Waking Up

by Hillnerd

The war is over, but there's still plenty of battles ahead for Hermione and Ron. Her parents are still in Australia, Ron is hiding secrets, and she has to wonder when she'll wake up and it's not from a nightmare. My version of an 'Australia fic', canon compliant- will add warnings at the beginning of each chapter

14. Chapter 14 - CRE 3

I've been having a hard time, y'all. But I'm back!

LOADS of thanks to the amazing beta abradystrix for her help

Previously in 'Waking Up':

Hermione was having a very tough time of it, plagued with feeling useless and then the nightmares of being unable to save Ron. She stares at Ron's blood covered clothes Fleur gave her until she falls asleep- Ginny has been mad with Hermione for not doing enough for Ron in her depressed state (even has a row with Hermione about it). Hermione accidentally left out the blood clothes and Ginny discovers them- now they both have an idea of what Ron went through with the Snatchers

Kingsley came with a book of criminals for the trio and Ginny to identify.

Gin is also mad at Harry for letting Ron sacrifice himself in his second C.R.E. (combat readiness exam).

Ron and Hermione spend a lovely evening together- but the next morning he looks at the criminal book and sees the Snatchers- he's obviously disturbed by it, but shares nothing and says he's fine. Then he tells Hermione a secret- he's found her parents. She bursts into tears

Chapter warnings: cannon level violence, mourning, descriptions of cannon dead characters, medical care, ptsd symptoms, cursing, creepy imagery, mention of blood and having trouble breathing

---

CHAPTER 14: C.R.E. #3

Ron stroked a hand down Hermione's arm and watched the gentle rise and fall of her ribs.

He'd told her about her parents. To his relief, she wasn't angry with him for his interference, but he hadn't expected her to cry quite so much.

She tended to get a bit weepy at times, so if she didn't curse his bollocks off, he'd expected a tear or two. He thought she'd cry for a moment, then turn this revelation into action and plans. Instead she'd vehemently wept until she was listless and barely able to speak, finally dozing off, tears tracks still on her face.

He had hoped to relieve the stress from her, but now he worried it had only been amplified. She still had dark bags under her eyes, and despite his proddings, continued to remain rail thin.

He gathered the wadded money from the bed and stashed it away in his bag.

Treading as silently as he could, he got his Auror training books and began his path downstairs. He still had eight hours to go until the third C.R.E. that evening, and could use the time to study.

He'd only made it a few steps down from his room when Ginny turned the corner.

"Oh good, I caught you," she called up. He quickly shushed her, and hurried down the stairs to meet her.

"Hermione's sleeping," he said, putting a finger up to his mouth.

"Sleeping in again?" His sister's eyebrows creased.

She began pushing past him, but he caught her arm. "Don't wake her."

She stared daggers down at his hand, and he quickly let go.

"We can't let her stay in bed all day," said Ginny, wrapping her arms around one another. "She needs to keep moving."

"Normally I'd agree but…" He wanted to explain it to her, but somehow it didn't feel right to tell anyone about Hermione's parents yet. It was Hermione's secret. They hadn't even told Harry yet.

"There's more going on than you know," he said, hoping to mollify her.

"More secrets," she muttered.

If he didn't know her so well he probably wouldn't have seen it. She was good at looking tough. Her arms were crossed, her jaw clenched, but there was a slight wobble to her chin. "You keep so many secrets…"

He gave a shrug, not sure how to answer. He did keep a lot of secrets. He had to, especially when they weren't his own. He understood it had to hurt Ginny being on the outside of so many of his, Hermione and Harry's secrets, but it wasn't like it was something new.

"You'll know everything soon enough," he said.

Ginny shook her head and gave a wane laugh. He waited for her to say something, but all she did was give a sniff and look away.

"You came up here for something, yeah?" he gently asked.

"I just came up to wish you well on your exam tonight. I didn't want to miss you."

"My exam isn't for eight more hours…"

"I'm going out, and don't know when I'll be back."

Ron's eyebrows rose. She'd been quite clannish with Harry whenever he was about, especially in helping him prep for the Combat Readiness Exams.

"Where are you going?"

"A few places," she said with a shrug. For the first time in weeks he really looked at his sister.

In many ways, she looked the same as she always did; long Weasley-red hair well maintained, face freckled and a touch ruddy as she grumped around, short as fuck but physically capable, stubborn set to her jaw. She looked normal and fine, but…

It wasn't like with Hermione, where he could see her falling to pieces and barely looking like herself. The only physical difference between Ginny now and before the war was that she had a few small scars on her arms she didn't talk about, but who didn't have those anymore? Emotionally, though… She was closer to tears than usual during the week. Right now she looked ready to cry or hex something.

"What is it?" he asked. He didn't ask if she was okay. They'd had a bit of a silent mutual agreement to not ask those sorts of questions of one another once she hit puberty; not so directly or sincerely, anyways.

She opened her mouth, but stopped herself and bit her lip. Her hands began twisting in front of her and he was inexplicably reminded of her in first year. She'd come to him and Harry, wretched and afraid, trying to tell them about the Chamber.

"Did something happen?" he pushed, hoping this wouldn't provoke her temper.

"No… I just…" She rolled her eyes. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine," he said, trying to laugh, despite the fright of seeing his sister looking at him so desperately. For some reason her eyes began to gloss. Shit, why was he having to deal with so many crying women in one day!?

"Ginny, seriously. You don't have to worry about me. Why—?"

"You're not fine!" she growled. "You're not! You… You… You came back from the war hurt, and are taking on so much, and not sleeping, and—"

"I slept great last night, actually." Well, for a bit, anyways. He startled himself awake before sunrise, but before that, it had been a pleasant sleep curled up next to Hermione. "And everyone came back from the war hurt."

She shook her head. "You sacrificed yourself at your exams!"

"Come off it— that wasn't for real— it was only an exam. I knew I was safe," he lied. He'd hoped he'd been safe. "And I did well for myself in the exams. I've… I've actually been great in them so far."

For the first time, he believed it. He'd been cheered by his whole team after the second exam, and had led them well. He'd held his own in his duel with the sadist Musaad in the first exam.

Ginny was still looking like a pot about to boil over.

"If you want to help me, stop grumping at me and Harry and Hermione and just… I dunno, help a bloke out," he said with a hopeless shrug. "You can worry all you like, I can't stop you, but right now? This is putting way more stress on my plate."

Whatever fire had kept Ginny going left her. He worried she'd start crying on him, but she didn't. His sister was tough like that.

He caught her hand and gave it a squeeze. As tough as she was, he could see the rough swallow she was taking.

"I need to get going," said Ginny, freeing her hand with an impatient shake.

Ron gave a silent nod and followed her down the stairs. He caught Harry's wary look as they came into the living room.

"Good luck with the exams," she said, not looking at either of them. Whatever had passed between the couple the night before was far from resolved.

Ginny walked out of the house, marching across the yard with purpose.

"You know where she's going?" asked Ron, casting a sidelong glance at Harry. He shook his head in answer. "She can't Apparate… So it must be Luna's, yeah?"

"Yeah, probably," Harry croaked. Upon closer inspection, Harry looked like utter shit, with big bags under his eyes and a tight-lipped frown.

"She's been in a right snit," Ron said with a snort. "Thinks I'm as helpless as a newborn unicorn."

Harry gave a wry smile. "Well, maybe not helpless… but she berated me about you for a few hours last night."

"About me?" Ron asked, giving Harry a wry once over. He watched his sister's form get smaller and smaller as she tramped across the sunbleached field. He could see their mum feeding the chickens and waving Ginny goodbye. "I can't figure out why she's being like this now? I mean, I'm a bit less useless than I was in Hogwarts, and she never gave me grief then."

"Yeah, well, she didn't have a dead brother then," said Harry, giving a curse and wincing apologetically at Ron. "I didn't mean to say it so… I'm sorry."

"S'fine," Ron said, though hearing it said so bluntly made his chest feel heavy.

"I got like, no sleep," Harry continued, looking guilty.

"I know my brother's dead, Harry," said Ron, a bit more harshly than he intended. In a much softer tone he continued, "So give us some insight into the mind of Ginny, then."

"Er…" Harry cleaned his glasses. "The gist of it is, you've done a lot of getting hurt over the years, but you were always okay so she basically forcefully ignored it. After the Battle of Hogwarts… It's harder to ignore, I guess."

"Well, it's not like you haven't been walking headlong into danger more than me," said Ron.

Harry looked uncomfortable and stared at his shoes. "You're a lot worse for wear than I am."

"Come off it," Ron said with a snort, taking in Harry's exhausted face and dark eye circles. "Have you looked in a mirror?"

"Have you?"

