Warm Night at Hogwarts

by GryffindorBoy

Harry and Ron are now going through some difficult times. See if they can get though it. Where will they go from here? Chapter 16 is UP FINALLY!

12. Going Home

"Warm Night at Hogwarts"

Chapter 12

"Going Home"

Going Home

Petunia Dursley opened her eyes to see a very concerned group above her. Her dark blue eyes opened wide as all of the faces came into focus. A slight smile came to her lips as the dizziness started to ebb away. She lifted her hand and allowed Harry to help her back onto her feet. She quickly brushed the dust and creases out of her clothes. Her gaze fell on the group in front of her and she said, "I'm all right now." She reached out and steadied herself on Harry's shoulder as another wave of nausea washed over her. "Really, I'm alright now," Petunia said as she started walking into the kitchen, leaving the group behind her. She made her way into the room and sat down at the table. The night was quickly growing around the Burrow, leaving things unseen in the darkness surrounding them.

Molly Weasley came and sat down next to Petunia and handed her a plate full of food. "Now, I want you to eat up. You're too thin, and I just won't stand for that. There's plenty of food here, so have your fill." Molly quickly began scooping food onto other plates and began handing them around the table. When everyone had a plate of food in front of them, they all began eating slowly, no one really sure what to talk about.

That changed as soon as the group took their first few bites of dinner. "By Merlin's beard, Molly, this is wonderful!" Arthur exclaimed, with a pleased look at his flushing wife. Ron piped in with, "Bloody hell, Mum, why don't you cook like this all the time?" which earned him a cuff on the shoulder from Harry. More politely and subdued, Harry complimented Molly with, "This is the best pheasant I have ever tasted…Mum."

Harry gave Molly a small smile and glanced at Ron and then his aunt. Petunia was sitting there with her mouth open and quickly snapped it shut, and gave Harry a nod and smile of understanding. Turning to Molly, she said, "You are a wonder Molly; this is a very fine meal. Thank you so much for all of this."

Molly turned and looked at Petunia. "Don't thank me, dear. Bringing you here wasn't my idea. It was the boys' idea. I had no clue that you were coming until Ronald came back before you with the trunks."

Hearing Molly talk about this brought a slight flush to Harry's cheeks. "It wasn't really our idea either. She had everything already packed, and we couldn't say no."

Petunia blushed and looked down at the table, "Oh my, I guess I really did invite myself, didn't I?"

"Don't you worry about that, dear. We're all glad that you're here." With a firm glance to Arthur, she added, "Aren't we?" The two women laughed as they heard the chorus of the three male voices raised, "Yes, we are!" Arthur and the boys exchanged looks of confusion.

The tension that had hung heavy in the air at the beginning of the meal was long gone and the easy conversation that flowed between the group was punctuated with much laughter and many shared smiles. With the mood so light and carefree, no one expected the light knock on the door. Molly looked at her husband and said, "I wonder who that could be." She stood and quickly walked to the door and opened it. When she didn't see anyone she started to close the door until a small squeak was heard throughout the kitchen. Petunia stood and with a shaking hand she pointed low to the ground and screamed, "Wha- what is that?"

The small grey creature stepped into the kitchen and removed his tiny hats. "Excuse me, mistress, but I must speak privately with Ron Weasley," Dobby said with diffidence. His eyes scanned the room to find the tall redhead sitting at the table beside Harry. When he saw Harry, his face lit up with a smile. "Hello, Harry!"

Harry was taken aback at the site of Dobby standing in the Weasley's' kitchen. The sound of his fork falling onto his plate resonated through the oddly quiet room. He turned to Petunia and told her, "It's ok. He's nice… except when he wants something. Do you remember when the cake fell on Uncle Vernon's boss's wife's head?" Harry nodded with a chuckle. "That was Dobby's doing."

Dobby, hearing this, lowered his head. "I was only trying to save Harry Potter's life."

Petunia looked at Harry and asked, "You mean, you really didn't do it?" Her attention was quickly brought to what the small being had said. "Save his life? What do you mean save his life?"

Harry put his hands up, stopping Dobby from continuing. "It's nothing, Aunt Petunia. It happened several years ago, no need to worry about it now." Harry tried to obfuscate the story of his second year.

While the three were conversing back and forth, Molly was busy getting another plate ready. When she finally set it down on the table, she pulled the chair out and set several spell books on it. While patting it, she looked to Dobby and said, "Come in; have a seat and join us," not knowing the reaction to come. As she slowly stood, she saw Harry jump up and run around the table to Dobby's side.

The tiny house elf hastily dropped to the floor and proceeded to bash his head into the wooden floor repeatedly as near incoherent words poured out of him. Harry reached down and lifted him off of the floor, despite his screaming and kicking, and set him on the chair, still holding on to him until he calmed down. "Now, Dobby, don't disrespect this lady and her invitation."

Dobby looked up and, with bulbous tears in his enormous eyes said, "I'm sorry, mistress, Dobby never meant to disrespect you, it's just that Dobby is rarely treated with this much kindness." His mouth shut and he looked down at the food in front of him. Dobby reached down and picked up the fork with gentle care, so as not to cause any more damage to anything in the house. When the food filled his mouth, he was overcome by the amazing taste of what he was eating. "Mistress, this food is wonderful. Dobby really enjoys your cooking!" He said with a new vigor and proceeded to shovel the food into his mouth.

Molly felt the tug in her heart as she heard Dobby say that he was not treated nicely and she began sniffing. She looked up as she heard her son start to mumble something.

