Chapter 9: The Way Ahead.

The two men stumbled out of the trees in a dark corner of the park with the taller one leaning heavily against the other.

"Shit Harry did we make it in one piece? You think anyone saw us?" the taller one asked.

"Yeah it seems so. Lucky thing I memorized this location the last time I was here and if anyone sees us among the bushes they will just assume its two gay guys having some fun anyway." The other replied with a chuckle. The tall red head laughed out then held his side with a grimace.

"Merlin Harry stop making me laugh! It hurts." He indicated.

"Hey are you really OK? I should have taken you to St Mungos like you were told." The shorter man scolded.

"I told you I'm fine and I don't want to spend any wasted time there. Just take me home Harry then you can get your ass back and make some sense of what happened back there." Ron ordered somewhat.

Without another word the two men made their way along the pathway until they came to the opening across from the apartment building. Ron had his ASF work robe wrapped around his upper body and was labouring a bit. Without wasting too much time they crossed the roadway, opened the outer gate and stopped at the main door. Ron struggled for a second or two before turning to his friend with a sheepish look.

"The keys are in my front right pocket Harry. I can't move my arm enough so just fish them out and let's get in. Just don't go grabbing anything that doesn't jingle." he managed to inform him with a wry grin.

"Will you stop joking around? This is serious! You could have been hurt real bad Ron." Harry grumbled as he retrieved the keys out of Ron's pocket and opened the door.

They stumbled along the hallway and paused at the door to the flat. Harry was still fumbling to find the right key when the main door opened again with a bang and a young man rushed in on his way up the stairs.

Ron had to still Harry whose hand had immediately gone for his wand as he recognized Jeff's roommate from upstairs who paused and stared at Ron.

"Hey are you all right mate? Had a rough night have you?" he actually smirked in recognition. Harry waved him off before he could answer.

"Yeah he's fine so just continue up ok?" he huffed before pushing the door open with his foot and dragging Ron inside then closing the door hurriedly behind them.

Harry quickly switched on the lights and immediately gasped in horror as he took a good look at his friend.

"Merlin Ron you're bleeding all over the floor! I thought you said you were fine! Let's get you in the bathroom quickly! Come on. I've got you." he shuddered at the sight but quickly helped his friend into the small bathroom and sat him down on the edge of the tub. He gently unwrapped the blood stained robe and threw it in the tub along with Ron's jumper which was also bloodied and torn. Using his wand, he ripped the tee shirt off his friend and gasped at the sight. There were numerous cuts and gashes all over Ron's right arm and his body, with pieces of broken glass and splinters still sticking out of him. His face had fared a lot better during the short battle but still bore marks of his crazy escape stunt.

"Shit Ron! You should be in the hospital mate. This looks bad." was all he could say at the moment as Ron shook his head.

"It's ok Harry. It's just this nasty gash on my forearm that's bleeding like hell. Nothing is broken or dislocated. Just get the dittany and cream from my bag and fix this cut. Hurry!" he pointed to his bag that he had dropped on the ground at his foot.

Harry soon had the bottle in his hands and quickly applied a few drops of the magical liquid onto the open tear in Ron's arm. His friend hissed with the sudden added pain but the cut slowly mended over and the bleeding stopped completely. Ron let out a deep breath as he took the bottle and cream from Harry.

"Thanks mate I can take it from here. I'll be fine I promise. You should report back and try and find out what the hell happened." He paused with a frown. "What the hell did happen you think? I couldn't get one bloody spell out! Nothing! It was like I suddenly became a freaking squib! What the hell is going on?" he ranted more to himself than his partner. Harry had stood up and was pacing in the tiny room.

"No idea but it also happen to me. I was trying every spell I could but nothing was working." He answered softly. "Hell if you didn't pull me through that window, we both would have been blown apart." He looked at his partner. "…thanks for that by the way." He ended as he closed his eyes and replayed the scene that he was speaking about.

