The Seventh Year Soap Opera

RECAP OF CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX-Raven: The first section is two and a half months after Ron declares he's leaving. In these two months, Eloise has gotten pregnant by Pete the bartender, who left her, but she didn't tell Ron this. Then, five years later...Ron is living with his longtime girlfriend, Christine, who is a Muggle; he has not told her he is a wizard. He has had no contact with anyone but Eloise, who, at this time, has also had another child. Their names are Eleanor and Mandy. Milton, now eighteen, has moved out. We have a flashback of when Ron "runs" into Hermione at Disney Land. Then we are introduced to another character, Raven Potter, daughter of Ginny and Harry, who is...how should I put this? a little different. Then Harry finds out some shocking news and goes into his "saving people thing" mode, and Apparates to Ron's place in Florida, where he interrupts a passionate moment between Ron and Christine to tell Ron something important. Whew...

WHERE WE LEFT OFF:

"What's happened Harry?" Ron asked, dread in the pit of his stomach. "Is it--is it Ginny, or mum, or..."

"Ginny?"

"She's Ron's sister, and my wife," Harry explained, and he shook his head. "They're fine."

"Well, then what the hell is it?" asked Ron, feeling sick. He walked shakily over to the sofa and clutched the arm of it, breathing heavily. He closed his eyelids as Harry's next words sank in. His chest tightened.

"It's Hermione, Ron. She's in trouble."

Chapter Twenty Seven- Crellionia

The bottom sunk from Ron's world and his heart plummeted, deep into his stomach. His cheeks were red, and he could hardly breathe. "Who's Hermione, and who are you?" demanded Christine.

"Hermione is Ron's friend from Hogwarts," said Harry, eyes darting warily over the apartment, as though prepared to see Death Eaters spring out of nowhere.

"Hogwarts?" Christine repeated blankly.

"Muggle," gasped Ron, still breathing heavily. Dots were dancing before his eyes and he could suddenly see Hermione everywhere. She was standing three feet away from him, but when he reached out, he grabbed nothing but air. "Hermione," he said weakly, tears prickling in his eyes. A pit of anger swelled in his stomach as he held onto that vision. There was nothing wrong with her. He would save her.

"You were saying?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Hermione's in the hospital, Ron. She's in a coma...Death Eaters came to her house last night. One of the neighbors went to visit and found the house in ruins. Ron, Viktor and the kids are nowhere to be found."

A coma...Hermione was in a coma...she was in...in a...and...and Charlie....

"Charlie," said Ron, feeling sick. "Well, Viktor could have them, couldn't he?"

"If he did, he would have come to me," said Harry firmly.

"So Charlie could be...Katarina, they could be..."

"Ron, don't think like that. We're going to the house."

Ron nodded and began to walk up the stairs to his room, Harry and Christine following him. "The crowd is going to meet us there. The crowd is the little team that Hermione and I put together...Aurors that we trust. They should be at the house now, searching for her wand. The last spell Hermione produced might be helpful to us."

"S-Spell?" Christine muttered weakly, sitting on the bed as Ron rummaged around for his wand. Just as he pulled it out of his drawer, looking triumphant, Harry told Christine he was a wizard. "W-W-Wizard?" she said, looking scared.

Ron was now clutching his wand tightly in his hand, his eyes flashing. With this wand, he was restored. He was powerful. And if anyone had touched Charlie, he was prepared to kill the sons of bitches.

Christine scrambled away from him. "Ron?" she said, tears shining in her eyes.

"I'll be back later," he said shortly, turning to Harry. "What's the address?" Harry told him, and concentrating with all his might, he Apparated.

They were standing on a grassy hill, and at the top of it, Ron could make out a small house, broken down. Billowing black smoke was rising from it, and even though they were at the bottom of the hill, Ron could smell its stench. He felt like throwing up. People were surrounding the house as well, but Ron couldn't make any of them out. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, and yet, he couldn't move.

