The first thing Hermione did after making sure that Ron remained alert was to check for his wound; she didn’t need for it to start bleeding right now. She looked at him apologetically once more before pulling down the blanket to his waist.
“Great, no bleeding whatsoever, good wound!” She felt the need to praise the wound for its good behavior for some reason. Ron always said she was at her funniest when she panicked.
Hermione grimaced. “I’m panicking aren’t I? I shouldn’t be, should I?”
Ron actually mustered a hint of smile and it made her feel relieved a little. If Ron could hear her blabbering, he should be alert enough, shouldn’t he?
“Can you get up Ron? I’m not much into medication but I know enough to never let a person lye down if you want them to stay awake, it’s only logical-”
Ron raised his hand to stop her and she grimaced once again at her own panic state.
“Essence…drawer…”
“Right…okay…” Hermione pulled open the side table and was surprised to find more vials of different colored potions in them. She didn’t even recognize half of them as she read the labels.
“Okay…something essence…what could it be?” Hermione wondered if this was how Harry felt when Ron was poisoned in sixth year. How in the world had he stayed so calm and just went through Professor Slughorn’s bag and found that one little thing that had saved Ron’s life?
“Of course!” Hermione blurted out, as it all came back to her. “Essence of rue! That’s what Madam Pomfrey gave you after the poison isn’t it? It’s supposed to give you back your strength!”
She heard Ron gasped in reply and Hermione continued going through each vial until she found what she was looking for.
“Here Ron, drink this.”
Hermione could see the change immediately. Ron had stopped gasping for air and there was a little color back on his face. He still looked weak but was strong enough to push himself up without much help from her.
“Thanks.” Ron croaked.
“You scared me there for a bit.” Hermione smiled.
Ron nodded. “Had happened before…but this was the worst. I’m glad you stayed for the night.”
“Me too.” She whispered. “Ron, we need to get you to St. Mungo’s and have Neville check on you. I’m worried it’s the new medication that is making you ill.”
“I don’t think I’m up for a floo or apparating though.” Ron grimaced.
“Is it hurting?” Hermione asked, referring to the wound.
Ron nodded. “Throbbing like hell.”
“This essence you took, it’ll only buy you a little time…promise me you’ll stay awake and upright like this while I floo for Neville?”
Ron nodded.
Hermione smiled and for the first time, she couldn’t stop her urges and grabbed for his head and kissed his cheek lightly. “It’ll only take a minute, I promise.”
This time, Hermione remembered she was a witch, and apparated straight to the living room of the Burrow. Her plan was to get to the fireplace and floo herself down to St. Mungo’s as fast as she could.
But what is it about fate that always has to interfere with plans? There in the living room of the Burrow, stood two strangers, who seemed delighted by her presence. They looked filthy and their eyes glimmered dangerously to that of a mad man. And by the way they were dressed, Hermione knew they had somehow escaped Azkaban.
-
The service for Mrs. Weasley and Percy was beautiful yet sad. It was held in private, attended only by members of the Order who had survived the war and immediate families from both the Weasleys and the Prewetts as well as Hermione’s parents.
The one person painfully missing was Mr. Weasley himself, who was still unconscious and away in St. Mungo’s.
Like what Ginny had told him earlier, it was unfortunate that the one person who had loved her mother unconditionally wasn’t there to say goodbye.
Harry couldn’t remember much of the service to be honest; most of the time he found himself drowned in his own troubled thoughts. He knew Bill had come forward and addressed the crowd, talking about some fond memories he had of his mother.
Harry had stood by Ginny the entire time, lending each other a shoulder to cry on. Even though Harry wasn’t a Weasley, they were the only family who had ever regarded him as one of their own. Mrs. Weasley had been the only woman who had embraced him like her own son.
Hermione was seated with her parents the entire time and Ron had sat next to him and not uttered a single word.
When it was time to say their last goodbye, Harry was there with Ginny, who almost collapsed in his arms from grief when she reached her mother’s coffin. Even Charlie’s choked sobs could be heard from a mile away.
Ron was another story altogether.
