Fighting the Dragons

"I'm home!" Harry entered the door of his home in London to see that the living room was empty. A fire blazed brightly in the fireplace, and dim lights lit the room, casting shadows of different objects in all directions. He took off his cloak and hung it on a hook next to the door. His empty steps echoed off of the hard wood floor as he advanced forward.

A shadow that took the form of a man materialized out of thin air and he stood next to the mantel with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a smirk on his face and his long black cloak draped down, almost touching the floor. His face was marked by hard features and stone cold black eyes to match his hair of the same hue.

"Who are you?" Harry asked as he took a few uneasy steps towards the stranger. The man showed no sign of responding. Instead, he reached inside his cloak. Harry grabbed his wand out of an invisible pocket of his jeans and poised it, ready to strike at anything the man in the black could dish out.

The man stopped in mid-movement and looked unamused at Harry. He shook his head and drew something out of his pocket. A piece of parchment that had been rolled up and held by a black seal made of candle wax. The man took a few long strides over and handed it to Harry. He bowed slightly and disappeared.

Harry looked at the air where the man had been standing and shrugged. He looked down at the piece of parchment in his hands and fingered the seal a little. He looked at the seal a bit more closely. It had a picture of a dagger behind the large letter R.

Harry carried the letter with him as he walked out of the living room and into a long hallway. He walked past several doors before stopping in front of one that had a carving of a lion on it. This was the library. His study.

He opened the door and walked in, leaving it open. A large desk backed by gorgeous maroon and gold draperies hung behind it. A large plaque on the adjacent wall was a sign of his having completed Hogwarts ten years before. Next to the photo hung a picture frame with a large official document showing that he was working for the ministry. Next to that hung a picture of his family.

He looked at the small faces of his twin sons and smiled. They had only been a year and a half old when it had happened. When their mother had died. An instant tear sprung to his eyes when he thought about it. When he though about how Voldemort had torn his family apart.

That had been the final straw. The one standoff that had ended in the fall of Voldemort and his minions. It had happened five years after their completion of Hogwarts. He had come home one day to find Voldemort standing over his then dead wife, Cho. Harry had used a power he didn't know that he had possessed to beat Voldemort and be rid of him for good.

The tears from Harry's eye receded as soon as he heard the sound of the front door opening. He heard double pairs of squeaky shoes running down the hall and into his awaiting arms. He hugged his sons to his chest tightly, pulling them both into his lap. He looked them over closely and realized how much they looked like their mother. The same almond eyes and dark silky hair. But they had retained his green eyes and pale skin. They were both beautiful boys. And just like the Weasley twins, they were identical.

"How was your day?" Harry asked as he scanned their faces, still trying to figure out which one was which. He still had trouble with that. There were no identifying marks on either of their faces to tell apart. They only way of knowing was by their speech. One of them, Garett, had been born partially deaf and had a slight speech impediment. He had a state of the art hearing aid that was buried deep within his ear.

"It was grea'. The teacher read us the s'ory of Godric Gryffindor!" Garett said.

"And then she let us draw pictures," Gavin, the other twin said. The three of them looked up when they heard the sound of clicking heels coming down the hallway. A figure stopped in the doorway and leaned against its frame. She smiled and watched Harry talk to his sons.

Finally Gavin and Garett got up and ran off into their room. The figure from the doorway walked up to the large desk and waited for Harry to move his hands so she could sit down on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him roughly, letting the terrors of the day seep away through one kiss from her husband.

Harry thought about the events after Cho's death. He had immediately fallen into the arms of a dear friend for support with the help of his children and the loss of the love of his life. It hadn't taken long for Harry to realize that he had loved her. And less than a year later, he had married her. He had married Hermione.

It had been kind of awkward at first to come home every day to a new woman. He had become so accustomed to Cho being there when he got home to wrap his arms around her and kiss tenderly. But he wasn't complaining, and neither was anyone else. Harry would have thought that he would have been targeted as rude for marrying another woman less than a year after his wife's death. But what they thought didn't matter. Hermione was now his life.

