Chapter Eleven - Home and Away

Their bags were packed, Harry's gums hurt from his over zealous tooth brushing a few minutes earlier, and Tom had been paid for their overnight stay. Ron was stirring on the floor and Hermione was fumbling with the key to the handcuffs as she crouched over him.

"Right as soon as he's up we tell him we're going to Fred and George's for breakfast, I've already spoken to them and they've told their mum and dad to expect us at nine thirty exactly," Harry blustered as he dragged both his and Ron's backpacks over to the door.

"Too much noise!" he heard Ron groaning as he attempted to roll over before the handcuffs yanked him back again.

Harry rushed over to Hermione and took the key from Hermione.

"I'll do this, you put his shoes on."

She complied without complaint, that was probably what made Ron finally open his eyes.

"Is the building on fire or something?" he blinked as he tried to sit up.

"Stay still for a second Ron, I'm trying to liberate you from the radiator," Harry said as he shoved his befuddled friend flat onto his back.

"Hermione, why are you putting my shoes on the wrong feet?" Ron winced as he squirmed to look around Harry's body to try and work out what they were rushing for.

Hermione hissed something under her breath and pulled Ron's shoes back off roughly. At the same moment Harry turned the key and the cuffs slid open. Ron took this opportunity to wriggle off of his sleeping bag and away from both of them.

"Look what is wrong with you two? What's the panic about?"

"We're going to take you home," Harry said firmly, waiting for the explosion of protest from his best friend.

Ron's head dropped.

"Oh," Harry glanced at Hermione and saw that she hadn't expected this subdued reaction either, "right, I'll just pack my..."

Ron saw his backpack full and leaning against the doorframe and looked at Harry as if he'd just kicked him in the guts for no good reason.

"...you've packed for me already? How efficient."

Hermione took a step toward him and handed him his shoes.

"We're coming with you silly," Ron's head raised at this, Harry was such an idiot, of course Ron would immediately assume they were dumping him, "we need stronger wards and the Burrow has them."

"Sorry mate, I didn't think about how it must look, I'm a prat.

Harry tried to smile but he hadn't been able to manage that expression ever since he had found himself in the awful position of feeling for Ron's pulse in the middle of the night and not expecting there to be one.

"We managed to keep you safe last night but you said some stuff that made us think that we really need to be around somebody who's dealt with your sleepwalking before."

Ron's eyes were wide.

"You didn't tell my mum about this did you?" he asked fearfully.

"No," Hermione insisted as she grabbed the wrist that still had the handcuffs dangling from it, "but we think that things might get nasty tonight and we're going to need..."

"Wait you think things are going to turn nasty so you're bringing me closer to more people I don't want to hurt? Where's the sense in that?" Ron snapped as he wrenched his arm away from Hermione.

Harry put the key into Hermione's hand and grabbed Ron's arm back, holding it out for Hermione to unlock the other cuff from his wrist firmly, and met Ron's eyes with a hard glare of his own.

"Ron you are going to have to trust us and stop being so sensitive about this sleepwalking stuff alright?"

Hermione slipped the cuffs off Ron and tossed them aside but Harry didn't release his arm. Something had snapped inside him and he wasn't going to let Ron's fragile ego get in the way of his plan to keep him safe.

"We don't think that you're going to hurt anybody. We don't think that the person sending you after the horcruxes is anything to do with Voldemort, we think they're genuinely trying to help us with the mission, but we also don't think that this person is being careful enough with you ok?" Harry released his grip on Ron when he saw his friend wincing and suddenly remembered the bruising on his arms.

Hermione took another step forward and tried to make Ron understand in her, much gentler and more diplomatic, way.

"Something you said last night made us worried, for you Ron, not for the safety of us or others but for you and we want to take you home so there are more people there to protect you. There are wards there that Dumbledore put up himself and right now Harry and I can't think of anywhere safer for you." Ron had put his hand to his head briefly as if he was being given too much information but he shook this off almost immediately and Hermione put her hand on his cheek, "We're not trying to take you to the Burrow to get rid of you, we're trying to keep you with us."

Harry's hard detachment was dissolving and he fought to stay tough for the benefit of everyone.

"Listen Ron, something was in this room with you last night telling you that you were...that somebody was going to die and I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to. We're flooing from Fred and George's place in ten minutes and that's final."

