The Trust of Friends
Harry hit the Weasleys� floor and fell forward.
I�ll never get used to this, he thought.
The house looked as it had last year. Two very old couches stood on one side. On the wall there were shelves containing everything from boxes of Berty Bott�s Every Flavor Beans to a very large collection of batteries.
Ginny�s voice carried from the next room. �Come on! I want you meet someone.�
Ginny walked in, dragging a little girl behind her. The girl had bright red hair and deep blue eyes. She looked like a younger version of Ginny.
�See, I told you I knew Harry Potter,� said Ginny proudly.
The girl looked at Harry curiously. �Are you really?� she asked.
�Of course he is!� said Ginny. �Anyway, Harry, this is our cousin Icicle. She�s eight years old, but she�s really smart. She�s going to Hogwarts this year, the youngest person in five hundred years.
Icicle blushed and looked at her feet.
�Okay Ginny,� said Ron. �Stop talking. You�re embarrassing her. You don�t want to do that in front of your lover boy.�
Ginny turned red and dove at Ron. She had him in a headlock.
�Okay, okay,� gasped Ron. �I take it back.�
Ginny let him go, which was lucky since Mr. Weasley landed in the fireplace a few seconds later.
�Sorry I took so long,� said Mr. Weasley. Then, noticing Ginny�s face, �What happened?�
�Oh nothing,� said Fred.
�Yeah,� George said, �Ginny just tried to kill Ron. Nothing new.�
�Yeah right,� said Mr. Weasley. �Well, you two help Harry with his trunk. Ginny, Icicle, go start dinner.�
�Do we have to?� said Ginny and Icicle at the same time.
�Yes,� said Mr. Weasley. �You know your mother isn�t feeling well.�
Harry climbed the stairs with Ron. Fred and George were carrying the trunk and Harry was carrying Hedwig.
�What happened to your mother?� Harry asked when they got to Ron�s room.
�Oh I guess you haven�t heard,� Ron said grimly. �Dumbledore�s been sacked.�
�What?�
�I know. I can�t believe it either. It was that idiot Fudge. He�s appointed himself headmaster. Mum�s been ill since she heard.�
Harry wished he knew what to say. His mind was reeling. Dumbledore sacked? How could that happen?
Actually Harry knew how. Fudge didn�t want to accept the fact that Voldemort was back. He thought mentioning it might ruin his chances of staying Minister of Magic. He laughed at the idea of becoming friends with the giants.
Mr. Weasley walked in, looking worried. �Harry,� he said, �Molly wants to see you.�
Harry followed Mr. Weasley down the stairs. Why did Mrs. Weasley want to see him?
�In here,� said Mr. Weasley, pointing to a door.
Harry opened the door slowly. Mrs. Weasley was sitting in a chair by the window. She did look ill. Her skin was chalk white and she seemed to be getting very thin. She looked as if she might collapse at any moment.
�Harry,� she said, �I suppose you�ve heard about Dumbledore. I�ve been so worried about you since it happened. I need you to promise me you won�t look for trouble. Yes, I know trouble seems to find you. Just promise me you�ll be careful.�
�Yes, of course,� Harry said. How could he say anything else? Mrs. Weasley wouldn�t have the strength to argue.
�I mean it, Harry, be careful,� Mrs. Weasley said. �If something happened to you, many people would just give up. They look up to you. Especially the other students at Hogwarts.�
�I promise,� Harry said. �Don�t worry about me. Should I go?� He was worried that she might be using up her strength.
She looked out the window. �Dark times are coming,� she whispered. Then, �Anyway, you can go. Enjoy the rest of your summer.�
* * *
�What did Mum want you for?� asked Ron.
They were sitting under a tree in the front yard. Harry wished he could tell Ron, but something held him back. Would he understand?
�Nothing,� Harry said. Then changing the subject, �So, have you heard from Hermione?�
�Yeah I just got a letter from her last week. Why?�
�I haven�t heard from her since the last day of school. Do you know why?�
�No. Why are you so worried?� Ron said. Then, seeing the look on Harry�s face, �Oh. I�m sorry man. I didn�t know.�
�Yeah. I can�t send her letters. When I try to write letters they start with the words �I love you.� How am I going to talk to her at school?�
�Sorry. You wanna go back inside? Dad said something about going to Diagon Alley. We could go get our school stuff.�
�Yeah, sure,� Harry said. �I need to get my mind off Hermione.�
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Hermione didn�t have a distraction such as Diagon Alley to get her mind off of Harry. She did, however, have someone to talk to. And now, she was writing another letter.
Dear Ginny,
Sorry my handwriting�s a little messy. I can�t concentrate today. I�ve been thinking about Harry. He hasn�t sent me any letters. I�m to embarrassed to send him a letter. I must have gone too far with that kiss. I�m so worried about him. I just heard about Dumbledore today. You-Know-Who is going to try to kill Harry again. I�m certain of it. And, without Dumbledore there, he may succeed. I�m just so worried. Well, thanks for listening.
Hermione
She folded the letter and tied it to Pig�s leg. Pig was used to the routine now. He delivered a letter and waited for the next one.
Hermione had been sending Ginny notes all summer. Ginny had become a new best friend. She was the only person Hermione trusted not to tell Harry. Ron? He was Harry�s best friend. He�d never keep a secret.
Hermione watched Pig fly away. Oh Harry, she thought, where are you?
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