AFIRE LOVE

Disclaimer; Harry Potter, situations, places and characters are the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is not-for-profit

Title taken from Afire Love by Ed Sheeran (multiply, 2014) which is also the inspiration for this story, though it is not a "song fic".

Hope you enjoy -D

Hugo Weasley was an old man. He had a daughter, Helen, who was going to get married soon, she looked so much like his mother, but for the Weasley red hair she had inherited from his father's side of the family. Helen was only 23 and Hugo could honestly say he couldn't be more proud of his daughter; she was the most kind and caring young woman he'd ever know, yet had the smarts, strength and bravery to be one of the most promising young Aurors in History. His son, his eldest son Artemis was just about to graduate Hogwarts, head boy and prefect in his time as well as Keeper for the Gryffindor team since he'd been in third year. Somehow Art was smart and studious as well as being a class clown, he always had been well liked by all his peers and all his teachers. He was a trouble maker and still a prefect.

His youngest, Ronin was only nine, he was a quiet boy, if excitable. Ronin had an imagination beyond the capabilities of any other person Hugo had met, he loved stories with a fierce passion and he loved his grandmother who always indulged him his love of fantasy.

It had been a difficult year for Hugo's family, his wife had left him, after thirty years together. She had decided he was not good enough, left him for another man, she never saw any of her children anymore and none of his children had taken it with a grain of sand, it had affected Ronin worst of all, the boy was prone to wild fantasy, but also crushing worry for one so young. He was insecure, he feared he would never measure up to his brilliant brother or outstanding sister, but it was for this very reason that Ronin, of all his children was the most excited to meet his grandfather.

St. Mungo's was familliar to Hugo by now, the healers knew him and he knew them, he knew the permanent patients in the Janus Thickey Ward as well. Gilderoy, who was a harmless old man who seemed to be convinced he he was famous, Mrs Longbottom, who was the mother of one of his mother's friends, and Hugo had gone to Mr. Longbottoms funeral with his mother and father when he was still a young man.

Ron had a private room in the ward. The door was open today, which meant his father was having a good day. Ronin looked at him nervously. Hugo smiled at his son.

"You okay?" He asked the boy. Ronin nodded.

Ron Weasley wore plain black robes. His thin grey hair was combed, the cane he needed to get around hung over the footboard of his bed, he scratched his short white beard and smiled widely at Hugo. Hermione had her grey hair twisted into a knot at the back of her head. The room was decorated with orange chuddley cannons flags, red Gryffindor flags and many, many photographs.

"Hugo," Ron said, getting up slowly to greet his son. "And Artemis!" He said hugging Ronin.

"No grandad I'm Ronin." He said. Ron nodded, Hermione stood next to her husband, she grabbed his arm. Ron looked more closely at Ronin. "Ronin." He repeated, Hugo saw nothing on the man's face which indicated he'd remembered the name.

"You haven't met him yet dad, he's my youngest." Hugo said. Ron nodded. Hermione took him to sit down and dragged Ronin to sit too.

"Ronin is nine love." Hermione said gently. Ron nodded again.

"Why- why haven't I met you?" Ron asked the boy, "I can show you my car!" Hermione looked away with a broken expression.

"Sorry Grandad. I'd love to see it, maybe next time." Ronin said, Hugo put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well next time then, do you know how I met your Grandmother?" Ron asked seriously, Ronin shook his head, though he'd heard the story a hundred times from Hermione.

"I met her on the train for school," he said, "but she fell in love with me when I saved her from a troll!" He revealed, grinning at Hermione, who shook her own head with a smile they both knew it took her longer than that to fall for him. "With my wand, knocked the bloody stupid thing out. Smelt bad like you wouldn't believe." Ron reached for something then frowned. "Where's my wand," He muttered, feeling the pockets of his robes. "My wand, Hermione have you seen my wand?" He asked her she shook her head.

"It will show up dear." His mother said gently.

"I can ask... ask..." Ron frowned, looking at Hugo. "Your sister." He said he looked at Hermione.

"Rosie." She supplied and he nodded. He put a hand to his head.

"Rose, of course, slipped my mind." He muttered, though he had a frown which said much more than a mere slip of his thoughts. "You know I haven't seen Fred in the longest of times." Ron announced, apparently to put an end to the uncomfortable silence, again his mother looked pained; Hugo's uncle Fred had died over sixty years ago, Hugo had never met the man but he'd heard stories.

"He'll be around soon love."

Ron looked at the room. "We can go and visit." He announced, but frowned deeply again. "Don't recall where Fred lives now. We'll take the car."

