With the disappearances of multiple women on the rise, and the fear of what would happen to his sisters, both sibling and in law, his friends and his own cupcake, Ron locked down Tracy's house like Azkaban Prison. No one came in and no one came out. The Burrow had been similarly locked down with Charlie at the helm so that his father could work and sleep at the Ministry. Protection was at the highest priority, no matter if the women in his life were capable duelist or highly trained assassins. Didn't matter. Family came first.
Ron spent his days learning about his new wife, his odd new disease and worrying. Constantly worrying. Ron was just about lose his cool with worrying when Tracy told him she needed to go to St. Mongo's for her monthly shot and that he needed to start the regiment as well. He knew she was right, she needed the shot for her health. As did he but it still felt like he might break out in hives at the thought of leaving the farm house they had been hiding in.
So on the day of her appointment, he owled Harry and asked if by chance he could get an escort. It seemed silly for a minute but the more he thought about it, the more eyes that he had on her the safer his wife would be. Harry told him it was a great idea and sent two Aurors in full battle robes to help him get Tracy to the hospital.
He had met Robins on occasion at the DMLE in passing but when he saw Seamus come through the floo he was much more comfortable with the familiar man. When they stepped back through the floo to head to St. Mongo's, he took hold of his cupcakes hand and placed his other on her back to guide her through. The Aurors flanked him on either side keeping a watchful eye out and wands at the ready. At least if they appeared to be menacing, they may not have a problem.
After checking in and cleaning her glasses on Ron's flannel shirt, Tracy leaned back in her chair to read a pamphlet she had found by the desk about Dragon Pox in young children, Seamus keeping watch while Robins checked every corner for "shady looking individuals".
"Hello, love," called a cheery voice. Dean Thomas strolled around the corner from the exam rooms and placed a kiss on the side of Seamus's mouth before turning to Tracy. "Ready, dear?" His smile bright against his dark skin.
"Healer Thomas, you remember my husband from school, I assume?" Tracy asked him as she put the pamphlet into her small side bag, standing to smooth out invisible wrinkles in her mauve high waisted trousers and white billowy top.
"Oh yes, hello Ron. How are you?" he greeted him.
"Oh you know..." Ron mumbled and shook Dean's hand, "I thought you would take Finnegan's last name."
"Nah, we hyphenated. I've been known as Healer Thomas since I started training and Seamus goes by Finnegan at work so we kept it as simple as possible. Our poor kids though,"he laughed as he escorted them into an exam room.
"Oh, they'll be fine. It's not like they will have two dads or something else entirely strange," Seamus cut in as he sat in a chair in the room with them, leaving Robins to guard the door in the hall.
"You're so worried over something so simple," Dean told him, " Will they have love and affection given to them every day? Will they know right from wrong? Will they have food in their bellies and a roof over their heads? Will they be spoiled rotten and be granted their every fancy?" It seemed they had approached this topic before.
"Yes. Along with ridiculously long last names." Seamus deadpanned.
"Then what does it matter if that love, patience and guidance comes from two men or two women or one man and one woman? Or even from a trans couple? If they are loved and taken care of, I highly doubt the children we adopt will care what kind of family they have, as long as they have one. It's not any different than being worried about our skin tones, darling. It doesn't matter. Stop worrying."
"I just don't want them to be picked on or separated from the other children in school because they have two fathers. It's not fair to them." Seamus sighed, looking at his husband with longing and sadness.
"Children are cruel. People are cruel when they are ignorant. But children are resilient, love. Everything will be fine, I assure you. And if not, we will pick up the pieces and our children will learn a lesson from it. Just because our love, our family, will look different to others doesn't mean it won't work. Do you love me?" Dean asked. He put the tip of his wand against Tracy's skin, in the dip of her elbow. A soft glow erupted from the tip and seemed to flow through her skin.
"Aye. Of course, I do. You know I do." Seamus put his face in his hands in defeat.
"Then shut up and let me love you and build a family with you, you stupid man." Dean laughed.
"You two are cute," Tracy whispered. "Why are you worried? You seem quite compatible and loving."
"People are still judgmental everyday," Seamus told her. "I've been spit on, called horrid names, jinxed because of who I love. I just don't want our kids to get the brunt of it or see it first hand as they grow."
To Ron, that didn't seem fair. Seamus and Dean were some of the nicest blokes he knew. Sure, there had been uneasiness in their youth but not from sexuality, but from no one believing Harry about Voldemort being back. He would give his right arm for even a shot of the love that they had for one another, for Tracy and himself. They stood up for one another, you never saw one without the other, they were best friends.
"I don't understand...how is loving each other hurting anyone? It doesn't effect me in anyway what you guys do behind closed doors. It doesn't hurt me when you hold hands. Or kiss or hug. So why do people treat you that way?" Ron asked throughly confused.
"You know Ron, that's a fantastic fucking question. I wish I could answer it." Dean solemnly replied. The glow at the end of his wand subsided. He put his wand down and rubbed Tracy's arm soothingly. "All better now, dear. One month from today and you come back to see me, ok? Ron, you're up."
"Wait, that's it?"
"Yup easy as pie. Let's do a diagnostic on your blood sugar and see what we've got. Then you can both get out of here and take my brooding husband with you, please? He is going to make me go prematurely bald with all his worrying."
And Ron thought he had problems.
