Chapter 34: Putting the Pieces Back Together
The days at St. Mungo's had dragged on. Harry and Ginny had brought Rose and Hugo for short visits each day, but Ron was easily tired, and the children were clearly nervous in the hospital setting. Ginny was helping Ron color with Hugo and Rose on the bed, allowing Harry to whisk Hermione off for some breakfast in the hospital café.
"You seem to be doing a lot better, even if you really need a shower and a good night's rest in your own bed," commented Harry.
"Oh, well, yeah – I guess I've done better as Ron has done better. I told Ginny I have no idea how she has done this all these years."
"Unfortunately, sitting beside loved ones in hospital has been a part of all of our lives for a long time," mused Harry.
"Actually, Harry, I was wondering if you could help me understand some things from what happened the other day."
"I can try. What do you need clarifying?"
"So, well, who was that third man? What happened to Simon Briteman and his brother? And what happened to my client?"
"So, well, I am not sure what Ron had mentioned about the case. But, apparently the Briteman brothers had a scheme to give visas to immigrants who could bring in these rare plants that could easily be mistaken for magical plants. The squib brother had access to those visas from his job in the muggle government. Then once they had the cultivars, they would grow these plants at commercial scale. The problem was when they would switch them into the magical potions supply market as magical plants when they really weren't. They were making a profit of maybe 150 galleons a gram. But, the switched out ingredients were causing people to die from the potions being incorrect. Ron figured out the end of that chain was with those brothers. The third man was simply one of their employees who helped facilitate the connections with the immigrants when they arrived in England with the plants. Mr. Gasana, your client, had no idea he was working with wizards or that he was doing anything illegal."
"So now what? What happens to all of them – especially my client – where is he now?"
"The two wizards were arrested and sent to Azkaban, which is our high security prison. The squib brother was arrested by our liaisons in the muggle police."
"You have wizards in the muggle police?"
"Well, we have some aurors who work with the local police, and there are several squibs or other individuals who were already aware of the magical world – whether through magical siblings or children - who work with us as well. We have all of the necessary evidence to put Briteman away for fraud. But, thanks to the help of some memory charms, no one will ask about why or tell the press. And, as for your client, we made sure that he had the needed documents he thought he was supposed to have. And, his memory has been modified so he will remember nothing about the plant smuggling or the Britemans at all."
"Wow," muttered Hermione, slightly stunned. "That's good, I suppose. It's just – well, memory charms seem rather convenient. Almost like a power that could be abused too easily. How do you ensure everything is done ethically? I mean, I'm pleased for my client, obviously, but it does seem rather dodgy."
"I can see where you are coming from. It certainly took some getting used to for me. But, there is a rather strict ethics code that we follow, and there are good checks and balances in place that ensure no one is abusing the power."
"Good. Good – that actually makes me feel a lot better. I'm a bit swotty like that, I suppose."
"It's not a problem Hermione. You've had to catch on to magic rather quickly, and then getting thrown into this situation on top of all of that, well, it is rather unbelievable. I'm so glad you seem to be doing so well. And even through all of that, you're managing to make sure it's all above board. Ron's right – you are something else."
Hermione blushed. "Thanks, Harry. I definitely couldn't have made it through all of this without you."
"Well, I am just so glad you are here. I've had to look out for Ron on my own for decades now, and it's about time I found someone else who realizes how amazing he is and can help me keep him out of trouble."
"Well," Hermione laughed, "it doesn't seem I've been helpful keeping him out of here. But, I am so grateful he has a friend like you. And I promise I'll help him get better as soon as he can."
"I know you will," said Harry as he hugged her.
By Saturday morning Ron could not wait to get out of St. Mungo's. He desperately wanted a shower and a real bed. The nurse had reviewed the potion regimen with Hermione, and Ron knew what rehab exercises he needed to continue at home prior to coming back to see the healer later in the week. Hugo had approached Hermione and suggested that he and Ron come stay with them for a little while until Ron was stronger. Hermione had asked if he was sure, because she and Rose could easily come stay with them. But he said it "wasn't for permanent" so it was ok. And so, Hugo and Ron moved in with the Granger Girls when Ron was discharged from the hospital.
