Chapter 17: Let's not be Brash

                                    

                                          
Hermione Apparated directly into the Burrow and stood at the bottom of the stairs.
                          
"Ginny?" she called.
                          
"Hermione," Molly greeted. "Ginny's upstairs with Harry. They're in Ron's room."
                          
"And Ron?" she asked, noticing that his name was left out.
                          
"He was already running really late for Bill, so when he heard Ginny was phoning you, he left," Mrs. Weasley said, looking rather nervous. "They haven't told me what's happening, just that Hagrid met with Harry. Is everything alright?"
                          
"I really don't know," Hermione admitted. "I'm here to find out. I-"
                          
"I'll take care of Aurelian. You just go up and speak with them," Molly insisted, taking Aurelian out of Hermione's arms. Hermione nodded in reply.
                          
"Look, Aunt Molly. Helen gived me a muffin," he smiled.
                          
Hermione grimaced at the way Aurelian referred to her mother by her first name, but decided that it was not the time to discuss it. To save herself the time and energy of running up all the stairs to the top floor, she Apparated outside of Ron's room. She quickly knocked and entered without waiting for a reply.
                          
"Hermione?" Harry asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at your parents' today."
                          
"I was, but Ginny called," she explained.
                          
Harry sent a glare at Ginny, who crossed her arms in defiance. Hermione noticed that Harry's wand was gripped tightly in Ginny's right hand.
                          
"What's going on, Harry? What did Hagrid say?" Hermione asked.
                          
Harry didn't answer. He just stared at Ginny, looking rather betrayed.
                          
"I'm going to go downstairs and see Aurelian," the redhead announced. Harry held out his hand for his wand, but she acted like she hadn't seen and left the room, still in possession of his beloved wand.
                          
Harry huffed in frustration and turned to Hermione. "McGonagall had talked to Hagrid and let him know that Dennis was missing. He had seen him and came to tell me in person."
                          
"When? Where?" Hermione asked hurriedly.
                          
"About a week ago in Knockturn Alley."
                          
"Knockturn Alley?" Hermione worried.
                          
"Yeah."
                          
"So, what is it you're planning? You just want to go there and look for him?" Hermione took the same irritated tone as Ginny when she realized what he had been thinking.
                          
"If that's where he was, then that's where I'm looking," Harry said with a scowl.
                          
"That was a week ago, Harry. You can't expect him to still be there. And if he went back, that still doesn't mean you'll find him. Not to mention, not many people like you in that area. We have to think this through."
                          
"Knockturn Alley is a dangerous place for someone like him. People there know when someone doesn't fit in and they're not very kind about it. We need to figure out why he was there and hopefully find him," Harry argued heatedly.
                          
"And how do you plan to do that? You can't just go around asking people if they'd heard his name or seen the boy in this picture." She snatched a photo of Dennis off of Ron's bed and waved it in front of him, again guessing at Harry's plan. "If people find out we're looking for him it could put him in a lot more danger and potentially ruin many of our efforts toward solving this whole thing."
                          
"I can't do nothing!"
                          
"I'm not suggesting that we do nothing!" Hermione contested indignantly. "I'm suggesting that we look at everything we know and make a proper plan."