Chapter Twenty-Eight.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the 'Harry Potter' universe and everything and everyone in it, I am just a fan with an imagination running on caffeine and chocolate. I own nothing…believe me!

A/N: Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing. Have some virtual chocolate and hope you like this chapter. There's probably going to be about 5 more after this one.


Previously…

And so Ron told Hermione of that fateful day when he had received his new wand. He told her of the strange magical reaction and was grateful when she didn't interrupt him, because now that he had started speaking he needed to tell the full story. He watched her eyes widen in surprise and concern as he retold the events of that morning, and explained what little he knew about the situation. There was a silence in the garden that was only broken by the awakening gnomes when Ron finished speaking. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as Hermione nodded her head and reached for his hand,

"Okay" she said rather shakily, before clearing her throat and starting again.

"Okay, there is one thing I think we need to find out first..."


"What's that then?" Ron asked as he settled back on the rather rickety bench and tried to hide his wince as he stretched out his legs. He was preparing himself for the sometimes annoying but always reassuring round of patented 'Hermione Granger' questions. But he was slightly surprised when she said just ten words.

"Ron, I think you need to talk to your counsellor"

Immediately the doubts returned to Ron's mind in full force, and wouldn't allow him to see reason. The first person he had opened up to, the person he trusted enough to tell the truth to…and she thought he was losing it.

"What, you think I'm making all this up or something?" he said as he tore his hand from hers, and started to get up from the bench. He was silently cursing the fact that his cane had somehow ended up on the other side of the bench, and was considering trying to storm across the garden without it, when he felt Hermione's hand on his arm. He reflexively pulled away and sent an annoyed glare in her direction.

"Ron, just listen to me for a minute please" Hermione's pleading voice cut through his haze of confusion. But it was her next words that made him really sit back on the bench and listen.

"I do believe you"

"Really?" he asked, the relief clearly evident in his voice.

"Of course" Hermione said, as she reassured herself that Ron was settled for the moment "I mean, it makes sense that there was some effect on your magic after everything you've been through"

"So then why were you talking about that counsellor woman?"

"Ron" Hermione said as she placed a tentative hand on Ron's arm, "Ollivander said that it would be linked to your emotions right?"

Ron quickly nodded his head in agreement as he listened to Hermione attempt to make some sense of the confusion.

"Well then…" she continued, "If it's connected to your emotions then a magical counsellor will probably be able to help you deal with it all"

Ron looked a bit unsure though and began to pick at the peeling paint on the bench,

"I guess" he said in a distant voice, and Hermione didn't have to wait too long for him to continue, "It's just weird to try to talk about all that kind of stuff with anyone, never mind someone I don't know. And besides, that woman just keeps looking at me like I'm going to fall apart or something"

Hermione watched him carefully as he continued speaking. His previous outburst, whilst unsettling and worrying, had at least been reminiscent of the Ron she had known. This quiet and withdrawn side to Ron was taking a while to get used to. A small part of her couldn't help but think that it may do him the world of good to shout; perhaps he needed to curse the monsters that had taken him. But for now she watched and she listened,

"That bloody woman keeps talking about what she calls the incident" a ghost of a smirk flickered across his face, "she can't even say the bloody words half the time herself"

Hermione began to rub her hands together in an attempt to get them warm as she sought to reassure Ron,

"Ron, I promise you that I'm going to look into all this and see what we can find out, but until then I'd feel a lot better if you'd just talk to your counsellor about it, just get her opinion, and we can go from there"

She frowned slightly as Ron kept his attention focused on the flecks of green paint that were coming off the bench due to his dedicated hard work. She reached forward slowly and with a shaking hand, turned his face towards her own.

"Promise me Ron, please"

His eyes, still stubbornly shadowed, refused to meet hers as he focused on some point behind her, as his unusually quiet voice could be heard,

"I promise Hermione"

Her hand fell quickly to her side and silence reigned for a while, as both young people were lost in their own thoughts. Hermione was racking her brain trying to figure out what to do next in order to try to help Ron. She was determined to help him with this, but was terrified of getting something wrong. Ron's mind however was racing with confusion and panic. He was someone who liked to be able to see things in advance, to be able to plan his strategy and see where things are going. It was what made him so formidable an opponent in chess; it was what was making this time of chaos and confusion even more troubling. But he hadn't survived this long by giving in to the myriad of confusing and conflicting emotions that assaulted him on a daily basis. Ron quickly drew on his months of practice, and was able to lock away his fear and anger behind a mental steel door. He was not going to give up; he was not going to give in.

He stole a quick glance at the preoccupied Hermione before he suddenly began a frantic search through his pockets.

"Ron, are you okay? Do you need something?" Hermione had been startled by his sudden movement and was now definitely concerned.

