Chapter Eighteen.

Harry awoke with a feeling of dread in his stomach, today was the day he had to inform the Weasley's what was going on with Ron. Rolling over in bed he found he was alone and a glance at the clock revealed it was the middle of the afternoon, meaning Ginny would likely have already left for the Burrow. After he returned from Italy the previous evening he had sent Ginny an owl explaining he had to work late and when he had arrived home in the early hours of the morning his fiancée was already fast asleep. Harry had gotten into bed without disturbing Ginny and it looked like she had paid him the same courtesy when she had gotten up.

Once Harry had got up and dressed, he headed downstairs to grab himself something to eat. In the kitchen he found a quick note from Ginny, confirming that she had gone to the Burrow. Ginny's note said she'd inform the family he had been working late and if he was still tired he should stay at home. As tempting as Ginny's offer was Harry knew he had to go and visit the Burrow. Over the next few days the Ministry would have to release an official statement on the case and the family needed to be prepared to face the fallout that would undoubtedly occur at the revelation Ron was alive and had masterminded the entire murder.

After two strong cups of coffee, a bowl of cereal and a couple of slices of toast Harry was ready to face the family. Bracing himself for the afternoon to come he flooed to the Burrow, arriving in a deserted front room. The room was only deserted for a few minutes before Ginny poked her head around the door that led to the kitchen.

"Harry, you're here." Ginny smiled at her fiancé as she headed over to greet him.

The second she was close enough Harry pulled Ginny into him and wrapped her securely in his arms. As he held Ginny, he wished he was bringing better news for the family. They had already suffered so much and things weren't going to get any easier with the re-emergence of Ron.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked Harry as she pulled back to get a good look at him. He looked tired and she could see the worry in his eyes.

"Not really." He admitted with a sigh.

"Tough case?" Ginny questioned with a sympathetic smile.

"Awful case." Harry replied. "In actual fact Ginny that's the reason I've come, I need to speak to the entire family."

"Have you found Hermione?" Ginny gasped, trying to guess the reason Harry was being so serious.

Harry nodded, but refused to elaborate any further when Ginny asked him more questions. "Go get the rest of the family Ginny. I don't want to go over this more than necessary."

Ginny rushed off to gather the rest of the family while Harry paced the floor in front of the fireplace, trying to decide on the best place to start. Five minutes later the entire family was gathered in the front room, the atmosphere tense with a tinge of sadness still in the air. Harry looked around at the family as he tried to decide where to begin. They all looked so sad, especially Molly who was curled up next to Arthur barely aware what was going on.

"Ginny says you've got news." Bill prompted when Harry didn't speak.

"I have." Harry nodded. "I just wish it was good news, but it isn't. You should all prepare yourselves for a shock."

"Have you found Hermione?" Percy questioned. "Has she confessed?"

"Yes, we've found Hermione, and no she hasn't confessed." Harry answered quietly. "We've also found the real killer and his accomplice."

"You know who killed Ron?" Ginny gasped. "Who?"

"Ron isn't dead." Harry's announcement caused pandemonium in the small living room and it took Harry quite a while to calm everyone down. "One at a time." He said to the shocked family. "Maybe I should explain before you ask questions."

"Maybe you should." Arthur said. "How is Ron still alive? We buried him a few days ago."

"This isn't going to be easy to hear, but Ron was behind the entire thing." Harry explained, once again quieting the family down before he carried on speaking. "He's admitted everything. Along with Pansy Parkinson he set the entire thing up in an attempt to frame Hermione."

"Why would he want to frame Hermione?" Charlie questioned. "He just married her for crying out loud."

"And where does Parkinson fit into all this?" George asked.

"This all goes back to about fourteen months ago." Harry explained, starting at the beginning of the tale. "Acting on a tip-off Ron went to arrest Pansy for dealing in dark artefacts. Not wanting to be arrested she told Ron about Hermione's relationship with Malfoy and offered him a partnership so they could split them up."

"Wait, so Hermione was already with Malfoy." Ginny interrupted with a frown. "Then why did she marry Ron?"

"She married him because Ron blackmailed her." Harry answered.

"No!" Molly cried, speaking for the first time since Harry arrived. Harry wasn't even sure she had been understanding what was going on, but from the glare she was sending his way she was understanding everything just fine. "Ron wouldn't do that."

"I wish that was true." Harry sighed. "I'm sorry Molly, he's admitted doing it. Together with Pansy he faked a pile of evidence against Malfoy, claiming he was involved with dark wizards and using dark magic. He then went to Hermione and threated to use the information to send Malfoy to Azkaban unless she married him."

"Are you really sure this information is fake?" Charlie questioned, not wanting to believe his little brother could be so wicked.

"Yes. Both Ron and Pansy have admitted they faked the lot, Malfoy hasn't done anything wrong."

"Why did she marry Ron, though?" Bill questioned. "Why not call his bluff and prove the evidence was fake."

"She wasn't going to risk Malfoy getting sent to Azkaban, with his good behaviour bond he would have been sent to prison while the case was under investigation and to be truthful his case wouldn't have been a priority." Harry answered. "According to Ron the fake stuff is good, he admitted that if he didn't know it was fake he would believe it."