"Tomorrow love," Hermione said. "Why don't you finish telling Ronin about the troll?"

"Ronin?" Ron asked, a deep frown on his face.

"Hugo's youngest boy." Hermione prompted, his father looked between Hugo and Ronin with a blank expression.

"Hey dad." Hugo supplied, it was possible that Ron simply didn't recognize him because of his age. But the old man seemed to only become more confused. "This is Ronin." Hugo introduced the boy again, but Ronin didn't look so happy at meeting his grandfather anymore. Hugo wouldn't let him stay long, it seemed hs father's good day was turning bad.

Ron nodded to them then looked to Hermione.

"Hermione?" He asked, shock lacing his tone, Ron placed a hand on her cheek, rubing his thumb over her lined face as though he hadn't seen it for years and couldn't believe how old his wife was. Hugo squeezed Ronin's shoulder and led him from the room, closing the door behind them.

They left the ward quickly and went to the tea room, where he got himself a tea and Ronin a warm chocolate drink.

"He didn't remember me." Ronin said, and Hugo could see what the young boy was thinking. That he was disappointed.

"It's not your fault he doesn't remember you, son." Hugo said sincerely. "You're not the only one."

"Why?" Ronin asked.

"He was in an accident when he was younger." Hugo said simply. "A strong memory charm backfired, they didn't ever realise he'd been affected by it until we found out it was slowly taking over his mind."

"So he's cursed?" Ronin asked and Hugo nodded.

"Yes, he is cursed." He said, though he felt as though they all carried this curse with them.

"What will happen to him?" Ronin asked.

Hugo took a deep breath. He knew, of course he knew, but he didn't want to tell his baby boy that first his grandfather will forget everyone he loves, and then he will forget himself.

"He'll get worse." A new voice answered, it was Hermione. Hugo stood to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. She looked as though she might have been crying. Hugo ordered her a tea.

"He's with his healer." She said, reaching for Ronin's hand. "You wonderful boy," She said to him, which made the nine year old smile. "Thankyou for coming to see him. You did very well. He asks about you all the time."

"He remembers me?" Ronin asked, Hermione nodded.

"Yes, sometimes." She says. They were intterupted by a healer telling his mother Ron was asking for her. Hugo stopped her from standing with a hand on her arm.

"FInish your tea mum, I'll go."

The door to his room was closed. Hugo knocked.

"Hermione?" Came the voice of his father so he pushed the door open to find his father sitting up in bed with tears welling in his still blue eyes.

"Its Hugo dad." He said quietly.

Ron nodded. "Good, Hugo," He said, "Good," the old man reached for a note book in his bedside table.

"Read this when you get home." He said, "Please Hugo?" Hugo nodded.

"Of course dad." Hugo frowned at his father who was overcome briefly with racking coughs. "Everything okay?"

"I'm sorry I can't- I can't remember you, or your sons, sometimes." He said, Hugo just nodded, he couldn't help but feel like a young man again, being told his father was very, very unwell. "I'm sorry, but I am so, so proud of you." He insisted and Hugo could only nod. "And Art and Ronin and... And Helen, and Rosie and her boys."

"Thanks dad, it's good to hear," he said honestly, smiling slightly.

"I'm dying." Ron announced, and Hugo looked up at him, shocked. "Hermione can, she understands, she remembers. Its all in that journal, alright?" Hugo nodded again. "I love you son," He added, "and read it, when you're home, I... It explains better than I can. But tell my grandson I am so proud of him, and tell him he'll be great one day. And... Can you make sure the remember me for who I was, not... Not what I'm like now."

"I will, dad." Hugo said thickly. Ron stood, grabbing his cane with his long, brittle fingers and pushing Hugo out the door. "Go on, your mother will be back soon I expect." Ron paused and swallowed his breath stopping for a second before the pressure of his hand returned to Hugo's shoulder and he was escorted from the room.

"I love you son," Ron said, finally Hugo nodded.

"I love you too dad."

"Goodbye."

Hugo had taken Ronin home after that, the boy seemed bothered by what his grandfather was going through, but Hugo had expected nothing less. Ronin was a very caring person, and this was the first time he'd gotten to see how unfair the world was.

Hugo took out the book, flipped to the first page and read;

Hugo,

I'm sorry to have to burden you with this son but I am dying. Your mother tells me it is neuro-degenerative, or my brain will get worse, I guess. When I was a young boy a wizard tried to erase my, and your Uncle Harry's memory. Uncle Harry wasn't affected, but it turns out I was. First I will forget little things, like where I've put my wand, the names of people I've just met, then I might forget how to do things, like cast spells and do up my pants, drive a car, then I will forget the people I love the most. You and Rosie, Harry and Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Mum and Dad.

