Arcane Arts

The Department of Mysteries incident has left more than just physical scars on our trio. Fresh from the harsh incidents, Harry, Ron, and Hermione have yet to face more struggles along the way. But, things do not always have to be dark and miserable. Would they experience a lot of interesting adventures or just end up hurting more badly than they ever have?

Disclaimer: JKR is queen of all things HP, so don't even bother suing me. Just enjoy this little fanfiction, won't you?

Prologue : Winded, Wounded

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was busy as ever that day with the heavy load of patients they admitted, but it was even more crowded as witch nurses and doctors paced about the halls, scurrying hither-dither to check on their patients' conditions and update their records.

The hospital fireplace used to admit patients by floo suddenly burst forth soot as some figures appeared at that spot. The staff didn't mind them all at first; that was, of course, before a young raven-haired lad began to speak in a very anxious tone.

"Somebody, anybody… I need some help over here!"

Now normally, the nurses would just tell the newcomer to take a number and have a seat, but upon looking up, the nurses behind the reception desk stood at once and made their way towards the famous kid. Lo, it was The-Boy-Who-Lived!

"Harry Potter!"

It was just Harry's luck that he should be the one to get attention first. He had gotten a bit used to this, but did not really want any of it. At any rate, he wasn't the one who needed the attention right at that moment anyway.

"Have a look at them," he said, pointing to the two figures beside him who supported each other carefully.

One nurse turned to the figures in the clearing soot and recognized a tall boy and a bushy-haired girl. She immediately moved towards them and began to examine them for apparent injuries.

"He's… not himself," Hermione huffed, referring to the giggling redhead whom she supported with her upper body, and shifted his weights upon the attendant.

The nurse took out her wand and swished it and, with some soft spell she muttered, Ron's body began to float in mid-air. She could hear his soft laughter but found it strange for him to be doing so in his current condition.

While the woman took care of Ron, the other nurse took out her wand and began waving it all over Hermione. Harry thought that it was quite a peculiar diagnostic procedure; it was just like the procedure done by Muggle security guards who frisked people with their own 'wands'.

"I'm fine, really," Hermione impatiently said. "I only had a few scratches and a soft bruise. I can attend to my simple injuries, thank you."

The nurse was thoroughly annoyed at having her work rebuffed and took no more trouble in examining Hermione. After all, she had a lot of other work to do and even more seriously hurt patients to attend to.

Harry motioned Hermione for the two of them to take a seat by the wall. Soon enough, more figures floo-ed in through the fireplace. Harry wiped his glasses clean as the soot dirtied them once more, and recognized the newcomers as Lupin, Tonks, Luna and Neville. Luna and Neville were breathing a bit heavily, but the two members of the Order held onto them very carefully.

A new pair of nurses arrived as Tonks called out for help and they immediately brought the two young patients to the treatment chamber.

"You alright, Harry?" Lupin inquired, being so worried sick about James' son and so couldn't help but ask.

Harry did not react to the question. Well, it wasn't as if he knew how to take his godfather's disappearance anyway. He was peacefully staying at the old Grimmauld Place, but no… he had to get to the Department of Mysteries and lure him there…

Tonks and Hermione looked at each other, not knowing what to say or how to comfort Harry in this very awkward moment. Tonks moved towards Lupin and held his left hand firmly, trying to support him in the only way she knew at that moment.

Hermione, for her part, extended her left arm and firmly held Harry's left shoulder. She did not know of any thing to make him feel better right now, but seeing as Ron was nowhere in sight to cheer him up, she supposed that she could at least try to be there for Harry.

"I want to take a breather, if you don't mind," Harry said resignedly, standing up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm off to the roof, to think things over."

Hermione stood up and tried to pull Harry back down to his seat, but Lupin stood in her way, shaking his head to tell Hermione not to bother him at the moment.

Harry gazed through the window in one of the better sunlit corridors of the hospital. He had been trying to find the rooftop for a long time and decided to give up instead and gaze at the peaceful scene outside.

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have risked his friends' lives for a mere hunch? Yes… that was only a hunch, nothing more; a hunch that cost his last living family member his life. It was such a foolish and costly mistake! How could have done such a thing? Hermione was right, he realized: he should have listened to her right from the start!

