Praesentia

Chapter Six---Consilium

Ron watched Hermione leave with a sense of desperation. Lifting his arms and sighing heavily, he was about to follow her when he heard his father clear his throat behind him.

Turning, Ron's eyes fell first on his mother. She wore a sort of sad, frustrated look, but when she saw him looking at her, she sat up straight.

He turned to his father, and was surprised to see the look of disgust on his face. Ron was taken aback for a moment, until he realized why his father was upset. Ron opened his mouth, about to say something, when his father beat him to it.

"Let her be."

Ron's mother turned abruptly to his father, and her look was one of disapproval. "Dear, I don't think-"

His father held up a hand. "This is a lot to take in at once," He looked up at Ron, and swallowed. He seemed to be considering his next words.

Finally, he asked softly, "Do you love her?"

Ron felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach. It was the first time his father had ever asked him something so personal; he took in a deep breath and blurted without thinking, "Yes."

He watched the reactions of his parents as if it was the first time he'd ever seen them. His mother looked pleased, and his father's eyes twinkled. It was nice to see them so happy even with everything that had happened. He felt his face grow warm, and he looked at the floor. "So...um...I do," he muttered.

His mother's hand reached out and grasped his shoulder. She pulled him close, and sat him down on the footrest in front of her chair.

"Now, Ron....I need to ask you..." his mother whispered. "Have you two...?"

Ron grew hotter then he ever imagined possible. His mouth was dry as he stared at his clenched hands. Glancing upward awkwardly, he blurted, "Aw, mum, don't ask me that!"

"You don't need to answer, dear. It's obvious you have. Now...I can't say I'm entirely pleased about this.." She put her hands on his shoulders and squeezed tightly. "But I can say you've made an excellent choice. Now let's just hope the stone...."

Ron looked up at his mother, a great feeling of pride in his belly. He saw his mother let out a heavy sigh, and give him a stern look. "You are being careful?"

Ron immediately looked down at the floor again. He nodded mutely, his face still burning with embarrassment.

Feeling a pat on his shoulder, he heard his mother say softly, "I'd think nothing less of Hermione, but of course I needed to check. And I also need to give you a word of advice..."

Ron looked up at that. His mother had a hard look in her eyes.

"Until you know what the stone says, it would be best not to-"

Ron pulled away. "I know, mum." He stood up, running a hand through his hair. "Rotten stone...."

He heard his father chuckle a bit at that, and chose to ignore him. As a dozen thoughts rushed through Ron's mind, he remembered something else that was bothering him. He turned to face his father fully.

"You made a mistake having Harry admitted to St. Mungo's, Dad." Once the words had passed through his lips, he almost immediately regretted them.

His father sat up at that. "I did, did I?" His expression was incomprehensible.

Ron nodded, hoping he hadn't stepped over the line, especially following the conversation they'd just had. But he knew he had to tell them what he thought.

"Dad, I can help Harry. I stopped him two times....I know it would be better if I was with him. What can St. Mungo's do to help Harry? I mean, nothing can resist this power..the Siren's the most powerful-"

"I hear you, Ron," his father said abruptly. "There are many reasons why I chose to follow Dumbledore's advice...one being I want to protect each member of this family, namely you. True, you helped Harry those two times..but who can say what powers You-Know-Who might discover if he has contact with you through Harry? No, Harry needs to be at St. Mungo's for now. I'm sorry, Ron, but....it just has to be this way right now."

"Dad..." Ron sighed heavily. "He can't learn anything from me! Siren power cancels itself out! There's no way I can give him-"

His father stood up swiftly, and put up both of his hands. "Enough, Ron. And I didn't say he was going to be there forever, did I? We just need to be extra careful. Please trust me."

Ron bit his lip, knowing further talk would achieve nothing. At least he'd allowed himself to be heard, even though it seemed his words had fallen on deaf ears.

Numbly, he heard his mother say something about going downstairs to get some pie. He felt himself being ushered downstairs, and his mind wandered endlessly over the recent past events. Hermione, Harry...and Voldemort.

Ron could barely eat the pie he was served, and barely acknowledged the curious and sympathetic looks his siblings gave him as he ate.

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She was walking down a very dark hallway, and she was sure that someone was following her. At the end of the hallway was a door she must reach, and her legs seemed as though they were plowing through a sea of water, and that she'd never reach that special door...the one at the end of the hall.

I must get there, she thought to herself. If it's the last thing I do, I need to open that door.

Clenching her fists, she willed herself to be stronger, to move faster. The longer and harder she tried to force herself to move faster, the more it seemed her legs were moving through liquid taffy.

Screaming in frustration, she told herself she must get there. Mustering up the last of her strength, she heard a strange voice say something reassuring, and then her legs were free.

