Chapter 8. Ron Weasley.
His heart was pounding as though for the first time in many years it felt alive. Yes, alive - his own…
For four years, he lived a quiet – settled – life. Mountains, snow, the inn, quiet evenings, with Bertie playing the piano and him and Sarah having tea by the fireplace. And the same shock every month – the full moon. The shock that quickly became routine.
And now he has retuned. What a strange word – returned. But yes, return he has – into this crazy, restless world of his past. It is still alive and kicking, this world, from which he once broke away, leaving behind open wounds, compound fractures…
And now he is back here, where every moment is lived so fully, so hard; where you always walk on the razor's edge; where there are more foes than friends; where safety is but a myth. Why is it like this? That's easy – where there are strong, brilliant personalities, there also are those who envy them, despise them, or want to be like them. There is the friend-to-enemy ratio for you. This circle always had plenty of characters and now – even more so. It must be the Potters' fate – to pull into their orbit the extraordinary, the strong, the high-minded…
Ron was at the Ministry, which once triggered the beginning of the end – and a new beginning. Of course, it's been a long time since he was of interest to anyone in this place: a few of his kind were once held here, according to Rose, at the Department of Mysteries. Besides, the top echelon at the Ministry changed a long time ago. How long? At about the same time when he was ripped out of this world of extraordinary personalities.
Actually, he ripped himself out, to get from under the ever-present shadow of his friends, his family. Had he wished for it before? No, never. Yet, life forced him to use that chance, and become his own person; to leave this world of the strong, which someone always either tries to join or to destroy.
The world of the extraordinary, which seemed to gravitate towards its center – this black-haired bloke, who was about to enter the Office of the Aurors, where his name was the banner carried by those who came after him.
Harry Potter.
Harry looked back at Ron, and the other man nodded, signaling that he was ready to follow him anywhere. Just like before… This feeling, however, was only an illusion, because even if Harry Potter remained true to himself, Ron was very aware of his own changes. He was no longer irked by being in the shadow of this exceptional man, who was once his best friend. This equanimity stemmed perhaps from the fact that this shadow was not part of his daily life now. Or because he, Ronald Weasley, had become an extraordinary man himself; in fact, even not quite a man…
Ron followed Harry and Albus through a maze of desks and cubicles, past a multitude of faces. He was feeling jittery, like before a big storm; or right afterwards…
Of course, this was his first experience being at once a wolf and a man. No, not like with the Wolfbane potion, when the body was the wolf's and the mind – the man's. Theodic Mancilli's spells were quite different. It was as though both minds – the wolf's and the man's – were in attendance simultaneously, collaborating. The strength, the mind, and the skills of the beast and the analytical ability of the man – it was… amazing. If he was asked to describe this experience, he wouldn't be able to; if he were asked to repeat it, he wouldn't hesitate. Because at that moment he felt like the most extraordinary creature alive. He felt unique…
Something like this was probably bound to happen, what with him being back in this world – the world of Harry Potter. It was an exclusive society of talented, unusual people. The Potter clan, capable of taking hold of the entire wizarding community, if needed.
Ron smirked at his thoughts, silently following Harry who appeared nervous, worried, anxious. And this was his, Harry's, cross to bear. He would always worry about his family, his loved ones, for life had given him a lot; much of it was earned, but all of it he had to now defend and protect. Still, it seemed to be easier now than many years ago, when he first started to form this circle, this society of extraordinary wizards.
Back then he was alone. No, not alone – he was part of the Golden Trio, an extraordinary thing in its own right. The Golden Trio, which Ron still missed – sometimes.
And now? Hermione (Ron closed his eyes, chasing away the image – it was not the time or the place), Rose and her mate Theo, Teddy Lupin, Albus (what with his friendship with deceased wizards), Xenia (Rose wrote to him in great detail about the whole Healer of Souls business), James (at least one Potter Seeker made it to the big leagues), and of course, Scorpius Malfoy.
There is a good reason for his heart to beat faster. It is the magnetism, the vibe of the world that is never truly at peace, unlike in the mountains, by the fireplace, where there were just the three of them, music, and the dark, moonless sky.
Sarah… You will get better, and we will return to where it is serene, where the heart is dormant, causing neither pain nor worry. Not like now, when it is awake and pounding inside the chest, rousing all that he long wished to forget…
Ron started when Harry began to speak, having barely opened the door to – once Kingsley's – office. A familiar wizard got up from his desk: he shook Harry's hand and then – with slight amazement – Ron's.
Yes, my showing up is unexpected, I know…
"What…?" the Auror was clearly taken aback by the encounter. "I thought you had moved away…"
"Hello, Mr. Tuba!" Albus dashed for the man and shook his hand vigorously. Ron grinned: this small, exceptional person clearly ignored any and each chain of command.
