Harry Potter and the Elder Wand

Chapter 1: Like He's Wearing that Horcrux on His Neck

A banging at his door woke Harry with a start. Irritated, Harry rolled off of his bed carefully, so as not to awaken Ginny. The two of them had just moved into a house together, having married about three months ago, and unless this was important, Harry had been hoping for a peaceful evening. Being an Auror was so demanding a career―more like a lifestyle, he thought―that his evenings of rest were almost as critical as the days of action.

Well, action was coming Harry's way, even if he did not yet know it.

Harry heard the knocking become louder and quicker, and hustled despite not understanding his anxiety.

"Harry!" he heard a call from the outside, "if you don't open this door right now, I'll Apparate in!" That sent Harry running, for he knew who that voice belonged to. He opened the door to see a tear-stained Hermione slump into the hall, sobbing into his shoulders. Harry didn't know what to make of it.

"Hermione, what's…what's happened?" Hermione didn't say a word, but she reached into her purse and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

"I crumpled it," she said thickly, but her eyes were so red that Harry didn't question anything. He took the paper from her, sat her down in the couch in the parlor, and took a seat in his chair to read the letter.

Dear Hermione,

I'm going to be leaving for a while. Don't look for me, don't try to find me. There's something I have to take care of while I'm away, and nobody can be a part of it. I will return soon.

Love,

Ron

"I think I'm going to need some background," Harry said. His voice was calm, his mind calculating, almost as if he were in his office.

"Harry, why was I so stupid?" Hermione asked. "I knew what he was thinking. I knew what was going on in his head, but I was too scared to stop him!"

"Hermione, you have to pull yourself together. Ginny's sleeping, and if it's all the same to you, I don't want her to know that her brother's run off. She's lost one already!" Hermione stopped sobbing, took a few deep breaths, and returned to her story.

"It's just, for the past couple of days, he's been going on and on about the Deathly Hallows."

"What?"

"Harry, you know about Bill!"

"What about Bill?"

"Oh God…" Hermione said, "nobody's told you?"

"What happened to Bill, Hermione?"

"But Molly sent the owls…"

"Hermione," Harry said, starting to become angry, "what happened to Bill?"

"He's been admitted to St. Mungo's," Hermione said. "His werewolf bites are starting to infect him. The Healers don't know what to do about it. Ron's been worried sick. He kept talking about trying to hold off Death with the Cloak…" Harry got the impression that he wasn't getting the whole story. It was her face; Hermione wasn't looking directly at him, she kept staring out the window. She also had her arms crossed, and she was massaging her forearms as if trying to soothe them.

"It's rather hot in here," Hermione said, even though Harry was quite comfortable. Hermione took off her coat, to reveal that she was wearing her pajamas. But the sight of her arms terrified Harry.

"You've got bruises all over your arms, Hermione!" he cried. Hermione jumped, but something about the look of surprise felt forced.

"Oh, really? Must have bumped into something while I was putting my coat on…" But Harry was already filling in the picture with his mind, and the picture wasn't pretty.

"Has he been…hitting you?" Harry asked. Just the thought of it made him sick.

"Harry," Hermione's voice had dropped to the tiniest whisper, "please, don't tell anybody…" Tears trickled down her face. She looked so childish, sitting in his couch with her legs folded in towards her chest, that the anger Harry felt gave way to sadness.

"Come here, Hermione," he said, and Hermione ran to him and gave him a hug. She began to sob into his shoulder again, but this time Harry just patted her back and tried to soothe her as if she were a lost child.

"I know it hurts, Hermione. Dudley used to beat me all the time, but it's going to be okay…"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but you don't really know how it feels…"

After Harry had made Hermione a strong cup of coffee to help her stay focused, she began telling Harry the whole story. Apparently, after the double wedding the four of them had had, Ron turned on her. He became mean, reclusive, and downright nasty. When Hermione tried to question what he was up to, he would start to beat her until she decided to rescind the question. Occasionally, though, she would hear him mutter comments about the Deathly Hallows, and one night she peaked into his diary to find the triangular symbol written onto every page.

"It's like he's wearing that Horcrux on his neck again. He keeps asking me if I'm in contact with you, like he's insanely jealous. Has he talked to you at work about all this?"

"No," Harry said, "he's been mostly normal. The only complaint against him is a lack of focus. It's like he doesn't get enough sleep." Hermione's eyes went elsewhere for a while.

"I know," Hermione said, "he doesn't sleep very well…"

"How long have Bill's injuries been a problem?"

"Ever since the wedding, it seems."

"Well, it sounds like Ron is having some delusions about the Hallows and there power to save his family. I don't think he's even got over Fred yet. It took me ages to drag him into the Auror exams, just to keep him out of that joke shop. I thought he was just being Ron, but maybe he tried to replace Fred and he doesn't want to see Bill leave him, too." Hermione's eyes were tearing up again.

"What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Take me," Hermione said.

"What are you talking about?" Harry said in bewilderment.

"I'm no good anymore. I can't hide it any longer."

"Hide what?" Harry saw Hermione get up, and her eyes stared at him, cold and dead. The closest he had ever seen to the kind of stare she gave him was that of Professor Snape's.

