Chapter 20 - Waking

Hermione woke when Ron shifted next to her. The place and situation she was in took a moment to register with her. He opened his eyes to squint at her through the morning sunlight with a bemused smile. Hermione felt laughter and joy bubble inside when she saw that grin, but there was an audible 'ahem' from somewhere above them.

They both looked upwards to see Ginny and Harry standing there. Ginny was slightly red in her face, out of breath from walking up the hill, and she was obviously fuming. Harry stood next to her, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, half of a singed quilt dangling from his hand.

"What were you two thinking?" Ginny seethed as she crossed her arms.

"Um, well, we just went for a bit of a walk and lost track of time?" Ron suggested helpfully, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, we noticed, and that was fine, we then waited and waited. Fell asleep on the couch and woke up towards dawn to find you gone. Empty beds, empty Burrow, empty flat. We nearly went mental."

Harry raised his eyebrows sceptically at the words 'we' and 'nearly', but wisely chose not to say anything.

"Luckily your half-arsed conjuring charm left us something we could trace to you," Ginny hissed, grabbing the quilt from Harry's hands and hitting Ron with it a couple of times. "So irre-spon-si-ble!"

"Well...honestly," Ron muttered even though he took the quilt beating with a meek expression, occasionally turning to look at Hermione to check how she was taking the whole situation. She was sleepy and red in the face and her hair was a tangled mess, and he thought she looked fantastic.

"Sorry, Ginny," Hermione said, sounding a bit alarmed as she hastily got up. It was just dawning on her what kind of situation Harry and Ginny had discovered them in. But the embarrassment somehow failed to reach her when she saw that Harry and Ron exchanged a beaming grin and Ginny was steadily calming down.

"Ugh, look at me, I'm turning into Mum so fast," Ginny said with a horrified expression.

"Yeah, one of these days maybe you'll bake an edible cake, too," Ron said boldly. Everyone expected Ginny to retort but the atrocity that was her yesterday's cake left even her without a comeback. She took in a deep breath as well as a good look at them. There was a certain radiance coming off of them, a light in both their eyes that she thought had perhaps gone out.

"I'm sorry for flying off the handle. I was just worried," she said, "you shouldn't be just going off before you're all back to normal and we know things are safe for you again."

"Were we ever all normal?" Ron asked, looking at Harry, Hermione and Ginny in turn.

"That's what I said," Harry told him with a shrug and a grin.

They all went back to the Burrow. Harry and Ginny Apparated, Harry taking Hermione with since Ron's old broom refused to lift off the ground with two people on it. It took a while for Ron to join them.

"We were thinking," Ginny began, looking at the pair of them over her morning coffee, feeling considerably lighter now that no one was missing, "if you're ready, we could set up a little party. Invite some people from Hogwarts. They've all been very excited to see you, but we know it might still be a bit too much."

Hermione and Ron exchanged looks. It was hard to restore that connection from last night. It suddenly felt faraway, like a dream left cooped up on the hillock for safekeeping. Hermione wasn't sure if she wanted to see a bunch of people she'd probably not recognise. But perhaps it would be a good opportunity to refresh and trigger her memory, try again to immerse herself a little bit.

Maybe if she looked at it as a project of sorts, she could manage not to completely fall apart from the sheer panic of it. Also, her night out with Ron had awakened a boldness in her, the need for some action as opposed to just holding back, waiting for something to happen. Just the very thought of it made her feel a lot like herself already.

"You can say no," Harry said, sipping his coffee, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Don't listen to him. He just doesn't want people to queue up for his autograph," Ginny said with a smirk.

"They might be queuing up for yours as well," he said, motioning to Ron and Hermione.

"This will not be a press conference, just a small intimate party with a few friends, so, what do you say?" Ginny turned to the pair of them.

Hermione was the first to yield. "Yeah, why not. It could be nice." She smiled and actually meant it this time.

"Sure then," Ron beamed, his eyes lingering on Hermione for a moment before he turned back to Ginny and Harry.

"Excellent, I'll speak to Mum and Dad. Maybe we could do it here. Or Leaky's."

Harry and Ginny set to making breakfast the same moment that Molly and Arthur appeared, delighted to see them all still there. Molly was observing Ron and Hermione, taking in their body language and what they thought were hidden glances at one another, and she smiled to herself.

After breakfast, Arthur and Harry offered to take Ron to the Ministry. He agreed albeit a little unenthusiastically as his eyes travelled to Hermione. He realised that they probably wouldn't have any time to talk about last night. For him, it was the single most beautiful night he could remember ever experiencing. He didn't want to just leave it hanging in the air.

For the first time in weeks he hardly registered the tasty food on his plate as he could still only taste her on his lips. It was bizarre sitting next to her in the kitchen, barely brushing elbows as they ate, while in his mind he was revisiting yesterday's moments again and again, feeling himself go red in the face and slightly aroused under the table.

