AFTER ACTION REPORT 3

Author's Note: I don't own any of the characters, as if I did then Ron/Hermione would have started far earlier.

Hogwarts

Harry had never eaten so slowly, trying to balance his ravenous hunger with the uncertainty and fear bubbling up within him. He knew full well the portion of their hunt that they were now coming up on in their talks and he dreaded about whether or not he would be able to get all of it out, as he already feared going to sleep every night. He had so far been lucky enough to not be plagued with nightmares, as he knew that Hermione already was, though he guessed that he didn't have long before he was. Her nightmares had begun shortly after leaving Malfoy Manor and Harry knew that only Ron seemed to be able to calm her. He'd just need to sit in a chair near her bed and remain there all night, often dozing off for most of the time, and waking up with a stiff back. While Ron would never mention it in Hermione's presence he'd abused the practice heavily when alone with Harry before their trip to Gringotts. Harry never asked about the conversations the two had before Hermione had gone to sleep, feeling that it was private between the two of them.

Harry tried not to look at Ginny too often as he ate, not because he didn't like looking at her but more because he knew that she seemed to know that something bad was coming in the story. He dreaded having to describe what happened when he and Ron had fought against the locket and then the horror that had been Malfoy Manor. Even though it had not been his fault Harry still felt that telling the others about what Bellatrix had done to Hermione would be akin to making her relive it, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to do that to her. Harry felt that he couldn't talk to Ginny about any of this, at least not yet. He was sure that when he was done telling the main group of people their story that Ginny would have a laundry list of things that she wanted to talk about and Harry knew that she deserved to have him answer those questions honestly. Harry decided that the time for keeping secrets from those that he loved was over.

Though he had a prodigious appetite Harry had found it odd for Ron to miss a meal that was sitting in front of him. Hermione had pulled him away by the hand the moment that they had broken for dinner and no one had seen them since, and that was almost an hour ago. Harry guessed that Hermione had done it mostly to keep Ron safe from being hexed by any number of those assembled despite her threats. It wasn't until just before the food was cleared away that the two emerged again, hand in hand and looking very hungry, though thoroughly pleased about something and they couldn't stop blushing deeply and grinning at each other. Harry could tell that Ginny had questions for the pair but he hadn't let her say a word before he leapt up out of his seat and pulled her away with him. He knew that his best friends would join the next stage of the story once they'd finished eating, and Harry guessed that it would take Ron a matter of seconds to finish off his portion and he doubted that Hermione would eat very much given what they were about to discuss.

"Here we are again," Professor McGonagall announced with a visibly anxious sigh as she got herself situated back into her seat, though Harry noticed that she had conjured up a pillow to sit on as her wooden chair must have become too uncomfortable earlier.

"Right…well after we barely escaped Voldemort and the snake we were more shaken than ever, then late one night I was sitting at the entrance to the tent trying my best to stay awake when I saw it…," Harry cleared his throat before continuing as he took a deep breath after the first word and then launched into the next phase of his telling their story.

"Saw what," Hagrid interrupted as he appeared to already be on pins and needles about the next startling development in their story and Harry had to fight back the urge to laugh at it all.

"The doe Hagrid…it was a silver doe," Harry calmly explained as he sat up straight in his seat and tried to keep himself in check as he felt that he had probably gone over this part of the story before but loved Hagrid to much to say anything about it.

"Aren't any silver does, there's…," Hagrid pointed out as he seemed to be going through the list of all of the different kind of deer in his head and he quickly found that he wasn't coming up with any silver does being amongst them.

"It was silver Hagrid, I didn't realize at first that it was a patronus, though I didn't know anyone living that had a doe as a patronus," Harry cautioned his old friend softly as he tried to keep any traces of mockery or skepticism out of his voice or expression lest he offend one of his oldest and dearest friends without cause.

"And even though he didn't know who had cast the doe Harry just up and rushed off after it without bothering to wake me up or anything," Hermione quickly added with a less than pleased at Harry's actions expression as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat down next to him, with an obviously well fed Ron right behind her.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me, I just knew that the doe wasn't a threat somehow," Harry replied as he tried to laugh it off with an uneasy shrug and smile under Hermione's intense glare of disapproval before he was momentarily saved by another voice.