"Good God," said Harry, and they ran up the hill. Ron stood frozen, looking at the house in devastation. It had probably once been beautiful, but now it was burnt to the ground. Ron could see items all over the ground: pictures, clothes, dishes, and even scraps of wood and marble. There must have been a horrible explosion, he thought fearfully. That's when he saw the too familiar figure of a black skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. The Dark Mark. It hung still in the grey sky, as though it was watching the house and smirking. Ron could see Harry flinch beside him and close his eyes, then open them quickly. An explosion sounded and some of the people around the house screamed; Harry brought Ron roughly down to the ground beside him. "What the hell was that?

Ron remained silent.

"Harry!" said a voice, and Ron was surprised to see Lavendar Finnigan running toward them. Ron didn't have time to dwell on her appearance and how older she looked; she began to speak at a mile a minute. "That was Mundungus, blowing up something or other. Anyway, we haven't found her wand yet, but we're searching. Neville just went to the hospital wing to see if it was there--you know, like in her robes or anything. He hasn't returned yet. Remus, Tonks, and Parvati are searching the house still, and Flora is trying to mend things together, but Harry, it's horrible...hello, Ron it's nice to see you after all this time--I just wish it was under better circumstances..." Her voice trailed off and she lifted her robes a bit, and ran toward the house.

"Hey!" Harry suddenly shouted angrily, and a huddle of wizards turned to face him, looking scared. He jumped up, his hand clenched tightly around his wand as he continued to bellow. "Get away from here! This is a private affair, so you can take your cameras and your Quick Quotes Quills out! Colin, I've told you this a dozen times!" The tiny wizard known as Colin Creevey, who was still mousy looking, nodded to his team and they Apparated. "Damn, they'd do anything for a story!"

"HARRY! We've found her wand!"

Ron and Harry exchanged a look and they ran to where Tonks was sitting beside Remus with a tired smile on her face. She handed Harry Hermione's battered wand and Harry examined it fondly. Neville Apparated, looking flustered. Bits of dirt and ash were in his hair, and, as Ron glanced at everyone else, they were covered in it too. Neville began to speak through pants. "It's not--oh, there it is. Hello Ron."

Ron grunted a reply, as Harry performed the spell to see what spell had been cast last. Suddenly, Hermione's voice rang out. "Crellionia!" Her voice sounded determined, angry, and hoarse.

"Just as I thought," Harry muttered, tucking her wand into his pockets. The others nodded, but Ron was confused.

"What's Crellionia?" he asked, and Parvati began to explain it to him, as the others began to search around the room frantically.

"Crellionia is the protection curse. Hermione must have cast it for her children, so that the Death Eaters wouldn't be able to find them."

"So how is that going to help us find them?" said Ron, agitated.

"Just listen," hissed Parvati. "Crellionia is cast into an object. Something that you can open and close. You take the object, cast the spell and say the names of those you're planning to hide from view."

"Like the Fidelius?"

"No, in that charm, a person is protecting another person, or a group of people. If that person reveals the hiding place, the charm is broken. With Crellionia, you must find the object that the spell was cast in, say the countercurse, and the hiding place is revealed."

"So in other words, that object has to be hidden," said Ron, beginning to understand

"Yes, and that's what we're searching for."

Ron began to search with the others, but after an hour, no one had found anything. They kept picking up items that could open and close, saying the countercurse to Crellionia inside of them, but nothing happened. Halfway through searching, Harry had told them to look in the books; apparently, Hermione had told him that if she ever cast the spell, it would be in a book. Everyone's spirits had been lifted a little, but then, after searching every book they could get their hands on, they had still come upon nothing.

"Damn it!" said Harry, frustratedly, throwing one of Hermione's books across the room.

"Harry, her house is already a mess, she doesn't need any more of her possessions being destroyed," Remus reminded him.

"Sorry," Harry muttered.

"Would you like to take a break?" Tonks asked, as they all sat down.

"I guess," said Harry, looking defeated and he sat down on the ground. Ron sat next to him and ran his hands through his now filthy hair.

"How's Raven doing?" Lavender asked Harry, taking a sip of bottled water that she passed around to the others.

"Raven?" asked Ron.

