The Characters and situations of Harry Potter depicted in this story are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and have been used without permission. No copyright violation is intended. No profit is being made off this site. It is for entertainment purposes only.
In response to MrSteven's question: I really try my hardest to keep everyone in character. The whole reason I was motivated to write this fic in the first place was b/c JK had created such wonderful characters that I couldn't seem to stop thinking about! I love them all so much, I wanted to read about them in more detail. But instead, I decided to write about them in more detail. Anyways, in answer to your question, I do not feel that Ron or Hermione are ready to "go all the way." I think that they are both still very innocent. Even though Ron sees Hermione as being this very innocent being, in truth, so is he. So, no...I will not step over that boundary b/c I don't feel that Ron or Hermione would step over that boundary. I hope this sufficiently answers your question. Thank you.
Chapter 37
Ron was staring blankly into the roaring orange and red flames in McGonagall's marble fireplace. Fred was hurt. They were going to St. Mungo's because Fred had been injured in a fight with Voldemort's men. It didn't make sense for some reason. McGonagall had made a mistake of some sort. Fred and George were at their apartment in Diagon Alley. They were probably about to take their lunch break before they sold some more gelatinous, growing gumdrops…or whatever newly invented treats they had.
Harry had his arm about Ginny's waist, who was still crying, and Ron wasn't sure that she would remain standing if Harry weren't there by her side. If McGonagall had made a mistake, she should hurry up and rectify it. It really wasn't good to leave them in such a worried state. At the moment, McGonagall was talking to someone's head in the fireplace and telling them 'the four are on their way.' The male voice of the head sounded familiar, but Ron's view was obstructed because McGonagall was kneeling in front of the flames. Ron could have leaned to one side or the other to peer around her, but he couldn't seem to move.
Suddenly McGonagall rose from the fire and turned around to face them all, "There will be an Order member waiting for you at St. Mungo's Floo Station." She said with a worried note in her voice. "Harry, why don't you go first?"
Harry walked with Ginny up to the fireplace before kissing her gently on her lips and ensuring her that he would be waiting for her on the other side. As Harry was using the powder to floo, Ron glanced down at Hermione. She was holding tightly to his hand, but she wasn't crying. However, she was blinking profusely, and her lips were pursed in a stubborn pout.
"Hermione?" Ron whispered. She looked up at him, and he saw by her eyes that his suspicions were correct, "Hermione, if you feel like crying…then cry."
She shook her head quickly as if to say, 'no, I don't fell like crying.' But, even as she did so, tears began welling in her eyes. Ron knew that she was trying to remain strong for him, but he actually wanted Hermione to cry. If she cried, then he would have someone to comfort. If she cried, then he wouldn't, because he would be too concerned with making sure that Hermione was okay.
"Miss Granger." McGonagall called. Harry and Ginny had already gone. Hermione released Ron's hand and stepped into the now green flames before shouting, "St.Mungo's!" Watching Hermione disappear into a burst of flames sort of made Ron's stomach ache. He was suddenly reminded of the time Harry accidentally ended up in Knockturn Alley. Without waiting for McGonagall's signal, Ron speedily stepped into the flames.
"Now, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said hastily as Ron stood in the tickling flames, "If any of you would like to stay the night, arrangements can be made. You can send an owl or reach me through my fireplace."
Ron nodded, "Thank you, Professor." He said, feeling slightly numb as he shouted, "St. Mungo's!"
Ron immediately felt the familiar dizzying whirl. This mode of transportation always spun him near the point of being sick. When he stopped this time, he found himself in a room he'd never seen before. It was a long, rectangular room with concrete walls and bright, yellowish lighting. There were quite a few people running about, but he saw no Harry, Ginny, or Hermione…
"Step forward, please! Step forward!" Called a high-pitched, yet bored voice.
