Chapter Twenty-One - Awakenings

Something kicked Harry awake.

Sunlight poured in from outside and he squinted at the two figures that were standing at the opening of their shelter for the night. It was Ron and Hermione, it must have been one of them who had kicked him as they stepped over his prostrate body, and he sat up and grumbled.

"Didn't you think I'd had a rough enough night without booting me awake as well?"

Hermione turned and hissed at Harry urgently.

"He's sleepwalking Harry," Harry squirmed out of his sleeping bag and ran to his two friends immediately, "he wants to leave but I've got him restricted as far as here. He hasn't shown any signs of the other night's violence so far though."

"I believe you," Ron nodded.

Hermione glanced at Harry who was staring at Ron's expressionless face cautiously.

"Has he said anything interesting yet?" Harry asked her.

Before she could give him an answer Ron nodded again and did something unprecidented in his somnabulistic state up to that point.

"Hermione I need you to let me go outside," Ron spoke with that emotionless whisper he always seemed to have in this state and he was still staring straight ahead but he had definately been talking directly to Hermione, "just as far as the lake. Please."

Hermione was shocked; she took Ron's hand and squeezed tightly.

"Can you hear me Ron?"

Ron lifted his hands and pushed against the barrier, it was still solid. Ron seemed to frown.

"Are you sure she's there?"

Hermione seemed to understand and turned to Harry with a gasp.

"He can't see us but the other person can, they're telling him I'm here with him," she was smiling and then she did something that took Harry completely by surprise, she blew a raspberry into Ron's ear.

Ron suddenly laughed; this was also unprecedented in his sleepwalking state, and both Harry and Hermione gasped.

"Hermione are you blowing a raspberry at me?" Ron said, still staring directly ahead.

"Yes!" Hermione punched the air victoriously.

Harry felt something he never thought he would feel for the dead person who was hijacking Ron's sleep, he felt affection for them, and now he knew that he could really trust them with his best friend's well-being. He laughed along with Hermione. Ron's hand suddenly moved towards him and groped the thin air between them.

"I don't feel him," Ron frowned.

Hermione swelled.

"Harry he's looking for you."

Harry took a step closer to his friend and lifted his hand up to his face and rested it there.

"What was that?" Ron looked a little confused and Harry let his hand go again.

Hermione shrugged at him.

"It must feel weird to suddenly have your arm moved about by an invisible person."

"Oh," Ron said before Harry could respond, "hi Harry."

He smiled.

"Hi Ron."

It was such a good feeling to have Ron know he wasn't alone, although it was a very odd one to be ghostly spectres to him when the three of them were all solid flesh and blood, and he watched as Ron nodded again.

"Where is she? Is she here?" Ron asked as he turned to his right, though still looking out onto the shallow pool ahead of him.

Hermione stepped forward so Ron's outstretched hand brushed against her stomach and both of them shivered. Ron turned away from the point he had been staring at and looked in Hermione's direction. His eyes didn't meet hers, he seemed to be staring through her, and his eye-line was all over the place as if he was a blind person. Hermione grinned anyway, he was trying to look at her and that was good enough.

"I need you to let me out Hermione."

Hermione looked out at the lake and shouted out at whoever was out there.

"He's not going anywhere without me, I won't let him out unless you promise I can go with him."

Ron seemed to be listening to something and he smiled slightly before nodding again.

"I'm only going as far as the water's edge, he said you're welcome to join us if you want."

Harry couldn't let this opportunity go and hollered out to the lake.

"Who is he? I mean who are you?"

"What?" Ron looked back out at the lake and frowned.

Harry waited eagerly and Hermione seemed to be equally intrigued.

"For what?" Ron sounded confused, Harry didn't know what was going on in the other world but he was beginning to think that the spirit's procrastination couldn't be a good thing.

"He's still there yeah?" Ron asked as he pointed to where Harry had been standing before.

Harry suddenly remembered that Ron hadn't seen him move around to his other side and rushed back into his old position. Ron seemed to have been corrected however and turned back to the spot he had just vacated.

"Oh right, I've got to tell you that we've only got eighteen minutes left..." Harry rushed back around to stand before Ron, who had been momentarily distracted by the spirit on the lake before looking back and continuing, "...seventeen now, and then I'll force him out and...and..."

