Search for the Truth.
Chapter 18
Under different circumstances, Ron would have been glad to be home again. Not much had changed. A handful of chickens still scrounged for food in the garden, and a small legion of gnomes were either playing in the pond, or lazily basking in the sun.
Unfortunately, the reason for his presence darkened his mood. He looked at his mother, who was clutching a mug of tea nervously. "I don't know what happened, Ron."
"Okay…She was fine until Draco came along…she was just about ready to call off the wedding. She changed her mind overnight…" Ron said, summarising what his anxious mother had told him.
Molly nodded. "It's like she's under some sort of spell…I really tried everything I could think of…"
"Don't worry, Mrs Weasley." Hermione said reassuringly. "We'll find out what's wrong with her."
"But the wedding is the day after tomorrow." Molly moaned. "How are you going to manage that?"
Ron sank deeper into thought as Hermione ineffectually tried to calm his mother down. His mother was right. Ginny could be very fickle, but she would never change her mind overnight about something as important as this. Obviously, Malfoy had to be controlling her somehow. He wasn't using any of the common love potions, since Mrs Weasley had slipped Ginny several antidotes in the last couple of days, in an effort to find out what was wrong with her.
He looked up and noticed that Hermione and his mum had stopped talking. They were both sipping their tea quietly. "Hermione…is there any way to make direct contact with the Citadel?"
"Yes…why?"
"Could you call them and have someone browse through the archives to look for any means of surreptitiously controlling another person?"
Hermione looked doubtful. "I don't know…I'm only supposed to use it in an emergency."
"Don't you consider this an emergency?" Ron burst out. "My sister is about to marry an evil git, and you're worried about rules?"
"I can't abuse my connection to the Order to resolve personal matters like that!" Hermione replied hotly. "The rules are very strict in that regard."
"I'm sorry!" Ron sighed. Hermione's expression told him that his remark had hurt her, and he knew it had been a terrible thing to say. "You're right."
"Ron, did I just hear that right?" Molly Weasley gave her son a once over and smiled. "What did those Rangers do to you?" He saw that his mum was quite pleased with his attitude change, and he felt his face heat up. He shrugged.
"No, Ron….you're right." Hermione said. "Malfoy has to be controlling Ginny, and I'm sure that the archives in Citadel have the answer. But I can't just call them and ask them to help us out so we can prevent a wedding. We need more than that to get anyone in the Citadel to help us."
Ron searched his mind for an excuse he could use. What did he have on Malfoy? The memory struck like lightning. "Mum, you know about Snape's Sneakoscope…right?"
Molly nodded, but clearly didn't understand the significance of Ron's question.
"What are you talking about, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"A while ago, I asked Malfoy if he'd do his best to protect Ginny…if he'd be willing to die for her even."
Molly snorted. "That's a laugh!"
"No…I mean, yes! He said yes…but the Sneakoscope didn't react…not even the faintest whistle!"
True to form, Hermione caught on immediately. "But you told me he abandoned Ginny at the April 3rd midnight attack...so he must've been lying…but the Sneakoscope…Oh, Ron…why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I was going to owl you, but then things happened and it slipped my mind," Ron said apologetically. Maybe this would be enough to get the Rangers to help them. "So, you think we'll get some help?"
Hermione looked doubtful. "I'm still not sure. I might still sound a bit crazy if I just throw this little bit in their faces without any more evidence to back it up." She sighed. "I guess I'll have to embellish things a little."
Ron waggled his eyebrows at his mother. "I'm a bad influence on her, aren't I?" He watched Hermione take a small glass circle out of her pocket as she purposefully strode over to the mirror.
"Oi…what…?" The mirror protested.
"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." Hermione said, as she stuck the device onto the mirror. The reflection faded, and it started to pulse with a bluish light. "This'll take about a minute...I'll explain later."
"What's that?" Molly asked.
"Not now…Mum!" Ron said. Suddenly, a round face appeared on the other side. Ron didn't know this particular Ranger very well. "Yes?"
