Well, I got back into it, eventually. Feedback on the interaction between the two brthers would be greatly received.

Ta ;)

Chapter 6

His head was crammed and he was having trouble organising his thoughts. He had read and reread the notes Madam Pomfrey had given him – Hermione would have been proud of his studious nature over the past few hours – and was now trying to come up with some sort of theory as to what to do.

Unfortunately this was where he was coming up short. He had had fleeting ideas that sped through his mind, and his heart had leapt when they had, but then he thought about them for a minute and thought of all the ways that they wouldn't work and this heart sank once more.

'God, Hermione, I need you to help me here! You're the intelligent one!'

'Will I do?'

Ron spun around, fumbling for his wand as he did so, but he stopped when he recognised the thin face and horn-rimmed glasses of third oldest brother.

'I…I dunno!'

'Oh, thanks!' Percy replied with a grin.

Ron managed a smirk. 'You're welcome.'

'Seriously, Ron, can I be of help?'

'Er…I dunno.'

Percy snorted.

'Oh sod off!' Ron retorted. 'I'm trying to work out a way to wake Hermione up, but it's all based on a theory and an unconscious state of mind so it's not exactly fact we're working with.'

Percy shook his head, as if trying to organise what Ron has said into some kind of order.

'Wait, you think you have a way to wake up Hermione?'

Ron nodded.

'But why do you think she won't just wake up of her own accord.'

'I…I'm not sure! She might do! God, I hope she does, I just…I had this dream and I think it's a sign…message of some kind…'

He trailed off and looked warily at his brother, waiting for the scoff or the tentative line that stated he was exhausted.

He looked at Percy. His brow was furrowed in concentration but then a puzzled look crossed his face.

'You had…a dream?'

Ron sighed. 'It's fine. You don't believe me, I understand.'

'Hey! I haven't said I don't believe you I'm just trying to work things out. You said you had a dream and in that dream you were, what? Told something? Thought of something?'

'I was shown some Latin; it was engraved on a stone. I woke up and new I had to remember it and I managed to write it down. Hermione's dad translated it for me.'

'What does it say?'

'Remember us together, remember our past.'

Percy looked like he was trying to place the phrase somewhere. After a minute he spoke again.

'I don't think I've heard of it as a phrase before, do you have any idea what it means?'

'Kind of…it's weird…then again this whole thing is weird.'

'And you're sure it's a sign?'

Ron sighed. 'No,' he replied quietly. 'This whole thing could just be me desperately trying to find some small ray of hope to cling to and might just be my brain being weird 'cause of all the stress that we've been through. I just…'

He didn't know how to finish his sentence.

Percy walked over to Ron and put his hand on his shoulder.

'Ron, I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through over the past…however long it's been. And then tonight… But I don't think it's your brain being weird. Yes you're probably tired and in need of a proper night's sleep, but, forgive me for this, I don't think your dreams are usually filled with Latin phrases, are they?'

Ron shook his head. 'You er…you believe me then?'

'I think it's as good a lead as any to follow. With all the unknown magic that was on display tonight, who am I to say that dreams aren't a way to working out problems?'

'You don't have to suck up to me Percy, I've already accepted your apology!' Ron said with a grin.

Percy chuckled. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to sound sycophantic. So, do you have any idea what it means?'

'Well I have a theory.'

Ron explained to Percy what had happened to him and Hermione in their sixth year. Percy was suitably shocked at what had happened and then the fact that Ron couldn't remember a second of it.

'I mean that's just…and you can't…nothing?'

Ron closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

'Was that a sentence or am I just not hearing random words?'

Percy shook his head. 'Sorry, it was incoherent babbling. It's all just so…strange? So you think that what you were told in your dream is telling you to remember what you can't?'

Ron shrugged. 'Maybe.'

'Let's assume it is. What's all this?'

Percy waved his hand over the kitchen table.

'Oh! They're Madam Pomfrey's notes on everything that happened when me and Hermione were connected.'

'Have you found anything that's helped at all?'

'Not really, but I can't say everything's gone in. My head's mashed.'

'Do you want me to look at it?' Percy asked picking up one of the sheets of paper and glancing at the handwriting on it.

'Well, yeah, Hermione always said…' he sighed and then took a deep breath. 'Hermione always said someone else looking at something can find things…sorry, that didn't make sense, Hermione also said it much better. Always made me laugh actually. Something about a 'fresh pair of eyes', I always got the image of a drawer full of spare, fresh eyes.'

Percy smirked as he sat down opposite Ron.

'It does bring up a plethora or mental images, doesn't it? Look, Ron, why don't you have a doze or something while I read these, I'll try not to be too long.'

Ron nodded. He crossed his arms and put them on the table, at the same time pushing his chair further away from the table so he could comfortably rest his head on his arms.

'Okay, I meant in your room.'

Ron shook his head. 'Tried. Have weird non-Latiny dreams. Wake me when you're done.'

Percy nodded and started to read.

---

He jerked awake and frantically began fumbling for his wand before his eyes had fully opened.

