'- You said he was going to be FINE! YOU SAID 'FINE'!

- I know Mrs Weasley, I know but I only was talking about his physical health. I did not think that his psyche would suffer any damages…

- It is your JOB, isn't it? To think about that kind of stuff!

- Hermione, please stay calm.

- No, I won't stay calm Harry! This rubbish doctor said that he was not gonna have any damages and it's quite the opposite! My husband has amnesia! AMNESIA!'

Harry Potter prevented his glasses to fall from his nose, without nourishing his bestfriend confusion. He turned himself toward the doctor who was beginning to feel scared by Hermione's rage.

'- Sincerely doctor, thank you for everything. She is shocked but don't worry. We know that these things can happen, it is just that we are completely distressed by the news…

- I completely understand Mr Potter.' The physician answered, looking at Hermione sitting down on the bench in St. Mango's Hospital hallway where they were talking. 'We have done every medical examination and nothing more can be done. It is a psyche reaction mechanism after the incident. It is not final. We are certain that his memory will be restored, it just needs to be correctly stimulated.'

Hermione exhaled loudly.

'- How long will it take?

- Honestly Mrs Weasley I do not know. Everything can come back to him tomorrow or step-by-step in the next few years. The brain is an unknown organ that nobody really understands yet… We only get a very small portion of all its capabilities…'

The look that Hermione gave him was one of the worst looks that doctors have to witness in their everyday job. Even though they usually get to announce very bad news to people, Hermione's tired eyes, filled with tears of helplessness, tears of incomprehension, deeply touched the doctor. Even tears dropping after learning about one's death were sometimes not as heartbreaking as these ones.

'- I am deeply sorry Mrs Weasley. Mr Potter, I need to check on my other patients but I will give you my personal card if you have any other questions.'

He gave Harry a small white card, put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. She looked at him and he gently smiled at her, trying to comfort her.

'- If I may Mrs Weasley, your husband is strong. I am certain that his situation will quickly come to an end…'

A tear felt on Hermione's cheek when she whispered:

'- Thank you. Sorry I got mad, I know you are a very competent physician and that you did everything you could to help him.'

She shook the doctor's hand before he left to visit other rooms. She exhaled again, stood up and followed Harry into Room 223. Harry slowly pushed the door and entered with Hermione by his side. They stayed at the entrance of the room, witnessing the exchange between the nurse and the patient in the bed.

'- Very well Mr Weasley. You do remember your name, don't you?'

The man in the man rearranged his ginger hairs, thinking about the question the nurse asked him.

'- I've been told it's Ron Weasley…

- Yes indeed! You are called Ronald Weasley, but everyone calls you Ron.' The nurse explained while looking towards Harry and Hermione for approval. 'Do you remember why you are in the hospital?'

Ron did not think about his answer.

'- Yes, I had an accident on my motorcycle late in the night.

- Indeed Mr Weasley. I am now leaving you with your family.'

Ron followed her by glance while she was heading to leave the room, stopping a few minutes close to the man and woman standing near his bedroom door, who were present when he woke up a few hours ago. Before they started to ask too many questions, on things he could not remember.

'- The fact that he remembers why he's here is excellent news Madam. It means that his short-term memory is perfectly functioning. His accident would have created a trauma that would have made him forget everything before that event. But this is temporary. His long-term memory will be back, he's gonna remember who he is, who you are, if he is stimulated. That is why you should bring him home, in a familiar environment, with familiar faces…'

Harry agreed while Hermione could not take her eyes off Ron, sitting on his hospital bed. Physically nothing had changed. He was still ginger-haired, his eyes were still blue, his lips still light pink, his freckles were still numerous on his nose and cheeks. His face was a bit paler than usual, but only because of the accident he had been involved in. The only clue that could give away that he has been involved in an accident was his arm sling, visible below the bed sheets. He seemed lost in his thoughts but, as he was feeling Hermione gaze, their eyes met each other. While they were looking at each other, Hermione's mind wandered. Ron had not changed, but when he was looking at her, he had no clue of who she was. For him, she was just a regular person who was standing beside his bed when he woke up.

She thanked the nurse alongside Harry and they both stepped towards Ron's bed who was looking at them. The dark-haired man with glasses talked first.

'- So Ron, how are you feeling?

- I… Fine, yeah I feel good. But… But I don't remember anything… Who… Who are you?'

Hermione could help snorting, looked at Harry and then turned to Ron, and explained, tears in her voice.

'- He is Harry Potter. He is my best friend, our best friend. And I… I am Hermione. Hermione Granger. I'm… your wife…

- My wife?!' repeated Ron, surprised.

Hermione looked down, a bit hurt by his words.

'- That is the reason why you look so sad that I've forgotten everything then…'

Hermione suddenly looked up again and got lost a few seconds in his profound blue eyes. Ron, embarrassed by her stare, turned to Harry who was tenderly smiling.

'- Do I have to stay in the hospital?

- No, you are allowed to go out. The doctor said that your amnesia is not permanent. You need to spend time with your family, in familiar places… Before, I mean… And that it will come back slowly.

- I get it… So I'll follow… you?

- If you agree, we will stop by your apartment to get some clothes and then go to the Burrow.

- The Burrow?'

Hermione asked:

'- Do you remember something about the Burrow?

- No… well it sounds familiar…'

Hermione had a weak smile while Harry was encouragingly smiling at him. He helped Ron to get out of his bed. They walked out of the hospital and jumped into Harry's car in the parking lot. They soon arrived in front of an apartment door in London city center. Hermione took out a key from her purse and then hesitated to put the key in the keyhole. She looked at Harry who encouraged her with a smile. She expulsed all her air and entered the living-room, followed by Harry and Ron, amazed by how much he had forgotten.

