I froze at the crack of apparition outside his house. It was late, who was coming? No one was expected, was it an emergency? It couldn't be Death Eaters, they wouldn't come alone.
Desperate pounding on the door and Fleur ran down the stairs.
"Bill?" She asked worriedly.
"I'll get it." I nodded and drew my wand.
"B-Bill! Bill!" Was the person knocking crying?
"Who is it?" I shouted without opening the door.
"R-R-Ron, i-it's Ron, Bill o-open up!"
"Ron, what did Fred turn your teddy bear into?" I asked calmly while on the inside I was panicking. My baby brother, the one I worried the most about, was knocking on my door in the middle of the night.. Was he hurt? Were Harry and Hermione okay? What was happening?
"S-sp-spider."
I pulled the door open and saw a sopping wet Ron standing in the doorway. He was pale as a sheet and thinner than he had ever been before. He looked dirty and gaunt, like he hadn't washed or eaten in months.
"Ron."
Ron stumbled through the open doorway, rubbing his hands together with cold. "T-thanks." He stuttered, teeth chattering.
"Are you okay?" I pushed him into the nearest chair and cast a couple charms to dry and warm him.
"Yeah." Ron shrugged, apparently unwilling to answer questions.
"I'll get Molly." Fleur said nervously.
"No!" Ron stood and shouted, scaring all both of us, why couldn't we get mum?
"Ron!" I snapped, scolding him.
"Bill, please, don't tell anyone." He begged, scaring us further. "Please, they'll find me, get me. I know things."
I pushed Ron back into the chair and sat down opposite. "What do you know, Ron?" he asked gently. Did this have to do with the mission the trio had gone on?
"Can't tell." Ron shook his head violently, "Promised I'd never tell, they can torture me and I won't tell."
My eyes widened in shock. Who said anything about torture?
I looked around and met Fleur' eyes, silently asked her to make a cup of tea. Fleur nodded jerkily and left the room, leaving me and my brother alone together.
"If it helps the Order-" I tried.
"No, no one knows." Ron insisted, "I promised Harry, won't let him down again." Here Ron's eyes looked suspiciously wet. "Not again."
"He's delirious." Fleur said from the doorway, causing me to jerk round in surprise. "He doesn't know what he's saying, probably has a high fever." She walked over and placed a hand on the boy's, no, man's forehead and snatched it away after a moment. "Yeesh, it's amazing he conscious." She sighed, "I'll give him a fever reducer and a sleeping potion, he'll be alright in the morning."
I nodded silently. Ron's eyes were glazed over and he was shaking, but he was still refusing to betray his friends. What was their secret?
"Bill, don't ask, please." He begged.
I didn't ask. Not that day, anyways.
The next morning I sat with a large mug of tea across from his wife, still pondering on the secret mission of the trio. Where were Harry and Hermione? Why was Ron alone? He was splinched, it was apparent from his missing finger nails, and he had a new scar on his arm, a huge circular one which was still raw and healing.
Was that from after the Ministry incident? Or was it more recent? You could see his every rib, all the fat he had from his mother's meals was missing. His muscle stood out more on his body and there was more of it, had he been working out?
Ron walked into the room, fully awake but slumped over as if defeated. I raised an eyebrow. Ron was never awake this early, the sun was barely up. What started this habit?
"Bill, Fleur." He nodded to us, his voice flat, and sat in the third seat around the table. He poured himself a cup of tea and held it close to his body as if savouring the warmth.
"Hey Ron."
He flashed me a smile but as he did I caught sight of his haunted eyes, eyes filled with regret and sadness. The smile looked fake all of a sudden, how did he learn to act so well?
"How are you?" I asked as I piled food onto a plate for him, he watched hungrily for a moment before pulling his eyes away forcefully. Why?
"Fine." He said stiffly. That was Harry's phrase, not my brothers.
"Hungry I bet." I grinned at him. Ron was always hungry, right?
"Don't give me too much." He honestly looked sick at the amount on the plate, his usual first serving. He wanted less?
"What?"
"When you don't eat for too long or eat very little your stomach shrinks." He explained with the air of someone who knew the feeling very well, "You can't eat a lot at first, you have to build it up."
"Oh." Was all I could say. "So, last night..."
He froze. "What did I say?" He asked, almost scared.
"Nothing, just something about not telling anyone you were here and never betraying Harry." I watched him carefully for a reaction.
He relaxed slightly, "Bill, if you know what's best for you don't ask." He warned me, sounding 100 years old, "Harry and Hermione are okay-" He choked up slightly and had to clear his throat to speak again, "But I can't tell you anything."
"Ron-" I started.
