A/N - Thanks for all the reviews. It would appear that Ron's presence either came as a shock to people, or they'd picked up on the earlier hints and were expecting it. This is the chapter where we find out a bit more about Ron's motive for framing Hermione. Most of the chapter is a flashback, detailing events from Hermione agreeing to marry Ron to Ron and Pansy being caught by Blaise and Theo. Also the very important question of what Ron did to Hermione on their wedding night is answered in this chapter.
Chapter Fifteen.
Hermione froze as she stared at her supposedly dead husband. Things had just taken a very bizarre turn and she was totally lost for words. Draco however wasn't lost for words as he entered the room.
"I thought you were supposed to be bloody dead." He snapped at Ron.
"You wish." Ron chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, I'm very much alive."
"You won't be by the time I've finished with you." Draco muttered murderously.
"Draco, don't do anything rash." Hermione said, placing a calming hand on her boyfriend's arm.
"Are you serious?" Draco looked at Hermione in surprise. "I should string Weasley up by the balls for what he's put us through. The bastard should be dead."
"Well, I'm not." Ron smirked. "I'm right here."
"How is that?" Hermione questioned, before realisation dawned on her. "Oh my god, it's you isn't it? You're behind this entire set up."
"It's just a shame it didn't work." Ron retorted. "If you hadn't ran, I wouldn't be chasing after you and I wouldn't have been caught."
"Why did you do this?" Hermione asked. "Why frame me for your murder?"
"You're a smart witch, you work it out." Ron replied, before he refused to say anything else.
Hermione kept badgering Ron to talk to her, but when it became clear he was staying silent she left the room. Hermione was standing in the kitchen, trying to come to terms with what had happened, when Draco and Theo entered the room.
"Theo, I want you to go home and send a message to Potter." Draco said to his friend. "Tip him off that Hermione and myself are here."
"What should I do after that?" Theo asked. "Do you want me to come back once I've delivered the message?"
"You can do." Draco replied. "We'll just be waiting for Potter's arrival, so he can arrest those two scumbags in there."
Theo nodded before heading off home, leaving Draco and Hermione alone in the kitchen. Once Draco had checked Hermione was okay the couple returned to the front room to help Blaise keep an eye on their captives. When he entered the room Draco tried to engage Pansy in conversation, but it soon became clear that she was following Ron's lead and remaining silent.
Even though he was remaining silent, Ron made his presence felt by staring at Hermione the entire time. As he watched his wife from across the room Ron let his mind drift, reminiscing over the last six months and the events that had landed him in his present situation.
The second Hermione left his flat after agreeing to marry him, Ron growled angrily. Picking up a nearby glass he hurled it at the wall, watching it break and shatter glass over the carpet. Not caring about the mess he'd just made Ron grabbed his wand and apparated away in a fury.
Seconds later Ron arrived at Pansy's flat, where he promptly hammered on the door until the raven haired witch opened up. Pushing past Pansy he stalked into the front room and waited for her to follow him.
"Did she not accept your offer?" Pansy asked, pouring two glasses of firewhisky and handing one to Ron.
"She accepted it, but she made me take a bloody unbreakable vow." Ron spat. "I can't use the information I have about Malfoy, or she'll leave me."
"Give it to me and I'll hand it to the Aurors." Pansy said. "That way you're not breaking the vow."
"That idea did occur to me, but it won't work." Ron sighed. "True, I'm not breaking the vow but Hermione will still know I'm the one behind the information. She'll leave me in a heartbeat if Malfoy ends up in Azkaban."
"It looks like you'll just have to settle for being married to her." Pansy shrugged. "Surely that counts for something."
"Not if she's still shagging Malfoy." Ron retorted bitterly. "The whole point of this was to split them up. As it stands she's going to be married to me but still sleeping with Malfoy and there's not a thing I can do about it."
"I'm sorry the plan failed." Pansy said as she settled down on the sofa. "I want Draco away from Granger, just as much as you want her away from him."
"Do you?" Ron questioned. "Until I was going to arrest you, you weren't going to do anything about their relationship."
"Who says I wasn't doing anything?" Pansy raised an eyebrow in Ron's direction as she smirked at him. "How do you think I was able to hand you all the information you needed to get him sent to Azkaban? I'd already made a start on setting him up. As I've told you before, I know I don't stand a chance with Draco, but I will not stand by and let him be happy with the mudblood bitch."
"So you would rather he was in Azkaban?"
"Why not." Pansy shrugged. "If I can't have him then I would rather no-one had him. If he's all alone in a cell in Azkaban I know he's not with some other witch."
Ron silently sipped his firewhisky as he contemplated Pansy's words. Maybe it was time he thought about Hermione and what sort of relationship they could ever have. Hermione had already proved that she didn't want him and wouldn't end her relationship with Malfoy. Marrying her would undoubtedly change things between the pair but it wasn't driving them apart as he hoped it would. So even if he did marry Hermione she would still have Malfoy to turn to, he would still be a part of her life.
