Now for Ron's POV :)

oOo

Five years later

oOo

"Come on, Weasley, get dressed. It's time to get up and go to work."

Ron lifted his head from his pillow and frowned. "Can't a guy get two minutes of rest after a shag? Damn woman, you make me work hard to get you off, then you expect me to just jump up seconds after I bloody come?"

Maureen rolled her eyes as she slipped her knickers on. "Typical man's response."

"I haven't slept in this bloody bed in almost three fucking months! I miss it," he whined before dropping his head back down onto the pillow.

"You can sleep in it tonight- after a full day's work," she responded in a stern voice that meant business. "We still have a dark wizard that needs catching."

"Is work all you think about, Page?" he asked as he ran his hands down his face. "I used to think I was a workaholic, but I'm nothing compared to you."

"Men," she repeated as she fastened her bra behind her back. "No wonder I have yet to fall in love with one."

Ron sat up and smirked, allowing his eyes to roam over her body as she walked around and searched for the rest of her clothing. She really was a gorgeous woman, but he supposed being part Veela had a lot to do with that. "What?" he asked in a mock incredulous voice. "You mean to tell me you haven't fallen head over heels for me yet, Maureen?"

"As much as I love you, kid, no."

"Stop calling me kid!" he groaned. "I'm only three years younger than you!" Sighing in defeat, he stood up as well and began collecting his own discarded clothing off the floor. "But yeah, you're right. We have a lot of work to do."

"You know, I've never asked," she started as she picked up and pulled on her Auror robes, her tone different than it had been a moment ago. "But why don't you have a girlfriend or something, Weasley?"

Ron scoffed as he pulled on his trousers. "Probably for the same reason you don't have one. I work too damn much. No time."

"Potter works a lot, too, but he's about to get married," she pointed out.

"And? What does that have to do with me?" he asked. "For your information, I happen to enjoy being a free man. Besides, I don't want to deal with the headache of having a girlfriend." The Lavender disaster flooded through his memory, and he gave a dramatic shudder.

Maureen raised one perfect eyebrow, obviously not convinced. "I sense a backstory."

Ron shrugged. "Not much to tell. I had a clingy girlfriend while at school. It was fun…until it wasn't."

"Did she break your heart?" Both of them were now fully dressed, and they walked out of his bedroom together. "Were you in love with her?" she prodded.

"Damn, Page," Ron chuckled. "You're being nosy today. We've been working together for almost six months now, and you've never cared about any of this before."

"Humor me, Ron. Did she break your poor little ginger heart?" she teased.

They stopped in front of the fireplace, and Ron turned around to face her. "Her?" He shook his head. "Nah, I never loved her."

Maureen's eyes lit up. "But you loved somebody else." It was a statement and not a question.

Ron stared down at her, contemplating on how much he should reveal about himself, but then decided that it didn't matter. Not now, anyway.

"Fine," he relented. "I was in love with a friend of mine. I thought we were going to be more, but one day she sprung it on me that she loved somebody else before moving to another country without even telling me goodbye." He made an exploding sound with his mouth as he moved his hands as if miming a tiny explosion. "Heart obliterated. Lesson learned."

Maureen grimaced. "Ouch. That's harsh."

Ron chuckled, taking a handful of floo powder before stepping into his fireplace. "Yep," he agreed. "But it was a long time ago." He spoke his destination loud and clear before throwing the floo powder to the ground, his body disappearing into a sea of green flames. When his office came into view, he stepped out and strolled over to his desk and sat down. In only a matter of seconds, Maureen arrived in the same fashion, and Ron didn't even lift his head from the papers on his desk to look at her as he spoke.

"We've got the radius narrowed down to where he would likely be hiding, but I still have no idea where the fucker is."

"Pause on that," Maureen said as she walked over and sat down on top of his desk. "So, is that friend of yours the reason you don't have a girlfriend?"

Ron blinked before lifting his head to look at her. "No," he said honestly. "I just don't want one, Maureen. Right now, work is my girlfriend."