"So the doe lead you to the sword," Mr. Weasley guessed as he looked very eager to learn the whole story and was trying to work it through in his head of what had to come next.

"Not exactly, it lead me to a small pond and by the light of Hermione's wand I saw that the sword was laying on the bottom," Harry countered nervously as he shifted a bit in his seat and remembered that there had been plenty of possible ways to get the sword out of the pond but he had chosen the coldest one for some reason.

Harry took a moment or two to allow those assembled to digest his words and for the first time he started to take a good look at each to try and figure out if one of them would want to argue about something. Hagrid appeared to be totally into the story and the least likely to interrupt outside of exclamations of surprise or alarm however Mrs. Weasley and Professor McGonagall both seemed to be storing a litany of questions away in their minds for later. Harry gulped hard at the thought of how many hours he'd probably have to sit under their intense glares and answer for anything and everything, even if only to keep the peace.

"And naturally Harry just stripped down to his almost nothing and dove in after it, nearly got himself killed," Ron guffawed loudly at first, before a brief sharp scowl from Hermione calmed him down noticeably and he frowned at the end as he thought of what would have happened to his best friend had he not come along when he did.

"Well naturally the cold water Harry, that was terribly…," Percy explained with a knowing smile as he slowly nodded his head up and down before his face fell suddenly at the look on Harry's face that told him he was wrong.

"It wasn't the water that almost killed me but the bloody locket, damn thing tried to strangle me before I got close to the sword," Harry spat out angrily with what he hoped was only a slight sneer as he mentally kicked himself for having not taken off the locket before he had dived into the pond and felt glad that Ron had been there to save him.

"That's when Ron saved him, brilliant…," Hermione beamed with pride as she only briefly glanced around the room before saving the majority of her look for Ron, whose ears blushed a deep red but softly smiled back and looked like he wanted to lean in closer to her at the same time that she was leaning in closer to him but both stopped when they felt all eyes upon them.

"Yeah, he left the horcrux on and it tried to choke the life out of him…I waited for him to surface but once I saw that he wasn't I ran over and dove in after him…fully clothed no less, got him out the pond along with the sword," Ron said softly as he relayed what had happened as all the while he tried not to let it show how nervous and embarrassed he was at having all eyes intently upon him, as at his side Hermione used her hair to cover up the blush on her cheeks as she stared down at her knees.

"Wow," Hagrid gasped out loud in clear alarm as he seemed to be oddly worried that Harry wouldn't make it through the swim in the pond even though he was sitting in front of him at the moment.

"Then came that damn locket," Ron angrily snarled with a very clear tone of intense loathing in his voice as Harry was surprised to see that Hermione was near tears and he couldn't help but get upset at the memories of what the locket had tried to do to Ron.

"Er…yeah, a horcrux see…Voldemort put a piece of his soul in every one of them so…," Harry began to hurriedly rush into so that Ron wouldn't dwell on the locket any more than he needed to and hopefully he wouldn't get asked anymore questions on it.

"When you try to kill them they fight like mad to kill you first," Ginny offered up with a look that told Harry that she'd never been more willing to be wrong than right in her life before she noticed that most were looking oddly at her and she rushed to finish with, "like with Riddle's diary from my first year."

"Precisely, and the locket fought Ron particularly hard," Hermione nodded quickly in agreement before she went on just as she saw that both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were looking as if they each had a question on the tips of their tongues.

"I don't know why it always affected me more than Harry and Hermione…it just did," Ron questioned with a great look of self-disgust on his face as he started to ball both of his hands up into fists in frustration before Hermione took one of his fists in hers and effortlessly got him to slacken his grip and she interlocked their fingers with a very meaningful look in her eyes that she locked onto his.

"Again, we never should have worn the thing in the first place," Hermione spat out almost as angrily as Ron, causing more than a few in the group to give a start at the sneer on her face before both her and Ron's expressions softened in unison.

"True, so after we got over the shock of seeing each other again I knew that Ron should be the one to destroy the locket, and like Hermione said the piece of Voldemort's soul trapped within it fought…hard…it was…I can only describe it as…," Harry solemnly agreed as he slowly shook his head in dismay and then faked a smile to a concerned Ginny as he soon found himself struggling to think up the right word to fully describe what the horcrux had done to Ron before he had destroyed it, but nothing was coming to mind.