She ran the last few steps to the door, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. As her hand closed over the cold porcelain door handle, the odd voice returned.

Hesitating, she looked around, listening intently. Nobody else was there, she was utterly alone.

But the voice remained.

"I don't know what you're saying," she heard herself say, her voice sounding as though it came from someplace far away.

The voice, which she now realized was feminine, was speaking again, more urgently. What is that dialect? I don't know, she told herself, and turned back to the door.

But it was no longer there!

"That's not fair..." she heard herself say softly, and she began to drift.

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"No fair!" Hermione heard herself shout, waking herself from sleep. She sat up immediately and rubbed her eyes.

"What in the world was that about?" Ginny's voice said, and Hermione turned to see her sitting on her bed.

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione said weakly. She felt tired, drained. Almost as if she'd been trying to get to that door for real. "Just a really strange dream. It was nothing."

As the words fell from her lips, a niggling thought began in the back of her mind. What if it wasn't nothing?

She shook her head. She was putting far too much into a silly dream. Lavender and Parvati were influencing her more than she realized, she thought fiercely.

"Where's Crookshanks?" Hermione asked suddenly, at that moment wanting her ginger cat intensely. It would be nice to cuddle with the great fuzzy cat...well, as long as he'd let her.

Ginny looked up briefly from the newspaper she was reading. "He was downstairs, and I think Fred and George were feeding him some pie. I told them not to, but-"

Hermione sighed heavily and put up her hand. "It's all right, I'll go down and see that he's all right."

As she headed to the door, she heard Ginny's voice say softly, "Hermione?"

Turning around, she saw Ginny looking up earnestly at her. "What happened....I mean, with you and Ron and my parents?"

Hermione had guessed there would be questions. "I'm sorry, Ginny...can I wait to talk to you later about that? I really...I'm just..." She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes.

"All right," Ginny said softly, and stood up. "I'd like that..to talk later, I mean."

To Hermione's surprise, Ginny took her hand.

"You know...I saw Harry looking at me oddly recently. I mean, it seemed almost like...well, he had this strange look in his eyes. Not the kind of possessed look, or anything; something else." Hermione saw Ginny swallow. Opening her mouth, Hermione was about to tell Ginny she didn't need to say anything more, Ginny continued.

"I guess that...it's sort of the way I wished Harry would look at me for a long time. Only....I..." She shook her head. "I don't feel for him like that anymore. I love someone else."

Hermione watched as Ginny looked guiltily at the floor, and her face reddened. "I really love Neville...but there's also a small part of me that..." Ginny made a sharp noise from deep in her throat and Hermione reached out to comfort her friend.

"Ginny...I hate to say this, but Harry has just lost his first love. Maybe you are misinterpreting how he was looking at you. It's possible he may see you as...." Hermione stopped, unwilling to say what she truly believed.

Ginny nodded. "I hope so; I hope it's nothing. It's just, Harry can be so infuriating; I want to shake some sense into him sometimes."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "You're not the only one."

Ginny looked up, her eyes narrow with worry. "Do you think he's all right?"

Hermione gave her a long look. "You mean, at St. Mungo's? It's probably the safest place he could be."

"I can't believe Voldemort is possessing him." Hermione felt Ginny shudder violently, and then she said breathlessly, "I mean, it's terrible, it really is. He's controlling him, just like he did with me."

Hermione almost fell over as Ginny flung her arms around her. Hugging back tightly, she closed her eyes.

That was when Hermione got the most intriguing idea....not really an idea, but a wisp of one.

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Harry awoke from a sleep plagued with disturbing images.

He was surprised to see that his glasses were back on, and Lupin and Dumbledore were looking down at him; and they were still avoiding his eyes. The room was cheerfully lit and bright with candles.

"Harry? How are you feeling?" Lupin asked huskily.

"Fine. What did you do to me?" He recognizing the angry tone in his voice.

"I made you sleep."

Harry sat up, and was glad to feel the straps tying him down were gone. "What are you...I mean, why..."

Dumbledore tut-tutted, and put a hand on his arm. "We've asked the best Healers to examine you with magic, of course, and we feel we've done the best we can to prevent any ugly incidents like the ones before--"

"Ones? What happened?" Harry asked sharply.

Dumbledore put his hand up. "Nothing for you to worry yourself over, it's done now. In the morning, you will be returning to the Weasleys to conclude your holiday. When you return to Hogwarts, the real healing will begin--and I daresay your friend Mr Weasley will be all too willing to help us."

Harry grinned, feeling truly happy for the first time that day. "You mean Ron, right?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I feel that it's safe...for now."

"Safe?" Harry looked with curiosity to Dumbledore.

Lupin grasped his shoulder. "Never you mind, now. Try to get some more rest."

Harry lay back and closed his eyes. He heard Lupin muttering something, and the calming darkness crept over him.

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