Hermione pulled away and looked into his eyes. She frowned when she saw the hurt in his eyes. She knew that he had being thinking about Cho again. She ran a hand along his jawline, pausing at his chin and bringing his face back to look at hers.

"It's okay to cry, you know. You don't always have to be so strong."

Harry tried to turn his face away from her, his eyes welling up with tears again, but she held her finger in place securely and brought him back to look at her. He let a tear slip down his cheek silently.

Hermione kissed the track that the tear had left. She pulled his head to her shoulder and let him cry hard for Cho. They did this sometimes. And Hermione had no trouble dealing with it. She knew that Harry had loved Cho more than anything in the world, and that he would give up magic itself to bring her back.

"I miss her so damn much, Mione." Harry said, his voice breaking with tears.

"I know, Baby. You have a right to miss her." Harry nodded as he began to cry once again for Cho. After a while Hermione realized that Harry had fallen asleep against her. She ran a hand through his hair and sighed. She couldn't just leave him there. She would let him get a little bit more more sleep before waking him.

Hermione looked around the room and spotted a rolled up piece of parchment on the desk in front of her. She noticed the seal on it and picked it up to examine it more closely. She ran her fingers over the surface of the wax, feeling the dagger and the large, bold letter.

At the stop of Harry's regular, even breathing she looked down to see that Harry had woken from his too-short nap and was looking intently at her. She showed him the parchment and gave a questioning look.

"Some man in all black gave it to me when I walked in the house this afternoon. I don't know what it is."

"Do you want to open it?"

"No, I want to go and see what our boys are up to. I told them that I'd show them some pictures of Ron and the dragons that he and Charlie handle."

Hermione smiled at the mention of 'our boys'. It touched her heart that Harry called them theirs. Although it would be hard when the day came that they would want to know why they didn't look anything like Hermione. But she would enjoy them now.

Harry thought back to when Ron had told them about what his ambition in life was to be. It was two years after their graduation and they were all having lunch in London. Ron had said that he and Charlie had been talking and he was interested in dragon- handling. It had been kind of a shock, but a good one. Ron was well suited for the job.

Hermione smiled and crawled off of Harry's lap. They walked out into the living room where the boys had moved their toys. They were sitting in the middle of the large, wide open space that had been marked as their own. Gavin looked up as soon as he heard the clicking of heels, and Garett looked up as soon as he felt the floor vibrations.

"You guys want to see some pictures?" Harry asked.

The boys immediately jumped up and ran to their father, clinging onto his legs. Harry walked over to the couch and sat down, prying them off and sitting them on his lap. "Accio photo album!" Harry called. The album came flying into his hand and he put it down in front of them, opening the book and letting the kids see the pictures of the snarling, snapping dragons.

"And I had to fight this one in the Tri-Wizard Tournament," Harry said as he opened the book to a picture of a large green dragon that was flying about the picture. "It left a huge gaping hole in my right shoulder and I fell off of my broomstick while trying to get away."

"You did not! Harry, don't fill their heads with senselessness." Hermione bent down and kissed Harry's cheek. She turned and walked into the kitchen to begin fixing dinner.

A few hours later Harry and Hermione sat alone in the living room on the couch. They held glasses of champagne in their hands and let a bottle of the same substance rest on the table in front of them. The fire in the fireplace was burning bright and sent warmth all over the room. Hermione sighed contentedly in Harry's arms. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"I think I'm going to go and get that parchment from the library. It looks important." Harry stood and walked unsteadily into the library. He sat his glass on the desk and picked up the parchment. He tore through the elegant seal and unrolled the paper, reading it slowly.

In the living room, Hermione sat watching the fire. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight. She began to stand and go see what was taking Harry so long when she heard the distinct sound of glass smashing against the wall.

Hermione ran down the hall and into the library, stepping over shards of glass. She saw Harry sitting on the floor with his head in his hands and the parchment lying by his side. Hermione ran up to him quickly, crumpling on the floor just as he had done moments earlier.

