Sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chair in the relatives room at St Mungo's, Daniel could hardly believe that a week ago he had still being enjoying his honeymoon. After a wonderful first week in the South of France, he and Victoire had just moved on to Italy when Blaise contacted them with the news Draco was in hospital. Although even when they returned home, they had no idea what drama they were going to find themselves embroiled in as it had genuinely never occurred to Daniel that Ron would be involved with what had happened to his father.
It was now known that it was Ron who had stabbed Draco, and although there was no other witnesses to the stabbing, the Aurors had verified that Ron had been in the vicinity at the time of the attack. The goblins at Gringotts had confirmed he was in the bank mere moments before Draco was stabbed. Although they still didn't have Ron's version of events as the redhead was still missing in action. The Ministry now had an official warrant out for his arrest, and numerous public appeals had been made to try and find out his whereabouts. The Ministry had never confirmed what exactly they wanted Ron for, the official line was that they wanted his help in an inquiry they were making into an incident in Diagon Alley, but given that word had leaked out about what had happened to Draco it hadn't taken the press and public very long to make the connection.
Daniel was still finding it hard to believe that Ron had been able to vanish so completely, and seemingly without the aid of anyone in his family. Bill had personally spoken to his parents and siblings and he'd given his opinion that none of them knew where his youngest brother was hiding. He was also of the opinion that aside from Molly, who didn't seem to want to accept that Ron had done something criminal yet again, everyone would contact the Ministry if Ron contacted them. Even Ginny, who was the sibling Ron was closest to, was apparently disgusted with his latest move and had assured Bill that she would not help her brother evade justice. But now the question remained as to whether or not Ron would contact any of his family for help, or if he would go it alone and try and remain hidden from the Aurors who were searching for him.
Although the Aurors wouldn't be the only ones looking for him, and Lucius had started to talk about taking the matter into his own hands. For the past week he'd been content to let the Ministry do their job as his focus had been on Draco, and his recovery. However, Draco was heading home that very day and with the Healers more than happy with the progress he had made, Lucius's attention was drifting onto other matters – namely bringing justice to the wizard who had nearly killed his son.
While Daniel could understand his grandfather's desire to make sure justice was done, he knew he would need to be careful not to step outside of the law himself. The last thing the family needed was Lucius getting himself into trouble. Daniel had already had a word with Severus, and ensured that his mentor was keeping a close eye on his best friend, but he also had another few thoughts brewing. Thoughts that could well keep his family out of trouble.
"Daniel." Victoire's soft voice, combined with a sharp dig of her elbow in his ribs, brought Daniel's attention back to the present and he looked up to find his parents standing in the doorway of the relatives room.
"Are we ready to go?" Daniel asked, jumping to his feet.
"Yes, get me out of this place," Draco muttered. He still looked a lot paler than normal, and he would need several weeks recuperating at home before he was ready to get back to normal, but at least he was alive, something all the family were grateful for every day.
"We have a follow up appointment in a couple of weeks' time, and a list of instructions on medication and orders for your father to take things easy," Hermione added, looking pleased to be taking her husband home.
"You would think I was a hundred the way those medi-witches were treating me," Draco grumbled as they headed for the lifts to take them down to the ground floor, where they would floo home. "If they get their way, I'll be resting for months."
"It's better than overdoing things and ending up back in here," Victoire cautioned her father-in-law. "Given the seriousness of your injury, rest is the best cure. Besides, you won't have the energy to return to normal straight away. You'll have to build your strength and stamina back up gradually."
"I'll have you know I've got the stamina of a wizard half my age," Draco said, a wicked smirk curling at his lips.
"That I believe," Victoire laughed. "But you are still going to rest."
"Is that an order?" Draco asked with a pout.
"I am a Healer in training," Victoire replied with a smile. "And I am not going to let my father-in-law run himself into the ground by trying to do too much at once."
"I'd quit arguing if I were you," Daniel advised his father with a chuckle. "With Mum, Vic and Gran on the case, you stand no chance. You'll just have to be good and do as they say."
"You forgot your sister," Hermione interjected. "The only reason she's not here now is because she's back at Hogwarts. But she said she would write all the time, and no doubt she'll convince Neville to let her use his floo to contact us regularly."
"It would seem it's my lot in life to be surrounded by bossy witches," Draco declared with a dramatic sigh as they reached the ground floor and headed towards the floos.
"You love us all really," Hermione said with a chuckle as they took their place in the short queue to use a fire.
"Grandpa," Victoire suddenly gasped, startling everyone as no-one had noticed Arthur approaching them.
Daniel had never met Arthur, but he recognised him from pictures he'd seen at Victoire's house when they'd been growing up. Although either he hadn't seen a recent picture of Arthur, or events of the last week had taken a toll on him as he looked older and wearier than Daniel thought he would look. After all, he knew that Arthur was only a few years older than Lucius, but Victoire's grandfather looked a lot older than his grandfather.
