CROSSING THE LINE
Summary:When Pansy Parkinson's husband is brutally murdered, Ron Weasley is called in to investigate. As he spends more and more time with Pansy, he finds it harder to keep the relationship professional and soon he's crossing the line.
Disclaimer:I don't own any of the characters -- or really anything that you may recognise. It all belongs to JKR and obviously no copyright infringement is intended.
AN:I started planning this fic back in early June, I put it to one side and then Deathly Hallows came out. I'm one of those people who likes to keep things as canon as possible, without it actually being canon and so I decided to take into account Deathly Hallows and so I had to make some changes to the plot. For a start, Tonks is no longer Ron's Auror partner, Mad-Eye is no longer overseeing the investigation and sadly the deaths are all there. However, I've ignored most of the epilogue but I've kept in things that I still want such as Neville being Herbology professor, and the kids although Albus, James and Lily are not Ginny's.
I was planning on finishing this month for NaNo, but something came up and I am no longer able to finish it by then, but I do have 20,000 words written so far so I'm going to start posting here :)
CHAPTER ONE
Ron Weasley was bored. It had been a slow week at the Auror office and he was just itching for it to be over so he could spend a nice, relaxing weekend at home and spend some quality time with his daughter, Rose. With any luck he could be out of the office early today as there was nothing really going on and he'd nearly finished the paperwork he had to catch up on - the paper work he had been avoiding for a few days now.
He put his quill down on the desk and put his feet up. No need to rush, the paperwork would still be there next week, and it wasn't as though it was important paperwork although it should have been completed earlier in the week. Ron sighed. He doubted he'd get let off early, even if he had finished. He was the best friend of Harry Potter, but that didn't mean that Harry - his boss - would let him off. Only last week he had been called into Harry's office.
"Look, Ron. You're my best mate but I can't go giving you special treatment. I'm your boss. I know you have a daughter to go back home to, and I know you want to help George out at the shop, especially at this time, but you'll have to stay here until your shift ends. I know how you feel. I have my own family to get back too, I wish I could leave early to see them but I can't."
When Ron had applied for Auror training he thought that the job would be exciting, that there would always be something going on - always being out there fighting evil, but in reality it wasn't quite as glamorous. Ever since the war had ended nearly nine years ago, there had been less and less for the Aurors to fight. In the weeks and months after Voldemort had fallen there had been the rounding up of all the Death Eaters, throwing them into Azkaban - and of course all the trials that were held.
The holding of trials had been a major change from the end of the first war, where suspected Death Eaters had been chucked in Azkaban without a trial - like Sirius Black, who had in actual fact been innocent of the crimes he was accused of.
Unfortunately, Ron hadn't been able to witness or take part in any capturing of Death Eaters as he had been back at Hogwarts to complete his seventh year which he had missed, and to take his NEWTs. He didn't think he would have needed NEWTs to get onto the Auror training program, he was a war hero after all, but his mum would have killed him if he hadn't completed his education and he was far too young to die. He had survived the Battle of Hogwarts and there would have been no point if his mum was going to kill him for something as simple as not going back to school.
Hermione had been very disappointed to miss the trials as she wanted to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but to her there was nothing more important than completing her seventh year and gaining all O's at NEWT level - which of course she had managed to do.
Going back to Hogwarts hadn't been bad. It was more fun with the threat of being attacked gone, but Hogwarts also held painful memories and it was impossible for him to walk past the spot where Fred had died. Ron tried to avoid that corridor as much as possible because whenever he walked past there, the memories of that moment came flooding back into his mind. The wall crumbling on top of them, Percy's screaming and the anger that bubbled up inside him - the anger towards the Death Eater that had caused the wall to fall. He had always thought that he was ready to kill any Death Eater that stood in his way, but it wasn't until that moment that he realised that he hadn't been ready before, but afterwards he definitely was.
Ginny and Luna had joined them in class, because they had been there for their sixth year even if they never completed it. They were able to catch up now they had competent teachers and a proper curriculum. Neville decided to come back to redo his seventh year - the NEWTs had never been taken and he hadn't had much time for studying with all the recruitment for the DA and that the lessons hadn't really been that good. In fact, a lot of Ron's year had returned, although this meant that classes were overcrowded, and a lot of the classrooms had been damaged during the battle so some of the classes had to be changed at short notice.
Ron looked round his office. It was very untidy, nothing different there. Paper was piled everywhere, open books lay around the room, broken quills on his desk, a splodge of ink on the corner of his desk and of course the numerous photos of different family members all over the walls. There was one of Bill and Fleur with their four children: Victoire, Aimée, Émilie and Philippe. A photo of George and Alicia with their son, Fred. Another photo, this time with Percy and Penelope with their children Athena and Ignatius. There was also a photo of Harry and Megan with their children - Ron's godsons - James and Albus. Charlie had his own photo. He hadn't yet found anyone to settle down with and apparently didn't want to. The last photo on the wall was the newspaper clipping from the families trip to Egypt when Ron was thirteen - all nine of them happy together.
Ron turned to face another section of the wall, a special section, where he had placed photos of Fred and Ginny, who had both died far too young. Fred murdered by Death Eaters, killed while laughing at one of Percy's jokes, and Ginny who had supposedly been murdered by a Muggle as she walked home through the streets of London, only a year after graduating from Hogwarts. They had never found out exactly how she had died and who had killed her - only that she was mugged, and they weren't even sure about that. They had just been going on the little evidence that they had.
