Chapter Fifteen - The Bond Of Blood
The blade sliced through Hermione's palm and she picked up one of the silver hoops, her blood making contact with the metal and causing the hoop to glow and hum in her fingers, and she locked eyes with Ron.
"Are you sure?" she asked him, knowing his answer but needing to hear it all the same.
Ron nodded, he looked about ready to drop and Harry was thankful that he was still sitting on the floor, he held out his arm.
"Thank you," he said in barely a whisper.
Harry held his breath as Hermione put the hoop over Ron's fist and let it go just befor the crook of his elbow. The hoop floated there, the hum and the glow fading until there was nothing remarkable about it other than it's levitation around their friend's arm.
"Can you take it off?" she asked him with apprehension.
Ron tried to slide the hoop back down his arm but it wouldn't budge. Hermione nodded, she still didn't look happy about this but she seemed reassured to see that it was working the way it was supposed to be. She picked the second hoop up from the floor and let her blood connect with it until the same glowing hum began again. She slid the hoop over her own fist and let it float in place around her wrist.
The glow faded a second time and Harry took out his wand and healed Hermione's cut hand.
"This is only until morning Ron, they come off as soon as you wake up understand?" she said, nervously.
Ron nodded and looked down at his hoop.
"So how far do I get from you before it kicks in?"
"As far as I allow," she said with a shudder, he knew she hated to have power over him like this but Harry thought that it was better to have Hermione able to manipulate Ron's whereabouts rather than some anonymous dead guy, "and while we're asleep I won't allow you to leave your bed."
She seemed to be saying this to her hoop. This wasn't necessary, she just had to think that that was where she wanted Ron restricted and it would be so, but she felt she needed to do it anyway.
Hermione walked away from Ron and stood at his window, looking out and sniffing quietly. She obviously didn't want him to see how much this had upset her but it was pretty clear. Despite this Ron still needed confirmation that everything had gone to plan and got to his feet.
"Hermione," he called across the room to her, she took a breath and turned around to face him, "can you just try it once? I need to know what it feels like."
Harry wasn't really sure what Ron was asking of her but she seemed to cringe at the idea.
"I need to know," Ron pleaded, "so I'll know it's you and I won't...freak out or fight it or anything."
Hermione still didn't look happy about this but she nodded all the same. She raised the arm with the hoop around it and jerked it back suddenly. Ron was yanked across the room, like a dog being given a sharp tug on its lead, and thudded into her. The two of them slammed against the wall, knocking the air out of their lungs. Harry had been so startled by this that he had withdrawn is wand from his back pocket. Hermione kept her balance by steadying herself against Ron who was bracing himself against the wall behind her. As they both breathed heavily from the winding they had just received Ron tried not to tense up under Hermione's touch. She noticed his rigidity immediately though, and pulled back from him.
"Sorry, I knew that was a bad idea," she flushed, "are you alright?"
Ron nodded as he got his breath back.
"I hate this!" she cried aloud and wiped her eyes to prevent any tears from escaping, "I'm just as bad as them now, whoever they are, I'm controlling you against your will and I hate it!"
Ron had taken a couple of steps back from her as she went through her attack of frustration and stood before her in silence. He seemed to be building himself up for something that was very hard from him.
"Ron do you need...?" Harry began to say from the far side of the room.
Ron didn't seem to hear him as he took the two steps back toward Hermione and leaned forward, kissing her incredibly briefly on the lips, before pulling back and trembling slightly.
"Never mind," Harry smiled to himself.
"I trust you to control me ok?" he said, sounding as if he had just run up a flight of stairs and looking as if he was about to fall down, "I need it, I need you, and I'm sorry that's all I can give you right now but..."
Hermione looked genuinely happy for the first time all day.
"I can wait," she said, so quietly that Harry barely even heard her, "I can wait for as long as it takes for you to be comfortable again, don't rush it for me."
She held up her arm, the hoop suspended before her.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Harry was just about to fall asleep. Ron's dad was sitting on a chair at the bedroom doorway, it was his shift on 'Ron-watch' the Weasley family ritual from ten years before that had been resurrected once again, and Hermione was in Ginny's room. Mr Weasley had seen that the bond of blood had been performed and had sighed something about his wife's reaction when she found out, but other than that he had said nothing.