"I'm not sure how secure this location is, or if anybody else might be listening in," Hermione said. "Is it possible to meet another operative face to face in a secure area?"
Ron knew this was procedure. Hermione couldn't just blurt out anything she wanted to say. In fact, she may already have broken a rule by using that little glass circle trinket in front of his mother.
The Ranger frowned for a moment. "Your location?"
"The Burrow…a wizarding house just outside…"
"Ottery St. Catchpole…" the Ranger finished. He frowned. "There are some fairly heavy wards in place," he said, as he looked away, seeming to listen to what someone else was saying. Then he looked back at Hermione. "And you say that location isn't secure?"
"I have my reasons," Hermione said defiantly.
"Very well!" The Ranger nodded. "Someone will be along shortly. We'll let you know where and how you can meet."
"I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"You'd better be!" the Ranger grumbled. "Out!"
"Not very polite, is he?" Molly frowned, after the Ranger's face had disappeared.
"That's just his attitude. If you think I'm a by-the-book person, you ought to get a load of him!" Hermione laughed.
"So how will you know where to rendezvous?" Ron asked.
"The Rangers have their ways," she said mysteriously, and got up. "Come on, we've got some time to kill. I'll show you an advanced detection spell that'll allow us to find listening devices."
*
They combed the Burrow for two hours, and to Hermione's relief they didn't find any listening devices. It was a good thing too, because if there had been such a device, it could have meant that Draco was on to them, and that all their hopes of bringing the matter to a happy ending would be lost. She knew she should have performed this task upon arrival at the Burrow, but there was no use in worrying about it anymore. "All right, at least I can be fairly certain that no one is listening in now."
"Now can you tell me what you did to my mirror?" Molly asked impatiently.
"Oh, I temporarily transformed it into a communications mirror," Hermione explained. "It was the only way to talk to the Rangers. In Concordia, mirrors are used instead of a Floo connection for communication."
"So how will we meet with them?" Ron asked.
"I think I ought to go alone," Hermione said. "After all, even though it's almost certain that you're going to be asked to join the Order…they haven't extended the invitation yet."
Molly clapped her hands delightedly. "Ronald…a Ranger? Oh, wait until I tell the Lovegoods and the Fawcetts!"
"I'd advise against spreading the word, Mrs Weasley," Hermione said sternly. "Most small time fiends are actually afraid to harm the families of Rangers…but to the nastiest of the lot it just makes them targets." Then her face softened and she beamed at Ron. "But I'm proud of him too!" She felt something vibrating in her pocket. She dug into her pocket and pulled out the crystal disk that also functioned as a portable communicator. Tiny letters seemed to reflect a sentence.
Proceed to the paddock behind the house.
"I've got to go," she said, and she walked out of the kitchen, heading towards the paddock. After she'd entered, a new simple sentence appeared.
The Portkey is an old fishing boot.
She briefly searched, and surely enough, it was there. The moment she closed her fist around it, she felt the telltale jerk behind her navel, and she was transported away.
She landed on a stone surface in a gloomy looking room with only a skylight providing faint illumination. She waited for about half a minute…no doubt they were making sure she was really who she said she was. Then door swung open, and Hermione was surprised to see Otomalesau Tima, the same round-faced Ranger she'd spoken to earlier. "Follow me!"
"Where are we?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"That's on a need-to-know basis…you don't."
"What are you doing here? Why is Command sending out analysts?"
"I do field duty from time to time, if you must know," the Samoan wizard replied gruffly.
They walked through some corridors and reached a small conference room. Gudrun was sitting at the table, smoking a cigarette. "Ah, Dark Mistress Nicotine…once again I suckle at your smoky teat!" she muttered, after taking a deep drag and blowing smoke rings.
"Gudrun!" Tima barked.
"What do you want, you moon-faced assassin of joy?" Gudrun said, unimpressed and unconcerned by his tone.