"She's his daughter," Parvati informed him. "And Ginny's...they got married a while back. Does she know you're here?"

"Er..."

"Yes I do," said a voice that followed a 'pop'. Ron turned to see his baby sister standing in front of him. Her hair was a bit longer and wavy, and she wore light blue robes that she never could have afforded at the Burrow. Ginny's face was still exactly the same, as were her eyes--determined and fiery. She tilted her head to the side, examining him closely. "How are you Ron?" Ron didn't answer. He didn't know how to answer.

Ginny sighed, bent down, and gave him a hug. Ron was surprised that it calmed him somehow and made him feel comforted. She walked over to Harry next and kissed him. Harry looked as distraught as Ron felt. His brow was furrowed in thought, and he was covered in dirt. "Any leads?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he said.

Ron was still thinking about the object that they had been searching for. "A book," he repeated.

"A book?" said Ginny, and Harry explained that Hermione had told him that the object for the Crellionia curse, if she ever used it, would be a book. Ginny gasped. "The book pendant! Where's the book pendant? I'm telling you, it's going to be that book pendant! The one that Ron gave her for graduation! She never takes it off!"

Ron's heart lightened; they were getting somewhere. "She never takes it off?" he said.

The whole group shook their heads. "Never," Harry whispered. "Okay, everyone, search for the book pendant! Ron and I are going to go to St. Mungo's and see if it's in her tray of personal belongings! Spread out!" The group dispersed, and Harry and Ron Apparated.

Both walked straight up to the receptionist. "We need to see Hermione Granger," he told her quickly. The woman pulled a red book that was about six inches thick toward her and began to flip through the pages.

"Name again?" she asked.

"Hermione Krum," Harry said, and Ron remembered that she was married. A bitter feeling soared through his veins. The receptionist began to look through the notebook, slowly. Too slowly.

Ron tapped the counter impatiently. "This is a matter of life and death, so if you could hurry, I'd be eternally grateful." He felt Harry's hand on his shoulder and was surprised that Harry could still keep him calm after all this time. "Sorry about that," he said to the receptionist, who was looking ready to cry, "What I meant was that we don't have a lot of time, so if you could please hurry..."

Her face hardened. "It says right here that the only people permitted to visit Mrs. Krum are Ted and Courtney Granger, Viktor Krum, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley. That list was given to us when she first became an Auror two years ago, and she has not changed it. You two are not old enough to be her parents, and you look nothing like Krum, Potter, or Weasley."

Harry and Ron exchanged a look and stared at her disbelievingly. "Look lady--" said Ron, banging his fist on the table. Harry grunted and pushed away some hair from his forehead, revealing his scar. "Is that evidence enough for you?" said Ron.

She let out a small shriek. "Harry Potter," she said in a hushed voice, "So sorry, sir, go on through sir...room 302 sir." Harry rolled his eyes and walked past her.

"Finally," Ron said, but as he took a step forward, a man as tall as Hagrid blocked his path. "You've got to be kidding."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry walked as fast as he could to room 302. Several people were willing to help him get there, of course, but he shrugged them off. He didn't need any admirers at the moment. When he reached the room, he sighed, and pushed the door open. Hermione was lying in a small bed, looking pale, hooked up to monitors, and a lot of things he couldn't identify. Tubes were protruding from some of her skin and the silence of the room was scary. Hermione was wearing a hospital gown, but Harry could see no book pendant there.

Pushing his feelings for his best friend aside (he was trembling horribly inside), he looked frantically around the room, spotting a cardboard box in the corner. He dashed over to it, rummaged through its contents, and found the golden book pendant. A feeling of relief swept over him. He ran back over to Hermione's bedside, kissed her cheek and her forehead tenderly, and walked out of the room, the pendant clutched tightly in his hand.

He bumped into a short, black nurse on the way out. Tears were in her eyes and she put her hand on the door handle of room 302 and looked at Harry with sorrow. "I am so sorry for your loss, sir," she said, sniffing.

"Loss?" Harry said, confused. "She's alive."

