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Chapter 11

Ron sat nervously beside Harry, bouncing his legs up and down, twirling his wand in his hands. Harry, beside him, watched, an irritated look on his face.

"Will you stop that?" he snapped. "You're making me nervous."

"Oh, sorry," Ron muttered, stuffing his wand back in his pocket. "I can't help it."

"We'll be fine," Harry said, his expression softening. "We've Apparated loads of times. Just not… legally. We'll pass with flying colours."

They were sitting together in a tiny waiting area in the Magical Transportation Office at the Ministry. On their very first day of training, they'd been informed that it was a requirement of all trainee Aurors to not only pass character and aptitude tests (which he, Harry and Neville had all passed without questions), but to possess an Apparition license to continue.

Harry and Ron, who had taken the course but didn't have the license, had booked in for the test straight away, which was to take place on the following Monday.

Neville, who had never even done the course, stared wide-eyed at Kingsley Shacklebolt and confessed to not knowing the first thing about it.

Surprisingly, Kingsley had smiled and told Neville that was nothing to worry about and the Ministry offered a week-long crash course for anyone who was behind.

There were four of them ready to take the test: Ron, Harry, Neville and a girl called Keely Durnstrap, who had also been invited to the training. Even though she appeared to be a few years older, she kept casting awestruck glances at Harry, as if surprised that she was doing training with him.

Ron had given Harry a hard time a few weeks back when Keely had almost tripped over herself to be partnered with Harry, suggesting that he sign her certificate of completion when she got it.

Despite his confidence in his Apparition ability now, Ron still couldn't help but feel nervous. He remembered his last test, how he'd left just half of an eyebrow behind, and they'd failed him.

Then he remembered being Splinched so badly that he'd not been able to do much for weeks. He twitched his arm subconsciously, stretching the scar that remained from that experience.

"Wish I'd known this was a requirement," Ron muttered. "Would have practiced…"

"We'll be fine," Harry repeated, just as the examiner stepped out from a room. Ron wasn't sure if he was relieved or petrified, but the examiner was the same one who had taught Ron and Harry to Apparate a few years back.

"Welcome!" he said, smiling at the four of them. "This shouldn't take too long. Usually our trainee Aurors pass fairly easily, being slightly older and also being well-taught in the crash course. Your task today will be to Disapparate out of the Ministry office behind me to a location just outside of London, so not too far. Percy Weasley will meet you there."

That's just what I need, Ron thought. To Splinch myself in front of my brother.

"Right," the examiner said, grinning, "Harry Potter, shall we get you done first?"

Harry stood up, his confidence before seeming to dwindle ever so slightly. He looked at Ron, who gave him a nod of encouragement.

What would happen to anyone who didn't pass? Were they kicked out of training, or would they have to do it again and fall behind everyone else in every other aspect?

Ron watched Harry enter the small room, then a few moments later heard the pop of Disapparition.

Good luck, Harry.

Training so far had been both wonderful, terrifying and exhausting. Ron, who had grown increasingly excited about living with Harry, had not had much time to think about it over the past week. After going to Diagon Alley on the day before training, where Harry had managed to buy some colourful curtains for each room, thinking about anything but training hadn't really been a possibility.

They worked from nine o'clock in the morning until five in the afternoon, stopping only for a one hour break in between.

Harry and Ron were by far the most advanced in the small group, managing to master every task with very little difficulty. Most watched them complete the task in awe, but some seemed very put out by how easy it seemed to come. It annoyed Ron so much that one day he'd snapped at one of the irritated trainees.

"Learnt this while searching for Horcruxes," he'd told his jealous companion. "You should give it a go one day. It was fun, really, being so close to an evil soul."

And that had shut them up fairly quickly. Though, the others did seem fairly pleased to learn that they had an Apparition license and the famous Harry Potter did not.

Neville did fairly well too, but there were a few tasks that got to him, mostly the more physical ones. But all in all, it had been the best experience of Ron's life, and he knew that he was going to do whatever it took to make himself an Auror. It was the only job he wanted.