Ron stepped out of the fireplace and saw a short, dumpy, older lady with white, curly hair and a dark green uniform. She had her wand out and pointed directly at him. This wasn't St. Mungo's. Surely he'd done something wrong. Looking about the long room, Ron saw two double glass doors at one end and outside the glass doors he saw Harry, Ginny, and Hermione, just standing there. Okay, Ron thought, so even if this isn't St. Mungo's, at least we've all arrived at the same place.
Glancing along the wall, Ron saw that there were about thirty fireplaces, just like Ron's. And, at each fireplace, there stood a uniformed witch or wizard with their wand raised at those arriving at their station. There was also a gate behind each uniformed person.
"Okay! Come on! Come on! What's the hold up?" The lady called. Ron hesitantly took a step toward her. He was then able to read her nametag. Rosa. "On the platform! On the platform! Empty your pockets!" She said hurriedly.
"My pockets?" Ron asked as he stood up on a small circular platform.
"Your pockets! Your pockets!" She screeched impatiently, waving her wand about at his chest. In her other hand she was holding a small plastic tub for him to put his belongings.
"Rosa, can't you hurry this kid up?" Came a low voice from behind Ron. He turned around and saw that there were actually two or three people crammed into the fireplace that Ron had just exited. The closest, a tall man with a mustache, appeared to be less patient with Ron's sluggishness than Rosa, so Ron quickly added his wand to the rest of his belongings in the tub. Which wasn't much… a few coins and a couple of taffies.
Rosa began looking over the coins and taffies as if she thought they might contain some sort of poison or curse. She then placed his wand on a scale, similar to the one at the Ministry of Magic, which printed out some sort of card. While she read over the card, Ron overheard a conversation from the fireplace to his right.
"What? Empty my pockets?" Said a bristling, white-haired man wearing a very fine pair of black, silk robes, "Well, I never! Do you know who I am?"
"No, sir. I don't know who you are." Said an extremely monotone voiced, uniformed wizard not much older than Ron. "It's St. Mungo's policy to check the pockets and pat down all arrivals before entrance."
"It is not!" Said the older man, "Why, I've been to this hospital countless times, boy, and not once has anyone asked me, Sir Percival Eubanks, to empty my pockets!" Ron rolled his eyes at the irony. Percival? Of course this pompous bloke's name would be Percival…
"Yes, sir. I understand, sir." Said the boy in the same monotone voice. His eyes looked extremely tired and a bit annoyed, "This is a fairly new policy to ensure the safety of our staff, patients, and guests. We at St. Mungo's want the best for-…"
"Oh, I bet it's that Amelia Bones!" Shouted Eubanks, interrupting the boy's somewhat rehearsed-sounding speech, "Minister Fudge was doing a fine job in my opinion! Don't know why he was so mistreated. Is Amelia Bones asked to empty her pockets? Well, I would surely think not! Why in my day…"
Ron didn't hear the rest of the man's ranting because Rosa began patting down Ron's legs, torso, and arms. She even stuck her pudgy fingers down into Ron's shoes.
"Clear!" Rosa yelled at the gate in front of Ron's fireplace, which opened with a creak.
He started to exit when something began banging into his arm. It was the small tub of his belongings. Oh yeah, Ron thought as he reached in for his things and pocketed them. I must be really out of it if I were about to leave behind my wand. The tub then floated back to a small table beside Rosa and apparently Ron was free to go. He walked quickly to the big glass doors, which opened automatically. He then found himself in the familiar St. Mungo's waiting room. But where had Hermione gone?
"Ron!" Called Hermione from a chair in the center of the room.
She was sitting in between…well…someone. The torso of a large, burly man was seated to her right with his eyes squinted in pain, while his legs sat to Hermione's left, crossing and uncrossing. Harry and Ginny were seated across from Hermione and the 'not-all-together' man.
Ron rushed over to them. Ginny straightened up in her seat when she saw him. "Harry's told the receptionist that there are four of us." She said weakly, holding tightly to Harry's hand. "They have to get permission from the Healer on duty in the Emergency Ward before we can go see him."
"Where's the Order member that was supposed to be waiting on us?" Ron asked curiously.