He had. He didn't like the giant divet in his arm, or the myriad of tiny burn scars, or how his nose had an almost imperceptible curve to its bridge from getting broken so many times. He tugged his sleeves a bit further down his wrists to cover the swirling scars up and down his arms.

"Ginny's worried I keep letting you get hurt," said Harry.

"There she goes again. Letting me," Ron snorted.

He knew Harry's guilty face, and his friend was practically pickled in guilt. In those times it was best to be blunt, and assure him in no uncertain terms he was dead wrong.

"Look, if I don't want to do something, I don't. I've gone into all sorts of action because I wanted to. If you weren't around, I'd still be doing that. My whole family too. Blood traitors, through and through. And when it comes down to it, Ginny knows that."

Harry nodded, looking entirely unconvinced.

"You lot need to stop hovering over me. I'm okay," said Ron, giving his best nonchalant look. "You, however, look like you just got trampled by a herd of Hippogriffs… Take a nap or something."

Harry didn't argue and slumped up the stairs, to which room, he didn't know, leaving Ron alone.

Being alone was both a boon and a bane. He could revise and not worry about helping others. Of course, it also meant he had time for his mind to wander to the book of Snatchers he'd had to look at earlier.

Having to think of what they did to him was like a fish knife to the sternum, but what was worse was the look on Hermione's face. She could tell something was up. She was watching him with her all too perceptive gaze and had talked to him like a scared rabbit.

He was so weak that mere photos of them made him shut down. He hadn't cried, thank Merlin, but he'd felt the want. Then there was the deep pool of shame, dark and spiralling. It was like the pond he'd saved Harry from in the Forest of Dean, but with no end and no air— just frozen depths, a spinning sensation, and the painful burst of suffocation.

Ginny wasn't there for the Snatcher book, but she could still sense his weakness. Why else would she be so weird with him? And Harry too! They'd never bothered worrying about him before; not like this.

He was so pathetic he could feel it burn through him.

"Ron, could you get the door please?" came his mother's call.

He spied her through the kitchen door window, arms loaded with sheets she'd gathered from the line and a basket of eggs.

He quickly made his way to the door, and sucked in his stomach as he held the rickety wood open and his mum wedged through.

"Thank you, dear." She bustled to the table, looking about to spill the basket of eggs until Ron intervened. She smiled at him then looked around the room. "Where did everyone go?"

"You saw Gin, off to Luna's— then Hermione and Harry are napping."

Her mouth thinned, but she said nothing and began more properly folding laundry.

Ron found his Auror books and began revising, every once in a while sharing a handy sounding spell with his mum. She didn't seem particularly interested, but she listened to him, nodded and dutifully kept all her housework to the living room and kitchen to keep him company.

"This one is a trap spell that acts like a slingshot," Ron reported to her as she ironed a shirt with her wand.

"One of those Muggle toys?" she hummed.

"Yeah. The person steps on where you trace the spell and they go flying backwards. Doesn't send them far though… Probably not the handiest of spells."

"Your father had a similar spell he did when we'd go to the coast with you. Kept you children from going too deep into the caves there."

"And here I thought we'd come across an ancient cursed cave," Ron said with a small laugh at his younger self. "Lucky we didn't split a head open."

"Oh, we thoroughly cushioned your fall," she said, straightening his hair. "You need a haircut soon dear."

"Not today, though. Loads of revising," he said, ducking away. He didn't want to be shorn any time soon.

"The twins had one of those slingshot thingies. Your father gave it to them, of course. Do you remember it?"

It took a moment before the memory clicked into place. "Oh yeah, at the beach! George would gather ammo, and Fred kept aiming pebbles at the seagulls. By the end of the trip the gulls would start scratching, pecking and pooing at any redhead they saw. It was like the seagulls had formed their own little anti-redhead alliance," he chuckled.

"Bill was attempting to work his charm on this Muggle girl, trying to impress her with his 'worldly' beach knowledge. But as soon as he started chatting, a gang of seagulls descended upon him. Scared the absolute shi— stuffing out of a Muggle girl Bill was trying to chat up. Bill ended up stealing a beach umbrella from someone and trying to use it as a shield, loudly cursing Fred, who just put on a hat and kept pelting pebbles at the gulls. I'd never seen Bill lose his cool like that," Ron was all out laughing, but cut it short when his Mum only gave a small pained smile.

He ducked his head and began looking for any other spell to talk about. It was the first time he'd mentioned Fred to his mother since his death. In a way it'd felt natural to talk about him. Nice. It felt a bit wrong for someone so funny and infuriating to barely be talked about…But it also brought the sharp pain of absence. Discussing him was like treading carefully between laughter and tears.

"I'm glad you remember," she said, a tightness in her voice. "Tell me what other spells you've found, dear?"

Her indulgence was quite the relief. Having someone there made it easier to focus. He'd never been very good at revising on his own. He could do it, of course, but his full attention would putter out after about twenty minutes unless it was something with a looming deadline. It was strangely nice spending time with his mother like this. He'd not done it nearly enough as a kid.

He'd been revising a few hours by the time Harry arrived, thankfully looking somewhat rested. Ron shared his notes and the two enjoyed a late lunch. Hermione didn't join them, and Harry did what he did best and avoided talking about it.

Ron had almost given up on seeing Hermione when she showed up, red sleep creases down her cheek, hair looking more a prickly burr than a bun.

"Alright?" he quietly asked, trying to sound nonchalant, and fairly certain he failed miserably.

She nodded and sat beside him, leaning into his side.

"Have you found any useful spells?" she asked, looking over his notes.

He cheated the parchment her way. "A few."

She hungrily took in his notes, looking much more herself. "You could've woken me to help you revise."

"I could've," he breezily agreed, pointing to the parchment. "There's a telescope spell to see long distances, and then there's this one I'm particularly happy with finding."

The Auditory Enhancement Spell, or the eavesdropping spell as he liked to call it, would be a handy thing they could have used in all their past adventures.

"Oh, if we had that in Hogwarts…" she smiled, shaking her head.

"Would've been dead useful."

"Who knows what other trouble we would have gotten into by hearing even more snippets of secretive conversations."

"Loads!" he laughed. "And with this, there's no need for extendible ears."

"It also might be helpful with my—" she cut herself off. He knew what she meant. Her parents.

"Should we tell?" he asked at a low volume, eyes flicking to Harry.

She shook her head. "Tomorrow."

He agreed, though keeping it a secret was going to be difficult. He'd kept secrets from Harry before, of course— the Order had forced him to a few times, but in those instances they usually were miles apart without having to share the same room. Ron had gotten okay at keeping personal secrets of his from Harry, but that was different somehow.

Hermione's curly topknot tickled the side of his neck as she laid her head on his shoulder. Her hand found his and gave a squeeze, and he knew she was thanking him. She didn't say anything, she wasn't even looking at him, but he knew. He squeezed back and gave a small kiss to her temple.

Dinner was a quiet affair, with Ron and Harry revising away, sharing the odd spell with one another. Hermione compiled their notes into one easy to read compendium, and his Mum fed the distracted trio.

"It's nice to see how you all worked together in Hogwarts," Mum noted, getting a grunt from Ron and some polite smiles from Harry and Hermione.

As the clock struck six, Hermione wished them luck, then kissed Ron on the cheek, and they made their way to the Ministry. The Ministry was more crowded than usual, with a crush of post-work Floo traffic making its way through the halls.

They were both more and less anonymous than usual— more people could see and recognize them thanks to the sheer numbers, but the crowd made it easy to dodge people by ducking behind a random big-hatted warlock for even the most determined gawker to manage even a hint of a conversation.

They'd queued up to weigh their wands when a bright flash of light went off, temporarily blinding Ron. He whipped out his wand when another flash burst forth. And another. It was a veritable storm of light, blinding and disorienting.

Harry groaned.

"Reporters," he said under his breath.

"Mr Potter! Are you excited for your final Auror exam?"

"Mr Potter! Can you give us a smile for the paper?"

"Mr Potter! What is your response to the accusations you're mentally unqualified to join the Aurors?" came a somewhat familiar voice.

That's when Ron saw her.

"You!" he rumbled, pointing a finger at Rita Skeeter's face. "You get away from him!"

Ron stood up to his full height, occluding his much shorter and slighter friend behind him. Skeeter's Dumbledore tell-all must have set her up well, as she was dressed lavishly with gold bejewelled rings on every finger.

"Well, well— if it isn't Ron Weasley," she said, not intimidated in the least. An inlaid diamond in her tooth sharply sparkled as she gave him a delighted smile.

"It's Ron Weasley!" one of the reporters gasped.

"Mr Weasley! How have exams gone so far?"

