Anywhere But Here

As soon as they heard the news the twins ran from Ron's bedside to go and check on Percy. Mrs Weasley was torn between two sons on two different wards. Harry watched her as she bit into her bottom lip and tried to work out if she had it in her to leave her youngest son who had just had a serious heart attack to go and visit her other son who had been hexed into unconsciousness by Death Eaters intent on kidnapping his boss.

"Mum go with them," Charlie said with a smile, "Ron's stable now and he's not going anywhere in the next half hour is he?"

Mrs Weasley gave a worried smile before nodding and getting up from her seat.

"You promise to come and find me if anything happens," she said to Charlie as she backed away from Ron's bed and across to the door, "even just the littlest thing you'll come and get me?"

"On my life mum now go and see how Percy's doing," Charlie nodded and smiled at his mother.

She turned and rushed out of Ron's room without another word. Charlie looked back at Ron and then across his sleeping body to his father who had a single eyebrow arched in amusement.

"You don't fool me y'know?" Mr Weasley said.

"What?" Charlie frowned.

Harry watched this exchange from his chair across the room and caught Hermione's eye as she suppressed a smirk while administering a top-up to Ron's heart treatment.

"You're worried about Percy too and want your mother to check up on him to be sure that he's going to be okay," Arthur smiled.

Charlie snorted.

"Well he is my brother but please don't forget dad that he's also the prat who nearly killed Ron. Of the two of them I think I'll stick with Ron as far as worry is concerned thank you."

Mr Weasley's smile faded as he sat forward and looked his broad shouldered son in the eyes.

"Nobody's asking you to choose between them Charlie," he said softly, "you're allowed to care about the both of them."

Charlie swallowed and sat back in his seat, folding his arms.

"My baby brother just had a heart attack dad, Percy's gonna be fine but Ron," Charlie looked at Hermione and then Harry before turning his focus to his feet.

"Ron's going to be fine too," Hermione said adamantly as she finished off the strengthening spell on Ron's heart and plunged her wand back into her robes with annoyance.

Charlie still couldn't look up and Harry felt thankful that the tension in the room was broken by Ginny striding into the room with a relieved look on her face.

"Percy's awake and right as rain," she said as she walked into Harry's waiting arms for a hug, "the mediwitches patched him up and he's talking to the Aurors about the kidnapping right now. Mum made me come back to check on Ron while she stayed to calm him down."

"Is he really shaken up about it then?" Harry frowned as he released Ginny from their hug.

"Something about moving," she rolled her eyes, "we've got to move him, we've got to hide him, that's all I could make out before I was all but thrown from the room. Moody seemed to be getting him under control when I left and..."

The doors burst open and Tonks and Shacklebolt ran inside with Healer Kalra hot on their heels. Everybody in the room jumped, even Ron was jerked awake by the sudden movement around his bed.

"Kalra, you keep him stable while we transfer him," Shacklebolt ordered the healer before looking at Tonks while Ron's bed was levitated and glided out of the room, "Tonks I want a clear path and alertness at all times along the way. For all we know they could have people already in here."

"Kingsley what on earth...?" Mr Weasley began as he Charlie, Hermione and Harry chased Ron's bed out of the room and down the hallway.

"There have been hits on the clinic and at the ministry Arthur. Your boy says he overheard the Death Eaters planning a third and I'm sure we can all guess who that's going to be."

"Identify yourself!" Tonks yelled at a medi wizard who suddenly appeared from a supply room and dropped all their potion bottles in shock.

"I can vouch for him, he's fine!" Healer Kalra said as the passed by the shocked young wizard.

"Sir can I do anything?" Hermione said breathlessly as she jogged to keep up with the group.

"Granger," Shacklebolt said before Kalra could respond, "help Longbottom and your teacher here keep him stable. Potter?" the Auror called through the crowd.

"I'm here!" Harry said as he shoved his way through.

"You and Charlie are to help with security during this transfer," Shacklebolt turned to roar into some elderly witches faces, "Out of my way!" before turning back to Harry and Charlie behind him to continue as if he hadn't just terrified a pair of innocent bystanders, "do not trust anybody understand?"

"Everyone's a bastard," Charlie nodded as he drew his wand and took up the rear of the group while Tonks maintained the lead and Harry took the other side of Ron's bed to Shacklebolt who ran alongside with livid eyes ready to hex the living daylights out of anybody even remotely threatening.