The nurse clapped her hands to her mouth. "You didn't know?" she said, her voice quivering. "Oh sir, I am so sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"Mrs. Krum had a miscarriage sir."

"Miscarriage?" said Harry whispered. "She--she...Hermione was pregnant?"

"Three months sir," the nurse said, now crying. Turning away, she opened the door and walked into room 302.

Harry walked past her in a daze. Hermione hadn't told him that she was pregnant and they spoke every day. Had she known herself? Why hadn't she told him? When he reached the waiting room, he walked straight past a disgruntled Ron, who had to grab him by the arm and whirl him around.

"Did you get it? Did you get the book pendant?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Harry, handing the pendant to Ron.

"What's wrong?" said Ron. "Is it Hermione?" His voice was frantic and concerned.

Harry looked into his eyes, and took a deep breath. "She--"

"What? What is it?" said Ron, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Ron, Hermione...she was--she was pregnant. A-And she lost it. The baby. She lost the baby." Hurt flowed through every word. Ron's face turned white. In silence they just stared at each other, then Ron cleared his throat and said they'd better get back.

So they Apparated back to the house. "We've got the book pendant!" said Ron, exchanging a look with Harry that meant to not tell anyone about Hermione's miscarriage. Lavender, Remus, Tonks, Flora (whom Harry had met through Ginny), Parvati, Neville, and Ginny all made a circle around Harry and Ron. Ron took the book pendant from his pocket and stared at it for the longest time; Harry knew he was thinking about Hermione. His suspicions were confirmed when tears welled up in his friend's eyes. His heart went out to him. "So, I just open this thing?" he said gruffly. Harry nodded.

Ron opened the pendant, and Harry could distinctly make out the words From Ron Weasley to Hermione Granger and a small photograph of their son Charlie and then the pendant sprang from Ron's hands and onto the ground. Everyone stared at it, and then a white vapor rose from the book and it formed Hermione's head. She was staring around her frantically and then she spoke, but it was a misty voice, much like Professor Trelawney's.

"Crellionia Charm for Charlie Weasley and Katarina Krum," she said, and then she said, "For those of you have opened this, I have two messages. If you are a Death Eater, or a group of Death Eaters you can go--" She said something extremely rude, and it surprised Harry. Apparently she had also surprised herself because then she said, "I can't believe I said that in front of my children...Anyway, I'm not stupid enough to tell where you are hiding, so you're out of luck.

"For those of you who are on the good side, you know to contact Harry Potter and...and Ron Weasley." She cleared her throat. "Then open this pendant again. If Harry and Ron are listening to this right now, here's a clue. Look in the photographs...I know you two are smart enough to find out what that means. If I die..." Here she cut off, looking ready to cry, but she cleared her throat and took on a businesslike tone. "If I die, you tell Viktor and Charlie and Katarina that I love them with all my heart. Tell Charlie that if he stops painting, mummy will come down from heaven and haunt him." The vapor head of Hermione laughed and its misty quality rang through the air.

"Er...Harry, you've been a great friend to me all these yours and I love you with all my heart--you've always been there for me when I needed you. To Ginny, I love you too and never lose hope--you'll become the editor of Witch Weekly some day! To the rest of the Weasleys, I'm so so sorry about Ron--I-I know it was my fault he left, but you'll see him soon enough because he's needed to do this spell.

"And to Ron, all I can say is that I'm sorry for everything, and I hope that you can forgive me. I lo...Katarina shush! YOU GET AWAY FROM HER!" Hermione's face turned away and looked deadly. A couple seconds later, her head turned back. "Crellionia!" she yelled frantically.

The white head of vapor that had been Hermione disappeared in an instant. The vapor dissolved into the center of the pendant, which flew back into Ron's hand. Everyone was deadly silent. Ginny was breathing shakily, Neville looked frightened, Lavender and Parvati were gripping each other tightly on the arms, Tonks'eyes were wide, Flora looked as though someone had slapped her, and Remus looked determined. Harry couldn't feel a thing; his whole body went numb. When Hermione had yelled like that...he had never heard anyone yell like that. It had been...scary.

