My beta-readers, fredfred and InquisitorCOC, deserve a huge thank you. They helped a lot, despite the increasingly crazy times we're going through.
Chapter 41: The Meetings
Black Lake, Scotland, Wizarding World, December 23rd, 2005
They appeared at a familiar spot in the woods - right in front of the portal. Ron quickly checked their surroundings before he reloaded and holstered his pistol. "That could've gone better," he said.
"If we'd let the Aurors arrest us, they'd have seen through our disguises," Hermione replied. She looked shaken, though - and she hadn't holstered her wand. "The hag would've told them all about my attempt to buy a unicorn horn. She was probably in league with the thugs."
He frowned. The ambush had seemed a little too organised for a mere spur-of-the-moment assault. On the other hand… "But would she have sent them after us if she thought that we were undercover Aurors?"
He saw her press her lips together and frown as well: She agreed with his reasoning but didn't like being wrong. "It wasn't an assassination attempt, at least - if it had been, they would've struck as soon as we left the store. And they also would've brought more attackers, I think."
"A random robbery?" That didn't quite sound believable.
"I think they might've been motivated by more than just greed," Hermione said.
Ah. "Purebloods attacking muggleborns?"
"It's possible. I'm sure you noticed that there were no obvious muggleborns in the Alley."
"Yes." And the Alley had seemed poor. Such areas could easily breed violence against foreigners - or muggleborns, in this case. "We should've asked around before entering the Alley," he said.
She pursed her lips. "I should've considered that things might have changed. In my time, there were as many muggleborns and half-bloods as there were purebloods in Knockturn Alley. More, once the bigots took power. But if I had asked Harry and Ron, they would've realised that I planned to go there."
"They'll know that we were responsible," he told her. "A man and a woman, one of them using a pistol? I don't think there'll be many possible suspects."
"We were in disguise," she retorted.
"That won't help. It might be enough that they can't prove it, but they'll know." Ron and Harry's counterparts weren't stupid.
She closed her eyes and winced. "That's exactly what I wanted to avoid. I just wanted to brew the potion and conclude our deal, so we don't owe Dumbledore and Grindelwald anything any more."
"Without your friends knowing the details of what you were planning to do."
"Yes," she spat, then wiped her eyes.
He pretended not to notice. After a moment, he asked: "How do you think they'll react?"
She bit her lower lip. "I don't know. They agreed to hide the portal from the Ministry, but this..."
"Well, we didn't kill or hurt an Auror. We killed the robbers, though."
"That was self-defence," she replied. With a scoff, she added: "And I don't think that the Ministry cares a lot about the lives of Knockturn Alley criminals. It didn't before, and it doesn't seem as if things have changed - just the sort of people trapped in the Alley."
"But you don't know for sure."
"No, I don't," she admitted with a sigh.
"Well, I think we'll need to discuss this with the others. Including Dumbledore."
He didn't like it, but it seemed like it was the best choice. And Ron's world was outside the jurisdiction of Wizarding Britain.
Hermione nodded in agreement.
Black Lake, Scotland, December 23rd, 2005
"...and then we came here," Hermione finished. "I've got the potions that will deal with most of your health issues, but without the unicorn horn, I cannot brew the potion that will effectively prolong your life."
Dumbledore ran a hand over his short beard. "That's an unfortunate complication. Although I don't think there's been too much harm done. You were attacked by a group of criminals and defended yourselves. And, still caught up in the fighting, you panicked and overreacted when the Aurors arrived. I'm sure your friends will understand."
It was a good story. A judge would buy it, Ron was sure - especially after all they had gone through.
Hermione, though, didn't seem convinced. "It's not about the fight. It's about buying restricted ingredients. I should have gone to France for this. Or Prussia."
"Prussia?" Grindelwald spoke up.
"Magical Prussia. Magical Germany was never united," she explained.
"Oh. Does that mean we never lost the Eastern Territories? East Prussia, Silesia, Posen?" The old man looked even more eager than he had when Hermione had mentioned the potion she wanted to brew.
"Not to my knowledge. Although a lot of those areas never became part of Prussia, either - Magical Poland was never partitioned," Hermione replied.