Hermione looked at Harry and he tried to beg her with his eyes not to tell Ron exactly what they had heard the night before. They had already spent the last few hours since Ron had fallen back to sleep debating the use of telling him the truth. Hermione seemed to think they owed him the truth no matter how nasty it was if they ever expected Ron to be straight with them about how badly this was affecting him. Harry just wanted to spare Ron more stress, he was already looking pretty rough as it was.

"Ron," Hermione began, tearing her stern gaze away from Harry's, "last night, whoever it was you were talking to threatened to kill you."

Ron said nothing; he just blinked and turned to Harry.

"That was only what it sounded like," Harry tried to explain, "it could've been anything, we've miss-interpreted things before haven't we?"

"You're going to kill me, that's what you said Ron, that's what you said word-for-word!" Hermione said firmly before shoving him backwards onto the bed and forcing his shoes onto his feet, "We are getting you out of here now and no arguments."

Harry picked up their backpacks and set off down the stairs to the Diagon Alley exit while Hermione ordered Ron to pull a jumper on and dragged him along behind her. Ron hadn't said a word since she had revealed what they had heard that had scared them so much and Harry wasn't the least bit surprised. He didn't need this, he had told her that time and time again, but all Hermione could do was remind him how he had felt when the Order of the Phoenix had kept him in the dark after Cedric's death in the summer before their fifth year. She had made some good points, he had thought at the time, but that still didn't mean she was right about everything.

When Fred answered the door several minutes later it was to a very tense scene. Harry had filled in Fred when he had woken the twins up in the middle of the night and told them that they needed to get Ron to safety as soon as he woke up in the morning. They had insisted on their original idea of taking him to the Burrow and Harry had agreed without much persuasion. He had always felt safe there and he secretly craved the security of the Weasley home every moment he was away from it. George had flooed his mother and calmed her down before informing her that the three adventurers were fine but needed a rest for the time being.

The twins had also told Harry that they had put out some feelers among their 'less desirable' customers and that it looked as if the identity of the Gringotts thief was still as much of a mystery to the wizarding underworld as it was to the rest of the wizarding world.

"Mind you," Fred had frowned, "a pretty shifty-looking bloke cornered George yesterday and asked him if the family were all doing alright but that could have just been anything. You-Know-Who's supporters have been making their presence felt in Diagon Alley ever since Ollivander went missing.

Fred stared at a livid looking Harry and a scowling Hermione on his doorstep before grabbing his unnaturally quiet little brother and hauling him in off the street.

"So I take it Hermione won the 'do we tell him' war then?" George said as he saw them climbing the stairs up to the flat.

Harry didn't say a word and Hermione hissed at him.

"What would you have me do, tell him everything was fine like you did the last time?"

Ron turned on them.

"What about the last time? What didn't you tell me then?" he asked, his ears getting red.

Harry looked at Hermione as she sputtered over her slip-up.

"What's the matter little Miss honesty?" he snapped as she tried to swallow her anger.

"Harry don't," she warned.

Harry turned to Ron who was looking at him expectantly, his ears almost crimson now.

"You hexed Hermione and me in your sleep to get away and rob Gringotts the other night."

As Harry said it he felt sick, it was he who had persuaded Hermione to keep that to themselves and now he saw the look on Ron's face he remembered why.

"I did what?" Ron gasped.

Hermione turned on Harry with her full fury.

"You wanted to protect him from that Harry...You! How dare you do that to me," she punched Harry on the arm so hard that it went numb, "how dare you do that to him! After all you said..."

"Shut up the both of you," Ron snarled, "I am sick of being treated like the fragile little nutcase in this scenario!"

Fred clapped a hand on Ron's shoulder and gave Harry and Hermione a severe look.

"I have to say I'm with Ron on this one, you two are letting the stress get to you and you're disguising it as concern for the nocturnal wanderer here."

Ron seemed to be surprised at his brother's display of support but he seemed to relax a little because of it. Hermione lowered her head in shame but Harry wasn't able to let any of his worries go just yet. Every time he let himself relax something bad seemed to happen. A relaxed Harry was a clumsy Harry he told himself, he wouldn't relax until they were back at the Burrow.

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace in the Weasley's living room and found himself being dusted down by Mrs Weasley while Mr Weasley and Hermione wrestled with the backpacks.

"Oh I'm so glad you chose to come back here for a rest, I've been frantic about the three of you out there all alone," Mrs Weasley fussed as she wrapped Harry in a hug that felt like sinking into a warm bath on a winter's day, "and when the boys woke us last night to ask if you could come, oh I thought the worst I really did but look at you" she beamed with pride.