"Where are we moving him to?" Ginny said as she too drew her wand without instruction.

"You'll know when we get there Miss Weasley," Shacklebolt said as they rounded a corner and knocked a cleaning woman off her feet.

"Oh sorry!" Hermione called out to the woman as they passed by without hesitation.

"Apologies waste time!" Shacklebolt yelled to her as they all ran headlong into a wall that wasn't really a wall at all.

Jess' Uncle Ted used to play the saw when she was a child. The sound it made was indefinable in many ways. She couldn't ever describe to someone what it sounded like, only what it made her feel. She would feel as if a sad but beautiful woman was humming somewhere distantly, her voice echoing all the way to Jess' ears. It would also make her shiver. It could make her feel so sad and sorrowful. The saw could make noises as if it was crying. Beautiful and sad, that was what the saw sounded like, and Jess could have sworn that her long dead Uncle Ted was outside this dungeon playing his saw now.

The wind was bemoaning Jess' predicament. Wailing and weeping through the draughty corridors and empty cells while it's chilly snake-like touch would make her flinch every once in a while as it passed over her goose-pimpled skin.

One of the other cells was banging closed, the Death Eaters had been shouting indiscernible things at whoever else had been captured with her. She had been listening for the prisoner's voice and there was nothing so she feared the worst. They had Ron.

She had called out to him several times to let him know she was with him and to stay strong but obviously he couldn't respond to her. She just hoped that being in the cell next door to her wasn't causing him any pain.

The door to Jess' cell clunked open and she cowered in the corner, hoping there were shadows to hide her from whoever was coming inside, and she whimpered as she heard a cruel laugh coming from above her.

"He can't hear you foolish girl. The only person who has to listen to your pathetic reassurances is your jailer and he has asked me to shut you up. You seem to be annoying him somewhat."

Jess hugged her arms to herself and tried to feel good at the news that Ron wasn't the other prisoner but she was too scared to think of anything other then her situation. It was so similar to the hellish life she had to live as a prisoner of the Death Eaters before. She remembered the searing light moving towards her eyes slowly and burning away her sight for good. She remembered the wands and the torture and the terror. She couldn't understand why they still wanted her. Not only was she no good to them but of no use to anybody anymore. They had seen to that. They had broken her until she was beyond repair both physically and mentally.

"So you miss your silent little friend do you?" the Death Eater was crouching before her now, his voice much closer and what felt like long fingers lifting her chin to force her to show her tear-streaked face.

"Leave him alone," she said with a timid squeak.

The man laughed that spite filled laugh again and Jess couldn't help but shudder.

"Oh we don't want him. We want what he's got inside of him. We want the power not the vessel."

"He...He doesn't have it," Jess stammered through her flowing tears, "the sapper at my clinic t-took it. It's gone."

"Oh no," the Death Eater sneered in a mocking tone, "really? Well let's all just pack up and go home shall we?"

"It's true!" Jess cried out as the Death Eater grabbed a handful of her curly haystack of hair and yanked her forwards so she could feel his breath on her face, "That's why he was taken to the hospital. He was drained and he took everything, he took the witch's power and some of Ron's..." Jess broke down as she re-told the story, "...Now he's practically dead and he can't help you. He can't give you what you want, just leave him alone please!"

"One of us saw him when he was brought back to St Mungo's you ignorant child," the dark wizard snarled, his breath smelled like stale cigars and almost made her throw up all over herself, "he still had the scars. It's in the scars and always will be until we drain him dry."

"No!" Jess whimpered as he hair was released and she fell back against the wall of the cell.

"You said it yourself seer," the voice was further away now, he seemed to be rising to his feet and walking to the door, "his physical self is damaged and his mind has been broken by you and your sapper friend. Just think of it this way dear, we'll be putting a dying dog out of its misery...very, very, slowly."

The door slammed shut and Jess jumped with fright at the loud echoing boom before crumpling into the corner in utter devastation.

Ron pointed at his ear, stroked his chin and made a gripping and pulling motion away from himself.

"Yes Ron," Hermione nodded as she pulled up a chair to sit beside Ron's bed, "they took the deaf man as well as Jess."

