Agony – Chapter 2

It felt like Ron had been standing in that spot for hours, terrible thoughts constantly racing through his head. Each imagined scenario worse than the other, all with that horrible image of his little girl superimposed over them. Yet, when his brother Charlie came and clapped his hand upon his shoulder, the sun had yet to change its position in the sky. The hand briefly tightened around him in a comforting grip before dropping to the older redhead's side.

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Ron." His brother said comfortingly, though his own pale disposition reflected his true feelings. Ron appreciated the effort but, in this moment, felt like nothing could be further from the truth. Shaking his head despondently, he turned and shuffled his way inside leaving Charlie's worried gaze behind. There was nothing that needed to be said in Ron's opinion, nothing that would change what had just happened, or would inform them anymore of what had occurred.

Pushing his way in through the front door of his house, automatically wiping his feet upon the welcome mat, he stopped short at the sounds of people in his lounge room. Could he face them at this moment? The low hum of murmuring and hushed whispers done nothing but frustrate him. Were they in there speculating about his daughter? Perhaps they were already discussing how to act around him.

Forcefully, he shut the door behind him, banishing such thoughts. This was his family, they loved and supported him, and most definitely wouldn't be gossiping about it. They were probably just as scared, confused, and anxious as himself. Though he had no plans to talk to them straight away the heavy thud of the door brought their conversations to an end, and drew out his younger sister from the room.

Ginny stared at him with wide brown eyes, now no longer clouded with tears but the swirling of mixed emotions remained. With no words she stepped forward and pulled him into a comforting hug, her arms gently laced his body, and her head buried into his shoulder. Somehow it was exactly what he needed, and with a few shuddering breaths he finally felt like he had broken through his initial feelings to function properly.

He carefully patted Ginny on the back a few times before disengaging from the hug. Glancing behind her into the lounge he noticed the conversations had started back up.

"The kids, how are the other kids?" Ron questioned, their own scared faces coming to the fore of his memory.

"Scared, confused, and upset." Ginny managed with a grimace, "Audrey, and Angelina, have taken them all to The Burrow where Madame Pomphrey will meet them. They'd probably need a few calming draughts, and Dreamless Sleep."

He nodded in understanding, before indicating Ginny should follow him upstairs. Silently they made their way through the house, and eventually to the door leading to Rose's room. He felt a slight pain in his heart at the silver, cursive 'Rose' inscribed on her door surrounded by flying snitches.

Entering the room, they worked together to gather everything she might need for an extended stay in hospital. A few changes of clothes, some pajama's, and the usual toiletries. Ron sat heavily on the single bed in the middle of the room, slightly crinkly the purple covers. His hand reaching out and grasping the stuffed niffler laying atop the pillows. Delicately he brought it up to his chest, snuggling it like it was his own little girl. This was Rose's favorite stuffed toy, and it had brought them all an endless amount of amusement when she named it 'Ron'.

Ginny gingerly placed herself next to him, offering the quiet support he needed. A moment later a silver flash of light streaked into the room before slowly forming into the shape of a stag, Harry's Patronus. Ron's heart skipped a beat, was the news going to be good? It opened its mouth, and spoke in the quiet spoken, reassuring tone of its caster.

"Rose is in a stable condition, and at no current risk. Hermione is waiting for you."

Ginny gave a huge sigh of relief next to him, as hope flooded his own chest. His sister got up, and reached a hand to help him up as well.

"Come on then, best get you there as soon as possible." she spoke lightly.

Together they headed back down to the lounge room to spread the news, and for Ron to say goodbye. As they reached the door Ron quickly grasped Ginny's hand and pulled her back before she could go in.

"Thank you!" He muttered, his hand rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. Seeing his sister open her mouth to reply, he gently pushed past her and into the room. Though the situation inside was nearly as embarrassing. Everyone stopped talking, and almost all of them turned to face him as one. Charlie and Percy were playing chess in one corner, though judging by the lack of pieces taken neither were focusing much on the game. Whilst his parents were cuddled together on the lounge, his mum with clear tear tracks running down her face as his dad hugged her tightly to his chest. The only one who didn't seem to notice his arrival was George who continued staring out the window, pale face reflected back at himself, and his gaze a million miles away.

"Oh Ronnie!" His mother squeaked, leaping from the lounge and drawing him into a bone-crushing hug. Clumsily patting her on the back he looked his dad in the eyes over her shoulder.

"Harry messaged. She's gonna be alright but we don't know any more than that, I'm heading off there now."

Molly sobbed deeper into his side, perhaps with relief or more just the emotions of it all getting to her. Arthur's own face lightened at the news as well, and George's shoulders slumped slightly in the background.