"My daughter and daughter-in-law have been kidnapped, and my oldest son seems to have been likewise," Harry momentarily closed his eyes, and Ron was about to rush to console him. But this is Harry Potter, who does not need consolations – he's had plenty of those in his life. He simply needs help…
"Sit down and start talking," Tuba walked around his desk, looked out into the hallway, and summoned someone. Three Aurors walked in: a man and two women. "Don't leave anything out."
Harry did not sit down – he leaned against the wall, with his arms crossed.
"I am hungry…"
Ron started at the quiet voice next to him. Albus was at his side. His green eyes behind the familiar half-moon glasses (Merlin, are you kidding?) were pleading.
"I haven't eaten in a while, and Daddy…" the boy nodded toward his father, who was trying to relate everything he knew about the abduction of the girls and James. Although Ron did not say it out loud, he was certain that the strange girl did not mean to kidnap James. It must be due to the animal intuition, still acute after the transformation.
The Aurors were now questioning Harry, who suddenly looked old and tired. Must the angle of the light…
"Let's go," Ron nodded, knowing that he oughtn't take the boy away from his father, but unable to resist Albus' plea. "We are to the café," he whispered, catching Harry's glance. Interesting – even in a situation like this, he keeps Albus in his sights. And with good reason – his children vanish a little too frequently…
Harry paused for a moment, thinking, and then nodded, getting back to his tale.
"I remember you," Albus walked down the hallway, knowing exactly the location of the café. "Everybody does."
Ron nodded – what could he say?
"And Mum."
He flinched and almost stopped, because the boy's words made his heart halt and then race.
Ginny… Here is your son, the flesh of your flesh, only eleven years old, with personality already more striking than his father's was at this age. He will become a great wizard, this Albus… You must be proud of him. Just like Sarah is proud of Bertie.
"Bertie never spoke of you…"
Ron started, again, and stopped, staring into the bright green eyes.
"Stop that, will you?" he muttered, looking away, as he opened the door to the Ministry cafeteria.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Albus shrugged his bony shoulders as he settled on a high stool, smiling at the waitress, as though at an old acquaintance. "It just happens involuntarily sometimes… Grandpa Albus says that I have yet to learn how to control all that."
Ron smirked crookedly, studying the menu. He was also hungry – as usual, after transformations.
"How are Grandpa Albus and Snape doing these days?"
"Uncle Severus?" Al smiled. The waitress took their order, consisting chiefly of meat and sweets. "He once said that memory is like a puzzle…"
"What was that about?"
"I don't know, it just stuck with me. And Grandpa Albus agreed with that. That one could remove a couple of pieces and leave gaps behind. Or to switch the pieces. Or replace the correct piece with an incorrect… It must be terribly interesting… Like with the Legilemency, only a Legilimens doesn't change or remove anything: only isolates a memory fragment and zooms in, then lets it go and takes another one…
Ron didn't say anything; it was difficult for him to talk with this boy, who looked almost like a replica of his father; a replica of the long-past childhood.
"If you want to ask me something, go ahead," Al bit off almost half of his apple turnover at once.
"What makes you think that I do?" Ron felt a slight annoyance, but suppressed it.
The boy shrugged his shoulders, and then smiled, looking over Ron's shoulder:
"Dirk! And Daddy!"
Ron turned around and knew at once that something had happened. Not even to eat in peace…
"Something with James?"
Harry shook his head, as though trying to catch his breath and his bearings. Suddenly, a shadow of a smile crossed his face:
"They found her… Lily."
"Where?" Ron jumped to his feet, afraid to believe that the ordeal was almost over. If Dirk was here, if Harry could smile, then everything was alright, wasn't it?
"She is at St. Mungo's," the smile on Harry Potter's face faded, and Ron only now noticed his hands trembling slightly. "She is alive," he patted the fretting Albus' head. "That is all I know. Dirk brought a letter from James. I think he is also alright, but the Aurors are authenticating it now.
"And Xenia?" Albus asked timidly, looking hopefully at his father.
"She'll turn up, I am sure," Harry made another attempt at smiling. "I am off to the hospital. Ron…," Harry seemed to have forgotten how to say the name, but Ron understood him.
"I'll go find Malfoy and the others. I'll let them know," Ron patted Harry's shoulder – as though the four years of estrangement never happened. It turns out, this is so easy, when your heart is pounding, when around you – suspense and trepidation… Even the million questions that they haven't asked each other took the back seat now…
"I'll see you in the hospital. Let's go, Al."
Ron watched the Potters depart, wrapped the leftovers of his lunch, tossed some coins onto the table, and headed for the Atrium.
Forgive me, Sarah. I shall see you soon. I'll soon be calm again; my heart will again be quiet, slow – yours.
11/16/2009