The ASF had decided to raid a small house on the south coast that they were sure was a major meeting place for the top death eaters. The house was full and it was the perfect time for a raid but their plans had gone to hell when the anti-apparition spells that were put in place had suddenly and surprisingly gone down. At risk of losing their quarry, the lead team with Harry and Ron had crashed through the front door before the back-up team in the rear was properly in place.

Things had gone completely insane when the Aurors suddenly found that none of their spells worked inside the small front room that they were located in. It was as if some sort of an anti-magic spell hovered over their location making them sitting ducks. The death eaters had no such difficulty and let loose a series of powerful blasting spells that took out half of the team in the first few seconds. Ron had wrapped his robes around his arm, covered his face and pulled Harry along as he threw himself outside through a glass window. When the back-up team had finally burst through, the death eaters had all apparated out leaving the ASF in shock, confusion and worry. Ron had been ordered to St. Mungos but had begged Harry to take him home instead.

"Listen, as soon as I get a chance I'll come back and fill you in and to see how you are doing ok?" Harry informed his friend with a pat on his shoulder. "Take it easy and get some rest." He finished before heading into the living room and apparating out with a soft crack.

Ron put the healing cream on the tub edge and gingerly tried to extract the many small pieces of glass and splinters from his body with his fingers. He considered using his wand but decided against it as he was not exactly too sure how to go about it without causing more damage honestly.

"Ouch! Bugger! Shit that hurts!" he was swearing at a rate to reflect his slow painful progress when he heard the front door swing open and a frazzled Hermione appeared at the bathroom door looking paler than he had ever seen her. He froze in complete surprise with the bottle still in his hands as he saw her glance away from him to the bloodied clothes in the tub then back at him as her hand came up to her mouth in a loud gasp. He was the first to utter a word.

"Hey." was all he could muster at the moment but it seemed to galvanise the girl in front of him.

"Oh my god Ron! What happened to you!" she gushed out as she rushed to stoop in front of him. "Are you ok? When Dillon told me you were in a fight I just knew he was wrong but I was so worried. And there was all this blood by the door and shouldn't you be in a hospital? And where is Harry?" she rambled on and Ron had to suppress a grin as he looked at his new friend.

"It's ok Hermione I'm fine. It just looks worse than it is. We just got into a…situation that's all and Harry had to go back." He tried to reassure her but Hermione was now in her bossy mode.

"He left you here alone! Well I will certainly have a few words with him later…" She started as Ron jumped to defend his friend.

"He had to get back Hermione. He wasn't even supposed to leave the scene…." He tried to explain but Hermione had already started in on him as she looked him over.

"And what in the world are you using? Are you seriously picking out those splinters with your dirty fingers? Honestly! Doesn't the department give you any proper medication?" she ranted before grabbing the bottle out of his hand and gazing at the label.

"What the heck is Essence of Dittany? I have never heard of it. And what is this?" she continued as she also picked up the cream and looked at it.

"Cream of Murtap? What nonsense are you using Ron? Don't you have anything else? What about bandages?" she asked a bit loudly.

Ron had gone into blank mode with all the questions but now that he was caught out he had to come up with some explanation.

"Erm…well…that's what Mum always uses on us and it works, so I just thought I should use it too you know and…I don't have anything else." He admitted feebly hoping to placate her somewhat. Hermione huffed out as she stood up suddenly.

"Just stay right here and do not move. I'll be right back. Don't do anything." She ordered before disappearing out of the room in a flash.

Ron heard the front door open and shut and immediately reached behind him to grab all the bloody clothing to put away in a garbage bag for cleaning later and remembered to retrieve his wand from his jumper which he quickly put in his bag. He also put away the bottle and cream to prevent any more difficult questions. He tried his best to wash away all the blood that had settled in the tub which was a lot easier than cleaning away the bloody floor. He was dragging a wet cloth over the floor just outside the bathroom when Hermione returned with a bag in her hand and a look that told him she was not pleased.