Harry never returned, but after a while, the examiner opened the door and beckoned the girl inside. She looked as if she was going to be sick.

"Heard from Hermione?" Neville asked, bringing Ron out of his thoughts.

"No, not yet," Ron said, trying to hide his disappointment at that fact. At least training had not given him much time to think about her absence and the fact that she hadn't written a single letter to him. Even at night, he fell asleep almost immediately.

She'd contacted the Ministry twice in the last week, and Percy had passed on some information (she was still trying to get her parents to trust her so she could get close enough to repair their memories), but she'd not contacted him personally.

It bothered him a little bit, as he was desperate to hear from her, but at the same time, he realised she had more pressing matters to deal with than writing to her slightly desperate boyfriend.

"I hope she can manage it," Neville said, sighing.

"Oh, she will!" Ron assured him. "If anyone can perform a tricky task like that, it's her." He grinned, just as the door opened once more.

"Ron Weasley."

The smile vanished from Ron's face.

"Good luck!" Neville said, as Ron passed him and followed the examiner into the tiny room. It was barely enough to fit the two of them, and Ron hated to think what would happen if he bungled up the Apparition test and Splinched himself.

"So," the examiner said, passing Ron a parchment with some coordinates on it, "this is your destination. Percy — your brother — will be there on the other side. Remember, you must take all of you to pass. Not even a hair can be left behind."

Ron swallowed, nodded. He could do this. He'd done it heaps of times before.

The examiner stepped back, smiling. "When you're ready, Mr Weasley."

Ron glanced at the coordinates again and clutching them in one hand, his wand in the other, he spun. It was an awful feeling, but a moment later his feet landed on the ground in a forest of some kind.

"Excellent!" Percy's voice sounded pleased, excited. He checked Ron over, perhaps looking for a missing chunk of Ron's nose, then beaming, said, "You did it!"

"Well done, mate!" Harry appeared beside Percy, clapping Ron on the back. "Knew you could do it!"

Ron let out a sigh of relief. He'd passed. He could now Apparate legally to wherever he wished.

They hung around and a few moments later, Neville appeared. He also passed the test, and together, the three of them Apparated back into the tiny room, all in one piece.

"This is going to be fun!" Neville said with a broad smile. "No more Floo travel."

The three of them left the small room together and were halfway down the corridor on their way back to the lifts when Harry said, "Want to grab some lunch considering training has finished early today?"

Ron was about to agree when Kingsley approached them.

"How'd you go?" he asked, smiling.

"All passed!" Harry said brightly. "Free to Apparate wherever we want."

Kingsley smiled again then looked at Ron. "If I can see you for a moment in my office?"

Ron looked at Harry and Neville, then nodded at Kingsley. Had something gone wrong in his test and Percy just hadn't wanted to say something in front of Harry?

Instinctively, he reached to touch his eyebrows, but they were both there.

"Won't be long," he muttered to Harry. "Will see you at home."

He followed Kingsley in silence through the corridors of the Ministry. His mind was doing very funny things at that moment, going through all the possibilities that would prompt the Minister for Magic to want to speak to him personally. Most of them weren't good. The only good thing he could think of — and it made Ron grin — was Kingsley had decided that he had been so good at everything so far that he was being promoted to qualified Auror immediately.

Unfortunately, Ron very much doubted that would be the case.

Eventually, he decided to just ask.

"Er, what is this about, Kingsley?"

But Kingsley merely smiled. "You'll see." And they continued on in silence.

After a lift ride and more walking, Kingsley took out a set of keys and unlocked the three locks that were on his office door. He pushed it open and let Ron in first.

Ron could only stare. Of all the things that had gone through his mind, this had not been any of them. Weirdly, he felt a sense of relief when he saw a matted and very thin-looking ginger cat prowling across Kingsley's desk. It gave a gentle meow when it spotted Ron.

"Recognise it?" Kingsley asked, entering his office and coming to stand by the cat.

