Harry had to agree with Malfoy.
The only one stupid enough to voluntarily deal with Ron in this condition was probably really him, he thought, while wading through knee-deep mud.
After having a very awkward breakfast together, Harry had left Ron for twenty minutes alone in the apartment, to visit the office and take a week off.
The Coordinator of the Auror Department knew already that Harry's eldest son was back so he wasn't surprised...more like delighted.
Harry usually spend too much time with work anyway, in his opinion.
When Harry entered the studio apartment he was instantly surrounded by mosquitoes and hem his cloak was soaked with mud in seconds. The walls seemed to have vanished and somewhere very far away he heard Ron screaming for help.
So, that's what Malfoy meant, when he was talking Ron being a danger for his surroundings. Since Ron hadn't used up the magic inside him, now that it could get out, it poured out wildly and with a immense force and Ron didn't know how to control it.
What when he was in danger? He sounded pretty scared!
Harry walked faster,
First find Ron, then try to do something against the marsh in his living room, he told himself.
"Ron?!" he yelled "where are you!? Can you hear me?!" he listened, but there was no answer.
He started to panic.
Running in the mud was difficult and Harry was sure, that there were areas where you could drown.
Harry cursed under his breath and tried calling Ron again and this time there was an answer.
He followed the voice and tried answering but he sounded just weak and pathetic.
When he found Ron, the redhead stuck in the mud up to the his hips and he desperately tried to get out of the swamps grip.
"Harry!" he cried. His voice was was hoarse from yelling and the instant relief that swept over Ron's face when he noticed Harry, was like a window to the past.
"Stop moving around so much, It will make you sink faster. Try to be still! We'll get you out of there, Ron!"
Harry didn't think, he just did.
Using magic in this area that was already highly polluted by magic was probably not advised so he broke a branch from a nearby birch tree and laid it close enough so that Ron could get a hold of it.
Staying on dry ground and slinging one arm around the tree's trunk he pulled with all his might at the branch.
Since Ron was taller than him, he was heavier than him and they had to fight the swamp for every inch. Harry's muscles and lungs felt like they were burning when Ron finally was able to sit down on the sludgy grass next to him.
They both stayed quiet for a moment, Ron's shoulder was touching his and Harry leaned slightly against him.
"
Thanks, Harry."
It felt good being pulled in a one-armed, blokish hug and Ron slapping his back, the awkward mood was gone.
"Sorry for bringing you out of the hospital." Harry looked down on his mud-caked trousers. It's very thin about the knobby knees, he probably should by knew ones.
He felt guilty. In the hospital they'd know what to do with Ron and he was safe, while being with him for just a few hours almost got him killed by his own magic.
"Don't be. They couldn't do more than locking me in an empty room. Yesterday morning I accidentally set one of the nurses on fire."
Ron squeezed his shoulder before letting him go.
"Hey Mr Wizard! an't you do something against this mosquitoes? I think they'll eat me alive if we stay here longer."
that was the keyword to make Harry start rummaging in his brain for a way to remove the swamp from his living room.
Hermione would probably have known what to do in an instant.
"There must be some way to remove, but an easy Finite Incantatem probably isn't enough for this. Were you trying to copy the twins or something?"
Harry smiled, Ron beside him had his eyes closed. He looked exhausted.
"Sleep, Ron. I'll find a way." his silent begging for trust and stayed unsaid. He never thought he'd needed to be trusted this much...with every other person it didn't really matter anymore if they trusted him to do the right thing...but not Ron. Harry needed Ron to believe in his good intentions, he needed Ron to trust him.
A silent nod.
A moment later the quiet, comforting snoring echoed through the forest.
Harry felt a wave of tiredness wash over him, he rubbed his eyes and looked down on the sleeping form of his best friend.
The materialisation of the swamp must cost a lot of energy, he better made sure to end it quickly, so Ron wouldn't suffer too much from magical fatigue.
It took him a long time and a sheer endless list of spells until he finally found one that worked.
The beige carpet was clouded with a dark muddy pattern around Ron body and Harry's knees, but except of that the room was back to normal.
Harry spoke a quick cleaning spell for their cloths and the carpet, then he dragged Ron towards the sofa and tried to shove him on the cushions without waking him.
Ron sleepily opened his eyes and mumbled something unintelligible before he climbed on the couch, flopped on his side and fell instantly asleep again.
Harry watched him sleep for a moment stroking a strand of sun-bleached red hair out of the other man's face, a relieved smiled ghosted over his features and he allowed himself a moment to catch up with his thoughts, then he went in the kitchen to fetch himself some tea.
He was so deep in thoughts that he left the tea bag in the mug for too long.
He tried to make the taste better with a bit of milk and rock sugar but it still tasted too bitter.
Harry took it with him back to Ron, sitting down on the floor in front of the sofa and leaning his back against it.
Harry wasn't sure how long he just sat there, staring in the empty room and clutching his mug with cooling tea, when silent mumbles made him lift his head and turn around.
"Anyone sitting here? Everywhere else is full." Harry faintly heard the mug of cold milk-tea fall to the ground soaking his trousers and the carpet, when he hurriedly sat on the edge of couch leaning over his best friend.
"can't we follow the butterflies..." muttered Ron under his sleep.
He was dreaming. Obviously not very pleasant dreams. He was shifting a lot and the expressions changing faster than Ted Lupin changed his hair colour.
"that means great happiness...you'll suffer, but you'll be happy about it..." Harry felt his eyes getting wet and he could help but reach for the the twitchy hand of the sleeping man.
"If you want to kill Harry, You've got to kill us too!"
he couldn't listen any longer.
"Ron!" he yelled, shaking him roughly.
A flare of bright blue light later, Ron looked down on the rubber-like, Harry-shaped pile on the carpet.
"Bloody hell, Harry!" he exclaimed dumbfounded, but followed the muffled instructions, bringing a Express Skele Gro from the kitchenette and carefully pouring it down Harry's throat.
That stuff tasted nasty like always, but Harry was still grateful, when he felt the familiar burning of his bones growing back.
It took two hours until Harry could sit normally again and his skull was back to his usual shape.
Ron had cooked lunch and eaten in the meantime. he didn'T show any signs, that he remembered his dreams.
When Harry's jaw was stable enough for him to eat, Ron brought him a bowl of onion soup with cheese and toast.
"You need to stop waking me like this." the Red-head grinned sitting down beside him on the sofa.
"I'm a dangerous bloke at the moment." he nudged his shoulders with his own an the sudden touch made Harry almost release his hold around the bowl.
"You were talking in your sleep...I couldn't wait to know if you were remembering..," he muttered sheepishly and started eating, not daring to look up.
He felt so vulnerable and different with the old Ron, that knew all his weaknesses anyway, he hated that feeling.
"I do remember...some things..." he heard Ron next to him whisper.
"But they don't make sense... there are still too many memories missing, to understand them."
Carefully Harry peered at Ron through his too long hair, his head low.
Ron looked positively knackered.
"I'm sorry, Harry." he said with rueful smile and for a little moment Harry thought he'd seen the old Ron under the surface of this unfamiliar distant person.
We're getting closer, Ron is starting to regain his memories.
I devided Harry's chapter, because i wanted to keep the length similiar to the other chapters.