But, how was he supposed to know? Even if he did have the tendency to be… overprotective of people and go off breaking every rule imaginable, he felt very responsible. Right then, he did feel very responsible – responsible for his godfather's life…

Harry was trapped in his musings of guilt, and whenever he tried to justify himself, every new thought just pointed back to his godfather. Sirius: the godfather he thought he never had, rescued from many years of torture, grew to love and confide in a span of two years, and brought to oblivion towards the end. His stomach churned as he recalled their few moments together. He hated himself more and more.

He started to walk back downstairs, feeling that he had worried Lupin and the others too much. Who knows, they might have sent a throng of aurors to look for him now. They can't lose their key figure in the battle against Voldemort now, can they? At any rate, he would not want to cause everyone else more misery than they already are experiencing.

As he descended the flight of stairs, he began to hear rumblings from below. Harry quickened his pace and stopped on the second floor where he figured the admitted patients were and apparently where the commotion was. Halfway down, he spotted Tonks, rushing down the corridor.

"What's happened?"

"Harry, is that you? Thank Merlin you're safe! Lupin and I thought that you and Hermione were taken away…"

Harry's stopped pointblank.

"Tonks, where's Ron?"

Tonks hesitated, and decided to sprint down the corridor further instead as she peeked into each room.

"Tonks," Harry continued in a rather strained voice, "where's Ron?"

Lupin joined them as they reached an intersecting hallway.

"Did you find him?" he asked Tonks. "I couldn't find Ron; I think he's been brought to th-"

Lupin stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Harry, frozen right in his tracks just behind Tonks. Now he was in for it. Harry had heard him, and he knew Harry was not willing to lose someone close too soon after the last incident.

At once, Harry bolted past them to his left, frantically searching rooms for his best mate. He had his wand out now and Merlin knows he was just short of blasting the whole hospital wing to smithereens.

"Harry, no! Leave it to us! Many innocent patients might-"

But he had already gone round the corner. As soon as they got there, they managed to see Harry face-to-face with one of the hospital staff.

"-but the nurse down at the reception area told me that Dumbledore wants to have you back at Hogwarts this instant! He wants to have a word with you, and it's best not to keep him waiting."

"But my friend… I have to make sure he's okay first… he's my best mate!"

The nurse was getting impatient now, and Tonks could tell that she was just as stressed as all of them were, having no room for disagreements at the moment.

"I assure you, sir," she said as she tried hard to control her irritation, "that our patient is fine. We have made sure that he is resting comfortably in his room. At any rate, he is not allowed to see any visitors; he needs peace and quiet."

"Can't I just see him just for a bit? It's not like I'm off to scare him awake or anything…"

"Harry," Lupin softly called out from behind him, "the lady's right. If you're really worried about Ron, you would follow what she said and let him have his peace and quiet."

The boy turned around and begged Lupin with his eyes to support him but sighed in defeat when his former professor just shook his head in disapproval.

Harry no longer had a choice now and just had to go back. He began to make his way back along the corridors and down to the reception area. The weary man followed him all the way just in case he decided to run away, but supposed he shouldn't have bothered as the boy headed straight for the fireplace.

Harry took some floo powder from the bowl on the nearby coffee table and stepped into the dirty hearth. He turned around, and looked at his former professor sadly in the eye.

"Keep an eye on Ron for me?"

"Sure, Harry," Lupin replied. "I'll watch over him for you."

"Thanks… Hogwarts!"

With that, Harry disappeared into the green flames. Lupin, thoroughly exhausted for the day, sighed deeply, feeling worriedfor Harry and his friends' sakes. He breathed just as deeply and turned on his heel back towards the staircase.

"Now… Where did they keep that Weasley?"

A/N: What do you think? Was it too awkward for an opening? a bit too melodramatic? too bland or cliché? I hope to hear news from you all, as this is my very first fiction in the Harry Potter genre.

I'll have you all know, I've taken a liking to Ron's character. I've also developed an affinity for tragedy, drama, angst, and romance plots strongly related to him the first time I ventured into HP fanfictions, but I intend to keep this one more general but interesting for all the readers of the fandom to enjoy!

Liked it? Hated it? Review my work, and I'll give you all a digital biscuit (or cookie, whichever you prefer).