A/N: 2 updates in less than a week? Excellent! AND, I may even be able to get out a third before the long weekend's over (no promises though). This is one of my favourite chapters, because although I never liked Ron and Hermione as a couple, I do love the character of Ron and wanted to make sure that he was portrayed as a good guy here (Ron as the baddie who's out to destroy Hermione and Draco's relationship is most definitely NOT the way I wanted to go with this story). So here's a nice, sweet moment between two best friends. :)

*** 18 – Out in the Rain ***

Liz didn't stop moving once she had escaped the confines of the stifling house, despite the gentle rain that poured from the heavens. She continued angrily down the sidewalk, not caring about where she was going. She just needed to get away from it all.

As she walked, she seethed with so much rage that she didn't even feel the dampness of the rain. Why did no one seem to care that she really was trying her best to overcome her newly discovered disability? How dare Harry accuse her of not concentrating on what she was doing! She'd been concentrating so long that day, she could do it in her sleep!

Suddenly aware of the fact that she'd been walking, unseeing, for some time now, Liz glanced around to find herself in a large park. As she gazed at the plant life surrounding her, she noticed how late in the day it was. The sun was low on the horizon with only slivers of light visible through the dark rain clouds, which meant that Molly would soon be setting dinner on the table. What would everyone say when they realized she'd gone?

Liz trudged sadly over the wet grass to a large set of swings she saw in the distance. She needed a few minutes to clear her mind before she figured out her next step. Ignoring the water on the seat, she settled herself on the centre swing, and half-heartedly pushed herself back and forth, her feet never leaving the ground. Leaning her head against the cold, metal chain support, she closed her eyes and went over the events of the day in her mind.

The only other day at Grimmauld that she could remember being this drained from was the day she'd taken the trip into the Pensieve. She'd slept for hours afterward, letting her churning emotions settle themselves. Today, she felt like she'd done so much more. With only a miniscule amount of sleep in the last two days, including her brief fainting spell, she'd not only discovered the plans of those madmen scientists and in turn gave everyone a lesson in genetics, but she'd also awakened abilities that she didn't even know existed. Magic had been something that had only existed in movies to her. Now, in the last month, she not only discovered its true existence, but also the fact that she was capable of doing it. And quite capable, by the sound of it. And while the idea of having magic inside of her had been exhilarating at first, it had now almost become a burden.

Everyone around her over the last month had made it seem that doing magic was the most entertaining and fun part of life. But while it was fun for those who had learned it over the course of several years, it was completely overwhelming and exhausting for Liz who'd learned so much of it in just one afternoon. But what pained her the most wasn't the fact that she had trouble doing it, it was the fact that she couldn't remember doing it in the first place. The flashbacks she'd had when she picked up her wand had not only shown her what she'd been like with magic, but how she'd felt doing it: excited, proud and happy. Her younger self had been completely enthralled with magic and learning as much as she could about it. Liz had never felt that strongly about anything. Even her love for music couldn't compare with Hermione's thirst for magic and knowledge. It disturbed her by making her feel incomplete.

As she was so lost in her thoughts and memories, Liz failed to notice the fact that the sun had vanished entirely, overcome with the darkness of night that was taking over the cloud-filled sky. She also failed to notice the young man that had slowly made his way to her side. It wasn't until he sat down on the rain-slicked swing next to her that she realized he was there, but it still garnered no reaction from her.

"You gave us all a fright back there, you know. We didn't know where you'd gone."

"I needed to get away for a bit," she replied. "Clear my head."

"Even so, you should have told us where you were going."

Liz turned and fixed him with an annoyed glare. "Ok, dad."

Ron let out a laugh, and she couldn't help but smile slightly. A moment later, his serious side reappeared as he fixed her with a soft gaze. "Why did you leave?"

She shrugged absent-mindedly. "I was just tired of it all. It's really tough to do so much at once, and it just got to me. Harry wasn't helping either."

"He was only trying to help."

"I know he was, but he was making it seem like I wasn't trying at all. I'd already done so much in that room. I'm exhausted."

"I know it's hard. It was hard for me learning it gradually at times. I can't imagine what you're feeling right now."

"Thank you for acknowledging that."

"Here's what you need to acknowledge though," Ron continued gently. "As long as Harry, Draco, Ginny and I have known you, you've always been miles ahead of the rest of us. Draco always came close, but you outranked him every year at school. You were always the one who helped us. It's not easy having the tables turned. I'm not saying that we don't want to help, we do. It's just different for us."

"You think I like feeling this inept?" Liz cried, anger rising to her voice. "I've never felt as stupid as I do now!"

"It's not about feeling stupid. You've proven many times over in the last few days that you're still the brilliant girl we know. Look how fast you picked up those spells."

"Then why did he lose his patience with me?"

"Because none of us are used to you being helpless in a sense. You were always the one that got us out of tight situations, and now that it's the other way around we're all having trouble adjusting. I hate seeing you like this. It kills all of us for it to be this way."

"But why can't you all understand that I don't remember this?!"

"We do! That's the issue! This is brand new to you because of what the Ministry did to your memory! Since you left, we've been obsessed with finding you and bringing you back. But you're this entirely different person with a normal, Muggle life. We're struggling with the fact that you can't remember, because you, Liz, have never known this. Hermione did."

Liz stared at him, finally feeling like they'd reached a mutual understanding. She had watched him during his impassioned argument, and realized how close they really were.

"You love her," she stated simply.

"Who?"

"Hermione."

"Of course I love her, she's – you're my best friend."

"I don't mean it like that," Liz said heavily.

Ron stared at her, and let out a sigh. "I did," he admitted. "I think we've all loved her like that at some point."