"I want to apologise," Arthur said, his focus on Draco, whose stoic expression gave away nothing of what he was feeling having the father of his attacker standing in front of him. "The family do not condone Ron's actions, and if any of us knew where he was, we would tell the Ministry."
"Thank you," Draco said with a sharp bob of his head.
"I am sorry this happened," Arthur added with a sigh. "I feel responsible because I told Ron to leave. If I hadn't done that, he may not have lashed out."
"You don't know that, Arthur," Hermione said softly. "What he did to Draco, might not have had anything to do with what you told him. he might have just been looking for an excuse for all we know. The only one to blame here is Ron."
"Maybe," Arthur conceded, not actually sounding very confident. "But I do have to hold my hands up to some level of responsibility. I let things get this far, and I shouldn't have. I should have stopped this years ago, and I am sorry I didn't. Hermione, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when I should have been."
Daniel glanced at his mother to see if she was going to brush aside Arthur's regrets and tell him he had nothing to be sorry for. However, when she said nothing it was clear that she wasn't going to absolve Victoire's grandfather of the guilt he felt over how he had treated her so long ago. Clearly she thought he was right to regret his lack of action, and quite honestly Daniel agreed with her. He didn't blame Arthur for anything his family had put his mother through, but he did blame him for not stopping it. Everything could have been so very different if only Arthur had put his foot down with his wife and son back before Daniel had been born. But what was done was done, and Daniel knew there was no point in mulling over what could have been done differently.
Apologising yet again, Arthur shuffled off towards the main entrance while the family returned their attention to the queue they were still standing in. Within a couple of minutes they had all travelled through the floo and were back at Draco and Hermione's house. Despite his protestations about not wanting to be treated like an invalid, the short journey from his hospital room to home had left Draco rather tired, so he didn't object too much when Hermione insisted he sat himself down in the front room to rest, while she made some tea. While Daniel helped his mother with the tea, Victoire ensured that Draco was comfortable and understood that rest was the best thing for him at the moment.
Returning with the tea, Daniel settled down on the smaller sofa with his wife, while his mother sat down next to his father on the larger sofa. For a while no-one said anything, but the shadow of Arthur Weasley was hanging over the room. They hadn't spoken about running into him, and the fact that he'd very obviously made a special trip to see them and apologise in person.
"Do you think Gran knows where Grandpa was today?" Victoire suddenly asked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the room.
"From what your father has been saying, I would say no," Daniel guessed. "Unless things have changed, she doesn't seem to want to accept what Ron has done."
"Typical Molly, burying her head in the sand," Hermione snorted.
"She'll have to face it sooner or later," Draco said. "Eventually Weasley is going to be caught and brought to justice."
"Is he though?" Hermione asked with a sigh. "He seems to have gone to ground pretty effectively. He may not have finished his Auror training, but he did start it, so he knows something about the law. And he knows about hiding from the Ministry because of Sirius."
"Yeah, but he doesn't have a family home to hide in," Draco pointed out. "Or an entire group of people, including a prominent figure like the headmaster of Hogwarts, to cover for him."
"Even so, he has a fair idea how to go about hiding successfully," Hermione countered. "I think we need to face the fact it could be months, even years, before he's found."
"Not if he's lured out of hiding," Daniel said, deciding that it was time to share the thoughts that had been circling his head for the past few days.
"What are you planning, Daniel?" Victoire asked, eying her new husband warily. "You've got that devious glint in your eye which reminds me that while you may have been a fellow Gryffindor, you were raised by Slytherins and have a fair bit of cunning in your nature."
"I couldn't have described that look any better myself," Hermione said, agreeing with her daughter-in-law that her son had something up his sleeve.
"I think I can lure Ron out of hiding," Daniel announced. "I don't want to sound big-headed, but this is about me. Or possibly it's about my father and I am merely an extension of Harry in Ron's eyes. But either way, I am at the heart of this mess."
"I agree that you're central to all of this," Hermione agreed. "But how does that help us with Ron?"
"It helps us because we can offer him what he wants," Daniel answered. "A meeting with me."
"How will that work? He can't get anywhere near to you because of the restraining order," Draco pointed out. "And even if he could get near to you, why would you want to meet him after he's almost killed me?"
"Even Ron would realise that almost killing Draco wouldn't endear him to you," Hermione pointed out. "Or are you going to try and spin it that you've never thought of him as your father?"
"No, I won't ever deny that Draco is my Dad," Daniel insisted. "Not even to lure Ron out of hiding. Instead, I'm going to tell him that his actions prove how desperate he must be as no-one, not even you Mum, reckon he's violent. I'm going to claim that it's made me think, and that maybe I should listen to his side of the story."
"That could actually work," Hermione conceded with a thoughtful nod of her head. "But what about the restraining order? Even if you got him out of hiding, you couldn't actually meet with him. Not without dropping the order, and surely you're not going to do that."
