Chapter 50

Brothers and Discoveries

Bill had grabbed Charlie and held on for all he was worth which was no small feat. Charlie may have been shorter but he was built like a solid brick wall of muscle. Many of the Weasley boys were slender and tall like their dad, but Charlie got his build from his mother's side. Thick sinewy corded muscles rippled as he struggled to get free. Bill was holding on with sheer adrenaline when suddenly Charlie went limp and sank to his knees.

Ron was lying on his back, one hand cupping his chin and the other clenching a clump of his red hair. Everyone was panting loudly but the only other sound was the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore. The contrasting sounds were ironic and surreal. Bill watched both his brothers struggle to contain their emotions. A single tear rolled down Ron's cheek. He noticed that the hand on Ron's chin was dripping red.

"Hand or chin Ron?" Bill asked quickly. Ron held out his hand. "Bloody snatchers! I splinched! He was missing two fingernails. Bill used his wand and the blood stopped. Then he said, "Aguamenti." A cascading stream of cool water rinsed the rest of the blood off Ron's fingers. Bill stepped back.

"So Ron, why did you leave again-NO CHARLIE! LET HIM TALK!" Bill roared as Charlie lunged at Ron again. Charlie ceased his attack physically but his eyes were blazing with fury.

"There was the…I was…Aw bloody hell. I don't know how to even explain. It's complicated and part of it I can't even talk about." Ron complained. He sat up and crossed his legs. His arms were resting on his knees. He stared at a spot near his feet. Bill sat down across from him in similar fashion, pulling Charlie unceremoniously with him. Charlie shook him off but sat down, hostile but quiet.

"Why don't you start with why you couldn't go back to Grimmauld Place." Bill suggested. Ron didn't respond right away. The seagulls were squawking in the background and the wind was rustling the leaves. Finally Ron looked up at his brothers.

"This whole thing was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. We had to…find some things but we weren't sure where to look. Dumbledore had been giving Harry some lessons before school got out, but he died—"Ron choked up a bit and paused to regain his composure. "He died before Harry learned everything."

Ron studied his brothers. Charlie still oozed anger but Bill was quietly listening. Charlie was clenching and unclenching his hands while Bill sat calmly like a Zen Master.

"Well, um, so after the fiasco at the wedding, we ended up on this street that Hermione had remembered from I don't know where. It was middle of London and we were just sort of catching our breath ya know?" Bill nodded so Ron continued. "Well, all of a sudden these death eaters showed up and we got away but we didn't know where else to go so we decided to go to Sirius's place."

"We know you were there. Remember? Dad sent the patronus. Remus visited. We know all this. Get on with it!" Charlie growled.

Ron flinched but nodded. "Well, we went, uh, looking for the, uh, thing that he had to find, and, uh, well, we ran into a problem."

Charlie rolled his eyes impatiently and began tapping his fist on his knee. Bill touched his arm and he stilled.

"Is that when you were spotted at the ministry?" Probed Bill.

Ron's eyes grew wide. "How'd ya know?" He faded out.

"Undesirable No. 1 seen at the ministry? Duh. Of course we know. That's how the death eaters found Grimmauld Place. Remus got Kreacher out and to Hogwarts just in time." Charlie's face was growing red as he clenched his teeth and forced himself not to attack Ron.

"Well, I am glad Kreacher is all right." Ron said quietly to the shock of both his brothers.

"What?" Ron asked. "The little guy was right decent to us. Cookin' and helpin'. He kinda grows on ya when he isn't sputterin' all that pureblood nonsense." He shrugged. Bill and Charlie shared questioning looks but Ron cleared his throat as if he were going to speak again.

"Anyhow, since you know we were at the ministry I guess it doesn't matter if I tell you that we almost didn't get away." Ron grabbed at his shoulder suddenly. He looked as if he were trying to decide something. The boys just sat there waiting for him to continue. Finally, he opened his mouth but nothing came out. After a few more tries, he finally spoke.