"Fair enough," she replied. She stood back up and walked over to the wall behind them that had a large map attached to it with a sticking charm. Her fingers traced over the large, red, and round shape in the middle. "Circle needs to be much smaller. It's ludicrous that we haven't found him yet. I was so sure that we'd get him on this last mission."

Ron shook his head, once again feeling inadequate as he thought about the case he'd been the lead on for almost five months now. After the capture and imprisonment of his sister, Amycus Carrow had somehow avoided being caught, despite causing quite a bit of trouble wherever he went. "It doesn't make any fucking sense," he fumed. "It's never taken me so long to capture one bloody wizard."

"We'll get him, Weasley," Maureen said, though her words brought Ron little comfort. "We almost caught him this last time."

"Almost isn't good enough."

Maureen opened her mouth and was about to respond when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Ron called out, both relieved and annoyed by the interruption.

The door opened and Susan Bones, who was now his personal secretary, stuck her head inside the room. "Mr Weasley? Mr Potter says he would like to see you."

"It's Ron, Susan," he corrected her as he stood up from his chair. "You don't have to be so formal. We've known each other for years."

"Not while we're at work," she replied. "And be forewarned, Mr Potter seems stressed out."

"Gee, I wonder why," Ron replied with a tight smile.

"I'm so excited about the wedding," she gushed. "It's all everybody's been talking about lately."

"Well, I would share your excitement if everyone would shut up about it," Ron muttered. "Even on the mission I had to hear and read about it in the Prophet." Susan only laughed before turning and walking out.

"Be back in a minute," he told Maureen, who only gave him a short nod as she was already lost in the stack of notes on his desk. Knowing there likely wouldn't be any new information that could be of use in those notes, Ron sighed before walking out of his office and down to the end of the hallway where Harry's was. Not even bothering to knock, he swung the door open and stepped inside.

"Hey, almost-brother-in-law," he greeted. "You wanted to see me?"

Harry gave him a small, tired smile. "Glad you're back, mate. How was the mission?"

Ron walked over and threw himself down into the chair across from Harry's desk. "Three months away, only to come to a dead fucking end."

"Shit. I'm sorry to hear that." Harry paused. "I actually called you in here because of a rumor I heard first thing this morning."

Ron raised an eyebrow, pretty sure he knew where this conversation was headed. "Oh yeah? A rumor about what?"

"About you and Page," Harry answered, staring at Ron as if awaiting some sort of an explanation.

"We're not together, if that's what you were going to ask."

"Is it true? Are you shagging her?"

Ron shrugged. "Well, yeah."

Harry's lips thinned. "Why?"

Ron pretended to think hard about it. "Well, let's see. A couple weeks into a boring as fuck mission while on the search for a crazed dark wizard, a beautiful woman, who just happens to be my work partner, gets randy and throws herself at me, and-"

"That's hardly appropriate, Ron." Harry cut in. "You were out there on Ministry busin-"

Ron let out a barking laugh. "Appropriate? Are you being fucking serious right now, Harry? It's not like we were shagging on the job! There were six of us in total on that mission, and we were taking shifts. Anything that happened between those shifts is none of 'The Ministry's' fucking business!"

"You two are work partners-"

"Only for a few more months before she changes departments," Ron interjected.

"That's beside the point!" Harry replied, sounding exasperated. "It's against the rules to start a relationship with-"

"Woah, woah, woah," Ron cut in. "There is no relationship, Harry. We are just shagging."

"As Head of the Auror Department," Harry continued, causing Ron to roll his eyes, "it's my responsibility to make sure everyone is doing their jobs correctly, and-"

"Hold the fuck up!" Ron interrupted, his hands now held out in front of him. "I may not be 'the head of the Auror department' like you are, but I am damn good at my job."

Harry's eyes widened. "I know you are. That's not what I-"

"Furthermore," Ron cut him off again. "When Maureen and I are working, we are working. It's not like I'm going to throw her on my desk and shag her right in the middle of the day, for fuck's sake!"