"I told you not to move Ron. I can do that after. Just get back in the bathroom so I can take care of you." she scolded him but there was a slight blush on her face with the last words out of her mouth.

Ron obeyed and soon Hermione was using a tweezers to pull out all the various pieces of glass and wood that were still stuck in him. When she was satisfied that every bit was out she cleaned every cut and scrape before applying a last dab of antiseptic cream and bandages where necessary.

Ron remained silent and gazed at her flushed face thinking that even though he might take a bit longer to heal without the magical potions, this was so much better than he wanted to admit. Her soft caring hands made him feel…good…and as the smell of her hair permeated his senses it was now clear to him that this witch had become someone special to him in more ways than one. It scared him somewhat but his resolve to protect her only increased.

"You sure picked the right profession Granger. You're very good at this and that's coming from someone who has spent a lot of time with h…doctors." he told her as she blushed a shade deeper trying to keep her face turned away from him. She busied herself putting away her stuff into the bag.

"Stop trying to butter me up but…thank you anyway." she chuckled before turning to him fully. "So are you going to tell me what happened to you?" she asked. Ron just waved his hand as he stood.

"Let's just say I had a forceful encounter with a window while trying to get away from…other forceful encounters." He answered vaguely with his best grin which made her laugh again as she shook her head.

"I always knew you were not the research type of guy Ron. You just have to be careful next time ok?" she told him with a more serious face.

Ron was not stupid. He knew that Hermione already suspected that he was involved in something other than his lame research excuse which had worn thin over the last few days but he knew deep down that she was not ready for the truth. After all she was now starting her exams and here he was keeping her away from her studies. That last thought jerked him to his senses.

"Oh hell Hermione! I forgot about your studies. Gosh I'm sorry for making you waste all this time on me. I know you wanted to do some reviewing tonight and here I am keeping you away from your work." He spouted his apology as he brushed his hands through his hair. Hermione rushed to calm him down.

"It's fine Ron. I couldn't do any work in my room anyway. There was too much noise outside and besides you were hurt and I couldn't just leave you like that. I told you I was worried about you and I…I…needed to make sure you were ok." She finished softly with another tinge of pink on her pretty face. Merlin! His emotions were definitely getting the better of him.

"Well I'm fine now thanks to you but I don't want to take up too much more of your time so if you need to get back to your studies please do." he indicated sincerely.

He saw the hesitation in her face as she bent to retrieve her set of revision notes from the floor where she had apparently dropped them. She stood up but made no effort to move to the door. She looked down at the notes in her hand.

"Well I'm sure the noise has not died down as yet anyway so…there's no rush I guess." She said softly still looking away from him. Ron eagerly took that as a hint and tried to make some conversation.

"So what exam are you studying for? And are those all your revision notes?" he asked.

"It's for my human anatomy exam and yes I have all the notes I need right here. I think I already know it enough but you know me…" she trailed off as Ron suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"Hey tell you what. I'll put on some tea and I can pick you up." He said with confidence as her eyes grew wide in surprise.

"No you can't. You have no idea about anatomy and…and it just won't work you idiot." She countered with a bit of fire. Ron easily grabbed the notes from her hand and proceeded into the kitchen with two large strides. As he put the kettle on, he turned to the girl who appeared to be in a little shock.

"Trust me. Harry and I did it all the time. We would each pick different subjects to make our revision notes and then give each other to learn. Then we would pick each other up before the exam. That way we only had to do notes on half of the subjects. Worked all the time." He smirked at her.

Hermione was still staring at him with a slight glare but he knew she was thinking this over in her head. He was sure she had perfect notes so all he really had to do was call out the questions and check her answers with her notes. It was that simple and she knew it. Of course a big plus was that he would get some extra time together with her.

Hermione sat down in front of the small kitchen table with a small huff as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"OK. Let's try it your way Weasley but please put on a shirt before you start." she waved her hand as she looked away with a blush. Ron only smiled to himself as he retrieved a shirt from his room and returned to the small table with her notes held in front of him.