It will come and go they said, I'll have good days and bad days, they said, then I will stop having good days.

When I can't remember your mother any more she's to stop coming to see me. I don't want my final moments with her to be full of pain. I don't want her to have to live without me and live without remembering me as the man who loved her unconditionally.

This curse will kill me, Hugo, In the final days they told me I will forget myself, then I will forget how to breathe, my heart will forget how to beat.

I love you, Hugo, I'm sorry to do this to you but you're the only person I trust to take care of your mother once I'm gone.

Love always,

Your father.

Hugo closed the little notebook and slipped it into a pocket of his robes. It was dark outside, Ronin was fast asleep having been told a story of how his grandparents and great uncle Harry once broke into Gringotts and saved a dragon. Hugo was glad to see that today hadn't diminished Ronin's opinion of his grandfather - Rose and her husband had stopped visiting a long while ago, their boys Able, Neil, Patrick and Wesley visited every now and again. But each time they did it was longer before they would return.

He pulled out the notebook and flicked through it. There was a page to each one of them, all of them; him and Rose, and her boys, his kids, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and Albus, James and Lily and their kids, even Uncle Percy and uncle George and uncle Bill and uncle Charlie, Teddy Lupin - who Hugo hadn't seen in years and most of his cousins, finally was the message to his mother, which began in the last half of the notebook and went on until the very end.

Hugo took a deep sigh, because starting tomorrow he knew what he had to do.

It was an unusually bright day when he woke up, which annoyed him a bit because today wouldn't be plesant. He woke Ronin and fixed his breakfast, eating a little himself and keeping a third plate ready for his mother. He asked Ronin to hold his arm and he appeared to his childhood home. It was a cottage style home, painted creamy yellow with a red tile roof. It was picture perfect in its muggle neighborhood, though they yard was large and housed many untamable plants and Muggle's didn't particularly notice the place. He knocked but there was no answer, Hugo frowned he had a horrible feeling.

"Ronin would you mind if I dropped you off with Helen for a bit?" He mumbled Ronin shook his head and with another crack he was knocking on his daughter's door. Her fiancée answered in nothing but his pants and Hugo would have laughed at the look of horror on the young man's face were it not so serious.

"Could you keep an eye on Ronin? I need to duck into the hospital."

The hospital hadn't changed, though there were no friendly smiles but looks of pity as he passed. His father's door was closed and Hugo entered without knocking.

"Who are you?!" His father's angry voice demanded. He was furiously looking for his wand. "What am I doing here? Where's my mother?" He asked. Hugo grabbed his mother's arm and pulled her with enough force that she had to follow him.

"We're just leaving," Hugo told the old man as two medi witches came into the room as well. He pulled Hermione from the room quickly though she fought him to go back in.

"Mum, no," he stated but she protested, "mum there's nothing you can do. We'll come back tomorrow, Mum? Oh Mum," Hugo pulled her close to his chest in a hug and patted her hair, she was sobbing uncontrollably, obviously trying and failing to control herself.

"Where, where, where's Ronin?" She asked between shaky breaths, Hugo led his mother from the hospital.

"With Helen and Kurt." He mumbled apparating back to his own home and sitting her down in front of the plate he'd left for her.

"So what happened this Morning?" He asked. She shook her head.

"He forgot who he was last night," she said, Hugo flinched and Hermione tried to offer an apologetic smile at the bluntness of her words but she seemed incapable of mastering any sort of smile in that moment.

"They wanted me to try to jog something, Ginny even came in and George but nothing worked he just got worse and worse and started asking for his mother, only he can't tell you what his mother's name is. It wasn't supposed to happen this fast," she told him panic in her eyes, "he forgot me yesterday. It's happened before but he usually remembers they asked me to leave this time then I get a message early this morning that he's... well he's gone."

He tried to make her eat but she wouldn't, she just cried, apologizing to him every now at then, he showed her to the guest room and told her to sleep, to have a shower and try to relax, it was most of a day before she did, finally she calm down, and he looked up from his spot on the lounge to see her standing in the doorway a determined look on her face.

"Mum," he warned but she ignored him.

"I have to go back," she said and he shook his head.

"No, you're not." He told her sternly. "If he's gone he's gone..." The words stuck, and all at once he understood why his father had insisted on apologising for the final thing he'd asked his only son to do.

"Don't... Hugo." She pleaded, cried, he didn't know how to describe the hurt and desperation in her tone. She made to leave and he stayed with her.

