The Lewis House 101 страница

"You like it?"

She looked up at him. She wasn't sure what to say; she never would have expected Ron to get something like this so very right.

"There were nicer ones," he said, and his ears were red again. "With diamonds and stuff. I could've - if you'd rather, we can go back, but this seemed more like you."

"I've never seen anything so pretty," Hermione managed. "It's perfect."

Ron looked profoundly relieved. "Oh." He sighed. "Good."

"It reminds me of my Time Turner," she said, still fascinated by the movement of the sand. She held up her hand and they both watched it flash.

"Yeah." Ron nodded. "Exactly. So every time you look at it, you can remember that you're insane, and I know it."

"Ron."

He shushed her and grabbed her waist. Swept his eyes over her and got a funny smirk on his face. "And… whenever you think about how you got engaged - for the entire rest of your life -" He kissed her quickly, grinning, and Hermione felt a stab of apprehension.

"What?" she demanded.

"Remember you were in a Cannons shirt."

"RON!"

He laughed like a maniac. "You fell for it, too - your clean clothes were right in the top drawer -"

"You put me in this on purpose to propose to me?" Hermione wasn't sure whether to laugh, hit him or kiss him. She knew she was going to spend the rest of her life torn between those options.

"Hell yes." Ron grabbed handfuls of the huge orange shirt, and pulled it tight around her back, flattening it to her body. "It was this or the white thing," he said, and leaned in to brush his nose against hers. "And the white thing would've made you get all suspicious."

"Aren't you clever," she huffed.

"I'm a genius." He laughed against her mouth and kissed her - but the kiss quickly shifted from playful to real, and Hermione didn't have long to worry about what she was wearing, because it was on the floor and she was in her childhood bed with Ron, who loved her and knew her.

And wanted to marry her.

Chapter Forty-One

The Ring

~*~

A/N: Enormous thanks to Jedi B, Mistress of Malfoy, for channeling Draco for the sake of yet another scene. At least half his dialogue here belongs to her.

Arabella just watched "The Ring" and now wishes that this chapter wasn't titled that. She is shuddering right now.

This chapter was beta read by the following impossibly cool and incredibly lovely international super spies: Cap'n Kathy, Caroline, CoKerry, Firelox (who is here with us and would like everyone to know that with just a few more margaritas, she could think Draco was really hot) and Moey. We're deeply indebted to them for their continuing time and effort.

~*~

It wasn't until the next night that Ginny had an opportunity to talk to Ron. She needed more sleep, there were classes to catch up on, and Ron and Hermione were glued to the Grangers' bedsides. And so Ginny waited. She spoke with Remus, who listened and then gave her permission to visit Culparrat. It was a relief to have his support, but Ginny still had a knot in her stomach as she left Lupin Lodge and walked slowly down the road towards the Notch. Remus's permission was not going to be the most difficult to obtain. Not this time.

The Notch was bright and cheerful in the twilight, but as Ginny approached she heard passionate, angry shouts drifting towards the road from within. Ron and Harry sounded irate about something - she felt a thud in her stomach. She hoped it wasn't anything serious. She ran the rest of the way up to their house, hurried up the stairs and let herself in without knocking.

"WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?" Ron was howling. "THAT'S NOT A FOUL, THAT'S PERFECTLY LEGAL, HE CAN BE BEHIND THE HOOP, HE JUST CAN'T BLOCK THE QUAFFLE FROM BACK THERE - IF HIS FOOT WAS IN FRONT OF THE HOOP, AND THAT'S WHAT BLOCKED THE QUAFFLE, THEN THAT'S ALLOWED!"

Ginny stopped running. Relieved that it was only Quidditch, she walked to the front room in time to see Ron collapse onto the floor, pounding his fists on either side of him, as Harry turned up the volume. The sight of Harry stopped her in the doorway, and she gazed at the back of him, her eyes lingering on his unkempt black hair and traveling down the lean breadth of his shoulders and back, taking in the fact that he was still damp from his shower. She wanted to walk up behind him and breathe him in. Kiss his neck.

"YOU'D THINK AN OFFICIAL BLOODY REF WOULD KNOW THE RULES! I CAN'T BELIEVE - THIS IS BOLLOCKS -" Ron's tirade disintegrated into nothing but swear words, and Ginny snapped out of her reverie. There wouldn't be any kissing just at present. She wasn't here to talk to Harry. Not first, anyway.

