they might get their mother to send it with Fred and George's post. I am sure she could figure out how to get it to her two youngest children through the twins' post. For now, we'll ask Madam Bones to help us so Molly Weasley won't even be able to get the Love Potions to Hogwarts in the first place. The question is what should we request of her, aside from that?"
"I think we need to get Ron and Ginny out of Hogwarts," Hermione said. "If they discover their plan is going to fail, they might do something else out of desperation. Something we might not be able to predict, or stop before it happens."
"Especially if their mother is arrested for possession of restricted and illegal Potions," McGonagall said, "They would no longer have her as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of. I agree. Therefore, I believe we should invite Director Bones to Hogwarts to speak to Ronald and Ginevra."
"We can talk to her about Sirius then!" Harry exclaimed. "It isn't something we should do via mirrors. Especially since I can show her my copy of the Will. And the fake Betrothal Contract between me and Ginny!"
"Indeed," McGonagall said, "We should arrange for her to meet with the two of you here at Hogwarts. Which means we need the Headmaster out of the castle."
Harry grinned. "If Director Bones agrees to come to the castle tomorrow morning, I'll send the letter to Keeper Ragnok with Dobby tonight, and have him send his own letter to Dumbledore tomorrow morning! That will get him out of the castle long enough for Director Bones to be here to do her work, without his interference!"
Mallory appeared a moment later.
"Missus Sprout and Miss Bones be here outside the door to this room, Mistress," Mallory said.
"Invite them in, Mallory," McGonagall said.
Harry smiled when Hermione squeezed his hand. He looked at her and found she was just as nervous as he was. For a good reason. They needed this meeting with Director Bones, and hoped Susan could help with this request. This war with the Weasleys needed to be finished before it became too dangerous!
Yes, I did just end it there! Sorry, if I had Susan Bones in this chapter, I wouldn't be able to find a good way to end the chapter before the discussion with Amelia. Next chapter will focus around Amelia Bones.
My apologies for how short this chapter is, by the way. I thought the first half – up to before Harry and Hermione meet with McGonagall – was a lot longer than it was.
I had the entire chapter up to before Hermione calls for Mallory in the broom closet written for several days now. Originally this chapter was going to go much different. Originally, Harry and Hermione was going to decide it was too much of a risk to go to McGonagall with Dumbledore in the castle. Instead, they would have found Susan and asked her if she had a way to contact her Aunt. McGonagall would have had no part in that. But that was before I wrote much of this story. Let's just say my original way wouldn't have been too believable, because McGonagall is so supportive in this story. I might put the original version of the first half of this chapter in a deleted scene at some point. You'll see just how different it was.
Next Chapter: Harry, Hermione and McGonagall speak to Director Bones. Then Amelia meets with a few Aurors and decides a plan of attack against the Weasleys.