Rating of story: PG-13. (So far PG)

Status of story (how far along it is): In progress.

Spoilers: All 6 books…given that it's a post-Hogwarts fan-fic:D.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made (quite the opposite, actually) and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Having said that: I don't think you hold any interest in suing me, and in any case, I've got no money. Anyway, don't do it!

Feedback: Sure, go ahead! Be a sensible reader and leave a review ;)

Across the ocean

Chapter One: News

There was a rainstorm that night at the Burrow. Ron Weasley could see bolts of lighting reflected on his window and later he would hear the echoes produced by the blasts. He'd been lying in bed for a couple of hours and hadn't been able to keep his eyes closed. The racket from outside wasn't the only thing that kept him awake though; he was also feeling deeply concerned for his now distant girlfriend, Hermione. She had been traveling across South America for over a year doing research on medicinal herbs. And as she always did, she had sent him many owls to keep him informed, so he knew there shouldn't be logical reasons to be worried. However, during that particular night he had begun to feel uneasy about her being there. "Maybe, it's just me missing Hermione badly", he thought.

It had been four years from the time when the gang had left Hogwarts. And four years had passed since the fall of the Dark Lord. The battle against the dark magic had been won by the Order, but at a high cost. The aftermath had been painfully lived in slow motion. For months, terror seemed to have found its niche in every house of the wizarding world, and fear dwelled in people's eyes. It took these people a long time to finally walk without constantly watching their backs. Consequently, new friends had been hard to find, so Ron was grateful he could still count on Harry and Hermione as his best friends. More than that, he was quite happy to be with Hermione, to be in love with her. Their love for each other had let him cope with all the things that came far more easily. But now she was out of his reach.

Ron and Harry, among many others, had been working hard in the Ministry of Magic helping to get it restructured. Hermione'd worked along with them, until she was sent in search of a powerful magical herb that even a witch could found only in the Americas. Ron remembered he'd been so angry about it. After all, they'd never been separated for such a long distance. Not once.

"Why do you have to go? Can anyone else go instead of you? You're work here is too important, how could we…replace you? It looks like…people will think you don't care. I mean...do you even want to go? Isn't Neville enough?", he'd asked her, shouting.

"Ron, listen this plant could save lives. It doesn't matter whether I want to go or not. And it's because I care that I must go. It's not like I'm going away for good or something like it", Hermione had replied immediately looking at him. "Neville is well trained…but you don't suppose, that I'd leave him alone in something like this, do you?", she'd snapped.

He'd remained quiet for short while. "No, 'Mione, I don't. You're missing the point. I may not be an Auror, but sounds odd they request you to go in some sort of 'secret mission' when you work in educational stuff, which is a whole different department from…"

"What's that suppose to mean, that I can't do anything else? There's nothing suspicious about me being requested Ron. I'm pretty much the only one at work that's fluent in Spanish and happens to like Herbology", she'd interrupted him with her voice trembling. Then, after a long silence, she'd walked right across the room, to stand just inches from him and grabbed his hand. "Ron, please don't make this any harder than already is. You know my job is only temporary. All our jobs are, even Harry's. We haven't been assigned to anything in particular yet, and maybe this is the one for me…It doesn't mean…that I'm leaving 'us'. I will never, Ron, never", and so with a gentle movement she'd placed her arms around Ron's neck, and kissed him.

So, Hermione had gone away, along with Neville and Professor Westmark, the team leader. Ron had decided to swallow his disagreement, he wasn't going to play the egotistic boyfriend on her. Life, he'd learned, was too short for that.

The windows in his bedroom were banging dangerously. Ron, still in bed, grabbed his wand from the bureau and pointed it towards the windows. "Inmobilis!", he shouted and the windows became static. He ran his fingers through his red hair and, unable to fall asleep, got up from bed. After staring out of the window into the stormy night, he put on his jersey and went down to the kitchen. Suddenly, as he was pulling a chair to sit down at the table, he heard a knock coming from behind him. He turned around, and saw old Hedwig desperately trying to get pass through the closed kitchen window. Ron opened it at once, letting the snowy owl inside. He quickly untied a little roll of parchment she was carrying, and began to read it:

Ron,

Listen, there's no time to explain, it's about Hermione. I've received an owl from her, she isn't safe. I'm going to the Ministry. We've called for an emergency meeting. Come at once!

Harry.

The letter flew from Ron's hands.