"Crookshanks?" Ron asked, his eyes not leaving the cat. He hadn't even remotely thought about the stupid beast in over a year, and, now that he thought about it, Hermione hadn't mentioned him. He supposed she'd assumed he'd died, or run away, after the attack at the wedding. Ron certainly had.

"He was found wandering the outskirts of Hogwarts," Kingsley explained, running his fingers through Crookshanks' matted fur. "They were going to take him straight to the menagerie, but after they tested him and saw the current owner was Hermione, they thought better of it."

Finally, Ron drew his gaze away from the creature that had caused him so much misery over the years. He stared at the Minister. "Er, what's going to happen to him?" He didn't think Hermione would appreciate learning that her cat was still alive and not being allowed to keep him… unfortunately.

"Usually this is a matter not concerning anyone at the Ministry," Kingsley said. "Lost pets happen all the time. So be it. But, I thought rather than moving him on to a new owner, you'd like to return him to Hermione. When she's back, of course."

Ron could think of nothing worse than having that cat back. He was about to say so, but something stopped him — Hermione, and the love she seemed to have for the damned thing.

"Er, alright." It would only be for a few weeks. Once she got back, he could live with her and her parents.

"Wonderful." Kingsley picked up Crookshanks and passed him to Ron. To Ron's utter surprise, he immediately began to pur.

Ron stared, then said, "That's all?"

"That's all," Kingsley confirmed. "Enjoy your early finish. Tomorrow will be tough."

Ron left the office, feeling completely ridiculous walking through the Ministry as a trainee Auror carrying the mankiest, ugliest cat in existence. He walked quickly to the fire grates, determined to get back to Grimmauld Place before too many people saw him.

Once home, Harry was waiting for him, eager to find out what Kingsley had wanted him for.

"You passed alright, didn't you? You didn't —" He stopped, his eyes drifting to Crookshanks curled up in Ron's arms. "He, er, gave you a cat?"

"Not just any cat," Ron muttered, dropping Crookshanks on the floor. The cat immediately scampered off.

"Is that —"

"Crookshanks," Ron said with a nod. "Beast won't drop dead. Was skulking the grounds at Hogwarts, and Kingsley cheerfully asked me to look after him until Hermione got back. Didn't want to give him away, or send him back to the menagerie. Took it upon himself to…" Ron shook his head. "Honestly…"

"And you agreed, obviously?" Harry asked, his eyes following where Crookshanks had vanished to.

Ron flushed. "Well, yeah. Hermione might be pretty upset when she gets back. Tired, a bit out of sorts. I thought maybe having her cat back would cheer her up." He didn't meet Harry's eye, but he knew he was smirking. "Shut up!" he said.

"Ah, well," Harry said, still grinning. "I suppose having a pet around the house will liven things up. And Crookshanks can catch all the mice. I saw two just this morning.".

As if responding to Harry's statement, a loud hiss echoed from the kitchen, and then a screech that could not have possibly come from a cat.

Ron looked at Harry.

"That sounds like an —"

"Owl," Ron finished and they both almost ran into the kitchen where a very large, unfamiliar owl waited on the table. Harry had been deliberately leaving a window open for mail, but they hadn't received anything until now.

Crookshanks was standing a fair distance back, the hair on his back sticking up as he hissed at the over-sized owl.

Harry approached the bird with caution, looking at the letter tied around its leg. A smile broke out. "It's Hermione!" he said, and untied the parchment quickly, passing it to Ron.

More excited than he should have been about finally hearing from Hermione, Ron snatched the letter from Harry's grasp and tore it open.

"Crookshanks, leave it alone!" Harry demanded as the cat inched closer. "It's just an owl."

But Crookshanks was still watching it with high suspicion as it flitted to a perch high in the ceiling.

"That must be an owl from Australia," Harry commented, but Ron wasn't listening. He was reading the letter Hermione had sent.

Ron (and Harry and Ginny if you're reading this too)!

I'm sorry I'm only writing to you now. It has been rather crazy here, but I hope Percy or someone from the Ministry has been sharing information with you. I did ask them to.