"Did you ever tell her?"

"Yes. We dated for a few months in the summer before our fifth year, but we realized that we were better friends than anything else. No one really knew about it though. I used to think that maybe we'd try again later in life, but that was before Draco. But when I saw them get married, I knew that she was truly happy. And that's all I ever wanted for her. So I let her go, and moved on."

"Do you regret it?"

"Not at all. It was meant to be this way. And I'm happy just being her best friend."

Liz had tears in her eyes from his confessions. She couldn't imagine how difficult it must be for him to admit these things to her, knowing that she was in essence the best friend he spoke of. She felt a deep swell of pride at her younger self for choosing such a decent, kind and honest man as her best friend. Wordlessly, she leaned forward and gave Ron a warm hug. His arms came around her, and she felt like she had someone who would never push her too far.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "I'm scared I'll never find my way back."

"So am I," he admitted. "But whatever happens, we'll work through it. And we'll never abandon you, even if you never remember your past. Not Draco, not Harry, and especially not me."

"I know," she replied, pulling back to look into his bright blue eyes. "Thank you."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before giving her another smile. "Feel like coming back to the house for dinner? Mum was screaming at Harry for pushing you too hard when I left."

Liz giggled at the image that popped into her head at his statement. She saw Molly in her checkered apron waving a soup ladle as she screamed, and occasionally whacked Harry in the head with it. Still smiling, she nodded, rose from the wet swing and allowed Ron to lead her by the hand back through the park and the now drizzling rain.

"I'm sorry I ran out on you all," she told him.

"It's ok. You just gave us all a massive heart attack," he joked nonchalantly. "Seriously though, I thought Draco was going to kill Harry for what he did. I haven't seen him so angry at Harry since our fifth year of school."

"Oh no?"

"No. The bunch of us never really got along in those days. In fact, you, Harry and I hated Draco from the minute we all met, and the feeling was more than mutual."

"So I've been told."

"Well, it's true. His father influenced him so much that he often set out to inflict pain on anyone he could. For years, you were his most frequent target." Liz stared at him shocked, and he nodded. "I know. If I hadn't seen his transformation firsthand, I'd never have believed it."

"So what made him change?"

"When Voldemort assigned him to kill Dumbledore, I think he realized that he was living a lie in order to please his father. He went to Dumbledore with the situation, and they worked out a plan so that Draco didn't have to kill anyone, but the job would still get done."

"But Dumbledore's still alive."

"It was an idea that Dumbledore worked out with Professor Snape, our old Potions master. Snape had been a spy for Dumbledore and the Order for years, since he was a Death Eater as well. He tried to stop Voldemort from going after Harry by turning to our side and going to Dumbledore, but unfortunately it didn't work out. After Harry's parents were killed, he went back to Dumbledore to beg forgiveness. Dumbledore gave him a second chance, and he proved his worth one night in our sixth year."

"What happened?"

"Dumbledore had found a piece of Voldemort's soul, and was preparing to take Harry to go retrieve it when Snape and Draco came to him. After making a few failed attempts to get to our Headmaster, Draco realized that he couldn't kill him and went to Snape for guidance. Snape already knew of the problem, as he'd made a vow with Draco's mother to finish the job if Draco couldn't. So when they went to Dumbledore, they used this information to form a plan. Snape convinced Dumbledore to hold off on the mission for a month so he could make a potion, since he knew how important it was that Dumbledore be there for the final battle. The Polyjuice potion allows the drinker to turn into someone else for an hour at a time, but Snape had found a way to prolong the effects. It was decided that once the potion was complete, Snape would take Harry to find the Horcrux, and Dumbledore would remain at the castle. They'd be disguised as each other. And it worked. In the end, after they were disguised as each other, it was Dumbledore that killed Snape, which had to happen in order for the plan to work, and the real Dumbledore grabbed Draco and ran, under the pretense that they needed to get back to Voldemort."

"Why did he do it?"

"Snape had been dying from a Muggle disease that his mother once had. Instead of dying a slow and painful death, this gave him the chance to do it his way. Dumbledore didn't like it, but couldn't deny the brilliance in the plan. It ended up going through without a hitch. Harry didn't find out until the summer after it happened. None of us did, until we came to Grimmauld in the summer, and found Draco there with Dumbledore. Apparently, after the potion wore off, Snape's body was placed in the woods near where 'he'd' been escaping. Everyone on the Dark Side assumed that he'd been killed by an auror while Harry chased him and Draco from the castle that night. Draco hid at Grimmauld for a bit, then frequently returned to Voldemort so that he could get back in his good graces somewhat and spy for us. He completely changed from the prat we knew him to be."

"So we all started being friends?"

"We all started being civil. Eventually, you and he started talking more, and you tried to convince us that he was ok. We weren't sure though, and continued to be suspicious of him until the night he saved you from the Death Eaters in the Dark Forest. After that, we knew he was on our side."

"Yeah, Ginny told me about that," Liz stated as they arrived in front of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. They stood in silence for a moment, staring at the building through the fading rain that had now thoroughly soaked them, and Liz let out a deep sigh. "Promise me that it'll all be ok?"

Ron looked over at her, and squeezed her hand. "I promise," he replied. She smiled softly at him, and allowed him to lead her inside.

Across the ocean, a pair of disbelieving eyes watched as a pair of dots disappeared from the screen in front of him. The man had done a double-take when one of the named dots had appeared, and now reached for the telephone receiver on his right. Dialing, he breathed deeply as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

A click sounded in his ear. "Control."

The man sighed. "Tell the boss that we have a problem. Granger's back on the grid."