'You're at home in the kitchen and I'm the only one here with you.'

Ron stopped fumbling for his wand and slumped back down on the table.

'Why did I wake up?'

'That may have been me. I exclaimed somewhat at how you nearly died.'

'There's no need to exaggerate!'

'No need to- I quote: 'their hearts are beating at an alarmingly low rate, I am extremely concerned for them and for their condition IF and when they wake up.''

'Well, if you're gonna quote stuff…'

Percy snorted.

'So have you found anything?'

'Well, I don't really know where to start! You fell unconscious when the other did, you shared dreams, you shared emotions, you helped each other heal, and when you did finally wake up from your near death experience you were in your own shared world for a few minutes before the connection broke in such a way that sent you into unconsciousness yet again!'

'Pretty weird, eh?'

'Weird? Ron, it's…astounding!'

'Thanks! But did you find any hidden things in there that might explain my apparent insanity which involves me dreaming words I don't understand?'

'Let me think for a minute.'

Ron fell silent as he watched Percy move a few of the papers around, obviously looking for something he had already read. He read a couple more sheets of notes before looking back at Ron.

'What do you remember about your dream?'

Ron explained to Percy he didn't remember anything else until Harry and played his little mind trick on him.

'Harry and Ginny think I was in the same place that me and Hermione went to when we shared our dreams.'

'What do you think?'

'I think they may have a point, but…'

'You're trying not to get your hopes up.'

Ron nodded.

'Where were you when you had the dream.'

'At the hospital.'

'In Hermione's room?'

'Yeah.'

'Were you in direct contact with Hermione?'

'You don't have to make it sound so clinical! I was holding her hand when I fell asleep.'

'And you say you haven't dreamed anything Latin since then.'

'No.'

'Well, why don't you try falling asleep again like you did when you had the dream? It's obvious Harry's potion was the cause of it all, but I think the fact that you and Hermione were holding hands when it happened may have added something extra to it. Well, apart from the fact that you obviously had feeling for each other, but I think the actual physical contact made a difference.'

'Ron had reddened at the mention that he had denied his feelings for Hermione through his sixth year but he concentrated on what Percy had deduced from his notes.

'So you think I should go to the hospital and fall asleep holding Hermione's hand?'

'It's worth a try isn't it. Replicating as many variables as you can might help you confirm or deny a theory.'

'You know, you could have told me this before I went to sleep!'

Percy rolled his eyes at him. 'Oh, I'm sorry, I'll just perform Legilimancy on you next time shall I, to speed things up?'

Percy laughed at his own joke but Ron just looked puzzled. Percy's face fell.

'Okay, I'll leave the jokes alone.'

'What? Oh no, sorry, that wasn't bad for you, I was just thinking. Can you do Legilimancy?'

Percy fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat and then thought for a minute before answering. 'It's a strange art. Simply performing it isn't enough sometimes. It needs mastering for it to be useful. I have not mastered it.'

Ron nodded.

'Right, well, I need to get to the hospital then, don't I. I just hope I can sleep when I'm there. Hey do you think-? Oh, no it won't.'

'Do I think what that won't work?'

'I was gonna ask if the Dreamless Sleep potion would work, but obviously, Dreamless Sleep isn't the thing we're going for. Hey! You can Obdormio me!'

'No, Ron, I'm not going to hex you into sleep.'

'Why not? It's not like you're doing it out of malice. I'm asking you to do it!'

'I know but…I just don't like doing it. You've heard how small, apparently insignificant hexes like that can be abused. I just don't like it.'

'Perce, please. I need to do this and I need you to do this favour for me. I won't tell anyone, I promise you.'

'I'll still know!'

'Percy, I really don't want to say this, but…you owe me.'

Percy smiled, but there was a trace of bitterness in the gesture.

'Emotional blackmail is a little harsh, Ron.' He said quietly. 'I thought you'd forgiven me for my stupidity.'

'I have to an extent, but there's still ground to cover with the rest of the family. I'm grateful you went through all this stuff with me, and I understand you reluctance, but…I need her with me, and I'll do anything to get her back here.'

Percy looked at the floor.

'Please, Perce.'

Percy nodded. 'I'll do it.'

…oooOOOooo…

'I've locked the door, so hopefully you shouldn't be disturbed. I'll try my best to keep people out, Charles said he'd try and distract people until you were awake. I can't quite believe how enthusiastic he was about the whole thing. No, wait, of course I can. Any possibility of waking her up, I suppose.'

Ron was sat on the uncomfortable chair as he had been in the kitchen half an hour earlier. He was holding Hermione's hand tightly in his own and brought it to his lips to kiss it gently.

Percy walked up the other side of Hermione's bed and stood opposite Ron. He drew his wand.

'Ready?' he asked, slightly shakily.

Ron nodded.

'Thanks again for this, Perce.'

Percy nodded, unable to reply.

Ron put his head on his arms and shut his eyes.

Percy raised his wand and pointed it at the top of Ron's head.

'Obdormio.'