"Warm Night at Hogwarts"
Chapter 14
"Interruptions"
The hospital room stood in complete stillness. The deafening silence was broken by a sharp intake of breath. Everyone, excluding Ron, had turned to see who had broken the moment. Ginny's hand rose to her mouth as her eyes quickly filled to the brim with tears. She turned on her heels and exited the room, running down the corridor. Molly shook her head and ran after her daughter. Everyone that was left standing in the room turned their heads back to their family member who was bedridden. Moments ticked by that seemed to take an eternity. Just as Ron opened his mouth to answer he was overtaken by a sharp pain emanating from the center of his chest, causing him to moan.
Harry leaned in closer and picked up Ron's hand and held it in his own for a while before opening the ring box. Inside the soft red box was what seemed to be crushed purple velvet, encasing a sterling silver ring with two chrome bands encircling it. He gently reached in and pulled the ring from the box and held it before Ron's finger. "I know that I wasn't here when you woke up, but when the healer told me that we may have lost you, I didn't know what to think Ron. I don't want to imagine my life without you. I sat there numb in my chair trying to think of how I would go on, and by Merlin's name, I could come up with no answer." He reached up and wiped a tear from his cheek before looking at everyone in the room.
The twins stood open mouthed. They couldn't believe what they had heard. They knew for awhile about Ron and Harry, but never thought it would come to this. Everyone goes through an experimental stage in their lives, and that's all they had attributed it to. But looking at them now, they could see the love radiating off of Harry.
Petunia held her skeletal arms around herself, crying openly. Although with first glance someone might think she was crying out of sadness, but it was just the opposite. She was so happy for her nephew at this moment that the only way to keep from screaming it was to cry. It had been quite a while since she'd cried tears of joy, and realized that she liked this much better as opposed to the constrained tears of sadness and fright that she had gotten so used to crying when she was a muggle. Her hand came up and wiped the bulbous tear that had fallen onto her cheek. With a smile, she nodded at Harry.
Bill and Charlie were looking at each other, then to the two boys sitting on the bed. Harry never told them about his feelings for their youngest brother, but something told him that they wouldn't really mind. It seemed he was right. The only one that seemed upset about what happened was Ginny. He felt bad for not telling her about his feelings for Ron, but he knew she wouldn't understand. Harry heard someone sniff and turned his head to see Arthur crying. He wasn't sure if it was the sight of seeing his youngest son in this condition, or the proposal, but no one had openly objected, so Harry thought things were alright, regarding the circumstances.
The darkness that came into the room seemed overwhelming. Lights automatically came on in the room, almost as if they sensed it was too dark to see. Artificial light poured into the room from overhead and from the doorway. Harry's gaze saw something in his peripheral vision and his breath caught in his throat. Before he could say anything, a young red headed male strode into the room carrying something in his hand. Walking over to the boy lying in the bed, he thrust the package on his chest. "Our deepest sympathies from the Ministry." Steeling a look at Harry, he grimaced.
"Percy, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.
Percy Weasley puffed out his chest, "I'm delivering a care package from the Ministry."
"Always business I see. Merlin knows you wouldn't use your own time to see your little brother when he needs his family the most." Fred interjected.
"It's not-"
"Yeah, the minister's lap dog always doing his bidding." George added.
"BOYS!" Arthur scolded. He turned to his son "Percy, thank you for coming. I'm sure you're just as worried as the rest of us." He reached out to put a hand on the young man's shoulder and saw him recoil.
"Actually, I have other business to attend to." He replied walking towards the door. The hard look in his eyes told everyone that he had no intention of staying or asking how his youngest brother faired in the fight for his life. He turned to exit the room and was blindsided by a punch coming from his only sister.
"How dare you speak like that! You wouldn't know what family was if you were dropped right in the middle of one. Oh and look at that, you have been. Prat." She spat the last word out of her mouth.
No one noticed the feeble Ron reaching his hand out and deep into Harry's robes. Although Harry was in the moment, he was quickly pulled out of it by the feeling of something foreign so close to his skin. He realized what it was and gave Ron a quizzical look. Pulling the wand out of Harry's robes, Ron strained to turn on his side. The package that was resting so heavily on his chest fell to the floor with a loud clatter and a burst of powder. Ron took this chance and grabbed Harry's hand, squeezing it as tight as he could and strained "Levicorpus."
Percy was taken up by his foot bringing him upside down, screaming for someone to help him. The twins began to snicker and laugh, as did Ginny.
