Harry had never seen the four of them move that quickly. Like lightening, four sets of hands were straight down their sides, and four teenagers stood at attention, facing Mrs. Weasley, who had just entered the room.
"Uh, nothing Mum!" Ginny said much too quickly.
"Uh, yeah Mum, uh... well, it's kind of a surprise, you know?" Ron added.
Mrs. Weasley stood their, studying the four of them, obviously not convinced. "Well, alright, but come on into the kitchen and help me make lunch. You all must be hungry."
She's right, Harry thought. They followed Mrs. Weasley into the kitchen and sat at the table, which had been laid out with fixings for sandwiches. The passed them around, each taking what they wanted, and started eating.
"So, how was your morning?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Oh, fine. How was yours?" Hermione asked back.
"A bit busy, honestly, but just fine. So, anything unusual happen this morning?"
Harry didn't dare look at Mrs. Weasley. Hermione, on the other hand, looked like she was in full bluff mode. "What do you mean, Mrs. Weasley?"
Harry glanced up quickly. Mrs. Weasley had an odd grin on her face. Harry couldn't help but watch.
"Well, I seemed to have seen you and Ron in Diagon Alley this morning doing some shopping. I had to look twice, though, because at first I had thought Ginny had dyed her hair brown and grown a few inches overnight." They all laughed at that.
Hermione didn't skip a beat. "I went down to buy a new quill and pick up some more paper. My last quill wore out on me when I was writing last night. I do seem to go through them quickly." Harry was impressed with Hermione's quick thinking.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, dear." Mrs. Weasley looked at Ron. "Kind of unusual for you to go shopping with Hermione, though, isn't it?" Harry got the impression that Mrs. Weasley was an expert at interrogation, at least in the family context.
"Well, Harry and Ginny were playing chess, and they were in the middle of a brilliant game, and Hermione didn't want to go alone, so I went with her," Ron said between bites, not looking at his mum.
"Is that so?" Mrs. Weasley continued. Ron and Hermione nodded. She looked at the other side of the table. "A game of chess?" Ginny and Harry nodded.
Mrs. Weasley looked at the center of the table. Harry thought they finally had her convinced.
"So why is it that, all of a sudden, you four have paired off at the table, instead of boys opposite girls?"
Horror struck Harry as he realized now that he and Ginny were sitting together on one side of the table, while Ron and Hermione were sitting together on the other. Harry didn't dare move; Ron, Hermione and Ginny didn't either. They were all frozen in place, obviously busted by Mrs. Weasley. Harry looked at the quick-thinking Hermione; he could tell the wheels were turning in her mind, but got the impression that they weren't getting much traction. Come on Potter, you faced down Voldemort, what do you honestly think Mrs. Weasley is going to do?
"Um, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry said weakly.
"Yes, Harry dear?"
Harry swallowed. "Do you think, that is, can I take... I mean, would it be ok if Ginny and I went do Diagon Alley tonight? You know... together. On a date?"
Harry could see the shock on Hermione's face. He was shocked, too. He had actually said it. There was no going back now. They were past the point of no return. Under the table, Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it tight.
Mrs. Weasley actually looked a tiny bit surprised. "Well, I don't know Harry. I'd supposed that would depend on Ginny, wouldn't it?"
The look on Hermione's face was priceless. It was one of the rare times Harry saw her look confused. Ron looked like he was about to fall over.
"Um, yeah. Well, what do you say, Ginny?" Harry managed.
"Of course I'd go Harry... um, I mean..."
Mrs. Weasley laughed. "You might as well drop the act, you two. I saw you in the common room."
Harry froze again. He could tell Ginny did too.
"It's quite alright, Harry. I'm not upset. Quite the opposite, actually." She reached over and gave Ginny a hug and a peck on the forehead. "You two just behave yourselves. After all, you are still Hogwarts students, and Ginny is a Weasley."
Harry tried hard not to, but he couldn't help it. He snickered. Then Ginny snickered. Then they all burst out laughing.
Except Ron. He wasn't laughing at all. He looked scared.
"Mrs. Weasley, if Harry and Ginny are going on a date, would you mind if Ron took me to Diagon Alley?" Hermione ask suddenly. This time, Ron did fall out of his chair.
"Ron, are you ok?"
"Fine, I'm fine, Hermione," Ron replied, sounding like a defeated man as he returned to his chair. "Honestly, Hermione, I would have liked to have been the one to ask you first."
"I'm sorry, Ron, I just wanted to seize the opportunity. You know, while your mum was in a good mood. I mean, if we are going to start seeing... each other... and all..." She trailed off. She had obviously forgotten for a moment that Mrs. Weasley was sitting right next to her.
Now Mrs. Weasley looked like she was going to cry tears of joy. "Ron? Are you and Hermione together?"
Harry tensed. He and Ginny had settled that, but Ron and Hermione didn't have time to get that far.
"Um, well, Hermione and I hadn't talked about THAT, but..." He turned to Hermione. "I'd like to be your boyfriend, Hermione, that is, if... you know, if you want me to be..."
"Oh Ron, honestly, of course I do!" Hermione said, giving him a peck on the cheek.
"Now now, you two, not at the table please," said Mrs. Weasley as she put away the sandwich fixings. "Right, well, if you lot are going to Diagon Alley tonight, you'd best go get your rooms cleaned."
"Oh, Mum do we have too?" Ginny whined. "Today of all days... Oh my gosh! Mum! I don't have anything to wear!"
"Come to think of it, I don't either, really," Hermione admitted.
"Whadoyamean?" Ron blurted through a bite of sandwich. "It's not like we're going to the Yule ball or anything, is it? I mean, it's just us, right?"
"Argh! Ron, you have the romantic sense of a flobberworm, you know that!" Hermione exclaimed in her familiar Ron-voice. The others laughed.
"Don't worry, Hermione. We'll go clothes shopping now, come back and get ready, and head out later. How's that sound?" Ginny offered.
They all nodded. Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Well then, let's get these bits put away, and then we'll all go shopping!"
As they cleaned up the kitchen, Harry got the impression that Mrs. Weasley was almost as excited about the whole idea as he was.