"OK. Let's see. Ahem…Right where should I start?" He spoke to himself as he read over the first few pages. He was right in his assessment that she really did have perfect notes. There was a lot of stuff to memorize but he was sure Hermione had it covered. He looked up to see her drumming her fingers on the table with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Right. Name all the bones in the human hand? And I want locations too." he began clearly with a serious face. Hermione jumped a little with the question but cleared her throat and began to rattle off the answer without stopping. Ron followed from the notes and was amazed that she could memorize all the different names and locations with apparent ease. He nodded as she finished.

"Correct. Now…list all the major internal organs of the upper body and describe in detail the function of each one." he asked with a grin now. He was actually beginning to enjoy this.

Hermione also looked a lot more relaxed as she also had a small smile on her face before starting to spew out all the details of her answer with the same sureness as before. Ron followed her answer as he rose to make two cups of tea. She was still answering the question when he put her cup in front of her. She really had a memory this girl.

She took a deep breath and reached for her mug after finishing but she had a determined look on her face now. Ron was all business as he continued on, even trying to make the questions harder and harder.

And so the two carried on for another hour until Ron stretched his long arms over his head and squinted at the notes in front of him. Time for some fun.

"Ok this is an easy one….listen closely now. What is the largest boner in the male body?" he asked seriously looking up as Hermione's eyes grew wide. "Oh wait hold on…" he said before peeping back down at the notes. "I mean bone…yes…the largest bone in the body." He noted seriously as he looked up again.

Hermione had gone red and held out for a full two seconds before bursting out in a loud hideous laugh as she slapped the table.

"Ron you horrible rude lout! Only you could make a joke like that you prat." she laughed out uncontrollably as Ron eventually joined her with his own chuckles. It was a good few minutes before Hermione had caught herself.

"Oh Ron this has been so wonderful! I wish we could do this every night!" she gushed before sensing that Ron had gone a bit serious. He was now fiddling with the notes as he looked at her.

"I wish I could really see you every day Hermione but after what happened tonight I don't think I will be able to. We don't have much time so I have to be with Harry until this thing is sorted out." He gave a long pause before continuing. "Remember I said I will tell you something when the time is right. Well it might be soon, but I want you focussed on your exams and not distracted ok?" he tried to explain as Hermione stopped him by placing her hand over his on the table.

"It's ok Ron really. I just want you…and Harry to be careful and to be safe doing…whatever you are doing. Don't worry about me. You can tell me whenever you feel is the right time." She told him softly.

Ron placed his other hand over hers and it took all his constraint and will power not to say any more. He would give her the time as he had promised. He gave her hand the smallest of squeezes before withdrawing and standing up. He reached into a bowl that was on the table and fished out a key which he handed to her.

"If it's any consolation, you can come here anytime you want and use my window seat to read or study. You can keep that spare key while I'm gone." He explained with a smile. "Just don't go into my room it's a disaster, plus I have a special charm on it that will repel any beautiful girl from entering." He tried to joke.

"Does that include me?" she asked with a tiny blush forming on her face.

"Oh yes definitely. It was made especially for you Miss. Granger so be warned." He continued with his smile.

Hermione was now standing next to the table but was fidgeting uncomfortably as her blush seemed to deepen a bit. She fiddled with the key in her hand as she glanced at him.

"Um…I know you might not be able to but…if you are I mean…I have something I want to ask you." She stuttered out as Ron became a bit confused but stepped forward in anticipation.

"It's just that I was wondering if you…It's nothing really and I…I…" she never got to finish as the front door suddenly opened and a tired looking Harry stepped loudly into the flat making them jump apart. He immediately saw them and moved forward to take a good look at Ron.

"Wow Ron you look good as new and here I was worried and all." He smiled at them before moving around to get a cup of tea going. "Do I have Hermione here to thank?" he smirked.

Hermione had already moved slowly towards the front door but looked at Harry with a soft smile also.