Hermione hadn't really thought through where to put everyone. At the hospital she had simply slept with Ron, but she wasn't sure if she should do that at home with the kids there. But, if Ron slept in her bed not only would she and Ron both sleep better, but then neither Hugo nor Rose would have to sleep on the floor. On the other hand, she and Ron were….well, she and Ron weren't exactly married or engaged. And she wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't like they would be having sex, the healer had made it quite clear that was off limits for Ron for a few weeks. But, still, what example should she be setting?
Much to the pleasant surprise of Hermione's over-planning brain, the issue more or less solved itself. As soon as they were home, Ron asked if he could have a bath. So, she helped him upstairs and helped him get the water going. Meanwhile, Hugo had assumed he was in the guest room and set his things up in there while Rose went ahead and moved Ron's things into Hermione's room without even asking. By the time Ron got out of the shower and put on clean clothes, he was so exhausted that he was too tired to make it down the stairs. Thinking he'd try to regain some strength by laying down just for a minute, he rested on Hermione's bed for a moment and was soon fast asleep. When he awoke several hours later, he discovered the whole family curled up with him in the bed. Hugo was tucked under his right arm dozing, and Rose was on his left side fast asleep. Hermione was sitting on a chair at the foot of the bed with her feet propped up on the bed as she read a book.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," he said quietly. "I didn't intend to even fall asleep in here let alone bring everyone into your bed."
"When you didn't come down after your bath, they both wanted to be sure you were ok. And when they found you asleep, they decided to join you. I think they've missed you even more than we understood these past few days."
"They missed you too," he added.
"Yes, but they knew I was ok."
Ron nodded.
"I didn't even mean to assume I'd sleep in here. It's just once I got dressed I was too tired and couldn't make it down the stairs."
"Well, I didn't know what to do about the sleeping either, but Rose was the one who put your things in here. And Hugo set his things up in the guest room. So, I think that means they are ok with it."
"But are you? I don't want to make the same mistake we made that first night on the couch."
Hermione sighed. "I didn't think I was, but now I think I am."
"Maybe tonight I should just sleep down on the couch."
"Right, but you are supposed to have those potions every few hours. It would be a lot easier to have you up here."
"I am fine with whatever you want to do, Love. I am just so grateful to be out of St Mungo's and not at my mum's house I'd sleep your kitchen floor right now."
"Well," she laughed, "I am rather sure I can rule at least that one out."
"Or maybe," he suggested, "you practice your transfiguration and just make this bed bigger and we all sleep here."
"Huh," she mused. "I hadn't thought of that." After pondering a while longer, she said, "I'm going to think on that some more. But, I've decided I'm not worrying about it for now."
"Did your bandage stay dry in the bath?"
"I think so. If I had to lose any part of my body, I think the tip of my left pinky was definitely the best possible choice. I was able to just keep it out of the water, and I shoved it in the plastic shopping bag. Seemed to work I think. The wounds on my chest are all healed up – just another layer of scars to add to the others I suppose."
"Well, whenever I see them I will remember how you saved my life, and how I almost lost you."
"That's a bit morose, don't you think?"
"But it's true."
"I don't want you to think of that every time you see me without my shirt on."
"But Ron, do you know how incredible that is? You were willing to die to protect me."
"But I didn't. I'm ok, and you're ok. I don't want us to get stuck thinking about something that almost was awful when it wasn't."
Hermione eyed Ron carefully, considering his reaction. It hadn't occurred to her that he would be upset by what she had said. Maybe the only way he had survived all of the death and trauma he had lived through was to see it as something that didn't kill him and move on. But while she had buried loved ones and lived in harsh refugee camps, this was the first time she had come so close to losing her own life. She glanced at Hugo and Rose, each sleeping peacefully curled up against Ron.
"I didn't mean to say the wrong thing, Ron," Hermione said quietly trying to not wake the kids. "I think I am just now realizing that you have a certain way you have learned to handle the many near death experiences you have had. And while I have lost a lot of people I loved, and I have seen really horrible sides of humanity all around the world, until this week I have never had that kind of experience myself where I might not have made it out of there. And until right now I hadn't really considered how you had learned to deal with that threat – or near reality, really - again and again and again."
Ron listened to Hermione and realized she was right – about a number of things. He had developed some coping mechanisms over the years that allowed him to repeatedly face danger after the multitude of near death experiences he'd had. Whether they were good ones or not wasn't really the issue, but he needed to understand that it wasn't exactly normal to have had several dozen near death experiences in the past 25 years. And, he needed to be able to see it from Hermione's perspective as well, and Hugo and Rose's for that matter. Ron looked down at the sleeping children surrounding him, moving his good hand to brush Hugo's hair aside and moving his other arm so that it held Rose around her shoulders.