Ron bit his lip anxiously as he signed the letter 'P' by making a small 'o' with his index finger and thumb and then putting it at the fingertip of his other index finger and giving a thumbs up.

"Percy's going to be fine Ron, I swear, he's just telling the Aurors everything he knows and then he'll be right up to see you okay?"

Ron nodded but still didn't look any more relieved. Hermione took in a deep breath and grabbed both of Ron's hands in hers, looking him hard in the eyes with determination.

"They'll find Jess and they'll find the minister and Neville and Kalra will get this immune system thing sorted out for good. I've fixed your heart and made it stronger then it ever was before. Everything's going to be alright understand?"

Ron heaved a weighty sigh and made a pinching gesture away from his throat.

"It will be!" Hermione insisted as she jumped up from her seat and set herself on the edge of Ron's bed to force his gaze to remain with her, "Ron nobody's taking you anywhere. Nobody's going to get anywhere near you and those Death Eaters who escaped will be rounded up and put away for ever."

Ron made a fist with an extended index finger over his heart before shrugging and waving his arms around him, at not only his surroundings but the whole situation. Hermione hugged him close to her and felt him resting his head on her shoulder.

"I don't know why this is happening love but I won't let you worry about it. I want you to know that we're all on top of this and the entire Auror department are either guarding you or searching for Jess and the minister..."

Ron pulled away and seemed annoyed at what she was telling him. He drew a circle in the air with his finger before gesturing away from himself with it and rubbing the top of his fist with his palm and crossing his arms over one another.

"Lots of them are trying to find the hideout," Hermione tried to explain, "but Moody's absolutely right to leave the others guarding the hospital."

Ron shook his head adamantly before gesturing to himself with both hands and then clenching his fists and then opening them flat and moving them up and down. He made a big gesture around himself before pounding upon his chest with both fists, knocking on his head with his knuckles, and covering his face with his fingers splayed.

"This isn't your fault!" Hermione snapped at him, "You didn't ask for this power and you weren't being stupid, you've nothing to be ashamed of Ron, you were not in your right mind when you summoned that brain to you and that was the Death Eater's fault not yours."

Ron put his hands flat and moved them up and down again before prodding himself in the chest with his finger.

"You are not the reason everybody's life is in danger. The Death Eaters are the reason. They are the reason Harry got hurt, and Percy and Jess and the twins and you Ron. You have been hurt by these monsters more then anybody else and I will not have you taking the blame for any of this."

She was almost shaking with frustration at Ron's determination to persecute himself. Ron sat forward in his bed and hunched over while bringing his knees up to rest his chin upon thoughtfully. He sat like that for a full minute before turning to give Hermione a halfhearted smile and signing the letter 'J' and then moving his hand away from his chest with splayed fingers. Then he struck a powerful pose with his arms before dropping them down despondently.

"Yes," Hermione said sadly as she put her arm around Ron and hugged him gently, "she's really brave and strong. She'll be fine. She survived them once before didn't she?"

Ron nodded as he turned to look at Hermione with a grateful smile for her words of reassurance before his face suddenly fell and he blinked and looked at her as if she was something alien to him.

"What?" Hermione asked.

Ron was looking both amused and confused at once as he quickly pointed from Hermione back to himself and held his hand over his heart. Then he broke into a wide but apprehensive grin. Hermione flushed in the face.

"Yes I did," she said primly at Ron's sudden realisation that she had earlier called him 'love'.

Ron was still in a state of shocked amusement at this as he shrugged and made a movement like breaking a twig with both hands.

"What do you mean when did that start?" Hermione huffed as she shifted around on the bed to face him full on.

Ron threw both arms wide and shrugged again with a shake of the head.

"Well...I..." Hermione's mouth was flapping open and closed while she struggled to articulate the truth for him, "...While you were...I didn't know I was doing it until I caught myself doing it every day I came to see you and now I can't stop."

Ron's amusement gave way completely to intrigue now and he narrowed his eyes and blinked at her.

"I started doing it while I was talking to you all that time. When you weren't listening," she lowered her head and sighed.

She saw Ron taking her hands from her lap and putting them over his heart with a smile. She almost giggled and Ron broke into a grin and shook his head before seeming to steal himself to do something. He took a deep breath in and let it out before putting his hand on top of hers where they still rested over his heart and pointed at her. Then he feigned annoyance and tapped the side of his head with his thumb.