"Hermione apparated us out of the ministry, but one of the death eaters grabbed on. We landed on the porch of Grimmauld Place but then when he started to let go, Hermione apparated us away. We weren't expecting it..me and Harry, because we didn't know the guy was there and then we just weren't anymore." Ron's eyes clouded with the painful memory. He slowly slid up the sleeve of his shirt exposing his left arm. A long bumpy scar ran from his shoulder to nearly his elbow.

"You got royally splinched." Charlie stated.

Ron nodded and slid his sleeve down.

"Hermione did all she could and we rested for a while so I could get my strength back. I lost a lot of blood."

"But where were you?" Charlie interrupted impatiently.

"Lots of places. We kept moving. Mountains. Seaside. Forests. Small towns. We just kept moving every couple of days. It was cold. We were hungry and we didn't know what to do next."

"Had you found what you were looking for?" Inquired Bill.

"Yes and no." Ron answered.

Charlie snorted. "Either you did or you didn't."

"It's not that simple," whispered Ron. He looked far off into the distance. "There were…complications. We didn't know how to proceed. We discussed it for weeks. Things got tense. I got mad. Madder than normal because of the—well it wasn't my normal kind of anger but more of a deep down impatience. I got so tired of waiting. Of being in limbo. It finally all exploded out and we all had a terrific fight and I left. I wanted to go back immediately but Hermione had put up protective enchantments and I couldn't find my way back. I looked for days. Tried some spots we had already been to even. Then the snatchers nearly got me so I came here." He looked over the fingers that Bill had healed. They were stiff and sore, but he could still use them. This splinching was much less traumatic than the last time.

Charlie got up and walked a ways off looking over the gray rough sea. "Where are you Bookworm?" He muttered to himself. He felt someone behind him but he didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry. You can punch me all you want but it can't make me feel any worse." Ron said.

Charlie bent over and picked up a stone. He stared at it for a bit then launched it out to sea as hard as he could. As if he were throwing all his frustrations with it. "I am not going to hit you anymore." He said simply.

Ron nodded and walked away to give him his space. Charlie stood on the hill overlooking the beach and the water for hours thinking and wondering. He felt his own injured shoulder start to stiffen up as the wind picked up. All the adrenaline had left him and he felt pain and anguish. It was more than physical. His soul ached. He had never felt so worried in his life.

He was apprehensive but reassured because Ron had been there to help her. He knew Ron would give his life to protect her. He was sure Harry would too, but he knew it was far more likely that Hermione would give her life to protect Harry.

Charlie finally returned to the cottage. Fleur offered him food but his stomach was in too many knots for him to manage it. He sat by the fireplace and stared. Bill joined him and said nothing for a time.

"Charlie."

Charlie turned to look at his brother. He said nothing.

"Charlie, we have to help Ron get back." Charlie stared for a full minute.

"I know."

"Any ideas?" Bill asked as suddenly all the lights went out. They both jumped up, wands drawn when just as suddenly the lights reappeared.

Ron came sauntering down the stairs. Off went the lights. On went the lights. Bill and Charlie stared at each other.

"No wonder she found that annoying." Charlie muttered.

"What's that?" Asked Bill. Charlie shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"Hermione found that deluminator very annoying in Ron's hands." Murmurred Charlie to Bill only. They both stared at Ron as he walked in the room distractedly, lights going off and on, off and on.

"I thought she got that just before the wedding." Bill said.

"She did."

"And you would know it annoyed her how?"

Charlie gave Bill a long look. "Later."

"What's later?" Asked Ron.

"Nothing." They answered together. Ron shrugged and pocketed the device.

"So what do we do now?" Asked Ron.

Bill moved toward the wireless and turned it on. Fleur joined them from the kitchen.

"'Ave you found eet?" She asked Bill with a smile.

He smiled back with a corny lovestruck look that made Charlie's heart stop in his chest. He had to remember to breathe again.

