Chapter Twenty-Eight - Eternal Flame
Harry woke to the sound of raised voices outside the door to the hospital wing.
"I know they're in there, they're my friends and he's my brother, I've got rights you know?"
It was Ginny. Harry wondered how she had found out. Then he remembered that he would always get information like that from Dobby or Peeves, one thinking they were being helpful and the other being cruel. He looked over to Hermione's bed and saw that she was still unconscious, Ron still holding her and sleeping at her side, and at that moment the doors burst open and Ginny stormed into the hospital wing with Neville trailing along behind her. He seemed to be trying to calm her down but being utterly unsuccessful.
"Harry what's going on?" Ginny demanded of him as she stood between the two occupied beds.
"Um, Ginny I don't think..." Harry began.
"I don't care what you think," she scowled, "what happened to them? I have dinner with Ron who avoids about eight different subjects while not eating the way he usually does and then, not ten hours later, he turns up in the hospital wing. What's going on?"
"Hermione got bitten by a snake, Ron's fine."
Ginny's shoulders seemed to relax slightly but her face still looked livid.
"He doesn't look fine," as Ginny took a really good look at her sleeping brother, arms curled around Hermione's body her face softened, "and why are they hugging like that?"
Neville was smiling and rested a hand on the youngest Weasley's shoulder.
"Oh come on Ginny, you know about those two...you're the one who told me about them."
"No this is different," Ginny frowned and looked to Harry for confirmation that there was something more to their state than just affection.
"See that silver hoop around his arm?" Harry pointed reluctantly, Ginny nodded, "and Hermione's too? Well it's a powerful binding spell so..."
"So what?" Ginny said, knowing what was coming wasn't going to be good but needing to know anyway.
"So he can't move if she doesn't want him to. She can hold him in a room or a house or wherever she wants to and right now, well, she wants him by her side so that's where he is."
Neville looked shocked.
"Not the bond of blood Harry, I've heard of that, it's illegal isn't it?"
Harry shrugged and avoided Ginny's newfound outrage.
"So I'm told."
"And who's restraining you eh?" she snapped, "Or Hermione, who's restraining you two?"
Harry looked down at the bed sheets and shook his head.
"Why Ron?" she asked with undisguised fear in her voice.
Neville grew pale as he scanned Ron's cuts and obvious battle fatigue.
"He's not...a werewolf is he?"
Ginny gasped and her eyes filled with tears in an instant.
"No!" Harry said as quickly as possible, "He's definitely not I swear."
"So why?" Ginny demanded with a childish stamp of the foot, as her face grew red.
"I can't..."
"Don't you dare say you can't tell me Potter! Don't you dare!"
"But Ginny it's dangerous for..."
"Stop protecting me from everything!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the walls of the hospital wing and causing Madame Pomfrey to glare at the group at the far end of her peaceful ward.
Ron stirred but Ginny hadn't noticed.
"I can't be with you because you're protecting me, I can't come on the quest with you because it's too dangerous for me, I can't know what the quest is because I'm just some silly little blabbermouth who will risk all your lives just so I can have a gossip..."
"I didn't say that," Harry snapped, becoming very annoyed.
"Then I find out that the three of you had to go back to the Burrow for a few days and mum won't tell me why, Fred and George are taking it in turns to run the shop while the other one goes to the house and they won't tell me why, Ron shows up at Hogwarts and doesn't tell me why and now Hermione's bitten by a snake and Ron's a bloody prisoner and I'm still in the bloody dark! I won't have it anymore Harry, I won't, this is my family and how dare you keep me out of the loop. I should know...I should know more than...more than..."
"Don't you dare," Ron's rough voice warned his sister from his spot at Hermione's bedside.
"Ron?" Ginny's voice softened and her eyes began to water.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence you spoiled little brat."
Ginny looked devastated and Neville and Harry were dumfounded with the shock of Ron addressing his precious little sister in such a way.
"But I was just..." she began with a trembling voice.