He was glad when breakfast was over. He went upstairs to his room to change, because he would almost certainly go crazy if he sat next to her without touching her for one second longer.

It still baffled him how easy things were with her yesterday. They could talk and be honest for the first time and more importantly, Jonathan wasn't real. The boyfriend he agonized over wasn't in the picture, never has been. When she had told him, she looked glad it was off her chest. They had a clean slate, a clearing of the air, and judging by the way she kissed him and responded to everything, she wanted him, maybe even cared for him.

He still wasn't sure what yesterday really meant. It clearly meant more than the surprising strange kiss here a couple days ago when they practised magic. It had to. But the thought of approaching her, grabbing her hand in front of everyone, asking her out to dinner at least, it still daunted him. But he would do it. It was slowly dawning on him that there was little he wouldn't do for her.

"Ron, you ready?" Harry's voice jerked him back to reality. Ron then realised he still had his fresh t-shirt around his neck with his arms still out.

"Oh, right, I'll be down in a second."

Harry nodded and closed the door behind him. Ron would have to pull himself together for now. He finished dressing and made his way downstairs, all the time playing out possible ways and scenarios how to say bye to Hermione before they would leave. He should kiss her on the cheek, but maybe that would be too forward, make her feel uncomfortable in front of everyone. But Harry and Ginny could very well assume that something had transpired between them. Ron's bigger worry, however, was that he wouldn't be able to control himself and instead of kissing her cheek he'd just snog her senseless right there in the kitchen.

Perhaps a clap on the shoulder- no! That's idiotic, he thought, irritated with himself. Why doesn't he just shake her hand and call her a 'good chap'? Perhaps a hug, innocent to everyone but meaningful to her, he could whisper something into her hair, kiss her neck, run his hands along her back, feel the outline of her shoulder blades- no!

Before he realised, he was in the kitchen with Harry and his dad already waiting at the fireplace. Hermione was sitting at the table. He thought she looked at him somewhat expectantly. A wave of heat overcame him and he dashed to his mother before anyone could really see how red his face was getting. He kissed Molly on the cheek, patted Ginny on the back who was eyeing him with a smirk and an arched eyebrow the entire time. He then turned toward Hermione and froze on his way there.

Her hands were wrapped around her mug and a spot of red bloomed on her cheeks as well.

"Have a good day, Ron," she said, brown eyes glowing in the morning sunlight that was now filling up the entire room.

"Thanks," he mumbled, sending a pathetic little hand wave in her direction. "You too, see you later." He shuffled over to the fireplace to where Harry was resolutely looking anywhere but at them while Arthur, mostly unaware of what was going on, already waited with a handful of floo powder.

As he stepped inside, he looked at her one last time. The green fire soon obscured his vision but he thought he glimpsed her smiling at him, a flame of a different kind in her eyes. It dizzied him more than the floo travel ever could, and he half stepped, half stumbled out of the fireplaces at the Ministry.

Harry got out smoothly, closely followed by Arthur. Ron followed the pair of them to the wand clerk that inspected his new wand.

"I have to go sort out a couple of things at the office," Arthur said, looking at his watch, "and then I'll catch up with you. We can go take a look at Borgin's."

"Sure," Harry nodded. He and Ron waved Arthur off as he disappeared in one of the lifts. "So, are you ready to see the Department?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah. I think it's time to start thinking about the future."

Harry grinned as they walked into his office. He was glad to see Ron happier. It wasn't hard to guess that his last night's abscond with Hermione probably had a lot to do with it. As always he was torn between curiosity and the understanding that there were some things he would always be left out of. Given the state they were still in, he figured that the less interference with them, the better. Somehow, some way, they always managed to figure it out for themselves.

"Where are you going with my dad later?" Ron asked.

Harry thought for a moment. He and Arthur had planned to inspect the shop Ginny mentioned was thrashed, but he was hoping to leave Ron behind, just in case there was any danger out there still. The idea was to introduce him to his colleagues, some of whom he had been quite friendly with, and let them give him the tours. But Harry was realising more and more that not involving Ron, especially in an issue that deeply concerned him, was somehow not right.

"Actually, we were planning to follow up on a clue about your disappearance."

"Oh."

"I was thinking it might be better for you not to go, but..."

"But?"

"You can come if you want. It's Knockturn Alley, not a nice place, but not that interesting either the past few years. Except you never really know what can happen."

"And you're worried I might be a liability because I'm not fully trained in magic," Ron said, cracking a half-heartened grin.

"Well, I mean, we've been through worse at the stage of your current spellwork knowledge, so I think that if you want to come, you should."

Ron smiled and nodded with silent appreciation. After Ron went through yet again many more introductions and 'good to have you back's from his past colleagues, Harry talked him briefly through the process of receiving, following up on and documenting various assignments. He explained to him how his work constituted catching dark wizards and the more sinister of magic misusers.