"You wouldn't if you tasted what she normally cooked," Ron tried saying under his breath.

"RONALD WEASLEY! I've managed to keep your belly full for all these years. You never complained before, and I don't want to start hearing it now. Merlin knows, I have to hear it from Fred and George every time they come home. I do not want to start hearing it from you as well. Besides, how can you taste what I cook anyways, good, bad, or otherwise, when you shovel it in your mouth so fast?"

Dobby instantly slowed his eating, but continued at a rapid speed.

Ron looked at the table and blushed. "Sorry, Mum." He looked up and watched as Dobby continued to eat like he hadn't eaten in years. "So, what did you need to speak me to about, Dobby?"

Dobby looked up and with a thin smile replied, "Dobby can only speak to you. Harry Potter cannot hear what Dobby has to tell you."

Harry looked down at the house elf sitting in the chair in front of him. "What do you mean I can't hear what you have to tell him?"

"Dobby can only speak to Ron Weasley. Dobby doesn't want to hurt his friend, Harry Potter, but Dobby must follow his orders."

"Whose orders, Dobby?" Ron asked.

"Dobby cannot say in front of Harry Potter. DOBBY CANNOT BREAK HIS WORD TO PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!" Dobby picked up the copper water goblet and started to hit himself in the forehead. "BAD DOBBY! BAD DOBBY!"

Harry reached down and pried the goblet from Dobby's hands. "STOP HITTING YOURSELF!" He set the goblet down on the table and pushed it, the plate, and utensils out of Dobby's reach. He walked back around the table and took his seat next to his boyfriend. When he was seated he placed his hands on the table, ready to jump in case Dobby managed to grab something.

Ron saw Harry's hands on the table and he felt a sudden need to touch him. He lowered his hand on top of his raven-haired boyfriend's and intertwined their fingers together. He let out a sigh of contentment at the feeling of Harry's hand beneath his. He tightened his hand to bring Harry's closer to his. He looked over and saw that Harry was looking at him and giving him a reassuring look. When he looked back across the table, he saw Dobby's mouth open and his eyes questioning. Before he could ask the question, Ron supplied him with the answer. "Dobby, Harry and I are, err, we're dating." He quickly looked at Harry again and saw him nod his approval, so he continued. "We've felt this way for each other for a long time, and it was time that we took things to the next level." Ron looked at his parents and saw them smiling; he then dared a glance at Harry's aunt and also saw her smiling. At that moment, Ron felt that the two families that he loved more than anything in both his world and the Muggle world were truly becoming one.

br

Draco Malfoy sat on the bed in the Room of Requirement, staring directly at the open door. The only light in the room was coming from a small lantern that appeared on the table several nights ago. It appeared the first night that he had stayed up reading and, when the sudden burst of light came into the room, he let out a small yelp. Even though he knew that it was dark outside, he had no idea what time it was. He had had several chances to get up and leave throughout the day, and once he even poked his head out to see if there was anyone down the corridor. He saw that the coast was clear, but he still could not rummage up the courage to take that one step. He had finally given up and walked back to the bed and slumped down on it. Earlier today he had wanted nothing more than to leave this room. He began to think of it as an imprisonment, that he was not allowed to leave until someone came and gave him amnesty, but he was afraid that the moment would not come. His mind was at war with itself. He still wanted dreadfully to leave, but he wanted to stay here. He knew that if he left, there was a whole world out there that he knew nothing about, whereas in the room, he knew everything about it. He had everything he wanted, and if he didn't, he could tell the room what it was and it would appear before him. He slowly rose from the bed and brushed his black robes with his hands. It was either now or never.

As he walked to the door, Draco stopped. He had made it halfway there when he thought he had heard a noise. He covered his mouth with his hand to quiet the sound of his breathing. The sound was getting louder. Whatever was making the click click sound was coming closer. He looked at the opening in the wall and saw a hand grab the doorjamb.

br

Hermione sat on her bed in the Gryffindor tower. She could not help but worry about the fact that Harry and Ron were not back yet, and the students would be leaving in the morning after breakfast to head back to their families for the summer. She was absent mindedly playing with her fingers as she tried to think of why the boys would not be back yet. Her mind kept telling her that something bad had happened to them, but if that was the case then she knew that Professor Dumbledore would have come and told her, or at least she hoped that he would have come and told her. She looked out the window and saw that the night sky was clear and the moon was waning from last night's full moon. She sighed and admitted to herself that she probably would not see her best friends until the next school year. She then jumped off of her bed and ran to her trunk that was sitting at the end if it. She undid the locks and opened it, pulling out some parchment, her quill, and inkwell and went back to her bed, placing the items that she just retrieved carefully on the bed and sat down. She grabbed the parchment and her quill and began writing.

"Dear Ron,

I know that you're not here at the school, and you're probably with Harry right now, but I just had to write this to make sure that you two were safe. Something keeps telling me that something bad has happened to you two, and I can't shake off the feeling that it's right. When you get this, please send an owl to my parents since we're all leaving in the morning. I miss you two and I'll see you next school year.

Hermione"

She folded the parchment and put her quill and inkwell back into her trunk and left the bedrooms. She made her way to the owlery and sent the letter off to the Burrow. She quietly walked back to the dormitory, being careful to avoid any teacher that might be patrolling the corridors that she would need to take. When she had only one more turn to make until she was before the Fat Lady's portrait, she saw the faint light of a lantern that was getting closer. Hermione watched as the lantern swayed back and forth. She pressed herself against the wall and tried to make herself invisible as the person started to round the corner. Hermione quickly closed her eyes as she heard a voice.