"You were just the centre of your own bloody universe yet again, that's what you were, you might be able to play that game in the family but in the real world you're not the only girl."
"Ron..." Harry began but Ron was staring at his sister with real fury.
"In the real world Ginny you are not always right, you are not always popular, and you are not always entitled to know every-bloody-thing you want."
Ginny was shocked beyond words and her bottom lip began to quiver as she fought not to cry.
"I love you Gin but you can be really full of yourself sometimes."
"Why...why are you angry with me? What have I done?" she squeaked in a fragile sounding voice.
"You're pissed off that I'm being controlled while you're trying to do the exact same bloody thing."
Ginny lowered her head and Harry suddenly realised that Ron had noticed Hermione's power over him was becoming a little too risky now.
"I have to have a secret otherwise my life is over do you understand me Gin? Over. Do you really want to know everything that much that you're willing to ruin the rest of my life just so you don't feel left out?"
Ginny broke down and shook her head as she threw herself at Ron and hugged him tightly.
Ron looked sadly over Ginny's head at Harry before glancing at Neville.
"Neville could you cuddle my sister for me please? I...can't right now."
Neville grabbed Ginny and hugged her tightly while she gripped handfuls of his robes and cried into them.
"I'm...sorry...Ron," Ginny said between sobs and Ron let out a deep sigh and looked back down at Hermione.
"No I'm sorry, it's been a rough night, I didn't mean it."
Ginny pulled away from Neville and sniffed.
"No you're right, I do think I have the right to know everything, and I'm sorry. It's just that I worry, I'm my mother's daughter what can I say?"
Ron laughed and Ginny smiled a watery smile before looking at Harry with her bloodshot eyes.
"I'm sorry Harry, you are family of course you're family, I never meant it to come out that way."
"I know, I'd be out of my mind if Ron was going through all this without me, I totally understand. It's ok."
Ginny shook her head, not allowing herself to be forgiven it seemed and let out a shuddering sigh as Neville pulled a chair across for her to sit down on.
"Does mum know?" Ginny asked as she sat.
Ron was about to say no but he saw Harry nodding.
"What?"
"McGonagall went off to send an owl, don't you remember?"
Ron heaved a sigh that seemed to sound as if he was carrying the weight of the world and rested his head back down.
"Are you sure you're alright Ron?" Harry frowned.
Ron's eyes met Harry's and he scrunched up his face.
"This isn't exactly the most comfortable position to be in."
Neville chuckled to himself and Ron looked at him and smiled.
"How's it going mate?" Harry asked his old roommate.
"Pretty well, the school's weird this empty, so many people didn't come back. It really shocked those that did when you were there. After students told their parents Harry Potter hadn't returned to Hogwarts about seventy more were withdrawn by their parents."
Harry lowered his head.
"How does that make them safer eh? What kind of protection is that?" he asked himself.
"How does me being thrown through a window help either?" Ron asked Harry with a heavy heart.
"What?" Neville straightened up and suddenly seemed toremember Ron's cut arms and face.
"Who threw you through a window?" Ginny demanded before looking at her hands, "If I'm allowed to ask."
Ron smiled at his sister's caution and nodded down to Hermione.
"No way!" Neville gasped.
"Why did she do that?" Ginny asked, wide-eyed.
"She didn't mean to do it," Harry shrugged, "she was unconscious at the time."
"Who did what?" Hermione's tiny voice mumbled and Ron turned to stare down at her as she shifted in his arms and smiled, "Good morning Ron."
Ron glanced around at the three faces who were all staring at him and he cleared his throat and spoke softly into Hermione's ear.
"Hermione can you let me go please?"
Hermione's sleepy eyes opened and looked confused before settling upon Ron's face and widening in shock.
"Ron what happened to your face?"
"You did," Ron sniggered before looking serious again, "Can you please let me put you down now?"
"What are you talking about?" Hermione frowned before looking at Ron's arms tightly wound around her and the hoop on his arm, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."
Ron smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah you keep saying that."
Ron suddenly moved backwards and pulled his arm out from under Hermione's body and shook it out at his side.
