Skinny Love - Ron Weasley

Chapter 7

"Get off."

The group jump up off the chairs hearing the noise behind them, two house elves come in, a Mundungus Fletcher behind them, "Harry Potter, so long it's been."

"Get off me!"

"As requested, Kreacher has returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher."

Dobby jumps onto the table followed by Kreacher smiling happily at the Quartet, "What you playing at? Setting a pair of bleeding house-elves after me."

"Dobby was only trying to help," The house elf says as he walks down the kitchen table, "Dobby saw Kreacher in Diagon Alley, which Dobby thought was curious. And then Dobby heard Kreacher mention Harry Potter's name."

Kreacher walks forward trying to speak, "I just-"

Dobby sticks his hand out pushing the other elf back, "And then Dobby saw Kreacher talking with the thief, Mundungus-"

"I'm no thief. You foul little- Git. I'm a purveyor of rare and wondrous objects."

"You're a thief, Dung. Everyone knows it." Ron says.

Dobby smiles at the red head walking forward to shake his hand, "Master Weasley, so good to see you again."

"Wicked trainers."

"Listen," Fletcher says walking towards them slowly, his eyes widen at the sight of the red slowly taking over Alex's head, "I panicked that night, all right? Could I help it if Mad-Eye fell off his broom?"

Alex scoffs giving off a bitter laugh, in one swift motion she has punched him and he's fallen back against the table, "That's for raiding my house after my father had just died."

Raising her first again a sickening crack fills the room, "And that was for fun."

"Tell the truth," Harry says moving Alex away from the man, "When you turned this place over- Don't deny it. You found a locket, am I right?"

"Why? Was it valuable?"

Alex goes to step forward but Ron places a hand on hers stopping her from going closer to the thief, "You still got it?"

"No, he's worried he didn't get enough money for it." Ron says.

"Bleeding give it away, didn't I? There I was, flogging me wares in Diagon Alley when some Ministry hag comes up and asks to see me license. Says she's a mind to lock me up. And would've done it too, if she hadn't taken a fancy to that locket."

"Who was she? The witch. Do you know?"

He shakes his head holding his nose as to try and stop the bleeding, "No, I-" He steps and walks towards the stack of newspapers, "Well, she's there. Look."

Alex sighs and lets her head fall back as she looks to the ceiling, "Can't we just corner her and, ' Avad Ke-"

"No, Alex."

"One of us has to stay here," Harry says looking between his three friends, "In case things go south."

Alex offers herself, "I will, I don't really fancy going back to the Ministry if I'm completely honest." She says quietly.

"Lex, you're going to stay here alone?"

She nods with a shrug, "I'll be fine, Ron, okay? Beside I've got Dobby and Kreacher."

~~~~~

"Dobby has never been here before, it is a nice home you have, Alex Black."

"Thanks, Dobby."

The house elf nods following her into the room where she piles notebooks and reading books into her back pack, "Why are you packing?"

"Just preparing, Dobby," She assures walking towards her old room and gathering some other things, "Just in case."

He nods sitting on the bed and swinging his legs back and forth as he does. Alex smiles when she puts her old black dog teddy into the bag followed by her mother's old Quidditch jersey and her father's leather jacket.

Swinging the bag over her shoulder she sighs in satisfaction when she realises everything is inside and ready. When she gets to the bottom of the stairs she furrows her brows when she hears a sound.

Hermione, Ron and Harry appear followed by a blonde haired man, Hermione dives forward grabbing her hand and then Apparating them away.

Alex lands with a thud her feet slipping from beneath her as she falls back.

"Alex?" Harry asks running over.

They turn upon hearing a gasping sound and their eyes widen, "Ron? Ron, what's wrong with him?"

"Shh, shh, shh," Alex cups his face making him look at her, "Ron, focus on me, okay? It's all right. It's okay. Just please, you promised, remember?"

"Harry. Harry, quickly, in my bag," Hermione calls, Harry runs towards the bag opening it up, "There's a bottle labelled 'Essence of Dittany'."

Alex leans over and places a kiss on his forehead, "Shh. Shh."

"Quickly!" Hermione yells.

"Accio Dittany."

He runs over with it in his hand and watches as Hermione rips of his sleeve, "Unstopper it."

"Hermione, his arm."

"I know, just do it."

Alex shushes him and lets him hold onto her hand tightly as she whispers to him, "Okay, it's gonna sting a little bit."

Slowly his arm begins to heal, up and he sighs in relief as his twitching slowly comes to a stop, "What happened? I thought we meant to be going back to Grimmauld Place?"

"We were." Hermione nods.

She hands a bit of bandage to Alex and moves out of the way allowing Alex to carefully bandage up Ron's arm, "We were there, we were there at Grimmauld Place, that's how I got Alex, but Yaxley had hold of me, and I-I knew once he'd seen where we were, we couldn't stay so I brought us here but Ron got splinched."

"Protego Totalum. Salvio Hexia."

"What are you doing?" Harry questions following after her.

Alex rests her forehead against Ron's closing her eyes as her thumb rubs back and forth on his cheek, "Protective enchantments." Hermione tells Harry, "I don't fancy another visit like the one we had in Shaftesbury Avenue, do you? You can get going on the tent."

"Tent? Where am I supposed to find a tent?"