"No, Bill." He said firmly, looking me in the eye. "If I give you an answer it will be a lie."
I stared at him for a moment before nodding. I wouldn't ask any questions then. "How long are you staying?" I asked instead.
"Until I can go back." He looked back down into his mug.
I didn't ask questions.
"Bill." Ron asked casually a couple days later, "Can you help me list all the wizarding villages?"
I didn't ask questions.
"Fleur, have you ever heard of you-know-who visiting France?"
She didn't ask questions.
When I found him pouring over my runes books he shrugged. "Hermione's been teaching me and Harry, she says it may be useful."
I didn't ask questions.
Every day he spent longer reading my books, writing notes, exercising. He made sure he never ate more than a small amount, preparing for going back I guessed. I bought a whole load of food for when he did. He looked sad when I showed him but thanked me.
I didn't ask questions.
"How do you do this spell?"
I was a nasty spell, a deadly one.
I didn't ask questions.
"Fleur, can I help you make dinner?"
Every night he helped her, learning how to cook.
She didn't ask questions.
As the visit grew longer his stack of notes grew larger. Whenever he finished writing he'd carefully spell the parchment against wear and tear and tuck it out of sight. We'd usually never see it again.
We didn't ask questions.
"Morning Ron!" I shouted out cheerfully. It was Christmas Day and though Ron's mood hadn't improved over the past month I was in high spirits. I slept in this morning and knew Ron would be up at the crack of dawn, as per usual, but today he didn't call back as he always did. "Ron?" I repeated.
I ran down to the kitchen but found it empty. A quick scan of the gardens and the rest of the house left me scared. If he went for a walk he always left a note, he never forgot. I dashed up to his room, not answering Fleur's questions, and flung the door open.
It was obvious he had left in a rush. The drawers of his dresser were still open, the closet door hanging ajar and the radio still playing but his rucksack was missing. The pile of food for when he left was gone too. On the bed was an envelope which simply read 'Bill'.
With shaking fingers I opened it and read it silently.
Bill,
I'm leaving. I'm sorry it's on such short notice but it's an emergency. I can never thank you enough for what you've done for me.
Next time you see me I'll be with Harry and Hermione and we'll be close to the end of the war, I promise.
I'll pay you back some day for everything, the clothes, the food, everything.
Ron.
I never asked the questions.
The next time I saw him was the first time I realised how young he was, but how old too.
The first thing that happened that day was the loud crack of apperation. Fleur and I ran to the windows to see who it was, it was no one we thought we'd ever see. A girl I recognized as Luna Lovegood from Order meetings was there, last I heard she was kidnapped by Death Eaters. Not only her but Ollivander, the wand maker, stood there for a moment before collapsing, too weak to stand. There was a third person too, a black boy I knew to be one of Ron's roommates.
Fleur and I looked at each other, we knew this moment would come. Ron had asked us once if he could use us as a safe house and we agreed immediately.
"What happened!" I shouted as I ran to help them into the house.
"Snatchers." The black boy said right away, "They caught me and some others, but then they caught Ron, Hermione and Harry!" My blood ran cold. "They were torturing Hermione." He added desperately, "Harry and Ron got us out but..."
My baby brother was still out there somewhere.
"Where were you?" I lifted Ollivander into the air easily, he was so thin...
"Malfoy Manor." Luna said calmly, "They'll be okay, William."
She was so calm and matter-of-fact about it I wanted to believe her but I couldn't. I forced myself not to panic.
"Everyone inside." I ordered, "Fleur can look you over then."
They looked around the beautiful coastline worriedly but obeyed me. I quickly placed Ollivander on the couch, leaving him to Fleur's healing, before heading back out to watch for my brother.
How did he get captured? From the little he told me the wards they put up were the best of the best, just below a fidelius. They must have an escape plan, right? Speaking of escape plans, how did the other 3 get out of Malfoy Manor?
There was another loud crack and I turned to see Ron, Harry and Hermione, a goblin and a house-elf. Harry was shouting something and they were all crying. I sprinted over and the next hour was a blur as I healed, comforted and didn't ask questions.
Eventually I managed to corner Ron alone. I glared at him, I couldn't help myself. "What is going on, Ron? You show up here with a dead house-elf and a half-dead goblin, Hermione looks like she's been tortured-"
"We were caught, Bill." He said equally frustrated and angry, "I told you before we knew stuff, dangerous stuff. I told you even if you tortured me you wouldn't get it out of me; Hermione was the one tortured, not me. She didn't tell."
Over the next half an hour he got each of the prisoners alone and made them swear not to tell anyone anything they heard. They all swore.
Another hour and Harry questioned Ollivander and Griphook with Ron and Hermione. They drew into a corner and argued seriously before agreeing and going back into Griphook's room. They're making a deal with a goblin.