"Torture," Hermione breathed out softly through quivering lips and closed eyes as she was quickly overcome by the memories of what she had seen in the pensive and how much it had hurt her to see Ron go through that and then not saying anything about it in his own defense against her justified verbal onslaught.

"Torture…bloody," Hagrid exclaimed loudly in a stunted gasp when he got caught halfway in between being furious and feeling a bit queasy at the deep level of dark magic that Harry and Ron and Hermione had fought against, especially given how young they were. Harry could tell that Hagrid was thinking that after the revelation about the lockets attack that he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the rest of the tale as much as he had when it had all started.

"Oh Ronnie," Mrs. Weasley howled with eyes full of tears as she couldn't help herself and she slipped out of her husband's grasp and raced across the room until Ron could do nothing but stand up so that when she got to him she could envelop him in a rib crushing hug as she sobbed against his chest. Harry and Hermione both looked on closely, though with very different reactions. Harry was glad to see the swell of motherly love for Ron though glad that it wasn't him getting crushed. For her part Harry noticed that Hermione appeared to be overwhelmed with happiness and relief at the sight, her eyes wet and on the verge of tears.

"Ah Mum…I'm fine, I was stupid to think any of what it said was true," Ron replied with a very awkward blush as he hugged his mother back with one arm while he lightly patted her on the back with his other hand, feeling just a bit embarrassed at the show of affection.

"Are you sure that you're okay son…wait…what did it say…," Mr. Weasley began with a clear look of concern as he rose up to his feet and took a few steps forward before he remember something that Ron had said and grew very concerned.

"He's fine Mr.….Dad," Hermione answered with an anxious smile as she wiped away a few tears and hoped that the day in which she would be reunited with her own parents was not terribly far off as she started to get up to her feet. Before she could say really anything else Mrs. Weasley released her hold on Ron and switched to a very startled Hermione, pulling her into a very strong embrace. Mr. Weasley looked on with some relief but still held more than a fair bit of concern as to any spells or enchantments that the locket may have done, and he knew that his worry would not be fully abated until he knew the whole story.

Harry slid back in his seat, more so that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't get any ideas about giving him one of her famous bone crunching hugs, but only so that he would retain the use of his lungs long enough to tell the rest of their story. Across the room Percy looked more than a bit sick at the thought of what it must have been like for Ron, and even George showed some emotion as he glanced to his side and Harry could only guess that he was wishing that Fred was sitting there instead of Dean and Neville. Harry waited a bit longer for Mrs. Weasley to be done giving hugs and sit back down along with Ron and Hermione regaining the necessary ability to breathe normally before he continued.

"I didn't learn until later of course how the sword had come to be at the bottom of the pond, Snape had put it there pretty much under Dumbledore's orders, something about the sword needing to be taken under conditions of need and valor…or close to that," Harry recalled some of what he had seen in his trip into Snape's memories just before the end of the battle, feeling that the rest of it was something that he was going to keep to himself and not reveal to all.

"I'd say Mr. Weasley's actions that night fulfilled both of those requirements, admirably," McGonagall commented with a brief and momentary look of pride before the stern look that she usually wore quickly replaced it and Harry wondered for a second if it had actually changed at all or if he had just made it up in his mind that it had.

"Just got lucky really, Harry's heavier than he looks," Ron recalled softly, giving Harry the side eye with a not to subtle grin, before he went instantly silent at the scowl that Hermione sent his way. Though he could tell that where in the past she would be angry with him the scowl that she sent him now was one more of frustration than any actual anger.

"Thanks mate…I think," Harry called out, thoroughly unsure of whether he should be laughing or growling at Ron, before Hermione sensed his confusion and pressed on as fast as she was able to.

"Anyway, after they destroyed the horcrux Ron and Harry brought the locket back to the tent to show me…I was…less than enthusiastic about Ron's return," Hermione explained slowly as it was clear to Harry and Ron that she was nervous about telling what had come next even though she had been completely justified in being angry but to Harry she now seemed to think that perhaps she may have gone a bit too far. At the end of her words she frowned sadly and turned her head away from Ron, though only momentarily as he reached over and gave her a quick one armed hug.