"How much I've longed for somebody better…"

Harry caught on. "No, Hermione, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"Upstairs," Harry said, "let me call her down, actually, she might be able to―"

"Let her sleep," Hermione said, and she started to take off her clothing. Harry almost considered hitting her with some kind of hex to bring her back to her senses. Harry retreated to the kitchen, to give him some space to wonder if this was all just some perverted dream.

When Hermione followed, she was naked.

"Go ahead," she said, "have your way with me."

"I can't Hermione, I'm married."

"Who cares? I'm married to an asshole! I'm this close to getting a divorce and it's clear that you're the right person for me, so why not just start now?"

"I still love Ginny," Harry said. "Ginny! Ginny!"

"Shut up!" Hermione hissed. "Can't you see this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Tell me you've never thought about it!"

"I never have!"

"Lies! I've practiced Legilimency for my work, Harry, and you were never a good Occlumens. I can see it in your eyes. I know you want to, but you know you can't. Your morals are too good, Harry. Let them drop for one night. Let me―" but Ginny's footsteps rushing down the stairs cut Hermione off. Before Hermione could react, a Stunning Curse hit her in the back and she toppled to the floor.

"Ginny, it's me!" Harry said, turning on the kitchen light as her wand was pointed at him.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Ginny asked, seeing Hermione's naked body on the floor.

"I think she's sick, Ginny," Harry said. "It's actually a really long story, but this piece of paper is the start." Harry handed her the note out of his pocket. Ginny read it and scoffed.

"What a git," she said. "He gets moody like this, contemplates running away. He used to write notes like this all the time when he was younger."

"Explain the bruises, then," Harry said, pointing to Hermione's arms.

"Self-inflicted?" Ginny asked.

"Ron-inflicted," Harry responded. "Or so she says. I really don't know what to think right now. She's really not herself, Ginny, I think it best if we let her sleep on the couch and talk to her in the morning."

"Yeah, but let me put her clothes back on first," Ginny said. "What's that all about, by the way?" she suddenly asked, her nostrils flaring in a way that strongly reminded Harry of Molly.

"I don't know, she just started to throw herself at me," Harry said. "It doesn't seem related to what she's said about Ron, except that she wants to divorce him…"

"Well, she may or may not want to divorce her husband, but I know you're more faithful than that."

"Absolutely. I stumbled into the kitchen to keep away from her."

"Good man. Here, I'll take care of Hermione. I think you should go to sleep." Ginny dressed Hermione with a flick of her wand, lifted her to the couch, and revived her as Harry went upstairs to go to bed.

"Ginny!" Hermione said with a start, her cheeks flushed red. "I…"

"I already know what you said to Harry," Ginny said, "and I'm really worried about you. Are you okay?"

"No…" Hermione said, like a guilty child, "but what I said about Ron is true, you know…"

"That's the thing," Ginny said. "I don't know."

"Did you hear about Bill?" Hermione asked.

"No, what's happened?"

"He's been admitted to St. Mungo's," Hermione said, "because his werewolf injuries are causing an infection."

"Well then, I want to go see him," Ginny said. "Harry! Please come down here."

"No, Harry doesn't have to go," Hermione said.

"Maybe before we leave, you can explain why you came onto him like that," Ginny said sternly. Harry came back down, rubbing his eyes and putting on his glasses again. Hermione refused to look him in the eye.

"What is it, Ginny?"

"We're going to St. Mungo's tonight. Hermione's just told me about Bill. How come you didn't mention it?"

"Oh God, Ginny, I'm sorry! I thought Hermione may have been…" Hermione then gave him a look so fierce that Harry stopped talking.

"I wasn't lying to you Harry!" Hermione said. "And for your information, the only reason I wanted you was because he raped me!" Hermione started bawling so fiercely that she curled up into a ball. Ginny's eyes flashed to Harry with such anger that Harry thought fire could shoot out of her wand. Harry was relieved when she revealed to whom the anger was directed.

"My brother's an idiot!" she screamed. "What happened, Hermione?"

"He just…he asked if I wanted to…and I said no…and he got really mad and started hitting me…and he kept asking again and again…and then…and then he said 'I know what this is about. You must be sleeping with Harry, you filthy slut!'…and he put his wand to my neck…and he yelled at me to…and I finally said I would do it…I was so scared! So scared…"

Now Harry was rife with anger. At once, he fully believed Hermione's story and harbored such a burning hatred for Ron that it felt unnatural.

"I can't believe him!" he finally shouted, and Ginny rushed over to soothe him.

"I hate it too, Harry, but we need to be strong for Hermione. She's been through a lot."

"I'm sorry, Ginny! I'm sorry Harry! I didn't mean to act like…act like that…you don't know how much it hurts…"

"Hermione," Harry said, walking over to her, "it's okay. I don't blame you. Just, please don't do it again."

"I won't, I won't," Hermione said.

"I think we should go visit Bill at the hospital," Ginny said.

"That sounds good. Do you want to do that, Hermione?" Hermione looked at Harry and nodded.

"I will. Just give me a Pepperup Potion or something before we leave. I'm feeling really out of it."