"We don't know." Harry said, as he rubbed Ginny's back with his free hand, "It was supposed to be Remus, though. That's whose head McGonagall was talking to, anyway."
"They've really bumped up security, huh?" Ron asked blandly, staring at a woman across the room with a clawed hand protruding from her head.
"Yes!" Hermione said, sounding a bit miffed. "And they took my healing kit! You'd think that since they sell them here, they would be considered safe…but apparently not."
"Maybe they're afraid people might smuggle in illegal potions or something." Harry offered.
"Will you get it back?" Ron asked, slightly amazed that Hermione could look adorable even in the midst of a possible tragedy while sitting, quite perturbed, in between two halves of one man.
"Yes." Hermione said, glancing nervously at the legs sitting next to her, which were becoming more and more restless. "They'll mail it to me. I asked them to…um…send it to Hogwarts…um…obviously…" Hermione was looking at the man's fidgety lower half with a slight scowl as she scooted a bit closer to the man's torso.
"You told her four, right Harry?" Ginny asked fretfully, glancing about the room in a way that reminded Ron of Pig.
"Yes, Ginny." Harry said softly, "I told her four."
"AHH!"
All of a sudden the head connected to the torso of the man Hermione was seated beside yelled loudly. He then reached across Hermione and grabbed hold of his knee, which Ron noticed looked a bit swollen beneath his slacks in comparison to his other knee. Hermione was now leaning all the way back in her seat, looking slightly terrified.
"Sir! Sir!" Ron said firmly, grabbing a hold of the man's hand and prying it away from his knee. Hermione escaped from her chair as soon as she had sufficient space to do so. Ron then quickly released the man, who went back to grabbing his knee.
"I'm sorry little girl!" The man breathed through tears of pain, his eyes shut tightly, "Sorry! The pain is just so…AH!"
The man was now kicking his leg roughly out in front of him. Hermione was standing slightly behind Ron and gripping tightly to his arm. All four of them were staring at the man. There was a smiling, seemingly good-natured healer's aid walking about the room with a cart of biscuits and coffee, who didn't give the man a second glance.
"Weasley! Four!"
Ginny jumped up from her chair at the sound of their name, almost yanking Harry to the floor, as she still had her death grip on his hand. Ron looked up toward the front of the room to see a young witch in lime green St. Mungo's robes. She had a clipboard and was looking about the room with her eyebrows raised. Harry and Ginny led the way with Ron and Hermione close behind.
"Hi." The girl said pleasantly as they approached. "Visitors for Frederick Weasley? In room one-thirty-two?"
"Yes." Ginny said hastily as she twirled a long strand of hair around and around her finger.
"Follow me, please." The girl said briskly before turning around and heading down a long corridor with white walls and white floors.
It seemed to Ron as if it took them quite a while to reach room one-thirty-two. They must have taken four different turns. A right and a left and a left and a right… Passed a man with a shrunken head and then a woman with an enlarged neck… And then finally the girl stopped in front of a large white door with a small lime green one-thirty-two on it and a plaque beneath the number that read, 'Weasley.'
"Alright." She said looking down at her clipboard. "Mr. Weasley's surgery prep is at twelve noon so that gives you about ten minutes until Healer Asa Gadgil comes for his consultation. Thank you."
Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but the girl had given them a speedy smile and scurried passed them, flipping frantically through her clipboard papers, without allowing time for questions. Although, Ron was sure he knew what question Ginny would have asked… Surgery prep? What kind of surgery? Harry approached the door and knocked tentatively.
Ron heard the quick shuffling of footsteps and then the door swung open, revealing the red, tear-stained face of his mum. She stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her.
"Mum, what-…" Ginny began immediately, but Mrs. Weasley motioned for her to be quiet.
"Listen, Fred is awake." Mrs. Weasley began in a hoarse whisper, "Mr. Gadgil is his Healer, and he will be here soon-…"
"Yes! Yes! For his consultation! We know, Mum!" Ginny began desperately, "But what happened?"