Harry watched silently as Ron bent down to kiss her one last time and muttered a ‘goodbye’; there was a sense of peace on his face as he walked back to them.
And then there was the mingling around the Burrow with everyone after the service ended. Harry busied himself in the kitchen, helping both Hermione and Ginny out with the food. Ron was absent the entire time and as much as he’d like to leave everything and went ahead to find his friend, he couldn’t abandon the ones who were there with him and needed his support.
After the crowd seemed to die down a little, Harry made his little escape.
He knew he’d find Ron in his room. It was the only hiding place his family would leave him alone. The moment the door was locked behind him, Ron’s head snapped up. Those hauntingly lost eyes now soft and sad, looking back at him.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to ask you to come down.”
Ron nodded. Harry felt his eyes following his every move as he made his way to the makeshift bed at the other end of the room and settled himself there, facing Ron.
The next few minutes were spent in silence. Words meant nothing to either of them right now. It reminded Harry of the time when he had went back to the boys’ dorm the night Dumbledore was killed. Ron was sitting on his bed, waiting for him and they had spent a few minutes conversing in silence.
It was in these silence that Harry found the comfort he couldn’t quite get should they had talked. Corny as it would sound, he felt as if they could read each others’ minds without the need for occlumency. That was how great their friendship was.
“I don’t think I’ve asked how you’ve been doing Harry, ever since your face off with Voldemort.” Ron said, breaking the silence finally.
Harry was surprised by this sudden remark but he shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “Toast the guy, didn’t I? Good riddance.”
“Really? No guilt whatsoever?”
“Should I?” Harry asked. “He had killed too many innocent lives Ron, I’m not sorry that I off him.”
Ron nodded. “Yeah, I’m not sorry either. Besides, it was either him or you. I’m glad it was him.”
“We didn’t go through all those trouble destroying horcruxes just to have him live, now did we?” Harry smiled.
“No, I figured not.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, how are you holding up? I’d have asked sooner but I figured you needed your space.”
“Everyone lost someone in this war I guess. Hey, at least we’re not homeless and hungry.”
Harry thought as much. Ron was always good at answering questions without really answering them. It was a subtle way of avoiding a subject he wasn’t comfortable with, most of the time, when the subject focus on himself.
“I’m sorry Ron…about your wound.”
Ron frowned. “Not your fault. Besides, I got this from protecting Hermione, not sorry for that.”
“I’m sorry you feel the need to avoid her now though.”
They went back to their silent ways when Ron said nothing in return. Harry seized his bestfriend up, wondering how he could break into his thick head.
“That was a nice service they gave Mrs. Weasley and Percy.”
Ron smiled. “Yeah, it was. And you cried like a baby.”
“Shut up.”
“Sissy.”
“You should have cried right along with me. Some friend you are.”
“You were busy crying on my sister’s shoulder you prick. Besides, I’m all cried out I guess.”
“No, I think you’re just holding everything in.”
“What are you, a psychic now?”
“Just talking from experience I guess. Trust me Ron, it’s not a good thing to do.”
“I’m not holding everything in, Harry.”
“One of these days it’s going to be too much on you.”
“That’s what Hermione said too.”
“You should listen to her, she’s smart.”
“That’s also why I’ve been avoiding her. Keep this up and you’ll get the same thing too.”
Harry sighed. He stood up and made for the door but halted half way and turned back to look at his bestfriend, still unmoving.
“You’re right Ron, I was bitter and cold when I lost Sirius and Dumbledore. You gave me my space and I thank you both for that. But never once had I ever pushed you or Hermione out of my life. Not once.”
“That’s because you still need us. You have horcruxes to hunt and Voldemort to kill.”
“Are you saying you don’t need me now?”
“I’m saying you don’t need me now.”
“And what if I say I still need you?”
“I’ll say I have nothing to offer you mate.”
“You don’t get it do you?”
“What’s there to get!”
“Ron, you think pushing us away is a bloody noble thing to do but trust me, what we need is to have you back with us, that’s the only thing that’ll make Hermione happy, NOT pushing her away!”
“Don’t even try to understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. You don’t know!”
“Then tell me!”