Harry chanced a glance at Ron. His figure was stiff and the pendant was clutched so tightly in his hand that his knuckles were white. His eyes were slowly brimming with tears, and his face captured so much pain, and hurt, and loss...Harry turned away, took off his glasses, wiped them clean, and put them back on.

"Alright," he said. "We still don't know where they are."

"But she said that the clue was in the photographs," Tonks added, and she tugged her black hair. "Did anyone see a photo album?"

"Yes, Tonks, but Hermione gave me the impression that it would be a photo album that only Ron and Harry know about," said Remus, looking at Harry.

"I agree," said Flora and Ginny at the same time. The group looked at Harry and Ron expectantly and they exchanged one of the looks they had been exchanging all day. It was blank.

"Too smart for her own good," said Ron in a croaked sort of voice. "Even we don't know what the hell she's talking about." He pocketed the book pendant.

"Hang on a second. If it's a photo album that only you and I know about then we must have seen it in school. And since the book pendant was a graduation present..." It hit Harry and Ron at the same time.

"Hogwarts, A History," they said together, and they dashed into the house. "Look for that book!" yelled Ron, ignoring the confused looks on everyone's faces, but they didn't argue. In seven minutes, Flora had located the book and she plopped it down in the ash beside them. Ron and Harry both grabbed the book and opened it as Flora beckoned everyone else over.

"Of course!" said Ginny. "But I know about that too!"

Briefly, Harry explained to the others the purpose of the book and began to show them the pages of Hermione's favorite things and all the pictures of the three of them together. "Now where's the clue?" said Ron.

Just as he said it, the pages of the book began to turn by themselves. They stopped on a photo of Ron, Hermione, and Harry during their first year at Hogwarts. Hermione was in the middle, rolling her eyes at something Ron had just said, and Harry and Ron were laughing. And then, not able to keep a straight, serious face any longer, she burst into laughter too. Harry, and Ron from what he could see, could not relive the moment any longer, for their attention was diverted to the bottom of the page, where Hermione's writing appeared, not neat and tidy as usual, but sloppy and rushed. Harry was reminded of Tom Riddle's diary, and he read aloud:

This is a Portkey, an illegal one. Normally, they have a set time to depart--not this one. It can only go into affect when Ron (Ronald Weasley) taps his wand on the picture above three times and says my favorite color twice. It won't work with anyone but him, and I've enchanted it so that he must be relaxed when doing so, meaning that if he's under any pressure (like from Death Eaters) it's going to be pretty hard for the Portkey to work.

"Brilliant," Ron muttered, pulling out his wand. "Bloody brilliant."

"I agree," said Remus. "So who's going to go?"

"Well, Ron obviously--and Harry of course...that should be enough, shouldn't it?" said Flora, running her hands through her very short brown hair. Ginny looked ready to object, but just pursed her lips in agreement. Ron and Harry grabbed opposite ends of the book.

"Er, okay," said Ron, and he tapped his wand on the picture three times, and then said, "Blue, blue."

And suddenly, Harry felt that too familiar feeling of his navel being pulled, as he was transported.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

When the sensation was over, Ron opened his eyes and looked around him, as though expecting to see Charlie and Katarina immediately. He noticed that Harry was doing the same thing, and then Harry grabbed his arm and turned him around. The Shrieking Shack was right in front of them.

Ron remembered the Shrieking Shack well. In his third year, Sirius Black had dragged him in there, breaking his leg. That was before they knew that Sirius was innocent of the crimes he had been charged for. In the Shrieking Shack, Ron found out that Scabbers, his pet rat, was actually a Dark Wizard in hiding. It was also the place for the monthly transformations for Remus Lupin, who was a werewolf.

"Wands out," said Harry, and Ron reached into the pocket of jeans and pulled his out, clutching Hogwarts, A History in his other hand. Looking around them, they stepped into the Shrieking Shack. The smell was terrible--like rotting fish, but it looked the same. Wood was peeled from the floors and every space was stained in blood. There were rugs and blankets that had been ripped to shreds and the small pieces of furniture had been clawed.