Percy pipped up from the side, chess game now completely disregarded,

"Make sure you keep us updated immediately with any news." His eyes glinting with worry through his horn-rimmed glasses.

"Yes, we're all worried about her, and about you." Arthur calmly stated as he walked closer, gently pulling Molly away from him so he could leave.

Nodding tightly at his father, Ron walked over to the fireplace picking up a handful of floo powder from the nearby table. Throwing it in the lit fire, he took one last look at the now green-shaded room and his family within, before stepping in with a proclaimed 'St Mungos'.

The green, swirling flames covered his vision, the floo travel bringing an almost comforting amount of warmth with it. At the last second, Ron took a step forward and found himself standing in the main waiting area of the hospital. Barely anyone glanced over at his entrance though that was probably because they had their own problems. One Wizard looked like he had an elephant's trunk sprouting from the back of his head, whilst another was waving around his own detached arm with his other hand (thankfully, and surprisingly, there appeared to be no blood). In another corner a witch was loudly complaining about the waiting time as a boil gradually appeared on her noise, before bursting and regrowing once more in a seemingly unending cycle.

Shuddering slightly at the extremely unappealing sight, Ron marched over to the lime green counter manned by a bored looking witch. Slowly twirling one strand of blonde hair around a finger she looked at Ron with one raised brow.

"I'm looking for Rose Weasley, brought here earlier today." Ron stated, impatiently tapping the floor with one foot. He wished she would hurry up as she slowly flipped through some files on the desk. Manicured pink nails trailing down a long list of current patients. Just when he felt like ripping the file away from her and looking himself, she stopped at one name which even upside down he could read as his daughters.

"Floor Two, Magical Bugs Ward." She intoned with barely a glance up.

Before the final words had left her lips, he was off, rushing to get there already. Ron didn't even wait for the lifts, deeming them too slow for his purposes. Never had he been quicker rushing up the stairs and through the halls of a building as he was now. Almost knocking over one Mediwitch in the corridor carrying a vial of a smoking blue potion, he frantically looked around the second floor for his family. The place however was too big, as well as being almost illogically organized, and the numerous people milling about was unnatural. There seemed to be double the amount of people crowded around than the other floors.

Cursing up a storm, Ron spotted a man with the crossed wand and bone emblem plastered upon his chest. Striding over to him he brusquely asked if the man knew where Rose Weasley was placed. After a few muttered spells, and a glance of his files, the St Mungos employee informed him of the directions to the right room. With a quick thank you, Ron went in the stated direction.

Reaching the final hallway, he spotted Harry talking to one of the Healers in soft tones. Hurriedly, Ron trotted over to them just as the healer walked away, making a few notations on their clipboard as they walked.

"Hey mate," Harry weakly smiled at him, eyes crinkled with stress. "Just giving the usual details, age, emergency contacts, etc."

Ron waved it off before getting to the heart of the matter, "Any more news? Do they know what it was? Is my daughter alright?"

"She's in there, sleeping at the moment. Hermione's by her bed." Harry inclined his head to a nearby door, "As for what happened, they haven't said yet just told us they'd be back later. Don't worry, she's in good hands. Her lead Healer is Susan."

"Susan, Susan Bones?" Ron replied shocked. He was pleased to hear such a close, and reliable, friend was looking after his little girl but it just never crossed his mind that it would happen. Harry answered with a steady nod.

"Anyway, now you're here mate, I might head off. I'm sure Ginny would like me around, and the kids might need me. Let me know if anything changes."

"Thanks for the help, I just couldn't, you know?" Ron muttered back, embarrassed by his inability to come straight away.

Clapping his shoulder in understanding, Harry headed of down the hall whilst shooting off another patronus message. Probably just letting Ginny know he was on his way home. Ron gazed after Harry until his Auror partner had disappeared around the corner, before turning and facing the doorway. He took a deep breath in before exhaling it slowly, steeling himself for what was inside.

A slow step inside, he paused at the sight before him. His daughter, looking so small and weak, laying upon the bed dwarfed by the white blankets. Her red hair no longer quite as bushy and clinging softly to her sweaty head. Rose's lips murmured slightly in her sleep, perhaps having some type of dream.

In a cushy, green armchair next to the bed sat his frazzled looking wife. Her brow creased with worry, and hand grasped tightly around their daughters. The sound of him entering must have alerted her, because she looked around and met his eyes with her own bloodshot brown eyes. A small smile working its way across her face, gesturing softly with her head to come over.

Quietly, he made his way over to her and gently encircled her from behind before placing a soft kiss on her head.

"How is she?" he whispered in her ear.