"Ron, Fred and George have started a program to rally those fighting against the death eaters. It changes stations and where it is broadcast from."

Ron's eyes lit up with excitement. Bill tuned through static for a few minutes before a squeal of feedback and then a familiar voice.

A couple of weeks later, Charlie lay in his bed thinking. His mind seemed to go off and on like the lights. He wondered if Hermione was safe. If she was warm. If she had enough to eat. Suddenly his door flew open and Bill came clattering into the room.

"I think I know." He said excitedly. "I think I know what that thing is that Ron has."

Charlie sat up and lit the candles in his room with his wand. "Slow down and tell me what you mean."

Bill explained that he and Fleur were talking in their room and the lights kept going on and off. Fleur was getting aggravated and started muttering about how annoying it was and how it was just like when she was in the castle one night with Madame Maxime. They were going up to lodge a complaint with Dumbledore and all the way up the staircase the lights were going on and off. As they reached the top they heard him say, "Ah Ha! Found you!" They asked him what he found and he said he had been looking for Mr. Filch and had just discovered where in the castle he was. Fleur said that she and Madame Maxime thought he was losing his knuts.

"But now, Fleur is wondering if that gadget Ron's got is the thing Dumbledore used to locate Filch. Maybe it does more than just turn out the lights!" Bill explained excitedly. He and Charlie rushed across the hall to Ron's room.

"Tell us about the light thing." Bill demanded. "You know, the deluminator."

"Well Dumbledore left it to me, didn't he?" Ron answered.

"We KNOW that part. Did it have a note? Did Scrimgeour say anything when he brought it to you?" Charlie asked shaking Ron by his shoulders.

Ron moved out of Charlie's grasp and sat by the window. "Well?" Charlie demanded.

"I'm thinking! Give me a sec!"

Ron squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched up his face in concentration. "He said the he left me the deluminator in hopes that I would…remember him when I used it." He finally said.

"Remember him?" Bill questioned.

Ron thought a moment longer. "Yeah. That's what he said. Why does it matter?"

"I think that maybe it might do something else also. So do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you REMEMBER when you use it?" Bill pressed.

"Remember what?"

"Oh for Dragon's burns Ron, are you really that thick?" Charlie spat.

"Remember what? I don't even know what the bloody hell you are talking about."

Bill put a hand up to stop Charlie. "We think the word remember was a clue."

Ron's face was still blank. Charlie rolled his eyes, but Bill was patient.

"Dumbledore couldn't just come out and tell you why he left that to you so every word must be meaningful. If he suggested that you use it to remember him then it means something in conjunction with the deluminator."

Ron's green eyes started to register. "We thought the snitch he left Harry had more to it too, but we couldn't ever figure out what. And he left that book for Hermione. She had never even heard the stories! I mean come on! Mum told them to us everynight!"

"What stories?" Charlie asked.

"You know, The Tales of Beetle the Bard."

"Children's stories?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, we thought it was weird at first too. Hermione spent hours reading it."

Bill grabbed Charlie's arm. "Okay. See ya tomorrow then Ron." Ron shook his head as his brothers left the room.

They entered Charlie's room and Bill placed a silencing charm on the door. "What do you think?" He asked.

"You are thinking about the Deathly Hallows?" guessed Charlie.

"Do you think Dumbledore was trying to help them remember the stories and find the Elder wand so Harry has a chance?

Charlie nodded. "It would seem like the thing to give Harry a chance."

"Do you suppose they actually found it?"

"I have no idea. It would explain why they didn't know what to do next."

"But the legends say that in order for the possessor to be truly powerful, he must have all three." Bill mused.

"Well if he got the wand, he's got two. Ron told us all about the invisibility cloak. MadEye used to make him carry it everywhere with him at the end."

"And he really wouldn't need the third one I would guess because Harry doesn't seem the type to raise an army of inferi."

The brothers just stared at each other. "Deathly Hallows." Said Charlie.

"Deathly Hallows." Repeated Bill.