"Miss Granger? What are you doing in the corridors at this hour?"

Hermione opened her eyes and saw Professor McGonagall standing before her in her nightgown. "Oh, I'm sorry professor. I couldn't sleep. You know, with getting ready to go home tomorrow and everything. I just needed a quick stroll to calm myself down." Hermione did her best to smile and hoped that her teacher wouldn't see through her lie.

Professor McGonagall sighed and stepped to the side. "Miss Granger, I'm sure you know by now that the hallways are not safe places to be wandering about at night. Please go back to your dormitory and stay there until the morning." Without a second glance, she continued on her way.

Hermione walked the rest of the way to the dormitory and walked inside. She knew that had it been any earlier in the school year, points would have been deducted from the Gryffindor House. She walked back to her bedroom and lay down on the bed as quietly as she could. With the letter sent, she quickly fell asleep.

br

With dessert having been served, everyone at the table dispersed to their separate bedrooms. Ron had taken Dobby with him while Harry went outside. He immediately felt the cool on air on his skin and he let out a sigh. It was not often that Dobby had visited people, especially Ron. There had come a time when Harry thought that Dobby disliked Ron since he rarely spoke to him. The words came back to him with a rush. He wondered what it was that Dumbledore needed Ron to know, but he knew that it was a secret, otherwise he would have asked to join the two up in Ron's room. Harry made his way through the garden softly kicking the dirt around his feet. He found a tree and sat down beneath it, waiting for Ron to come out and get him.

Ron shut the door behind Dobby and sat down on the bed. "Ok, Dobby, what is it that you need to tell me?"

Dobby looked around the room with curiosity, carefully picking up different objects and then setting them back down with ease. He quickly turned to Ron and said, "I have been sent to tell you that your presence will be requested at Hogwarts during the summer months."

Ron couldn't help but let his mouth hang open. "You mean, I'm going back with Harry?"

"No. Harry will spend time at Hogwarts by himself, but at some point, Dumbledore will come get you and bring you to Hogwarts."

"Why are you telling me this, Dobby?" Ron asked, incredulously.

"Professor Dumbledore has sent Dobby to tell you this. Dobby doesn't know the reasons that he is here, other than to tell Ron Weasley that he will be coming to Hogwarts during the summer to be with Harry Potter. Is this not what you wanted to hear?"

Ron slumped down further on the bed. "No, it's everything I wanted to hear. I just don't know how Dumbledore knew that I wanted it." Ron shook his head and brought his thin hands up to his face, rubbing it furiously, and then letting his hands run through his hair. He still couldn't believe what Dobby had told him. He wanted more than anything to not be apart from Harry during the summer months, and now it seemed that they wouldn't be apart for the whole time. "But what about my family?" Ron asked suddenly.

"They will be told that you are leaving when the time comes. Dobby must be leaving now. Dobby needs to go back to Hogwarts. But Ron Weasley must remember that Harry Potter cannot know that Ron Weasley will be coming to Hogwarts. Ron Weasley must keep this a secret from Harry Potter."

"I don't know if I can do that, Dobby. I tell Harry everything."

"Ron Weasley MUST not tell Harry Potter! Dobby told Dumbledore that Ron Weasley would not be able to keep this from Harry Potter, but Dumbledore told Dobby that Ron Weasley could do it. Ron Weasley must not break Dumbledore's trust in him." Dobby stood in the center of the room and looked around one final time. With a pop he was gone.

Ron sat on the bed and sighed. He did want to be with Harry at Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure how his parents would take the news of him being gone almost the whole summer and the school year. He pushed himself up and walked to the door of his bedroom. He opened it and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. With everyone in their respective bedrooms, the house was relatively quiet. Ron went outside through the back door. He stopped and let his eyes adjust to the darkness and he saw the outline of Harry sitting beneath his favorite tree. He quietly made his way over to Harry and sat down next to him, placing his hand on Harry's inner thigh. It was times like this that he loved the most, when they sat together sharing something so intimate that words could not express.

br

Molly sat on the side of her bed while she finished getting ready to go to sleep. Arthur was already under the covers, snoring soundly. She calmly rose from the bed and made her way over to the window. She looked out over the yard and saw the two boys sitting beneath the tree that was Ron's favorite when he was growing up. She watched them for a bit before the yawns started to overtake her, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She walked back to the bed and laid down as she pulled the covers over her. She turned on her side and whispered, "I love you Arthur," as she quickly fell asleep.

br

Draco Malfoy froze when he saw the gaunt fingers grasp the door frame. In all the times that he's wanted to leave, he never thought that someone else would find him first. The breath that was in his lungs lunged out into the cold room as a tall white haired man entered the door way. The two looked at each other, one with absolute terror in his eyes, and the other with a sense of compassion. The older man slowly walked into the room and surveyed it. He looked at the young boy and gave a thin smile. "Mr. Malfoy, shouldn't you be in your dorms getting ready to go home?"

Draco looked up at the man, his eyes wide. "Y…You know who I am?" He let his arms fall to his side as he exhaled. The inhalation of breath seemed so sweet to Draco's lungs, as if he had been holding that one breath in for an eternity that it burned. He could feel his face contort with the bitter sweet pain.

"Yes, I know who you are. Do you not remember me?" Professor Dumbledore stood with a rigid composure. He was now finding out the truth of what happened to Draco those few nights ago.