"Katarina!" Harry called. "It's me, Harry! Are you upstairs?" He and Ron moved toward the wooden steps leading to the upper floor and slowly climbed them when there was no answer. They creaked and moaned, and Ron gave Harry a questioning look. Why was there no answer?

When they reached the top of the steps a room that mirrored the one downstairs was before them. Harry rounded a corner and motioned for Ron to follow. Feeling nervous all of a sudden Ron followed him and felt an enormous sense of relief. Two kids were lying, asleep, on the floor, covered in a red shredded blanket.

One was a girl, with dark hair. Ron had the distinct impression that he was looking at a female Viktor. Her hair was sprawled across her olive face. The second was a boy, slightly older with bright red hair and freckles. His mouth was open and he was shifting in his sleep. Ron knew immediately that it was his son, Charlie and his heart gave an odd jolt and a surge of love toward the boy.

Harry kneeled beside the girl and shook her gently. Moaning as though in pain, she turned over onto her back and opened her eyes. They were wide and dark brown and they looked frightened, but then clouded with gratefulness. She embraced Harry in a tight hug. "You're safe now," Harry told her and she nodded.

Harry went to nudge Charlie, but Katarina said, "Don't do that!" Harry pulled his arm away and looked as confused as Ron felt. "I have to wake him up," she said. "If I don't, he'll go crazy." Harry merely nodded and Ron watched curiously as Katarina bent down beside Charlie and tapped him. She tapped him again, and then again. Charlie rolled over toward her, scrunched up his eyebrows and sat up. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of Harry and Ron and before Ron knew what had happened, Charlie had taken the wand out of his hand.

Katarina shook her head furiously at Charlie and began making rapid movements with her hands. It took Ron a while to figure that she was talking to Charlie in sign language. Charlie watched her with rapt attention and she pointed at Harry, looked at Charlie, and raised her eyebrows. Charlie looked sheepish, frowned and handed Ron back his wand, but he still looked a bit wary.

"This is my friend, Ron," Harry said in low tones to Katarina, who looked Ron up and down and then signed the message to Charlie, who mimicked her actions. Ron felt very uncomfortable to be looked at as though a poisonous spider by his own son. "We're going to take you to my house." Katarina signed this message to Charlie as well.

Harry picked Katarina up and took Charlie's hand. Ron was surprised by how much older his friend seemed and so--fatherly. Of course, I haven't seen him in five years...so... Feeling awkward and out of place, Ron followed Harry and the children down the steps and out of the Shrieking Shack. The four of them stood there for a second, and then Harry walked forward. "How would you like some chocolate?" he asked Katarina. She glowed and Harry grinned at Ron.

In some more silence, they walked into Honeydukes, where Harry purchased both children slabs of chocolate. "Thank you," said Katarina, tucking the chocolate into her robes. She patted the pocket tenderly. Charlie, however, grinned at Harry and then ripped open the chocolate as though he had never seen anything as precious in his life. He ate it eagerly, and chocolate went around the corners of his mouth.

"A true Weasley," Harry muttered to Ron. Ron didn't grin back; watching his son was very painful to him. It reminded him of what he had lost--thrown away--five years ago. Ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach, Ron followed Harry, Charlie, and Katarina into the Three Broomsticks.

Harry waltzed right up to Madam Rosmerta, who looked as pretty as ever. Ron smiled somewhat as he remembered the crush he had had on the bartender. "Hello Harry dear," she said. "Katarina, how are you doing, love?" Katarina smiled and nodded politely. Rosmerta signed something to Charlie, who smiled and nodded, just like his half-sister had done. Then, the woman spotted Ron and her eyes widened. "And where have you been all this time, Mr. Weasley?" she asked.

Ron was taken aback that she knew his name and guilty when she said, 'all this time'. "America," he said simply, not willing to say more than that.

"America? I lived there too, once upon a time...wonderful place," she added, and Ron nodded. "What brings you lot here?"