"Oh." Grindelwald frowned at that, while, or so it seemed, Dumbledore hid a grin.
"While German geography is fascinating, I think we should focus on the matter at hand," the old spymaster suggested.
"Yes," Ron agreed. "How do we handle our magical counterparts?" They needed a plan before the wizards and witches arrived at the portal.
"I don't want to lie to my friends," Hermione said. "And I think they'll understand."
"But you're not certain," Grindelwald countered. "And you'd prefer to not tell them everything, wouldn't you?"
"Our deal doesn't concern them," she replied.
"I don't know if they would agree," Dumbledore commented. "You did attempt to break the law, as you said."
Hermione winced, then pressed her lips together. "We did worse during the war."
"But you're not at war any more. At least your friends aren't." Dumbledore steepled his fingers and put his elbows on the table.
"They'll understand," Hermione repeated herself.
Ron hoped that she was correct.
"We should close the portal until we're ready," Grindelwald suggested. "Otherwise, Miss Lovegood will once again attempt to 'show our world to her twin', as she put it."
"She did?" Ron blinked. Last he'd heard, Luna was with wizarding Luna visiting the latter's father - and their menagerie.
"Miss Lovegood is rather spontaneous," Dumbledore said, "and her counterpart seems to be cut from the same cloth. Although I managed to convince her that she should coordinate any extended trips with Dr Granger, if only to be sure they won't encounter unanticipated difficulties."
That wouldn't stop Luna forever, of course.
Hermione shook her head. "We can't close the portal. They might overreact to that."
"Or move in to secure the site," Dumbledore added. "We have to assume that they are aware of the portal's location by now. I think we should act preemptively and contact your friends."
Hermione sighed.
Black Lake, Scotland, Wizarding World, December 23rd, 2005
Compared to the last time they had met Hermione's friends, the situation felt noticeably tenser, Ron couldn't help but notice as they approached the meeting spot. Hermione was a bundle of nerves, he could tell. And Ron himself wondered what he'd do if things went from bad to worse, and it came to a fight. Could he shoot Hermione's friends? Could Harry, who was covering them from the next cove?
Hell, this reminded him of the set-up of that disastrous meeting with Bones in the park. Bloody hell - now he was nervous as well.
"It's a nice afternoon for a stroll, wouldn't you say? Despite the occasion, I mean."
Dumbledore, of course, wasn't - or was able to hide whatever he really felt. The old man acted as if this was, at most, a pleasant detour. Well, that would only help them. Or so Ron hoped.
"No one's hiding under a Disillusionment Charm," Hermione whispered as they approached the small cove. "Although I wouldn't be able to detect Harry if he uses his Cloak."
"Right." So they couldn't be sure that they were alone. Ron put his hand near his gun again.
"We're a little early, I believe," Dumbledore told them, making a show of checking the time.
"Better early than late," Hermione replied. She looked around, then waved her wand, and a bench appeared out of nowhere. Conjured.
"Thank you, Dr Granger," Dumbledore said. "I'm not as spry as I was ten years ago."
Hermione's curt nod mirrored Ron's reaction - that reminder was a little too blunt for Dumbledore. Which meant, of course, that the old man had wanted it to be blunt, but Ron couldn't think of a reason for that.
Before he found one, he heard the sound of Apparition, and two men - wizarding Harry and wizarding Ron - appeared about ten yards away from them.
"Harry. Ron," Hermione greeted them.
Ron suppressed a wince - it was obvious that she was feeling guilty.
And judging by the way the two wizards nodded, they had noticed. "Hermione," wizarding Harry said, "you wanted to talk to us."
"Yes." She took a deep breath. "We got into a fight in Knockturn Alley."
"We gathered," Ron's counterpart told her. "I mean, we didn't know, but… A couple, man with a firearm, woman with a wand, taking down four thugs and two Aurors?"
"One Auror," Ron pointed out, "and that was an accident."
"An accident?" wizarding Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.
Ron shrugged. "Reflex - we'd just been ambushed, then someone suddenly appeared screaming at us…"
"I panicked," Hermione said. "But I only stunned her."