Ron appeared in the fireplace and Mrs Weasley released Harry from the hug and they stepped back to give Ron some room. As he spluttered from the mouthful of soot he seemed to have inhaled his mother flung herself at him and planted a wet kiss on his forehead before holding his face in her hands and scrutinising it closely.

"You look different Ronnie dear, what is it?"

Ron flushed and gave a shrug.

"It's only been a couple of weeks mum."

"Nearly a month is not a couple of weeks Ronald," she said in her stern but warm manner before turning the side of his face to the light and squinting, "have you been healed recently?"

Ron pulled his head back and turned his previously swollen side away from his mother's eagle eye.

"It's soot mum, I'm fine really."

Ron gave his mother his winning smile; Ron had once told Harry that he kept it in reserve for emergencies, though it didn't work when she was furious. In fact it seemed to make her ten times worse but in times of maternal over protectiveness it was always guaranteed to distract her from whatever she was fussing over at that moment. Harry realised that he and Hermione were beaming at Mrs Weasley too, Ron was right, that smile really was infectious.

As they heaved their backpacks onto their shoulders to take them upstairs to their rooms Mr Weasley held Ron back for a moment to say, out of Mrs Weasley's earshot,

"I'd ask Hermione to have another go at that face of yours Ron, when your mother sees those bruises aren't soot she'll go spare."

Ron nodded and Hermione blushed a little. Harry couldn't help but glance at the Weasley clock as he passed it and smiled as he saw Ginny's hand pointed at school. He had done the right thing insisting she couldn't come with them. They were fighting with each other enough as it is, he couldn't imagine how bad it would be to have an over-protective sister and ex-girlfriend thrown into the mix!

Harry and Hermione agreed to unpack and meet in Ron's room where they could set about magically barring his door and window. Hermione placed multiple charms on the handcuffs and set them on his bedside table while Harry set up a number of defensive spells to ensnare any intruders, physical or metaphysical, into Ron's room while he was asleep. Ron was downstairs for all of this, Hermione told him it was best if his subconscious didn't see what defences he had to beat that night, distracting his mother from coming looking for them. Distracting his mother was easy enough for Ron; she was just so relieved that he was all right that his mere presence was enough to focus her mind on the cooking of the greatest feast she had made since the wedding.

Harry and Hermione finished their charms and hexes and put their wands away. They glanced at each other and looked away uncomfortably. Harry looked back at Hermione and held the uncomfortable connection when she also looked back at him. Her shoulders suddenly slumped and she ran to him and whispered that she was sorry for fighting with him again and that she was just so worried about Ron that she was losing her sense of reason because of it. Harry smiled at that and apologised too, he called himself five different kinds of idiot and they both laughed and separated.

"You and Ron don't have to keep it a secret y'know?" Harry smiled.

Hermione's cheeks flushed and she wiped her watery eyes.

"What are you talking about Harry?"

"You and Ron."

She knew exactly what he was saying but she didn't seem ready for this conversation so Harry decided to let it go.

"I just meant that, I understand why you're so worried about him and I should be a lot more tolerant, I can see how much all this is upsetting you."

Hermione sighed.

"It's not upsetting you?" she asked.

Harry laughed as they made their way down to save Ron from his overbearing mother.

"Only in that pesky brotherly way, I'm like Fred and George only I get to finish my own sentences!"

Hermione cleared her throat just as Harry was climbing into bed and she walked over to Ron, who was already handcuffed to the bedpost, and sat down on the bed beside him. She withdrew a small black object from her pocket.

"What's that?" Ron frowned, Harry was kind of curious about this too and leaned closer to listen to Hermione as she explained.

"It's a mobile telephone Ron, I got one so you can contact us even if you end up in the muggle world, it's a way to tell us where you are and if you need help."

She held up the mobile phone and flipped it open.

"See? You'll see public telephone boxes everywhere and all you have to do is put one of these coins into the slot," Hermione held up a silver coin with corners and slid it into the pocket of Ron's tracksuit bottoms before continuing, "and dial the number and you can speak to me wherever I am in the world right then and there ok?"

"What's the number?" Ron asked, in awe of this little device that Hermione was closing up and slipping back into her own pocket.

"It's 0744..." she began.