Ron furrowed his brow and looked back out to the lake before snapping his head back and finishing his speech.

"...and now is not the time."

Harry huffed and mumbled to the lake.

"Thanks for nothing."

"You're welcome," Ron said as if not really knowing what he was saying to who anymore.

Ron turned to try to step outside again but the barrier was still up.

"Um, Hermione? Please?"

Hermione took his hand and lead him outside; she looked over her shoulder to Harry and whispered.

"I've got him restricted to within three feet of wherever I am, that should be safe shouldn't it?"

Harry nodded and followed them.

Hermione stopped at the water's edge and Ron was looking out toward the waterfall this time, the spirit must've moved as well, and then he sat down on the bank. Hermione sat beside him, her eyes refusing to leave his face for a second, and Harry sat on a rock a little way away to keep an eye on them. He had his hand on his wand just in case. Ron shifted and crossed his legs before looking back out at the waterfall.

"What exactly are we...?" Ron began before listening carefully and nodding.

Ron sat up straight and rested his hands on his knees, Hermione let out a gasp and seemed to be mouthing the words 'of course' to herself, and Ron inhaled deeply through his nose before blowing the air back out through his mouth. Hermione watched him with a small smile on her face as he closed his eyes and did it again.

"Meditation Harry!" Hermione whispered across to him excitedly.

Harry nodded to let her know that he had understood and turned his attention back to Ron who was still breathing steadily in and out with his eyes closed and his legs crossed. He wondered if helping Ron stay sane was really as simple as this. He had heard of muggles, quite loopy ones at that, raving about meditation and relaxation techniques before but he couldn't believe that it was a powerful enough technique to stave off the effects of insanity. Ron was suffering from an intense magical invasion on top of the trauma of waking up in Black's grave with the deceased and Harry felt his heart sinking at the thought that this was all St Nectan and the spirit had to offer his best friend. It wasn't going to be enough. He saw the hope in Hermione's eyes and decided to keep that thought to himself.

Ron was still breathing steadily, in through the nose and blowing out through the mouth, for quite some time before giving a small nod and continuing. Harry was noticing something different now though. Ron's arms seemed to be limply resting in position now and he didn't seem to look as pale as he had been recently. Harry released his hold on his wand and rose from the rock.

"It's working," he gasped, "it's actually doing something for him."

Hermione could barely contain her excitement as Harry joined then to kneel at Ron's other side and watch as a swirl of bright white light began to form and circle Ron's head. It crackled with energy and Hermione swallowed and looked across at Harry who was equally in awe of the magical lightshow. If he hadn't been so close he wouldn't have been able to hear the throaty sigh at the back of Ron's throat, as if he was trying to respond to a question but wasn't able to concentrate on anything other than his meditation right now, Hermione reached out to rest her hand on Ron's but Harry threw her a warning look.

"Hermione don't we don't want to snap him out of it now that it's working."

She nodded and bit her lip with overwhelming excitement as she watched Ron take a deeper inhalation and exhale, not by blowing this time but with a sighed word.

"Vivificus."

She looked at Harry with wide eyes and gasped.

"What? What does vivificus mean?" Harry demanded.

"It means..."

Ron had taken another breath in and was now exhaling another word.

"Corroboro."

Hermione looked relieved and happy as she watched Ron breathing in, keeping the same rhythm as before but exhaling with those two words, alternating one for the other each time around.

"Vivificus..." Ron inhaled again and let the breath leave him, "...corroboro...vivificus...corroboro..."

"What's he saying?" Harry demanded of her again.

"It's an incantation, a chant, vivificus means life restoring and corroboro is the spell to give strength. He's saying life giving or life restoring to strengthen over and over again."

Harry joined her in her grin now.

"The..." Hermione hesitated as she struggled for the best way to refer to the dead person in their company, "...the spirit must be doing it with him, they're doing it together. They're strengthening him, focusing it on his mind and...Oh my!"

Hermione's explanation was stopped in mid-flow as she saw the light swirling around Ron's head growing brighter and moving faster. Every time Ron inhaled he would take in some of the brilliant white energy now and expel some dark green smoke with each exhalation. The spell was creating more and more white energy and Ron was taking deeper breaths now, inhaling more and more of the magical mist and releasing thicker clouds of the murky green smoke.