Harry ran a hand down his face as he let out a groan."I'm sorry, Ron," he said earnestly. "This job is driving me mad. I don't know why I agreed to take it in the first place. I'm going bloody barmy!"

"S'why I turned it down when they offered it to me, first," Ron replied with a smug look on his face. "Dunno why you wanted it." Harry groaned again as Ron went on. "Actually, I kind of miss being out in the field with you, but I gotta admit, Maureen is much prettier to look at than your scrawny arse."

"Sod off," Harry replied, but he was now smiling. "What time did you get back?"

Ron yawned. "We got to my flat around midnight." Harry raised his eyebrows but said nothing. "Maureen lives with her sister and didn't want to wake her up by going home that late," Ron explained, even though he knew he didn't have to.

"Right. Well, I'm glad you're back. Will you be at dinner on Sunday?"

"You know as well as I do that Mum will kill me if I'm not."

"Speaking of your mum, does she know you're back yet?"

"Not yet. I was going to floo to the Burrow after work and surprise her."

"Yeah, she'd love that," Harry agreed.

Ron stood up. "Pleasant chat, Potter, but I need to get back to work."

"Have a good day. And, uh, sorry about, y'know."

"It's okay." Ron made it to the door and started to slip out of it when he turned back at the last minute. "Harry?" Harry, whose head was down again, looked up at him expectantly. "Maureen and I will shag on my desk only after we are done working," he said with a wink, not waiting for a reply before closing the door.

oOo

"Mum?" Ron called out as he stepped from the fireplace into the Burrow's living area. "Dad? Anyone here?"

"Uncle Ron!" Ron winced at the abnormally high-pitched shriek before turning around and opening his arms for Victoire, who was running full speed towards him. "Hey, kiddo," he said as he picked her up and spun her around. "How are you?"

"You missed my birthday," she answered, leaning away from him so she could cross her arms in front of her while glaring at him.

"Completely unintentional," he replied, moving in to kiss her on the cheek. "But I got you a present."

All traces of anger disappeared from his niece's face. "Really? What is it?"

"Ah, you'll have to be patient until Sunday," Ron told her, the words making her frown again. "But I promise it will be worth the wait."

"Ronnie!" his mum cried as she ran into the room. Victoire leapt from his arms to run off outside and play. "I thought I heard you! When did you get back?"

"Late last night," he said, returning his mum's embrace. "I went back to work today, so I haven't had a moment to speak to anyone until now. I mean, other than Harry."

"Just a little over two weeks!" his mum said with a little shake of excitement. "And he'll officially be family!"

Ron chuckled. "To tell you the truth, I'm just excited for this wedding to be over with. It's all anyone talks about anymore."

His mum frowned. "Don't be a spoilsport, Ronnie. You know how much this means to your sister."

"I have a sneaking suspicion that you're more excited than the blushing bride," he joked.

"Will you be bringing a date?" she asked. She was trying to seem nonchalant, but Ron knew she was really just trying to get information about his private life.

"Dunno yet," he replied, turning and walking into the kitchen for a snack. "I thought about asking Maureen, but, well, she's not exactly the bring-home-to-meet-the-family type. She has no filter whatsoever, and if I brought her, Aunt Muriel would have enough ammo against me for the rest of my life."

"Are you two dating now?"

Ron paused, wanting to choose his words carefully. "No," he said in a slow voice, deciding to go with the truth but without any details. "Definitely not."

"Well, maybe you'll meet someone before the wedding. That would be-"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I told you, Mum, I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. I'm only twenty-two! Work is my priority, not finding someone to spend the rest of my life with. There's plenty of time for all of that later."

"I can't help but worry that three of my six sons refuse to settle down," Mrs Weasley said with a frown.

"And all three of them are content and doing quite well for themselves," Ron pointed out. "Being in a relationship is nice, I guess, but it shouldn't be the basis for whether or not a person is happy, Mum. And I am. Happy, I mean. "

"I know you are, I just-" she sighed. "Ronnie, you're such a handsome boy and-" Ron gave her a pointed look and she corrected herself. "Man. Handsome man."

