Prompt: Drama with the Weasley family.
Word Count: 1,404
Ron stared at the pale and unmoving body, his head cradled in his hands and his elbows resting on his jittering knees. Beside him, on his left, sat Harry who was just as silent and unnerved as he was; on his right was his mother, a source of comfort that dated back for years, but Ron was struggling to feel the comfort from her this time.
"Hey, love," Ron greeted, his voice croaky from disuse and surprisingly loud in the near silent hospital room. "It's time to wake up."
Hermione remained unresponsive.
"Please, Hermione," he begged, moving to clutch her hand between his and presses his face against her skin. "I need you."
The room remained as quiet as it was before, the only background noise being the hustle and bustle of St Mungo's and Molly's sniffling.
"The poor dear," she whispered, holding a handkerchief to her face. "If she wakes up, how can she ever feel safe in her own home?"
"When she wakes up," Ron said, "she'll be living with me and rarely leaving my sight. I won't allow this to happen to her again."
"Kingsley, I need to talk to you," Tonks declared, rushing into his office. "It's important, it regards Hermione and I'm praying to Merlin, Morgana and anybody else who is powerful that I am wrong." She tripped over an umbrella stand, barely blinking as it clattered to the floor, as she reached for a chair and perched in it.
"Go ahead," he replied, setting aside his quill and parchment. "I'm all ears."
"Hermione lives in a muggle area, in her old folks' home, and Harry was telling me about how some muggles have cameras to help provide evidence if something was to occur outside their house, you know?" She inhaled, catching her breath as Kingsley nodded, and she sped away with words again. "Well, we went to check Hermione's house and she didn't have one but the house across the road does and Harry's cousin is a police officer and he got a warrant to have a look at the moving pictures and he found something."
Kingsley straightened up in his chair, his eyes wide, and stared at the younger Auror.
"What kind of something?"
"A narrowing-down-of-the-suspects kind of something."
"See? Right there," Nymphadora exclaimed, pointing to the grainy image just as it seemed to get grainier. It was hard watching things and looking at evidence via memories but she was sure they could manage. "You saw that, right?"
"I saw a poor quality image get worse just as the man knocked on the door." He raised an eyebrow, which silently spoke the words he was thinking. "I fail to see what you're trying to get at. It could be a muggle for all we know."
"No," Tonks argued. "I've watched hours of this rubbish. Hours. The increased crappiness only occurs when Hermione is either leaving or arriving her house." Kingsley kept his blank look. "Magic, Kingsley! It is a well known fact that some muggle things react badly to magic. Hermione was telling me the other week about how she'd blown up her tillyvision the other day because she got too close to it."
Kingsley's face had shifted to mild curiosity and contemplation. "So you're saying that a wizard was the one who attacked Hermione, because the image was struck with the same effects that it is struck with when Hermione is present?"
"Exactly," she answered smugly. "And because it is in colour, I think I know who did it."
"Mum, I should really get to St Mungo's. What if Hermione wakes up and I'm not there?"
"Then the Healer will send an owl or patronus to contact you and you can make your way to her bedside. She'll only scold you if she wakes up and you've put your needs on a back burner." Ron slouched at his mother's words but accepted the plate that was passed to him.
Weasley dinners were normally filled with laughter and happiness, but this time it was an extremely sombre affair.
"I just want to know who did it," Ron mumbled grumpily. "Why would they attack her?"
"I think we can answer that," Tonks answered from behind him, and he whirled with a mixture of shock and excitement.
"Do you know who did it?" Tonks nodded and he sat up, ready to listen. And plot a murder.
"Ronald Weasley, we are arresting you for the assault of Hermione Granger. You have the-"
"What?" he shouted. "This is outrageous. I would never hurt Hermione. Why would I do that?"
"It's common knowledge that you're jealous of her magical abilities and her brains. People have attacked other people for less than petty jealousy," Kingsley answered, jerking the younger wizard to his feet.
"Now hold on," Arthur interjected. "Ron would never hurt Hermione. He didn't do this."
"With all due respect Arthur, nobody but the attacker and the attacked knows who did this and Ron can plead innocence all he likes but he has a history of jealousy and arguments with Hermione throughout their time at Hogwarts. It'll be wrapped up quick and easy."
"He didn't attack Hermione," Arthur repeated. "I did."
Everyone fell silent as they stared at the older wizard. Kingsley released Ron's arms but Ron didn't make any move to step away, instead staring at his father - this man - with the expression of ultimate betrayal.
"Hey, Mr Weasley," Hermione greeted as she opened her front door. Come on in." She stepped back, opening the door wider to allow her boyfriend's father to enter her home. "I'm surprised that you didn't use the floo, it's all connected with the network."
"I fancied stretching my legs," he responded, stepping further into her home.
"Can I get you a drink, Mr Weasley?"
"Oh, no," he chuckled. "This is only a quick visit. Sit, please," he told her, motioning to her armchair. She sat down slowly, looking rather curious and confused. "My son, Ronald, I want you to end things with hm."
Hermione blinked before laughing softly. "Pardon? For a second there, I though you asked me to break up with your son."
"I did," he replied, unruffled by her response. "My son deserves better than you. He shouldn't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel when looking for a wife." Hermione's face turned a dark shade of red, the only outward sign of her anger. "Many people mistake my obsession of muggle items to the fact that I love them; they would be wrong. Those lesser beings have weapons, weapons that can destroy us and I want to study the way they work so I can protect my family and other witches and wizards. Surely you understand?"
Hermione remained silent.
"You are a muggle and you will hurt my son and I want it to end. Now."
"She refused and that's when I stupefied her, planning on obliviating her, but she hit her head on the fireplace and there was so much blood and so I left her there and made my way home."
The Weasley clan, and two Aurors, were silent as they stared at the patriarch who they had believed to be a gentle man.
"I'm sorry, Ron," he whispered, staring at his son who was staring brokenly back. "I'm so sorry."
"Arthur Weasley, you're under arrest for the assault on Hermione Granger.," Tonks began as Kingsley removed his wand and bound his wrists. He didn't hear the words that she said, he was too focused on his son's devastated face.
"Get ready to be side-alonged," Kingsley breathed in his ear before apparating to the cells in the Ministry.
"You knew all along, didn't you?" Ron asked. "You never thought it was me."
"No, I knew it was Arthur," she confirmed. "I wouldn't have had enough proof without a confession, however, and he did all this because he loved you, so it made sense that he wouldn't have left you go down for his crime." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you've had to experience this."
She apparated away but Ron barely noticed her absence.
"What do I do now?" he asked. "How can I look Hermione in the eye, knowing that my father was the one who attacked her and put her in hospital?"
"She loves you," Ginny reassured him. "Dad's actions aren't going to ruin that for you. Just have some faith in her."