Chapter 70

Ron wiped his eyes of sleep and yawned as he stumbled into the kitchen. He hadn't slept much the night before, the anticipation of the mission taking over his brain. Every time he felt himself drifting off, another thought, or a worry, would cross his mind and he'd be wide awake again, disturbing Hermione. It got so bad that she'd eventually gone to sleep in another room for the last few hours.

That had been the sign that he needed to fall asleep, and once he did, he had fallen into a fitful sleep until he'd woken again at six.

He was excited, nervous and uncertain all at the same time. Excited, because this was what he'd been hoping for since joining the Aurors, nervous because what if he messed up like the first time the Black Robes attacked, and uncertain because not so long ago he'd been questioning whether all this was what he actually wanted to do at all.

Those thoughts were still floating around in his mind, but they were weaker now with the turn of recent events.

Besides, he couldn't afford to not have a job, and this was all he was qualified to do.

"Morning," he mumbled to Hermione, heading straight for the coffee pot that Hermione had already made.

"Good morning," Hermione replied, and Ron paused, turning back to face her. She seemed unusually cheerful today. "Excited to get rid of me, are you?" he asked with a smile.

She came over to kiss him, lingering just a little bit longer than she usually did. "No, I'm going to miss you." She broke away, smiling up at him.

"Well, that was nice," he replied. He was about to ask what had her in such a good mood if it wasn't his impending absence when he remembered that Hermione had told him at the top of the week that she'd decided to take a day off for self care.

"How does it feel to not get up and have to go to work?" he asked her, turning back to the kitchen counter to pour himself some coffee.

"Weird," Hermione said. "I'm a little worried about things not being done right and I'll come back on Monday with a huge mess to clean up."

"That's what happens when you employ ex-Death Eaters," Ron muttered, disguising his voice by taking a long sip from his mug. "What are your plans for the weekend without me, anyway? How are you going to spend your time?"

Hermione smiled. "Truthfully, I think I might just stay here and do… nothing. Maybe I'll read, or I could go for a walk. That'd be nice."

"Why am I not surprised? And you won't miss me even a little?"

"Maybe just a little. But I'll survive. I know you like to worry, but promise me you won't worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine. And when you get home, we'll go out somewhere nice for dinner."

"Are we going fancy?" Ron questioned.

"Maybe." Her lips curled into a smile.

He leaned down and kissed her. "Well, I can't wait." He kissed her again and Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in for a deeper kiss. Ron set his coffee aside, his wife's body against his a far better wake up. He was well and truly awake now.

"This no work business is good for you," he said through kisses. "Take more days off."

Hermione laughed against his mouth, but said nothing, and Ron was perfectly okay with that. He loved moments like these, where despite having been together for so long now, despite having lived together for most of that time, they could still be like this; act as if they had just started going out again and catching each other unaware in the kitchen.

She sighed against him, and much to Ron's regret, pulled away.

"You'll be late," she said. "You don't want to be late."

"I'm okay with being late," Ron replied. "They won't miss me. Come upstairs with me." He tugged her hand playfully, but Hermione didn't budge. She just smiled up at him, something in her expression different than usual.

"You're a lot more relaxed when you're not in a hurry," he noted.

She reached up to kiss him again. "When you get home on Sunday, I'll make it a special welcome home, okay?"

"Okay," Ron said, beaming. He was still holding onto her hand, which he squeezed tenderly. He smiled at her.

"You really will be late if you don't go," she said. "That's not a good look on a mission you've personally been chosen for."

"Yeah…" Ron looked out the window by the kitchen sink and stared into the garden. After a moment, he turned back to Hermione, who was watching him.

"You're still not sure, are you?" she said.

"About what?"

"What you want to do." It wasn't a question. Of course it wasn't. She knew him too well. "I thought you'd changed your mind."

"I'm pretty sure these days," Ron answered with a nod. "But it's hard to ignore the fact that just last week, I wanted to quit."

She smiled. "Well, this mission will confirm it for you, one way or the other."

"Yeah, well… as I said, I'm pretty sure. I feel good about this mission." He kissed Hermione one more time. "I don't know if I'll be able to contact you while I'm away, but I'll try, anyway. If not…" He kissed her again. "I'll see you when I get back. Love you."

"Love you, too," Hermione answered, smiling fondly at him.

Ron left after that, heading into the Auror Office to get his final details with Harry and Ryan. Then, he'd be off.

