Skinny Love - Ron Weasley

Chapter 5

"Don't remember this on the Marauder's Map." Harry mutters.

Neville makes a noise of agreement as he leads them through the tunnel, "That's because it never existed till now. The seven secret passages were sealed off, before the start of the year. This is the only way in or out, now. The grounds are crawled with Death Eaters and Dementors."

"How about Snape as Headmaster?"

"Hardly ever seen. It's the Carrows who's watching out for."

Alex raises a brow as she follows behind the group, her hand clutching onto Ron's, "Carrows?"

Neville nods barley being able to see her in the darkness, "Yeah. Brother and sister. In charge of discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows." He gestures to a cut on his head.

"They did that to you? Why?"

"Today's Dark Arts lesson was practicing the Cruciatus curse... On first years. I refused. Hogwarts has changed," He smiles lightly turning to the end of the passageway, "Let's have a bit of fun, shall we?"

He opens the door and shouts down to everyone. "Hey, you lot! I got you a surprise."

"No more about Aberforth's cooking. We'll be surprised if it's just digested."

He moves out of the way allowing everyone to see Harry, Hermione and Ron, Alex stands on her tip-toes looking over their shoulders and gives a small grin, "Oh my! Harry!"

"Get the word out to Remus and the others, that Harry is back."

The Quartet follow Neville down the ladder, Alex yelps as Ron helps her down and he chuckles making her hit him on the shoulder.

"What's going on, Harry?"

Everyone gathers around, all of them looking towards the boy, "There's something we need to find. There's something hidden here, in the castle. And it may help us to defeat You-Know-Who."

"Alright, what is it?"

Alex sighs, "We don't know."

"Where is it?"

Harry looks back at his three friends, "We don't know that either."

A few people exclaim in the crowd murmuring amongst each other, "We've spent the last seven blimey months in different forests, burying a friend and getting tortured, the most you can do is help us, or at least bloody listen!" Alex yells making everyone fall silent.

Harry nods in thanks and she nods back, "I realize that's not much to go on. That's nothing to go on. I think it has something to do with Ravenclaw. It'll be small, easily concealed. Anyone, any ideas?"

Everyone is silent for a moment, until suddenly Luna speaks up, ""Well, there's Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem."

"Oh, bloody hell!" Alex hits Ron across the back of the head making him yelp.

"Lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Hasn't anyone heard of it? It's quite famous."

Cho shakes her head, "Yes. But, Luna, it's lost. For centuries. There's no person alive today who's seen it."

"Excuse me, can someone tell me what bloody diadem is?"

"It's a sort of crown," Alex says pretending to take something off of her head and placing it on top of his, "You know, like a tiara. You'd look pretty in a tiara, Ronald."

"Harry!" Ginny exclaims as she runs into the room.

Harry nods, giving the red head a smile as she runs at him, throwing her arms around his neck, "Hi, there."

"Six months she hasn't seen me and it's like I'm a Frankie first-year," Ron fumes, "I'm her brother!"

"She got lots of them, but she has got only one Harry." Seamus smirks, high-fiving Alex.

"Shut up, Seamus!"

"What is it, Ginny?"

Ginny pulls back from Harry looking around at everyone, "Snape knows... he knows that Harry was spotted in Hogsmede."

Alex sends a worried look back to her friends, Ron squeezes her hand pulling her tightly to his side with an arm wrapped around her waist, "We'll be okay." He assures, whispering into her hair.

She nods, interlacing his fingers with hers and nodding as she glances at him from the corner of her eye repeating his words back to him, "We'll be okay."