"I think you may be on to something." He said finally. "The whole point of this was to split Hermione and Malfoy up, so let's ensure that they don't get to be together, at least not in the way they hoped."
"What did you have in mind?" Pansy asked, curious as to what Ron could possibly do to split the couple up.
"I think I like your idea, if I can't have Hermione then no-one can." Ron smirked. "I want to ensure she's somewhere that no man will ever have her again."
"Where?"
"Azkaban. If she's lucky she might even get a cell next to Malfoy."
"You're going to send Granger to Azkaban?" Pansy queried, not believing what she was hearing. "How?"
"She's going to kill me on our wedding night." Ron replied. "Then once she's been arrested you're going to hand the information about Malfoy over to the Aurors and he'll also be arrested."
"I don't understand how this will work." Pansy frowned.
Ron chuckled as he began to explain his plan to Pansy. Pansy's job was to find a man Ron's size and build and hire him for a job on the weekend of the wedding, not mentioning of course that his job was to die in Ron's place. Ron's job was to ensure that Hermione was drugged on the wedding night and wouldn't wake up when the switch was made. They would then kill the imposter and frame Hermione, ensuring she ended up in Azkaban. Ron would then disappear and start a new life elsewhere, satisfied that Hermione was no longer with Malfoy.
Pansy was instantly on board with the plan and the pair set out making sure everything ran smoothly. For six months they planned everything perfectly and met up regularly to make sure things were on track. As time went on the pair began to develop a romantic attachment to each other and they altered their plans slightly so that once Hermione and Draco were in Azkaban they would run away together and start a new life together.
On the weekend of the wedding Ron was both nervous and excited. He'd snuck Pansy into the hotel, booking her a room on the floor below the honeymoon suite. Pansy brought with her the man who they had hired to play Ron and the second they had him in the hotel room they stunned him and tied him up. Pansy then dyed and cut his hair so it matched Ron's and the pair double checked that there was no way to tell them apart from their bodies. They know they would have to destroy his face, but Ron also knew that no tests would be ran to identify him if he was found next to Hermione, wearing a few of his things.
With Pansy holed up in her room, Ron set about laying the foundations for Hermione's guilt. During the reception he spotted his wife sneaking off into the garden. Watching where she settled he grinned to himself as he spotted Dean and Seamus sitting near to her, although he doubted Hermione had noticed them in her distracted state. Deciding the opportunity was one too good to miss he approached Hermione and made out she was having an affair with Malfoy. He knew after his 'death' Dean and Seamus would come forward and mention the conversation, giving Hermione the perfect motive to want to kill him.
Things got even better an hour or so later when Hermione cornered him and started arguing with him. Ron carefully checked no-one was in earshot before baiting her, hoping she would react. Her reaction was way better than he'd anticipated and he had to work hard to stop the grin that threatened to break out when she slapped him and very publically said she wished he was dead. Without even realising it Hermione had just made herself look even guiltier.
After Hermione had retreated from the reception, Ron put on a large smile and brushed off his friends and families concern. For the next hour he played the good husband and defended Hermione's behaviour, claiming she was just stressed and needed a good holiday. Once he was satisfied everyone knew he wasn't angry at Hermione, he ordered a bottle of champagne with two glasses before retreating upstairs.
Instead of heading straight to the honeymoon suite he headed to Pansy's room. Pansy immediately opened the door and let Ron inside.
"Champagne, how nice." Pansy smirked.
"It'll be even nicer in a bit." Ron grinned as he popped the cork. "Do you have the sleeping draught?"
Pansy handed Ron a glass vial full of purple liquid. Carefully Ron poured the liquid into the champagne, before picking up the tray once again.
"I'll be back in a bit." He told Pansy before he left.
After briefly popping up to the honeymoon suite, where Ron tormented Hermione about what was coming later on, he returned back to Pansy's room for a bit of action with a willing witch. When they were finished they undressed the man they were going to kill and Ron placed his watch and his wedding ring on the man.
"I'll be about half an hour." Ron said. "I need to make sure she's out of it before we bring him into the room. The last thing we want is for her to wake up and spot what we're doing."
"I'll be waiting." Pansy told Ron. "Have fun." She added with a smirk. She knew Ron was planning on sleeping with Hermione, but it was just the once and she had no problem with it.
Ron grinned at Pansy, before leaving her room and heading back to the honeymoon suite. The smile died on his lips as he entered the room and spotted Hermione passed out on the bed. Storming over to the brunette witch he shook her forcefully as he tried to wake her. After a few minutes he gave up his efforts when he spotted the empty champagne bottle.
"Bloody hell." He cursed, not sure if he was angry at himself for leaving the bottle or Hermione for drinking the whole thing.