He pulled his eyelids apart one last time to look across at Ron sleeping. His friend had a frown etched on his face as he slept, it had been that way since he had allowed Hermione to put him to sleep, and Harry hoped that he wasn't having nightmares about being in the grave of Regulus Black again. His eyes fell closed and Harry was lost to his own nightmares; nightmares involving Ron not finding Black's wand and suffocating inside that toxic coffin.
"Ron, come on son, settle down. You're at home with us, safe and sound."
Harry was drawn out of his light sleep by Mr Weasley's voice. Had Ron woken? Why hadn't his screams roused Harry sooner he wondered? He sat up and rubbed his eyes to see the blurred shape of Mr Weasley sitting on the edge of Ron's bed and what looked like Ron sitting up with his knees drawn up under his chin and his head down.
"Mr Weasley, what is it, another nightmare?"
Harry fumbled for his glasses as Mr Weasley's voice whispered his response across the room.
"I'm dealing with him Harry, go back to sleep, he'll go down in a minute."
Harry's glasses were already on and he tilted his head to look past Mr Weasley to Ron.
"Why is he so quiet?" Harry was unfamiliar with this behaviour, "Last night he was shouting at the top of his lungs and before that he'd be talking as soon as he sat up. Is he awake or...?"
"He's in one of his trances Harry, you've dealt with enough of these lately, go back to sleep and leave this one with me alright?" the older man smiled before turning back to his son, the smile fading fast.
Harry couldn't just go to sleep though, Ron was too quiet, and something was different. He wondered if it had anything to do with the bond of blood. Could Ron's connection with the dead have been suppressed too? Harry hoped so. He wondered if he should wake Hermione. He knew Mr Weasley wouldn't allow that, he didn't even want Harry's sleep to be disrupted let alone the rest of the household. Harry thought about lying down and pretending to go to sleep. Just as he decided to follow that plan Ron lifted his head and looked at the Chudley Cannons poster pinned up between his and Harry's beds on the far wall. His eyes were glazed but shining bright with tears.
"How could you do that to me?" Ron's voice was so hurt and broken, barely even audible in such a low whisper.
Mr Weasley looked as if he was reliving his worst nightmare, that being the previous night's events, all over again.
"I know Harry and Hermione told me you can't hear me when you're like this so I'm going to hold on to you instead alright son? I don't want you to feel alone in there."
Mr Weasley sat forward a little closer and wrapped his arms around Ron, resting his chin on Ron's shoulder, and rubbing his back.
"Um Mr Weasley," Harry said nervously, "he really doesn't like being touched at the moment."
"If he wriggles away at least I'll know he can feel me Harry," came the disheartened reply.
"Believe you? I trusted you!" Ron gasped at the poster.
Harry knew he couldn't just go to sleep now, not even pretend to, he had to stay alert and take in every little thing Ron said to share with Hermione the following morning.
"Times? There'll be more times?" Ron shook and Mr Weasley held him tighter.
"I'm here Ron, it'll never happen again I promise you, I've got you."
"That's not good enough," Ron said without emotion.
Harry found himself following Ron's glazed eye line and scowling at the spot he thought he was focused upon.
"Leave him alone you bastard," he hissed under his breath, "can't you give him one night, after what you did, just one night alone?"
Mr Weasley seemed to be releasing his hold on Ron and Harry looked back at them to see Ron shaking his head.
"I'm just expendable to you, you don't even care."
Mr Weasley didn't seem to have anything to say to counter that. He seemed crushed to think that the person who held such power over his son was being careless with him. That thought didn't upset Harry it angered him even more.
"What do you call last night then?" Ron blurted out, causing Mr Weasley to jump out of his skin.
Harry felt a surge of pride in his best friend, they deserved to be told off, and he was amazed in him after everything that they had put him through. He was still standing up for himself. It was the broken hopelessness in Ron's voice that ruined this moment of defiance for Harry, however.
"Leave me alone," Ron's said as his head dropped again.