She picked up the parchment and read it's contents. Her heart froze in her chest. She read the same one line over and over several times, not wanting to believe it. "Mr. Weasley is laying in St. Mungo's in critical condition at this time with several major wounds to his body." Hermione dropped the letter and laid her head against Harry's shoulder, crying for the worst and hoping for the best.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

They arrived at St. Mungo's the next day with their children in tow. Even Gavin and Garett knew that this was not a place to play, so they remained silent. Harry and Hermione walked with large strides to the family waiting room outside of the intensive care center. They saw in the back corner a mass of red-haired people and knew immediately that it was the Weasleys.

Ginny stood as soon as she saw Harry and Hermione. She was the first to stand and greet them both with tight hugs and pats on the back. The twins were next in line, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Gavin and Garett had found a place on the floor to play quietly while the adults talked amongst themselves.

"So how is he? What exactly happened?" Harry asked.

"He was handling one of those Norwegian Ridgebacks. You know the kind," Charlie said as he walked in the room. "It wasn't full grown, and it wasn't a baby. He let his guard down for a split second and the thing jumped him. Charlie sat down on the edge of a table near their group.

"How is he?" Hermione asked.

"He's been seriously injured. He was almost dead when we got him here. Had to come by Floo powder, and even then it almost wasn't fast enough. The doctors have him stable now."

Harry and Hermione both let out sighs of relief at the good news. At least they knew that Ron wasn't dead. That was good. Harry stopped looking relieved when he looked back at Charlie.

"But he's still in critical condition, and they don't know if he'll come out of it. He'll be lucky enough to."

Mrs. Weasley began crying at this news again as if on cue. Ginny reached over and brought her mother into a comforting hug, her own fear reflected in her eyes. Harry gave her a reassuring smile, but she couldn't find the strength inside to smile back. It was understandable. She and Ron were very close.

Harry felt Hermione's hand reach over and touch his. They entwined their fingers and rested their heads against each other. There was an uncomfortable silence among the large group of people as they sat in the waiting room that long night, waiting and hoping for the best.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The smell of coffee woke Harry and Hermione who were cuddled in an uncomfortable chair that they had shifted into at sometime during the night. Hermione opened one eye while Harry kept his closed. She smiled faintly at the cup that was being presented to her by a very grim looking Ginny.

She took the cup and muttered her thanks. Hermione watched Ginny go and sit next to a very tall blonde-haired man on the opposite end of the room. He put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple tenderly. Hermione smiled at the sight, but her smile faded when she realized whom the man was. Draco Malfoy.

Hermione knew that it had been a while since she had talked to Ginny, but she was sure that even Ginny wouldn't stoop so low as to date a Malfoy. But then Hermione saw a glint of gold and realized that not only was Ginny dating Malfoy, but according to the ring on her finger, she was either engaged or married to him.

Hermione put the cup of coffee under Harry's nose and he opened his eyes to look at her. He took the coffee and drank half of the cup in one long gulp. The coffee burned his tongue and the inside of his mouth, but he didn't care. It was just one small thing that he could overlook.

Hermione kissed his cheek softly. He turned his face into the kiss and took her hand, kissing her knuckles lightly. This was how they started their mornings. It was such a small ritual, but one that Harry cherished above almost anything during his day.

They looked around the room and saw that with the exception of Ginny and Draco (who Harry had not yet seen), they were the only ones awake. The twins were stretched out on opposite ends of a couch, their feet fighting for space. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were wrapped in each other's arms in another chair like the one that Harry and Hermione shared. Charlie was nowhere to be seen. And neither were Percy or Bill.

Harry looked over and saw Ginny wrapped up, crying in Draco's arms. Harry frowned at this and looked down at Hermione, but she shook her head at him, and he shrugged it off. He had better things to worry about now than a Malfoy.

The waiting room was quiet for a long time with the soothing sounds of people that were heavy with sleep. Even Harry himself was about to fall asleep when he heard the heavy footsteps of someone coming with news. Everyone simultaneously woke form their sleep and sat up, looking at the doctor that was now imposing upon their area. His face was stern, and he walked with confidence.