"No, No I'm fine" he muttered as he continued his search until he was victorious and produced a red and a black glove from two different pockets and presented them to Hermione with a flourish. "Here, your hands are freezing"

Hermione accepted the gloves with a smile and they sat in silence for a while until she spoke,

"How're you feeling? We should probably be heading back inside soon"

Ron wasn't ready to either answer that question or to face his family just yet. He had caught sight of some familiar redheads looking through the kitchen window over the past few minutes. He was tired of the worried looks and of being treated like he was going to shatter into a million pieces at any given moment. The pain in his knee had become a constant and familiar part of his life, it was nothing he couldn't handle. He wasn't ready to go inside just yet. A strange flash of light through the nearby hedge grabbed his attention suddenly, and he was grateful when his weary eyes caught sight of a significant distraction.

"Okay, I know things have changed and all, but what in the name of Merlin is that about?", he asked as he pointed towards a tree at the other end of the garden.

"What?"

"Those bloody gnomes Hermione" Ron said as he reached over and gently turned her around so that she was facing the object in question. She could then see what had Ron so puzzled. Three gnomes were hanging upside down from one of the higher branches of the large gnarled tree that had existed in the Weasley family garden for as long as anyone could remember. They were lazily swinging from side to side, occasionally taking a moment to stick out their tongues at the two humans, but not really seeming to care all that much.

"Ah yes, they have got a bit out of control lately" Hermione admitted with a bit of a frown. "They have gotten away with having full control of the garden for nearly a year now, what with the war and everything. Remember the Burrow was locked up for a while and there was a time when no-one was here to do the de-gnoming, and after that…well…" Hermione's voice began to trail away as she cast a nervous glance towards Ron.

"Yeah, I guess" Ron muttered, suddenly unsure of the direction the conversation was going.

"Your mum went on a bit of a cleaning spree before you came home, and we tried everything to get rid of them, but nothing seemed to work", Hermione said as she carefully watched Ron's reactions, "In fact Fred and George set off some of their…" she seemed to search for the appropriate word for a moment "…specialised products, but the gnomes just looked at them and gave them a score of two out of ten. They weren't pleased"

Hermione smiled as a small chuckle escaped from Ron's lips, and the smile that she had missed for so long flickered across his thin face. She returned her hand to his and they sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you hungry?" Hermione asked with a smile as she heard his stomach grumble loudly.

"Just a bit" Ron admitted, "Okay, I'm bloody starving"

"Lets go back in and get some breakfast, before everyone ends up taking breakfast out here to us"

But to Hermione's surprise, Ron shook his head,

"Not yet, we'll go back in a minute" he said as he lifted his head slightly and closed his eyes against the rather weak winter sunlight.

"Okay Ron" Hermione said softly as she moved to rest her head on his shoulder, still holding his hand tightly in hers, "Whenever you're ready"


"Maybe some-one should go out there and check that everything's okay," Molly said as she directed the necessary cooking utensils to begin scrambling the eggs, while keeping an eye on her youngest son through the kitchen window.

"Molly" Arthur came across the kitchen and placed a kiss upon his wife's cheek "If there's one thing we can count on, it's that Ron will come in when he's hungry enough"

"But Arthur it's so cold out there this morning and he's still recovering, what if…"

"Molly" Arthur interrupted and gently turned her away from the window, sending pointed glances towards Ron's nosey brothers who were also keeping a close eye on the young man. "He's in the back garden, not on the other side of the world. He's fine"

Molly still looked a bit unsure so Arthur continued,

"Besides, Hermione is out there with him. Do you really think she'd let him stay out there if he wasn't feeling the best?"

Molly smiled, "Of course, you're right Arthur dear". She turned to the other occupants of the kitchen,

"Fred, George, make yourselves useful please, there's a lot to be done this morning"

The twins shared a pointed look and a silent consensus seemed to be reached between the two young men. They immediately moved away from the window as if relieved to be given something to do.

"Fred, set the table please, everyone will be here very soon."

Fred sent a sloppy salute and a cheeky smile towards his mother as he leapt into action.

"George, go upstairs and wake Charlie please. He was too tired to travel last night and slept in his old room. And let Ginny know that breakfast is nearly ready"

George copied his brother's earlier salute. He was grinning at his mum's way of saying that Charlie had gotten so drunk that he could barely stand up straight the previous night, as he left the room. Molly cringed and Arthur rolled his eyes as they heard a loud voice echoing through the house.

"CHARLIE! WAKE UP!"

Arthur poured himself a cup of tea, and waited for the inevitable.

"AHHH!" George's voice was heard around the house.

"You'd think George would know by now that you never try to shock a hung over dragon trainer," Arthur said with a small smile, as he noticed the hands on the family clock beginning to move and saw with a smile that more of his children were on their way home. His eyes instinctively found their way to the hand that indicated the Ron was indeed safe and at the Burrow, and he met Molly's gaze with a relieved smile.