Realizing that he had just yelled that, Harry’s shoulders sagged and his eyes soften again. He approached Ron, who was now staring out the tiny window of his room.
“What happened back there Ron? You never did tell me about that. No one knew how they died.”
“It was a war, they were killed. It doesn’t matter HOW they died Harry, they’re dead and never coming back!”
“It matters when you start screaming and crying in your sleep every night calling out for your mom, Ron. It’s making you sick and-”
“You can have Percy’s room if I wake you at night.”
“That’s not IT!”
“Godric Harry, what do you want from me!” At this point, Ron had suddenly stood up to meet Harry’s height but the moment those hard lines on his face turned into one of pain expression and the tall young man wavered on his feet, Harry reached out to grab him.
“I can stand on my own!” Ron yelled as he quickly grabbed for the side table to balance himself.
“You can’t. You’re in pain. Stop being a prick and let me help you.”
“This is what I’m going to be from now on isn’t it? The invalid. The one everyone has to take care of.”
“I…I didn’t mean it that way.”
Ron shook his head. “I believe you were leaving just now Harry.”
-
Hermione realized, as she stood frozen in shock in the middle of the living room, that she needed to be hex to the next life. She couldn’t believe how careless she had been the entire time. She recalled Ron saying about putting up a ward around the Burrow when there was no one home, she was sure now that the same thing should apply before everyone go to sleep at night. It was only logical to do that, especially after two of her friends just told her about the riot in Azkaban before apparating.
“She’s not a Weasley, there’s not a single red hair on her head!”
“No, no, this is better still Patrick, she’s Hermione Granger!”
“The mudblood?”
“Yeah, the youngest Weasley boy’s love!”
“Oh I bet they’re married by now though Eddy.”
“So that makes her a Weasley.”
“This is even better than we planned.”
As the two escaped prisoners held their conversation, Hermione couldn’t help thinking how much they reminded her of Fred and George, in a dark, sadistic, evil kind of way.
“Tell me mudblood, are you alone tonight?” The one called Eddy asked.
“Please, I need to-” Hermione paused half way. Would it be smart to let them know about Ron and Mr. Weasley? There was no reason to harm them as well. If they were going to kill her off or take her as hostage, Ron and Mr. Weasley might just be free from harm’s way. But who would get Neville? Ron needed help now.
“You need to WHAT!” The one called Patrick yelled.
Hermione jumped and shook her head. “No…nothing. I meant to say, there’s no one else here except for me.”
“Yeah, she’d do for now Eddy. She’s Harry Potter’s bestfriend after all.”
“Should we bring her back home now?”
“No. We need to find out if it’s safe back home.”
“And how do we do that?”
“Shut up and let me think!”
Hermione figured she could take them both down easily; she had battled five Death Eaters on her own during the final battle, and then many more after that. For Merlin’s sake, she battled Lucius Sodding Malfoy herself didn’t she; this should be a piece of cake. She figured she could disarm Patrick, who most likely had stolen the wand from an Auror and then stupefy the other before throwing a leg lock spell at Patrick. That should give her time to magically bind them and contact-
“Don’t you go having some nasty thoughts Mudblood, I won’t hesitate to kill you if I have to!” The one called Eddy yelled at her.
As he pointed the wand to her chest though, a dreadful feeling fell over her. She blinked her tears away, refusing to let her fears overcome her. She knew now she couldn’t be able to keep her promise to Ron. Maybe Ron was right to push her away all those time. What good was she to him? He asked for her help but all she did was put him in more danger than he already was in.
She stole a glance towards the Weasley’s clock. Arthur Weasley and Hermione Granger had joined Ron Weasley in Mortal Peril.
“What are you looking at? I told you I’ll KILL you if you have something up your sleeves!”
Hermione gritted her teeth and stared back at the man coldly though inside she was falling apart. “I can’t if I want to, I don’t have my bloody wand.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello everyone! If you're reading this and you've reviewed me before, pls take time out to check out the review page, I have left my reply to each of you individually there just to be sure i remember to reply to everyone. Thank you again for the kind reviews, i hope you like this chapter :D