"Hugo you-"

"I'm coming with you," he said, and he was, once more in the familiar halls of the hospital. He felt his mother stiffen upon seeing the closed door of the private room in the Janus Thickey Ward. She grabbed his hand as they went to it and she seemed to stop breathing upon finding it locked. A healer rushed to them.

"Mrs Weasley," she said quickly pushing them away from his father's room and into her office. Hugo caught a glimpse of his father sleeping.

"I'm sorry," she said to his mother, who looked angry, more than anything. "He's not... He's not coming back and we don't believe he will, there have been a few episodes where he has stopped breathing already today."

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with both her hands. Hugo rubbed her back trying to be a comfort where he knew there was none to be had.

"It was his request, before the deterioration was evident that by this point he have no visitors-"

"I'll overrule that," Hermione said immediately Hugo shifted in his chair uncomfortably.

"You can't mum," he said she looked at him like she used to when he was little and being petulant. He wanted to roll his eyes but didn't. "Mum it's his wish, respect it, he did it to protect you, and to protect your memory of him-"

"I don't want my memory of him, I want him!" She snapped, and he grabbed her hand.

"I'm not going to let you visit," He said and his mother glared at him.

"You can't tell me what to do, Hugo Weasley I'm the one who makes decisions for your father-"

"Actually Mrs Weasley-"

"What?" Hermione snapped, furious impatience laced her tone.

"Mr. Weasley had that changed, it is Hugo who has the choice to allow visitors or not." The healer told her, Hermione looked completely shocked.

"I'm sorry mum," Hugo said weakly, "it was what dad wanted."

She seemed to lose her anger and only grief was left in the shell she had become before his eyes. She stood to leave. Pausing at the door to look at the hearer, as though she was about to say something but only a single broken sob escaped her lips.

Three days since, it was only three days since then. Three days since he'd taken his father's notebook to each of his family members and told them what was happening, let them read his messages. Uncle Harry was who he went to first, the first page after the message to Hugo. Harry's hair was colored like salt and pepper and his beard long and just as speckled grey, his glasses so thick Hugo wondered how he might still be able to actually see through them. He'd gotten unusually restless while Hugo told him the news, that Ron Weasley was, for all intent and purpose gone, couldn't remember you me or himself and here were his last words to you. Harry had red the passage in silence, laughing at points crying at others, he'd asked if he might take his page, and Hugo readily agreed, and so the first page was ripped from the book, Aunt Ginny then Uncle George were next, uncle George wouldn't believe him, that Ron wouldn't remember even his own name and had gotten unusually angry before he started sobbing hysterically and telling Hugo he should have visited more but he couldn't stand it that Ron never remembered that Fred was dead and always asked about what he was doing and if he had children and who he was seeing. Hugo had grabbed his old uncle and held him as he cried. He'd ripped out the page for George and left it for him.

His grandfather was next, who had a thin wisp of white hair in a crescent around his head and who was still clean shaven. Arthur had heaved a sigh which seemed like relief, and read the book without saying a word - Hugo didn't know what he'd been told by his dad but it seemed to comfort his grandfather more than anything Hugo could have done or said, he too simply tore his page out and thanked Hugo for his visit.

Rose was not so calm. She cried - he'd expected her to, she apologized to him for not continuing her visits. He told her he understood, but he couldn't forgive her. It wasn't him who she should apologize to. She told him how their father always told her he loved her and he was proud of her, and it was always what Ron had said to Hugo too, as though to make sure neither of them would doubt their worth. Slowly pages were ripped from the book; it was an exhausting three days for Hugo, but finally he got to the last message in the book the one adressed to 'my darling wife, Hermione' and then he'd gotten the message that Ron Weasley had died.

So the book, his father's final words, for the time being were forgotten. The funeral had to be planned and he had to help his mother, his children, his sister with the death of his father. He was, in his father's words, the man of the family now, but now as he stood by his mother and watched Art, Abe, Pat and Wes carry his father's coffin to the grave he finally let himself cry.

Ron Weasley was gone.

The service itself has been interesting; he'd learned so much about his father he never knew. A long service, true, his grandfather had spoken about Ron as a baby, and Uncle Harry had spoken about them at school together, his mother was next, with the silent help of Rose and she spoke about their marriage and when he and Rose were only babies, Rose had been given the job of speaking about their father from them. When his and Rose's oldest boys stood and lifted the coffin onto their shoulders, his mother had startled him with a loud, uncontrolled cry of absolute heartbreak and he could only hold her as she sobbed into a handkerchief and watched her husband be buried.

Ron Weasley was gone.