"You didn't say the wrong thing, Hermione. You're right. I guess I have developed some unique coping mechanisms to handle the situations I have found myself in over the past few decades. And, I hadn't really thought about that until now. I hope you know I don't at all want to minimize what you went through this week – what I went through this week, or what these two went through this week. But I also don't want us to get stuck in this week. Enough really terrible things have happened to all four of us in our lives that I don't want to spend the days and energy we do have thinking about the bad things that almost happened."
"I get that. But then sometimes, well at least for me this week, this traumatic event where I could have died and you almost died has taught me things, and I don't want to lose those lessons or forget them somehow."
"Can you share what you learned?" Ron asked earnestly.
"Some of it I can. Some I am still figuring out, I think. But, I think I realized I was already taking you for granted. You had already become this given in my life, and then you were almost gone, so I have definitely learned to remember to appreciate what a gift you are. And, I remembered that I need to take advantage of each day to love Rose and Hugo. I don't want to yell at Rose to hurry up and get ready for school and then head out the door and never come back. Maybe it's all about making each day count – with the kids, with you, with myself, with my work."
"But you can't live each day with the stress of thinking it's the last chance to do something. Then life is just too heavy and you miss the whole point of just enjoying the loved ones in your life or simple pleasures like naps or good pudding."
Hermione chuckled, "and we're back to your stomach."
"Had to get there sooner or later," he teased.
"I think this conversation is a good outcome from this week."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. We've had really different lives up until recently. And, realizing that we approach things differently and cope with stresses in totally opposite ways, well, it's important that we acknowledge that and respect how the other one thinks so we don't let it get between us."
"Do you ever get tired of being brilliant?"
"Don't tease, I'm being serious."
"So am I, Hermione. You're right. We have a lot to think about and work on. And we will. And you are brilliant to make us think about it. Otherwise we'd just go barmy thinking the other was off their rocker. But I am so bloody grateful to have found you – and these two- that I can hardly stand it. And if these two weren't pinning me down right now I would come over there and kiss you. I guess I'll have to take a rain check on that, huh?"
Hermione smiled. She closed her book, stood up and walked over towards the edge of the bed. "I love you, Ron," she said kissing him gently.
They did end up all sleeping on Hermione's bed that night. As Ron wasn't supposed to do magic for another week until he grew stronger, he talked Hermione through the spell, and he beamed with pride when she did it successfully. The kids thought it was a fantastic slumber party. Ron talked her through how to set a charm to wake the two of them every four hours to take his potions, and Hermione told the kids they had to sleep on the other side of the bed so the charm wouldn't wake them up too. Ron laughed in his head as he knew Hermione really wanted to curl up with him, and the potions made the perfect excuse. As the foursome piled into the bed, Rose announced that someone should read a story to the rest of them. No one disagreed with the idea, and soon Hermione had started reading aloud. It was a story Ron was not familiar with, and he enjoyed the tale about the American farm girl who was raising a little pig who had a spider as a friend. It was too long to finish in one night, but he liked reading as a family and hoped it was something they would continue even after the slumber party novelty had worn off. Soon the kids were asleep and he could feel himself nodding off. Hermione curled up in his arms, and they both drifted off to the sound of the kids breathing steadily.
Around 4 am, Hermione and Ron had woken up to ensure they stayed on the timing regimen for his blood replenishing protocol. Once Hermione had given Ron all of his potions, she crawled back into the bed and snuggled up with him. Hugo have a large snore, which caused her and Ron to giggle quietly.
"Can you believe it was only a few weeks ago we didn't think they even knew about us?" Hermione laughed in a whisper.
"No," chuckled Ron. "But everything this year has changed so rapidly, I don't see why this should be any different."
"But you're ok with everything still, right?"
"Hermione, yes, of course I am, Love. You know where I want to end up – and that's married to you. If anything has changed, it is only that I am even more certain of that now. But, even if Rose and Hugo are ok with a four person slumber party, I am not sure they are ready for that step yet."
"Unfortunately I think you are right. But, I think I may be less patient than I had been before all of this."
Ron stroked twirled her hair and kissed her forehead as she lay her head on his chest. "I know," he whispered. "Me too."