"Shut up a minute," Harry said, just loudly enough to be heard over the racket that Ron was making. "I want to hear what they're -"

"And Oliver Wood has called a time out. He's having a heated discussion with the referee - he's pulling a play book out of the referee's pocket and opening it - he's pointing to a page and shouting something -"

"GOOD!" Ron bellowed from the floor. "GIVE IT TO HIM, OLIVER!"

"Shush!" said Harry.

"And the referee is sending him off the pitch! And the referee is sprinting down the pitch - Oliver Wood is making a run for him - that's right, Oliver, swing at him! Damn it, he missed! And The Cannons' Beaters have made an emergency landing - they're pulling Wood back before he can make a woman out of that useless excuse for a ref - NO! Wood has been suspended from the game! The Cannons are already two goals behind and it seems they'll be playing without a Keeper for the duration of the match!"

Ron wailed miserably.

"It might be all right," said Harry stoutly. "If Knight gets the Snitch before another thirteen goals are made, then it won't mean a thing."

"What if Knight…" Ron began, but then he snorted and sat up. "Never mind," he said. "That's sort of like saying you wouldn't get it, isn't it? She'll get it all right. It had just better come out in time." Looking far more cheerful, Ron pushed himself to his feet and, for the first time, caught sight of Ginny. He looked startled. "Hi," he said, and glanced at Harry. "Er - haven't seen you over here in awhile." He seemed to remember something. "Hey, thanks for knocking, by the way, what if… well." He looked a bit pink. "You should knock."

"Yeah," Harry said, turning and catching her eyes for the first time. He looked drained and gray and horribly exhausted, but he shot her a tiny grin, and Ginny felt a wonderful glow all over, along with a rush of anxiety. She wanted to go to him - she needed to help him feel better - and she could do it now. Of course, she had promised Remus not to work on anyone, but perhaps for Harry...

"You should definitely knock," Harry went on. "You wouldn't want to see what I saw last night -"

"Potter," Ron growled.

"Oh, it's all right, I'm already scarred for life." Ginny smiled. "I walked in on Mum and Dad when I was seven."

Both Ron and Harry went silent and looked horrified, and Ginny took advantage of the pause.

"Ron, I need to talk to you in private."

Harry's expression shifted at once. He met her eyes over Ron's shoulder and gave her a bracing nod. Ginny licked her lips and squared her shoulders. She could do this. Ron had to say yes.

"I'm listening to the match," Ron complained. "It's the quarter final."

"It's about Malfoy's case," Ginny added. "About getting information on him?"

Ron's whole demeanor immediately changed; he didn't waste another moment. "Right." He pointed to the wireless. "Fill me in on what happened when I get back?" he asked Harry, and didn't wait for an answer before striding toward the front door. "Let's go for a walk," he said, and beckoned to Ginny.

She followed Ron outside. It was comfortably cool and had grown nearly dark. Someone was setting off fireworks down in the village; they erupted in the air and filled the distant sky with bursts of color.

"So." Ron rubbed his hands together as they began to walk towards the fireworks. "You and Harry are doing better?"

It wasn't the first question Ginny had expected, and she was thrown. "Er - yes. We… made up." It was a massive understatement.

"That's great." Ron slung an arm around her, squeezed, and let her go. In his aura, Ginny could sense something enormous - something unbearably happy. Something so ecstatic that she felt it before she could stop herself.

"Wow," she murmured. "Ron, what's up with you?"

He glanced at her, shrugged, and then grinned so brilliantly that his eyes crinkled up and nearly disappeared. "Oh, nothing," he said, and took a big breath that ended in a lovesick sort of sigh. "Just, you know. Having a good week."

"Did you win a million Galleons or something?"

He laughed. "Better," he said, but then he shook his head. "I can't say anything yet," he told her. "You can't ask or I'll want to tell, and I'm not allowed."

"When can I know?"

"When… Hermione's parents are able to communicate a bit better." Ron slung his arm around Ginny again and left it there as they continued walking. "You're a star, you know that?" He kissed the top of her head. "Waking them up. You're just…" He sighed. "Thank you. I don't know how to thank you. No one does, so you're just going to have to be satisfied that we're all in awe of you, all right?"

Ginny snickered.

"I'm serious! Now no more questions."

Ginny had just opened her mouth to ask for more clues, but she closed it. She wouldn't press him. She would show him how he should have behaved when she had told him that she had a secret.

