Chapter 17: Proof Of Life

It was a few minutes before the realization hit Ron with the force of a thunderbolt. Anyone could walk in on them at that very moment, and this would, undoubtedly, require one hell of an explanation.

He didn�t wanted to let go of Hermione just then; in fact it was the last thing he wanted to do. Just days ago--it seemed like a whole lifetime ago now--he had come so perilously close to never setting eyes on her ever again. And now he wanted nothing more than to prolong this moment for as long as possible, for as much as possible. To hold her close to him just like this. To breathe in that lavender scent that was hers and hers only. To kiss her senselessly until both of them were gasping for air.

Hell, if he hadn�t come to his senses just now, he might very well have thrown all caution to the wind and made love to her right then and there.

But somehow the rational part of him managed to win the inner battle. Better to stop themselves now before someone unexpectedly burst into his office (Dennis Creevey had been threatening to do so all week, especially after having such trouble with Grindylows), and he was forced to explain who this stranger was who happened to be with him at that moment--and who happened to look remarkably similar to a certain Gryffindor fifth year.

Stifling a curse, he pulled away from her as gently as he could, feeling her whimper against his mouth when she sensed his movement. He summoned his wand to his outstretched hand--rather mindlessly at that, as the dizzying effect of having just broken the kiss still had him buzzing from head to toe--and headed for the door.

�Ron, what...�

He reached for the knob to twist the lock shut and tapped the door with his wand, muttering the silencing spell to ensure them maximum privacy. Suddenly, he felt her groan into his back, her forehead tickling the space between his shoulder blades when she buried her face in his robes.

�Oh God, what was I thinking?� she said, in a fretful manner was pure Hermione. �I�m so sorry, Ron, I thought I�d locked the door after I came in... I should have checked to make sure-�

�Shh, it�s all right,� he assured her. He turned around to gather her in his arms again and give her a quick kiss, then he laced their fingers together and pulled her back towards the desk, setting her down on his lap. With a grin, he said, �I think we were both a little preoccupied just now, weren�t we?�

Color spread through her delicate cheeks like ink spilled on parchment, and Ron couldn�t help but laugh. He loved it when she blushed; he loved that it took so little to make her do so. She raised an eyebrow, looking as if she wanted to scold him for laughing at her, but somewhere along the way the half-formed scowl turned into a smile, and she surrender to laughter as well, falling into him and settling her cheek on his collarbone as he wrapped his arms around her.

�I didn�t think I�d ever hear that laugh again,� she said softly.

She lifted her head to look at him, gently reaching up to sweep aside the stray locks that skimmed his eyes. Without breaking eye contact, she traced the length of his nose with her fingers, then brought them back up to brush against the soft flesh of his cheeks, and the contour of his jaw line.

�I knew you were alive,� she murmured, and there was a slight tremor to her voice that caught Ron�s attention straight away. �I just knew it. No one believed me, but-�

�Wait a minute, wait a minute,� he said, stilling her hand momentarily when her words finally registered in his brain. �What d�you mean?�

She looked puzzled by the question--unnerved, even--and shifted in his lap. �I mean... everyone believed you were dead, Ron... When you didn�t come back, and they found those remains... and your wedding ring...�

�Remains, what--my wedding ring? They found my ring?�

�Yes,� she said, reaching for the long chain around her neck that had been concealed under her collar, and pulled it over her head. �It�s right here. I haven�t let it out of my sight since Jack gave it back to me...�

�Jack... Jack found my ring?�

She nodded, then took his hand. Ron looked down as she placed the ring--still on the chain--into his palm, then closed his fingers around it. �I made a promise to myself, Ron,� she said. �I promised myself that I�d bring this back to you...�

�Hermione...�

She laughed softly, before he could continue his sentence. �I debated for a while if I should give you a good talking to for losing it in the first place, but then I thought you might deserve a break this one time...�

He smiled and cupped her cheek, then he took the ring off the chain and slid it onto his finger once more, where it belonged.

At length, he said, �None of this is making any sense to me.�

�None of it made any sense to me either, Ron,� she said. �That�s why I-�

�Wait, wait, slow down love, slow down... Let�s back up for a moment, all right? Why did you all think I was dead? Didn�t you get my letter?�

Hermione furrowed her brow. �What letter?�

�The letter I wrote as soon as I came to and found myself in Hagrid�s cabin-�

�Came to?? What d�you mean, came to? What happened, Ron? Did Hagrid-�

�Look, never mind that now,� he said, figuring he could fill her in later on Hagrid�s unique brand of welcome when she was in a position to laugh it off. �The point is, I had missed the twenty-four hour deadline and couldn�t get back. I knew you�d be worried sick about me, and I had to get word to you somehow... I wrote you a letter to make sure that you�d know what happened when I didn�t show, and they were supposed to deliver it to you...�

He watched her face carefully as she tried to assimilate what he had just said. She was looking at him as if he were insane, and, to be quite honest, he was starting to wonder about that as well.