Mrs. Weasley sighed and brought one hand to her forehead, "Ginny…I just can't repeat the story again…not now. Besides, don't you want to have time to visit with him before the Healer arrives?" She asked tiredly. Ginny simply nodded with a frown.
Suddenly the door opened and Tonks walked out. Her hair was a deep magenta this afternoon. She gave a very brief nod to everyone and then went straight to Harry. "Where's Remus?" She whispered urgently.
"He didn't meet us." Harry said.
Tonks rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, "Oh…I knew I should've gone instead." She said snapping her fingers in aggravation.
"Why? Why should you have gone?" Hermione asked.
"He's just bound to have set the alarm off again…" Tonks said more to herself than Hermione. "That's the only explanation. That stupid, pointless alarm. Oh…I'll be back in a bit, Molly." She added with a wave of her hand before hurrying down the corridor.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked.
"Security is just so tight now, dear." Mrs. Weasley said with a tired frown, "Remus set off the hospital's Werewolf Detection Alarm when we first arrived. He had to show them his immunization card and... Oh, it must have been so embarrassing for him. Right in the middle of the Floo Station…"
Mrs. Weasley smiled feebly at them all before shaking her head sadly and opening the door. "Be quiet, now." She whispered as she silently motioned for them to enter the room.
It was very dim and cool inside the small, squareroom. There were chairs set up around a small hospital bed, which was nearly in complete shadow because of some sort of privacy canopy. Glancing around the room, Ron saw his father, George, Bill, and to his slight surprise, Angelina Johnson. They were all seated away from the bed with solemn faces. Everyone was silent.
Ron's mum motioned for them to approach the bed. Harry led Ginny to one side, but he remained at the foot. Hermione then joined Harry as Ron slowly approached the other side of the bed and peered down over his brother. Ron immediately felt a lump form in his throat as he gazed down into Fred's face.
Fred was extremely pallid, and he seemed to be sweating. His normally brown eyes were almost gray…or was that the dim lighting? So thin was his face that when he looked up at Ginny and gave her a weak smile, it stretched his bluish lips taut across his teeth. Ginny started crying again as she looked down upon him.
Fred moved his hand from underneath the covers and held it up for Ginny to grab onto, which she did. Ron had to consciously close his mouth, which had opened in horror at the sight of his brother's hand. It was bony. His wrist was just…bone!
"Don't cry…Ginny-baby." Fred whispered in a croaky voice. He was taking raspy breaths between his words. "I've…looked…worse." He added. With every word, his chest moved up and down heavily.
Ginny was shaking her head at him, "No you haven't." She squeaked through her tears.
Fred made a strange coughing wheeze sound that Ron thought was some sort of chuckle, "Oh yeah. I…forgot. I must've…been thinking…of Ronnie…ugly bloke." He then turned to look up at Ron, who tried to smile at his brother, but he doubted he did a very good job.
This wasn't Fred. And that moping guy in the hospital chair wasn't George. What was going on? Ron had been telling himself that his parents would be safe behind the walls of Grimmauld Place, but he hadn't given any thought to Fred and George. Why should he? The twins were invincible! They got away with everything! They didn't mope or lie in hospital beds with raspy voices and blue lips!
"You're not going to die, are you?" Ron blurted out. At Ron's question, Ginny, who was now holding Fred's hand to her cheek, gasped; his mother started wailing.
He wanted to kick himself as soon as he'd asked it, but it just fell out of his mouth in some sort of a high-pitched voice that wasn't his own. Fred just continued to smile up at him weakly, however.
"I…can't." He rasped. "Still got…a list of things…to do."
Ron just stared down at his brother, who was now turning his feebly smiling face back to Ginny. A surge of unexpected anger was running through him all of a sudden. Voldemort! Death Eaters! Ron was so sick of them hurting people! He didn't understand why! Why did they hate Muggles? Why did they hate Muggle-borns? Why did they hate those that didn't?