"So tell me what you were saying about Malfoy," Ron said, letting go of her again.

Ginny gave him a sidelong, irritated look. But Ron seemed perfectly unaware that he was being hypocritical, and she sighed. There was no point in expecting him to consider Draco Malfoy rationally.

"I want to go to Culparrat and talk to him," Ginny said. "In private."

Ron glanced at her. "He's Stunned," he said, rather curtly. "And I thought you promised Remus you wouldn't do any more private Healing sessions."

"It's not to do Healing. And Remus knows," Ginny said. "And Malfoy… well, you know that there are things I can't tell you."

Ron snorted.

"I can't, Ron. It's not that I don't want to."

"Then you do know things."

"I… to be perfectly honest, I don't. I just have a vague idea." She gave Ron a pleading look. "But if you'll let me talk to Malfoy, perhaps I can convince him to let me tell you."

"Oh, you're going to get friendly information out of Malfoy?" Ron gave a mirthless laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll cooperate."

"I know he won't. That's why I…" Ginny drew a deep breath. She knew that Ron was going to flatly deny her what she needed, but she had to ask. "I have to be able to bargain with him, Ron. I have to be able to… to tell him his sentence will be shortened, or that he can go free if he'll -"

Ron was already gaping at her in horror. "Are you mad?" he breathed. "Malfoy's never getting out of that place if I can help it - how could you want him to? You know what he's capable of -"

"It's not that I want him free, it's that I want him to do whatever he can to…" Stop the Dementors. But Ginny couldn't finish. It would have given information away. "Look. Just let me speak to him. I won't promise him anything. But give me a chance to talk to him, and let me see what I can do without making an offer like that."

Ron shook his head. "I don't want you dealing with him. He's completely belligerent."

"Oh, like I care."

"No, there has to be a loophole." Ron frowned. "Here - let me ask you a few other questions. And you'll have to answer these on the stand, eventually, so you might as well start preparing with me now."

Ginny blinked. "On the stand?" she said. "Why?"

"We'll call you as a witness. We have to make sure that the evidence we recovered from Malfoy Manor can't be suppressed in the hearing, and Malfoy's going to try and have it all thrown out."

"On what basis?" Ginny demanded.

"On the basis that you breached your contract, and that's how we knew where the trapdoor was, and where to look for the stuff. And that's going to be difficult to disprove."

Ginny rubbed her head. It was so much to think about. "How did you know where that trapdoor was, anyway?" she asked.

Ron shrugged. "I heard it somewhere - look. Answer me this. You signed a contract?"

"Yes."

"Who wrote it up?"

"Their family's Defender."

"What exactly did it say?"

"That I would go to Malfoy Manor and be paid to do work with Malfoy, and that I would reveal no part of what transpired between myself and Malfoy during the Healing session to any person."

Ron let out a breath. "And how much did he pay you?"

Ginny frowned. "Why is that important?"

"How much?" Ron repeated.

"Well, he…" Ginny raised her eyebrows. "He didn't pay me, actually. He tried, but I didn't take the money."

Ron stopped walking. "You didn't take the money?" he said urgently. "Nothing?"

Ginny stopped beside him. "Not a Knut," she declared, glad to be able to say it. Whatever bad decisions she had made, she had not taken any of the Malfoy money.

"Ginny…" Ron turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, grinning as if he'd just won a chess match. "You know what this means? Your contract with him is null and void. It's meaningless. You don't have to honor it."

Ginny felt a heavy, sinking feeling in her stomach. "I - I don't?" she repeated anxiously.

"No! This is great! They won't be able to throw out a single piece of that evidence - and now you can tell me anything you want - so go on, what is it, what was he doing up there at Azkaban? What's your theory?"

Ginny took a step back, and Ron's hands fell from her shoulders. "I… can't tell you," she said hesitantly. "I still don't feel… I know it's not on paper, but even so, it's…"

"Ginny," Ron warned. "I'm telling you, you don't have a leg to stand on with that self-imposed oath crap. I can get it out of you, I can make it so you're required by law to -"

"Then you'll have to do that." Ginny turned and began to walk very quickly back to the Notch. This wasn't what she had anticipated at all.

"Ginny," Ron called, and hurried to catch up with her. "How can you stand up for Malfoy if what you know might help everyone you care about? How?"