Harry wiped his brow and sat back as much as he could, quickly taking his wand out of Ron's hand and pushing it back deep inside his robes where it belonged. If asked, he was not sure he could describe the feeling that passed through him. He had never felt his magic being pulled in such a direction before, from so deep inside of him out through the palm of his hand and into Ron's. The feeling was almost dizzying. By now, everyone's attention was turned to the boys on the bed. Ron was again on his back and had his eyes closed, Harry could tell he was straining not to smile, but he was not sure anyone else would see it from their distance. The attention was quickly drawn to the floor as the powder was finally settling. As everything was getting settled, Harry reached across Ron to grab his goblet of water so he could give his boyfriend something to drink, and help hide the smile that was becoming slowly more pronounced. As he began pulling the chalice back to him, it slipped from his grip and clattered when it hit the floor. The powder that had become wet began to fizz and pop, growing in size.
"What's this?" Arthur demanded looking back at his son, who was still hanging by his left extremity. He walked over to his son and grabbed him by the front of his robes and pulled him upwards a bit, just enough to get a good look at the young lad in front of him. "I demand to know what this is right now!" No matter how much he tried, he could not keep his voice down. He was so angered that he was unconsciously shaking the young man.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know. I was told by the Minister to come and drop it off. I don't know what's inside of it." Percy wailed. It was obvious that he was almost in tears, but it seemed that no one in the room really cared about his feelings at that moment in time.
Bill walked over to his younger brother and carefully placed a hand on his father's shoulder, looking down at the younger sibling, "You mean, you didn't think to look inside of it?"
Percy was shaking his head. "No, why would I do that? It came from the minister himself. I would have asked, but he had someone in there with him. I think it was a student from Hogwarts, I know those robes. Merlin knows I'd never forget those robes."
Harry's attention was seized. "A Hogwarts student? Do you know who it was?" He had sat up and was now gripping Ron's hand tightly.
"No, I don't know. I saw him from behind, but he had blond hair. That's all I know. Will you please let me down now?" Percy whined, almost frantically. "I have other errands I need to run for the minister. These things are important."
All eyes were again turned to see the boy hanging top side down. With everything that had happened in the past couple of hours, no one could understand the nervousness of Percy's pleadings. Their thoughts were on their broken and sick family member. A woman that Percy didn't recognize slowly walked up to him and turned to face his father. "So this is the other one you told me about?" She asked, being careful not to use any vehemence in her voice. When she saw Arthur nod, she knew that he was somewhat ashamed to declare that this young man had been his son at one point in time, and probably would be again in time when he realized that family was more important than anything else in the world. He was still a young pup who was dazzled by the bright lights and big names of the ministry of magic. In time, things would settle in his mind, or so she hoped. She was sure that he was actually a good boy who prided his family, but then again, she had just met him, and his first appearance did nothing positive for his image. "Percy; that is your name isn't it?" She asked.
He simply nodded. He was reduced to making effortless grunts and head motions.
"Well, let me tell you something Percy. Family is the best thing in the world." She stole a glace back at Harry. "It took me some years to realize this, but now that I have, I will never let my nephew go. You see, your family will stick by you no matter what decisions you make, whether they agree with them or not. But you can always count on them. They'll always be there for you." Petunia looked over at the twins and saw their mouths hanging agape. "You see Percy, when you realize this, I'm sure you will feel an aching in your heart for not caring about them over these years, but I am also sure that they will take you back." With having said everything she wanted to, everything that wouldn't cause a stir in the family, she stepped back and draped her arm over Harry's shoulder. She felt his body relax at her touch. He had gone through so much in so little time. Although, she still did not know about everything that had happened to him while he was at school all those years, and also did not know about Sirius, or the Order. But there was one thing she did know, and this one thing meant more to her than anything else in her life. Harry now had one more person to protect him.
After the speech was made, no one could say anything. It seemed that no matter what followed in Petunia's wake, it would only seem miniscule in comparison. When she had decided to get her point across, she wasn't intending to stun the whole family, although, with one comes the other apparently. The Weasley's all stood with shocked expressions on their faces looking from her to Percy, then back to her. She didn't know what to say to ease their minds, but she knew that she didn't say something that was untrue. She looked up to Molly for assistance.
Molly caught her gaze and nodded. Reaching into her robes she pulled out her own wand and pointed at her dangling son. "Liberacorpus." She watched as her son's foot was released from its binding and he fell to the floor. No one said a word to her about letting him down. They knew that had he stayed like that any longer, his head probably would have burst from the amount of blood flow it had received. She watched as Percy started to right himself, but fell over, landing squarely on his bum.