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door opened a bit and in walked a nice-looking man around Lupin's age or older. He had dark black hair and olive colored skin, and he was wearing lime green robes with the St. Mungo's logo of a crossed bone and wand. He had a nametag, which Ron was sure read, 'Asa Gadgil,' but he couldn't see properly in the dimly lit room.
Ron's mum motioned for he and Ginny to move from the bed and take seats, so they did. Ron took Hermione's hand and led her to two empty seats beside his father, who patted him on the back as he sat down. Hermione was wiping at her eyes, and Ron put his arm around her. She molded so well into the crook of his arm. He noticed his father giving them an odd look, and he suddenly remembered that no one outside of Hogwarts, other than Tonks, knew of Ron and Hermione's courtship…
"Good afternoon, Weasley family and friends." The Healer said in a pleasant, yet strong voice. He went to stand to the right of Fred, in the same spot Ron had been standing.
"Okay." Gadgil began, in a tone that demanded everyone's attention, "I have some good news and some bad news, alright? Should I tell you the good news first?" He asked, looking down at Fred. Ron saw his brother nod.
"Well, your chance of survival has risen from around seventy percent to around eighty-five percent over night." The Healer said matter-of-factly.
Everyone in the room seemed to let out a slight sigh of relief or gratitude, except for the four newest arrivals. Hermione had gasped and put a hand to her mouth, Ginny was sobbing into her hands, and Ron was just staring straight ahead of him. The Healer's good news was that Fred had a lesser chance of dying? Not that he wouldn't die? There was a strip of paint missing from the footboard of Fred's hospital bed that Ron was studying intently. He was afraid to look anywhere else for some reason.
"It seems that your twin here may have saved your life." The Healer continued, motioning to George, who looked much less distraught now that the Healer had given his 'good news.'
"The Jelly Leech, you mean?" George asked the Gadgil.
"Yes." The Healer said with a small smile, before turning back to Fred, "After performing some tests on your blood, we discovered the snake you were bitten by to be an Inland Taipan."
At these words Hermione gasped and Bill whistled low and shook his head. Taipan? Was that supposed to mean something to Ron? He didn't think so. No one other than Bill and Hermione seemed to have had an epiphany of sorts.
"But…" Hermione began with one hand running nervously through her hair, "…An Inland Taipan is the most-…"
"…Poisonous snake in the world." Bill finished. Hermione nodded at him.
"Yes." Gadgil replied, sounding slightly impressed by Hermione's knowledge. Well, Ron thought as he looked down at Hermione's concerned expression, he's not the only one… Ron wasn't surprised that Hermione knew…he was never surprised at anything Hermione knew…just fascinated.
"However," The Healer began, "Immediately after Fred was bitten, this young man," The Healer indicated to George, "…gave his brother a…what was it again?"
"Jelly…Leech…" Rasped Fred.
"They double as a sugary, goo-filled gummy or a…well…a leech…" George said quietly.
"Smart boy." The Healer said, looking back to George. "After you attached that sweet to his bite, most of the venom was immediately absorbed into the gummy. And what remained, we were able to eradicate with potions." The Healer then took a deep breath, "But…we were too late to properly treat the limb that was bitten."
"We have been able to isolate the venom in your arm, here." The Healer indicated to Fred's right arm, which was concealed by the sheeting. "But the poison has already infected all of this limb's tissues. I'm afraid, son, that you will have to lose your arm."
Hermione felt as if the lump in her throat that she'd been so desperately trying to swallow all morning, burst in her throat. It caused a silent torrent of tears to fall from her eyes. Ron's arm tightened about her shoulders. Oh! She felt like such a namby-pamby! She should have her arm around Ron's shoulders, but all she could do was cry!
"If we do not amputate, the bite will be fatal in a matter of days."