"I don't really remember anything. I woke up and I was in this room. There was no door, but every day there was a meal for me. I said that I wanted a bed, and one appeared. I asked for a window, and books, and instantly they came to me. I don't know what this place is, but I do like it."

The elderly headmaster gave a small chuckle at the boy's vigor. He also noticed that the steel grey of his eyes only intensified that emotion. As he stood there looking at the boy, he could tell that he didn't want to leave the room, but the professor knew that if he didn't, Draco's father would be here in short order to collect his son, and then what would happen to him? Dumbledore stood back on his heels while his brain worked at a solution to this problem. He knew that returning a memory would invoke the oldest of magics, and would not go unnoticed by the Ministry. Although that wasn't really what bothered him, he knew that he alone was not powerful enough to bring back Draco's memory on his own. If he were to do this, he would need help, and he would need to speak with Cornelius Fudge as soon as possible. "Draco," the professor said as he held out his hand for the boy to take "would you please come with me? There is someone that I would like you to meet."

Draco took a step forward. He was unsure about this, but something was telling him that the old man would not hurt him. He let his hand fall into the much older ones. They looked at each other and walked out of the room of requirement on to greater things.

br

The darkness grew still as the night pressed on. The birds began to chirp, drawing the attention of the boys. The dark owl swooped down on them and landed in front of Ron before either of them knew what was going on. Without a word, Ron reached out and untied the letter that was attached to its foot. "Who would be sending an owl this late?" He looked over at Harry and saw him shrug in the night. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his wand and lit the tip. He read the letter aloud so Harry could here it as well. When he finished, he extinguished his wand and put it back in his pocket. "You know, that's just like her. We're not there for a couple of days and she's all wonky."

Harry gave a slight chuckle at the thought of Hermione sitting in her dorm pulling her hair out. Although he missed her quite a bit, he was somewhat upset that she didn't trust that they would be OK while they were with Ron's parents. He couldn't remember if she knew why they had left or not, but he thought that they'd better send an owl to her parent's house so she would know that they were both alright. Even as he knew they should do these things, he still didn't want to move. It seemed that all of the things that happened these past few days were coming at him all at once. He pressed himself against Ron and let out a sigh. Harry stood up quickly and put his hand out so that Ron could take it and use it to help himself up. "We had better get to bed, love. It's got to be getting late."

Ron helped himself up with Harry's hand and gave a quick hug. "I think you're right, mate. We should go to bed." He pulled back and Harry could see the glint in Ron's eyes and the wide smile on his face wasn't hiding his point. With a quick squeeze of Harry's hind quarters, Ron led the way back to the kitchen door. When they were halfway there, Ron looked up and saw that all of the lights in the house were off. "Yeah, it must be late; Mum didn't even stay up to tell us goodnight." He reached behind him and groped in the darkness for his boyfriend's hand and squeezed it gently. When they reached the door, Ron opened it as quietly as he could and the boys made their way inside and up the stairs to Ron's room. Ron closed the door behind Harry and immediately turned and wrapped his arms tightly around him. "I've been waiting for some alone time with you. Now that we have it…" Ron let the thought trail off.

"Ron, as much as I would like to, we can't. Your mum and dad are right down the hallway and besides for that, we don't know when Dumbledore is coming to get me. The students are leaving tomorrow morning, so I think it will probably be sometime shortly after they leave."

"I know, this is going to be our last night together until…" Ron stopped himself from continuing. He didn't want to break Dumbledore's trust in him.

"Until next school year, I know, love. But if Dumbledore wants to Apparate, then I'm going to need all of the strength that I can in order to go with him. I'll make up for it, I promise." Harry gave Ron a smile that he knew would get right to Ron's heart. Harry started taking off his shirt and he crawled into the spare bed that had been in here since his first stay. He looked up at Ron. "Aren't you going to get some sleep?"

"Yeah, I will. I want to watch you for a bit." Ron went to the other side of the room and pulled up a chair next to the bed that Harry was in and sat down. Harry's face was illuminated by the moon light. He reached out his hand and ran it through the already messy hair that covered the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. He noticed that Harry's breathing had gone deep and he knew that he was sleeping. Ron bent down and gave him a lingering kiss on his forehead. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks, love. Don't forget that I love you." Ron slowly stood up and pushed the chair back from the bed. He glanced back at the sleeping boy once more as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

Ron carefully made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. He turned on the lights and went over to the drawer by the sink and withdrew the spare quill and ink, along with some parchment. He turned around and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down where his father always sat, at the head of the table. He immediately started composing his reply to Hermione.

"Hermione,

Harry and I are fine. We have been here most of the time that we were gone from school. We went to tell the Dursleys' about Harry and me, and as we both thought, they didn't take it very well. Although, we got a surprise when his Aunt Petunia joined us when we came back here. It turns out that she's not all that bad. Used to be a witch, but something happened and she put her powers away. Rather interesting stuff if you ask me. But you'll have to ask Harry about it. I have to go now. Talk to you soon.