"Harry, he's cleansing himself, he's releasing all the damaging toxins that were building up inside his head."

Harry found himself swept up in her enthusiasm now.

"You mean that green stuff is what was driving him mad? What was going to make him insane?"

She nodded and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"He's being..." she choked back another tear, "...they're saving him Harry, they're clearing his head."

Ron's eyes suddenly opened and he seemed to be staring at something directly in front of him before his eyes closed again and his head flopped backwards, pulling his whole body back into a fall to the ground, and Hermione hurled herself forward and caught him before he hit his head on the bank. Ron was spent, he lay unconscious in Hermione's arms, and Harry knew that their time was up. He took out his wand and levitated Ron back into the shelter of their crevice in the rock face and set him down on his sleeping bag. Hermione pulled her own bag over him and planted a kiss on his forehead and then his lips before looking up at Harry and daring to be hopeful.

"Do you think he's going to be ok now?"

Harry ran his hand through his already dishevelled hair and shrugged.

"He can't be any worse can he?"

Harry had been exploring all morning while Hermione stayed close to Ron waiting for him to wake up. He had hoped to find a shop or something around but they were miles away from the nearest village and he had turned back and hoped that Ron was up to cooking for the three of them as he was famished.

When he got back to the hidden valley he saw Hermione washing her hands in the lake and made his way over to her. She saw him approaching and waved.

"Any luck?"

"None I'm afraid, it's beautiful out there but you can't eat scenery can you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure Ron could find a way to eat anything."

Harry chuckled and extended his arm to help her up.

"So is he up yet?"

Hermione shook her head, seemingly amused but also a little disappointed, and they made their way back inside.

"On the plus side he's not had any nightmares, he's not even mumbled or stirred once, I've never seen him sleep so heavily."

They sat down and Hermione poured them some water to drink while they chatted about all the sights Harry had seen outside St Nectan's Glen. It was five minutes into that conversation when Ron groaned and turned over. Hermione froze and glanced at Harry before leaning in toward Ron and resting her hand on his leg gently and softly calling his name to see if he was waking or just fidgeting.

"Ron, are you awake?"

Ron made another incoherent groaning sound and buried his face into his pillow. She turned to Harry and smiled, they had both had plenty of experience in waking Ron over the years and knew his routine off by heart. He was coming round but very reluctantly.

"Oi Ron, come on mate, we're starving here!" Harry called out as he threw his pillow at Ron's head.

"Sod off," Ron grumbled before opening his eyes a fraction, "morning."

He yawned and his eyes closed again, he seemed to be snuggling into Hermione's sleeping bag for another semi snooze, Harry pulled the sleeping bag off him and Ron huffed and sat up. He had his grumpy morning expression plastered all over his face as he scowled at the both of them, seemingly grinning from ear to ear attheir inconvenience to him, and fumbled for his wand.

"Oh I've got that hidden, sorry," Harry remembered as he got to his feet and went to the back of their shelter to retrieve Ron's wand for him to make a start on breakfast.

Ron yawned again and stretched, Hermione was watching him with an irrepressible smile on her face.

"What's up with you?" Ron asked with curious amusement.

"Nothing, it's just good to see you fully rested for once."

Ron snorted.

"You're just buttering me up because you want me to make you breakfast. No good morning Ron, no allow me to get you some toast for a change, I'm beginning to think you only took me back for my cooking skills."

"That and your scintillating company," Hermione teased, "and for the record, Harry and I have been without breakfast and lunch so we expect something more than toast y'know?"

Ron was about to engage in further banter with his girlfriend but he seemed to stop and shake his head to make sure he had heard her correctly.

"Wha...? Wait, what time is it?"

Harry called across from the cave where he returned with Ron's wand.

"About half past two in the afternoon."

Ron sat up straight and gaped at Harry as he tossed the wand down into Ron's lap.

"What?"

Hermione laughed and rubbed Ron's arm.

"You've been asleep for eight hours."

Ron didn't seem to be able to make that add up in his head.

"Wait, no that's not right, I know I was up and down all night long but...eight hours?"

"We're counting from half six this morning when you passed out mate," Harry smiled.