Everyone was silent, unless of course they were crying. Mrs. Weasley was crying on Mr. Weasley's shoulder, Ginny was crying on Harry's shoulder, and Angelina was crying into her own hands. Hermione was, luckily, able to cry silently. Ron was resting his head in one hand. Hermione didn't think that he was crying, but she felt so badly for him…for the whole Weasley family… For Fred! A Taipan's bite contained enough venom to kill up to one hundred Muggle men! Of course, wizard's resistance to such things was much stronger. But it was virtually a miracle that Fred was still breathing…
"But…" George said suddenly, standing from his chair. He crossed to stand beside Fred, opposite the healer, before continuing in a shaky voice, "But isn't there a way to just…can't you just…"
He stopped and swallowed hard, looking down at his twin. Fred was lying perfectly still with his eyes on George. If this had been the first time Hermione had seen the two, she never would have guessed that they were twins. The poison had really taken a toll on Fred. Of course it had! An Inland Taipan?
"No, son. I'm sorry." Gadgil said firmly. "But your brother here is very lucky to be alive. An arm is actually a small price to pay for a Taipan bite."
"Small?" George asked incredulously. He lifted Fred's good arm up by the wrist and said, "This isn't a small price! What about…about riding brooms? Or…or what about clapping! Or what…what about snogging?" He then looked over at Angelina, who seemed to be blushing. George continued, "What about-…"
"George!" Fred croaked loudly before having a harsh coughing fit. He removed his bad arm from the covers and used his hand to cover his mouth. His right arm was swollen to twice its normal size and it was a hideous reddish purple color. Once he'd recovered from his fit of coughs, he sat up a bit against the back of the bed and looked at George.
"George…we'll still…have…three." He said with a small and somewhat forced smile. George frowned down at his brother, yethe ruffled his hair playfully.
Just then the door opened and Tonks and Lupin walked inside. They both looked a bit tired and irritated. "Pardon us." Tonks said quietly as she and Lupin moved to stand against one wall.
The Healer nodded at them in greeting before turning back to Fred. "Alright, young man. If you agree to the surgery, we will begin prepping you in about half an hour."
"I agree." He said without delay. The Healer nodded and patted Fred on the shoulder before quickly exiting the room.
As soon as the door shut behind him Mrs. Weasley jumped out of her seat and ran to Fred's side, "Oh my poor baby! Oh your precious little arm!"
As Mrs. Weasley continued to hug on her son, Hermione noticed that Lupin was leaned down toward Bill, who was whispering something to him. Hermione figured he was informing him of the Healer's news because Lupin's face was becoming increasingly more worried.
"Can I get you anything? Is there anything at all that you need?" Mrs. Weasley asked Fred as she continued to pat on him and unnecessarily fix his covers.
"Air…" Fred croaked from somewhere underneath his mum's fussing.
George chuckled at his brother before motioning for Angelina to take his side by the bed. She quickly got up from her seat and went to peer down over Fred. She then bent down to his ear and started whispering something. His mum patted him once more on his head before taking her seat beside Mr. Weasley, who Hermione was pretty sure she saw wiping his eyes a bit.
Hermione turned to look at Ron and was surprised to see that he was staring at her. She tried to give him a loving smile, and she received a feeble one in return. "Are you okay?" She whispered as she wiped at her eyes that she only now realized were still damp.
"As long as he's going to live…I reckon I don't care what surgery they have to do." He whispered back. She nodded at him.
"I want to know what happened, though." Ron said quietly.
"Me too." Hermione replied, "But I don't think we should ask right now." She added, looking around at all the worried faces.
"Tonks and Lupin will know." Ron said; it sort of sounded like a question.
"Let's ask them." Hermione said quickly, standing from her chair. Ron followed her as she walked slowly to the door, motioning for Tonks and Lupin to follow them. Hermione saw that Ginny still had her head on Harry's shoulder, and Harry was stroking her hair. It might not be wise to inform Ginny of the details of the attack at the moment, Hermione thought. So, she, Ron, Tonks, and Lupin stepped out into the bright hallway.
"What's up?" Tonks asked as they exited the room.
"We want to know what happened." Ron said quickly. "Where did he encounter the world's deadliest snake and why?" Tonks sighed heavily and looked to Lupin, who nodded at her.