Ron"

After he finished the letter, he sat up and looked at his penmanship. He hated seeing his chicken scrawl on letters like this, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. He took the letter over to Pig and sent him off to Hermione's parents' house. He knew that Pig would have the letter delivered by morning, or shortly thereafter. After sending the owl out, he went over to the wall and picked up his cloak. Walking into the living room, Ron was sure to turn off the lights that he turned on when he came downstairs. In case he didn't get back in time, he didn't want to alarm anyone with the lights being on. He stopped in front of the fireplace and picked up the little container of Floo powder, then after strapping on his cloak, and making sure that it was secure, he stepped into it. He looked around the living room once more before dropping the powder and saying, "Diagon Alley." The green flames engulfed him and he felt the spinning begin. The next thing he knew, he was stepping out of another fireplace. He had never been here at night, and now he knew why. There were very few people around, but some of the shops were still open. He quickly stepped out of the fireplace and looked around. He was sure that the shop he was looking for would still be open at this hour. At least he hoped that it would. Ron started walking in the direction that the shop was located. When he saw the lights in the windows, he felt his heart start to speed up. He reached the shop and looked in the windows. He was looking for the one item that he came here for, but he wasn't finding it. Surely they're not out of them! They can't be! Ron walked over to the door and reached for the handle. When he felt the cold metal on his fingers, he also felt something else. A sharper feeling. The pain rattled the base of his skull and then seeped throughout his body. He looked at the door and saw the colours of it starting to change. Yellow and blue dots started to flood his vision.

Using all of the strength that he could muster, Ron turned around and faced his assailant. He recognized the long, whitish-blond hair. He brought his arm up and saved his face from a brunt attack. He saw the long black cane swing down on him, but he couldn't move. The silver top struck him directly on the top of his head. More yellow and blue dots, now mixed with red, blurred his vision. He could feel the warm blood starting to trickle down the top of his head. The older man swung behind him and held him in a kind of embrace. This embrace was not friendly. He was being squeezed so tightly that he felt he couldn't breathe. The pressing on his chest forced the air out of his lungs. He felt himself being spun around until something met the side of him with a loud thump. Ron could feel his ribs cracking under the blunt assault. Another sharp pain in his chest and he felt two of his ribs snap under the quickly applied pressure. He doubled over in pain and was blindsided when the fist met with his nose. Ron felt the blood disgorge from its holding under his skin and screamed in pain.

The assailant reached out and grabbed the young red head by his hair and brutally forced him back into an alley. He thrust Ron into the corner of the building and he could hear his arm snap. Grabbing the front of his hair again, he thrust the back of his head into the building with enough force to hear some of the bones cracking. The attacker balled his hands into fists again and thrust them quickly into Ron's sternum. The newly applied pressure of the brunt force caused the strong bone to split. The young boy fell to the ground listlessly. He could hear small groans of pain emanating from the young child. Nothing he had ever done in his life had felt as good as what he had done at this moment.

He knew that the reports in the Daily Prophet were probably false, as was everything else in it, but this was an opportunity he could not pass up. The way that they had tried to live their lives of debauchery in secrecy proved that the articles were true. Of course, the assailant had no proof that it was true, but he felt that it was true, and that was all he needed. For several years he had gone off of the feelings that his gut gave him. This was not a time to change now. He had already started, and he didn't quit things once he started them. He looked at the ground and he felt his top lip curl into an involuntary sneer, "You bloody little nancy boy. And it doesn't help that you're family is one of the worst of the pure blood wizarding families that still lives. This just tops everything." He brought his foot up and let it connect with his side. He stepped a little to the side and brought his foot back once again and let it fly into Ron's face. He saw his victim's head roll backwards, then forwards, then nothing. He had either blacked out or he had killed him. He hoped for the latter, but he couldn't stay to find out. He wrapped his cloak around him and wiped the blood off of his hands on the inner part of his cloak. He knew there was a reason that he picked the dark red colour for the inside. It all seemed so apparent now. As quickly as he had come upon the boy, he departed.

Ron lay in the alley shivering, bleeding and broken. He tried to call for help, but he knew that his voice was barely above a whisper. He used all of the strength he could to hold on. The last thing he could remember was the sun starting to rise and the darkness started to turn to a light grey of morning.

br

Professor Dumbledore and Draco walked into the large office. He was surprised to see Cornelius Fudge standing in the middle of the room, and he asked Draco to sit down in the closest chair. "Cornelius, I hope that things are well with the Ministry."

Fudge looked down and then back up at Draco, then to Dumbledore. "Things are fine at the Ministry. I trust things are alright here? Your owl made it seem quite urgent that I arrive as soon as possible. It kept tapping at my window until I answered it." He let out a sigh. "So what is it that is so important?"

Dumbledore looked at the blond boy sitting beside him and lowered his hand onto his shoulder. "It seems that Mr. Malfoy here has lost his memory."

"What do you mean by lost?" Fudge asked.

"What do you think I mean, Cornelius? One of the other students has erased his memory. I would like to know what happened at that point and shortly before it."

"Albus, you know that recovering a memory takes a magic that is stronger than most wizards that live today. And to top it off, recovering the memory of a minor breaks a lot of Ministry laws."

"Cornelius, you know we can't have Lucius Malfoy's son without a memory. Lucius will be quite upset if he finds out that another student has done this to his son."

"I don't understand what you're asking of me. What do you want me to do?"

"I would like you to take Draco to the Ministry and get your best Healers on this as soon as possible. Before you return his memories to him, I would like you to send them here so I can go through them. I'm sure that there are things that need to be removed before he gets them back."

"Albus, you can't be serious! On top of breaking the laws of returning a memory to a minor, you want to break more laws and pick and choose which ones he will have? That's ludicrous."

"Let me put it this way. Would you rather do this in secrecy and get it taken care of before morning when the students leave to go home, or would you rather deal with a very angry Lucius Malfoy?"

"You make your point very clear." Cornelius Fudge walked over to Draco and stood in front of him. "Stand up please. Have you ever traveled by Floo before?"

Draco looked dumbfounded. "What's a Floo?"