"Mr Weasley! Hold up your fist again? We didn't get the photo of you trying to punch Rita!"

"Mr Weasley! Are you joining the Aurors to avenge your brother's death?" asked one of the others.

Ron let out a raspy, "What?"

"Has Hermione Granger finally thrown you off for Harry Potter, Mr Weasley?" Skeeter's voice rang over the others.

"Back off!" Harry growled, putting an arm around Ron's side.

He barely felt his friend's hand pressing into him. The two were a pair of gasping fish as light after light flashed and question after question struck them.

"Mr Weasley! Over here!" came another cry. "Mr Ron, sir! This way!"

His wide eyes vaguely shifted over to see Robbie, waving them over, face barely visible beyond the crowd. He was at a door with a sign that read in bold red letters:

'SECURITY- NO ENTRY WITHOUT PERMISSION!'

They quickly followed him and let out relieved sighs as the din of reporters was finally muffled by the shut door. Ron leaned his back against the door and shut his eyes, wishing he could shut off his brain with the same ease.

The reporters were like a herd of Inferi, if Harry's descriptions were anything to go by; absolutely horrifying and unyielding… That they'd dare to ask something so intrusive about Fred was disquieting, and Skeeter's question about Hermione especially stung. He could feel the unrelentingly cold metal of the Horcrux snaking around his neck, and hear it telling him how Hermione wanted Harry… How weak he was.

The discomfort was that he had been weak. He'd been a stupid jealous sod and left them… And when he got back the locket had been able to burrow itself back into him. He could feel the crunch of the snow and warmth of the blade in his hand as he'd nearly stabbed Harry with Gryffindor's sword.

"Thanks," Harry panted to Robbie, bringing Ron to the present.

He cut his eyes to Harry, who was warily watching him.

"Yeah, thanks, Robbie," said Ron before looking around them to see cleaning supplies and a crusty looking mop. "Is this a broom cupboard?"

"It is…" said Robbie, a blotchy blush of embarrassment staining his cheeks. "I couldn't think of another place to weigh your wands in privacy, so I conjured the sign and waved you over."

"Nice," said Ron. He gave Robbie a pat on the back and the young man went scarlet. "Is there a way to get out of here unnoticed?"

"Sorry," apologised Robbie. "You'll have to go out there again to reach the lift, but at least you don't have to wait in line with them next to you as I weigh your wands."

"Any reprieve is a good one," said Harry, handing his wand over.

Robbie made short work of weighing it before taking Ron's wand.

"Soon you'll be an Auror and can use a private entrance, instead of this main one, Mr Ron. But until then, if you ever need some privacy, I'll arrange it."

"We appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure, Mr Ron!" he said, a broad grin on his face. He held onto Ron's wand a bit too long before fumblingly handing it over. "Best of luck on your exam, Mr Ron!"

"Thanks, Robbie," he said, trying not to roll his eyes as Harry sent a cheeky grin his way, the little shit.

They opened the door to a less prepared group of reporters, who only managed a few questions before they got to the gold gated lift.

The light glinted off of Skeeter's expensive robes. She had a satisfied look on her face as she watched them ride down the elevator. He didn't know why she looked so happy, but anything that made her give that delighted look couldn't be good.

"You alright?" asked Harry.

Ron sighed and leaned against the back of the elevator. "Not how we wanted to start the evening, was it?"

Harry gave a muffled 'mmm' of agreement.

Once they got to the Auror locker room, they received a much quieter, but much more friendly, greeting from their fellow recruits, though Kevin's enthusiastic pat on Ron's shoulder left his fingers numb for a full minute. Theold was sitting in the corner looking bored, picking his teeth with a toothpick, but he deigned to give them a nod.

Claudia finished tying her shoe and gave them a friendly wave.

"Hi Ron, hi Harry. You doing any better?" she asked, giving Harry a sympathetic look.

"Fine, thanks," Harry grunted, avoiding her gaze, grabbing his uniform and quickly disappearing into a changing room.

Immediately Ron's hackles began to rise. Why was she looking at Harry like that?

Ron changed into his uniform and thought back over the last day. What had Claudia seen that would make Harry so embarrassed and go into 'lizard hiding under a rock' mode?

He tried to catch his friend's eye once they had changed, but Harry's face was squarely facing the ground as he took the time to double knot his shoelaces, something he never usually did.

"Want to tell me what that was about with Claudia?" Ron quietly asked as Harry realised there wasn't enough shoelace to triple knot them.

Harry shook his head. "S'nothing."

Oh, it most definitely was something.

Ron wanted to kick himself as he realised the issue. He'd forgotten to ask about Harry's lack of Patronus in the second exam. It felt nearly impossible to keep his mind on everything he needed to. Hermione was a distraction in a myriad of ways, from being gorgeous and dead sexy, to worrying and infuriating— she always managed to leave him preoccupied. His family was its own tangle of problems. And finally he was a selfish coward who was too preoccupied with some scary memories instead of watching after his best friend properly. He used to be better at this, hadn't he? Or had he always been such a pathetic friend?

Claudia and Vyse had been there when Harry couldn't make a Patronus, not Ron or someone else he knew. Had they told him it was okay? Maybe made a joke to put him at ease? Or had they looked at him with pity and disappointment? Harry hated that more than anything.

Harry had been doing okay the last few days, the incident where Harry had destroyed the Quidditch shed notwithstanding. And the Dreamless Sleep potion issue too… But other than that, he was okay, right? Ron would know if his friend wasn't okay, wouldn't he?

He stared at Harry, willing him to say something, but his friend remained silent and began fiddling with his wand holster instead.

Pushing Harry to open up and speak never worked in private, but in front of a group of people so nearby it would be impossible. He would have to wait. Hopefully whatever happened would not affect Harry's performance in this exam.

Neville emerged from one of the changing rooms and gave Ron and Harry a small wave. With relief written all over him, Harry genially greeted him and gave a forced smile as he wedged past Ron to escape.

"Hi Neville! What have you been up to?" Harry asked. He pointedly ignored Ron's unimpressed eyebrow raise.

"Er, since yesterday?" Neville asked, smiling, but clearly overwhelmed by Harry's uncharacteristically enthusiastic and direct attention. "Not much. Kipped a bit, met up with Hannah to revise."

"Hannah?" Harry asked. "Hannah Abbott?"

"The same." Neville's face took on a glowing flush.

Ron and Harry caught each other's eyes, and both carefully schooled burgeoning teasing smiles into something more solemn.

"Well, that's great," said Harry.

"Yeah, Hannah's always been nice," added Ron. "Glad you're, erm… revising together? At night?"

Harry gave him a poke in the side. Ron swatted the back of his head in retaliation, but grinned. If Harry was willing to interact with him at all, they were okay.

A bashful smile and a ducked head were all they received from Neville before the Locker Room door opened with a large bang.

All eyes turned to the door, and quite a few hands went to wands. Ron's eyes cut to Harry, but his friend was thankfully calm with his wand only at his side.

It took a moment for him to recognize the bedraggled woman standing in the door.

"What time is it?" demanded Ramona, hair a snarl, and shirt covered in some sort of congealed yellow gunge.

"Two til," said Vyse as he entered the door she'd frantically just come through. He'd barely made it on time himself, but got his clothes at a leisurely pace. "Is that your vomit?"

Ramona ripped her shirt off, not seeming to care that everyone was around her.

"Fuck!" she cursed, frantically looking through her bag, still in just her bra. "Does anyone have an Alice band?"

The shorthaired young men all looked at her in a clueless state, while Claudia checked her bag. "Sorry, I don't."

"Of course you don't!" she snapped, crumpling in front of her bag.

"Maybe we can transfigure you one," said Neville.

Ramona took her tracksuit bottoms off and thrust her legs into the uniform trousers, not answering him. Her hands shook as her hair flew around her face.

Not wanting to deal with her attitude being worse than usual, Ron grabbed the old wand care magazine he'd read before the first exam and did his best to transfigure it to look like one he'd seen Ginny wear as a kid.

"Here," he said, tossing it to Ramona who barely managed to catch it, her face all puzzlement.

"You're a liability to all of us if you're in a snit," he explained. "Fit ok?"

She tried on the band then nodded.

"Crisis averted, then," he said, doing his best not to sound too cutting. He probably did; he wasn't particularly good at holding back his venom.

It was strange to see Ramona so clearly rattled. She was always one of the earliest to arrive, and revising until the last minute. The thought that she randomly overslept didn't seem to fit with her character. If he liked her he might have thought about it longer, but he was thoroughly distracted from any Ramona-related curiosity by the voice of Auror Sealy-Pearce.

"Recruits," she said. All eyes turned to her. She stood in the doorway, posture straight and cornrowed bun as tight as ever. "Follow me to your final C.R.E."