…

Apparently, rumour had it that the Black Robes were holed up somewhere near Swansea. But there was very little evidence to suggest this aside from a few reports of odd activities from the small magical community there.

However, it was the only lead they had, so it was where Ron, Harry and Ryan were sent. They had been put into a small Muggle pub by the water and given a bag of Muggle clothes to dress into so as to blend in. Ron had opened his bag and scoffed immediately at what he'd been provided with.

"This is not what Muggles wear." He held up a lacy pink crop top that he actually had seen some people wear, but it was nothing he was going to put on.

Harry and Ryan both roared with laughter, each of them familiar with the Muggle dress code (more so than the Ministry, apparently).

"Honestly, they say they want to improve relations with Muggles, but they can't be bothered to find out what they actually wear." Ron tossed the top back into the back and rummaged through until he found something suitable to put on, which was a brown pair of trousers that was one half of a suit and a business shirt.

The others did the same, Harry in jeans and a t-shirt and Ryan having to settle for a too-tight shirt with a kitten printed on and jeans that stopped halfway down his calves.

"Well, don't we just look a sight," Ron observed, grinning between them. "Me, the business man, Harry the casual guy and you, Ryan…" He paused as Ryan fought back a laugh.

"We're supposed to be discreet, but this will draw attention in two seconds flat," Harry said.

"Well, I could wear the bathers instead?" Ryan asked with a grin.

"Maybe we should buy something more appropriate that blends in," Ron said.

The others agreed, and after checking that all their magical devices they usually kept in their Auror robes were concealed, they set out into the city.

They were drawing attention very quickly, so they went into the nearest clothing shop and bought clothes similar to what Harry was wearing. They used Ministry money, and Robards could be angry at them spending it on clothes all he wanted to later. They needed to dress to remain hidden.

Now that they were actually in something comfortable, they pulled out the instructions that had been provided. The mission notes were hidden on parchment with spells similar to the ones Harry's dad and his friends had used to create the Marauders Map many years ago. The contents could only be seen by the Aurors' eyes. Even if one of them lost the parchment, no one would be able to read it.

They huddled together, appearing to passersby as if they were lost tourists staring at a map.

"It says the only lead they have is a small, seemingly abandoned cottage on the outskirts near the north end of the city," Harry said. "So, I guess we start there."

Ron and Ryan agreed and they set off, weaving through the streets. It was a nice place, Swansea, and had they not been on an actual mission doing real Auror things, Ron would have appreciated it more. He liked to find places to take Hermione and exploring the Muggle world in general. He still found things that fascinated him, just when he'd thought he'd seen it all.

But he knew he had to stay focused today. Dates were for another time. If they could at least scout out where the Black Robes were hiding and discover a little bit of information on them, then it'd be considered a successful mission.

Though, as they walked, the large majority of his mind staying alert and focused, he allowed for a small part to wonder about how Hermione was spending her day off. He hoped she was relaxing and taking care of herself as she said she would. He'd hate to come home and learn that she'd gotten bored after a few hours and spent her weekend with her head buried in her work.

A shoulder brushed past him, causing him to stumble, and he swore loudly at the shock.

The person who'd run into him hurried off, looking embarrassed.

"Watch it," Harry said. "You're meant to be alert."

"I was alert, I was just… alright, I'll stay focused."

He didn't allow himself to think of Hermione after that, because apparently even small thoughts of her left him distracted and potentially vulnerable.

They walked through the city as if they were three friends on a morning stroll. Or, maybe, two sons and a dad, considering Ryan was significantly older than Harry and Ron. That would probably be more passable.

They kept their directions clutched discreetly in their hands until they slowed to a stop as they reached where the cottage supposedly stood. All Ron could see was a grass field.

They stared at it for a moment, before spotting a small copse of trees and ducking behind it.

They kept their eyes focused on the area, knowing that just because it couldn't be seen didn't mean it wasn't there. Aurors were so thoroughly trained for every scenario, which is why accidents were so rare. They had much more experience than the average wizard, even before they started.

"What spells do you think they've used to hide it?" Harry asked.

"If they have," Ryan reasoned. "I've been out plenty of times when there really hasn't been anything there."

Ron took out his wand and the others followed suit. "Revelio," he said.

Nothing happened, but perhaps one person wasn't strong enough to break the charms.

Harry and Ryan repeated the spell with Ron, and, in an instant, the field in front of them shimmered. It was only a flicker, but enough to confirm that something was there.

Harry looked at Ron. "Do you reckon it's the same as Grimmauld Place?"

"Possibly," Ron answered.