"Right place for you to be then." Fred quipped.
"Yeah, right on your bum." George added.
The twins stopped their barrage when Molly sent them a look of censure. Each boy had taken a step back to remove themselves from the line of fire that was in their mother's eyes. "Now, I will hear no more of this nonsense. Do you hear me boys?" Both nodded that they understood. She turned her hurtful gaze to her forlorn son. "I raised you better than this Percy Weasley! By the way you act; one would think I didn't do anything in your upbringing. If you are not here for Ronald, then you have no place here." She turned her back to him and walked to the side of the bed. She took his cast hand and held it for a moment. She tensed as the door closed behind her. "And you Ronald Weasley," she shook her head, "where on earth did you learn that hex?" Molly allowed herself to chuckle. Turning to Harry, she urged him to remind Ron of the pending question.
Harry squeezed Ron's hand once more, trying to gain his attention. When Ron turned his head towards his boyfriend, Harry gasped. The answer was in his eyes, even though he hadn't voiced it, he knew what the answer would be. Picking up the ring again, he looked deep into those brown eyes that he had come to love so well. "Ron, I know this is the third attempt at this, and maybe this time I'll get it right." He giggled nervously. "I love you. I've loved you for years, and I'll never stop loving you. This seems to be the right thing to do. You're everything to me." Harry quickly slid off the side of the bed and went down on his right knee, still embracing Ron's hand. "Will you marry me Ron?" Harry looked over at the doorway and saw a new figure standing there. He would recognize that bushy hair anywhere. This time was no different. His gaze traveled to her face and he saw her wipe a tear from her eyes, but his attention was brought to his hand being squeezed.
"You act like I'm going to die mate." Ron said while coughing.
"No love, it's nothing like that. It's that we have been through so much together, you and I, and for a little bit, we did loose you. I just about went mad over that. I can't loose you Ron, and I won't loose you." Harry began to openly cry.
Ron shook his head, "No, no you won't loose me Harry." He struggled to sit up, propping himself on his right elbow, to look into Harry's green eyes. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Harry slid the ring onto Ron's finger and watched as everyone in the room began to cheer and clap. He carefully pulled Ron's hand to his lips and kissed it, then stood and kissed him on the forehead, and finally on the lips, letting the kiss linger a bit longer than what would have been appropriate.
The bushy haired girl who still stood in the doorway squealed with delight at seeing her two best friends finally make their relationship official and take it to the next level. She walked into the room and immediately walked over to Molly and wrapped her arms around her. "I was looking for you at King's Cross Station, but you weren't there to pick up Ginny. I was looking forward to seeing all of you again one last time before summer started. Then I heard the news." She said this last sentence in a hushed tone. Hermione reached inside her robes and pulled out a copy of The Daily Prophet and handed it to Molly. She then walked over to Arthur and gave him a tight hug, as well as each of the twins. She nodded at Bill and Charlie while walking over to Harry. Her arms found their way around his waist and she pulled him close to her. Although she would never admit how much she missed them over the time they were gone from school, she would never tell them such. Her gaze fell on Ron, and even though he was smiling, her eyes welled up with tears at the sight of his condition. With a trembling hand, she reached out and grasped his fingers, eyeing the ring that he now wore.
"What in the bloody hell is all this about?" Molly screamed.
Everyone in the room looked up at her. Arthur being the first to speak, "What is it dear?"
Molly unfolded the paper and continued reading, mumbling under her breath the entire time. "Seems someone at the Prophet heard about Ron. They wrote an article about it." She cleared her throat and read aloud:
"Diagon Alley No Longer Safe
By: Abigail Banks
Late last night, a young wizard had gone to Diagon Alley to purchase something for a special friend of his. While he was there, it seems, by sources that wish to remain unnamed and their locations secret, the store in which he wished to purchase this item, no longer carried it. The young lad had turned around with disappointment set in his eyes on his way back home. While on his way to the general floo area, he was attacked by a much older and much larger wizard. Descriptions of this man are that he had long white blond hair that came to the middle of his back and he carried what could be described as a walking cane. Although there are many wizards who match this description, and one who immediately comes to mind, the Prophet would like to speak with Ronald Weasley about him. One of our sources told the Prophet that the man had walked by him, and he was sure he could smell Polyjuice Potion. With the Death Eaters on a frantic search for the one Harry Potter, one can only assume that his beloved friend was in the wrong place at the wrong time. More on this story as we receive more information."