The recruits quickly complied, Ramona hurriedly putting her hair in a ponytail as they walked, her elbow nearly hitting Neville in the chin.

Unlike the other Combat Readiness Exams, they were in a small dark room, barely bigger than his parents' living room. A map was spread across a round wooden table lit by one bright lamp above it. Auror Musaad was standing in front of it along with another Auror who looked vaguely familiar.

The man beside Musaad was of average height, had close cropped hair with M-shaped hairline and a roughly kept goatee, but had a clear air of authority. He squinted around the table as if the dim room was bright.

"Come round the table, recruits," ordered Musaad. They shuffled into place, eyes nervously dancing from Musaad, to the map, to the stranger beside him. "This is Head Auror Gawain Robards."

Robards nodded around the table, dark blue eyes flitting from recruit to recruit, spending more time on Harry, who clenched his jaw and looked away. Then they landed on Ron. He spent even longer on him, and Ron's cheeks coloured under the scrutiny.

"For your final physical Combat Readiness Exam, you will be dealing with a hostage scenario," said Musaad. "You will stage a rescue mission to retrieve the hostage from a small group of wizard operatives."

He tapped the map with his wand and a portion of the map shaded itself light blue. "Their exact location is unknown to you, but according to intel, they are in a highly armoured room in one of the buildings further South into the city square. Your first objective is to rescue the hostage."

Sealy-Pearce tapped the map and a ghosty image appeared above the map, showing a faceless cloth dummy in a robe. "The hostage will be an animated dummy. Once you reach the dummy, tap the pendant around its neck with your wand and it will act as a portkey for only the dummy, removing it from the scene."

"Use discretion, especially before the hostage has been secured- any spell that's too explosive could risk the 'life' of the hostage. After the hostage has been safely retrieved, spread your team out and capture the enemy. In a real scenario you would do this so they can be extracted and interrogated."

"You all are wearing the same safety vests as before, as will the enemy, so don't be afraid to go all out," said Musaad, his eyes catching Ron's. "Any questions?"

"How do we capture and transport the enemy?" asked Harry.

"You can capture or overpower them however you like— when they have been effectively disabled you can tap the badge on their shoulder to send them to headquarters— or if they were given a blow too devastating, their vests will transport them back here automatically," said Musaad.

"Will there be booby traps or battle bots?" asked Ramona, looking at the small city map.

"There might be a few traps, but there will not be any battle dummies."

Relief passed through Ron. At least they didn't have the bots on their tails.

"Wait, what time of day will it be?" asked Ron, remembering the night scene they'd stumbled into during the last exam.

"Daylight," said Robards, speaking for the first time. His voice was rough and clipped, but he had a small hint of a smile on his thin lips.

Musaad looked around the table, but no one else spoke up. "Take a moment to plan, then."

Ron and Harry's eyes met, then passed over to the Aurors, who were clearly not going to leave.

"Okay," said Harry, leaning over the map. "We don't know which of these buildings the hostage is being kept in, so that's the first thing we need to figure out once we get there."

He duplicated the maps and gave a shrunk version to each of them. Ron attached his own to his arm guard above his watch.

"We should split into a few teams so we can more quickly find them," said Harry.

Ron looked at the variety of alleyways and small buildings. Splitting up was well and good, but… he took a breath. "We also need a way to communicate beyond Patronuses. Those draw too much attention and are too unreliable."

Ron knew he'd have to pay for it later, but he had to say it. The Patronuses had been a spectacular failure for them in their last C.R.E., sending Bots and explosions their way, bringing far too much attention to their locations, and then Harry couldn't even create one when needed, for whatever reason.

Harry stilled, and his jaw twitched.

Harry never did well when his pride was wounded. Ron had kept it vague, but even hinting at something like Harry failing at a Patronus in front of everyone would sting his pride and guilt, and make him shut up like a mollusc. It was worth it so they had a plan, but Harry wouldn't feel that way until Ron apologised in private.

"Right… Any ideas?" said Harry, pointedly avoiding Ron's gaze.

"How about coins, like with the D.A.?" said Neville. Harry and Ron nodded, but the rest of the room looked confused. "We had coins that would heat up and display times and messages on them for meetups. It's how we coordinated the help at the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Brilliant!" said Claudia.

"My girlfriend came up with them," said Ron, feeling chuffed as the table further voiced their appreciation.

"Anyone have coins we can use?" asked Harry, bringing them back to attention.

"I have a lucky one in my shoe we can replicate," said Vyse.

"But what if we lose them?" asked Ramona. "Wouldn't it make more sense to use something like our watches? Coins are fine if you need discretion, but watches are easier to see and not lose."

"Everyone wearing a watch?" asked Ron, holding his own out. All but Ramona held out their wrists. Kevin and Claudia transfigured part of her shoelace and Vyse's lucky coin into a watch for Ramona, while Harry Ron and Neville did the spell on all the watches.

"Are you ready then?" asked Musaad.

Ron and Harry looked around the table; everyone nodded.

"We're ready," said Harry.

Musaad pointed to the door behind them they'd entered through.

Ramona was the first to the door, opening it to a blindingly sunny day that left Ron squinting. The sunny old city street had cobblestones and rows of tightly packed light plaster and stone buildings, some of them brightly painted.

It was disorienting to be in such a sunny place, when their bodies knew it was late at night, but he supposed that was the point; it was just one more disadvantage as they went into an already unpredictable situation.

It had the look of an old city. The cobblestones were worn, and the buildings had scrapes and marks that spoke of hundreds of years of use, but it was oddly empty of people.

"Which way should we go?" asked Claudia.

It took a moment for Ron to realise she was looking between him and Harry, waiting for an answer. In fact, all their nervous gazes were upon them.

Great.

Harry ignored them all, looking at the map, brows creased and jaw set, fully in a brood.

Even better…

"Fastest members should scout ahead," said Ron. He tried to say it with authority, but his voice went embarrassingly high at the end. They were all eyes and clearly wanted more information. He looked down at the map. "So how about Harry and I scout Southeast, while Ramona and Claudia scout Southwest— the rest can bring up the rear and split as you like. We can signal through the watch if we find something."

To his relief, no one argued, though they didn't seem particularly eased by his plan. Leadership settled oddly on him. He wasn't charismatic or inspiring like Harry, and didn't have an air of resolute intelligence like Hermione… He had to be grateful they listened at all.

"Also, daylight means we can be spotted more easily, so stick to the sides of the buildings."

"Should we disillusion ourselves?" asked Kevin, nervously shifting his weight side to side as if he was ready to roll out of the way of a spell where he stood. He was definitely an easy target with his wide frame and slow speed.

"I dunno… If you're close to an enemy and need to be quiet, it'll be hard to communicate quickly without being able to see each other well. So do so at your discretion?"

He'd botched any sort of calm he'd hoped to create.

Claudia was nibbling at her lower lip, Kevin shifting, Neville pale and Vyse looking enviously at his lucky coin on Ramona's wrist. Theold and Ramona were the coolest of the bunch, but he could see their shoulders were up to their ears in tension.

"You're all good at what you do. If we stick to the plan and watch each other's backs, we can't fail," said Harry.

And like that, Claudia gave a smile of relief, Vyse Kevin and Neville nodded, and even Theold and Ramona's postures eased.

For a specky scrawny git, he had an air of command Ron always found enviable. He could give a look and a few empty words, and everyone around him was reassured.

Ron couldn't blame them: Harry's tenacious certainty made him believe anything was possible too. He didn't have time for panic when he was running after a self-assured Harry.

Nerves somewhat assuaged, the groups split. Ramona and Claudia sped to a few streets over, while he and Harry took to the left.

Ron did a 'Captionem Deprehensio' to check for traps, but none came up, while Harry cast a series of 'Hominem Revelio's at each building. He didn't say anything to Ron or even look at him. His wand movements were so sharp each one could be heard as it whipped through the air, and he scowled at each empty building so intensely Ron wouldn't be surprised if the buildings wouldn't pick up and move away to avoid his glare.

"Did the building do something to you?" asked Ron.

Harry cast a dry sullen look his way, which made Ron's eyebrows arch up into his fringe. Ah.

"Look, I'm sorry about the Patronus thing," said Ron, hoping to get this over like ripping off a plaster.

Harry's glare softened into a flat pinched look that fell into something resembling shame.

"No… No, it's fine. You're right. They draw too much attention, plus there might not be time to think of something happy."

"I mean, it happened to all of us at Hogwarts last month," Ron said with a shudder at memory. Had it really only been a month? He could feel the chill of the Dementors looming over them, a great tide ready to suck down their souls.