What he did know was that Hermione wouldn't be waking any time soon, in fact she had digested so much of the sleeping draught he suspected she would still be sleeping deeply the following day. Spotting an opportunity to make sure Hermione was caught with his 'dead' body, Ron placed an order for lunch the following day.
Once that was sorted he walked back over to the bed and stared down at Hermione. If his plan was to be believable, Hermione would have to be out of her wedding dress. Luckily Ron had bought a sexy negligée that he planned on making Hermione wear. Grinning to himself Ron then set about undressing Hermione.
Once Hermione was lying in just her underwear, Ron was debating having his way with her anyway. His original plan was to have her drugged enough so she wouldn't fight back, but alert enough to know it was him she was with. He'd wanted her to always remember that her last sexual encounter had been with him, not Malfoy. Peeling off Hermione's white underwear Ron couldn't help but have a grope of her soft skin. As tempting as she was naked, Ron decided against doing anything more to her. If she wasn't conscious enough to know who was shagging her, then Ron failed to see the appeal in actually bedding his wife. Summoning the negligée he pulled it over Hermione's head and placed her in the bed, before heading off to get Pansy.
When he returned with Pansy they were floating their victim between them. Placing him in the bed beside Hermione, Ron pulled on some gloves before picking Hermione's wand up. A flash of green light ended the life of the man posing as him. Next Ron picked up a beater's bat and started to obscure the real identity of the man. Once he was satisfied everyone would be convinced the victim was him, he placed Hermione's hands in the blood before making her handle her wand and the bat.
Once the set-up was complete Ron and Pansy left the honeymoon suite, grabbed their bag from Pansy's room and snuck out of the hotel in the dead of night. The couple returned to Pansy's flat, knowing no-one would think to look for Ron there. The plan was to wait until the news of Hermione's arrest hit the headlines, before turning Malfoy in. Once they were both in custody Ron and Pansy were planning on leaving the country, never to return.
Their plans soon hit a hitch however when Pansy returned with the papers that announced Ron's 'death'. Ron's initial excitement had faded when he realised that Hermione had escaped, somehow she had awoken early and ran from the hotel before his 'body' had even been found.
"Bloody hell!" Ron screamed, throwing the papers down in frustration. "She's bloody ran. I bet you any money she's gone to him."
"What do we do now?" Pansy asked.
"We find them." Ron snarled. "I've haven't done all this, just to let them run off together. Once we find them we tip off the Aurors. When they're in custody, we hand over the information regarding Malfoy and go, just like we planned."
"If she's gone to Draco, it will be hard to find them." Pansy pointed out. "He's got plenty of money and lots of properties."
"Let's check as many of his places as we can." Ron suggested. "And make sure you keep in touch with mutual friends, they might hear something from him and let it slip."
"You have to stay hidden." Pansy argued. "I'll look for Draco and Granger."
Ron reluctantly agreed to Pansy taking the lead in the search, knowing he couldn't risk being seen. Unfortunately things got off to a slow start, Pansy found no sign of Draco at any of the family properties and no-one seemed to know where he was. However a week and a half after the wedding Pansy was having dinner with Daphne and Theo when she hit lucky. Overhearing a conversation between Theo and Blaise she ran back home to excitedly tell Ron the news.
"Are you sure this is right?" Ron asked, not wanting to get his hopes up.
"Yes, I know what I heard." Pansy replied. "And this is our only chance to get them. Blaise says they're getting ready to move on and once they've left Italy we'll never find them."
"Do you know where Blaise's villa is?" Ron questioned.
"Yeah, it's a fairly new place on the coast. I've never actually been but I've seen pictures and know where it is." Pansy answered. "Do you want me to contact the Aurors?"
"No, we're going to check it out first." Ron said. "I want to be sure they're really there."
"Is that wise?" Pansy asked cautiously.
"Yes." Ron said firmly, not realising it was anything but wise to go to Italy.
After making what they thought was a fool proof plan, Ron and Pansy set off for Italy the next day. As it turned out Pansy had gotten her directions a bit mixed up and they didn't find Blaise's villa until the middle of the afternoon. When they did find the villa it looked deserted and Ron chastised Pansy for getting the directions wrong, causing a delay that might have let Hermione and Draco escape.
Convinced the couple were long gone Ron had gone barrelling into the house with Pansy at his heels. The pair had barely entered the villa when they were simultaneously stunned from behind. Neither Ron nor Pansy could put up a fight as Blaise and Theo appeared before them and tied them up on two chairs Blaise had summoned from the kitchen.
Ron was furious to be caught, but by the time Hermione and Draco entered the villa nearly twenty minutes after their capture he had grudgingly accepted his downfall. The thought of what was going to happen to him terrified him, but there was no way he was letting anyone see that so he kept up a cocky façade, tormenting both Hermione and Malfoy. Ron assumed that Theo's disappearance would lead to the Aurors turning up, but until he was forced to talk he was remaining silent.