"Put that cigarette out," he said, marching up to her. "You're not allowed to smoke on duty. Furthermore, it's a disgusting habit and…"
Gudrun took another deep drag and blew the smoke into Tima's face, shutting him up. Then she looked at Hermione. "So what's the emergency?"
"I've recognised several signs that a certain individual possesses illegal artefacts…Tau Class, I think. A witness states that a highly sensitive Sneakoscope failed to react to a statement that was known to be a lie," she said, doing her best to keep her face straight. To her dismay, something in the room whistled in alarm.
Gudrun raised her eyebrows and felt around in her robes, pulling out a Sneakoscope. "Oh, I thought I lost it. Looks like it was in my robes the whole time." She laughed. "Tough luck, Hermione."
"Granger!" Tima barked. "Why the falsehood?"
Gudrun just laughed some more. "Relax, Tima," she said, soothing the strict wizard, before turning her attention back towards Hermione. "Okay, you were telling the truth about your suspicions, but the rest was bull!"
Hermione would have given anything to evaporate on the spot… getting caught red-handed was terribly embarrassing. She hadn't felt this bad since Professor McGonagall had caught her and Harry after they'd smuggled Norbert out of Hogwarts. "Sorry!" she squeaked
"That's okay…d'you think your the first rookie to try and pull this stunt on us?" Gudrun smirked. "Don't pay any attention to Tima, though. Tau Class, you said?"
Hermione nodded. "The witness…Ron…said that he was almost sure that the individual was lying."
"Almost?" Gudrun frowned. Hermione proceeded to explain what had happened, and Gudrun took a moment to process the information before she spoke. "Well, if that was the case…the Sneakoscope should have reacted. I don't know about a Confundus Amulet…Though as far as I know…we're the only ones who have them. But I think this warrants a closer investigation. Especially if he's Lucius Malfoy's son."
"I agree." Tima nodded. "I will contact Lieutenant Gaal."
"There's something else," Hermione said, after Tima had stalked off. Being an Artificer, Gudrun was likely to have an answer for her. "Could you find out which means can be used to control another person's mind…without the use of the Imperius or any kind of potion?"
Gudrun took one final drag of her cigarette, before conjuring up an ashtray the extinguish it. The she flicked her wand, and the ashtray and extinguished cigarette disappeared. "Hmmm, the first thing that comes to mind is an Enslavement Collar. Why?"
"Ron's sister is marrying Draco Malfoy the day after tomorrow. Her mum says that she'd been planning to cancel the wedding because she knew she didn't really love him. But then Malfoy showed up to stay at their house. Next morning, she was completely in love with him. Her mum tried several antidotes for love potions, but nothing worked. And the Ministry would've known if he'd used the Imperius Curse, so we've ruled out that possibility too."
"Suspicious!" Gudrun agreed. "I'm definitely thinking Enslavement Collar. But those things aren't easy to smuggle without being caught. However…if he does have a Confundus Amulet, or something similar, it's likely that he'd be able to get an Enslavement Collar."
"What do these collars look like?" Hermione asked. She needed to know what to be on the lookout for.
"Well they're called collars, but they're usually inconspicuous things one can wear, like bracelets…necklaces, stuff like that."
"Got it…inconspicuous stuff," Hermione repeated. "So how long do I have to stay here? Where are we anyway?"
"Didn't Tima tell you?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Don't tell me he pulled that need-to-know line on you…it isn't like this place is top secret, anyway."
Hermione blushed and nodded…feeling incredibly stupid. "Is this one of the regional Ranger stations?"
"Right in one." Gudrun nodded. "Ireland."
"So it's just you and Tima?" Hermione asked, knowing that it was standard procedure for two Rangers to be present at all times.
"Actually, it was just Tima, before I got here…you know, since we're a bit understaffed right now with almost everybody looking for Harry and those Azkaban escapees. Gavin and Mayumi just got transferred from Japan…they ought to arrive any minute now. Command decided to put two extra people here, in case Harry decides to pay Britain another visit." Gudrun paused and pulled a packet if chewing gum out of one of the many pockets of her robes. "I'm trying to quit…just don't tell Tima I'm actually listening to his advice!"