Ron chuckled. "You're my mum. You're kind of obligated to tell me I'm handsome."

"I mean it, Ronnie, you really are! I see the way women stare at you- at Fred and Charlie as well."

"If that's true, they can stare to their heart's content," he said, settling on an apple before picking it up and taking a bite. "Still not interested."

"Fine," she relented. "I'll stop prying for now."

"Thank you."

"Anyway," she went on. "Charlie will be here a week before the wedding. He doesn't visit home near enough."

"Wonder why?" Ron joked, earning a glare from his mum.

"It will be so nice to have everyone back together," she continued, Ron barely listening as she rambled on.

oOo

"Good morning," Ron said to Susan as he walked into the Auror Department on Monday morning. He'd spent the last hour in the workout room, something that was required by all of the Aurors every few days in order to keep them in tip-top shape. "How was your weekend?"

"It was pretty boring," she replied.

He smiled. "Mine was stupendous. I got to sleep in, and I ordered takeout for every meal. Didn't even leave my flat once."

"Sounds like heaven," Maureen piped up as she came up behind him. "We need to talk."

Curious, Ron nodded and followed as she led him into his office. "What's up?" he asked as he closed the door behind them.

"This morning, Potter invited me to his and your sister's upcoming hen/stag party."

"Okay. And that would be a problem because?"

"I barely know Potter! And I've never even met your sister!"

He shrugged. "Then don't come. I still don't see the issue here."

"I think Potter has the wrong idea about what's going on between you and me."

"Ah," Ron said, now realizing what was bothering her. "Don't worry, I made things perfectly clear. Harry knows we aren't together."

Maureen let out a breath of relief. "Good. Because he's our boss and if he thought we were dating or something, it could be trouble. You know how close I am to getting into the Unspeakable program. I can't afford to have any minor hiccup impede that, especially for something that isn't even true."

"Trust me, I won't let that happen," he assured. "You eat, sleep, and breathe your work, Maureen. You, more than anyone, deserve to get to where you want to be."

She shot him a grateful smile. "Great," she said. "So now that's settled, I had a few more ideas about where Carrow could be hiding."

"Tell me."

oOo

Despite Maureen's ideas, they were still not any closer to figuring out Carrow's location, and Ron's morning was spent strategizing with her and two other Aurors. With all the evidence before them, everything just kept on coming back full circle, leaving them at the beginning once again. Ron's earlier mood was completely gone, and he was trying hard not to punch a wall or something. The others seemed to have faith that Carrow would be caught soon, but Ron was running out of patience. He knew he shouldn't be taking it so personally, but the fact that he had been assigned head made not taking it personally very difficult.

"I'm supposed to meet Harry for lunch in the cafeteria," he said as it approached eleven o'clock. "Anyone want to join us?"

Maureen shook her head. "I'm not hungry yet. I'll take it next hour." The two men sitting across from her were quick to agree.

"You need a break, Weasley," one of them said. "Go. We'll be fine."

"Okay. Keep on, and we'll all resume in two hours." Ron said before walking out of the room. He felt better, as if moving was helping him let out some of his frustration.

He left the Auror Department and turned down the main corridor. Because it was not a busy time of day, there were only a few other people around. His mind still on the case, Ron was deep in thought and not paying attention when a woman stepped out from an adjoining corridor in front of him. Her head was bent down as she read a piece of paper in her hands, and she turned to walk in the same direction as Ron was going, not noticing him at all. She was dressed in an expensive-looking business suit, her hair pinned at the top of her head in an elegant bun of messy curls. Even though he'd only seen her face for a split second, Ron would have recognized her anywhere.

The shock of seeing her caused him to come to an abrupt stop, and to Ron's dismay, it was like he no longer had control of his actions. He opened his mouth, unable to stop the single word from escaping.

"Hermione?"