Fudge looked at Dumbledore with a pleading look. He let out a deep sigh. "Alright, but you owe me for this, professor." He walked with Draco to the fireplace and picked up a big handful of Floo powder. "Please hold on to me very tightly." When Draco had a full tight grip on the minister of magic, Fudge threw the powder to the ground and spoke loudly, "Ministry of Magic!" The green flames rose quickly. The last thing that Dumbledore heard was a loud shriek coming from the young Malfoy.

Professor Dumbledore quickly walked to his desk and sat down. There was still much to do before the students awoke and were sent to their homes for the summer. As he pulled a piece of parchment in front of him, he was surprised to see the green flames arise from where they had just settled. He set down his quill and folded his hands. He didn't want to have this meeting now, but it had to be done. He gave a meager smile as the blond woman stepped from the fireplace. "Ms. Skeeter, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"You know me Professor, all work and no play." She let out a nervous laugh. "I'm here to ask you some questions for a new article that I'm working on."

"And what would my knowledge offer to this article?"

"As a community, we would like to know how Harry Potter works. What goes on inside his head. You're the only one who can answer these questions for us."

"One would think the best person to ask would be Harry himself."

"Yes, very true, but that lovely Harry has declined all of my requests."

"Well yes, after the things that you've recently published about him, I can understand his reasoning," Dumbledore interrupted.

Rita's hand flew to her chest and she shook her head. "I meant no harm with those articles. I was only speaking what I know to be truth. I am a journalist after all. That is my job."

"Your articles are not proof, Ms. Skeeter. What Harry does behind closed doors is not your or anyone else in the community's business."

"So you're admitting to Harry's homosexuality?"

Professor Dumbledore tightened the grip on his own hands. It was important for him not to show anger, especially in front of Rita Skeeter. He didn't need this conversation to end up in the next edition of the Daily Prophet, and he had the sudden urge to tell her exactly what he thought of her. "No, Ms. Skeeter, I am not admitting to Harry's homosexuality. If Harry is a homosexual, then it is news to me." He gave a thin smile before continuing, "Now, if you don't mind, I have urgent school business that I need to attend to before the students have to leave in the morning." He stood, making sure that his point was received the way he intended and stretched his arm to the fireplace. The professor watched as the blond woman stood and walked over to the doorway, opened it, and left that way, instead of the way that she arrived. With the hour being as late as it was, he knew that all of the students would be in their respective common rooms, if not already in bed. He sat back down and again pulled the parchment to him and picked up his quill. He only had a little time before the students would wake and would be sent home. With a frustrated sigh he pushed the parchment away from him. Now it was time for the necessary sleep that he would need. He stood from his desk and walked over to his private sleeping quarters and readied himself for sleep. Before his eyes closed, he was already latent.

br

A shrill scream filled the night. Hermione bolted up in her bed and looked around. "What in the bloody hell was that all about?" she asked aloud to herself. The dream that woke her quickly left her memory. She again looked about the room, but saw nothing that stuck out in her mind as not being normal. She laid back down, closing her eyes, but immediately sat back up. The feeling of nervous terror quickly ebbed as she opened her eyes. Was it really that bad of a dream? she thought. The more she tried to delve into the dream, the further it receded. Finally giving in to the realization that she couldn't go back to bed, she pushed the sheets back and swung her legs over the side. Her hand came up and ran through the bushy brown hair on top of her head. She let out a sigh and stood, walking to the trunk at the end of her bed. If I can't sleep, I may as well finish packing.

She bent down and lifted the lid to her trunk and saw how little she had left to do. Hermione sat on the floor and began to rearrange the items that she had already packed away. Moving her set of quills and ink to the other side, making sure the stoppers were firmly set in the ink bottles, she then made sure they were protected by the clothes she had torn and made ragged throughout the year. Looking into the trunk again, Hermione realized all she had left to pack were the books which rested on her nightstand. She quietly stood and walked over to the side of her bed and sat down.

With her constant worrying about Ron and Harry she hadn't spent the usual time she did reading. She looked through the titles that she had brought with her, and some that she had purchased while the students had their trips to Hogsmeade. She reached out and took the top one off the stack and opened the cover. She noticed something now that she had missed the first time in reading the book, and even receiving it. There was a small inscription from Ron. "'Mione, didn't know what else to get you for your birthday. Hope you haven't already read it. Ron." Seeing his small, extremely bad handwriting brought forth emotions she thought she had hidden away. Again she was taken over by the feeling of being scared. She hoped when she met her parents at Kings Cross Station later on that morning they would have a letter for her from the boys. She let out a sigh and closed the book.

Morning light was beginning to flow freely into the windows. The windows to the girl's dormitory were open and a soft warm breeze came into the room. Chirping could be heard from the birds outside as they cried from their early morning hunger. The sun, having fully raised just a couple of hours ago, began making the room almost unbearable to stay in. Hermione picked up the stack of books and carefully placed them into her trunk. She closed the lid and latched it, then made sure the belts were secure. She stole a glance around the room once more before leaving and heading down to the common room to sit and wait for everyone else to wake up for breakfast.

As she walked down the stairs she was once again overcome by the feeling of something not being right. The lightheadedness took her by surprise as she almost fell down the rest of the stairs. She steadied herself on the wall and looked around, hoping silently that no one had seen the clumsiness. After seeing no one else in the corridor she let out a sigh of relief, continued down, and finally made her entrance in the Gryffindor common room. She saw it was empty, but noticed that the fireplace was already lit. Even when the weather was warm, the house elves liked the ambience that a fireplace gave to a room, so they were usually lit all year round, or at least the whole time the students were at the school. She couldn't vouch for the summer months since she was never there during that time period, but she was sure if someone were to stay here over the summer, the fireplaces would be lit.