"Right. And why did you panic?" wizarding Harry asked.
"We were in a fight," Ron told him, narrowing his eyes.
"It didn't have anything to do with the attempt to buy a unicorn horn?" the wizard asked.
"We need one," Hermione explained. "And it's not as if we're about to go poach one, now are we?"
"Of course not," wizarding Ron said, though he sounded less than a hundred per cent convinced, at least to Ron.
"And why do you need a unicorn horn?" wizarding Harry asked.
"Ricklestorf's Restoration Potion," Hermione replied.
"But that requires… Oh. You still have the feathers," wizarding Ron blurted out.
"Yes."
Wizarding Harry frowned. "That's a restricted potion."
"I'm not planning to brew it in Britain," Hermione replied. "It's not restricted in the other world."
"But you were planning to buy a unicorn horn here - which is also restricted."
Hermione pressed her lips together, which was answer enough.
"I believe we'll find alternate sources," Dumbledore cut in. "Dr Granger was merely a little too hasty in her attempt to provide me with assistance."
Both wizards looked at the old man. "Ah," wizarding Ron said. "You put her up to this."
Well, he wasn't entirely wrong.
Hermione, of course, disagreed. "No!" she retorted sharply. "I offered them the potion."
"So they'd keep your families safe and help you build the portal." Wizarding Harry shook his head.
"I would say that it was an added incentive," Dumbledore said - his smile hadn't changed at all. "Although there was never any question of letting the Russians get their hands on her."
And didn't that have a nasty alternative meaning?
"I made the offer," Hermione repeated herself, glaring at just about everyone except Ron. "We made a deal."
"You didn't mention the potion when we talked about this," wizarding Ron pointed out. "Just some Healing." Hermione didn't reply. She was pressing her lips together and frowning. "You could've asked us for help," he went on in a softer voice.
"You're Aurors. You're not supposed to break the law," she told them.
"And you're supposed to?" Wizarding Harry frowned like Harry did, Ron noticed, not for the first time.
"I don't work for the Ministry."
"We kind of expect everyone to abide by the law," wizarding Ron pointed out, "not just Ministry employees. Although they were usually the worst criminals, to be fair."
"We did worse than buy restricted ingredients during the war."
"Attempting to buy ingredients," Ron corrected her. Everyone but Dumbledore frowned at him, so he shrugged. If his counterpart could crack a bad joke, then so could he.
"But there isn't a war going on any more," wizarding Harry said.
"Not in Wizarding Britain, perhaps." Hermione scoffed. "But we were engaged in a veritable war in the other world. Dozens were killed in the last attack."
"Well, officially, it was an attack by 'foreign criminals', but no one with the necessary clearance would doubt that it was an attack on British soil by Russian military assets," Dumbledore commented. "Some would even call that an invasion, I believe."
In response, both wizards glared at the old man. "And you need that potion for your war?" Wizarding Ron scoffed.
"I'm a very old man," Dumbledore told him. "As is my partner. If we die, the Grangers and Weasleys, as well as Mr Black and Mr Potter, will be left without support and protection. More importantly, though, I have no doubt that Her Majesty's Government would quickly take control of the portal - or attempt to do so - for a variety of reasons and purposes, not all of them beneficial to other worlds."
"Even with that potion, you won't live forever," wizarding Harry pointed out.
"But long enough to arrange things so that our deaths won't cause too much of a problem for Dr Granger and her extended interdimensional family." The old spymaster's smile widened. "What amounts to buying an antique made of ivory is a rather small affair in comparison, is it not?"
Well, some members of Greenpeace probably considered it a crime against humanity, or so Ron had been told by Percy. "And I don't really believe that all the unicorn horns St Mungo's uses for their stocks of that potion were that old," Ron added. Wizards or muggles, that wasn't how such things worked.
The two wizards didn't like hearing that - Ron could tell from the glares aimed at him and Dumbledore. "You could've asked us for help, Hermione! It's not as if we'd arrest you!" his counterpart exclaimed.
"I'm sorry. I just..." She shook her head again, and Ron heard her sigh. "I just wanted to finish this quickly, without dragging you into it."