"Sometimes I just have to keep checking Molly love"

"I know dear," Molly said as she moved her husband towards a nearby chair. She moved back across the kitchen and was making sure that the traditional Weasley family breakfast was nearly ready when her gaze returned to the thin young man sitting in the garden. "Believe me, I know"

"Morning Mum, Dad"

The kitchen sprang to life as one by one each of the Weasley family arrived in the kitchen. Charlie sloped down the stairs, avoided his mother's disapproving glare, fell into a nearby chair and allowed his head to rest on the table. But even with his eyes closed and his voice muffled slightly, he still asked,

"Where's Ron?"

It was as if there was an unspoken agreement to never let Ron out of their sight, because one by one as each Weasley sibling arrived at the kitchen, the first question was the same. So that by the time the raven haired honorary Weasley had stepped through the fireplace, he didn't even need to ask the question, before at least five people said,

"He's outside" and pointed towards the back garden.

Bill was the last one to arrive and was met with a very different scenario. Fleur had been given a hand on the clock when she had married Bill. Molly and her daughter in law were never going to be best of friends and some of their arguments had achieved legendary status in the family. But they were both devoted to their family, and had grown closer over the past year or so. So much so that Molly was very concerned when she noticed that even though Bill had arrived at the Burrow, Fleur's hand on the clock indicated that she hadn't yet left their home.

Bill had barely dusted the soot off his jumper and said good morning to his family, before…

"Where's Fleur?"

"Ah… mum…" Bill said as he glanced around the kitchen for help, but found that he was on his own. "She wasn't feeling very well, and told me to go on without her"

Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath for a moment as they waited for Molly's reaction to that statement.

"So you left her on her own?" she asked quietly, and everyone in the room winced slightly at her tone of voice.

"Well, mum, you see…"

"You left your pregnant wife on her own when she wasn't feeling well?"

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"I don't think that there is any other way of putting it Bill" Molly said as her voice gained volume.

"Mum, I've learned long ago that when Fleur starts yelling at me in English and French, then it's time to get out of there for a while"

Molly advanced upon her eldest son, her hands on her hips and a fire in her eyes,

"I don't care if she yells at you in English, French and Mermish, you will go back there and let her know that you are there for her" she said as she turned her son around and pointed him towards the container of floo powder. Bill was already nodding his head, he knew that she was right, and was about to tell her so when Molly dashed across the kitchen, grabbed some of the bacon and made a hasty bacon sandwich. She pulled her oldest son down, placed a kiss on his scarred forehead and handed him the bacon sandwich.

"Tell Fleur that I'll call over to see her later on dear"

Bill nodded,

"Thanks mum, tell Ron that I'll try to catch up with him after his physical therapy, okay?"

He quickly stepped into the magical flames and shouted his address, but very nearly swallowed a mouthful of soot when he heard his mother's voice.

"If I remember correctly, the only time I had morning sickness that bad was with the twins"


Percy had arrived not long after Ginny had appeared in the kitchen, but had found a corner and remained quiet ever since. Even though he had returned to his family, and had begged their forgiveness, he could never really forgive himself for the hurt he had caused them. Get-togethers like the one this morning only emphasised to him how far removed he was from those he cared for. His mother had told him just a few weeks previously that a lot of the distance was of his own making and that he just had to give everyone a bit more time. But he knew he was not imagining the hint of anger and annoyance in his brothers' eyes at times, he was not ignoring the angry glare sometimes directed towards him by Ginny. It had become so difficult at times that he did everything possible to avoid looking into his father's eyes. He could still see the hurt that he had caused the man who had given him so much. But he accepted it all, because he knew that he deserved it all and so much more. He was content for the moment to sit quietly and just be glad that he had been allowed to become a part of this family again. And as he sat by the open window, keeping a careful watch on Ron while waiting for the paper to be delivered, he was grateful for every chance that he got. He spied the owl in the distance, quickly making its way towards the Burrow, and watched it as it sped across the fields and the trees. The owl gracefully landed on the windowsill, and waited rather impatiently for Percy to remove the paper. It gave an indignant hoot as Percy quickly paid for the paper and removed the newspaper from its fastenings. Percy looked quickly at the headlines, not really paying it all that much attention as the owl took flight once again and disappeared. The activity around him halted suddenly though when his quiet voice could be heard,

"Bloody hell", he whispered.

"Percy?" Arthur had been startled not only to hear his middle son curse, but also to hear the young man speak when he had been so reluctant to draw attention to himself. He had been waiting a long time for Percy to look him in the eye when he spoke to him, to speak with him like he used to. But now as Percy looked up from the paper and met his eyes a familiar sense of dread returned to him.

All activity in the kitchen had ceased and all attention was focused on Percy as he offered some more information. He spread the front page of the paper across the kitchen table.

"They are never going to leave him alone"

tbc...

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