"It was nothing serious but he should get some rest and change the bandages tomorrow." She said with some authority. "It's late so I should go." She finished with a glance at Ron who took her arm and led her to the door after she bade Harry goodnight.

"You were going to ask me something?" he inquired quietly as he stopped her. She hesitated a fraction but shook her head.

"No it wasn't important. Don't bother about it." She said hurriedly. He was about to protest but she touched his arm and looked up with a worried look.

"Don't forget to be careful until I see you again ok? I will be seeing you again won't I Ron?" she asked a bit desperately. To be truthful Ron had no idea but he nodded.

"I'll come look for you as soon as I get a chance. Please don't worry and concentrate on you exams ok?" he reassured her as best he could. He felt her give his arm a gentle squeeze before she stepped away and headed up the stairs.

Ron watched her disappear before shutting the door and moving to the kitchen table next to Harry who was watching him closely. Ron ignored the look and proceeded to question his partner.

"So tell me what you can and let's see if we can get this bloody mess sorted out as quickly as possible…" he started.

o0o

It was Friday afternoon and Ron was waiting outside one of the buildings where he knew Hermione had just finished her latest exam courtesy of Jeff and Liz who he had just met a few minutes earlier.

He had asked for some time off to check on his target…at least that was the excuse he had used but since the attack on Tuesday they had again come to a dead end and so it was not really hard for him to get a few hours away from the team. He was worried none the less. It seemed as if all the death eaters had suddenly vanished into thin air. Things had gone dead quiet and all their sources, informants and investigations had yielded not a single clue. Kingsley had increased the guard at the Ministry and everyone was on edge.

His real worry however lay with the woman inside the building in front of him. Kingsley and the ASF Head had given him until the end of her exams to drop the revelation bomb and to find a safe way to bring her in for a detailed briefing but he was of two minds on this. While he would be happy to know that she was safe in the hands of the Ministry, he was genuinely apprehensive about suddenly exposing her to the strange world she knew nothing about. Yes she deserved to know the truth about herself and all that she had missed but he couldn't help being worried about her reaction.

As Ron leaned against a low wall, he shut his eyes and sighed to himself. His best hope maybe was that somehow Hermione would turn out to be just an ordinary witch not connected to this blasted prophecy and that she would slowly come to learn and accept the world he lived in and maybe…he could actually get to know her better without anything standing in the way between them. If only it could be that simple.

"Ron!" he heard his named called and looked up a bit too eagerly.

She was walking quickly towards him with a big smile on her face and his heart skipped and jumped within his chest. She was just wearing a light sweater over a white blouse with blue jeans and she looked incredible to him. Before he could think beyond that she had engulfed him in a friendly hug as he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before moving back and looking at her bright eyes on him.

"What are you doing here? Can you stay long?" she immediately asked as he chuckled.

"I have a few hours before I have to get back. Just thought I would come and see how you are going and maybe take you for something to eat at our favourite café." He informed her with a smile which she returned.

"Great! I have to return a book to my favourite professor but you can come with me and then we can go and eat." She beamed at him before linking her arm around his and pulling him towards her destination.

Ron could not stop smiling as they crossed over a grassy park walking together towards another building close by.

"How are your exams going? Any hard anatomy questions you weren't prepared for?" he smirked at her.

"I only had three exams so far and all were pretty good and no, I was well prepared for my anatomy exams thanks to one annoying and persuasive person." She gave his arm a squeeze as she grinned at him before gazing at his exposed skin.

"You seem to have healed really well Ron." She observed.

"Well I had a great doctor in training see about me and I heal fast remember?" he answered before quickly changing the subject.

"So who is this favourite professor of yours that is lending books to one of his students? I'm already jealous of him." he teased as he looked at her by his side.

"It's a she Ron." She rolled her eyes. "Her name is Dr. Adrianne Hendricks and she really has been good to me for some reason." she informed him.

They hurried up the steps of the old brick building and soon they were walking along a wide tiled corridor. Hermione finally let go of his arm as she stopped in front of an office door then knocked quietly.

