A/N:

/Re-posted the beta-ed version. Thanks to Zsanya, Cloudy, and Bristol_man! And, later on, re-re-posted AGAIN because of a typo :(

I don't even bother to try to explain or to beg your forgiveness for the delay. Let's just accept the fact that the updates come slowly, almost crawling, okay? :( This chapter is pre-read by a Finnish person (thank you Winga!) but not really beta-ed. So, I appreciate pointing out if you find something strange in it :) No Ron on this chapter, but at least Harry comes home!

I've mentioned Catholicism in this Chapter. I have no intention to insult anyone and I hope I've managed to convey it as a positive thing. That was the purpose.

Warning: The story contains mature themes and a bit of bad language!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Potters, not me. I'm just playing with them. Don't sue!

PART II

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Chapter 6: The Consultant

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Two months later on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean

~o~

Harry rose from the wicker chair and grabbed his cloak. He didn't really need one in the tropical weather but felt unable to leave home without it. The man sitting behind the table fidgeted and started to rummage through the drawer.

"Here's your mail," he said and passed a stack of papers to Harry. "There's a letter in between, don't drop it."

"Thank you, Estada," Harry mumbled and pocketed the lot. "See you next week."

Estada waved his hand and opened the secret door, allowing Harry to enter the narrow passageway that led him out two blocks down the street. The passageway was a handy trick Harry and Estada had arranged — it didn't do good for Lewis Portman to be seen at the Ministry.

Harry hurried home and threw his mail on the living-room table. He re-heated the coffee he had left on the bottom of the pot earlier that day and sat down. Visiting Estada was something he did every single week, and after all these years, it still made him feel depressed. It reminded him that in spite of the effort, he wasn't a regular working man. Not here. And, even though Estada had tried relentlessly to make Harry feel at home, he had never accepted an invitation to join the dinner with Estada's family — not even if Estada promised his wife was the best cook in the world. Every single time, Harry had refused politely, insisting that he had to remain anonymous.

He didn't want to be a burden.

Harry gulped down the bitter coffee, grimacing, and was about to get up when he remembered Estada saying something about a letter. He flipped through the stack of parchment and stared gloomily at the yellowish envelope. After leaving the UK, he had meticulously refused to answer any letters, and after a while, they had stopped coming. Who would still want to write to him?

He tore open the envelope and unfolded the single parchment in it. The message was very short.

~o~

Hi, Harry

All is not well, and we need you.

Ron has left.

— Hermione & Fred —

~o~

Harry stared at the letter. What did it mean that 'all was not well'? What had happened at home?

He stormed up and walked to the window. It wasn't his world anymore, so why was Hermione asking him to come back? Just then, Harry realised that he had thought of the UK as home, and his anger doubled. For years, he had tried to sever his old connections, but the truth remained: he missed home. He was tired of the heat, and he didn't want to be Lewis Portman anymore.

Harry frowned and shuffled to the kitchen. Before entering, though, he doubled back and returned to the window.

If — if he was to go back to the UK, he would need to explain his absence to the Weasleys. In addition, he would need to explain at work why he was leaving. Then, there was the matter of getting another Inter-Continental Portkey, which wouldn't be easy since his last trip to Europe had been only a few weeks ago.

He would also need to find a flat in London.

Why the hell was he making all these excuses? He only needed to decide not to go, and that was that! No-one would question him or make him feel guilty even if he shredded the letter in pieces and forgot never even reading it. No-one would ever know.

But...

Harry opened the letter again and stared at it. Ron has left. He wasn't sure what it meant but it kept nagging at him. Clearly, Ron wasn't with Hermione. At least not at the moment, but it could also mean that...

At the same time, Harry was both trying to quash the ray of hope that was growing inside him and also marching determinedly to his closet. He swore aloud as he started to pack his trunk. There was no way he wouldn't regret this decision. It would do good to forget about Ron and just stay in Nicaragua. He really shouldn't let his hopes up because of a single message; things would surely be the same as always.

Harry snorted and folded his winter-cloak on top of the pile of clothes — in Great Britain, it was cold even in summer.

~o~

Harry had barely finished telling his story when Estada opened his drawer, grabbed a Portkey, and handed it to Harry. It was a two-pound coin which looked exactly like a regular coin except that it was made from a heavy, iron-gray metal. If Harry would accidentally try to pay with it, the cashier would reject the coin faster than you can say 'forgery'.

"Listen, why don't you stay a little longer this time? Get your things in order. There's no rush to come back," Estada urged, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Frankly, you've been withering away for weeks now. It's starting to look like Lago de Managua is not the right place for you."

Harry gazed at Estada who had been closest to a friend for him for the last few years.

"Perhaps you are right," he answered, smiling uncertainly, and raised his hood. "Let's hope this visit doesn't end as abruptly as the last one."

"I'll pray for you," Estada promised. He was a devoted Catholic.

Harry grabbed the Portkey with his left hand, and un-pocketed his wand with the right one. He nodded to Estada.

"Thanks, for everything."

And then, he was gone.

~o~

Hogsmeade welcomed Harry with a burst of wind and chilly rain.