Tima returned a few minutes later. "Guess what? It looks like your hunch means something. I talked to Lieutenant Gaal. He said that he and Tetsuo Yamato had developed a prototype of a Confundus Amulet or Talisman, before he joined the Order. So Yamato knows how to make them. Furthermore, it seems that Lucius Malfoy had a number of dealings with Yamato in the past. He said he wouldn't be surprised if Lucius Malfoy had bought an Amulet, and passed it to his son."
"Or maybe Draco just stole it from his father!" Hermione said scathingly. "I wouldn't put it beyond him."
"Either way, Command has decided that this is worth an investigation. "Lieutenant Gaal will contact us in three hours to give you more instructions."
"Three hours?" Hermione didn't want to complain, given the seriousness of the situation, but three hours was a longer than she'd expected to be away. She yawned, having been awake for nearly 24 hours, because Ron hadn't let her get much sleep the night before they'd travelled back to England. That, coupled with the fact that she had to do the packing for both of them, meant that she was dead tired now. "Is there any place where I can take a nap?"
"Out of the second door into the corridor…third door on the left." Gudrun said. "You can sleep on one of top bunks."
Hermione nodded her thanks and headed to the small room, and something silvery caught her attention. It was an invisibility cloak, probably Tima's, since it was unlikely that a Muggle-born like Gudrun owned one. Not being able to help herself, she threw the cloak over her shoulders, and giggled as she looked in the mirror at her disembodied head. The she pulled the cloak over her head, disappearing from the mirror completely.
She heard voices outside in the corridor, and smiling, she withdrew into a corner of the room. She recognised the voices of Gavin Carey and Mayumi Sakai, and moments later the two small wizards came into the room. At a distance, Mayumi could easily be mistaken for a young girl, but close up it would become apparent that she was an adult, be it a miniature woman at four feet and eleven inches. Gavin, for his part, looked like he'd stopped growing in his early teens. He was only five feet and three and a half inches tall.
"So it meant nothing to you?"
Mayumi rolled up her eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh. "Gavin, I had too much to drink! We had a moment…let's leave it at that!"
Hermione felt her face heat up in shame. She definitely didn't want to hear this, but she didn't have the heart to reveal herself anymore. It would be too embarrassing.
"I don't believe that!" Gavin shook his head and took a deep breath. It looked like he was gathering up his courage. "Mayumi…I…"
"Don't say it!" The Japanese witch hissed. "Get over it!"
"But…"
"Nothing! Gavin…you've been my friend ever since I joined the Order. You know what type of men I like, and you simply don't fall under that category. Now don't go thinking that you're in love with me just because of a mistake. That's so juvenile."
"It wasn't a mistake. Mayumi, I'm not stupid. You may have had a little too much to drink, but you were in complete control of your actions!"
"What if I was?" Mayumi said icily.
Gavin's eyes widened like saucers. "Y…you used me?" he sputtered. "You knew how I felt about you!" Mayumi started to protest, but Gavin cut her off. "Don't you dare deny it! I've liked you ever since you first came to the Citadel. Don't tell me that you didn't notice that I always came running like an idiot whenever you needed a favour." He shook his head. "Don't worry…I know you didn't ask for me to fall in love with you. That's my own damned fault. But the fact remains that you used me because of it. You settled for me okay when your tall and handsome type of man wasn't around, and now you're just going to throw me away!"
"You are out of line!" Mayumi yelled shrilly. "Apologise!"
Gavin's face hardened. "All right. I'm sorry…I'm sorry that I was stupid enough to worship the ground you walked on…I'm sorry that I was blinded by your pretence of friendship. Yes, pretence…of friendship, because now I know that you just kept me around for your convenience. And I'm also sorry that it took me this long to see you for what you are…a pretentious and manipulative bitch!"