I didn't ask questions.
Remus has just left after naming Harry his son's godfather. I finally had time to pull Harry aside and warn him.
Warn him.
But never ask questions.
The trio spent hours shut in that bedroom with Griphook, making plans. On the mantelpiece sat a single hair in a vial next to a small glass of polyjuice potion. Hermione spent hours perfecting changing Ron's appearance. Harry and Griphook practiced hiding under the invisibility cloak together. Hermione looked at her wand with disgust; Harry and Ron agreed.
I never heard a word of their conversations, their plans.
But I didn't ask questions.
One night Ron told me they were leaving.
"Will you be back?" I asked simply.
"I don't know." He replied darkly.
I nodded and swallowed heavily.
"Tomorrow morning sleep in late." He advised, "Don't even look out your window until 9 o'clock, that's the latest we're leaving."
"Will you be okay?"
He shrugged, "Our plan is as good as we can make it, we can't put it off any longer."
I nodded again. I hated this war, causing my brother to grow up so fast. "Anything I can do to help?"
He hesitated. "Keep an eye on the radio all day long." He said finally, "I have a really bad feeling about tomorrow."
I didn't try to stop him from leaving.
I didn't ask questions.
The next morning I disobeyed my brother and watched as they prepared to leave. I watched Hermione and Ron in robes much too large for them stand next to Harry and Griphook for one last council before Hermione changed Ron into an old man. She studied him carefully before they all nodded in satisfaction. She drank the polyjuice potion with the one hair in it and I recoiled in disgust as she turned into Bellatrix Lestrange. Griphook jumped onto Harry's back and Ron threw the cloak over them.
Right before they disapperated Ron looked over his shoulder right at me.
He nodded.
I nodded back.
I hadn't asked questions.
Hours later I stood in the great hall with the rest of the Order. They were discussing battle plans. I was looking for my baby brother.
Harry didn't know where he was either but apparently he couldn't stop and look for him either. McGonagall shouted at him about looking for something and he started.
"Do you-?" I asked her.
"I know nothing." She sighed, "Only that he must find something in the castle. Do you-?"
"No."
I never asked the questions.
I sat by Fred's dead body mourning him when Ron appeared again. I'd heard people had seen the trio throughout the battle, running around and fighting but I needed to see him with my own eyes. He was safe, I knew that now.
I was angry though, angry my brother was dead and I took in out on him.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Yes." He whispered, "We did."
"You told me next time we met you'd have almost won the war, have you?" I demanded. All the Weasley family plus Hermione was watching us carefully.
"We have." Ron said quietly, "We're so close now..."
"One more." Hermione said as if she was needing some hope. "One to go and we know where it is."
"What are you looking for?" Mum asked.
"We can't tell." Ron said firmly.
"Even under torture, we will never tell." Hermione added.
I felt a surge of pride for these kids, fighting and never giving up, it over took my anger and I looked down at Fred's body, suddenly tired.
Neville ran up to the two. "Why does the snake have to die?" He asked immediately.
"Who told you that?" Ron had his wand under his throat in an instant, Hermione was pointing at him too. The entire hall looked round to watch, fingering their wands but not moving to help. I tensed up. Was this part of their mission? How did Neville know?
Neville froze. "Harry did." He said calmly, "Why?"
They both lowered their wands but looked even more scared. "What else did he say?" Hermione demanded.
"He said to tell you he was an object?" Neville said nervously.
Hermione gave a small cry and covered her mouth.
Ron grimaced. "His scar." He said simply.
"Snape." Hermione said back.
"Dumbledore too." Ron added.
"It makes sense." Hermione said slowly.
"He's going then." Ron turned to the doors of the great hall grimly.
"We promised him we'd be together until the end." Hermione let a single tear roll down her cheek.
"There are some things you have to do alone." Ron said in a mature voice meant for someone of our parent's age.
"I open at the close." Hermione quoted the snitch he got from Dumbledore's will.
"The stone." Ron said, "He won't be alone." He almost smiled at that.
"He'll never be alone." Hermione agreed.
I could tell that simple phrase had changed their entire lives, they looked upset but determined.
"Wait, he said this was part of the plan." Neville interjected.
Ron wiped his eyes. "It is now." He said simply.
Then Voldemort's voice echoed around the castle again.
"Harry Potter is dead."
Ron and Hermione only bowed their heads sadly, like they expected it.
I wish I asked questions.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the corner talking with small smiles. Harry was alive, I don;t know how, but he was.
I gathered my courage and walked over to them.
"Can I asked questions now, little brother?"
Ron smiled at me as he nodded.