Chapter 2

Ron's POV

I was surprised when the four of us got back from Hogwarts and went home to The Burrow and found mum and dad pacing up the place. They didn't explain much to us, simply that because You-Know-Who was back, we would have to into hiding and Dumbledore had provided us with a safe place to stay and that we should pack up all of our important things and put them into bags, everything else would be put into the attic. So we packed up our home, the only place that I had ever felt comfortable in before Hogwarts and Hermione and Harry.

I was angry when Percy strolled through the door and announced that he had been promoted and when he and dad had a row about Fudge, Dumbledore and Harry it was all it took for me not to jump in and try to kill Percy. Ginny was restraining me the entire time, but I could see how angry she was getting as well. The Weasley temper is infamous for being liable to explode at any moment. When Percy left mum cried for days and dad got angry at her too, Fred and George tried to cheer us all up with their jokes and double act, but somehow it wasn't as funny as it was before.

I was shocked when we got to London, to Grimmaud Place and when dad hurried us up the steps and quickly opened the door to get us all inside and there, standing on the threshold was Sirius. It turned out that this was his house and that he had been here since that morning. Dad filled him in on the Percy situation whilst mum told us to choose the rooms we wanted to stay in. I choose a two bed room; I took it for granted that Harry would be joining us sooner or later. But what I hadn't expected was the week after I arrived, for my girlfriend to arrive.

'Ron! Get down here, there's someone I'm sure you'd like to see!' Mum yelled at me, literally as I'd just finished unpacking my bags from The Burrow. I raced down the stairs and found myself face to face with Hermione. I hadn't seen her since July, she hadn't grown at all, and as I had I was now several inches taller than her, she looked worried, but Dumbledore was with her and this reassured her.

'Hermione.' I said blankly. She looked at me expectantly; she was probably expecting me to say that we were together or at the very least hug her, but I couldn't. Not in front of mum and Dumbledore, and now that I noticed, Ginny. She was good at hiding out of sight, I hardly ever noticed and I was sure that she knew, or at least suspected that there was something going on between us.

'Ron.' She smiled at me, but I knew that it was her fake smile. I groaned mentally, there would be hell to pay later after the fake pleasantries had been pushed aside.

'Well, Ron. Show Hermione to her room, she can have her own room or she could share with Ginny.' Hermione turned her fake smile on my mum.

'I don't want to be a bother, I'll share with Ginny, if that's alright with you Ginny?' I hadn't realise that my sister and my girlfriend were so close, but maybe their friendship had begun in the tent at the Quidditch world cup that they were sharing.

Ah the world cup, Krum's superb flying and then trying to hit on my girl. The Irish team winning, Harry buying us the omnioculars, the fake gold. Then the aftermath, the death eaters, Harry losing his wand, the dark mark, Malfoy being a little twat to Hermione, Winky and Crouch. I was so busy reliving the world cup that I didn't realise when Hermione had gone upstairs with Ginny or that mum was ushering Dumbledore into the kitchen. I only realised that I was standing in hallway alone when the twins apparated downstairs and yelled at me,

'Hey Ron, close your mouth. We want to eat and seeing you drooling might put us off of our food!' I closed my mouth quickly and hurried up the stair, I could hear the twins laughing at my retreating back. But I didn't care, I wanted to see Hermione.

I ran up two flights of stairs, and as I did so, I thought to myself, 'Blimey, by the end of the summer I'm going to be so fit. Maybe I'll try out for the Quidditch team. I think they need a new keeper.' I stopped panting slightly outside Ginny and Hermione's room and I knocked twice on the door and was told to enter by my sister.

'Hey Gin, where's Hermione?' Ginny gave me a smug smile, I was sure that she knew. Hermione must have told her.

'She's looking for you Ron. I have a bone to pick with you-'

'Thanks Gin.' I yelled and hurried out of the room before she could finish her sentence. I had no idea here Hermione might want to look for me first, so I tried my room. Luckily enough I found her in there, sitting on an old moth eaten arm chair.

'Hi.' I started awkwardly. Hermione looked up at me.

'Hi Ron, where's Harry?' she asked looking around as though she was expecting him to pop up at any moment.

'Um, he's not here, yet. Probably still at the Dursley's in Privet Dive, wha-? Where are you going?' I shouted after Hermione, she had gotten up and ran out of the room, I could hear her running down the stairs. I ran out of the room after her and down three flights of stairs. She was in the kitchen and seemed to be yelling at mum.

As I drew closer to the kitchen I could hear Hermione's shrieks.

'How can you just sit there and let Harry be stuck in Privet Drive? What if he were to be attacked? This is just so patronising!' I ran into the kitchen. Dumbledore, Sirius, Professor Lupin, dad, Fred, George, Bill and Tonks were all sitting at the table staring at mum and Hermione. I keep calling Remus Professor Lupin, although he expressly told us all not to during our first night here.

Dumbledore stood and waked over to the fighting women. He raised his wand in the air and it emitted several loud bangs and purple sparks.

'Ladies, would you please stop shouting at each other, as I do believe Sirius' mother has woken up, Sirius would you mind?' Sirius' mother was just a portrait of the old hag, every time anyone made a loud noise, the curtains around her flew back and she started screeching at us all. Mainly she just called everyone in sight a blood traitor, but sometimes it was mudblood.
Sirius hurried out of the room and down the hall to the shrieking woman, in his absence Ginny snuck into the room very quietly.

Once Sirius had returned, Dumbledore spoke again.

'I believe that it is time to inform the younger parties in this room the truth. You are here at the centre of the anti-Voldemort movement. We are called The Order of the Phoenix, and it was set up at the start of the first Wizarding War. Our job is to recruit members who can give us information about Voldemort. Sirius was kind enough to let us use his house as the headquarters, your parents are members. And you must not write to Harry to tell him any of this, he will be brought here in due course. Meanwhile I hope that you shall join Sirius and Remus in making this house fit for human habitation.'

Mum looked angry that Dumbledore had told us so much, Fred and George just looked gobsmacked and Ginny's jaw had dropped. Hermione didn't look quite as amazed as the rest of us, she probably already had known or suspected most of what Dumbledore had just told us. I was confused.

'Why can't we write to Harry and tell him this?' I asked finally after the silence had become awkward.

'Because, my dear Ronald, if those letters were to be intercepted, the other side would have quite a lot of information.' I nodded, that actually made sense.

'And now I must depart.' Dumbledore said finally, he swept from the room and moments later we heard the door open and then close.

'Well, didn't hear what he said?' mum asked the silent room, 'Get cleaning!' And she clapped her hands twice and we all knew that we had been dismissed.