He strode out, leaving a stunned Mayumi behind.
Hermione didn't even dare to breathe, afraid that Mayumi would hear her now that everything had gone quiet. On the other hand, she was also bursting to give the Japanese witch a piece of her mind. She knew that Mayumi wasn't to blame for Gavin's feelings, but she shouldn't have strung him along like that.
She remained in that corner, trying not to make a sound as Mayumi silently unpacked her bag. She only noticed that Mayumi had been crying after she heard a small sob and saw the little witch wipe away a tear with the back of her hand. When she finally left the room, she seemingly dragged her feet as she walked. No doubt because she doesn't want to face Gavin. Hermione thought, annoyed at Mayumi's display of self-pity.
If anyone deserved pity it was Gavin. He'd been over to the town house many times, at times to drop things off for Mayumi, and other times to take her out into the city. His devotion had always been obvious to Hermione, and she couldn't imagine that Mayumi hadn't noticed. She'd probably pretended not to notice to avoid having to deal with it, and Hermione could understand that. She knew what it was like to have a man crushing on her while she didn't feel the same way.
Hermione threw off the invisibility cloak and climbed onto one of the beds, lying there and forcing herself to sleep. But the conversation between Mayumi and Gavin haunted her, and prevented her from getting any sleep. She knew she was going to be a wreck by the time she got back to the Burrow.
**
Ron knew better than to wait around for Hermione. She'd come and find him as soon as she had more information, so after Ginny got home two and a half hours later, Ron Apparated to Charlie's flat in London upon his mother's request. She believed that Charlie would forget the get-together at George's.
Charlie kept a large and empty walk-in closet that was used especially for the purpose of Apparition since he had some Muggle acquaintances, and one never knew when they might be visiting. So to keep his relatives and friends from Apparating into his living room and scaring the living daylights out of Muggles, he used the closet as a safe Apparition point. Upon arrival, Ron always listened to see if anyone was home or if Charlie was alone, and this time he wasn't.
"For the last time…who is she?" Ron heard an angry female voice scream. One of Charlie's acquaintances was visiting.
"Who's who, dear?" Charlie asked innocently, but the tremble in his older brother's voice told him that Charlie was lying through his teeth.
"Arrgh!" the woman screamed, and Ron heard someone stomping away before the door slammed shut loudly.
"Bugger," Charlie said, and Ron deemed it safe to come out.
"Oi, Charlie. What was that all about?" he called out.
"When did you get here?" Charlie asked, rounding the corner. Ron saw he was wearing nothing but a towel.
"In time to hear…For the last time, who is she?" Ron grinned. "What happened anyway?"
"A case of mistaken identity," Charlie mumbled, his ears burning red.
"What?" Ron frowned, having no idea what his older brother was talking about.
Charlie sighed. "Ah, ickle and innocent Ronniekins," Charlie chuckled. "If you see a different woman every so often…there are certain risks, and…"
"Of course, Mum's told me all about that!" Ron rolled his eyes…after all, he wasn't a complete dimwit.
Charlie laughed. "Ah…no, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean that it's hard to keep the women apart some times. And if you call them by the wrong name in a moment of passion," he grimaced. "Let's just say that it destroys the mood."
Ron caught on and started laughing. Saying that it just destroyed the mood was a gross understatement. "Charlie, how can you be such a prat?"
"Oh, shut up," Charlie huffed. "Hermione's the only woman you've been with, so you can't have that problem, now can you?"
"Really…and how many have you been with then, lover boy?" Ron asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Charlie said. "It isn't something to boast about anyway. I'm not really happy with the way things are."
"How are things, then?" Ron asked, noticing the sad look on Charlie's face.
Charlie ran his hand through his tousled red hair as he thought of a way to explain it. "Imagine your life without Hermione," he finally said. "Terrible, isn't it?"
Ron shrugged, not completely succeeding with the visualisation. "I reckon you're right. But how can you miss someone you've never met before?"
