Chapter 3
Hermione couldn't believe what had just happened. Ron smelled of earth and musk, sweat and heat. She stepped back and glanced him up and down. Her hands flew shakily to his face before she kissed him violently, sobbing the entire time. Ron was barely moving, seemingly in a daze.
"Ronald! Ron! Where have you been?" Hermione nearly shrieked, halfway in joy and halfway in anger, now knowing that he was okay. Why had he left them? Had he left them by his own free will?
"I don't know," Ron muttered, pushing her back slightly. He seemed to be overwhelmed. "Yesterday I got up," he started as Hermione ushered him to the bathtub and began stripping him down. He needed to be bathed terribly.
He continued, "I had breakfast, you saw us off, and I took the kids to the train," he seemed to almost be sleepwalking as he spoke, no emotion in his voice and eyes half-lidded.
"Yesterday?" Hermione stopped him, "You've been gone for three years today, Ronald!"
"No," Ron looked at her as if she were mad, "I just took them to the train yesterday, Hermione. Then I woke up this morning in the rubbage outside of the Leaky Cauldron."
Hermione nearly started crying again. What had happened to him? He worked in the Department of Mysteries. Could someone have kidnapped him? But why?
"Ron… You've been gone for three years… Look," Hermione went running from the room as her husband climbed into the tub. She snatched a picture of the children riding their broomsticks off the mantle and rushed back to the bathroom, "See? They're three years older. Hugo and Rose aren't babies anymore."
Ron stared at the photograph for a moment, studying the smiling faces of the children as they whizzed about the frame. Hermione watched his face for any sort of reaction or emotion but there were none.
"I need to go to work," Ron said after a moment, handing her the picture, "I need to sort this out."
"Not today! You stay here with me!" Hermione almost began crying again. She couldn't fathom the idea of him running off when he'd just arrived at home, "We'll take you into St. Mungo's in the morning to have you evaluated."
"No. We go today," he said in a monotone voice, "Then we go to the ministry."
Hermione nodded. She could deal with this as long as he permitted her to go. Otherwise, she wasn't going to let him leave. There was no way.
(More to come sometime today! Please review!)