"We need to use your fireplace," Harry told her. Rosmerta didn't argue; she just led them through a back room. A large fireplace crackled in the corner, and a pot of Floo Powder sat on the mantel. Rosmerta blew the children a kiss, and then, eyes twinkling, left. "I'll go first," said Harry, taking some powder. Stepping into the fireplace, he dropped the powder and said, "Potter residence!"

He disappeared. Automatically, Katarina stepped into the fireplace. She beckoned for Charlie to come forth and he did and handed her the Floo Pot. She took some powder and then Charlie handed it to Ron. Charlie glanced at Katarina, who exchanged a look with him, and then said, "Potter residence!"

They disappeared as well and Ron marveled at the children; they seemed older than their years. Wondering what Harry and Ginny's home would look like, he mimicked their actions.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in a living room. As he stepped out of the fireplace, he observed the tan couch in the center of the room, and a glass table in front of it. Broomsticks of different sizes and shapes lined the pale green walls, along with pictures. A lot of pictures. Ron saw Harry and Ginny on their wedding day, Harry and Ginny at the Burrow, Harry and Ginny holding a baby in their arms... There were also pictures of Harry and Ginny with Hermione, Viktor, Katarina, and Charlie, and the Weasley family. Ron's stomach lurched unpleasantly as he stared at the happy photographs, and he turned to see Harry watching him.

Katarina and Charlie were on the floor, looking at picture books. A brown haired teen was gathering her bags and leaving. "D'you want me to go to Hermione's house and tell Ginny that you're home?" she asked, flipping her brown hair impatiently.

Harry turned away from looking at Ron, for which he was thankful, and turned to the girl. "Could you?" he said. "Where's Raven?"

The teenager sighed. "She's in her bedroom, in timeout. She ignored me when I told her she couldn't go flying. She stole your broom, and nearly killed herself, but she landed quite well for a four-year-old...I'll go fetch Ginny." She Apparated.

"Who was that?" Ron asked.

"That was Sally, Hermione's niece. She didn't know she was a witch until she got her Hogwarts acceptance letter. She's a good person...do you like my living room?"

"Er, yeah I guess..."

Katarina, who had approached Harry with a sad look on her face, cut him off. "Where's my father?" she asked. "And where's mum? Did the bad people get her?" Her lower lip trembled and she bit it. She threw a glance at Charlie, who had also stopped looking at the picture books and was watching them with an interested and fearful look.

Ron looked down at the ground and his heart went out for the children. Harry knelt down to Katarina and said, "Mummy is fine...she's at the hospital right now because she's sick," he said, and an odd lump formed in the center of Ron's throat. What if Hermione died? He would have never told her how sorry he was for everything and he'd be the recipient of even more pain. The thought brought pounding to his temples and he rubbed them gently, pushing aside that thought quickly.

"W-What about daddy?" asked Katarina, and a huge tear rolled down her cheek. Ron's cheeks burned and he looked at the floor as Harry cleared his throat.

"Daddy...he's--well, he's in...daddy's in heaven." Harry's voice sounded dry.

Ron kept his gaze on the floor, but he heard Katarina let out an anguished sob and collapse to the floor. "No!" she cried and Ron walked out of the room, not able to handle it. When he looked back, he saw that Charlie had crossed the room, pushed Harry away from Katarina, and had his arms around his half-sister, a hard look on his features. Katarina sobs grew softer but they made Ron's heart clench and unclench, like the fists at his sides.

"Viktor and Katarina were inseparable," Harry said in a choked voice, as a 'pop' sounded. Ginny had appeared, and she rushed over to Katarina and Charlie, looking distraught.

A voice broke the silence. It was a calm, yet demanding voice. "Daddy!" Everyone looked up, even Katarina and Charlie, at the sound of the voice. A girl, whom Ron supposed was Raven, was walking directly toward Harry, paying no mind to the others in the room. "Daddy, let's fly now," she said, staring at Harry intensely with cool blue eyes.

"No," said Harry shortly. "You didn't listen to Sally."

Raven didn't even blink. "But you said we could we fly," she persisted, in the same tone. She tucked a lock of curly black hair behind her ear.