"We're experiencing a grand shifting of the eras now. I'm almost afraid to call it peace, but most of the activity after Voldemort's fall is dying down. We've managed to get a lot of them locked up, but some are still loose, hiding abroad, perhaps will be forever," Harry sighed as a dark look passed over his face. He looked towards the wanted posters that still plastered the wall, crumpling and brown. "But other than that, the majority of criminals nowadays are individuals, not so much larger organisations. I've always felt like it's only a matter of time before something new comes up."

Ron watched Harry soberly, hands in his pockets. He felt like he was finally being talked to like an adult rather than a lost deer in headlights. His mind was oddly calm as he looked to the posters on the wall, unfamiliar names and faces sneering from the paling pages, still at large. Jugson, Carrow, Goyle.

He knew deep down that even though he was still keen on helping out George with his shop, there was a great pull toward the fight Harry was describing.

"Here," Harry later said, taking a bunch of files from a large file cabinet in an office he shared with a couple of others. He deposited them into Ron's arms who nearly buckled under the sudden weight of parchment and paper. "These are files of all the cases you had worked on, so you can look through them. They're very basic stuff, we were very fresh out of training when we did these."

"Thanks, Harry, I really appreciate that. Should you be giving these to me, though?" Ron asked grinning, but Harry actually paused to frown.

"Erm, probably not since you should technically be officially enrolled back in re-training and all that before having access to the files, but..." Harry shrugged, "they're all old closed cases and I'm the boy who lived twice, and I rarely try to use that privilege, so..." Harry said and smiled coolly. He then furrowed his brow and leaned in to whisper, "Just don't tell anyone."

Ron and Harry exchanged another smirk, the act of rule-breaking familiar to them both.

An hour or so later they met up with Arthur at the lifts again. He was surprised to see Ron accompany Harry. Ron stopped in his tracks, noticing the odd look on his father's face, the crease of worry between his eyes as he frowned. Ron couldn't help but feel like a little boy.

"Ron wants to come. What do you think?" Harry asked.

Arthur seemed to be mulling it over, clearly in conflict, but then he smiled slowly and nodded. He clapped Ron on the shoulder and looked at him more seriously. "Don't tell your mother."

Harry and Arthur walked into the shop. Ron followed them in. His hand was sweaty around his wand. The confidence and gratitude he had felt at the beginning were fading and a certain nervousness began to overcome him. He wasn't scared so much as unnerved, worrying that if anything happened, he wouldn't be able to react properly.

Ever since he had got his new wand, he had been practising almost every day. He started with some small spells, just to reassure himself the magic was truly working. Later, having the luck of being surrounded by very powerful wizards in his family, all of them pitched in to train him this and that.

He often felt bad that he was progressing and learning so much without Hermione, but his one comfort from that was that if something were to happen to them again, at least he would have a shred of chance to protect her.

That was connected to another thing that had plagued him more and more recently. They had been kidnapped together, Harry's two best friends, perhaps in a ploy to strike the boy who lived where it hurt the most. Ron was haunted by the fact that whoever had done this to them, he hadn't been able to fight them, to save Hermione and himself. Somehow he felt like he had failed her. He realised that he was not much better off with only a fraction of his magical knowledge, but he had to start somewhere.

Ron was brought back from his thoughts as broken glass cracked under his shoe.

Curious eyes from the streets of Knockturn Alley followed their movements, but each time Harry or Arthur looked over their shoulder, everyone would hang their hand and scuttle away.

"We should question some of these passers-by," Arthur said and Harry replied with a nod.

The place smelled of pesticide and smoke. All three of them lifted their robe sleeves to cover their noses.

"I've been in this place so many times," Arthur said, "but have never seen it completely abandoned and destroyed like this."

Just as Ginny had said, the shop was trashed. There were signs of struggle everywhere. The products were scattered across the floor, damaged and broken. Scorch marks lined the wall behind the counter.

Ron lingered at the entrance, watching the street outside while Arthur was performing charms to reveal magical traps. Harry noticed an odd-looking cabinet in the back corner of the shop. He walked over to inspect it more closely and noticed the huge padlock was cracked, hanging limply from the smashed door. It was empty, as he had suspected, only tiny golden specks spotting the wood. It looked like sand and Harry thought it could be the dust everyone kept mentioning. Running his finger over the sprinkled surface, he slowly leaned closer to smell it.

"Harry, I found something." Harry turned to look at Arthur, who was gripping his wand and looking at something on the floor. As Harry approached him, Arthur picked it up and examined what turned out to be a silver ring. There was sudden recognition in Arthur's face and he handed the ring to Harry with pursed lips.

Harry recognized it in a split second. He would recognize that family crest anywhere – two black dragons positioned on both sides of an ornate M.

