A/N: After the new content we got this week, this story is not longer canon. This makes me sad. Don't get me wrong; I love having new information and I LOVED that third canon kiss - but I planned this story to be as close as canon as possible and all of that has been torn to confetti. Oh well. I've been playing with a few scenarios in my head to explain the changes, and maybe those ideas will become a multichapter in the future.

Thanks as always to my wonderful beta, Pili!

Hermione sat on one of the chairs by the examination room where the Healers where checking Ron. She didn't realise it, but her body showed every sign of anxiety a body could show. Her legs were pressed together, her feet tapping on the floor in a constant, quick, tiring rhythm. Her hands wriggled together on her lap, and her brow furrowed with worry.

Ron had been in that room for two hours, and she didn't think she could stand the wait much longer. She couldn't wait for Ron to have his memory back.

Her mind strayed again to that fateful moment when she'd opened the door to find Ron standing in front of her. She had barely been able to keep herself together when she saw him, when she talked to him; the shock of realising he had lost his memory mingling with the joy of finally having him back with her… by the sight of him back in their bed.

When Ron had fallen asleep, she, Harry, and Ginny had talked for a while about what they should do. They decided they wouldn't tell the rest of the Weasleys, at least not until Ron woke up. Then, they would take him to St. Mungos to have him checked, for the Healers would surely know what to do. The Mediwizards hadn't been able to fix the memories of any of the other Aurors, but this time it would be different, surely? They would be able to fix his memory and whatever else that needed to be fixed.

After all, he simply had to have several things that needed fixing. Considering everything he had gone through, it would be a miracle if his mind and malnourishment were the only things wrong with him. Still, she marvelled at his strength. He'd survived almost a year of psychological and physical torture, and he'd managed to escape and come back to her… just as he had promised.

"Hermione!" Molly called for her as soon as she had reached the ward. Hermione stood up to receive the fierce hug Molly greeted her with. "Where's Ron? Where's my son? Harry told us the story this morning and we came right away. I can't believe what happened to my little boy," she said with a strangled voice.

"He's not so little anymore, Mum," Ginny said, arriving with Harry, Arthur, and George.

"He'll always be my little boy, Ginny, just like you'll always be my little girl," Molly said turning briefly to her daughter. Then she turned back to Hermione. "Did the Healers recover his memory? Did they cure him?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Weasley. They've been in there for more than two hours, and no one has come out yet."

"Well, I'll ask then. I want to see him."

"Molly, dear, it's best if we just wait. They'll let us know when we're allowed to see him."

"Alright, Arthur, but the wait is killing me. Our son is back! I knew he wasn't dead!"

Hermione noticed how she sent a victorious glance at George.

"Hey, don't look at me that way! It wasn't me who tried to convince you he wasn't!"

"Well, if you hadn't destroyed the Weasley clock, we would have known for sure, wouldn't we?"

George looked apologetically at his mum, like he always did when the issue came up. "I'm sorry, Mum, you know I am."

"I know," she said, forgiving her son yet again, her hand patting George's cheek. He had viciously attacked the Clock one morning, grieving the loss of his twin. As he would explain to his parents afterwards, it was initially done in defiance at having lost his twin brother. The positive consequence had come afterwards; when he realized he had also destroyed the rest of his family's hands on the clock, it had shown him he still had a family who cared for him. It had opened the gate to his healing, though he was never quite the same again.

Molly let go of George and turned to Hermione again, taking her hands in her own.

"Oh, dear, how are you? It must have been a shock when you opened the door to him this morning."

Hermione tried not to raise her eyebrows in surprise, but couldn't stop herself from looking at Harry for an explanation. He shrugged and mouthed, "It's easier this way."

He was probably right. If Molly knew Ron had been back for almost two days...

"Yes, for a moment I didn't know what to do. I've hoped for this moment for so long, it was hard to believe it had finally happened."

"You should have called me right away, Hermione. You know you should have. But let's not think about that. Let's just wait for him to be released so we can take him back to the Burrow. Harry told me he's malnourished; he'll be needing a good, nutritious meal."

"I thought we would just take him home, Mrs. Weasley. He needs to rest. You're all welcome, of course. We can all go together and have a late lunch."

"Nonsense, he'll be better taken care of with me. I'm his mother. You have your job and-"

"Mum!" Ginny and George said in unison.

"Mrs. Weasley..." Hermione started at the same time. No way I'm letting him out of my sight, she thought. Instead, she said, "Thank you for your offer, but I think it will be better if we ask his opinion. Once he gets his memory back, he'll be ready to make his own decisions."

She could see Molly hadn't liked her reply, but Hermione wasn't going to bend on this. She only hoped Molly wouldn't hold it against her in the future.

By the small nod she gave her, Hermione knew it was going be okay. "All right, we'll ask him. Knowing Ron, he'll want to be with you. Merlin knows he could never keep away from you long." Molly put a hand on her arm and her eyes softened. "I know this year has been terrible for you. Still, you must understand that I'll want to take care of him, too."