"I'll tell it." Lupin offered. "Sturgis Podmore. Do you two remember him? He was a member of the Order."
"He's in Azkaban." Hermione replied.
"Yes." Lupin said, "Well, no. Not anymore. He's dead."
"Wait, wait, wait…" Ron said, holding up his hand. "Podmore was the guy that got sentenced to six months for trespassing and attempted robbery of the Ministry of Magic, right?"
"Right," Hermione said quickly, "But he was under the Imperius Curse when he committed the crimes and he wasn't even able to defend himself at the Wizengamot."
"Right…" Ron said, nodding at her.
"Well," Lupin began again, "Minister Bones got his sentence shortened to five months due to him being under the Curse at the time of the crimes. Unfortunately, however, upon his release Friday morning, he was kidnapped by Death Eaters."
"Oh…how awful." Hermione said as a sickening cramp formed in her stomach. She felt Ron's steady hand come to rest on the small of her back, and her stomach cramp lessened.
"Yes." Lupin said with a nod. "As soon as his abduction was detected, Dumbledore was notified immediately. And he then notified the Order."
"Yesterday around noon." Hermione said quickly, looking up at Ron, who nodded. That's what had happened to cause Madam Pomfrey to interrupt the Headmaster's visit to Harry in the infirmary.
"Well…yes…" Lupin said, with a curious look at them both, "Anyway, the Order formed a rescue team of volunteers to try and track Podmore down. The team consisted of myself, Tonks, Fred and George, Moody, Kingsley, and Whitman."
"We were able to track them. We caught up with them in a harbor-town at the coast of Belgium called Zeebrugge." Tonks said.
"Belgium?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "Why in the world would they be taking Podmore to Belgium?"
"Well, we don't think that they were." Lupin replied with a sigh. "You see…Zeebrugge serves as an international Port with ferries to the United Kingdom. There is an expressway that connects it to the European motorways, and its harbor is important for the importation of cargo from all around the world. The thing is…this town is a crossroad for traffic from all directions. They could have been going anywhere."
"Anywhere." Tonks added, shaking her head sadly.
"But why would they be using Muggle forms of transportation?" Ron asked with a confused scowl. Hermione was wondering the same thing.
"To reap havoc?" Lupin said with a shrug.
"To throw us off?" Tonks added.
"We don't know." Lupin replied firmly, "All we know is that we caught up with them and a fight broke out."
"A fight?" Tonks said with a scoff.
"Okay, a skirmish." Lupin said with a small smile at Tonks. "We estimated there to be about five to ten Death Eaters, but there were only three."
"Only three." Tonks said with wide eyes. "We still don't know who they were though…kept their masks on. The cowards…"
"Cowards…" Lupin said with a grimace, before shaking his head and beginning again, "Anyway…they were obviously outnumbered, so one of them used the Killing Curse on Podmore as soon as they saw us coming. Then, two apparated."
"So there was only one left." Tonks replied blandly, "Just one…but he managed to conjure that snake. It latched on to Fred's arm before Whitman was able to kill the beast."
"Apparently Taipan are from Australia, and Whitman knew what curse to use that would kill it instantly." Lupin said.
"But the snake had already gotten its bite." Tonks added, "George went all panicky because Fred went rigid and started sweating a lot."
"But he had one of those blasted leeches." Lupin said with a smile.
"What happened to the bastard that conjured the snake?" Ron asked darkly. Lupin's smile faded instantly, and he looked down.
"Apparated…" He replied softly. Something suddenly occurred to Hermione.
"Hey…" She began, "Do you think that they might have been heading to that Slytherin School of Magic?"
"Hey, yeah!" Ron breathed, "Maybe it's near Belgium! They might have led you straight to it if they hadn't spotted you!"
"We have definitely considered that possibility." Tonks replied with a glance at Lupin, "And just between us, there are some trained Aurors stationed at Zeebrugge now. They're disguised as Muggles, and they'll be watching for any suspicious activity."