"And me the other day," said Harry, looking at the ground.

And there it was. Ron thought he could let it go unsaid, but Harry had been pushing uncomfortable unsaid things recently. It was probably more healthy, but Harry had been so reliably tightlipped in the past.

Harry gave an aborted gesture with his hands then let them fall. It was so rare he wasn't able to do something right. When it did happen, he lost his footing entirely.

It made sense, in a way. Harry had always been the one to rise to any challenge, to excel in the face of adversity. He had grown up with so little to rely on, with only himself as a constant, navigating a world of loss and uncertainty, so if Harry fucked up the one sure thing in his life was taken away. Add in the relentless pressure of being a leader, the weight of expectations resting on his shoulders— being 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' and the 'Chosen One' — it had to take a toll. Ron did what he could to provide more stability in Harry's life, but he'd mucked that up too much for him to say he was good at it.

"You know, no one thinks less of you for the other day," said Ron, trying to catch his friend's eye.

He had such a pained look of self loathing Ron wished they could trade places for a moment. Hating himself and not measuring up was part and parcel for Ron— but not Harry.

"No one," Ron emphasised, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Remember, not everyone knows how to do a Patronus. But I do, and Neville does, and Hermione and Luna and the whole D.A.— thanks to you."

"Thanks to Lupin."

"Sure, him too," said Ron, feeling a pang at the thought of his kind teacher, dead, face slack, blood trailing down his side. "If we need to make a Patronus we sure are peppering ourselves with happy thoughts, huh?"

Harry snorted, and a tiny twitch of a smile pulled at his mouth. "Homenum Revelio."

The building was empty as well.

Ron took a step forward, but his nose painfully collided with something hard.

"The fuck?" Through watering eyes he squinted ahead, and rubbed his smarting nose, but nothing was there. "What'd I walk into?" He and Harry cautiously stuck out their hands to find an invisible wall in their path. Their fingers could trail along it, but any push was met with complete resistance. They knocked, but oddly no sound came from the act.

Ron looked at his arm. "This is the edge of the map. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing— but it looks like they're not going as large-scale as last time."

"Probably means we need to show more close combat skills then?"

"Get to employ the classics; duelling and dumb luck," Ron chuckled as his watch warmed.

'On Silvano- 1 person in building. Can't see a hostage. Holding for backup -Ramona'

Harry squinted at his map. "Down five streets, right by two."

Not wanting to be entirely winded should there be a duel, they jogged instead of sprinting, and checked each building along the way, but all were empty.

Ramona and Claudia were crouched behind a pile of wooden crates, eyes trained ahead.

"What've we got?" asked Ron as Harry began to do a 'Hominem Revelio.' "Wait! Don't do that!"

"Why?" he asked, wand still poised.

"We shouldn't have done it before… I'm so stupid!" Ron wished he could kick himself. "They can feel the spell swooping over them and will know we're here, if they don't already. We can't use that if we want to surprise anyone."

"Did either of you do that spell?" asked Harry.

"No, we just saw the person with their back to the window for a bit," said Claudia.

"How should we check for more people if we can't do 'Hominem Revelio'?" asked Ramona.

"Use our eyes, for one," Harry said, looking to the top of the four story building next to them. "We can have someone go up there to scout from above."

"And then there's the eavesdropping spell," added Ron. "We can do that to listen into the building and get an idea of how many there are."

"Then we should save the Hominem Revelio for the last second, when we know we're about to head in," said Ramona. "I'll message the others about which spells to use."

Their wrists all heated with her warning;

'Don't use Hominem Revelio unless about to actively engage. Use eavesdropping spell to check for people.'

Ron cast the eavesdropping spell and an unnatural cacophony of minute sounds flooded his ears, from the sound of the building settling to a person shifting on some squeaky floorboards. "Team One is in place," said a woman's voice.

"Have they spotted anyone near them yet?" replied a man.

"No. Only a matter of minutes, I bet."

"Hnf," he grunted. Then the two lapsed into silence.

Ron reported what he heard to the group. "Do you think there are others in the room you couldn't hear?" asked Harry.

"Maybe. It was pretty quiet in there, though," said Ron, looking around the building. "'Team One' could be another team about to set up shop here, or could be another location entirely."

Their wrists heated.

'Spotted three on balcony at Vezina. -Vyse'

Vezina was several streets over.

"Those must be part of 'Team One.' If they have more people, they're more likely to have the hostage," said Ramona. "Should we just leave this group, and head there?" asked Claudia.

"This group could come in as backup over there. Better to take them out here," said Harry.

"Won't Team One come here the moment we attack?"

Ron shook his head. "They need to stay with the hostage, so they probably won't. This pair can easily be mobile, but the others probably can't."

After a minute of planning, they were ready to go. Kevin and Neville would meet and hold with Vyse and Theold at the other location. Ron had good long-distance aim, if his spellwork on a broom was any indication, so he would scout from the roof and back them up if needed. Harry, Claudia and Ramona would enter the building after he finished scouting.

The three waited at the door to the building. Harry clapped a hand on his elbow, giving it a squeeze before Ron Apparated.

He'd never been the quietest at Apparition, and this time was no exception. A crouched hooded and masked figure on the roof immediately turned to him, wand drawn.

"Shit," said Ron.

'Guy on the roof! Go in!' he messaged through the watch.

Ron put up a shield just in time to reflect an explosion beside him. The blast pushed him behind the wall of the rooftop entrance and left his ears ringing. An onslaught of explosive spells followed, shattering plaster and splintering wood around him. He tried to Apparate again, but he was abruptly stopped by an Anti-Apparition ward.

The spells hailed down, almost as unrelenting as a Bot's. If he showed so much as a hair around the corner he'd be blasted clear off the roof! That's when he noticed the top of a fire escape ladder. The small bit of building protruding for the entrance to the roof might shield him from the man long enough to escape.

But he didn't need to just escape, he needed to take the masked figure out and back up his team. He looked to the ground, and a piece of plaster was nearby. Perfect!

Idea in mind he put a shield up and scrambled for the ladder. The loud sound of the spells retreated behind him as he scrabbled and no spells hit near him. He must have just been out of the man's sight-lines.

Down a flight, he entered the building through a window that was thankfully already open, as were all the windows. The percussive explosions stopped. The man must have discovered his absence.

In the distance he could hear spells flying in the other building.

"Hurry up, Weasley," he whispered to himself.

He did an eavesdropping spell and could hear the man's footsteps above, creaking on the old rooftop. The floor was thin.

Ron crouched into his steps, slowly resting his foot down heel first and applying even pressure until he'd taken each minute step. He wasn't the best at sneaking, but he was okay at it from years of trying to avoid his family's prying eyes. He continued until he was directly under the man.

Ron took the piece of plaster he'd grabbed on the roof and floated it out the opposite window, willing it to arc up onto the roof and fall in front of the rooftop door.

The man might expect Ron to come at him next through a door or come back up the fire escape. But he wouldn't expect him from below.

'EXPULSO! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!' cried Ron.

The spell ripped a hole through the floor, and his spell struck true. The man fell to the ground with a thunk.

He ran up the fire escape to the roof and saw the lights of spells in the room. He could hear Harry's bellowed spells coming through the open door, and saw the two hooded figures behind an upturned table, using it to shield them. It would be difficult to hit them and not the recruits. Difficult, but not impossible.

He knelt down as the hooded man had, rested his wand on the edge of the building and cast a telescope spell. He took his aim, carefully, knowing a hair too high and he could hit Harry or the other recruits. His lungs expanded, he held his breath and muttered 'Stupefy.'

The man dropped to the floor.

The woman looked to her partner's fallen body, giving Harry just the opening he needed to disarm her, before another recruit had her in ropes.

They all paused their movements to take in the scene.

Was that it? Was it over?

No other spells came, and there were no movements.

The recruits went to inspect the body on the floor, looks of puzzlement on their faces. Ron grinned and stood up.

"Harry!" he called across the alley, giving a wave.

Harry looked out the window and confusion turned to a beaming smile.

"This you?" he asked, pointing to the stupefied body.

Ron nodded. He gave a turn and Apparated into the room. "Oh good, that worked! They put up an Anti-Apparition ward the moment the action began."

"What happened to the person on the roof?"

"Petrified him."

"You took out two of them, then!" said Claudia, awe written all over her face. Harry smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder, while Ramona had a scrutinising look on her face. Ron's cheeks began to heat.

"Should we send them back then?" he asked, hoping to get the attention off him. He probably should've liked the attention, but he just felt weirdly hollowed out from it.

"No, we need to see who they are first," said Harry, removing the prone figure's masks. Ron didn't recognize either of them, but Harry and Claudia seemed to.