"Oh Godric that feels good," he sighed and sat back in his chair, his eyes closing with the ecstasy of sitting in a different position.
"How long were you like that?" Hermione said as she sat up, looking guilty.
"Only all night," Harry said, a little harder than he had really intended to, "I think it's time to take off the hoops don't you?"
Ron sighed and held out his arm without thinking, it was as if he was programmed to do whatever he was told regarding the hoops, and Hermione noticed this immediately and pulled the silver hoop from his arm as if she was scared it was hurting him. She slid her own hoop off her arm and looked at them in her hands sadly.
"I think we should get these to Fred and George, we don't need them anymore."
Harry smiled and held out his hand, she gave him the hoops and looked a little bit upset as she let them go, and he saw Ron lifting the front of his jumper and examining the result of the beating he seemed to have taken from Pettigrew the night before. He winced and Ginny rose from her chair.
"I'll get Madame Pomfrey."
Ron head jerked up and looked at Ginny, Harry waited for the inevitable plea for her not to worry but his friend surprised him again and he nodded.
"Thanks Gin."
"Wow," Harry couldn't help but say out loud.
"What?" Ron asked, looking puzzled while Hermione tenderly touched the nasty bruises and slashes across his stomach.
"It's just so unlike you that's all, first you let me help you with your back and now you let Ginny get you some help for your war-wounds, what did Wormtail do to my best friend 'cause you don't seem to be the same guy!"
Harry and Ron laughed and Hermione smiled and began to examine the cuts on Ron's face.
"What happened with Pettigrew anyway, did you get him sent to Azkaban where he belongs?" she asked absent-mindedly as Ginny returned with Madame Pomfrey.
Ron swallowed and Harry watched as he stood up from his chair and let Madame Pomfrey lay him down on another bed for treatment to all the injuries he sustained on the parts of his body his holding Hermione wouldn't allow her to access the night before.
Harry leaned forward and Ginny, Neville and Hermione did the same.
"Pettigrew's dead."
Hermione gasped and Ginny turned and looked at her brother before looking back at Harry.
"Ron didn't, he couldn't have could he, how?"
Harry bit his bottom lip.
"I didn't ask for details, he seems a little shaken up about it."
Neville couldn't quite believe that Ron had it in him to kill anybody, not even a Death Eater, and he became pale.
"Maybe it was an accident?" he suggested.
"Maybe," Harry shrugged, though he didn't think so and could see that Hermione shared his view.
"So anyway," Ginny changed the subject abruptly, "you're going to see Fred and George for something are you? You should go now before they open up the shop Harry."
Harry nodded and put the silver hoops into his pocket. At the sound of them clinking together Hermione's eyes flashed and she looked away and over at Ron who was being healed by Madame Pomfrey's wand. He picked up the dead snake from the floor and heaved it over his shoulders.
"I'll see if I can use McGonagall's fireplace, be back in a sec."
It had been thoroughly revolting.
Fred and George's chest had been too small for Nagini's body and they had to chop her up into small pieces and destroy each little bit one at a time. At least Harry could rest assured that that horcrux was thoroughly destroyed he thought. The twins had asked Harry how things were going and how long they had to go on before the three of them returned to the Burrow for good and Harry had simply shrugged apologetically. They had purposefully avoided asking after Ron, possibly knowing that no news was good news as far as Ron was concerned these days, so Harry casually mentioned before leaving that they had discovered a restorative treatment for Ron's 'head problems' and felt a warm tingle inside at the wide smiles of the twin's faces as they bid him farewell before he flooed back to McGonagall's office.
He still had the hoops in his pocket.
He separated them, one in each pocket so they wouldn't clink together and alert Hermione to their continued existence, and hoped he was doing the right thing by not destroying them. Something in him still wouldn't let him completely trust his friend to the spirit and he just wanted to be safe. He hoped that Hermione's addiction to the hoops wasn't so strong that she would be able to detect them on him. he shook his head, he was just being silly now.