On their way out of the exam room, Seamus kissed his husband goodbye and with the promise to return in a month, Ron took his wife home. He carded his fingers through hers and said a silent prayer that the future Thomas-Finnegan children would be treated kindly and fairly everyday. He knew it was a stretch, that kids would be kids and people wouldn't be understanding all of the time. But now that he knew that Seamus's fear was a legitimate concern, he knew he would be having a conversation with Tracy when they got home about how they would raise their kids to be loving of all people no matter what color, sexual preference or orientation, or of they believed in Moonfrogs and Wrackspurts. Because no one deserved to be treated unfairly. Love is love. Squeezing his wife's fingers as they flooed home, he thought, Love is beautiful, no matter what shape it comes in.
That afternoon, after a rousing spot of tea and a deep conversation, a Ministry owl came to the window for Ron. Harry needed help. An all hands on deck call. He reminded Tracy to shut down the floo and to re-ward the house after he left and slipped a kiss to her blushing cheek before he spun away with a crack.
The Atrium was full to bursting with the press and angry mobs of people, that he had to swim through the thick of it in order to get to the elevators. By the time he got the gates closed, three people had demanded their daughters from him (as if he had them personally), four journalists wanted his opinion on the fear encasing the wizarding world and one asked if he was still married. How the hell would he get away with not being married? He was growing to like his cupcake very much, thanks.
By the time he made it to Harry's office, every step he took felt heavier and heavier. He wanted to turn around and go home so much, that it was getting harder to make it to the end of the hall. His need to check on Tracy far outweighed the need to help his friends. But he would never fail them again. Steeling his gaze and forcing his shoulders back, he pushed open Harry's door to find his best friend pouring over a report, clutching an earring in his hand as if the thing would speak all of Harry's answers if he squeezed tight enough. When sapphire eyes met blue, Ron could feel Harry's distress pouring off him in waves.
"I'm glad you're here, Ron. Not sure if I could do this without you." Harry stood to come around his desk and pulling Ron into a hug and patting him on the back in camaraderie.
"I'm sorry, mate," Ron whispered into his ear. Ron had no idea how he would feel if Tracy went missing, even if he barely knew her. It would be like a punch to the gut for Harry, he guessed. He had already lost so much family, he didn't need to lose anymore.
Patting Ron on the back one more time, Harry let go and gestured at the door. "I have some old DA and Phoenix members, plus every Auror who isn't female in conference room B."
The walk to the conference room was long and stifling. Ron could sense the impending doom, a heavy cloud blanketing the whole floor. People poured furiously over heavy tombs and passed notes of husbands movements back and forth to each other, comparing notes and scratching at parchment.
Conference room B had a long heavy wooden table in the middle, every chair filled with an able body and others lined the wall. Papers and diagrams had been stuck to every surface and names of the missing stuck out against the harsh white board near the front of the room. It looked busy and cluttered from Ron's point of view.
His fathers face stuck out in the crowd. along with Bill, Charlie, George, and Percy. Neville was seated at the helm looking distraught and worse for wear. Zabini was standing in the corner between Malfoy and Nott, the latter seemed to be holding him up as best he could. People from Dumbledore's Army were scattered around the room, minus Dean Thomas who he knew was probably still at the hospital. Order members filled in between the Army and the Aurors. McGonagall and Sprout, Kingsley and Hagrid, who took up enormous amounts of space. There were some faces he didn't recognize but he assumed they were family of the missing girls and he was glad they had these people to help.
When Harry closed the door, Kingsley cleared his throat and in his soothing baritone he called the room to order.
"Alright, I know that everyone wants to get these girls home safely and quickly but we are going to need to spread out. I'm going to split you into teams and we are going to cover as much ground as we possibly can. We will be communicating regularly using your Patronus. Miss Granger, " a cough echoed across the room and a mumbled 'Mrs Malfoy' went uncorrected," will be here at headquarters at all times, and will be delegating points of interest to sweep. She has a list as long as Hagrid's arm of unused Goyle properties, old Pureblood hangouts and empty magical manors across Scotland and England. When you have properly swept your designated area, send your Patronus to her here and she will send you the coordinates of your next place of interest. If she does not hear word back from you after an hour she will be reporting back to me to come find you. Please don't make me come find you, unless it's dire. If you find anything of interest; blood, fresh clothing, strange noises or even a shift in the dust that makes you feel iffy, call Hermione and she will get ahold of me." Kingsley looked around the room at each face, making sure everyone understood. After a couple people bobbed thier head he continued. "We will be sending out teams in groups of 5, two teams to a destination. One group will survey the outside and the other to sweep the inside. I want every nook, cranny, and tree searched and documented. I want every tracking spell used, every sound heard, every smell smelt. I want to know who the last person to shit in these places was. I want these girls brought home. Andromeda will kill me if I keep her locked up for longer." A couple people laughed at his joke but everyone else was somber and ready to go. "Alright, let's get this started then. Gentlemen, be careful. We don't know what we are up against and I want everyone indulging their inner Mad-eye. Constant Vigilance."
People began milling out. Sprout and McGonagall heading to find Hermione but George's face caught Ron's eye. His brother hadn't looked like this since Fred had passed. He looked tired, haggard, worn down by sorrow. Ron shuffled over to him, hoping to give him some kind of drive but when George shook his head at the incoming of false positivity before it even passed his lips, Ron was truly scared. If George didn't have faith, what did they have?
"If we don't find her, if I never see her again, how will she ever know that she was my little bit of sunshine during the worst storm of my life? I never even told her," George hung his head as a tear slipped down his cheek. "I don't even know if I love her yet, but I'll never get the chance if she is taken away from me forever. She can't leave me like he did. She can't. "