"Hermione's voice got so high that I thought she was going to shatter my glasses…sorry," Harry interjected as he tried to bring a little bit of levity to the proceedings with a nervous laugh, one that no one else in the room joined him in, before he went silent again as Ron spoke up.

"Not like I didn't deserve it but…," Ron added with a pretty glum frown as he hung his head and began to idly kick at the ground with his shoes, making him appear like he was sulking over his actions.

"But then who cast the patronus…and how did Ron find his way back," George asked after having stayed silent for most of the story with his elbows on his knees and looking more tired than any of them, though Harry guessed most if not all of that was because of the loss of Fred.

"Snape cast the patronus on Dumbledore's orders and Ron found his way back…," Harry replied with a tone of regret as he realized that Snape was the only one that he hadn't had a chance to talk to after learning the truth, leaving Harry to wonder if his old Potions Professor's portrait would be up with the other Headmasters in due time.

"With this," Ron furthered, sensing Harry's uncertainty, as he reached into his pocket and pulled the Put-Outer out before he held it up in front of him for all to see, trying not to grin like a fool the whole time.

"The Deluminator," McGonagall announced with a slight hint of confusion in her words though she covered it well before she went silent as several people in the room looked to her to continue and explain further, but she seemed to have no interest in doing so.

"It doesn't just turn the lights on and off, somehow it aided Ron in tracking us no matter where we went, he wouldn't even know where he was going when he used it but the Deluminator would bring him to us…," Hermione cautiously began to explain with her hands clenched tightly into fists on her lap, though not because she was angry or that she didn't believe the story but more that she still hadn't figured out how it all had happened herself and that bothered her, before she took a large swallow and then continued before anyone could speak again, "He said that he'd clicked the Deluminator after he heard my voice come out of it and he heard me say his name and talk about what happened to his wand back in our second year…there was a blue light like a portkey, it went into him and was how he found us."

Harry expected an immediate reaction of either disbelief or astonishment from Professor McGonagall and others. But what we got was a slow burn of both reactions. Hagrid seemed to be completely lost and looking around at everyone in turn as if he expected and hoped that they would explain it all to him. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were deep in discussion with their oldest son and Fleur, leaving Harry to only catch a stray word here and there about what they were talking about. Percy looked to be trying to get George to engage him in a conversation but the lone twin didn't seem to have much interest, rather he seemed to care more about Dean trying to walk a visibly confused Neville through it all and catch him up on anything that he may have missed. Unlike the others around them Kingsley and McGonagall only shared brief glances at each other, maybe to be paired with a raised eyebrow or nod of the head towards the trio, before the most likely next Minister of Magic cleared his throat and spoke.

"To you individually I think Miss Granger," Kingsley stated with an eerily calm tone of voice and without the slightest hint of any emotion other than absolute certainty on his face as he smoothed out a few wrinkles in his robes.

"What…me," Hermione blurted out looking confused and unsure of what Kingsley meant, though she couldn't help but blush a bit and glance first to Harry and then to Ron, whom she seemed to be having a silent conversation with him all without actually saying anything at all, just from small movements of their eyes and facial muscles.

"It's the only part of that which makes any amount of sense as to the how it could be possible," McGonagall explained softly with the faintest traces of a smile just beginning to curl up the corners of her lips before she seemed to realize what she had almost done and her almost grin turned into a frown if not scowl in a heartbeat.

"Okay…you lost me," Ginny exclaimed with a flourish of her hands and shrug of her shoulders as she scowled back and forth between McGonagall, Kingsley, and Harry, who could only smile and shrug his shoulders in the hope that she'd understand that he didn't understand it either.

"I believe that the answer would go something like this, the Deluminator was one of Dumbledore's inventions that as we know turns the lights on and off, well if one was to expand the definition of light a fair bit then it could perhaps be used to describe someone that one would have very strong feelings for…," McGonagall cleared her throat softly before she answered, sounding as if she were still trying to work some of it out as she went but seeming to like where it was that she was headed with it all and at the end she leaned back in her seat and smiled warmly at Hermione for the briefest of seconds.

"Feelings," Percy replied as he was starting to think out loud while trying to work his own way through what McGonagall had said before Harry saw understanding dawning on his face and the black sheep of the Weasley family finally turned his head and gawked at Ron and Hermione, as if he'd just now realized that they were there.