"I know!" Hermione nodded apologetically, "I know you do Ron. I love you too."

Ron seemed to wince as he looked away from her momentarily and then turned back to meet her eyes as he crossed his arms over each other and moved them away horizontally before pointing from his lips to her.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione frowned, "You say it all the time."

He shook his head sadly and made the sign from his lips to her once again. Hermione felt her heart constrict inside her chest as she understood what he was saying to her.

"Just because you didn't get to say it when you had a voice doesn't mean I don't know you do. I don't need to have heard you say it Ron. I know it."

Ron lowered his eyes and made a pinching gesture at his throat before pointing from his lips to Hermione again.

"I wish you could have told me that way too but it doesn't make any difference. I still know, I knew then, and whether we sign it or we say it; it means the same both ways."

Hermione lifted Ron's chin and pointed at herself before putting both hands to her heart and then pointing them both at Ron with the deepest look of sincerity in her eyes. Ron smiled and nodded before mouthing the words back to her silently.

That would have been the perfect time for them to have a smooch but Percy and the twins ruined the mood by barging in with armfuls of chocolate for their brother. Ron laughed at them as most of the boxes and bars slipped from their grasp and onto the floor. He turned back to Hermione at his side and pointed at his wrist while twirling his finger clockwise several times. Hermione took his hand in hers and nodded. Ron winked and then turned his attention back to his brothers and chuckled at the mess they were making all over the floor of the ward.

Hermione couldn't wipe the smile off her face at the silent agreement they had just come to.

Later.

Harry was with Neville, Kalra and Ron's parents as they made their way through Moody's security measures to visit Ron's secure room.

"No I insist Healer Kalra," Mrs Weasley was saying as she shook her head with determination, "this is no reflection on the care Ronnie's been given at St Mungo's but I want him moved immediately. It's not safe for him here. They know where to find him."

"And what do you suggest Mrs Weasley?" Healer Kalra said, tiring of this insane conversation but still being unable to find a way out of it.

"He comes back home with us of course, we have wards installed by Albus Dumbledore himself!" she said as if it was the most obvious solution possible.

Mr Weasley looked resigned to the livid reaction he was going to get from his wife for not supporting her on this and put his arm around her and gave a short squeeze.

"Molly dear you know that the Burrow's going to be watched night and day, it's ten times the risk that St Mungo's is to Ron's safety."

"My home is the safest place there is for my family Arthur Weasley!" Mrs Weasley snapped as she turned on her husband ferociously.

"Mrs Weasley he didn't mean it that way really," Harry tried to intervene while the husband flinched underneath his wife's accusatory glare, "but I have to say I agree with him. They do know he's here and they will try to get to him but they won't be able to do it. They'll know if he's at the Burrow the second he arrives and they'll get him within the hour, Dumbledore's wards or not."

Neville nodded and then stopped when he met Mrs Weasley's hurt eyes. She muttered something about being perfectly capable to protect her own children in her own home and stormed off down the corridor to fling Ron's door open and resume fussing over him. She was still absolutely horrified at the idea that her young, fit and healthy baby boy had suffered a massive heart attack at twenty years old. Magically induced or not it was still a shocking thing for Harry to get his head around.

"I'm sorry Healer Kalra, "Mr Weasley was saying to the worn down wizard, "this isn't about you or the hospital or the Aurors' competence at security. It's all her worst fears happening at once and there being nothing she can do about it."

Kalra nodded.

"Don't worry Arthur, I had a mother too, I understand completely."

Harry and Neville shared a slight chuckle with each other as they reached Ron's room and Neville was pulled aside by his mentor to discuss the next brain treatment Ron was to receive while Mr Weasley stepped inside to attempt to prevent his wife from suffocating Ron with her concern. Harry wasn't even in the door yet when the twins came rushing out with fearful looks on their faces.

"I wouldn't if I were you Harry, she's going off on one about the mess we made in there!" Fred said as they hurried down the corridor and towards the lifts.

Percy stepped out with a wry shake of the head and closed the door behind him on seeing Harry waiting outside.

"Um, I was just going to..." Harry pointed over Percy's shoulder at the closed door.

"We need to talk," Percy said anxiously.

Harry nodded.

"Okay, let's go to the cafeteria."