"I'm not standing up for Malfoy!" Ginny shouted, and walked even faster. "It's not about him, it's about me. I care about the oath I made. Money has nothing to do with it."

"Wait up - damn it, Ginny, come on -"

*

Harry could hear Ron and Ginny approaching the Notch, but he wished he couldn't. They were arguing. He hadn't really expected their conversation to go smoothly, but he had hoped that it would - he was tired of arguments. He was tired in general. Hermione had stopped by almost immediately after Ron and Ginny had walked out. They had been sitting in front of the fire and chatting for a quarter of an hour, and Harry had hoped that, when Ron and Ginny got back from their walk, the four of them could just sit around and have an hour of peace.

But when Ginny flung open the door and marched inside looking self-righteous, and Ron followed looking fit to kill, Harry knew they were all in for a difficult evening - or at least not a pleasant one. He braced himself.

"Oh, Ginny." Hermione jumped up at once and nearly flew across the room to hug her. She seemed oblivious to Ginny's irritated state, and she held her so tightly that Ginny's eyes widened over Hermione's shoulder, and she gasped for breath. "You did it," Hermione was mumbling. "You did it, and I didn't even thank you, I'm so sorry, but I was delirious - you're brilliant. I'll never know how to thank you."

Harry felt a rush of pride. She was brilliant.

"You did it too," Ginny said. "I couldn't have helped if you hadn't built that spell." She squeezed Hermione for a moment before letting go.

Hermione stepped back, swiping at her eyes. "I was just there," she said, sniffling happily. "At St. Mungo's. I was telling Harry. My parents have been moved to another wing, and the mediwizards are already working on their muscles - and there's someone else who's going to work with them on speech."

"That's great," Ginny said calmly, though her cheeks were very pink and her mouth was pursed. She shot a sideways glare at Ron before returning her attention to Hermione. "I hope they recover quickly - I'll keep visiting them."

"Thank you. Mum was trying to move her mouth already today. I can't wait to hear her voice." Hermione shone around the room at all of them, but when her eyes landed on Ron, she frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked.

The room went quiet.

"They were just trying to work out something for Malfoy's case," Harry offered, when no one else explained. "Trying to find a way to get information out of him."

"We found one," Ron said heatedly. "If she'd just tell me."

"She signed a contract -" Harry and Hermione began together.

"She doesn’t have to honor that!" Ron said. "Malfoy never paid her! And she still won't tell me what she knows, even though she's legally allowed to."

"Could you not talk about me like I'm not here?" Ginny snapped, rubbing her temples.

Harry didn't want to be involved in the argument - but he had to ask. "You can tell Ron what you know?" he said warily, turning a bit on the couch to look up at Ginny. "Malfoy didn't pay you, is that true?"

"But I want to keep my oath." Ginny rounded on Ron and glared at him. "Ever heard of an oath, Ron? It's like a vow. It's something you keep." She let out a disgusted breath. "You'd better never marry him, Hermione," she muttered. "Or if you do, you'd better get it all on paper."

Hermione went pink and gave Ron a startled, round-eyed look. Ron looked back at her and shook his head vehemently. "I didn't!" he said. "I promise!"

"Be quiet!" Hermione hissed.

Harry had no idea what they were on about. He tried to catch Ginny's eye, but she was ranting again.

"He's being the stubborn one," Ginny said. "He won't let me go to Culparrat and speak to Malfoy, which is all I asked to do -"

"I'm going to get a court order that says you have to break your oath and tell me what you know," Ron said, wagging a finger at her. "I can do that, and I will do that -"

"And what if I still won't say anything?" Ginny shouted suddenly. "Are you going to put me in Culparrat? Force me to take Veritaserum?"

"If that's what it takes!" Ron shouted back, and the two of them glowered at each other.

"Erm, Ron…" Hermione said hesitantly, giving his arm a very ginger pat, "perhaps we should all sit down and talk about th-"

"She might be able to help you, Harry," Ron interrupted, making Hermione stop in mid-sentence and glare at him. "And she could help our dad," Ron went on, counting off on his fingers, "and the Ministry, and all the dragon riders, and she's just being -"

"Unprofessional, he called me," spat Ginny, looking truly furious. "Well, who's unprofessional now, Ron? You're using everyone we know as leverage to try and make me talk, how professional does that make you?"

Hermione glanced at Harry, then backed away from Ginny and Ron and took a chair by the fire as they closed in on each other behind the sofa, looking murderous.