Mr Weasley had just recovered from his son's little outburst and was lifting his arms to comfort him once again when Ron's head snapped up and he bellowed at the top of his voice.
"You betrayed my mother!"
Harry could've sworn that the walls shook at that moment. Mr Weasley was shaking almost as hard as Ron was now and his face was just as pale. The door crashed open and Hermione and Mrs Weasley were standing there, looking terrified.
"Girls get back to your beds, you don't have to see this," Mr Weasley said.
"Was that Ron?" Hermione asked Harry, ignoring the older man's instructions completely.
Harry nodded.
"But he's never been loud before, what's going on?" she took a step deeper into the room.
"He's angry with them for last night," Harry explained.
"Molly please, I don't want you to hear this," Mr Weasley begged his wife.
"I heard it already Arthur, he's talking about me with somebody. I can't believe they'd do this, they swore on their souls," Mrs Weasley screamed up at the ceiling, "damn you both, I'll never forgive you for this, I'll...I'll..." her head dropped and she began to cry into her dressing gown, "...I'd kill you if you weren't already dead."
"Yours or mine?" Ron's voice cut through the unbearable silence, his voice was low again.
"Molly, I swear it can't be the twins, I don't know how I know but I do. They're not talking to him like a member of the family."
Hermione crossed the room and knelt down at Ron's bedside.
"He's letting you touch him," she said to Mr Weasley, whose hand was resting upon his son's shoulder.
"Yes he is, I don't think he can feel me though, it just makes me feel better to do it."
Mr Weasley took his hand from Ron and shuffled over on the bed to allow Hermione to take his place. She did so in the blink of an eye and embraced Ron as best she could in his position.
"I bet you wouldn't have done it to Harry at all," Ron said coldly.
"They know me," Harry said coldly, Hermione and Mrs Weasley turned on him with wide eyes, "Ron's telling them they wouldn't have done to me what they did to him last night. This is happening to him because of me."
Harry suddenly felt the fury that he had just stifled come back up with a vengeance. He grabbed his wand and threw back his bed sheets.
"Harry no!" Hermione said fearfully as she clung to Ron with everything she had.
"Hermione get out of the way," he demanded.
"No!" Mrs Weasley screeched as she tried to pull Harry's wand arm down.
"Harry we don't know who it is, I know you want to give them what for but you can't do this...it's Ron in there not them, this is your friend."
"What if I decide I've had enough?" Ron spoke through all the protestations and Harry's fury.
"He's had enough, do you hear him? I'm waking him up and I'm telling whoever it is who wants to protect me so bloody much to fuck off!"
"Harry!" Mrs Weasley gasped.
He pulled away from her and leaned over Hermione to yell at Ron, he didn't really know why Ron was bearing the brunt of this, maybe it was just because he could actually see him as opposed to his tormentor.
"Ennerva..."
"If you take my body where will I go?" Ron asked the Cannons poster.
Harry froze, wand in hand pointed at his best friend's head and in mid-incantation, he felt disgusted with himself. He was about to draw out the dead spirit for his own satisfaction and curiosity and send Ron's spirit who-knows-where in the meantime. Hermione was holding Ron tightly and openly crying. Mr Weasley grabbed Harry from behind and pulled him away, yanking his wand out of his now loose grip as he did, and Mrs Weasley was simply standing in the middle of the room in stunned silence.
Harry was forced back onto his bed where he sat in shock.
He heard Hermione gasp as Ron suddenly went limp in her arms and his eyes fell closed once again. He was asleep again. Harry's hands were shaking. Hermione laid Ron down and Mrs Weasley drew the covers back across his still form. Hermione bent back over him and hugged him while she still could. Mr Weasley stood in front of Harry with his wand and a shaken expression on his face.
"I don't know...I almost..." Harry sputtered.
Mr Weasley sighed and set Harry's wand on his bedside table.
"You didn't that's what matters. It's alright Harry, none of us like just standing back and waiting for that person to let Ron go, but please remember that it is still Ron inside that body."
"I'm sorry," Harry shuddered.
Mr Weasley smiled a strained smile and set about ushering his wife back to bed. Hermione didn't leave Ron's side for the rest of the night.
There are more to some bonds than just blood.