He opened the doors to the hospital wing to find Hermione limping gingerly along with Madame Pomfrey and Ron sitting up on the bed he had bee receiving treatment on with Ginny and Neville playing a game of chess against the two of them at once and winning them both. Ron glanced up and smiled at Harry.
"All done?" he said.
Harry nodded and joined them.
"All done, Fred and George say hi, where's Hermione going?"
"A magical bath thingy," Ron shrugged, "they did tell me but you know how I am with paying attention to stuff, it's to heal her hand and the bite marks in her leg so they don't get infected."
"Oh right," Harry nodded, "so do you want to really show off and play me too?"
Ron grinned before moving a piece on both boards and saying to Ginny and Neville.
"Checkmate!"
Harry never ceased to be amazed at Ron's ability to think so clinically about chess and so foggily about everything else in the world and he let out a chuckle.
Ron began to put away the pieces and looked to Harry.
"So seeing as we're here do you want to check out the restricted section of the library for anything about killing an un-killable magical bird?"
Harry groaned and nodded with great reluctance.
"We'll help," said Ginny brightly.
"Oh no you wont," Ron said warningly, "you've got defence against the dark arts class and you're not missing that, and you," he turned on Neville, "are in your N.E.W.T year. Go to classes the both of you, we'll be fine on our own."
Ginny stared at Ron with her jaw hanging open. Neville let out a short laugh of disbelief.
"It's not the first time he's gone all Hermione, don't worry" Harry smirked.
Ron rolled his eyes and punched Harry in the arm.
"Oh shut up funny man."
Harry rubbed his sore shoulder and watched as Ron got off the bed and glanced over his shoulder to the room Hermione was having her last treatment in.
"D'you think we should leave her a note?" he asked as he turned back to Harry.
"Nah," Harry responded as he shook his head, "we're not going to be gone all that long."
Six hours later
"Bollocks to it!" Ron snarled as he slammed yet another book closed, causing a plume of dust to rise up from the table and choke him a little.
"I don't think I'm even processing the words anymore, I'm just seeing blurred shapes that look familiar on every page, I don't think we're going to get very far without Hermione."
"Hermione," Ron suddenly gasped, eyes wide,"Oh Merlin, she's going to kill us!"
Ron and Harry began to hurriedly stack all the weighty texts back onto the shelves and Ron bent over to begin picking up the one's they had already worked through from the floor when one of the books that hadn't been staked properly fell from the shelf and hit him on the back of the head. Harry winced at the horrible sound it made and the sight of Ron slamming face down onto the floor.
"Ron! Oh bloody hell, that looked like it hurt, are you ok?" Harry turned Ron over and saw that his friend was out cold, he shook him and patted him firmly on the side of the face, "Ron, come on mate, you only just got fixed-up. Pomfrey will kill me if I bring you back broken again."
Ron's eyes opened and Harry was about to smile when he realised that Ron's eyes were staring into space and his shoulders slumped.
"Oh, it's you," he said to the air around him, "he hit his head, we didn't call on you. Can you go away please so I can get him treated?"
Harry waited for Ron to slump and close his eyes but he didn't. Instead he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.
"Where?" Ron whispered into thin air.
Harry didn't think that now was really the best time and definitely not the best place for Ron to be having an episode but at least he wouldn't be able to apparate. Harry helped Ron to his feet before freezing at the look of alarm on his unconscious friend's face.
"No," Ron said, Harry thought he looked afraid of something and gripped his arm a little tighter, "you can't do this to me, not another grave."
Harry felt an unbearable rage boiling within him and he held on to Ron's arm with all his might.
"You lying bastard, I knew it, I knew we couldn't trust you!" he hissed.
Ron's breathing was becoming rapid as he panicked.
"On your body?" he shuddered, "I don't want to see your body, you can't make me. You can't make me do it."
"Ron it's alright, you're not alone this time, I'm right here and I'm not letting you go understand?" he looked out into the same space Ron was addressing, "I'm not letting you take him this time!"