"Whoa, how many numbers is this? I thought you said a number, as in one?" Ron sputtered.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, it did make perfect sense if you thought about it really, and Hermione smiled and shook her head.

"Sorry Ron, a phone number is actually several numbers long and this one is eleven digits."

Ron's face fell and he shook his head.

"I'm never going to remember that Hermione."

Her lips pressed together as she glanced around the room in deep thought before picking up a quill and a pot of ink.

"I'll write it on your arm for you ok?"

Ron extended the arm that wasn't manacled to the bedpost and Hermione inked the quill and began to write the numbers up the length of Ron's arm. Ron seemed to be a little ticklish Harry thought as he was struggling to keep some kind of emotion under control and it seemed to become more and more difficult the longer Hermione was writing upon his skin, even his ears were going bright red with the effort. When she finally completed the final number and placed the quill back on Ron's bedside table Ron's ears were almost in flames and he couldn't even speak to her, he just gave a nod and she sat back upright again.

"So that's my number then," Hermione said, her voice sounding breathless, "and you dial this number and the phone will ring and I'll answer and be speaking to you ok?"

Ron nodded again.

"Ok then, I'll be saying goodnight."

Ron managed to make a sound as he nodded this time.

"Well goodnight," she almost giggled, it made Harry snort into his pillow, and Hermione jumped as if suddenly remembering that he was there too, "oh, goodnight to you too Harry."

" 'Night Hermione," Harry grinned as he watched her backing out of the room and bumping into the door.

"Goodnight."

She finally made it out of the room and closed the door behind her before charming it several times and walking back to the room she usually shared with Ginny but had to herself that night.

Harry looked over to Ron who was staring at the numbers on his arm.

"Don't smudge 'em mate or she'll have to come in and do it all over again," Harry teased.

"What?" Ron seemed to have been deep in thought and not really paying any attention to Harry's words.

"I said do you want me to put you to sleep tonight or are you ok?" Harry decided to let his friend off the hook; he'd tease him mercilessly tomorrow.

"No, I'll be fine I think, as long as this thing doesn't get too uncomfortable," he jangled the handcuffed arm against his bedpost.

Harry gave him a sympathetic smile before wishing him a goodnight and blowing out the candle at his bedside.

"Give 'em hell from me Ron," Harry muttered into his pillow as he settled down to sleep.

"Will do," Ron's voice drifted back from his side of the room.

The sleepless nights caught up with both of them pretty fast because the next time Harry opened his eyes he was squinting in the light. The sun was up already? That night went by bloody fast he thought to himself as he put his glasses on and turned to grumble to Ron that he needed thicker curtains to block out the sunrise when he realised that the light wasn't coming from Ron's window but from the hallway. The light was flooding in through the open bedroom door. Harry's head snapped around to check on Ron but he was gone, the handcuffs hanging from the bedpost.

"Oh shit!" Harry hissed as he threw himself out of bed and ran out into the hallway.

He grabbed his and Ron's wands as he went. As he ran he wondered how Ron had broken all of Hermione's charms without it and then had a thought: Hermione. After what he'd seen before they had settled down to sleep he thought that maybe Ron might be with Hermione. Maybe she had released him and they had gone into her room to...well maybe they had gone into her room for some reason he thought. He hoped that was true. He doubted it though.

His footsteps thudded along the landing and he flung Hermione's door open without even knocking. The door banged against the wall with the force he had opened it.

"Is he here?" Harry barked into the darkness of Hermione's room.

"Wha...What?" Hermione's voice was sleepy and confused, Harry's eyes were still blinded by the brightness of the hallway and he couldn't make anything out other than a shape moving under the covers.

"He's gone, did he come in here?" Harry needed to know the answer and he didn't care if he was causing the two of them embarrassment, this was serious.

"No," Hermione was suddenly alert and rushing toward him, the light of the hallway letting Harry see her frantic expression as she grabbed her wand and rushed out of her room and along the hallway to the stairs with Harry at her side matching every step, "he didn't take his wand did he?"

"No I've got it," Harry panted as they started down the stairs, "Hermione if he disapparates again we're screwed!"

It was then that he saw her; Mrs Weasley standing at the foot of the stairs with her arms folded, much in the same way George had been standing when they had gone to collect Ron from the twins shop the other day, with a livid look on her crimson face; and they froze halfway down the stairs in fear of the inevitable explosion that was due any moment now.

"Oh I'd say you were in enough trouble as it is wouldn't you?"