Wizarding Harry and wizarding Ron exchanged a glance and a wince, Ron noted. He saw his counterpart open his mouth, then hesitate before saying: "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know? I'm sure we've told you that before."
Hermione nodded, sighing again. "I know. Just… I'm sorry."
And they hugged. All three of them. He could see the tension drain out of Hermione - she must have been really worried about her friends' anger over this, Ron realised.
But he also realised, seeing their glares over Hermione's shoulder, that they blamed Dumbledore for this.
And Ron himself.
"So I'll have to travel to Prussia," Hermione said a few minutes later, seated on another conjured bench. "Berlin's Alte Strasse has a reputation as a trade hub for Eastern Europe."
"What about France?" Ron asked.
"They passed stricter laws since the war," wizarding Ron said. "Prussia's your best bet - well, Scandinavia might work as well, but they don't like us right now."
Right. They had mentioned the werewolf issue, Ron remembered.
"And it's all legal, as long as you don't brew the potion in Britain," wizarding Harry added.
Ron glared at the wizard. Hermione already knew that she had messed up. Well, so had Ron himself.
"Yes."
"Prussia… Gellert would love to visit, for old time's sake." Dumbledore was looking out at the lake as he spoke, Ron noted.
"Out of the question!" wizarding Ron snapped. "If anyone recognises you - either of you - it'll be an international incident!"
"Really? Our respective counterparts are both dead, are they not?"
"Grindelwald still has followers in Prussia," wizarding Harry said. "If a rumour starts that he is alive - or has returned from death, like Voldemort…"
"Some idiot would try to start a revolution," Ron's counterpart finished for his friend.
"Ah. That's unfortunate." Dumbledore sighed.
Even though Hermione looked surprised herself, Ron was sure that the old man had been aware of that already. Somehow.
Ron shrugged and changed the subject. "The Aurors were quite quick to show up," he said. "I thought Knockturn Alley wasn't patrolled that often." At least that had been Hermione's experience, as she had shared with him.
"Oh." His counterpart shrugged. "Someone called them when they saw the thugs following you. They didn't want a dead muggleborn in the alley - that tends to lead to more trouble for everyone there since the Aurors aren't gentle when investigating a possible hate crime."
Ah. Ron nodded - he knew what the wizard meant. And… he glanced to his side. Yes, Hermione didn't like it. At all. He knew her well enough to judge that frown's meaning.
She didn't voice her thoughts about that, though. "We still need a discreet Healer, too. The potions I bought will deal with a lot of ailments, but not everything."
"Yeah," wizarding Ron said with a frown, "if they recognise their patients…"
"Well, I wouldn't expect many to recognise Gellert, seeing as his counterpart was left isolated in prison for decades until he died, but I fear my own counterpart was a little too much of a public figure for the same obscurity," Dumbledore said.
"Don't count on Grindelwald not being recognised," wizarding Harry retorted. "Prussia published pictures of his body in an attempt to disprove the rumour that he had escaped his prison following Dumbledore's death."
Hermione frowned. "I didn't know that."
"It happened after the war," the wizard told her. "The rumours had been going around for some time."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Ron's counterpart nodded. "In some countries, our victory over Voldemort was seen as a successful revolution against the Ministry. That caused some trouble."
"Technically, it was a successful insurgency - we were fighting the Ministry," Hermione pointed out. "In any case, do you know a Healer we can trust not to betray us? Or who would not mind being obliviated?"
"The latter would be preferable," Dumbledore added. "Everyone has a price, after all, and you cannot betray a secret you do not know."
"We can't exactly ask someone if they mind being obliviated," wizarding Ron said, shaking his head. "That's the same as telling them that we have something to hide, and since your return will be announced tomorrow…"
"...they'll make the connection." Hermione frowned, biting her lower lip.
Ron nodded. They would already be under scrutiny, and if rumours about shady dealings started up...
"Do you need their consent?" Dumbledore asked, raising his eyebrows. "I didn't think that that was a requirement when you removed a muggle's memory."
Both wizards frowned at the old man, who merely kept smiling politely. "It's legal when done to protect the Statute of Secrecy," wizarding Harry said. "But there are no laws that cover doing so to protect the secret of the portal."