"I'll just be a second and then we can go." she told him quickly before the door was opened and she stepped inside while he waited in the silent corridor.

It was indeed not too long before the door reopened and Hermione appeared followed by a surprising young looking woman with a white overcoat who stood by the open door.

"…and you can come by anytime and see me if you need anything Hermione. I'll be here for a while during the summer so please stop by." The woman told Hermione before noticing Ron who was leaning against the wall opposite.

"Oh is this your friend you mentioned." She asked with a friendly voice as Hermione waved at him with a small blush.

"Yes this is Ron Weasley who is living downstairs from us." She indicated to the other woman. "Ron this is Dr. Hendricks my favourite teacher." She introduced the petit woman as Ron stepped forward to greet her formally.

As he reached for her hand, the woman visibly tensed up for a second before shaking his hand while staring at him with wide eyes. A buzz ran up his arm and he felt a slight tremble in her hand as he returned the look.

"It's nice to meet you Ron." The woman said quietly as she released his hand. "It's good to know that Hermione has someone like you to look out for her." She finished with a whisper as Ron finally understood.

Dr. Hendricks was an esteemed doctor of medicine and an accomplished teacher at the university who had always been good to Hermione and Ron now knew at least one of the reasons why. Adrienne Hendricks was living in the muggle world…but the good doctor was also most definitely a witch.

o0o

Ron was still turning over his recent discovery in his head as they entered the small café and sat down on a table in the back. Hermione was only happy that he had met her teacher and was oblivious to the interchange that had occurred between them outside her office. He quickly shook it out of his mind as his attention turned to the pretty girl in front of him.

Soon they were chatting and laughing aimlessly and Ron wondered how at ease he felt with this girl who had a temper to rival his and a studious temperament that would normally drive anyone batters. She was bright beyond measure and rigid in her beliefs but for some reason she appealed to him on every level. It truly was a mystery to him.

As they lingered over their meal, Ron had a strong urge to forget about his job and just continue here for as long as she allowed him to. He had no idea when next he would get to see her and when it did happen, he would have to complete the hardest part of his mission. He was about to reach for her hand when the front doorbell clanged open. Amy Collins had suddenly entered the cafe and was making a beeline for their table with a resolute look on her face.

She stopped suddenly in front of them, gave Ron a brief smile and a nod before turning to Hermione.

"Hi Hermione can I talk to you for a minute…in private please." She asked as she glanced at Ron who took the hint graciously. Hermione frowned at Amy in surprise and concern but remained quiet.

"Oh sure…I was just about to go the washroom actually so you two can go ahead." He indicated before standing and heading to the loo where he made sure to take his time. He had no idea what was going on between the two girls but he really did not wish to get involved at this stage.

After washing and drying his hands for a third time, he finally made his way back outside but stopped inside the small passageway to make sure that all was clear. Amy had just given Hermione a small hug before turning and heading back outside as quickly as she entered. Ron slowly took his seat and chanced a look at his friend who now appeared to be a bit nervous as she twiddled with the spoon in her teacup.

"Is everything all right? I don't want to pry but is anything the matter with Amy?" he asked with some concern. Hermione only shook her head but was not looking at him.

"Yes…yes. Everything is fine Ron….fine." she stuttered out as Ron now become really concerned.

"What is it Hermione? Is there anything I can do?" he continued.

Hermione finally looked up at him and let out a deep breath before dropping the spoon with a tiny clatter. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it to bite her lip for a moment. Ron was about to ask his question again when she suddenly gripped the edge of the table and looked directly at him.

"Ron…will you…will you be my date for the graduation ball next Saturday…please?"

o0o

AN: Just for your information, I actually thought about leaving out the graduation ball chapter to come next but I just couldn't do it. It will be the last real chance at a bit of fluff before all the drama starts so I reconsidered and rewrote parts of this chapter. Sorry for the delay in posting but blame it on the holiday season. Thanks again for all your reviews and kind words and a Merry Christmas to everyone!