"Honey! I'm home!" hummed Henry's and he planted himself beside Jan, who was just finishing a calculation.
"Welcome home, Darling." he answered automatically without lifting his gaze from his register book. Jan had been scared that the regain of Henry's memories would make their relationship change. He felt comforted when his friend had greeted him with the same light-hearted inside joke as always.
He felt the weight of Henry's hand on his shoulder and the shadow of the red-haired man fell on his register book.
The fell back into the homely, warm embrace of the French language, talking about the Pub, about Pauline, home. It felt more natural and Jan liked the exclusiveness they had among the English speaking Weasleys.
He liked this family, but Jan was bad at this family-thing.
Being with a friend like Henry felt much more natural to him and it was weird to see how easy Henry blended in the Weasley crowd.
Henry as just one facet one tiny part of the big unknown Person that was Ron Weasley.
Henry as a brother, Henry as a son...these were parts of his personality that Jan had never seen.

It was nice see him interact with his family and it made Jan understand why it was so for Henry to act like a family with him and the kids.
Being member of the big Weasley family was one major aspect of Ron's personality.
Ron, so he learned, was a team player like Henry.
He was easy-going and went through life with the smallest possible effort using common sense and his great social skills, like Henry.
Ron wasn't as care-free as Henry though. He was much more vigilant. His eyes were restless and he was always ready to spring into action.
They seemed to constantly scan his surroundings and observing his family members to make sure they were okay.
Henry was like the person Ron could have been if he weren't born as a wizard that got deeply involved in one of the most violent magical wars in the twentieth century.
Jan still didn't how exactly his friend had been involved in the Second British Wizard War and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know it, but the Weasleys had implied that he had played an important role and he seemed to be close friends with this Harry Potter guy.
Jan still didn't know what he should think about Ginny's ex as well.
He didn't seem like a totally bad person, but he obviously didn't treat his wife the right way since otherwise she wouldn't have felt the need to break up with him.
A pretty drunk Ginny had told and equally tipsy Jan a bit about their relationship and even now she seemed to care a lot about Harry.
It seemed always like so kind of disappointed hero-worshipping. As if she noticed that being the wife of Harry Potter was a totally different thing than being the friend or even the girlfriend of him.
She was a nice woman and while he slightly regretted not treating her with the respect she deserved and waiting until they both were able to make that decision, he still liked her.
She had some parts in her personality that Henry also had, that Jan really liked.
She was cool, funny, bright, confident and a great witch and she was also really beautiful.
He thought, that perhaps...not considering Marine...perhaps he could even start to love her.

"Henry?" he mumbled silently, observing Mrs. Weasley making dinner while leading a heated conversation with little Fred, who'd coloured his younger brother's hair orange again.
The kid really seemed to be intrigued by red hair.
Something that seemed to amuse even Percy Weasley, who seemed like the most boring humourless person he ever met.
As if it was totally laughable to think that red hair was something you could wish to have.
While Henry's family was way to humble for their own good.

It was already almost midnight and the small children went to bed, just Fred lingered in the living room with them, clutching a mug of cooling chocolat chaud with both hands, safely snuggled between Jan and Henry on the sofa and leaning against Henry. He was tired, but obviously not willing yet, to let go of his former guardian.
Henry...no...Ron was talking calmly with Ginny, both of them laughed from time to time, made Jan remember how much their were alike.
Jan watched the room get quieter and emptier, when one after another the Weasleys retired.
When Ginny got on her feet, and demanded Fred to let her bring him to bed.
Fred scrunched his face, but he let Henry take the mug out of his hands, and accepted an stubbly good-night kiss on the forehead before Ginny took the boy on her arms, slightly wobbly under the weight when she carried him towards the stairs.
Jan used this moment to also retire in to one of the may guest room of the house.
He stopped at the stairs for a moment and turned around, looking Henry, who was intently staring at the clock.
"Don't you want to go to bet? You look dok tiret." he muttered which made his red-head friend slowly shake his head before answering weakly.
"Harry will need me when he comes home."
Jan snorted. He know that Henry was a team player, but this amount of devotion was too much in his opinion.
"what woult he neet from you at that time of the night! He shoult go to bet and so shoult you." he grumbled but was cut of by Henry waving with his hand.
"If he comes late, there was a raid to tonight. It involves probably more victims and very likely children. Harry can deal with a lot and he's a professional, but even he needs someone to help him carry the burden. He's the Golden Boy not the Man of Steel. Gold is actually a pretty soft metal."
It was then that Jan noticed that Henry truly wasn't Henry anymore.
That this was Ron Weasley and not Henry Dupont.
And Ron Weasley's best friend was Harry Potter, not Jan Lockhart.
"You don't even know if he'll come." He hoped that his hurt didn't show in his voice. Losing a dear friend was not something you could easily shrug off.
"He will. If he's able to, he always comes to me to tell me, when there's something bugging him."