"Well, I was tasked by Her Majesty's Government to protect the secrets of my country using any and all means at my disposal, if necessary." Dumbledore cocked his head slightly to the side. "While I have since retired from service, an argument could be made that, absent other options, even as a civilian, I have to do what has to be done to protect my country. And that certainly covers keeping news of a potential invasion route from spreading to potential invaders."
Wizarding Harry and wizarding Ron blinked at the old spymaster. "That's…" Ron's counterpart started, then shook his head. "...twisted."
"The end doesn't justify the means," wizarding Harry added with a glare.
"Unless it involves the Statute of Secrecy?" Dumbledore's smile grew a little wider.
"It seems only fair to respect another world's laws," Ron couldn't help pointing out.
"Planning to obliviate someone without their consent after they have healed you isn't remotely fair," wizarding Harry retorted.
"It's also for their own protection," Hermione added. "But, in any case, do you have a better solution?"
"We could ask Madam Pomfrey," wizarding Ron suggested. "She knows her stuff and she won't betray you."
"Unless forced to by magic or other means," Dumbledore said. "If you trust her, then others will know that she might be your favourite Healer, and plan accordingly."
"She's at Hogwarts - the school provides good protection," wizarding Harry replied.
"Unless a Dark Lord like Voldemort wants to break in," wizarding Ron said. His friend frowned at him, and he shrugged. "Hey - just being fair."
Wizarding Harry shook his head. "Aren't you planning to cast the Fidelius Charm anyway?" he asked Hermione.
The Fidelius Charm?
"It's an option I've been considering," she replied. "But it's a little more complicated than merely hiding your home. I don't even know if it works across dimensions." She looked at Ron and Dumbledore. "The Fidelius Charm protects a secret - absolutely. It's most often used to hide a house from anyone not privy to the secret."
"Saved my family during the war," wizarding Ron added. "The Death Eaters couldn't find them. Dad told me that one time they were standing right by the fence - didn't even hear the twins' taunts."
"That sounds like a very useful spell," Dumbledore commented. He was likely wondering, just as Ron was, why they hadn't heard of it before.
"It's not without its drawbacks," Hermione told him. She sounded a little defensive. "Apart from not knowing whether it works across dimensions, the wording of the secret is very important, and the spell is very difficult to cast - especially if it's a secret known by many people. And once you have cast it, only one person can reveal the secret to others. They can write it down, so you can show it to others, but that creates potential problems of its own. And if they die, everyone in the know becomes a Secret Keeper."
It didn't look like Dumbledore considered those hindrances to be significant drawbacks. Ron wasn't sure if he disagreed with that stance.
But he was more concerned about the fact that Hermione hadn't told him about this spell.
"But even if we can use the Fidelius Charm, we still need a Healer now. And I don't want more people to know about the portal," she went on. "Not even Madam Pomfrey."
"You can't lure a Healer through the portal and then obliviate them," wizarding Harry stated.
"But it would be fine if it were a muggle?" Hermione retorted. "You could hire a muggle healer to help a wizard, and then obliviate them afterwards?"
Wizarding Ron and wizarding Harry exchanged a glance. They didn't look happy. "That's because of the Statute of Secrecy," Ron's counterpart replied. "You know how the ICW reacts if they think it's threatened."
"I'm aware of that," Hermione told him.
For the next few seconds, no one said anything. Then Dumbledore spoke up: "I'm certain we'll find a way to acquire the services we need without breaking any laws which you're bound to enforce," he said.
"How?" wizarding Ron asked.
"We're still working on that." Butter wouldn't melt in Dumbledore's mouth.
That didn't improve the mood of the two wizards.
"So…" Ron's counterpart broke another brief period of silence. "What now?"
"Since it's getting a little chilly, I think we should return home. If Dr Granger has the time, I think this would be a good opportunity to inform the Grangers of our world, as well as the Weasleys, of recent events." The old spymaster inclined his head. "It would lift their spirits in time for Christmas, I believe."