"Okay for now, they've put her into a deep sleep to recover. They say the a...a..attack was very stressful on her body, but that we would know more later." Hermione stated, stumbling slightly over the word 'attack'. Ron gently brushed a loose strand of hand over her ear with a calming shushing sound.

"What if they can't find out what's wrong with her? Or it's damaged her somehow? What if it's something permanent? Or worse, they can't find out what's wrong? There were so many

Healers rushing around and potions being shoved down her throat. I was so scared." She babbled, turning to gaze imploringly at him as tears welled in her eyes once more. Her voice dulling to a whisper by the final sentence.

A lump seemed to form in Ron's own throat as the words washed over him, giving voice to his own thoughts and fears. Staring into her eyes the silence seemed to stretch on, her eyes becoming more worried the longer he waited to answer. Yet what could he say? What comfort could he offer when the same thoughts floated through his head? Anything he said now would just be meaningless comfort, though perhaps that was exactly what she needed.

He leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek, and softly stroked her hair.

"Hermione..." Ron began, "I don't... I'm not sure..."

Ron just couldn't seem to figure out the right words to say, stammering a few times.

"Look, we don't know anything yet, but right now she's alright. She's right there in front of us, and that's what matters. The 'What if' questions aren't doing us any good. At the moment just take comfort in her being safe for the moment. That's what matters!"

He repeated himself forcefully, as though trying to convince himself as much as her.

"You're right," She hiccupped, "I just can't help but think these things. Sometimes I just wish I could turn my brain off."

Laughing gently, Ron picked her up and sat in the chair with her on his lap this time, ignoring her soft squeal of surprise.

"Your big, beautiful brain is the best part of you. Sure, you can confuse the hell out of me sometimes, and your research can drive me bonkers, but it's why I fell in love with you." He expressed assertively, causing her to let out her own wet laugh.

"You know just what to say." She answered, before they fell into silence, drawing comfort from just being near each other. Ron rubbed circles on her thigh as he stared at their little girl. His blue eyes taking comfort in the steady movement of her chest, and the faint breathing you could hear coming from her nose. He could almost ignore where they were, and why, because this peaceful moment was exactly what they needed. His beautiful family could overcome what the future held.

For hours they sat by their child's bedside, only occasionally interrupted by a Healer checking in on them though with no answers. Hermione left briefly to get them some tea, and a couple snacks. However, the biscuits tasted flavorless in his mouth, and the tea sat cold on the bedside cabinet. Ron just could not find it in him to eat and drink properly, for one of the few times in his life. It seemed Hermione felt the same, and had only gone to get them as an excuse simply to do something. Ron, himself, had taken to pacing up and down the room, glaring at any Healer who came by with meaningless platitudes. He did feel a bit guilty at the thrill of pleasure it gave him to see them avert their eyes shamefully, his guilt only enhanced by Hermione's judgmental looks.

The sound of someone entering once more caused Ron to lift his head, another glare at the ready for the person interrupting them again. It slipped off his face when the slightly round face, and long red hair, of Susan Bones looked back at him.

"Susan!" Ron shouted, rushing over to her and causing Hermione to leap up from her own chair. "Is there any news? Do you know what happened?"

Susan took a slight unconscious step back at their approach, clearly startled by the quickness of it. Raising her hands in surrender she glanced at Rose on the bed.

"Yes, I do have news, but perhaps we should do this out in the corridor." Their Healer friend nodded her head back to the doorway she had just entered from. Enthusiastically they followed her, practically tripping over her lime green robes in their haste.

Only once they stopped did Ron take in Susan's appearance fully. Stress lines creased her face, shoulders were tense, her blue eyes appeared dull, and a slight frown marred her face. Immediately Ron stiffened, just by her looks he could tell the upcoming news was not one he wanted to her. He could tell Hermione hadn't noticed what he had, or at least was ignoring the obvious signs judging by the eager look on her face.

"What happened? How do we fix it? Why did it take this long?" Hermione practically demanded, almost crowding Susan against a wall. Ron gently pulled her back and waited for Susan to speak.

"Yes, we know what happened, and it took this long because we wanted to make sure we were correct. We didn't want to provide you with false information." Susan spoke, glancing around in discomfit looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"What is it then?" His wife asked pointedly, clearly not appreciating how long it was taking to get answers.

"It's a...rare...magical condition," She hesitated slightly over the word rare as though she wanted to say something different, "It's been around a while but has become more common in recent years."

Ron clenched his hands into a fist. In his opinion rare magical conditions were never a good thing, no matter how common they became. Hermione's face drooped a bit herself, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly as if to ask more questions.

Susan wiped a drop of sweat from her brow, "It's a condition called 'Magicae Comedenti', or in English it's known as..."