"Romantic feelings, the light of one's life…or something along those lines…if you believe that sort of thing," Kingsley joked with a sly grin and a quick wink to Harry before he continued with a voice that made it clear to Harry that he was trying to sound authoritative and certain of his words even though he left some wiggle room at the end.

"I'm…I'm the light of…," Hermione choked out through a clearly quivering lower lip, her eyes full of unshed tears, as her cheeks started to turn more and more red before she hazarded a brief glance over at Ron, who pretty much returned the look except there were no tears in his eyes. Both of his ears however were as bright red as his hair though.

"Busted…heh…," Ginny proudly stated with a grin that stretched from one ear to the other as she pumped her fist in triumph against her side a few times and Harry couldn't help but join her in grinning as he watched his two best friends, off in their own little world, for a few moments before turning away and giving them a bit of privacy.

"I think that it's mutual," Dean joked as loudly as he dared with a sly glint in his eyes as he gazed across the room at Ron and Hermione before he couldn't help but laugh right along with Neville as nearby a disgruntled looking Percy slapped a few galleons into George's palm.

"That would make the most sense, right Harry," Bill snickered with a side grin that he flashed to Harry with a slight nod of his head before a confused Harry glanced over at Fleur, who couldn't help but look happier, at the development for Ron and Hermione, than Harry thought that she had ever been outside of her own wedding day.

"Er…sure, anyway the next day Ron told me about the jinx about saying Voldemort's name and all," Harry awkwardly began his reply as he tried not to blush himself before his mind could only think of pressing on and answering a question that he had been posed earlier and explaining how he and Hermione had come to learn of the lengths that the Death Eaters had gone to in their search for the trio.

"All while Hermione was giving me the cold shoulder…, before she wanted to go and see ole Xenophilius Lovegood," Ron shrugged with an almost bitter smile before he got a light elbow in his ribs from Hermione to not dwell on that part of their story any longer and move on before she had to step in and say something about it.

"Lovegood, why would you three want to talk to him," Mr. Weasley asked as he looked very much confused to the trio before Harry cut in just as Ron was about to laugh and Hermione sensing that smiled a bit to sweetly and dug her fingernails into Ron's arm, which stopped him just in time.

"We needed answers about the Deathly Hallows, but right now they're not that important, the whole trip was a mess from the start," Harry grumbled impatiently as he still wondered a bit why they had even gone there in the first place, although he knew that they had gained valuable information during the trip, his last words were true.

"How so," McGonagall responded as she sat up straight in her seat and smoothed out a small wrinkle in her robes before Ron let out a soft laugh.

"First that bloody awful tea," Ron grouched unhappily as he looked like he very much wanted to vomit at the mere memory and even Harry and Hermione could have admitted to their stomachs having a slight tingle at the memory before Hermione shook the thoughts from her mind and stepped up.

"The Erumpent horn that he thought was…what was it…," Hermione remembered aloud with a clear look of displeasure as she thought back to how she had tried to correct Xenophilius and how he had steadfastly refused to believe a word that she said, and to top it all of he had called her not unintelligent but painfully limited, narrow and close-minded. She couldn't help but scowl at the last few words that he'd used to describe her as she didn't think that she was any of those things.

"A horn of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack…what…you remember something like that once it almost kills you," Ron muttered unhappily before he noticed that Hermione and several others were looking at him oddly and he finished his reply with a sly grin and a quick shrug of his shoulders.

"It almost what…Mr. Weasley," Kingsley staggered through as he seemed to not be completely sure that he could believe his ears and he looked intently at the trio, as if he expected one or more of them to break and admit that they had not been telling him with the truth.

"Xenophilius told us all about the Deathly Hallows after Hermione read from The Tales of Beedle the Bard, then he said that he was going to get Luna but…fool sold us out, luckily Harry figured it out so that we didn't get completely caught by surprise…the Death Eaters started firing off spells…the horn got hit…it exploded, Hermione was brilliant…had me put on the invisibility cloak so that they'd see that Xenophilius had been telling the truth about Harry being there and then we disapparated away just in the nick of time," Ron cautiously explained, with several furtive glances over towards Harry and Hermione, as he paused ever so slightly several times as he was seemingly giving them both an opening to interrupt and correct him if they thought that it was necessary. But neither did and Ron ended it all with a relieved smile and a very appreciative look to Hermione, who didn't miss it.