"Raven, honey, look who's here!" said Ginny brightly, a little too brightly in Ron's opinion. The girl's eyes flickered over Charlie and Katarina. Katarina's eyes were red and puffy and she was hiccuping.

"Hello," said Raven to Charlie. He didn't respond. "Hello," she repeated. Looking agitated, she raised her voice. "Hello!"

"Raven, Charlie can't hear you remember?" Ginny said, kneeling next to her daughter. Raven looked Charlie up and down, and her face turned to one that was either of disgust or acceptance, Ron really couldn't tell. Raven seemed like a very complicated little girl.

Her eyes wandered to Katarina, and she smiled slightly. Katarina smiled back, wiping her eyes. Then Raven's eyes fell upon Ron. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm your, er, Uncle Ron," said Ron, and Raven looked at him to Ginny to him to Charlie, and then back to him. She bit her lip in an excited way, as though she had a secret to tell.

"Do you fly?" she asked him, looking wary now.

"Of course I do," said Ron. "Do you?"

She smiled and Ron suspected he had passed her test. "Beater," she said, waving her arms around wildly. Ron laughed.

"She inherited the gene," said Ginny, grinning. "She always wants to fly...a little obsessive about it too."

Ron grinned and looked at Harry. "She's another Oliver Wood," said Harry, shaking his head.

"Are you hungry?" Ginny said to Ron. "I can cook almost as well as mum."

"El can cook too, goodness I miss her," Ron said fondly, knowing it was true.

Harry laughed. "Hermione can't cook to save her life. I remember one time--" He cut off, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It's okay Harry," said Ginny. "It's not like she's dead."

"She's in a coma, Ginny," said Harry quietly, and Ron knew he was probably blaming himself, like he always did.

"Well, you're acting as though she's gone! She's not, you know." Ginny's face was stern and her voice was adamant.

Her child is though, thought Ron sadly.

"Now what do you want to eat?"

"Shit!" said Ron suddenly, and everyone looked at him in surprise. "Sorry, it's just...Christine--she--I just left her...she knows I'm a wizard now...I have to go," he said, and he Apparated home. He had completely forgotten about his girlfriend. He had just left her at the house with no explanation as to where he was going and--Oh no, he thought.

He looked around the living room in horror. Clothes, papers, glass, and just about every other thing imaginable was littering the floor. "Christine!" he called, a sinking feeling in his chest. "Christine!"

There was no answer, and he dashed up the stairs into their bedroom. Pictures were shattered on the floor, the telephone was off the hook, and more clothes were sprawled everywhere. The dresser drawers were all open, and, sighing heavily, Ron looked inside them. None of Christine's clothes were in sight.

Ron sank onto his bed, and ran his hands through his hair, letting out a shaky breath. This can't be happening...five years...no, this is not happening to me...damn you Hermione! Damn you Harry! Damn everyone...this is not happening to me! Hermione...in a coma...baby dead...crying...burnt house...Christine...no...no...no...no...

Frustrated, he stood up and kicked the chest of drawers. Already unstable it crashed to the floor. Ron stepped on the picture frames and glass of broken bottles and stepped into the tiny bathroom.

A scrap of paper was taped to the mirror, and slowly Ron took it and read it. I thought you loved me, Ron. It seems all of our time together was just a lie. I can't deal with that, and I refuse to accept it. Goodbye.

Christine Taylor

Ron reread the paper a good ten times and then balled it in his fist. Letting out a scream of anger, he punched the mirror, which shattered. Blood covered his knuckles, but that was nothing to what he felt inside.

Christine...Charlie...dead children...family I haven't seen for five years...coma...no...Lord, please no...don't do this to me...she's gone...she's...gone...left me...Hermione...oh Hermione I love you...why me...please come back Christine...I can't deal with this mess...no...no...

He was shaking uncontrollably now and grabbed at his head, the pounding in his temples fiercer than ever. Fiercer than ever...no...no...no...no...

"NO!!!"

He lunged his fist at the shattered mirror again, and collapsed to the floor, still shaking as though he was on fire. He let out a choked sob and began to cry.