"The Magic Eater!" Hermione gasped, her face paling in terror. The red-headed Healer nodded in discomfort, and Ron frowned.

"So, you know of it?" Susan asked with almost relief.

"Only the basics, I saw a brief mention of it when I was reading 'A Study of Magical Afflictions' for an extra credit assignment for Professor Flitwick once. I don't know much though."

Ron himself shook his head, annoyed, "Well I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about! Magic Eater, what's that?"

Hermione and Susan glanced at each other before Susan spoke, "It's where the magic of a person disagrees with the body. It physically attacks them, turning on themselves, and, for lack of a better term, eats away at them. The magic burns through them, and the body simply can't handle it."

Ron's mind blanked at the information, her own magic was attacking her? Magic, the one thing every magical person cherished and took comfort in, was destroying her from the inside? Her own magic? The thought was as horrifying as it was distressing. His mind trying to make connections with the facts he did know. Hermione's tearful face next to him didn't help his concentration.

"So, it's like an Obscurus?" He questioned.

"No, it is very different." Susan asserted, "An Obscurus is someone who tries to block their own magic, or has their magic blocked by someone else. Then the magic tries to burst out, often in a destructive fashion, and often accidentally kills the host. Whereas in this case it has nothing to do with the magic being blocked, or trying to become free, it's more like the person's body isn't suited to the type of magic. Think of her magic like an acidic potion, you would have to brew it in a special type of cauldron like lead, but instead Rose's body is pewter."

"But how does this happen? And you can heal it right? A few potions, a couple spells, and she'd be right to go?" Ron asked frantically, not even noticing Hermione shaking her head next to him with tears pouring from her eyes.

Susan definitely looked uncomfortable now with glistening eyes, "It's genetic as far as we can tell. As I said, it's not a really common condition. We're still testing and researching it. Unfortunately, it is fatal."

Hermione sobbed violently at the end, but Ron payed her no mind. The words 'genetic' and 'fatal' floating through his head in a revolving circle. His mind a maelstrom of emotion, though the most prominent were rage and sadness. Dimly he heard Hermione questioning how long their daughter had, the answer did get through to him. One year, two if they were lucky.

That helped decide his emotions for him, he felt after the rollercoaster of a day he had no more tears to give. Instead anger broke through all his thoughts. Anger at the useless Healers for not being able to fix her, anger at this condition for daring to attack his girl, anger at magic for creating such a terrible thing, anger at Hermione for being able to continue asking questions, but most importantly, it was anger at himself. He couldn't do anything, he was helpless, and now his beautiful angel was going to die. Worst, from a genetic condition, something that came from them. They had doomed her from the start, he had doomed her from the start.

"Fuck!" He shouted, in a vocal attempt at displaying his anger, before spinning around and slamming his fist into the wall. A distant cracking sound echoed in his thoughts, whether from the wall or his knuckles breaking he didn't know nor care. Hermione, and Susan, stopped talking to gaze worriedly at him. Ron ignored them, and instead continued to punch the wall, the emotions overwhelming him. Only when Hermione started calling him, and pulled back on his arm did he stop. Blankly he stared at her, not comprehending what she was trying to say to him. Susan stepped forward before she raised his bloody, and bruised fist to her eyes. She looked ready to start healing it, but Ron brushed her hands away and let his hand drop back to his side.

Looking between the concerned eyes of the two females he could only see condemnation. This was all his fault, he didn't deserve their worry, Rose deserved it. He deserved their anger, and seeing the opposite filled him with shame. Brushing past them he barged down the halls, only missing a step when Hermione's desperate plea for him to stop echoed down to him, but yet he continued on.

He pushed past anyone in his way, ignoring their shouts of annoyance or the cries from Healers to slow down. Everything was a mindless blur around him, faces indistinguishable from one another, and every room seemed to be filled with his precious little daughter, her eyes damning him with accusations. Somehow, he found himself back in the hospital entrance once more. The blonde receptions looking at his questioningly, but Ron shook his head, red hair flapping wildly about. Quickly, he headed outside. Air, fresh air was what he needed.

He appeared outside in the crowded London street, gasping for air. Bemused muggles swerved around him, a few looking oddly at the man panicking in their path. A horn honked in the distance, and Ron stumbled to a nearby alley, and once alone slid down the side of the brick wall. Placing his face in his hands, sitting on that dirty London Alley floor, Ron broke down into sobs of his own. His body violently shaking in the emotion, the setting sun providing the perfect reflection for his own dimming life.

-End Chapter 2-

So there's Chapter 2. Again, I could use a Beta for this story. Hopefully you enjoyed, and any questions or thoughts can be posted in reviews or pm'd to me.