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley. I wouldn't keep him away from you. He loves you, too. You'll always be welcome at our home."

"You can take them food every day, dear," Arthur commented, smiling. "Or even better, you can go and cook there. What about that?" he added, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Oh, don't you tease me, Arthur Weasley!" she replied, slapping him on the chest.

"Is this a bad time? I can come back later."

"Neville!" Hermione said, and realised others had also said his name in welcome. "How did you know...?"

"Harry," he said, getting closer to all of them.

"I thought I'd tell him, considering how it was his note that saved him."

"It was nothing, really. I didn't do a thing. But I'm glad you told me... It's great news, isn't it? Ron's back!"

"If only the Healers would tell us how he's doing. How long has he been in there?" Ginny asked.

"More than two hours. I can't imagine what's taking them so long."

"Maybe they're trying to make him brighter, too. Noble cause, but probably useless," George said.

Everyone ignored him as the door finally opened behind them.

A Healer came out with a tired and confused expression on her face.

Hermione had expected everyone to start asking questions at the same time. Instead, everyone, including herself, was completely silent; all waiting to hear what the Healer had to say.

"Well... to start off I'd like to tell you that he's healthy now. We had to correct a few problems the malnourishment caused on his bones and internal organs. We also re-grew some of his muscles, which had been consumed during his long months of fasting. Still, he'll need to eat healthy for a while and, if he wants his old body back, he'll have to go back to his old exercise program. Slowly, mind you, he shouldn't overtax himself."

The silence was dense around Hermione. She suspected everyone was as shocked as she was. Everyone had been told what had happened to Ron; she had seen him with her own eyes. Still, listening to the effect his kidnapping had had on him seemed to make it even worse.

"As for the rest, his body is quite healthy. His mind, though..." The Healer seemed to hesitate. Hermione's heart skipped a beat. When she started talking again, she could hear the confusion and regret in her voice. "I'm really sorry, but we couldn't fix his memory problem."

"What?!"

"No!"

Several outcries arose around her, but Hermione's voice was trapped in her chest. As much as she had tried to convince herself that Ron's case was going to be different, that the Healers were going to figure out a solution for his memory loss, she had been evidently wrong.

"We tried everything we could. Every spell, every counter-spell we know of... we tried everything. Whatever happened to him was different than what happened to the other Aurors. We're able to trace the remnants of several different kinds of spells and curses, some of which we had never seen before. It looks like our healing magic was blocked by scarred tissue, which doesn't make sense. We talked to him and we would like to start researching, seeing him every week to try and figure this out once again. Any questions?"

As the rest of the family started asking questions, Hermione stepped away, needing to get away. She had to figure out what to do or how to deal with the news.

She wasn't really surprised when her steps took her to the room in which Ron had been checked in. Maybe she'd unconsciously planned to go there all along. Maybe she knew she wouldn't be missed, as everyone else was busy interrogating the Healer. No matter how it happened, she went into the room and closed the door behind her.

Ron was doing the last buttons of his shirt. He looked healthier, though still thinner than her last memories of him. She actually had the impression that he looked younger, his body very similar to how he looked back in their school years. But the sad look on his face wasn't at all like his usual expression back then.

She went to him and put a hand on his arm. He didn't look up; instead, he rested his weight on the bed behind him, letting his breath escape in a long sigh.

"This can't be happening, Hermione. I should be able to remember everything by now. The Healers were supposed to cure me, to bring back my memories."

She didn't say anything. She just hugged him, trying to give him the strength they both were going to need.

"It was awful being under so many spells and seeing that none of them worked," Ron continued.

"We'll find a way, Ron. I'll take my long, overdue vacation and, if that's not enough, I'll go on leave. We'll find a way to make it right."

The door opened behind them to let Molly enter the room.

"Oh, Ron!"

Hermione stepped away to give Molly the opportunity to hug her son.

She watched as Ron's mother clung to him fiercely, sobbing quietly into his chest. Hermione's eyes filled with a few tears, empathizing with the joy of having him back.

"Oh, dear," Molly said with a broken voice. Then she put her hands around Ron's face, looking into his eyes. "You're here."

Ron looked uncomfortable, guilt clouding his eyes. Hermione guessed he felt like he should know who was hugging him so lovingly. Certainly, his mother knew him just as well.

"You've always called me mum."

His smile was tentative, his eyes checking with Hermione every few seconds. Then he gathered himself together and smiled more confidently. "Yes, I can believe that I did."

Molly put her arms on her hips, looking like a most alive, plump ginger jar. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

He just signalled to the top of their heads. "Hair. I'm starting to think it's a distinctive trait."

"Well, you have to go see your father then." Molly put a hand behind his back, leading him out. "Even if you got your hair from both of us, your height can only come from him!"

Ron looked at Hermione once again as he got closer to the door. He turned a little so he could talk to her as he left and said, "You know, Hermione, I can't name a reason why I can suddenly believe that everything is going to be fine, but I do."

His smile had lit his eyes. It was the first time it did, and so she was able to truly believe they'd find a way of getting their old life back.