"No, I'm not," Daniel confirmed. "But I could tell him that I've bribed someone at the Ministry to temporarily drop the order so we can meet. I'm sure he'd believe I'm more than capable of using money to get what I want."
"Given that's how he thinks father operates, I'm sure he'd buy it," Draco remarked with a snort. "But would he think someone at the Ministry would risk helping you meet with a wanted man?"
"Who wouldn't help the son of Harry Potter?" Daniel questioned with an arched eyebrow. "I've been thinking about this for days, and I know how to spin it. I am sure that if we do this correctly, we can lure him into the open."
"And what then?" Hermione questioned. "I'm assuming you're talking about doing this plan with the help of the Ministry?"
"Of course," Daniel replied. "My plan is for them to be lying in wait for Ron, and when he arrives at our meeting place, they can pounce and take him into custody."
"It could all work," Hermione admitted. "But you're forgetting one thing, Daniel. I may not have thought so, but Ron is violent. For your plan to work, the restraining order will have to be temporarily lifted, which means he can get close to you. What if he hurts you the way he did your Dad?"
"He won't hurt me," Daniel said, confident that he would be safe no matter how close Ron got to him. "But I will take precautions," he added, giving his mother a reassuring smile. "You were right when you said he could take years to find, Mum. But this way, he might be caught soon, so we can all move on with our lives. Because as long as he is out there, none of us will feel free or safe. This is the best thing for all of us."
Looking at his wife and parents, Daniel saw the same concern reflected in all of their eyes. Deep down he was sure they could all see that what he was suggesting was the perfect plan, but understandably they were all worried for him. But he knew that this was what he needed to do. This was what was required to protect his family, and he would do anything to protect the people he loved.
Emerging from the bathroom, Hermione chuckled at the dismayed look that appeared on her husband's face when he realised she was wearing pyjamas. Hermione only owned a few pairs of pyjamas, and didn't wear them all that often. When she did wear nightwear, it was usually pretty skimpy and rarely stayed on for long. However, with Draco just out of hospital and under strict orders not to exert himself, she felt that pyjamas were the way to go.
Still chuckling at Draco's pout, her laughter only increased when she threw back the covers on the bed and found that despite being topless, her husband had also done the sensible thing and donned pyjama bottoms. Draco's wearing of pyjamas happened even less than Hermione's, and she suspected the last time her husband wore nightwear of any kind was back when the children were younger and were prone to wandering into their room without warning.
"It's better safe than sorry," Hermione managed through her laughter as she climbed into bed beside her husband.
"Damn healers," Draco muttered. "I can't believe they barred me from sex."
"Only until your check-up," Hermione countered. "We can manage two weeks without getting carried away. After all, we've already gone one week."
"I'm not sure that counts considering I was in hospital," Draco protested with a frown. "It's a different matter now we're back in the same bed. How do the healers expect me to control myself?"
"I think it's more that they don't think you're fit enough for physical exertion," Hermione said. "And they're right. Even if we wanted to, I don't think you could manage anything tonight."
"Probably not," Draco admitted. Even though he had done nothing since coming home that morning, he was still exhausted and felt as though he'd done a full day's worth of activity.
"Not that I would be in the mood anyway," Hermione muttered with a sigh. "I can't stop thinking about Daniel and his suggestion."
Daniel had spent most of the day convincing people that his plan was worth a shot. Victoire was the first to give in and agree to support him, followed by Draco. Hermione had held out longer, and she'd only agreed to support the idea after Lucius, Narcissa and Severus came to visit and they all eventually gave Daniel their support. With everyone else on board, Hermione had agreed that Daniel should speak to the Aurors and go ahead with his plan if they agreed to it.
"It could well work," Draco reminded his wife.
"I know it could," Hermione admitted with a sigh. "But it's potentially dangerous. I don't think he realises just how dangerous it could be. Why would he want to seek out trouble?"
"He comes by that naturally," Draco chuckled. "Potter was a magnet for trouble in school, and you were always there right by his side. So of course the son you had together is going to be prone to finding trouble."
"Harry never went looking for trouble, it just seemed to find him," Hermione argued. "But Daniel is looking for trouble wanting to lure Ron into the open."
"No, he simply wants this to be over and for the family to feel safe," Draco said softly. "He's doing this for his family, Hermione. I understand the dangers you're willing to put yourself in if it means protecting the people you love."
"And that is where he gets it from," Hermione said with a smile. "At times he is so very much like Harry, but at other times he's like you. I think in this case, he's channelling both you and Harry."
"We have to have faith in him, Hermione," Draco said, pulling his wife closer as they settled down in the large bed. "He's going to do this, so we're going to support him."
"We are," Hermione confirmed, letting out a large yawn. "Let's just hope it's the right decision and it leads to Ron's capture. Maybe then we can put this all behind us and get on with our lives again. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of Ron Weasley interfering in our lives."
"Damn right, I am," Draco muttered as he and Hermione lapsed into silence as they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.