As you may know, I've found my parents. That was the easy part. It's trying to befriend them to get close enough that has been challenging. They're quite independent people — even more so as their new identities — and they aren't really into friends. It's quite horrible, actually. I was prepared for them not recognising me, but I didn't expect this.

Hopefully by the time you get this I've found a way.

I've set a tentative return date, July 30. The day before Harry's birthday, but that, of course, all really depends on how everything pans out here. I'll try to keep you updated as best as I can, but owls take a very long time to travel from Australia to you. They actually don't use owls all that much here — only for long distance post.

Anyway, I hope you are well. It's really getting lonely here, and I can't wait to be back. Also, it may take a while, but I'd love for you to reply.

I love you and I miss you all so much. I hope training is going well.

See you soon,

Love, Hermione

PS. The owl is used to international travel, but even at the post office they said to give it a few days to rest before replying.

Ron passed the letter to Harry, who read it. After he was finished he looked up at Ron, and said, "Well, at least there's a date you can hope for."

"Yeah, but it's not looking likely it'll be then, is it?" Ron said, trying and failing to keep the disappointment from his voice. July thirtieth seemed so far away. "I wish I could be there with her. At least she'd have company."

"She'll be alright," Harry said. "She'll be back soon." He glanced up at the owl that was watching Crookshanks with great scrutiny. "Er, I guess we've got company for a few days?"

Ron smiled, though he didn't quite feel it. "Yeah, I guess we do."

…

Later that night, after Harry had gone to bed, Ron sat at the desk in his room with some clean parchment and a new quill. He knew he couldn't send the letter for a few days, but he was too keen to reply.

He read Hermione's letter once again, and then set about answering her.

Dear Hermione,

Percy has been keeping me updated as best he can, but it's not the same as hearing from you. I'm sorry you're not having much luck with your parents, but I know you can do it. You'll work it out and soon you'll be bringing them back home and all will be okay. I have complete faith in you.

Training is going well, but a few changes have happened since you left. I moved out of the Burrow. Harry decided he wanted to move into Grimmauld Place, and I thought he might have wanted company. So I live here now. It's not the most pleasant of places (as you can imagine) but it's nice to have some more space. I still stop in at the Burrow every so often, though.

Also, just today, Harry and I officially passed our Apparition tests! Neville too! No eyebrows left behind this time.

He paused, tapping his quill on the desk for a moment, thinking. Then —

I miss you, Hermione. I really hope you can make it home by July 30, because I just want to see you again. Harry and Ginny are good company, but it's definitely not the same.

I love you,

Ron

He set down the quill, unsure if he was happy with the letter, but also unsure what else to say. He'd never been good with putting his thoughts into words — it was why Hermione had always had to help him with homework.

Perhaps he'd think about it in the morning.

He was just about to go to bed when a large fluff of orange sprang into his lap. He jumped, swore, and then picked up his quill again.

PS. There's a nice surprise waiting for when you get back. I think you'll like it. I must really love you.

He stood up, knocking Crookshanks to the ground. He was far from impressed and stalked over to the bed, where he leapt onto it and curled up.

Ron stared for a moment, bewildered. Crookshanks had never once shown affection towards Ron (and likewise).

"You're not sleeping here," he growled, shoving Crookshanks over. "Get lost."

But the cat refused to budge.

"I said, get lost. Go and chase some mice, or something."

Crookshanks was now pretending to be asleep, purring loudly.

Ron scowled. "Fine," he muttered, pulling back the covers of his bed, not taking care when they landed on Crookshanks. "But if you take up too much space, I'm kicking you out and closing the door. And don't wake me up too early tomorrow."

He fell asleep easily that night, Crookshanks' presence surprisingly comforting in the absence of Hermione.

Thank you everyone for the reviews and comments. They have been much appreciated and I love reading them (even when FFN wasn't sending emails lol).

I really like this chapter and I hope you do too! Not long now until Hermione comes back :D