"You're helping Malfoy," Ron seethed.

"And I should help you? I'm sorry, but you're being such a prat that I don't really feel like it!"

"Unprofessional!" Ron shouted. "Right there!"

Ginny's fists clenched, and for a moment, Harry thought that she was going to rear back and punch her brother right in the face. "Well according to you I'm not a professional," she finally managed. "Just the other day you said I wasn't licensed, or part of any legally recognized body, so how about you make up your mind?"

Ron's fists were clenched too. Harry wasn't sure what he would do if the two of them really went at it - whose side he would take, or if he would even take one. Did brothers and sisters punch each other? He'd never seen any of the Weasleys do it, but Ron and Ginny looked so angry that he simply wasn't sure.

"You're acting like a spoiled little baby," Ron snapped.

Ginny went bright red, and Harry knew why. She hated being called a baby. "And you're acting like putting Malfoy in prison should be everyone's number one priority!" she snapped back. "As if nothing else matters just because you hate him! Why don't you stop being so bloody vindictive for a minute and take the whole picture into account?"

Ron's jaw dropped and his ears flushed. "Just being vindictive, am I?" he asked softly, and somehow he sounded much more frightening that way. "Just putting him in prison over a Hogwarts grudge, is that what you think?"

Ginny didn't answer, but the insolent raise of her chin was enough.

"Forgotten all about the things he's done, have you?" Ron's voice was still unnervingly quiet. "Forgotten about last June, and about the Grangers -"

Hermione had been looking from Ginny to Ron and back again, anxiously biting her lips together. But at the mention of her parents she went very still in her chair. She opened her mouth as if to defend Ginny, but never got the words out.

"Don't you dare," Ginny cut in, her voice shaking. "Don't you dare say I don't remember those things. I know all of it. I know he's horrible, I know what his father did to you, and to me - to all of us - don't you tell me I don't know."

Harry felt a chill. It was rare that he even allowed himself to think about Ron's kidnapping, or about the fact that Lucius Malfoy had nearly killed Ginny on the battlefield at Hogwarts, just last June. He would not contemplate the myriad times that he might have lost either of them. Would not do it.

"But Draco isn't the same person as his father -" Ginny continued.

Ron gave an inelegant snort. "Draco," he muttered. "On a first name basis now, the two of you? How sweet."

Ginny's eyes flitted to Harry and he instantly looked down. He couldn't bear to look at her and remember that he had accused her about Malfoy in much the same way. He couldn't believe he had done that.

"Ron," Hermione said very quietly, "don't say things like that. You know she remembers. She just did something amazing for my parents, and she's only trying to help you."

Her reproach seemed to take the edge off Ron's fury - he blew out a breath and crossed his arms, but Harry thought could read a little bit of guilt in his face.

It was a moment before Ron spoke. "Even if Malfoy hasn't committed as many crimes as his father," he demanded, "how can you want to give him a bargain that lets him go free?" He looked at Ginny, uncrossed his arms, and gestured for an answer. "How? You know he's not innocent of Unforgivables - he can't be. And of all the people to pardon, he just doesn't deserve -"

"I told you," Ginny said, enunciating every word as though Ron were either very young or extremely stupid. "I don't want him free, but I wonder if there might be a good enough reason to give him that bargain. All I want is to ask him some questions and try to work out what he knows and what he's willing to do."

"Willing? Right." Ron sighed in disgust and turned away from Ginny. He went to the chess table, grabbed a chair, thunked it down in front of the fire beside Hermione, and straddled it. "Look," he said, crossing his arms on the back, "you're not going to get anything out of him. He's a total wanker and he always has been, so you might as well just skip a step and tell me what you know now, or wait until you get ordered by the Ministry and then tell me what you know."

Ginny leaned her hands on the back of the sofa; her hair swung forward and brushed Harry's shoulder. "Well, just let me talk to him before you do that, would you?"

"There's no point."

"Yes there bloody well is!" Ginny smacked the top of the cushion just behind Harry's head; he jumped in surprise and glanced warily over his shoulder. He'd never seen her quite like this, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. He only knew he never wanted her to glare at him the way she was glaring at Ron right now.

"Explain it, then," Ron demanded.

"I CAN'T!" Ginny shouted. "I can't explain myself completely without giving something away, haven't you heard a word I've said? Why can't you just let me talk to him? What do I have to say to you? Why don't you trust me?"

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04