Ron walked over to them with interest. As he looked at the ring, he didn't see anything familiar about it.

"I can't believe this," Arthur said as anger flashed in his eyes, an occurrence Harry had very rarely seen. "After everything that's…"

"We can't be sure this is Malfoy's. Anyone could've nicked it off him and left it here on purpose to frame him. Malfoy isn't so stupid as to leave it lying it around here."

"Malfoy?" Ron said the name, trying to place it. It was likely Harry had mentioned it before, but there were so many names and moments that it still sometimes completely befuddled Ron's brain. The moment the name left his mouth, however, he made a face. Perhaps it was Arthur's expression that subconsciously influenced him, but he felt his own anger bubbling up.

Harry was still looking at it with furrowed eyebrows, trying to think. It was way too obvious that Malfoy had been involved in this. Never after the war had Harry started to like the man, but he believed they had reached an understanding of sorts. After Ron and Hermione's disappearance, he had been questioned but there was no evidence against him, he hadn't even truly been a suspect.

Sure, Malfoy was a git and that would probably never really change, but for some reason Harry refused to believe he would kidnap Harry's best friends, erase their memory and settle them down somewhere in Scotland. If anything, Hermione and Ron would never allow Malfoy to win in a duel, he thought with a grin.

Arthur didn't seem convinced, however. "We should go," he said. Ron was surprised to see him like this, having only witnessed him being mostly calm and pleasant. He looked at Harry who was still frowning at the ring.

"Did we find anything?" he asked, feeling stupid for not properly understanding what was going on. His heart started beating fiercely, louder in his ears.

"I'm not sure," Harry said and it sounded honest enough. He then slipped the ring into his pocket and took out his wand. They cleaned the place up a bit, vanishing the rubble and rubbish from the floor. Ron helped where he could, feeling at least a little bit useful. Once they were done, Arthur closed the door of the shop, putting up an official Ministry notice declaring the shop closed for business.

"You wouldn't believe how many sinister magical objects were purchased and peddled in this shop, and then misused," Arthur said. "I'm glad I get to finally close this horrible place down."

Harry briefly recalled all the Pensieve memories of young Voldemort behind the counter, patiently waiting for Horcruxes to make their way into his grasp. Yes, it was good to see this dump closed.

They slowly started making their way out of Knockturn Alley back into the light of day that Diagon Alley provided.

"Thanks," Ron said after a while. Harry and Arthur both stopped and turned to look at him. "For taking me. I want to learn how to function on my own and I believe this was a good first step for me."

His dad smiled. Ron had a feeling he saw a hint of some strong emotion in his eyes, but Arthur took his glasses off to wipe them, averting his gaze to look at the ground.

Harry nodded and smiled. "Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron? It's on me."

"Sure," said Ron, "let me just pop in to the shop to see George for a minute."

"Ask him to come, too," Arthur said a little hoarsely. "It's been a while since he had lunch with his old man."

"Will do," Ron said with a grin before he dashed off towards the bright shop up the street.

Harry and Arthur were left alone. That was when the curtain fell and Arthur's face displayed simmering anger.

"I want him in for questioning as soon as possible, can you do that?" he said.

"I'll try to get my superior sign the warrant today. But, I just don't know, it doesn't feel right." Harry thought it was rather ironic how their places had switched when forever ago, he was trying to convince Arthur Weasley to inspect and investigate Malfoy.

"Why should it? This is the Malfoys we're talking about. They have always been openly against my family. I admired what you did for Draco after the war, and I allowed myself to believe he was just a child and deserved a second chance, but this," he spat, "speaks to something else."

"I know, but I think it's all a part of a bigger picture," Harry said with a sigh, fingering the ring in his pocket as Arthur looked away, his shoulder slumped, hand rubbing his eyes. His voice was shaking when he spoke next.

"I have been living with the knowledge and guilt that I let a second son die. I know that whoever has done this didn't kill them, for which I thank God every day, but my son and Hermione have been returned to us damaged and lost. They don't remember anything. Ron can't even remember the brother he'll never see again." An expression of intense pain and loss etched over Arthur's face as he continued, "Hermione, the most brilliant girl I've ever met, cannot do a simple levitating spell. I've been erasing people's minds for a living, but we erased events, not lives, not whole pasts and inserted fake memories. Our past is what shapes us; it's what makes us who we are. These people have to pay for what they've done."

"They will."

Author's Note: Thanks again to anyone who's reading. For those who have been reading this story since I first started posting, you may have noticed I've been doing a couple of rewrites, mainly in the beginning of the story. I'm sorry if this creates confusion, I'm just trying to make this story as best as possible for me and a large chunk of it was written a long time ago when I was much less experienced and aware of what I wanted the story to be. I hope you like the way it's going now. Please review if you got the time.