Hermione jerked a little. "Of course - we haven't contacted them yet because of the surveillance, but if I apparate and use a Disillusionment Charm…"
"You'll have to be very careful, though, to avoid being spotted by any of the observers," Dumbledore pointed out.
"Of course."
"So… we'll see you tomorrow then?" wizarding Harry asked.
"Yes," Hermione replied.
"Just don't get into another fight with an Auror patrol, alright?" Wizarding Ron's laugh at his own joke sounded a little forced to Ron. But it served to further ease the tension.
After a brief exchange of nods with Ron and Dumbledore, and another hug from Hermione, the wizards disapparated.
And Hermione sighed. "That could've gone better."
"It could've gone worse, too," Ron pointed out, then tapped his radio. "We're done, Harry."
"I figured," his friend replied. "About time - it's getting cold here."
"Yes. Let's go back to the portal," Ron told him.
Before the wizards returned and spotted Harry.
Black Lake, Scotland, December 23rd, 2005
"So you think we should hire a Prussian Healer?" Hermione asked as soon as they had stepped through the portal.
"I do believe that's a solution that will satisfy everyone," Dumbledore replied.
"Harry and Ron won't like it."
"But I think they'll accept it. After all, obliviating a German wizard on foreign soil doesn't break any British laws, does it?"
"No, it doesn't. But it's a technicality at best," Hermione said.
Ron shook his head. "It's more than that. It's a question of jurisdiction. If they care about enforcing the law, they have to care about the limits of their jurisdiction."
"Exactly," Dumbledore agreed. "And I do believe that they don't want to prosecute you, so they shouldn't have a problem with such a solution."
"It's not just a question of jurisdiction," Hermione retorted. "It's also a question of trust. I broke their trust by going into Knockturn Alley behind their backs. And now this..."
"I don't think you're expected to report everything you do to them," Ron told her, refraining from adding a more pointed comment.
"I'm also not expected to stun Aurors," she retorted.
"That was an accident, as we have established," Dumbledore cut in.
Harry snorted at that, shaking his head.
"If they want to have a say in what you do, they should help you," Ron said. "More than they are doing."
She sighed. "We're friends, not business partners. It's not supposed to be like that."
"You haven't seen each other for seven years. It'll take some time to grow used to each other once more," Dumbledore said. "However, we should now plan how to meet your respective families without alerting our friends from MI5."
Ottery St Mary, Devon, Britain, December 23rd, 2005
"Your parents haven't arrived yet," Ron said, looking at the patch of grass in front of his parents' home that served as a parking space for visitors.
"It'll take them another hour to reach Devon," Hermione said, lowering her binoculars. "I don't see any surveillance."
"It's MI5. You wouldn't," Ron told her. "They're good."
"Better than CI5?"
He frowned as he glanced at her. "Hey now!" She kept looking at him. Almost smirking. "I'd say in the same league," he said. "Depending on who got tasked with it, of course."
"Ah." She sounded a little doubtful.
He shrugged. "They're in the house on that small hill there."
"How do you know?"
"It's the only house with a good view of ours," he explained, "and it's for rent. And close enough that whoever's there has a chance to intervene in time, should anyone try to attack the house."
"A chance."
He shrugged again. "Mum and Dad won't want them inside the house. And their home is quite safe - Harry and I did some work on the security system. Panic room and everything."
"Oh. And they won't be under surveillance inside?"
"Not unless MI5's people sneaked in and planted some bugs." Which they might have done - Ron had done that sort of thing on similar assignments. "Dad should be checking for them, but…" Dad might not have the same gear as CI5 - or Phoenix Gruppe's special department - had.
"So we need to check for bugs, too, before we reveal ourselves." Hermione sighed. "I could use a spell, but that would be noticed if there were any bugs, since it would cut out all sound."
"I'll look for bugs before you reveal us," he corrected her with a grin.
She rolled her eyes at that but had no comeback. They couldn't just apparate into the house, even if Hermione had been there before. So sneaking in it was. "I feel like a teenager again," he said, chuckling. "Sneaking home after having stayed out too late and hoping I don't get caught."
"As long as you didn't borrow your father's car to take a trip to Little Whinging to break out Harry, you should be fine."