�Who�s they?�

�I�d instructed Gringotts to keep it in a top secret vault until the day it would be delivered to you. They were to give it to you the day I was supposed to have come back, love. Didn�t they do that?�

�No,� she said. �Ron, I�m telling you, I never got a letter. If I had, I would have-�

She stopped suddenly, color draining from her face as she slowly disentangled herself from him and rose from his lap.

�What?� he said, capturing her hand. It had turned cold as ice. �Hermione, what is it?�

�Ron... what vault did you keep that letter in?�

�Snape�s. Why?�

Ron knew at once that something was terribly wrong from the way she gripped his hand.

�Hermione?� He stood and moved his hands up to cup her face. �Love, what is it? What�s going on?�

�Someone got hold of that letter, Ron,� she said.

�What? What are you talking about?�

She pulled his hands away from her face, but kept her hands closed over his. �The day before I left, Jack had got called away to an emergency... There was... some sort of a break-in at Gringotts, and I didn�t think anything of it at the time, but-�

�A break-in?�

She nodded. �Someone had broken into Snape�s vault. There was dark magic involved, or so they suspected, but I think it happened on the day you were supposed to return.�

The air in his lungs suddenly felt thin, and seemed to be getting thinner by the second. He took in a sharp breath, then said, �Then that means someone knows I�m here... And if that person knows, then... they might have already gone to Voldemort...�

�He knows who you are, Ron,� she said.

He saw her swallow hard, as if she wanted to say anything except what she was about to say.

�You�re in danger now, too...�

Ron could have sworn that he still felt the bloody things crawling all over him. He knew it wasn�t just his imagination either--there were definitely little beings racing up and down his back and tickling the nape of his neck. He reached back to swipe at the horrid creatures, but could only come up with a fistful of cobwebs.

�Augh!!� he exclaimed, realizing it had actually been on his clothes, touching his skin.

Beside him, his wife was trying valiantly not to laugh, but he could see her smile fighting to break the surface nevertheless.

�Don�t say anything,� he said.

�I wasn�t going to.�

�Bloody hell, what�ve they been doing in here, breeding by the thousands?�

Finally, he shrugged off his cloak to inspect it more closely for any more cobwebs--or else, the nasty little buggers who spun them. The last thing he needed were any more surprises crawling up his arm at a most inopportune moment.

�Ron, what did you expect?� Hermione said. Obviously, the woman was having trouble keeping amusement from creeping into her voice. �It�s not as if Filch knows about this passageway, remember? Who else would there be to rid it of cobwebs and such?�

Ron grunted an indistinct response--he supposed she had a point--and pushed at the trapdoor above them. It was stuck; apparently it hadn�t been used in ages, probably not since two years ago, when Remus had used this tunnel to try and track them and Sirius down at the Shrieking Shack.

Finally, he was able to prop the damn thing open, and he motioned for Hermione to crawl up, then followed her shortly after.

�Look out!! There�s-�

Too late, though. Ron wasn�t quite quick enough to see what Hermione was trying to warn him about. He�d rolled out of the entrance and right into a wildly overgrown dragontooth shrub, wincing immediately when he felt its razor-sharp thorns impale themselves onto his cloak. He let out an involuntary groan, jerking away from the bush, then feeling Hermione�s hands pull him upright.

�Are you all right, Ron??�

�Never better,� he said through gritted teeth.

Hermione grimaced and peeled his cloak off him, relieving him of the thorns at last, caressing his stinging back in gentle circles.

�C�mon,� he said, �before anyone sees us...�

They dashed through the gates without a moment�s hesitation, Ron clutching her hand in his as if she�d vanish from his sight if he didn�t hold onto her tightly enough.

Even when they had reached the grounds the broken-down fence of the Shrieking Shack, hidden by the gnarls of untrimmed shrubbery and dead, rotting trees in what once was a garden, Ron nevertheless felt no safer. Instinctively, he looked about. He could still see the pathway that led up the slope to the house, and he held his breath, ready to leap out of sight if he saw even the slightest hint of movement out there. There was no telling who might be walking about at this hour, in broad daylight. Hermione had insisted on bringing along the invisibility cloak even though Ron had assured her they�d be fine without it by taking the tunnels to get here, but now he could see that she had been right to take it with them.

They simply couldn�t afford to take any chances of being seen here, and worse, draw attention to what they were about to do.

Hermione came up beside him and raised herself up on her toes to peer around his shoulder. �Is the coast clear?� she said.

