CHAPTER TEN: MOVING FORWARD

St. Mungo's

Level 4 Nonemergency Magical Injury Ward

Hermione relaxed in her bed. She was exhausted. She had just finished physical therapy, and it took a lot out of her. It wasn't that it was hard, because they went easier on her because she was 6 months pregnant. All the healers agreed that She should be able to go home without a problem now, but she should return if anything gets unreasonably painful. She and Fred had set a date for the wedding, it was Febuary 31st, 4 months from today. They had chosen the place, the invitations, the food, and just about everything else besides her dress. You could get a lot done when you were sitting around in a hospital with nothing to do. Fred bounded happily into the room with a bag of floo powder.

"Almost ready?" He asked her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"I was ready a month ago. Did Dumbledore finalize everything?" Fred nodded.

"We are moving into Grimauld Place. Harry and Ginny are going to stay at the Burrow." Hermione nodded, and then smiled at the thought of her friend.

"How is Ginny?" Fred laughed.

"Ready to pop any second now! Don't worry, I made all the people with her to make sure and get us if she goes into labor. My entire family is there, plus some order members, so you know it's crowded." Hermione just laughed and nodded.

"Is Kym coming home soon? I haven't heard about her at all, I hope she's alright." Fred put an arm around his soon to be wife and smirked.

"Trust me, 'Mione, she can handle herself." With that he grabbed her bag and walked out of the room, leaving a very confused Hermione to waddle after him.

"Frederick Weasley, you tell me what you meant by that right now!" Fred smiled and turned to face his wife.

"She's more powerful than any witch or wizard Dumbledore had seen for her age." Hermione's eyes got big and she grinned.

"Well what could they expect really? I mean with my brains." Hermione just smiled and laughed at the sight of Fred's fake shocked look.

"Your brains?" Hermione just laughed harder.

"So exactly how surprised was he?"

"Extremely. I'm not kidding, Mione. Dumbledore said he'd never seen such a little kid show such power, or such a knack for pranks." Hermione winced and smiled at Fred.

"What exactly did she do?" Fred only smiled.

"Well apparently our little girl and do wandless magic, and she has already sent McGonagall and Malfoy flying across the room, thought she claims the first was an accident."

"And the second?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Purposely because he was being Malfoy-ish" Fred said with a grin. "Personally I think that part deserves reward."

"She assaulted him!"

"It was Malfoy, he deserved. I remember another young witch giving Malfoy a piece of her mind." Hermione just blushed and ducked her head.

"I'm not proud of that you know."

"But it felt good at the time didn't it?" Hermione only laughed and nodded.

"A little….Why was Malfoy at Hogwarts anyway? I thought he would've never even thought of going back, he hated it there." Fred just laughed and patted her shoulder.

"Apparently he is a professor there now...Potions Master, not surprising." Hermione just rolled her eyes and nodded. Fred reached up and put his fingers through Hermione's hair. "Your hair is getting long again, but it's not frizzy this time."

"I think I like it longer, I'm not planning on cutting it anytime soon. Can we leave yet?"

"As soon as the Healer comes and tells us so." Hermione leaned back against the railing. Most of her things had been taken to Grimmauld Place already, she only had a small bag with her. They waited a couple more minutes, chatting about little things that Hermione had missed while she was in the hospital. Finally a young looking healer came into the room and told them they were free to go. They both already knew where Grimmauld Place was, but it was protested by wards, so they apparated outside of it, and then walked in.

The Burrow

The Spare Burrow

Ginny leaned back against her bed in St. Mungo's. She had just endured 30 hours of labor, and then gave birth to the triplets, all born within minutes of each other. She was exhausted, sore, and pleasantly calm at the moment. They had let her have a little time with her babies before taking them to make sure they were in good health. She wanted nothing more than a good nap right now. She groaned loudly as she heard the door open yet again. She had been enduring visitors ever since it all ended, and was really sick of them.

"Not exactly happy to see me, are you?" Harry laughed. Ginny smiled tiredly and turned to face her husband.

"Sleep, I need it."

"Get it while you can." Harry laughed stepping forward rubbing her forehead. "They really are beautiful kids Ginny."