As Harry took a step towards the main street, his stomach lurched. The restless night, the long journey and complete change of climate had been too much. Harry ran behind the dustbin and threw up. He was thankful he wasn't in disguise this time since it wasn't really practical to be sick through a beard. No, on the contrary — as he stepped out of the alley, he was very much his old self — although a bit nauseated.

The familiar bell chimed on top of the door leading to the WeasLee store as Harry stepped in, grateful for the warmth. He was partially expecting to see Ron sitting at the end of the counter again, but this time, the seat was occupied by someone else.

Fred looked at the door, and for a while, he stared at Harry like he had seen a ghost. Then, he rushed to shake Harry's hand.

"Harry, I'm glad you came!"

He steered Harry immediately to the back room. Harry appreciated this — he had noticed two teenage girls who had started to whisper excitedly, throwing interested glances at him. Fred closed the door behind them.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked, slumping on the chair.

Harry followed the example and sat down. He noticed how blooming Fred appeared to be, and for some reason, it irritated him. It was like Fred didn't have a right to be happy when Ron was missing. Harry was actually surprised by his strong reaction, and tried to calm himself down. After all, he didn't really know anything.

"On holiday. Where's Ron?"

Fred leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair. Harry's gaze snapped immediately at the gold band on Fred's ring finger, and he was about to ask for more details when Fred talked again.

"In London. I've been trying to talk sense to him but he refuses to meet any one of us," he explained, staring at his hands.

"What happened?" Harry asked, trying to keep his hope down.

Fred glanced at Harry but dropped his stare back to his hands.

"I'm sure you've already noticed this," he blurted out, showing his left hand. Harry nodded.

"I did. Who's the lucky girl?"

Fred considered for a minute, then glanced at Harry again. Harry furrowed his brow — who on Earth could make Fred that reserved and quiet? Then, Fred made up his mind.

"Hermione."

~o~

Harry left the store, and his mind was buzzing. Night had descended, and he had to hurry up to get a room at Rosmerta's. In spite of Fred's eager offer, Harry didn't want to stay with him.

After the confession, Fred had told Harry everything as if he had been tired of the secrecy and ready to go public beside the woman he was in love with. Harry had listened, almost dazed, to the story of Fred and Hermione cheating on Ron behind his back. At one point, Harry had almost grabbed his wand but had eventually calmed down. At least Fred and Hermione had seized the opportunity to be happy while he, Harry, had just faded to the background, never revealing his feelings to Ron. And what had he achieved by it? Empty hands. And an empty bed.

After a while, Hermione, too, had appeared and taken Harry into a crushing embrace, delighted to see him again. Harry's behaviour had been more restrained. Still, seeing her made him feel warm inside — after all, she was one of his oldest friends.

In the end, Harry had gotten Ron's new address along with a warning. Apparently, Ron wasn't too keen on having surprise guests. This didn't bother Harry; he hadn't done anything to Ron, so why would he be mad at him?

As Harry fell down on the soft bed at the Three Broomsticks, he was feeling extremely tired. Still, sleep evaded him for a long time.

~o~

End Notes:

Lago de Managua is a real place, but I'm not sure if the Ministry of Nicaragua is located there, though =P ...and then to your lovely reviews:

WynterRavenheart: Aww :)

zyujin: I hope this chapter soothes you a bit. Harry's back, yay! Well, he didn't see Ron yet, but he will :) Hermione/Fred did a bad thing, that's true, but I can tell you that they're mentally very shaken by the events (even if it's not explained in detail). Fortunately, the revelation will lead to something that Ron has to go through. It's not the easy way but he'll manage, I promise :)

Bottle-Blues: You can punch them, and I'll hug Ron, okay? :P

Krazy-Katy: This chapter was un-betaed, too! I actually heard from my original beta and managed to get another beta, too, but since it takes so long time for them to get the chapters read, I decided to publish this chapter anyway. Hope it was readable, too!

hahippy: Glad for the 'no-mistakes' part :) Please, don't hate them. They are sensible people, even though they made some horrible mistakes, and they truly feel bad for how things turned up =/

Rori Potter: ...and that's how Harry found out! :)

Without permission: Aww, I'm glad I was able to surprise you in a good way :) Well, good news for you! It's not over for Ron, not yet anyway! I mean the torture :D I guess he just has to learn it the hard way, you know how he is :E It's kind of you to offer to beta this :) If you are still interested, perhaps you could email me? You can find the address on my profile.

dobby97: Thank you :3

DoritoCloud: I hope you could? :P

Eryk Lestrange: I killed George because I wanted to have only one survived twin in this story. It just happened to be Fred, since I started to write WG (in Finnish) before Deathly Hallows came out. To your review on Chapter 3 :D I think this story is tragic in its beauty and the sequel is beautiful in its tragedy. Or maybe it's the other way around x)

Grown Up Ron: She's been a bad girl, yes :E

EygptianFireFly: I'm sorry I'm so slow but I'll do my best! I haven't translated Chapter 7 yet but I'm working on it! :)

yugiyamisex4eva: Should I whip them a bit? :P But like I said to zyujin above, there are better things coming for Ron :P

~o~

Thank you all so much for the reviews! Love you guys :)