"Any suspicious activity…" Lupin repeated with a scowl.
"Well, if you can discover something about that foul school, maybe something good can come out of this." Hermione said softly.
The door to Fred's room suddenly opened and out walked Harry. Ginny wasn't with him, however.
"Hey." He said quietly before looking up at Ron, "You alright, mate?" He asked.
"Yeah…" Ron murmured, before adding, "We need to tell you what happened, though."
So, Hermione listened to the story for a second time. She even helped a bit in the telling of it. Harry's reaction was to be expected. He was very angry with the Death Eaters, yet intrigued by the area to which they were tracked. He told them that he'd left Ginny in the room with her parents because he thought that the corridor conversers might have been talking of such things.
Just as the second telling of the story was coming to a close, the door to the hospital room opened again. It was Mr. Weasley.
"Excuse me, guys." He said quietly. "It appears that Fred has something he'd like to share with everyone. He wants all of you to come inside and take a seat."
However clueless as to the meaning of this unexpected meeting, Hermione entered the small, dim room. She and Ron took their seats again, and again, Ron put a comforting arm about her. Fred was actually sitting up in bed, and Angelina was sitting by his side. She seemed to be holding tightly to his good hand.
"Everyone…" Fred began in his rasping voice once everyone had taken their seats once more, "We have…something…we'd like…to share."
Fred was smiling quite broadly for a recently poisoned man, who was about to lose an arm. Angelina was also smiling, although rather sheepishly.
"Tell them…Angie." Fred croaked.
Angelina nodded at him before addressing the room. "Everyone…one week ago today…Fred asked me to marry him, and I said yes."
Hermione's eyes went wide as the room burst into a loud uproar of chatter, applause, laughter, and excitement that was completely opposite of the mood that had recently left the room. Ginny was crying, yet again, but this time they looked like tears of joy. Mrs. Weasley was also crying as she shot up from her seat and crossed to hug Angelina around the neck. Mr. Weasley looked stunned, but very happy. Ron looked stunned…just very stunned.
"Congrats, you guys!" Harry cried over the commotion.
"Married?" Ron asked in, what sounded like, disbelief, "You two are getting married?"
"You look shocked, Ron." Said Angelina with a bright smile.
"Well, yeah…" Ron replied slowly, "It's just that…marriage? I mean…don't you understand what that means, Fred?"
Fred raised his eyebrows at Ron, who continued. "It means that you can't do whatever you want anymore, mate. And then…kids! You two will have some titchy rugrats running about your store! Have you thought of that?" He asked with wide eyes.
Angelina laughed, saying, "I'll take all that as a 'congratulations,' if it's all the same to you, Ron!"
Ron just sort of shrugged before staring off into space. Hermione watched him as the happy chatter continued. He was just staring off into thin air with a blank, almost bothered, look on his face. It was a look that made Hermione feel sick to her stomach. It was a look that…scared her.
Ron's brother had just announced his engagement, and Ron's reaction was shock and something akin to worry. Was it worry? What had he said? "…don't you understand what that means…you can't do whatever you want anymore…"
Hermione had a horrible suspicion as to what was going on in Ron's mind at the moment as he stared blankly into nothingness. He doesn't like the idea of marriage, Hermione thought. It's scary to him. It sounds smothering. Did it sound smothering to Hermione? No…not at all. It sounded wonderful to Hermione…
All of a sudden, another horrible thought occurred to Hermione… If the idea of marriage bothers Ron, how much space does he really need from me as his girlfriend? Does he have enough space? Does he need more? … Am I already smothering him? And if I am, what does a man do when he can no longer breathe? Hermione knew what men did when they couldn't breathe… they rid themselves of the obstruction. Was she an obstruction?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, there you have it! Chapter 37! What do you think? I had some more internet problems today, but luckily it started working again later this evening. The internet man is coming to my house Tuesday...but I'll go to the public library if I have to...Gosh darn it! Well, anyway... lol... I hope everyone liked this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews that keep coming in and thanks to all of my faithful readers!