Molly folded the paper and stuck it under her arm. Her mind had told her not to read the article in front of Ron, but her heart knew that he needed to know about it. She was also glad that she only had to read it once for all of her family to hear it. The family discussions this would bring would have to happen later, out of Ron's earshot.
Harry's look grew adamant. "What does she mean, 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'? That's the biggest load of dragon dung I've ever heard."
Charlie gave Harry a hurt look. "You know, that's just not right."
Ginny walked over to her mum and ripped the paper out from under her arm and threatened to tear it to shreds. "Don't you dare Ginny Weasley! We need to keep that paper."
"But mum! This is all lies, and you know it is."
"I know, but we need to keep it in case Ron wants to look over it when he's able. You know he'll want to."
With a sigh, Ginny gave the paper back and made her way to Hermione's side. It was now that she got her first look at her brother. He didn't look right with all the casts on him, and his leg up in a sling. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but was afraid she would only hurt him more than he already was. She saw that Harry had given up trying to get an answer to his question and went back to stroking Ron's arm, trying to comfort him. He didn't give a look of being upset over the news, but she didn't know for sure. Ginny figured that it had probably struck him somewhere deep down. She did reach out and touch his leg, and noticed that he didn't recoil, so she ran her hand down to his knee and back up his thigh, being careful not to move the blanket too much. After a couple of times of doing this, she stopped and let her hand rest where it was.
Arthur looked down at the floor and pulled out his wand, pointing it downward towards the box and watched as purple strands came shooting out of the tip and cleaned up the mess made by the powder and water mixture. He was met with Bill at his side. "You know dad, since that came from the ministry, do you think it was some of that numbing bath powder?"
Recognition fell on the older wizard's face. "You know, that does sound like something Cornelius would do. I bet that's what it was. I'll have to ask him to send some more over to the house when Ron can go home. I don't think he'll need it while he's in here. I'm pretty sure the healers have spells that he's under right now for the pain."
As talking in the room became regular, a sense of calm came over the room. Nervous tension was being pushed aside for thankfulness, and worry was being expelled. The general feeling of fear quickly fled to the darkest corners to lay in wait. The talking seemed to die quickly as a lone figure stood in the doorway. No one was sure as to how long they had been there, but with a quill in her hand she was writing furiously, glancing up occasionally at the family in front of her. As the talking finally ceased, the lone reporter looked up, an aghast look on her face. Her face deepened in colour to a dark red. "Uh, pardon me." She stuck out her hand to Arthur as she made her way into the room. "I'm Abigail Banks from the Daily Prophet. I was wondering if –"She was cut off by one of two boys who looked exactly alike, although she couldn't place which one he was.
"If my little brother would like to make a statement than he will let someone know accordingly, which he has not done. I would think it very pertinent that you leave at once. This is for family and friends only, not reporters." George spat.
"I think you misunderstand my intentions young Mr. Weasley. You see, with your brother's attack, Diagon Alley is no longer safe, and –"again she was cut off, but this time by an older boy, obviously still young enough to not be the father.
"Abigail," Bill said softly as he walked over to her placing his hand gently on her shoulder. He noticed the small recoil and lightened the weight in his arm. "I don't think you understand. Ron is in no condition to be seeing people right now. If you would, please make your way out into the waiting area, where I'm sure there are loads of other reporters, just like yourself, who are concerned about the condition of Diagon Alley, not my brother's life. So I'm going to ask the same of you as my brother, please leave now before we are forced to take action against you for not abiding to our wishes." Bill turned sharply and walked to the bedside without so much as a look backwards at the woman standing in dark blue robes.
She took her cue and walked quietly out of the room. She turned on her heels and stopped, still in front of the door, with her mouth hanging open. Quickly, Abigail ran back into the room and slammed the door, pressing herself against it.
Bill heard the door slam and turned his head. He thought he heard her heels clicking their way out of the room, but it would be just like a reporter to lock herself in there with them just to get information. He puffed out his chest a bit and looked at her trembling frame. "I thought I told you to leave Miss Banks. It would behoove you to open that door and walk out into the waiting area with the rest of the reporters." He said slowly as he drew his wand out of his traveling cloak. He noticed her shaking and thought she was putting on a wonderful act. The only time he ever saw someone shaking that much was -.
"D…De…Death Eaters!" She stammered.
End of Chapter 14