"They're the Aurors Vyse and I duelled at our first C.R.E." said Claudia.

"So we're not fighting recruits or some other hired force— we're fighting full fledged Aurors," said Harry, before tapping their badges to send them back to Headquarters.

"I'll get the bloke on the roof," said Ron, Apparating over. He removed the man's mask and recognized him as the Auror who fought Theold in their first C.R.E. This was definitely not their best team, even though they were clearly skilled.

"Are we going to be seeing Musaad and Sealy-Pearce in the field?" he asked the still petrified man. Every bit of him was still as he looked at Ron. "Look to the left to answer no. Now answer the question."

The man stared ahead.

"Would you tell me even if it were true?"

The man's eyes went to the left.

"Of course not," spat Ron, hating every moment of these C.R.E.s.

He leaned down and tapped the Auror's return badge- making the man disappear in a fast snarl of magic.

"We might be seeing the likes of Musaad later," Ron said as he joined the others in their room, his voice tinged with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

Ramona gave an involuntary shudder beside him, her eyes flickering with unease.

"Kind of makes me long for the bots," said Ron with a half-hearted laugh, attempting to lighten the mood, but the others remained silent, their minds preoccupied with the impending mission.

Not wanting to be spied on as they made their way to the other group, they cast a disillusionment charm on the table from the upstairs room and used it as a shield. The enchantment rendered them nearly invisible, ensuring that no one ahead of them would be able to see their movements unless they were at ground level. It was a tight fit, especially with Ron trying to crouch behind the table. He was over a foot taller than the girls, and almost twice as wide as any of them. They moved at a snail's pace, but finally arrived at Vezina Street.

Vyse, Theold, Neville, and Kevin were waiting behind a green building, their wands at the ready.

Harry cast a muffliato around them, something Ron wished he'd had the foresight to tell the others to do.

"Good idea— if we know the eavesdropping spell, they're certain to as well," said Ron.

"There are three out front on the balcony, fifth floor, and at least one inside. We've been holding in place so they don't spot us," reported Vyse, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement. "We all tried an eavesdropping spell a few times, but I don't think it worked. I haven't heard them speak once in twenty minutes!"

Ron checked for booby traps, which there were none of in the immediate area, then set to work with his eavesdropping spell. There were faint sounds of people restlessly waiting: a cough here, a fidget there. His brow furrowed in concentration as he strained to pick up any clues.

"Maybe three or four inside— hard to tell. They're not talking at all."

"Anyone on the roof?" asked Harry, his gaze sweeping across the yellow twelve story building, as well as the nearby buildings.

"If there is, they are dead silent," Ron replied with a shake of his head, casting the spell once more to confirm. "Same across the way. Green building seems empty."

"Then you and I should go up the green building — get an eye on things."

"Maybe a few of us will join you," said Ramona, eyebrows furrowed. Ron and Harry looked around the group, and all were looking at them in varying stages of upset. "We're all trying to become Aurors. We should continue to be part of the plans."

Harry looked like he wanted to argue, but Ron spoke before his friend could voice his objections. "What were you thinking?"

"A few of us go up the green building and stay at the same level as the hostage room. We'd have good visibility and be able to cast some heavy spells across the way at them as you did last time," Ramona explained.

"If it's clear, Ron and I can work our way down the hostage building, while the final team works their way up," said Harry.

"Yes!" Ron grinned at him. "With that middle team, we'd be hitting them from every angle! It'll help if we're facing the likes of Musaad."

"I got a few interesting spells I've been dying to try out on that bastard," said Theold, twirling his wand, smirk on his face.

"Perfect," said Ron. "It's just a matter of who wants to go where, then."

After a discussion with the team, they decided those with strong aim and good blasting spells would be best on the middle level. Those with strong short-range duelling skills or strong shields would probably be best for the street-level team.

Claudia, Ramona and Kevin claimed the street level, where they would work their way up the building. Neville, Theold and Vyse would take the middle floor.

Plans made and agreed on, they split into two teams, the street level team putting on Disillusionment Charms before they went into place.

Dust particles danced in the air, caught in the rays of sunlight streaming through the half open windows.

Vyse halted, signalling the group to crouch, and they formed a huddle. Neville kept a watchful eye on their flank and cast another muffliato.

"We've got company," Vyse whispered. "The three guarding the balcony are back and there are about five inside."

Ron nodded, his mind working quickly. He turned to Theold, whose arms were crossed.

"Hey, Theold, got any of those interesting spells you mentioned?" Ron asked with a hint of mischief.

Theold raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You bet. Why?"

Theold's smirk grew wider as Ron explained his plan and Theold went to the window, clearly relishing the opportunity to showcase his skills.

Neville and Vyse took their places at the middle floor.

"We'll signal you soon," said Harry as they departed.

They slowly ascended a dilapidated staircase, trying hard not to make any sounds. Ron glanced at Harry, who was a few steps ahead of him. His friend turned back, green eyes shining with determination and resolve, just as they had countless times before, as he gave him a small smile; a quirk of the mouth that meant 'glad we're in this one together.' It was a sight Ron had grown familiar with over the years, and it never failed to bring him comfort.

Harry's mythic presence had a unique way of bringing comfort to everyone around him, but as Ron looked at him now, the aura of the chosen one, the 'he's the one' shine, had somewhat dimmed over time for Ron. In the early years of their friendship, Ron couldn't help but be influenced by the legends, the comics, and the tales of "The Boy Who Lived." It was almost impossible to shake that preconceived image of the larger than life hero. On their first train ride to Hogwarts Harry was a far cry from the story-books; he was waif-like and swimming in oversized clothes, and had a hungry, yearning look every time he saw families and friends. His every move and look screamed of loneliness. He was just some little kid who needed Ron's help.

At least, until he stood up to Draco Malfoy's cruel taunts on Ron's behalf — in that instance, the sweet, needy, ordinary kid Ron had come to know transformed into "The Boy Who Lived." There was an undeniable fire and strength in Harry that made it difficult for Ron to fully grasp who he was. That was a Harry that could change hearts and minds, could take on dark wizards, and who didn't need Ron at all.

But then Harry was back to being Harry. There was only one thing Ron could give him— himself— so he gave himself fully.

By their fourth year he'd seen Harry nearly die enough times to know he wasn't some untouchable power; the kid had vulnerabilities just the same as anyone else, and most days he was 'just Harry,' the sarcastic kid who had trouble making small-talk with people, with giant eyes that could have so many emotions in just one look. But even with it being 'just Harry', there still remained a nearly unshakable belief in his friend's abilities.

In this C.R.E., Harry's legendary status wasn't what made having him there such a comfort. No, the comfort he derived from Harry was knowing that he had a friend who could practically read his thoughts, who trusted in him more than Ron did himself, and whose unwavering determination had always been a source of strength for Ron, especially in moments like this, when the stakes were high and the tension thick in the air. He was the friend who had seen him at his best and worst, but still kept him around. Harry still had a mythical glow about him, but it had little to do with 'The Boy Who Lived' and everything to do with him being Ron's best friend.

Harry did another Muffliato as they reached the roof. They checked in every way they could, but there didn't seem to be any surprise Aurors or booby traps. It was remarkably straight forward. Ron didn't trust it.

"Ready?" asked Harry, looking across the way to the empty roof across the alley, shifting his weight.

Ron gave a shrug. "If you are."

'Showtime -Harry'

A moment later Ron and Harry walked down the street with their wands pointed high, and expressions haughty.

"Hey Musaad! Enough of this sneaking around! Come on out!" came Theold's voice from the street.

With swift precision, two masked Aurors flew out on brooms, aiming their wands at Harry and Ron who simply stood there, wands aimed at the sky.

The Aurors wasted no time and threw vicious spells through the air that blasted the ground apart, and decimated the side of a few buildings— but still Ron and Harry stood, no spells cast. No matter what they threw, the Aurors couldn't land a hit.

From inside the enemy's building Ron and Harry watched the perfect images of themselves, standing in the streets pointing their wands at the sky.

"Wow! How did he make us look so real?" asked Harry.

"No idea— some sort of illusion charm?" said Ron. "Bit creepy to look at ourselves, innit?"

"Try seven of you," Harry said, with a dry look.

"Oh yeah… I'd not thought about that battle in a while… Well, at least we're not in skivvies like yours were," he sniggered as they continued their way down flights of stairs to the hostage room.

After climbing down four flights, they checked outside to see how the distraction was going.

The Aurors finally hovered their brooms near the static Ron and Harry. They'd just landed when the cobblestones beneath the enemies' feet transformed into a row of mini trampolines. The cobblestones bounced and jiggled, sending the enemies off balance and making it difficult for them to keep their footing.