'That's just the thing…I think I've met her…but I let her get away," Charlie said dejectedly. "Her name keeps haunting me, and I keep calling other women by her name. That's the third woman I chased away like that, you know?"
"Bummer." Ron said. "Lavender Brown would say it was a sign… you know… the memory of the true love chasing away all the other lovers!" he winked and imitated Professor Trelawney's voice.
"Yeah, well I reckon she'd have a good point," Charlie mumbled and then abruptly changed the subject. "Tea?"
"At George's," Ron said. "I actually came to remind you."
"Blimey…I forgot all about that!" Charlie exclaimed. "When are we supposed to be there?"
Ron checked his watch. "You've got about half an hour."
Charlie swore and darted into the bathroom for a quick shower. He was done showering five minutes later, but it took him fifteen minutes to find some decent, clean robes, and Ron shook his head. The bachelor's life definitely didn't agree with Charlie.
They'd travelled to Weasley's Warren by Floo powder with only five minutes to spare, and found the other Weasleys there already. Arthur, Millie, Susie and Fred ran up to them immediately, while Amelie, Bill's eldest girl, hung back, since she didn't know Ron and Charlie very well.
Dragging along Susie and Millie, who were each clinging to a leg, Ron greeted his brothers. "Where are the wives?" he asked, shaking George's hand.
"Off changing diapers." George grinned. "Angelina reckons the Weasley babies challenged each other to a dung contest, because they've been at it for two hours now. Everyone's had a turn with changing them…and guess what? The unmarried uncles are up next."
Ron grimaced. "And if I refuse?"
"I'll just tell Susie and Millie that their favourite Uncle Ron wouldn't mind if they played pranks on him."
"All right!" Ron threw up his hands in surrender. "Have mercy!"
"Don't know the meaning of the word." George grinned. "Where's Hermione?"
Ron glanced at Ginny, who was happily chatting away with their mother, whose sad look suggested she'd be attending a funeral instead of a wedding the day after tomorrow. "Hermione's looking for a miracle."
"What are you talking about?"
Ron dragged Charlie out of the spacious living room and guided him to a library so that they could talk privately. "Err, I don't know if this place is safe…" Ron began.
"Quit it already." George grinned. "You're acting like Moody. Why wouldn't we be safe, here?"
"You don't know how many ways there are to eavesdrop!" Ron said. He'd learned a lot about that at the Citadel.
"Who'd want to eavesdrop on me?" George said, shaking his head.
"Dunno." Ron shrugged. "Maybe corporate espionage."
"I don't think so. With the house-elves to take care of the kids I don't do any of my inventing at home anymore."
Ron saw that he was being too paranoid, and sighed. He started pacing around "Okay, here's the story." He once again told the story, while George listened and nodded, looking very interested. "So Hermione went to meet with some Rangers today. She reckons they can help us to work out how Malfoy managed to avoid detection."
"Assuming that he was lying," George added.
"Yeah! But do you really think he wasn't? This is Malfoy we're talking about here."
"Yeah, but he's supposed to have changed…" George smoothed the moustache and goatee. "Are you sure she'll find something?"
"I'm not sure. I hope she will, though," Ron said, just as a red-faced Charlie walked in. "What's up with you?"
"I…ah…went to say hello to the girls. They were done changing the kids. They were ah…n…nursing!" Charlie stammered. Then he shook his head. "This really isn't my day."
George roared with laughter. "You got an eyeful, didn't you? Don't worry though, I'm sure they're not bothered by it. It's only natural, after all."
The girl probably didn't mind, but Ron certainly understood Charlie's embarrassment about walking in on his brothers' wives like that. It was a childless man's perspective… something his other brothers had irrevocably lost forever.
"Charlie? Eez everything okay?" Fleur asked, as she swept into the library. Ron hadn't seen her in a while, and noticed that she'd filled out in places that were to be expected of a recent mother. But she still managed to look good, and Ron felt his face warm up.