His counterpart had done that? Ron shook his head. "Sirius would have helped us sneak around. In fact, he did so several times." Which was the reason Mum and Sirius didn't get on so well with each other.
"I can imagine."
He didn't have to look at her to know she was pursing her lips. Smirking, he nodded. "Let's go then. Invisible, we can easily reach the back door without anyone being any the wiser." And he knew the codes to get them through the security.
"Alright." She raised her wand, and, for a brief moment, Ron felt as if he were drenched in cold liquid. Then he realised that he couldn't see his own body any more.
Neat.
Another wave and Hermione vanished as well. A little groping around and then they were holding hands so they wouldn't lose each other while making their way to his parents' home. Well, Hermione could use a spell to track him, but he would be lost. And he appreciated the gesture.
They made good time to the edge of the patch of land that went with the house - and where Ron and Harry had installed the first sensor. He pulled out a remote and entered the code without being able to see the pad. Which was easy until he started thinking about it. He managed anyway. "Alright."
He led her through the garden to the back door, where he pulled his phone out and texted Dad.
Go out back for a few minutes, and leave the door open behind you.
To Dad's credit, he didn't hesitate. Ron heard him call out: "I'll just get a bit of air before the Grangers arrive, dear."
Half a minute later, the back door swung open, and Dad stepped out on to the porch.
Ron let him pass them, then pulled Hermione with him as they slipped inside. He let go of her as soon as they were indoors and started to scan for bugs.
He didn't find any bugs, and Dad had lowered the blinds, so MI5 wouldn't be able to listen in by using a laser microphone aimed at the windows. Good enough for Ron.
He returned to the living room, where Dad was sitting in his favourite armchair, and spoke up: "We should be safe from being overheard."
Dad jerked, startled, and looked around. "Ron?"
"Yes. We're invisible," Ron replied.
"Disillusioned," Hermione corrected him, startling Dad once more.
"Ron?" Mum arrived in the doorway, still drying her hands with a towel.
"Yes," he said. "Hermione?"
"Finite Incantatem."
He didn't feel anything as the spell faded - if not for his parents' gasps, he would have had to look at himself to notice the change.
Hermione faded into view without any incantation, and the grin on her face confirmed his suspicion that she had spoken aloud for effect. She probably hadn't forgotten his parents' scepticism at her claims when they had met for the first time.
"Dear Lord," Dad said, staring at them. "I take it that you managed to open your portal?"
Well, Ron thought as he noticed Hermione's brief surprise, Dad's always been quick on the uptake.
"Yes, we did," she confirmed. "We've already met with my friends and family." With a sigh, she added: "All this time, they thought I was dead."
"And they thought you were an impostor." Ron nodded. "Our first meeting was a little tricky."
"'Tricky'?" Dad raised his eyebrows.
"Ron, you didn't!" Mum was less discreet.
"I didn't shoot anyone," he replied, a little annoyed. "And neither did Harry. Or anyone else."
Now Hermione was raising her eyebrows as well.
He rolled his eyes. "I once happened upon a shooting just before a family dinner and didn't want to spoil the mood by telling them about it. It delayed my arrival until dessert, you know."
"Ah." Apparently she shared his parents' opinion of that particular decision.
"Anyway," he went on, "the Ministry will reveal Hermione's return tomorrow. It'll be a big event."
"My name and reputation as a dead heroine have apparently been used to quite some effect in wizarding politics," Hermione elaborated with a frown.
"Oh no!" Mum shook her head. "Against your will?"
"That remains to be seen," Hermione replied. "I haven't researched the matter yet."
"Ah."
Ron's parents exchanged a glance, then Dad spoke up: "So, what are your plans now?" He looked from Hermione to Ron and back, to emphasise what he meant.
"Sorting out matters in my world and here," Hermione replied, "so you and my… the Grangers can stop living under police protection."
Ron had heard less evasive answers from criminals in interrogations, but Dad nodded.
Mum, of course, didn't. "Where will you be living?"
"That hasn't been decided yet. With Apparition and the portal, I can easily commute to work from anywhere in either Britain."