Laughter erupted among Ron and Harry as they watched the unexpected spectacle. "Quite the dance party you're having!" Theold's voice laughed.

"Who knew he had a sense of humour?" said Ron as he and Harry continued down the stairs.

The duo moved stealthily as they got closer to the hostage room. Ron couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement mixed with adrenaline as they neared their target.

They entered a room on the sixth floor. It had peeling green wallpaper that reminded him a bit of Grimmauld place before they cleaned it. He cast the eavesdropping spell again.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me— they're in clown shoes!" said a man's voice.

A set of other Aurors were laughing.

"Ohhh he's going to be so mad after this!"

"They're thoroughly distracted!" Ron smiled at his friend.

"Good," said Harry before telling the teams they were in position.

The watches warmed.

'In position -Claudia'

'Ready -Neville'

'In Five -Harry'

"Four…" Harry counted the second.

He dropped the Eavesdrop charm, as it was about to get loud.

"Three... two... one..." Harry counted.

Their spells burst through the ceiling, catching most of the enemy combatants off guard and sending down a cloud of dust. Harry deftly disarmed the nearest enemy, while Ron stunned another through the hole in the ceiling.

"Accio hostage!" Harry shouted. The hostage dummy flew to him and he deftly tapped its pendant.

Through the door burst Claudia and Ramona, protected by one of Kevin's strong shield charms- and through the windows came a barrage of spells from Neville and Vyse.

The room erupted into chaos, a cacophony of flashing lights and deafening blasts. Shattered glass from the windows scattered like glistening confetti, catching the sunlight as it danced through the haze of dust and smoke that filled the air. Some of the action had spilled into the hall, and suddenly Harry jumped down into the room to join the team.

The air was thick with dust and Ron could barely breathe, let alone see through the hole in the ceiling, but the room fell away and he was at Hogwarts.

The wall wrenched open, masonry falling, everything exploding. Fred's face was staring just past his ear, hint of a smile on his face, but eyes oddly blank.

Ron couldn't move as he stared at his brother's eyes, willing them to blink. He was unable to say or do anything as Percy's wails rang through his ears. Bits of blood sopped onto the large masonry that now scattered across the floor. The blood wasn't pumping from his brother's skull, it just spilled like someone had overturned an open can of sauce, liquid slowly looking for the easiest path down. Fred wasn't blinking. His brother wasn't blinking. He was dead. His brother was dead.

Something painfully struck Ron and he went flying backwards. The wind was partially knocked out of him and he saw peeling green wallpaper.

He spluttered and tried to orient himself.

He wasn't at Hogwarts.

He was in this stupid Combat Readiness Exam.

How long had he been out of it just staring into nothing? His heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest, and his shoulders and back ached. His left arm began seizing.

"Fucking bollocksing shitballs!" he muttered.

Ron stumblinging went back to the hole in the floor, ready to drop down it when a large plank of wood slid in front of it. He gave a futile kick, but it stayed firmly in place. He turned and saw a figure standing in the doorway across from him.

Ron, his heart still racing, raised his shaking wand, but he was quickly disarmed, his wand flying at the wall.

"Nice try, Weasley," the enemy taunted.

Ron rolled towards his wand, his left hand couldn't grip it.

He braced for impact when the masked figure went stiff and fell face first to the floor.

Neville stood in the doorway, his wand still raised.

"Okay, Ron?" panted Neville.

Ron nodded and rolled over until he was sitting. His left arm felt numb and he couldn't make a fist.

"We're down to three," said Neville. "They've retreated into that green building, so we'd better go before they disappear."

Unable to form words, his eyes drifted to the window. Everything still felt slow in him.

"Ron, are you alright?" Neville asked again, this time coming into the room and putting a hand on Ron's back. He shrank away.

"Don't touch me, I'm fine," he growled, before standing up. "I'm fine…"

He wiped his face off and tried to take some breaths. It was hard with the dust still lingering in the air.

"Let's… Let's corner them, yeah," Ron panted, lurching to the window, determined to ignore the stare he felt Neville giving him. The Auror's brooms from the trampoline spells were still abandoned on the street, feebly bouncing as a tied and gagged Auror continued to spring up and down.

He could still help.

"Accio broom!" he heard Harry shout. He looked down to see Harry, his wand pointed out the other window. His friend grabbed the broom as it neared him and quickly flew to the green building.

Ron Accio'ed the other broom.

"Are you sure you're good to—" Neville began, but Ron ignored him. He jumped from the window with the broom, flying over to the green building.

The other recruits were running across the street to the building, while someone, he wasn't sure who, was aiming spells into the green building from the floor below.

"Third floor!" he heard Kevin cry.

Harry started throwing spells and dodging them with quick turns of his broom.

Ron flew to the fourth floor and entered the window, grip on the broom tenuous as he pointed his wand with his good hand. He wasn't sure he could get away with a ceiling hole again, but just as he was about to try, the floor began to shake and move. It lurched and twisted and Ron's tenuous hold on the broom broke. The broom rolled away from him and fell through a growing hole at the back of the buckling floor. Planks popped up with thunderous cracks until the splintered boards all blocked the door.

With a curse, he ran for the window and held fast to the sill as the floor continued to move. The outside wall of the third floor began to buckle outward into the street.

"GET BACK!" he bellowed down at the recruits.

He tried to levitate the wall, but it was crumbling too fast and pieces were raining down on the street below.

Recruits scattered, and Vyse tripped, falling to the ground. Ron spelled the falling piece of wall so that it landed with a crunch only a few inches from him.

Harry dove down, getting Vyse onto his broom and quickly dodging the rest of the wall.

"Accio broom!" said Ron, hoping the broom wasn't stuck. It nudged its way out of the debris and came to him. He put a leg out the window and jumped down to join the others.

Far enough away to not be hit by pieces of stone and plaster, he watched as three figures stood in a tiny three walled room that was growing metal arms like a squid. The tentacles undulated and crashed into the green building's walls with giant claws. The Squid room shook with each step and he saw three Aurors inside: Musaad, Sealy-Pearce and Head Auror Gawain Robards.

Recruits all cast spells, but they were easily blocked when the Squid grew a fourth wall. The Aurors were almost entirely blocked them from view, except for the small red circular window at the front of it.

The squid-room became hypermobile and crunched its way down the building before swinging itself with surprising agility to the next one, breaking building windows and bending wrought iron balcony railings like licorice wands.

Ron flew after the room and cast some spells after it, but the room was unaffected. All the recruits' spells bounced off it like water off a duck's back. The Squid weaved away before doing a spectacular dive directly into the ground. Cobblestones flew in every direction as it buried itself, and finally the Squid disappeared.

Ron landed near the newly burrowed cavernous hole, hoping to see or hear something. Though he and the other recruits shone their lights down into it, there was no sign of the Squid, or the three seasoned Aurors.

"Follow them?" asked Theold as Harry joined them. Harry was panting, and covered in dust, except for his eyes thanks to his glasses. Harry gave a rough cough.

Ron kept back a moan at the thought of continuing. Every bit of him was aching, he was parched, there was an incessant shaking happening in his left hand he couldn't seem to still, but worst of all he couldn't stop thinking about his dead brother. He's been so good at not thinking about the dead. He tried multiple times that day, but somehow Fred had broken through.

"I think we all need a moment to gather ourselves before we keep going," said Neville.

His eyes cut to Neville, who looked straight at him. Ron crossed his arms, hiding his trembling left hand deep in the space between his ribs and elbow.

Ramona transfigured some cups from the wrought iron railings that had fallen to the ground, and each recruit filled them with water. It cooled his parched, dry throat, but had an unfortunate metallic taste to it thanks to the cup.

Vyse cleaned out a gash on Kevin's forearm and waved his wand over it with medical authority Ron had only seen with Madame Pomfrey.

A few of the other recruits splashed water on their faces, getting rid of the detritus and dust settled on their features that made them all look like they've been mining for dust balls.

Ron washed off his face then sat away from the group. He looked at the map and pretended to think about the next move the Aurors might make. All he had the wherewithal to do was breath and will his hand to work properly.

Neville came and sat beside him.

"Feeling alright?" asked Neville, wiping himself with a conjured handkerchief and only managing to wipe a small streak of the dirt off of his face.

"Smashing, why?" asked Ron, daring Neville to say out loud what he was thinking.

"Just wanted to check," said Neville with a small shrug. He carefully watched Ron, but didn't say anything else.

Without another word, Ron stood up and walked away, angry that his uniform's trousers didn't have deep enough pockets to hide his hands in.

He hid in an alleyway, when Vyse approached him, a good natured smile on his face.

"Neville said I should check you out?"

"What? No!"