Hermione walked over to the leather chairs by the hearth and sat down. It wasn't the same without her two best friends here, but she knew that she would just have to deal with the fact that she wouldn't see either of them until the end of the summer when she always went to the Burrow. For this reason, she hoped the summer would pass quickly. There was so much she wanted to tell them, but she knew it would all have to wait. Thinking that she should get an early start on her day, Hermione stood and walked to the doorway. She went into the Great Hall and saw several of her house mates already seated and eagerly talking of the trip home and the things they wanted to show their parents. Hermione walked over and joined them; getting caught up in the conversation, her feelings of odd fear had left her.

br

Ron could hear several people talking around him. He wondered where he was, but couldn't open his eyes or move any part of his body. He was shrouded in pain. He wanted to scream out to let these people know that he was hurting them, but his mouth wouldn't work. He had something pushed through his nose into his throat. He could feel it pushing air into his lungs. What in the bloody hell happened to me? Why can't I move? What's going on? He tried to think back on everything that had happened to him the night before when he was in Diagon Alley, but the only thing that came to him was the robust man helping him stand up asking if he was ok. Even then Ron couldn't talk. He remembered shivering uncontrollably. The pain was so strong then, so much more real then what he was experiencing right now. He remembered the man continuing to talk when all he wanted to do was go to sleep. He wanted to lash out at the man to shut up, but he was told not to sleep. He remembered fearing that if he fell asleep he wouldn't wake up. That was it until now, hearing the voices above him.

"Ok, we've done our best to mend the arm. It seems the ribs that broke went into one of his lungs. His sternum is cracked and his heart has some lacerations on it. Luckily he was brought in when he was. Don't know how long he would have made it. Nurse, can you please notify this boy's family that he's in St. Mungo's? "

"Yes, sir."

Ron heard footsteps getting further away from him. Why am I at the hospital? He could feel his consciousness slipping away from him.

"Merlin, that's a lot of blood."

Ron coasted to unconsciousness.

br

Harry woke, slowly stretching his arms and legs. He opened his eyes and saw the inside of Ron's room. It had been such a long time since he had slept so well. He rolled over and felt the other side of the bed. Ron must have slept somewhere else last night. He sat up and threw the covers away from him. For being so early, it was awfully warm in the room. He went over to the dresser and pulled out a light blue shirt and blue jeans, along with a pair of bright green boxers. As he changed his clothes, he began thinking of what it would be like to stay the summer at Hogwarts. He knew that Ron would be visiting him in a couple of weeks, though how that arrangement had been made, he had no clue. Ron must have thought he was sleeping, because it sounded like it was supposed to be a surprise for him. He took delight in knowing that he wouldn't be alone the entire summer. After getting dressed, Harry walked downstairs and saw Molly busying herself in the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone. Knowing that Arthur had probably already left for work, Harry sat down at the head of the table. Still somewhat sleepy, Harry groggily said, "Good morning Molly."

Molly let out a small shriek. Not expecting Harry to be up for a couple more hours, he surprised her. She turned around and regarded him carefully, "Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. I haven't slept so well in a long time."

"That's good, dear. Where's Ron?"

"Umm, I don't know," Harry replied while scratching his head. "I think he slept in Ginny's room last night. He must have known that I would need all of the strength that I would get, and you know how Ron is when he sleeps." Harry gave a chuckle.

"Yes, I do, dear." Turning back around to the stove, Molly asked, "Would you like some breakfast, dear?"

"Yes, please," Harry said while smoothing out the small wrinkles in his shirt. When he looked up, he saw Molly bringing over a heaping plate of bacon, eggs, and potatoes. "I don't think I can eat all of this," he said with his mouth hanging open at the size of the proportions on the plate in front of him.

"Oh, hush. You say that every time, Harry. And like you said, you need your strength for today. Do you know when you're leaving?"

"No. I think Dumbledore will probably show up sometime after the students have left. That way he won't have to answer loads of questions about why I'm not getting ready with everyone else," Harry said in between taking bites of food.

"He always was a smart man." Molly said. "Even when I was a student there, he was ahead of his time."

Harry nodded as he had just taken a big bite of food. He was chewing quickly.

"Slow down, Harry. No one is going to take your food." She laughed at the thought of her own children protecting their plates when meal times came. Molly walked back over to the stove and with her wand set everything to simmer so none of it would burn while waiting for Petunia to wake. She then made her way back over to the table and sat down in the seat to Harry's left. Waiting patiently for him to finish his food, she lifted the newest edition of The Daily Prophet and read to herself. She let out a gasp. She could see Harry perk up his head and look at her. "It's nothing, dear." She told him while he continued eating. She had known about the rumors for quite some time now, but hated that someone else would talk about her child and his boyfriend that way. She set the paper down and noticed that Harry had finished eating and was intently watching her.

"Everything alright, Molly?" he asked sincerely.

"Yes, dear, everything is fine. Did you enjoy your food?"

"Yes, it was wonderful, as always," Harry said with a slight blush.

"Thank you. Ron should be in some time. You know he never misses a meal."

Harry laughed uproariously at the comment. He now wondered why Ron was not awake and down here shoveling food into his mouth. He probably just wants to be alone right now. He was torn from his thoughts when he heard Molly's voice.

"Are you nervous about spending the summer at Hogwarts?"