Jan rolled his eyes, muttered a affectionate "Verdammter Sturkopf*..." and just wanted to go upstairs, when the floo flickered and moment later Harry Potter stumbled out of the fireplaces.
He was covered with dirt and blood and ashes.
Ron was on his feet and before Jan could process he'd pointed his wand towards Harry's chest and muttered "The first words I ever said to you?"
the Auror didn't seem to mind at all that there was a wand pointed at him. He tried to flat down his gravity defying hair while murmured with a small smile.
"Anyone sitting here? Anywhere else is full."
The redhead put the wand back in his pocket and checked a especially big slash at Harry's left arm, where blood seeped through the damaged sleeve.
"Bloody hell, Harry! Can't I leave you alone for a few hours without you trying to get yourself killed?!" Ron's voice broke under the power of his worries and he started to help his friend carefully out of his cloak and dress shirt.
"Honey, would you go get the dittany from kitchen? Second shelf, left cupboard above the sink." he mumbled while examining the damage the last hours of duty have left on the Auror's body.
Jan nodded and made his way to the kitchen.

He comes back with the potion phial and a bottle of Ogden's Firewhisky.
He's a bar owner. He believes in the superior healing power of well-dosed high proof alcoholic beverages.
He filled three tumblers with the golden liquid and watched Harry taking a few sips and his face relaxing.
Ron started to let small small drops of dittany tincture on the biggest cuts on Harry's neck, chest and arms and they start to close until they looked like they were already a few days old.
They both seemed to be so used to the procedure that no word were needed.
"How many?" muttered Ron and checking the upper body for a last time before he gave Harry one of the blanket to cover himself.
Harry took a few sips of whiskey before answering.
Jan was thinking for a few moments if he should go upstairs and leave Harry and Ron alone, but neither of them seemed to mind him being there.
"two accomplices, a woman and a man. The woman's probably the main culprit. Pugnus was her foster child. Nasty old hag she is." Harry grunted and twirling his wand nervously in his hands.
"They didn't randomly kidnap people though. There were 5 victims still living when we broke in and all have had at least two squibs somewhere in their ancestry. We still didn't manage to clear the gigantic garden and we've found already around 20 skeletons from the late 60ies 'til today, mostly adults, young and male. The majority died during the time first Wizarding war. One female toddler, but we suspect this must be the Pugnus' foster sister. The age fits."
Jan was bit shocked about how relaxed his friend seemed to listening. He seemed disturbingly okay with hearing of the death of so many people.
"the survivors? Age? Condition?" Ron muttered watching the fireplace, gently cradling his glass of whisky.
"two men, one thirty, one around seventy...the second one died on us when we tried to move him. They drugged them up to the point they were basically vegetables. At least one of the children was his grand child, probably two. One was probably born in captivity, the Mother died in that hell house. Found her corpse in the laboratory. Father's unknown. I'm sure one of them will be a witch. When I tried to take her out of her cage, she basically attempted to rip me open."
Ron stayed quiet and Jan still was way to shocked to process the whole atrocity to take part in the conversation.

"The man knew about the Wizard World. Had one girl in Hogwarts. She went to South America after the war. Two years younger than us, a Slytherin. The kids are from her sister."
Ron nodded and Jan noticed that he slightly leaned against Harry.
A bit too close for it to be just brotherly.
"Do you remember a Mafalda Prewett?"
Ron snorted.
"Annoying as hell she was...but bloody talented. Have seen her a snoop around Hermione to find out what books she read. I think she liked her...So the the old man was Mum's second degree cousin? The stockbroker? Seems like all his money didn't make him happy after all."
mused Ron.
"His dying wish was to inform his cousin Molly and ask her to find some safe place for the children. He may be a prick. But he did care for his family."
Harry mumbled and and looked at Ron.
Jan suddenly felt awfully out of place, there was something weirdly intimate about how the men leaned against each other and stared in each others eyes.
He quietly got on his feet and made his way to the stairs.
"And then there was a teenager. Orphan boy, Mother was the child of two squibs, father unknown. He was in pretty bad shape, but the healers say He'll survive and his mind can be modified without big problems. The Ministry will have an eye on him for the next years." he heard Harry say before to fa away to understand what they said anymore.

When he reached the stairhead, a slim hand pulled him in one of the rooms.
Ginny was already wearing her nightgown and her long red hair was put in a lose braid to keep it contained during the night.
"Do you understand now, why this whole thing is so difficult?" she muttered.
"I always knew that Harry looked at Ron that way and I thought he was happy with me anyway...but in the end I was just lying to myself. I've born his three children, knowing that I'm not the one for him and that Ron never would even dare to consider thinking about the spouse of one of his siblings in that way. Even if it is his best friends."
she pulled him next her on the edge of the bed.
"I'm done lying, Jan. I'm done believing in the one true love. I just want to feel desired again."
Jan sighed and looked down on his hands.
He thought of Marine, who didn't even know his name anymore and who tried to kill their child, because she was so scared that it made her go mental.
He thought of all the time waited for his life to go on, for her to come home.
"I...I think I understand what you mean. Perhaps...we coult try helpink each other...you know...tryink to love ourself again...I really like you. You're a great woman, you're funny and intelligent...if it's okay for you..."
She smiled at him and nodded.
He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently with a shy grin and a kiss on the cheek he went to his room.
He'd make sure she enjoyed spending time with him.
She'd been sad long enough.
Ginny deserved to be loved for herself, not for being Ron Weasley's sister.

*Verdammter Sturkopf: literally "damn stubborn head"