Vyse watched him with a tilted head.

"I've been a mediwizard for a few years now," he said as if that were an answer.

"Good for you."

"Won't be long at all," said Vyse, waving a wand over him and doing a small series of diagnostic spells. "I need to look at your eyes."

He lit his wand. "Pupils even… Follow my finger with just your eyes?"

Ron followed it, and must have done it right because Vyse gave a hum of approval.

"Your hand always tremor like that?"

Ron clenched his hand into a weak fist. "Not always…"

"But it's not new…" Vyse gave a hum. "Okay if I touch your arm for a moment?"

Part of Ron wanted to punch him in the nose and give him a two fingered salute, but he managed to swallow the impulse and nodded.

The recruit pushed the hand back and forth. "Make a fist again?"

It took a moment, but finally he was able to make a tight one.

"Okay… I think I should wrap your arm for the rest of the exam. It'd need to go up your arm and under your clothes. You okay with that? You'll need to take off your arm guard and shirt."

Unable to think of a reasonable excuse, Ron acquiesced. His cheeks flamed as Vyse gave a small 'oof,' but otherwise didn't comment on the scars. He conjured some fabric and wrapped it up Ron's left forearm, then put a few flexible bandages in random places around his shoulder scar. "Okay… All done. Feel alright?"

It ached a bit, but Ron was surprised at how the compression eased the deeper trembles up his arm. The shoulder had a small hint of relief too. He hadn't realised how much it had been hurting.

"This is helping," said Ron.

Vyse smiled.

"Good. I put some kinesio tape on your shoulder. It helps with overworked muscles. Bet yours have to do a lot to make up for the missing chunk here," he said, finger floating above Ron's splinching scar.

Not wanting to be looked at another moment, Ron put his shirt on.

"I'm not a Healer, but that looks like something you should talk to one about. Have you seen one?"

"I was cleared for combat…"

"Yeah, that standard ain't very high," Vyse snorted. "Old war wounds left to fester can get nasty…"

"Noted," said Ron, not able to say more.

"Thanks for helping me not get crushed by the building," smiled Vyse.

He left it at that and moved on to treat a few other cuts and bruises for the bunch.

After a few minutes of rest, the recruits reconvened to make their plans. Ron struggled to think of much besides unblinking stares and pooling blood.

"Where were you?" Harry quietly asked as Ron joined the group. "I saw Vyse go in the alley after you, but didn't want to hover…"

The tremors in his hand were becoming less visible. If he kept himself to the left of Harry, he might not see.

Ron smiled at his friend. "It would've been fine if you came… I just got thrown into a wall earlier and Neville was worried. Vyse said I have some sore muscles round my shoulder and bandaged me up."

"That's all?"

"Gave him a nasty shock with all my scars," Ron added. "If we keep having reporters about, my scars might become more famous than yours."

Harry gave a snort before pulling the attention of the group.

"Alright… First off, excellent job! We've gone toe to toe with actual Aurors and not lost one of us," Harry smiled.

The group elbowed each other and gave small whoops.

"So what next?" asked Ramona. "Follow that room thing underground?"

The group was quiet and Ron had trouble clearing his mind. His hand was imperceptibly shaking and he could still picture Fred's blood coagulating on the ground.

"Even if we find the room, what are we supposed to do? That thing didn't let one spell through," said Kevin.

"We need to test it for weaknesses," said Ramona.

"And let it pick us off one by one?" Theon asked.

"Well what do you suggest?" she bit back.

"We need to find it first," said Harry. "Locate the room, and only engage if it comes at you. If we can track it some way…"

"Like a tracking spell!" said Claudia. "I do those all the time, at my job."

"Teach us," said Harry with a grin.

Claudia began teaching them how to cast the inconspicuous tracking mark, and Neville suggested they do the same to the underside of an Auror's shoe, should they emerge from the Squid.

"I don't think all of us should go underground," Ron finally stated.

"Why not?" asked Neville.

"The Squid room was able to move easily. For all we know it could pop in and out of the ground every time we corner it, so we need people above and below."

"Okay then, half above half below," said Harry.

"Plus we saw what the Squid did to the building over there. Whoever goes underground might need bailing out," said Kevin.

"Message through the watch if you need help."

The recruits split, with half above ground, and half going below. Claudia, Ramona and Harry volunteered for below ground, and Ron quietly followed Harry. Hopefully his brain would stop being sawdust soon.

Harry took his broom and gave it to Vyse. "We'll keep Ron's broom, just in case we need to pop up to the surface and they put another Anti-Apparition Ward up."

Ron shrunk his broom down, then they all Apparated into the hole.

He had worried the underground system might be too low for him to walk, but was surprised at the sheer scope of the underground area.

It was fully built of stones and bricks, with high stone trusses supporting it and a trickle of running water on the ground. It had to be three stories tall.

"It's massive under here!" he let out as he lit his wand. "What is it?"

"I'm guessing this is either an ancient water reservoir or sewer," said Ramona.

"Let's hope it's a reservoir! Last thing I want is to duel those Aurors kneehigh in shit."

She rolled her eyes as Claudia and Harry laughed, which made him feel marginally less on edge.

The air was damp and cool, like one of the caves Ron had explored on the coast when he was a child. There was no nervous sense of adventure and fun here, though. The blood still pumped hard in his ears, but a slight breeze, from where he had no idea, was cool against his sweat covered forehead. His arm ached, but he could feel his fingers flex with more give.

They pushed forward and water ran down the middle of the tunnel, forking in two directions.

"How is there no sign of the thing?" Ron asked, looking about the unmarked tunnel.

"Let's split up," said Ramona. "Claudia and I can go this way, you two can go the other."

They agreed and quickly took to their tunnel. They walked for what felt like ages, but the tunnel did nothing but occasionally narrow or expand.

"I didn't say earlier, but good job on the distraction idea," said Harry. "I can't believe we took out all those Aurors without losing any of ours."

"Yeah…But I'd feel a touch better if it weren't those particular three Aurors left."

He'd never seen Robards or Sealy-Pearce fight, but Musaad was absolutely mad with deadly instincts. Robards he'd heard Tonks and Moody speak of before as no slouch. Then Sealy-Pearce just gave the impression that she could break anyone in two easily.

"Well, we've got twice as many people as them, so I think we'll manage," Harry replied. "At this point, we all have proven ourselves well enough to pass, I think."

Ron wished he could feel as confident and sighed. The map didn't seem to align in any discernible way with the tunnels.

"Was Neville okay back there?" asked Harry.

"Er, yeah, why?" Nerves began to tingle at the back of his skull.

"He looked worried and wanted a break."

Ron gave a shrug. "Seemed fine to me. Probably just a bit knackered after running between buildings so much."

"I guess…"

They slowed as they came to a fork in the tunnel. The water was growing deeper and wider, nearly touching the walls.

"Which way?" asked Harry. His wand light barely penetrated the dark underground.

They had to ease their way against the sides of the rounded tunnel to avoid sodden boots. Harry could comfortably do this, but Ron was left ducking his head a couple of inches. The walls were filthy and covered in rusty coloured dust that smeared their clothes.

Considering the massive size of what they were tracking, there was little sign of it. The smell of dank human waste hit him as Ron went by a pipe. He let out a sound of disgust, but crept closer to the source of the smell. The pipe was unnaturally bent, and there were some scrapes on the ceiling leaving it dust free.

"This way! The Squid must've struck the pipe!" Ron exclaimed.

The pipe was slowly leaking what could only be centuries old excrement, so he quickly crept past it. It was a tight fit, and his head was practically scraping the dirty ceiling. He slipped and sent a small cloud of dust balls Harry's way.

Harry hacked then sent him a dirty look he cheekily grinned at.

There was a rattling sound bouncing off the walls, and rhythmic taps of dripping water.

A foreboding feeling started at his arms and worked its way up his neck.

"Harry?" came a voice. They both turned to the sound of the feminine voice.

"Was that—?" asked Harry.

"Harry?"

That was Ginny's voice! What was Ginny doing here? Her voice was there, clear as day, but there was no sign of Ron's sister. It had come from a different smaller tunnel.

"Gin?" Harry called out, going down the tunnel a few paces.

"Harry… I don't think—" Ron began.

"Harry?" came Ginny's voice again.

They slowly crept down the tunnel, wand's light being eaten up by the darkness.

"Harry!" They swung their wands and there was Ginny, covered in blood, reaching towards them.

---

Author's Note:

Welp! I was hoping to have this all be in one chapter- but when it was up to like 20k and I wasn't done yet I knew I needed to split it- but! Most of chapter 15 is written! :D

Thank you so much to all of you who review- it really helps inspire me to keep writing. Please let me know what you think! :D