"They are, aren't they? We did a good job." Harry smiled at his wife, and just nodded. They had done a good job. They had two boys and a little girl. Darren Sirius Potter and Rose Lillian Potter both had their fathers jet black hair and glowing green eyes, while James Sirius Potter was still bald, but he had green eyes that somehow seemed brighter and more vibrant than Harry's or the other two's. They seemed healthy at first glance, and the preliminary tests showed little problems, except that James's balance was off. They couldn't figure out what was wrong, his magical level indicted that he was either a half-blood of some kind, close to impossible, or that he was going to be a squib. They weren't thrilled with either alternative, but they would be able to live through it. They would know in the morning what was going on. Just then a very startled looking Charlie walked through the door.

"Harry, Dumbledore needs you outside right now. Like immediately." Harry gave him a weird look but stood anyway and walked out the door. Charlie just smiled at Ginny and then turned and walked away. Ginny sat back and let herself get the sleep she needed.

.: in the waiting room:.

"What are you getting at, Dumbledore?" George's voice seemed uncharacteristically stern. Harry stepped fully into the waiting room and gave the scene a once over. It stood Dumbledore against about 10 Order members, who all looked very confused. Dumbledore looked up at Harry and smiled.

"Ahh, Harry. Now we can begin." It was then that Harry noticed the young red head – Kymberly – that had been at the Burrow standing next to the old Wizard. He walked forward and joined the Order members. Dumbledore took a deep breath and looked down at Kym, who looked thoroughly bored with the entire situation. He smiled at the girl. From what he'd seen and heard, she had Hermione's brains, with Fred's attitude towards fun, and power that rivaled Dumbledore in his prime.

"It would seem that someone has taken advantage of the separations in you family to cause more pain. From what I have heard and what I have seen, the Ronald Weasley you have been dealing with is not the true Ronald Weasley." Every single one of the Order members were confused. It was true that Ron had never joined the Order of the Phoenix, and after the attack he had been extremely harsh and different. Everyone just assumed it was the affect of losing his parents.

"How do we know this isn't some trick?" Asked George, who had decided to not open the shop to be here for his baby sister. "That he isn't making up some story?" Harry thought for a moment.

"Let me talk to him." Everyone turned and gave him a long look. "I will be able to tell if there is a difference between the boy from school, and the arse that I've worked for." Everyone nodded and Dumbledore gave him a somber look, motioning for him to follow him. Dumbledore led him down a narrow corridor, and opened a small door that opened into a small bedroom. It wouldn't even have occurred to Harry that he was still in a hospital except for some chart that seemed to be recording his vital signs that hung above his bed. Harry looked down at the man in the bed and gasped. A different Ron than he had seen in the office mere days ago lied before him. He was pale and looked really weak. His red hair looked faded, as if it had given up on showing its once fiery red color. He had a few small cuts on his cheek, and Harry could see several bruises clearly visible outside of his shirt on his arms and collar bone.

"You've looked better." Harry said with a small grin walking forward a little more. Ron's eyes opened a little more and he gave Harry a long look.

"It's been a while, Harry." Harry nodded and gave Ron a long look. Ron seemed to think for a moment before speaking. "They've sent you in here, haven't they? Everyone else, they figured you could tell if it was true or not." Harry nodded a little and looked a little embarrassed.

"If it helps at all, I volunteered to come and find out."

"But no one believes a word I say!" Ron's anger seemed almost to big for him, like it was trying to break out, like he was holding it back. It wasn't that Ron was small, he had grown, he almost reached 6'5", it was that he just seemed so thin and frail. Harry gave him a look that clearly showed how angry he was getting.

"Can you blame any of them? I mean the story is highly implausible! That we've mistaken some other man for you for almost ten years? True we haven't had much contact with you during that time…"

"How can you say that you don't believe it wasn't me? After hearing from Dumbledore all of the horrible things that everyone thinks I have done, I'm surprised no one picked up on it! I mean did you guys think I was that big of a git?"

"How did they get you? If they truly had taken you over, how did they? And why have they let you go now?" Ron gave Harry a look.

"Who said they let me go? I was there that night Harry. I saw my parents die, and I could do nothing. I watched that bastard Voldemort and his death eaters blast into my house and kill my mum and dad."

"No you were out on Order business…Dumbledore called you back when he heard…"

"Because the death eaters knew that's where I was supposed to be. I was the unofficial member. No one ever knew I joined, so that part worked. Why do you think Dumbledore is so trusting of me?" Harry gave Ron a long look.