"Hi, Fleur!"
"'Ello, Ron!" Fleur offered him a dazzling smile and kissed him on either cheek, which only aggravated his blush. He knew that Hermione would be furious if she'd been there. She'd have no reason to be, of course, but Ron knew the feeling of unease at seeing an attractive man paying Hermione attention all too well. So he really couldn't have blamed her in such a case. To Ron's satisfaction, Charlie hadn't been immune to Fleur's charm either, and to Ron's further satisfaction his older brother's blush his rivalled his own.
"I 'ope we 'ave not embarrassed you?"
Charlie grinned. "Nah…I just embarrassed myself…you girls had nothing to do with it."
"Molly told me that you 'ave become a Ranger…Ron?" Fleur frowned.
Charlie looked at Ron questioningly. "And when were you going to tell me this?"
"I'm not a Ranger…and I haven't been asked to join the Order…formally. Mum's just getting ahead of herself," Ron said.
"But you've been asked informally?" George asked.
Ron nodded and grinned, not being able to help himself. It was a flattering thought.
"I 'ave a cousin who is a Ranger." Fleur mentioned.
"Galatea…I've met her," Ron confirmed. "Nice lady."
"So our Ronniekins is a great enough wizard to become a Ranger." Charlie grinned.
"It isn't like that," Ron corrected. "They're just people, like you and me. True, some of them are extremely powerful," he added, thinking of Wolfe. "But they're not selected for their power alone. They're just a people who do their best to keep the rest of the world safe, and if peace could be measured in percentages, I'd say that eighty percent of the peace we have now has been bought with their blood. There are things going on out there, Charlie. Threats that the world never hears about because the Rangers stop them."
"Sounds dangerous," George said. "Are you sure you want to become a Ranger?"
Ron looked out of a large window. Millie, Susie and Fred were in a huddle, casting glances at Arthur, who patiently allowed Amelie to stick flowers in his hair. They were probably planning some sort of prank, and a stern looking house-elf whose expression reminded Ron of McGonagall, kept a close eye on them, ready to intervene on Arthur's behalf. Ron smiled. Arthur's behaviour was so good that it almost seemed as if he were compensating for the deviousness of his little brother and cousins. He was the Percy of the youngest Weasley generation.
"Oi Ron…you still with us?" George called, waving his hand in front of Ron's face and dragging him back to reality.
"I was just thinking. They're so carefree." Ron muttered.
Percy, who'd caught those words as he walked in. and recognised Ron's wistful expression, nodded sympathetically. "As all children should be. I remember back in my day, when Voldemort was on the rise…it was a nightmare. The grownups were terrified, and we children felt it. I'm glad they don't have to live like that."
"Which is why I'll accept the invitation to the Order, if I'm asked…no matter how dangerous it is. I want to spare them from ever going through what we went through."
"Our Ronniekins has sure grown up, hasn't he?" George said, trying to lighten the mood.
"'E would 'ave had to, eventually." Fleur agreed, flashing him a warm smile.
"'E would 'ave had to do what, dear?" Bill asked, hugging his wife from behind while he imitated her imperfect English. Ron knew that she had done her best to improve her English, and she had improved a little, but it was still far from perfect, and Bill delighted in teasing his wife about it.
"In memory of Madam Pince, there will be no displays of affection inside this library!" George protested.
'That is interesting…Angelina told me that you two 'ave had some interesting times in here," Fleur retorted, unabashed, making George glow like the setting sun.
"I can't believe she'd…Angelina!" George roared indignantly, as he marched out of the library.
"Poor George, that's an argument he'll never win. We Weasley men are destined to be terrorised by our women. Just like dad!" he added with a rueful smile.
"And don't you forget it." Fleur giggled, before giving Bill a quick kiss before she left the four Weasleys alone.
Then Bill looked at Ron. "It isn't like we don't want the bratty little brother around, but Charles, Percival and I have some private matters to discuss."