Harry wasn't quite sure how to respond. He didn't know if Molly knew that Ron would be joining him in a couple of weeks or not. He decided to play it safe. "No, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will have things for me to do, probably catching up on the studies that I missed while we were here."

A loud knock at the door surprised the two sitting at the kitchen table. Molly stood and walked over to the door and opened the top half. Professor Dumbledore stood on the other side. "Oh, Professor, so nice to see you."

"Good morning, Molly. I trust that things are well here now?"

"Things are wonderful. Thank for you allowing the boys to come and talk to us."

"It's not a problem, Molly. But if you would, please let Harry know I'm here. We really have to be going now."

Molly turned and saw Harry right behind her. She opened the bottom half of the door and watched as he walked outside and the two walked only a little down the path. Harry grabbed on to Dumbledore and held on as tightly as he could. The next thing she knew, she was looking at an empty walk way. She closed the doors and walked back into the kitchen and picked up Harry's empty plate and glass, putting them in the sink. She walked over to the stairs and readied herself to yell for Ron, but then remembered the other sleeping guest in the house. Molly walked up the stairs and quietly opened Ginny's bedroom door. Looking inside she saw no Ron, and no sign that he had been in there. She then went to his room and thought that maybe he had switched rooms after hearing Harry get up. Glancing in the room she saw no sign on her son. She then thought that since Harry had left today, maybe he wanted some time to himself. She knew that trying to badger him and talk to him wouldn't do any good. Walking by the bathroom she gave a slightly loud knock, getting no answer she opened the door and again did not find her son. He must be outside somewhere. Molly walked back down the stairs and into the kitchen. After throwing away the newspaper, she sat down with a cup of tea, and waited for Petunia to wake up.

br

Hermione sat in an otherwise empty compartment on the train to Kings Cross Station. The train was slowing down as they finally reached their destination. After finding her trunk and maneuvering around the other students on the train, she finally stepped on to the platform. Immediately seeing her parents, she ran over to them and ripped the letter out of her dad's hands. Reading it, she gave a quick sigh. She was pulled from her reverie by hearing her mother's voice. "Nice to see you too, honey."

Hermione looked up at her parents, "Oh, I'm sorry." She hugged them, giving them each a tight squeeze. "How have you two been?"

Her mother gave her a positive answer as they all walked to the parking lot to go home.

br

Petunia heard the opening and closing of doors and wondered what was going on. She pushed the sheets to her side and got up. She dressed quickly and went into the bathroom to fix her hair. When she was done she walked down the stairs and saw Molly sitting in the kitchen. Wondering what the time was, Petunia glanced up at the clock recessed in the wall. Seeing only pictures and words she quickly found Harry's and saw it was pointed toward "School". As she continued to study the clock she noticed that Ron's hand was pointed to "Mortal Peril", she wondered about this. "Molly, what kind of clock is this?"

Molly, hearing Petunia stood and walked to where she was. "Oh, that clock shows where everyone is at any given time." She then looked up at the clock. She saw that one of the hands was in a spot that it had never been in before. "Mortal Peril." She started to breathe quickly as the kitchen door burst open.

Arthur was walking quickly through the house. He saw the two women standing by the clock. "Molly, we have to go. Ron's in St. Mungo's." Molly quickly ran in to the kitchen and with a flick of her wand, shut off the stove. She ignored her traveling cloak and walked outside.

Petunia was in her wake. "Mind if I come along?"

Molly looked at her as if she had gone mad. "Just grab onto Arthur and hold on tightly." Before Petunia could say anything else, she heard a loud pop and Molly was gone. She then looked back at the house and saw Arthur shutting and locking the door. He looked around to try to find Molly but could not.

"She's already gone. She said I'm supposed to go with you, if that's alright," Petunia said uneasily.

"That's fine. I just need you to hold on to me. Hold on as tightly as you can, and whatever you do, don't let go."

Petunia stretched her arms around her new friend's husband and almost crushed him under her strength. "Not that tight," Arthur said with a slight chuckle.

"I'm sorry," Petunia apologized, blushing a little. With another pop, they were gone as well.

By the time they appeared at St. Mungo's, Molly was badgering one of the hospital staff trying to find out what was going on with her son. Arthur and Petunia walked up to hear the nurse tell the boy's mother that he was in with the healers right now, and that one of the healers would be out to speak with them when they could. The nurse motioned over to the waiting room and asked the three to have a seat. When the two parents sat down, Petunia still stood in front of them. "I think someone ought to let Harry know about what's going on."

"You're right, but you can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds," Molly replied.

"Where is the closest town?"

"Hogsmeade. You can see the castle from there."

Before Molly could look up, the two heard a loud pop and she was gone.

br

Upon her first Apparition, Petunia was quite disoriented when she arrived in Hogsmeade. Molly was right; she could see the castle from where she stood. She took off at a quick run and caught the older professor with her nephew as they were just stepping on to the grounds of the school.

Harry looked over at her bewildered. "Aunt Petunia, why are you here?"

"Harry we need to go. Something's happened to Ron."

Before Harry could press him, Professor Dumbledore put his arms around both of them. "We'll be there soon, Harry." The three disappeared from where they were just standing on the road to the school.

What seemed like hours later, the three landed outside the hospital doors. Harry ran in and saw the Healer walking over towards Molly and Arthur. Harry could hear him talking.

"I'm sorry; we've done everything we could. The lacerations to his heart were bleeding too much. I'm so sorry."

Molly's voice could be heard throughout the hospital as she lost her youngest son.

-END OF CHAPTER 12-