Ron's face fell.

"Oh so they came back did they?"

Hermione was gripping Ron's arm firmly now and she spoke with the barely contained excitement she had displayed when she and Harry had gone over the events of Ron's early morning episode after they had put him to bed.

"No Ron it was brilliant, they really helped you and...and they spoke to us as well."

Ron blinked.

"You saw them too?"

"No, they spoke to us through you, the spirit or whatever he is can see us even if you can't, he got you to talk to us," Harry grinned.

"And it's a he Ron, we know that much, and he really helped you. You helped yourself too, you were brilliant!"

Hermione threw herself at Ron and hugged him tightly.

"Blimey Hermione, what the hell?"

She ignored this embarrassed protestation and pulled back far enough to look him in the eye.

"So how do you feel? Inside I mean, you look so much better on the outside but we've both been waiting for you to wake up and tell us how you feel in...in your head."

Harry squatted down and tried to calm Hermione's enthusiasm.

"He's only just woken up Hermione, give him a break."

She took a calming breath and released him with some reluctance.

Ron seemed to be having a little moment of introspection. Harry and Hermione waited patiently before Ron's face seemed to register some alarm and Harry's hopes fragmented into shards that pierced his heart. It hadn't worked.

"Oh Godric I had a bad night last night didn't I?"

Harry felt his spirits lift a little at this.

"Is that what you're worrying about?"

"Well I must have been a right pain, keeping you both up all night like that."

Hermione took his hand and smiled.

"You didn't, Harry was awake anyway weren't you Harry?"

Harry nodded and Ron gave him a look that told him he wasn't a total idiot and didn't need them to patronise him.

"Oh come on, I've woken you often enough with my nightmares haven't I?"

Ron smiled and picked up his wand. He twirled it between his fingers.

"Well what do you fancy then? I've been thinking of trying to do pizza for a while now, that sound ok to you?"

Harry wanted to throw himself at Ron's feet at this, pizza was just the ticket, and now that the idea was planted in his head he knew he wanted pizza more than anything else in the world.

"That sounds brilliant Ron."

Ron cast a mischievous glance at Hermione.

"Shall I do the mushrooms or do you want to have another go at it?"

Hermione punched him in the arm and he and Harry laughed.

Ron might not feel any different but he certainly seemed his old self again. Harry knew that something else had definitely changed as well. Ron had slept for eight hours without a single nightmare. He knew that there would be another episode tonight; there had to be, they still had more horcruxes to find; but it wasn't such a worry anymore. Ron had been recharged and his mind had been cleared of all the destructive effects of his oracle abilities. Harry let himself be optimistic as he watched Ron set about growing all the ingredients for a vegetarian pizza, that aspect of Ron's recovery still hadn't changed, but he didn't mind that so much. It was just like Hermione had told Mrs Weasley, the vegetarian diet is a very healthy one.

"Oh and I'm sorry again about what I said last night," Ron suddenly blurted out from out of the blue, "I really wasn't thinking y'know? I honestly didn't mean it that way."

Harry grinned at his friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about mate," he shrugged and Ron smiled and carried on preparing the pizza base.

Hermione met Harry's eyes and they silently agreed that something had changed for the better.

Something good had finally happened after the past few nights or horrors and worries.

About bloody time too!

A/N So Merry Christmas to you all.

I tried to post these two chapters multiple times before Christmas but this site threw a hissy fit and wouldn't let me.

Also I'm away on the 4th Jan to turn 30 in Thailand so I really want this fic finished by then but can't guarantee that it will be, I'll do my best but I won't force it and rush the ending.

For the reviewer who asked about Ron's P.O.V. - When I'm back from Thailand and this story is done I will write the whole thing again from Ron's perspective so you can get the other side of all those conversations, the Gringotts raid and fight with the death eaters, the night of the coffin and many more Ron and Hermione moments. It'll be a companion piece to this one (which I must warn you will end with a cruel cliff-hanger which will only be resolved at the end of the Ron P.O.V. fic because I am really THAT cruel to my faithful readers!)

So you've been warned...I will toy with your emotions and have you either pulling out your hair or travelling to Essex to pull out mine!

Merry Christmas!

Solstice Muse (Shari to those who review)