Charlie shook his head. "It's okay, Billius. Ronald can stay…isn't that right, Percival?"
"Your full names will look very distinguished on your tombstones, if you don't cut it out!" Ron growled.
Bill waved his wand to close and lock the doors to the library, and then he cast a one way Silencing Charm around the room. They could hear what happened outside, but no one could hear them.
"What's the secrecy all about?" Ron asked, growing more and more curious by the second.
"Remember the talk we had before coming here?" Charlie whispered, even though it wasn't really necessary.
"About not saying the wrong name when you're shagging…"
"Not that!" Charlie hissed. "About the one that got away."
"Ah, that!" Ron grinned. "Yeah, what about her?"
"Bill and Percy have been helping me find her."
"Oh…any luck?" Ron asked.
Bill shook his head. "Sorry Charlie. But her name is not registered with any Ministry of Magic…right Perce? And that picture you have of her didn't help either. It's like she's a ghost…like she never existed."
"A ghost who has come back to haunt me. How appropriate." Charlie hung his head.
"Have you got a picture?" Ron asked.
Charlie reached into a pocket of his robes and pulled out a six-by-four inch picture. He was about to show it to Ron. When the doors to the library shook. "Ron…are you in there? Open up!"
"It's Hermione," Ron said. "The Rangers have got the best detection magic in the world…if you ask nicely then maybe she'll help you."
"It's worth a try." Percy nodded, and Bill flicked his wand to allow Hermione in.
"Honestly…is this a secret meeting of some sort?" she joked and proceeded to greet Ron's brothers, before giving Ron a deep and passionate kiss that caused Charlie and Bill to cat-call and wolf-whistle, while Percy shook his head at his older brothers' behaviour.
"So…are you going to tell me what this is all about, or should I leave?"
Charlie was looking at Ron hopefully with big and pleading eyes, expecting Ron to ask Hermione for him. And Hermione being Hermione, she picked up on this immediately.
"You need me for something…don't you?"
"Clever, as always." Bill grinned, while Percy sealed the doors and placed the Silencing Charm once more.
"Well, it's like this…" Ron began. "Charlie met this girl…and…"
"Never mind…Ron. I'll tell her." Charlie said, resigning himself to tell his tale one more time.
"And when was the last time you saw her?" Hermione asked.
"March 31st…1996," Charlie said, without hesitation. "Will you help me?"
Charlie was now positively looking like a house-elf in need, and as expected, Hermione couldn't say no to him. "All right…but you haven't given me much to work with. Only an unknown alias…And I'll have to do it all on my own time."
"He's got a picture!" Ron said, remembering that Charlie had been about to show him a picture before Hermione came in.
Charlie hurriedly dug for the picture once more, and handed it to Hermione and Ron.
Ron saw that it was taken indoors, in a wizarding pub, Ron knew, because he saw a floating candle next to the pair in the picture…Charlie and the girl. She was an inch or so taller than Charlie, and had dark, wavy hair and intense dark eyes. Charlie was in fancy evening robes, and the girl wore a silk dress that brought out her shapely form well. She was no Veela, but she was still very attractive. Charlie's picture self ran his hand across her back affectionately as the girl gave his several pecks on the lips, causing Charlie's picture self to blush.
The couple in the picture never got tired of looking at each other and the girl kept running her hand through Charlie's hair, while the other toyed with the pendant that hung on her necklace.
"Good Lord…I've found her!" Hermione gasped.
"What're you talking about?" Ron frowned. For once, Hermione wasn't making much sense.
"Have a closer look at that pendant, Ron! It's just like Max's. Look at the girl! Same complexion…she's tall…and those eyes…those are Max's eyes! I've found her…it's his sister!"
***
A/N: That was chapter 18, oh noble readers. Didn't see that one coming…did you?
Please review to let me know what you think of this turn of events. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed, for reviews inspire. I'll do my best to make chapter 19 even better, and the way things are now, the wedding…and action…will return in chapter 20.
