Something wasn’t sitting right with Rick. As Ron stood in the chamber doorway, he wouldn’t meet his gaze or Hermione’s.
“Ron, give us just a minute.” Rick didn’t give Ron time to protest before closing the door in the younger man’s face.
“Rick!” Hermione admonished him. “That was so rude!”
Rick ignored his girlfriend’s outrage. He didn’t care about her feelings when her safety was concerned. “Ron is Fred and George’s brother, right?”
Hermione nodded.
“I ran into Fred when Severus and I were at Diagon Ally this afternoon,” Rick explained. “He had a drink with us at the Leaky Cauldron. He didn’t seem too worried about anything. Wouldn’t he have mentioned it if his mom was sick? Why haven’t Harry or Ginny said anything? And why, when they know your history together, would the Weasley family send Ron to be the one to tell you his mom was sick?”
A look a realization came over Hermione’s face. “You’re right. Go keep him busy while I floo call Ginny,” she instructed.
Hermione headed towards the fireplace while Rick went back to the chamber door.
“Dad, is something wrong?” Carl asked from the sitting room.
“Nothin’ for you to be concerned about.” Rick shook his head. “You just stay in there with your sister, please.”
Carl went back to doing his homework while Rick pulled the heavy chamber door back open. He had been expecting to find Ron waiting in the corridor, but no one was there. Rick stepped out and looked down both sides of the hallway, but the area was deserted. Ron was gone.
“Rick!” Hermione came running over. “That’s not Ron!”
That immediately put Rick on alert. He gently pushed Hermione back inside. “He’s already gone. If that wasn’t your ex, who the hell was it?”
Hermione shook her head. “I have no idea. When I flooed Ginny, I reached Mrs. Weasley herself. She’s babysitting while Harry and Ginny are out on a double date with Draco and Beth. She said that Ron’s visiting his older brother Charlie in Romania. He isn’t even in the country right now.”
Ron by now was greatly worried. Hogwarts and its ground was the most heavily guarded place that Rick had ever been or even heard of. It was a magical fortress. It was damn near impossible to sneak inside, but obviously, someone had just managed it. “We need to wake the adults and search the grounds…now.”
Chapter Management
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