Harry showed him around the house, presenting each and every room, telling him some stories (the ones he knew), while Hermione had directly gone to the kitchen.

'- And so the tour finishes with the kitchen… Nothing really weird in that room, it's just a kit…'

Hermione seemed surprised by both men and turned her back to them, before they saw her tears.

'- A regular kitchen. Are you alright Hermione ?

- Yeah, yeah…' she answered way too quickly for her words to be honest. She snorted and suggested 'Do you want to drink something? Coffee? Water?'

Harry looked at Ron for his drink order but he was looking at Hermione. The dark-haired man answered:

'- I think we should go to the Burrow. Mr and Mrs Weasley must be going crazy, we promised to arrive before lunch.'

Hermione agreed while Ron turned to Harry, ready to follow him. When the men were about to leave the kitchen, Hermione talked:

'- Harry? I… I think I will not come with you. I'm gonna stay here… quietly…'

Harry exchanged a glance with Ron's lost glance, understanding beyond his best friend's words.

'- Alright, no problem. I'll find an excuse.

- No, no, don't lie for me. I feel tired today and I know I won't be of good company, I know it. Say I'm sorry to everyone. Thanks Harry.'

She silently walked them to the door. Harry tried to look into her eyes but could not. She only raised her head to close the door and she noticed Ron's eyes, scanning her. She looked away and closed the door, they heard the locker and headed to the elevator. No one talked until they were sitting in Harry's car again, driving to Loustry St Chaspoule, in the London suburbs, where The Burrow was. Strangely, Ron talked first:

'- Hermione is mad at me for getting into the accident and forgetting everything, isn't she?

- No, she is not mad at you. She knows it is not your fault!

- Yeah but it makes her sad. She was crying in the kitchen, right?'

Harry took a few seconds to answer:

'- Yeah, I think she was… What makes her sad is that we are not sure that every memory will come back to you. She is scared, I think. She's scared that your memory doesn't come back and that your marriage won't survive this test…

- There were a lot of tests?

- Believe me they were… Here we are! Welcome home! Welcome to the Burrow!'

Ron looked at the house standing in front of them, it seemed crooked and asked himself how it was still standing up. A lot of cars were parked in the courtyard, Harry drove by them and stopped his car.

'- I think all your family is here!

- My family is big?' asked Ron, some worries in his voice.

As an answer, Harry bursted into laughter. They went out of the car and headed to the entrance door. Before Harry even knocked, it opened and they met with a chubby ginger-haired lady who was looking at them with tears in her eyes.

'- Oh my darlings, here you are. We were worried sick!

- Sorry Mrs Weasley, we had to stop by the apartment to pick some clothes for Ron. I think that he needs to stay here for a few days.

- Of course, of course! I understand! Come in, come in my darlings, everybody is waiting for you.'

They entered the house and Harry told Ron:

'- Here you go Ron, the house where you grew up. This is Molly, your mother.'

Ron shook his head, kind of intimidated by the lady who had opened the door. The latter held him tightly into his arm without saying a word and went to the living-room. Ron followed her but Harry hold him back a few seconds and said:

'- Ron, it is better to warn you. You have quite a big family and it may be really tiring for you. When you're tired, you've had enough, you tell me and I will show you your room so you can rest peacefully, ok?

- Don't worry Harry. Everything will be fine, I'm sure of that!'

Harry shook his head and they both joined Mrs Weasley in the living room with the entire family. Harry did the introductions. Everyone was here, Ginny, Georges and Angelina, Percy, Penelope and their daughter Molly, Bill, Fleur and Victoire and of course Mr Weasley. Ron met all these people, reassured them on his health and apologized sometimes for not understanding or not remembering. At the end of the lunch, even though no souvenirs had come back, he felt at home. He was certain that his souvenirs would come back and everything would be forgotten. For coffee, everyone moved to the living room again and Ron joined Harry and Ginny on the couch. Ron's sister was tenderly smiling.

They happily talked and were soon joined by the little Molly who asked to sit on Ron's lap. While feeling a bit embarrassed, he did not say a word and took her up his legs. Understanding his feelings, Harry told him discreetly:

'- You are her godfather, you guys are quite close. She looks up to you and wishes to become exactly like you when older.'

Ron smiled tenderly at the little girl who asked him:

'- Why is Aunty Hermione not there, Uncle Ron?

- Hermione? She did not feel good, she was tired so she stayed at home to rest…'

The childhood innocence prevented little Molly from understanding but the adults correctly understood that being tired was not the only reason for Hermione's absence.

His mother tenderly smiled at Ron. He asked Harry for a tour of the house. Ginny joined them while every conversation was starting again in the living room. The home-tour was really interesting for Ron because Ginny would add some stories in every room, stories from when they were little, allowing him to better picture his youth and growing up in this house. The afternoon went by quickly and the dinner was rapidly served. Around 9pm, everybody decided to go home. Ron agreed to stay a few days with his parents, in his childhood home, getting familiar again with his family. They all agreed on a big reunion the next Sunday and everybody went home.

Ron stayed alone with his parents close to the fire, without doing or saying anything. It seemed familiar to him and he liked it. His father was reading the evening news and his mother was washing the dishes in the kitchen.

'- Ronnie, honey?

- Yes mum." Ron answered, going to the kitchen under the surprised stare of his father.

'- Honey, could you help and dry this stove, I cannot reach the bottom.'

The father joined his younger son and wife in the kitchen and asked:

'- You remember 'Ronnie', Ron?'

Ron looked at him, without understanding but then he had a big smile on his face.

'- Of course I do… It's my nickname, right?

- Yes, I've always called you 'Ronnie'...

- I remember. When I was little, you called me that and I really didn't like it'

With teary eyes, Molly hugged her son and Arthur put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

TO BE CONTINUED

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