"What do you need to break those?" Ryan questioned.

"A Secret Keeper to tell you where the location was."

Ryan swore softly. Those spells were near impossible to break. Even Voldemort had been unable to locate Harry's parents until they'd been betrayed.

"So, basically," Ryan said, "we need one of the prisoners to talk."

"That's proved fruitful," Ron answered sarcastically. "And even if they talked, they may not be a Secret Keeper. They're not the brightest, these Black Robes, but I doubt they're dumb enough to make everyone one."

Harry and Ryan seemed to share that sentiment. For a moment longer, they stared, and then Ryan turned. "At least we know there's definitely something there. Getting to them will be the challenge."

"Well, we have today and tomorrow to try," Harry reasoned. "And if not… all Robards wanted was confirmation they were hiding out somewhere."

"We don't have proof of that yet," Ryan reminded them. "We'll have to scout it out. Watch to see if anyone reveals themselves. Record every movement down. We'll take it in turns, two hours at a time."

"I'll go first," Ron said without hesitating. He'd done enough damn watching in his life, what harm would a little more do?

Ryan nodded. "I'll come to you when the two hours is up." He dug into his pocket and extracted a tiny notebook. He tapped it with his wand, and it turned to its normal size. He passed it to Ron. "We'll write everything in there."

"Quill?" Ron questioned, accepting the notebook.

Ryan shook his head. "Write with your wand."

Ron frowned. He'd not heard of anything like that before. If it was possible, why did Hogwarts still use quills? Why did they all still use quills?

"It's… rare," Ryan said. "Handy, though, because you never run out of pages. You just write and you can bring what you need up when requested using a spell."

"What's the spell?" Ron wanted to know.

"That, I won't tell you." Ryan smiled and then indicated the thickest tree. "Here will be a good place to camp. Again, every movement, every flicker, write it down, even if you don't see anything or anyone."

Ron nodded and tucked the notebook under his arm. "I'll see you in two hours," he said.

He watched the others Disapparate and plopped down behind the thickest tree. He positioned himself so he had a clear view of the field, but was hidden from their sight. He hoped that was the case, anyway.

And then he waited.

Surprisingly, he enjoyed sitting and waiting, because he was still doing something useful. If something eventuated from this, then it would be worth it. And even if it didn't, then it would still be worth it, because they could take back to Robards that something was there. They just didn't know what.

It was nearing midday now, warming as the sun rose higher in the sky. But he waited.

His two hours was nearly up when something distracted him from the corner of his eye. He focused all of his attention on that space, opening the notebook. He watched and waited, making sure he'd actually seen something. He was about to put it down to a flicker of the light when a dark shape appeared.

Ron tensed. It wasn't a face he recognised, but the figure was dressed as casually as Ron was. It was a woman. She strolled out of the field seemingly from nowhere, hands in jean pockets and… whistling?

Ron watched her intently, trying to recall every feature of her face he could see from the distance, but he didn't have much luck. He watched her walk across the field and onto the empty road by the field.

Then she Disapparated.

Ron blinked, staring for a moment, and then turned to the notebook and drew his wand. He'd practiced with it while he kept watch and apparently all he literally had to do was use his wand like a quill and his words would write down. They would disappear after a bit and he hoped that Ryan knew how to get them back.

He was midway through writing when Ryan appeared beside him.

"Anything?"

"There's definitely something there," Ron said, climbing to his feet. "I saw someone leave. A woman. She looked young."

"Where did she go?"

"She Disapparated over there." Ron indicated the street. "I didn't follow."

Ryan nodded, accepting the notebook. "Well, we're on the right track, at least. You go back to the pub and clean up. Harry will relieve me in two more hours."

"Good luck," Ron said.

When he got back to the pub, Harry was sat on one of the beds. "Well?" he asked. "Anything?"

Ron nodded and recounted what he'd seen. Harry seemed satisfied.

"So, it wasn't a wasted mission," he said. "I'm glad."

"Me too," Ron confessed. "Though, I'll admit to just being glad I'm not sitting in the office with paperwork."

"That, too." Harry grinned. "So, I suppose while Ryan is on watch, we should get some more planning done. How about we start the report to take back to Robards on Sunday?"

Ron nodded, smiling. Oh, how good it felt to be actually acting like an Auror.

I've been feeling really flat about writing lately, and I almost forgot my weekly update! I'm just so burnt out from work and it's killing my want to write. After Friday, though, I have 2 weeks of holidays. So yay!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!