"I can't believe that Xenophilius Lovegood would sell you out, that he would sink so…," Dean replied with an angry glare as he balled his hands up into fists and was surprised that after everything that Luna had told him about her father that he would go and work against the trio like that.

"He didn't have much of a choice Dean, the Death Eaters had taken Luna…Xenophilius did it all to try and get her back," Hermione quickly stated with a pleading tone to her words as even though she was angry at Luna's father for doing what he did she could understand some of it and so couldn't feel as badly towards him as some of the others could.

"Still doesn't make it right," Harry grumbled mostly under his breath as his voice was overshadowed by others in the room as various smaller conversations broke out amongst the others, with none of the trio really bothering to try to follow any of them.

"No…no it does not…," Hermione agreed with a very solemn frown as she hung her head for a bit before she leaned over against Ron and laid her head on his shoulder, happy that he then slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close, an act totally missed by everyone else in the room but Harry.

"What came next…well…I'll start with that tomorrow morning, otherwise I'll have nightmares…again," Harry announced softly after a deep breath as he interrupted the various ongoing conversations around the room before he couldn't help but yawn deeply and speak the truth. He'd had a few nightmares since they had escaped Malfoy Manor and he guessed that more would come when they had to relive it to tell everyone about it, a fact that he dreaded.

END OF CHAPTER 3

Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing this and the other chapters. As always reviews, comments, and questions are always appreciated. I still can't and don't read Hermione with Harry or Draco or anybody other than Ron and I don't read Ron stories with him paired with anybody else, the same with Harry and Ginny, I just view things as the characters are presented in the books that the two main canon couples are the only ones that make any sense. Also not a fan of the stories where the Ministry has a new marriage law, as usually it seems that those stories are just a way to make sure that the canon couples don't end up together, often pairing characters up that had little to no real interaction at all. Sorry that this chapter didn't have more but I got started and found myself so far along that I couldn't fit much more in, the next chapter will hopefully have Malfoy Manor, Shell Cottage, and Gringotts.

I'm moving Ron and Hermione along as a pair bit by bit in this story as I think that once they got the fact that they were in love out of the way and both understood that a lot of their arguments and problems would go away for the most part. Ron and Hermione often seem to mostly argue when Harry is around, and makes me wonder what they got up to for that whole month or so before Harry showed up at Grimmauld Place, no I don't think it was anything romantic but I just think that there'd be some of their family and friends that wouldn't be that surprised when they did get together.

Also always have a laugh when I notice that there's like three times or so that Harry views Ginny acting like or making a sound like a cat. I still think that Ron and Hermione could have gotten together in their fifth year sometime, and it wouldn't have been that hard for Rowling to write them together given that we'd only see the parts of their romance that Harry saw, and I'd guess that most of their romance would be when he wasn't around, we'd just need little bits here and there.

Harry could have even teased them about it, about what they were really getting up to on prefect patrols and such. I also still wish that Ron and Hermione would have had more children, not as many as his parents but five total kids would have been about right to me. I also find Harry's indifference in the sixth book odd when Hermione asks him what she's supposed to have done and he knows the answer and doesn't seem to have any interest in telling her even though he can see that she's hurting and the answer could help her.

I also kind of wish that when Ron and Hermione followed Harry down to the common room on the night when he took his luck potion in the sixth book that maybe their clothes would have been messed up a little just so that Lavender and others would have thought that they got up to a lot in the dorm room before coming down. The whole Ron and Lavender pairing was a stall tactic to me, as Rowling never really developed many of the other students in the books as real characters. That and how the trio never really branched out to make friends outside of the trio so I would be surprised if the rumor mill at Hogwarts wasn't buzzing that Hermione was dating or at least liked one or both Harry and Ron at one time or another over the years. Also always found that in the book Hermione recovers pretty quickly from what Bellatrix did to her but in many of the fan stories she's much worse off and it takes a long time for her to recover, I just find the difference odd and never liked the movie version with the mudblood scar on her arm, thankfully it wasn't in the book. Thank You.