It had been so frustrating not being able to do anything about it. Ron still wanted to kill the bastard that had done it, taking another life from an already broken family. His mother had not taken the news well, two years after losing one child she lost another and it hurt her so badly. She tried to put on a brave face for the rest of the family but everyone knew that inside there was another wound that would never heal. Her only daughter, the one she had wanted for years. Just when she had given up on ever having a daughter, along came Ginny.
Turning to the group of photos on his desk, all framed and possibly the only neat thing on his desk, he smiled. These were the photos of his daughter, little Rosie. There was one of the three of them together, Hermione, Rose and himself. Photo Hermione looked rather uncomfortable - like she would much rather be somewhere else, rather than near his photo self.
So she should be, Ron thought to himself, stupid bitch.
The little baby in the photo grabbed a lock of Hermione's bushy brown hair and tugged, causing the photo Hermione to wince in pain, and Ron smiled a little sadly. He had so nearly had what he'd always, although secretly for a while, a proper family of his own - a wife and kids. Now his wife had walked out on him, disappeared one stormy August night after telling him she couldn't deal with all of this anymore, and he had been left to bring up a baby on his own, while juggling two jobs. Luckily, his mum had been there to help out. She really was a lifesaver sometimes.
She always shrugged it off with a "she's my granddaughter, I like spending time with the little dear and she likes spending time with her gran."
Ron sometimes wondered where Hermione was now. The most likely place would be Bulgaria with Viktor Krum, she had always liked him although she had insisted that they were just friends and would never be anything more. She certainly wasn't in the country - no one had seen her since and surely she would have been spotted if she was still in the country. She hadn't gone back to work since she had walked out. In fact, he'd think she was dead if he hadn't received a few owls from her every now again telling him not to worry, that she was alive.
He never bothered replying. He wasn't worried, and as far he was concerned she meant nothing to him anymore, she might as well be dead for all he cared. Is that really what you believe? That little voice in his head really got annoying at times. Well, now if she ever came back she was not going anywhere near him or Rose. She had nothing to do with either of them after what she did. How dare she hit him repeatedly for walking out on them during the horcrux hunt even though she knew that the horcrux around his neck had effected him badly, and then go and do the same thing a few years later?
Ron picked up his quill and started to fill in some forms that he had been neglecting. Boring work really, but he supposed it had to be done. Maybe if he actually did some work he'd be asked to oversee the next investigation although it was likely to be weeks, even months until that was necessary.
There was a tap at the window and he opened it to let in an owl, one he didn't recognise at first. In fact, he was very surprised that an owl would arrive at his window as the Ministry was underground and the windows were charmed to show the outside.
He opened up the piece of parchment that was tied around the owls leg.
Ron,
If you aren't busy this weekend, Dean and I would like to invite you and Rose to dinner on Saturday. We've just moved in to our new home and it would be lovely if you could join us to celebrate. It wouldn't be a home without a party - and don't worry, I've cleared it out so there will be no wrackspurts around to make your brain go fuzzy because that really wouldn't do, especially with your job. Estelle would be so happy to see Rose, she's still very young but the first years are very important to the development of children.
Neville, Hannah, Harry, Megan, their children and Teddy will be there too.
Hope to see you soon.
Luna.
Of course, he should have realised. If anyone could get an owl to find him at the Ministry it would be Luna. He might go, Luna was often very entertaining and it would be good for Rose to see other children that weren't her cousins, even if he didn't really think that she'd realise as she wasn't quite one for another month.
At that moment Harry burst into his office, looking out of breath and slightly red in the face. For a moment he couldn't say anything and Ron just sat there waiting while indicating a chair the other side of his desk. All Harry did was shake his head.
"Ron. Get ready to go. We've got an investigation."
"What?"
"I don't have time to explain."
"Look, Harry, no offence but I can't go anywhere without knowing at least a little bit about what's going on. I don't want to go in unprepared because that could well effect my Auror abilities."
"Murder. Possibly done by Death Eaters that managed to escape Azkaban."
"There's been a breakout?"
"No. I mean Death Eaters that managed to escape being caught after the war. Look I can't explain much more, I don't even know a lot. I just had a very distressed sounding owl and I have to go an investigate. I can't go on my own and I need a good Auror to come with me. Ron, you're one of the best, I need you."
"Ok. I'm ready." Ron stood up, sending a few chocolate frog wrappers onto the floor. "Where are we headed?"
Harry didn't answer, he just grabbed Ron and he felt the familiar but uncomfortable feeling of a tug behind his navel. They were travelling by portkey, they must be headed somewhere where you couldn't apparate to.
When they landed, he realised at once where they were, with a horrid sinking feeling in his stomach. Malfoy Manor. There was no way that he could ever forget this place, not after what had happened all those years ago. Being locked in the dungeons while he listened to the girl he loved at the time being tortured by a Death Eater, famous for their talent of performing the Cruciatus Curse. That feeling of helplessness, knowing that he should be in her place and that he should be at least helping her but he was locked in a dark dungeon, with no way to get out.
Harry must have seen him shudder because he reached out and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, which was difficult as he was a few inches shorter. Ron had always been tall.
"I know, mate. I don't like it anymore than you do but it's part of our job and we have to do it."
They walked up the gravel path, passing an albino peacock on the way, until they reached a big, impressive door. Harry reached out and knocked twice on the door and to Ron's surprise the door wasn't opened by a House-Elf as he thought it would be. Instead a dark-haired woman, with puffy red eyes answered. At first he didn't recognise her, but then it hit him.
"Parkinson?"
She looked at him, dislike clear on her face.
"Weasley?"
AN:The next chapter is longer. Sorry this is a bit short, but it seemed like the best place to end the chapter. I love reviews and welcome any constructive criticism :)