"Is it really that good?" George asked.

"I don't know, I haven't seen it yet." Harry shrugged. "Apparently Ron's got it hidden upstairs, I'll get it before I leave."

"No, this is all lies." Molly suddenly jumped up, surprising everyone in the room. "I want to see my son. I need to bring him home."

"I'm sorry Molly, it's not possible for him to come home." Harry said gently, his heart breaking for the broken witch standing in front of him. "I can arrange a visit for you though."

"No, I want my son now." Molly cried, bursting into tears.

Arthur jumped up and took a gentle hold of his wife. Returning her to where they were sitting he held her close as she sobbed into him. Arthur continued to comfort Molly as he urged Harry to tell them everything else.

"After blackmailing Hermione into agreeing to marry him, he got a shock when she made him take an unbreakable vow not to use the information he had on Malfoy." Harry continued, keeping an eye on Molly as he knew the story was about to get a lot worse. "Originally he'd been planning on using it the second him and Hermione was married, but with the vow he couldn't. He also realised that Hermione would never love him, so he decided that if he couldn't have her no-one could."

"That's a bit extreme." George muttered. "I'm still finding it hard to believe Ron would actually do this."

"Tell me about it, but it's like something inside him snapped and he's just not the same person anymore." Harry responded sadly. He'd watched part of the interview with Ron and it was like a stranger was residing in his best friend's body. "Once he got the idea in his head to set Hermione up, he became obsessed. In his head it was better that Hermione was in Azkaban than with Malfoy."

"I thought he genuinely loved her." Ginny murmured quietly.

"According to Ron he does." Harry replied.

"If he loved her then he never would have done this." Bill snorted. "Although I'm still not clear on what he did do."

"Pansy found a man who was Ron's height and build and they lured him to the hotel where the wedding was taking place. They then drugged him and changed his hair to match Ron's." Harry explained, once again looking over at Molly who was huddling even closer to Arthur. "Ron then deliberately made sure Dean and Seamus knew about Hermione and Malfoy."

"What about the other argument they had when Hermione slapped him?" George asked. "Was that organised by Ron?"

"No, he just took advantage of her annoyance and baited her. Unknowingly Hermione added to her own motive by striking him." Harry replied.

"What happened next?" Arthur asked quietly. The things that Ron had done were horrific, but he knew both him and Molly needed to hear the truth about their youngest son.

"Ron slipped some sleeping draught into some champagne as a way of subduing Hermione. She drank the entire contents of the bottle and passed out. She didn't wake up until morning." Harry answered. He'd been very pleased to hear that while Ron had undressed Hermione he hadn't done anything else to her, what wasn't so relieving was Ron's admittance that the only reason he didn't do anything was because he wanted her conscious. It was actually rather chilling the way he gloated over the fact he wanted her to know that she'd been with him.

"So Hermione didn't know what had happened?" Ginny questioned.

"No, she woke up next to who she assumed was Ron." Harry answered. "She saw the set-up Ron and Pansy had laid out and knew that if she stayed she would have been arrested. And she was right, if she hadn't ran she would be in Azkaban and we would never know the truth."

"This man who was killed, who actually did the deed?" Arthur asked.

"Ron."

Harry's response was quiet but it sent a chill around the room. Molly broke down in a fresh round of tears and a few other members of the family looked to be on the verge of crying themselves. It was one thing to hear how Ron had framed Hermione and Draco, but it was another to hear that he was a cold blooded killer.

"How did you find Ron?" Bill asked, once the initial shock of Ron killing someone had worn off. "Did you suspect he was alive?"

"No, I didn't suspect a thing." Harry replied with a shake of the head. "Yesterday I got a message saying that Hermione and Malfoy were hiding in Italy. Theo Nott and Blaise Zabini had been helping them try and find the truth and they had become suspicious of Pansy. They set a trap for her, and Ron walked into it with her. They sent the note so we would know the truth."

"Where's Hermione now?" Ginny questioned, feeling guilty for all the bad thoughts she'd had about her friend.

"With Malfoy. She wants you all to know how sorry she is and that she loves you. She understands if you don't want to see her, but she would like to see you all."

"She wants to see us?" Arthur asked in bewilderment. "After everything Ron's done to her, why would she want to see us?"

"You're her family and she loves you." Harry replied. "She doesn't blame you for what Ron did and I hope no-one's going to blame her."

"Of course they're not." George insisted immediately. "She's the victim here."

"What about Ron?" Molly asked quietly.

"He's not the victim." Ginny replied sharply.

Molly winced at her daughter's harsh tone, but shook her head. "I didn't mean that. I mean what happens to him now? Have we lost him for good?"

"He's likely to end up in Azkaban for life." Harry replied. He was saddened by the thought, but knew it was nothing less than what Ron deserved after everything he'd done. "I'm sorry, Molly."

Molly nodded as she stood up shakily. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

Arthur jumped up and escorted his wife from the room. Harry suspected that Molly was going to break down again, but just wanted to do so in the privacy of her own bedroom. She'd just had a massive shock and Harry suspected it was going to take some time for her to come to terms with what had happened. In fact it was going to take everyone time to come to terms with the fact Ron wasn't dead, he was in fact a killer.