"He trusted Snape as well." Snape had attempted to kill Dumbledore the night the death eaters attacked Hogwarts, but somehow, nobody truly knew how, he was brought back. A bright light shone from the old Professor's body as it was being laid into the grounds, the body began to levitate itself, spinning around quickly, and then disappeared. Days later he reappeared at Hogwarts. He never remembered what had happened, except that he woke up on the floor in the Department of Mysteries.

"So that's where we are? You comparing me to a known vicious death eater."

"No one know exactly who you are, or what to compare you to."

"If you don't believe me, check the pensieve." Harry looked around the room in the direction of Ron's thin arm. He saw the pensieve and walked over. He felt the familiar feeling of being pulled, and off he was whisked into a memory.

In the Memory

Hermione sat at the kitchen table chatting amicably with Mrs. Weasley about some new death eater attack. Harry could here Fleur and Penelope laughing loudly about something, but he couldn't make out what it was. Mr. Weasley walked through the door and gave his wife a tight squeeze.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley." Mr. Weasley stepped back from his wife and regarded Hermione. He smiled warmly and walked over to give her a hug.

"You're of age now, Hermione. You know you can call me Arthur." Hermione just laughed and smiled. Then she walked over to the kitchen where dinner was getting ready.

"Hermione dear, I can cook." Hermione spun around softly and looked at Mrs. Weasley.

"Mrs. Weasley, you know it is my night to cook." It was then that Harry saw it. He had been sitting at the table observing when he saw the flash of red in the window behind Hermione. Ron smiled at the window image and was about to knock on the window when the door flew open. Harry looked on in horror as several death eaters filed into the room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both yelled and stepped in front of Hermione. Harry saw Hermione reach behind her onto the counter top for her wand.

"Avada Kedavra" Mrs. Weasley fell lifelessly to the floor and Harry saw Hermione's face crumble in pain and shock. In an instant Hermione look fierce and ready to fight. She stood directly next to Mr. Weasley, who was looking heart broken down at his wife.

"Weasley, always so weak." Harry would recognize that voice anywhere. Lucius Malfoy. Harry silently felt better knowing he had gotten that man the Dementor's kiss seven years ago. Harry watched Mr. Weasley tear his eyes away from his wife and up at the death eater with anger Harry had never seen so present in them before. Harry saw him turn and whisper to Hermione.

"Save yourself and the others, Hermione. Make sure you get out." Hermione just nodded. Harry saw Ron watching horror-stricken from the window. Harry felt so bad for him. It was either defend your father and get killed, and sit and watch your own father get killed. Arthur Weasley turned back towards the death eaters.

"It is not weak to let yourself love and be loved, Malfoy. Risky? Yes. Painful? Sometimes. But not weak." Harry saw the death eater stiffen in anger and then raise his wand. Right as he was firing his spell, Hermione began to move.

"Penny! Fleur! Run! We're under attack!" At the same time Hermione has raised her wand, and began to cast very strong shields so that only an Avada Kedavra could get to her. She stunned a few of the death eaters, and then sprinted for the back door. Harry knew from there that she would apparate away. Harry wondered why it wasn't over, the memory was done, wasn't it? Harry then remembered Ron, and looked up to see his best friend cry for the first time since Harry had known him. His gaze wasn't on the death eaters or anywhere else. It was on his parents. Harry looked down and couldn't believe his eyes. The way they had fallen, it was as Mr. Weasley was only giving Mrs. Weasley another of his bone crushing hugs. His arms had fallen so that they seemed to be going under her, even though that was impossible. It was then that the death eaters spotted him. Ron sprung from his daze-like state of mourning to try and run. One of the death eaters ran out side and the last thing Harry heard was 'Crucio' and then Ron's tortured screams.

Normal Time

"Ron…I- I don't know what to say." Ron just gave Harry a smile.

"Just believe that I'm not that bad." Harry smiled at his friend and nodded. "How bad is the other me?"

"You almost referred to Hermione as a you-know…." Ron paled a little more, if possible, and then glanced up at Harry.

"Almost?" Harry laughed.

"I kind of slugged you." Ron laughed too, and Harry smiled.

"It's good to have the real you back."

"It's good to be back." Harry nodded, and then Dumbledore came and took him back to where the rest of the group was waiting.