Mum seemed ready to push her, but Dad spoke up before she could: "Your family here would be hurt if you cut off all contact with them."
"I know," Hermione replied. "I'm not going to do that." She sounded a little too annoyed, though, for it to be quite that simple.
And they hadn't even touched on their own relationship. Ron and Hermione's, that was.
"I'll go and fetch the others now."
"Gabriel! Ellen!" Hemione greeted the Grangers - who weren't carrying any surveillance devices, Ron had checked - with more exuberance than usual, at least in his opinion, as she hugged them. Guilty conscience, perhaps? He added another subject to their upcoming talk.
"Hermione!" Mrs Granger smiled at her with obvious relief.
"How are you doing?" Mr Granger asked with a similar expression to his wife's.
"Oh, I'm doing well," Hermione replied. "We've opened the portal. Look!" She drew her wand and demonstrated a few transfigurations - on his family's best china. Fortunately, Mum managed to control her temper and didn't ruin the moment for the Grangers, but Ron caught her checking every cup and plate afterwards - and replacing them with new pieces.
Well, he couldn't fault her for that. Not after seeing a teacup turn into a mouse in the middle of the table. He foresaw a lot of disinfectant being used on the furniture, too. Later, of course, so she wouldn't appear rude.
The Grangers, though, were properly appreciative of the demonstration of magic. And Dad was taking notes even though he had seen a similar demonstration - although one that hadn't involved their china - half an hour before. The others had seen magic - more impressive magic - before, though even Ginny, who liked to play the experienced traveller thanks to her job, was beaming at the tiny horses prancing on the table. Surprisingly, Luna didn't try to slip one of the transfigured plates into her pocket. Unsurprisingly, Sirius made an off-colour joke.
Which meant that dinner started on a relaxed note, and they managed to avoid ruining the mood for the rest of the evening by avoiding any difficult subjects.
Until it was time to return.
Hermione turned towards Ron, but he raised his hand. "Let's take the others back, first," he told her.
She blinked and frowned, then nodded. "Alright."
It didn't take her long to transport the other four to the Black Lake, and then it was his turn.
The first Apparition took them to the Forest of Dean, and Ron released Hermione's hand as soon as they appeared in a familiar clearing.
"So?" Hermione looked at him, and despite the darkness, he knew that she was frowning.
He craned his neck and looked up at the dark sky. "It's a clear night."
After a moment's hesitation, she agreed. "Yes, it is."
They both looked at the stars for a few more seconds before he said: "You're planning to use the Fidelius Charm to make everyone forget about the portal."
"Yes. Well, not everyone. Just most people. It's probably the best way to protect everyone - if no one knows there's a portal, then there's no reason to attack our families for leverage. But it requires a lot of preparation - the spell's very difficult to cast, and if the secret's badly worded, it can fail. Or worse."
"How long have you been planning to do that?"
He couldn't see enough of her face to catch her expression - his eyes hadn't yet adjusted enough to the darkness - but he caught her growing tension. "I didn't want to raise anyone's hopes without a solid plan. And I still don't have a solid plan. There's so much else to do…"
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, then pulled her into a hug. He wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do everything by herself, but when it came to that sort of magic, she was pretty much on her own.
"It's really peaceful here."
"You know, it's really peaceful here," Ron said. "You wouldn't think there was a war going on."
She looked up from her book - a treatise on protection charms. He was lying on his back in the grass, hands behind his head, and staring at the sky. "Aren't you cold?" There was no snow on the ground in the Forest of Dean yet, but it was chilly, especially at night.
"It's not that cold. And it's dry."
"Ah." Well, it was. Still…
"You know, I liked looking at the stars a lot more before I had to learn all those charts for Astronomy." He sighed. "The exams took away all the fun."
She pressed her lips together so she wouldn't comment on his scholastic endeavours.
"I bet you knew the star charts before you were old enough to stay up long enough to actually see the night sky, right?"
She huffed at the presumption, which made him chuckle. After a moment, she joined in. "I wasn't very interested in the stars," she told him a few moments later, "not until I saw Star Trek and Doctor Who."
"Who?"
Now it was her turn to giggle until he joined her.