"Hello," he said to the now-awake Weasleys. "My name is Dr. Tailor. I'm here to tell you about Ronald Weasley's condition." The doctor cleared his throat before talking again. "He has had severe poisoning from the dragon's bite, and as a result has lost his left arm. There are scratches that have torn deep within the skin and he has lost a lot of blood since the time I last spoke to you about him. Some of his wounds just won't heal because of the poison."

Mrs. Weasley began sobbing heavily. Tears fell from assorted cheeks and the twins held stiff jaws and red faces that wouldn't let down their guard. Ginny was holding onto Draco in the corner, and even he looked a bit upset.

The doctor took in a deep breath and said, "There's nothing more we can do for him." Then he left the room.

Harry hung his head and punched his fist into one of the arms of the chairs. Tears began to stream down his cheeks, matching those of Hermione's.

It was nearly afternoon when a nurse came rushing into the room. She scanned around and saw the mass of red at the back. She came walking quickly up to them and stopped.

"Is there a Mr. Harry Potter here," she said as if she had never seen his face or heard his name.

Hermione stood up off of Harry's lap as he got up and walked over to the nurse. She said something quietly to him, and he turned around to smile wearily at Hermione as he followed the nurse out of the waiting room.

They walked down several short corridors of hospital rooms before coming to one with the number 1013 on it. She opened it quietly and let Harry walk in past her. He turned to look at her, but she had shut the door, leaving Harry alone with Ron.

Harry walked over to the bed and looked down at Ron. He looked peaceful in his sleep, but his body looked horrible. His chest was various shades of purple and red where bandages did not cover the scratches that the dragon had inflicted upon him. And just as the doctor had said, his left arm was gone.

Harry turned his head to look out the door, but a raspy voice brought his eyes back to the bed.

"Is it...really that...bad?" Ron asked slowly from the bed. His blue eyes bore into Harry's soul, and Harry could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Ron, leave it to you to go and do stupid things like let a dragon get to you." Harry thought he heard what sounded like a chuckle come from Ron, but he saw how it hurt him, and Ron stopped moving.

"I always....knew....I'd be the first...one to bite...the dust."

"You won't die," Harry said through tightly clenched teeth. His voice cracked and betrayed him as he spoke.

"You know I...will. I wanted to talk....to you about things." Ron's words seemed to be coming in larger blocks, but he still could not hide the pain on his face. "I don't want you....to mourn over me for a long...time when I'm gone."

Harry didn't want to hear Ron talk like this. "Ron-"

"You have to take care...of my family when I'm gone. Keep....Malfoy away from Ginny."

Harry laughed. He remembered the two of them in the waiting room. "Ron, I hate to tell you this, but your sister is with Malfoy in the waiting room."

Harry could tell that Ron had tensed up a bit. "And I want you to keep taking......care of Hermione. She's a good girl. She needs you." Ron took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He did this several times in succession.

"I can't live this life without having my best friend to talk to. You have to come out of this, Ron." Harry turned his back to Ron, afraid to look at him for fear of breaking down.

"Harry, you'll learn to...live with loss. You learned to live without Cho, and now...you can live without me as well. We both have...fought our dragons. I just won't come out of my...battle."

Harry turned around and walked over to Ron's bedside. He bent down close to Ron's face. "You -will- come out of this battle. You have to."

A tear fell out of Ron's eye and trailed down the side and fell to the pillow making a wet spot where it had landed. Ron stared at an invisible spot on the ceiling. He took in another long, deep breath and let it out just as slowly. He turned his head to Harry and smiled ever so slightly. His eyes had so much more meaning than Harry had ever seen in them before. It was like knowing an entire lifetime of everything, but not knowing it all at the same time.

Ron reached over and held onto Harry's hand for support. He opened his mouth and spoke through the weakest, most determined voice Harry had ever heard him use. "Tell my family that I'm missing them already." Ron smiled and nodded at Harry.

"Ron," Harry said quietly. He batted the tears away and spoke again. "Ron. RON!" Harry stood up and backed away from the bed. He turned and opened the door of the room, running out and into the waiting room where the Weasleys all looked up. Harry fell to his knees and began to cry for the loss of Ron and for the loss of Cho.

But more than anything he cried, for he had let Ron lose the battle with his dragons. And it was for this that he had lost all hope.