Areas of Expertise

--My personal challenge today was to write a chapter without speech in it, as I feel I rely too much on it. Hoope you like! Let me know - too much speech normally? Fine the way it is? More speech? More chapters like this one? SP



Chapter Thirty-Eight



“It is so very late that we

May call it early by and by.” William Shakespeare.



***



Ron sat in the dormitory, chewing the end of his quill, before spitting out a mouthful of feathers. He hated letter writing, but Hermione had ordered him to write to his parents and tell them about Harry – after all, they were the closest thing he had to family. They already knew, obviously, about the pregnancy, but the latest news had so far been kept secret from them. Ron really didn’t want to be the one to tell them. He had tried to convince Hermione that it would make more sense if she broke the news – as a girl she instinctively knew how to do these things tactfully. But even that flattery hadn’t moved her, although she had smiled a little.



‘Dear Mom and Dad,’ he wrote, then stopped, stuck.



‘Sorry I’ve not written much this term, but as you can probably imagine, things are a bit mental, what with Harry.’ He had now the perfect opportunity to mention the news casually, but gulped, frightened of his mother’s response, as no doubt he would be blamed for Harry’s bad choices. He didn’t want another Howler. He still felt a sharp pain in his stomach at the memory of the one he had received in second year.



‘As far as I know, Harry and the baby are fine. He tells me it’s a girl, so he plans to call her Sapphire Harmony. I guess you heard about Harry’s incident with You-Know-Who? Snape rescued him, so he can’t be that bad, I ’spose.’



Here goes! he thought.



‘Harry obviously thinks he’s ok, as he and Snape have begun Bonding. They started four days ago. I swear I was nearly sick when I heard Harry say he loved Snape. I mean, who needs to hear that?! It was kinda funny when Snape had to say it, cos he stammered and blushed. I didn’t know the man COULD blush!



‘Dumbledore seems to think everything is going well, and he has prepared the Room of Requirement for them. (I told you about the RoR last time – it’s where Harry was living with Snape.) He did have trouble getting into the room yesterday morning, which had us all worried, but he tried again in the afternoon and it was available. So he’s now got it ready and stopped anyone using it. I don’t know of that many people who do know about the room, but someone must’ve been in it, otherwise it would have opened.



‘Hermione has spent ages with Harry recently, trying to get him to understand how dangerous it is to be Bonding. We spoke to him before Snape agreed, trying to get him to not do it, but he was really excited. You remember that time Fred gave Ginny the Dizziness Draught and it reacted badly and she went really giggly and annoying? Well he was like that – only WORSE! Nothing Hermione said made any difference. She left him a book to read (you know what Hermione’s like!) but I don’t think he’s done more than glance at it.



‘She’s with him now, going over the conditions he should be thinking about. I had to leave, cos he was driving me nuts. All he keeps going on about is how fabulous Snape is, and how lucky he is to be Bonding with him, and how happy he is. I nearly hexed him.’



Ron thought for a moment before erasing the last sentence he had written. He looked absently into the fire. Sirius had appeared there once, reassuring them all. What would Sirius think if he saw Harry now? Ron grinned, liking the mental image he was building up of an irate Padfoot and a cowering potions teacher.



‘How’s Dad’s foot? I couldn’t believe it when Ginny told me what he’d done. I know Dad likes to test things, but to stick your toe onto something called a mouse trap to see how it worked! I asked Hermione to explain what one was and she told me – ouch!



‘Speaking of ouch, have Fred and George invented any new products? I could do with something to irritate Snape.’



He stopped and sighing, erased his latest sentence. He continued:



‘They really seem to be doing well. George wrote to me last month and said they were seriously thinking about a Hogsmeade branch. You remember they came up over my birthday and were looking around then? George said they’d been offered a bargain, but he wanted to check it was do-able.’



Ron pulled a face, hoping this paragraph wouldn’t get his brothers into trouble. He relaxed after a few moments thought. The trouble they had got him into over the years meant a little payback was due. He let the section remain.



He re-read his letter, then dipped his quill into the ink, adding a few more lines to protect him from his mother’s wrath.



‘I really did try and stop Harry, you know. Snape didn’t want to Bond with him really, so I can’t understand why he’s now changed his mind. Maybe Dumbledore said something to him. I’m not sure if I hope this is some plan of Dumbledore’s to finish off You-Know-Who, or whether they genuinely like each other.



‘Hope you’re all ok.’



He resisted the urge to add: IT’S REALLY NOT MY FAULT.



He signed his name and rolled the parchment up. He got up and left the common room, going for a slow stroll to the owlery.



The last few days of May had been glorious, and today was no exception. He breathed in the fresh, warm air, feeling some of the tension lift from his shoulders. The worries he felt for his friend were still there, but in the lovely weather it was difficult to see why they had been fretting him so.



He reached the building and walked quietly up the steps. The door was cracked and broken in places and he glanced in through a peephole to see if anyone else was there.



There was.



Draco Malfoy had his large screech owl sitting on his shoulders as he read a letter that the bird, presumably, had just delivered. A smile crossed his pale face, and he jigged a little on the spot. The bird, annoyed at the disturbance to its perch, flew off and settled high on the wall, out of Ron’s eye sight. Draco glanced up to where it was before returning his attention to the letter. It didn’t seem very long, so Ron couldn’t understand what was taking Malfoy so long.



At last, the boy slipped the paper into his trouser pocket, fixed his face into its usual superior sneer, and pulled open the door.



Ron had seen the other approaching and had nimbly hidden. He wasn’t in the least scared of the boy, but he was enjoying being happy, and didn’t want his good mood ruined by an encounter with the Slytherin.



Once he was sure it was safe, he cautiously made his way into the dark building. The unmistakable sound of wings fluttering and soft hootings filled the warm space. There was such an air of calm about the owlery that Ron allowed himself to just be still for a long moment, soaking up the atmosphere.



Finally, he looked about and above him, searching for Hedwig or Pig. Pig couldn’t be seen, but Hedwig was eyeing him thoughtfully. He held out his arm to her, and she stretched her self in an “oh, if I have to,” kind of way and fluttered down to him.



He attached the letter to her leg and asked her to take it to his parents, promising her a treat when she returned. She hooted softly at him and took off.



Ron made his slow way back to the school, still revelling in the temperate weather. The chiming of the clock made him look up. He would be late for today’s declaration of love. Swearing fluently under his breath, Ron raced up the stairs and pelted along the corridors until he reached the Hospital Wing.



He burst through the doors, skidding to a halt with the eyes of everyone in the room on him. Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, Snape, Harry, and Hermione were all glowering at him in varying degrees.



Snape, irritated, jabbed with his finger at the seat Ron was meant to be in. Knowing how vital it was not to disturb the declaration if it had begun, Ron nodded, looked apologetic, and sat down, trying to stop his panting from drawing attention.