"No more dead people," Ron whimpered.
Ron was breathing very raggedly now, it was the same as that time he had been hyperventilating in his sleep, it was just like his 'trapped in Black's coffin' nightmare. Harry couldn't let it happen again, he would never let that happen again.
"That's why you were keeping him sweet all this time was it? Just so we trusted you enough to destroy the bond of blood and you could do what you wanted with him? Well I've got news for ya you evil bastard..." Harry felt his throat closing up with emotion.
"Keep your voice down, this is a library you know?" Madame Prince hissed at him, obviously coming to see what the commotion was all about.
"I can't, not another grave I can't." Ron began to shake.
"Get professor McGonagall, please hurry, tell her...tell her Ron's been possessed."
"Why don't you just kill me if that's what you want?" Ron sounded like a wounded animal.
Madame Prince looked horrified. Harry had no time for this and bellowed at her.
"Go!"
Harry gripped Ron's arm with both hands now and felt the tremors running through Ron's body rattling his own.
"If you hurt him again I'll find a way to hurt you back. I'll find you and kill you all over again I swear."
"I can't do this anymore," Ron began to cry, and Harry's chest tightened with the pain of empathy for his panic stricken friend, "I want to go home, I want my mum."
Harry hugged Ron to him as tightly as he could, the redhead's face burrowing into his neck.
"It's ok Ron, I'm putting a stop to this, and there'll be no more. You're going home and getting some rest. You've done so much already you can stop now. No more, I promise, there'll be none of this pain any more," Harry tried to soothe him even though he knew that his words weren't getting passed on to Ron, he said them anyway.
Ron's body suddenly began to convulse and Harry let him go just in time to see him drop to his hands and knees and violently vomit onto the floor.
"You fucking bastard, you're killing him!" Harry screamed at the ceiling, tears in his eyes as Ron coughed and vomited yet again.
McGonagall appeared with Madames Prince and Pomfrey in tow and a hobbling Hermione fighting with Neville and Ginny to get through.
"Let me go, Ginny he needs me!" she demanded.
"He's possessed Hermione, you can't touch him," Neville tried to explain.
Harry's eyes met Ginny's and he knew she didn't buy the possession story but was playing along with it because of what Ron had told her about his life being in danger the more people that knew about his problem. She was fighting to hold Hermione back.
"Hermione, he can't be taken..." Harry hesitated, "...he can't go anywhere, it's Hogwarts remember?"
Hermione's lip trembled and she nodded.
"It's all been a trick hasn't it? The second we destroy the bond of blood and...this happens. I've been so stupid."
Ron was taking calming breaths and spitting the fowl residue of his stomach contents onto the unpleasant mess on the floor.
"Ok," he said, his whisper even more husky because of his raw throat, "you're right, I'll do it."
"No!" both Harry and Hermione yelled.
Ron got to his feet unsteadily and seemed to be listening to something while he regained some more of his composure. Eventually he nodded.
"Harry, Hermione, I know you're there somewhere."
"Right here Ron, I've got you mate, you're not going anywhere this time I promise you." Harry said firmly while Hermione let out a sob.
"I was overreacting, I'm fine now. It's just the mention of anything to do with graves, I panicked, but it's ok."
"No Ron, he's brainwashing you, don't listen to him anymore. Stay with me mate, stay with me." Harry said as he watched Ron squinting in the direction of the group at the doorway who were staring at him in fear.
"So many shadows," Ron sighed.
Hermione finally managed to break away from the grip of Neville and Ginny and approached him carefully.
"It's ok Ron, we're all here for you, you're perfectly safe."
"More people," Ron said sadly, "more people to come find me just like you did."
Hermione and Harry locked eyes in realisation of what was going through Ron's head. Hermione took a step closer and lowered her voice as she rested her hands upon his shoulders.
"No it's not like that Ron, nobody else knows, you're still safe. You can still have peace."
"What the hell," Ron shrugged her hands off with resignation, "I've got nothing to lose, let's go dance on your grave professor."