�Looks like it.�

Still, there was something that just... didn�t feel right to him. Something in the windless sky, or the stillness of their surroundings. This all seemed too simple somehow.

�Ron?�

Her voice startled him out of his thoughts, and he smiled at her, a weak smile, he realized, for she looked back at him with concern.

�Everything all right?�

�Yeah,� he said. There was no use worrying her.

She arched an eyebrow. �Want to try the truth this time?�

�It�s nothing I can put into words,� he said. �Let�s just... go inside, okay?�

�Fine with me,� she said, leading the way. He followed closely behind. �I just want to get in and get out as quickly as possible. I don�t want to risk being out here too long--we might end up running into our younger selves or something.�

�Oh there�s no chance of that,� Ron told her.

She cast an incredulous look his way.

�I assigned an essay for them to work on this weekend. I imagine they�ll be too busy working on that.�

Hermione snorted. Ron actually caught the sound and stared at her, waiting for the rest of the reaction, which was surely still to follow.

�And this amuses you because...�

�I�m sorry, Ron, it�s just that...�

�Yes?�

She was clearly trying to suppress a grin; Ron wished she would try harder.

�Well, come on... you remember how seriously you and Harry took schoolwork.�

Ron decided he was quite offended by that remark. �What is that supposed to mean?�

�It means,� she said, �do you actually believe for one minute that they�re actually going to stay in the castle the entire weekend to work on your essay? I know my younger self probably will, but you and Harry... let�s be real, here.�

Before he could respond, she had already turned the corner and made her way up the stairs. Ron kept pace with her and followed her into the bedroom, where the unpleasant memories of a broken tibia suddenly invaded his thoughts. He shook them off, though, and knelt beside Hermione, who had crouched down in front of a particularly dingy panel along the wall where the bed was, and was tearing down the peeling wallpaper.

He started to peel back the wallpaper as well, then, deciding he didn�t want to leave their conversation where it ended, said, �Harry and Ron love me, you know. They think I�m �cool.� Said so themselves. So yes, for your information, I do think they might just surprise you and work on their essay for their favorite teacher.�

She smiled, but didn�t turn to look at him, and instead began tap at the wall, trying to listen for where the wall sounded hollow. �All right, Ron, you win. They love you.�

�So does your younger self, by the way,� he added, feeling a little bold.

That, it seemed, was enough to get her attention. �Oh really.�

�Yes, really.� He felt a particularly wicked grin come on. �You don�t believe me? You should see the way she ogles at me.�

�Ron Weasley!� she said, with mock outrage. �I do not ogle!�

�Apparently at fifteen, you did.�

She opened her mouth immediately to protest, but must have thought the better of it, because she closed it just as quickly, her lips forming a taut line. She turned back to the wall, and, having found the right spot, aimed her wand at it to produce a small hole, then she held out her hand without looking in his direction.

�Would you please hand me the letter?�

�Oh come on, love,� he said. �You know I was just teasing...�

He could tell she wasn�t really upset; the smile in her eyes betrayed her. And sure enough, before long, it seemed she finally gave up the fight and laughed, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

�You sod,� she muttered, grinning at him.

�Yeah, I love you, too.�

�The letter, Ron.�

He laughed and reached into his cloak to pull out the envelope. �Here...�

She took it from him and stuffed it into the small cavity in the wall, then closed the hole back up with the Reparo spell.

�I certainly hope they get this letter,� he said.

She didn�t answer straight away, instead sitting back on her heels and staring ahead at the perfectly sealed up wall. �Me too,� she said softly.

�Hey," he said, "you okay?�

He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. After a few seconds, she reached up to cover his hand with hers, and turned to him and smiled.

�Fine,� she said, but she sounded anything but.

Ron watched her look down at their interlaced fingers, her thumb gently caressing his the top of his hand. He started to say something to reassure her, but figured it�d be best to let her tell him in her own time, so he kept silent, and slipped his hand out of hers to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

�I just feel so guilty for worrying Jack like that,� she said. �He and Harry must be beside themselves right now...� She looked up at him. �But I couldn�t tell them what I was about to do, Ron. They�d�ve tried to talk me out of it, and I wasn�t going to let anyone stop me from coming here to prove that you were alive...�

He tilted her chin up. �They�ll understand,� he said. �They�ll get the letter, and they�ll understand-�

The sudden creak of floorboards made Ron�s eyes dart up. There were voices--hushed ones--nearby. He heard them. And they were getting louder. Closer. Ron caught Hermione�s eye, and without another word, he grabbed the cloak and threw it over the two of them, leading them as far into the corner as possible.

�Are you sure you saw them come inside this house?� someone said. It was a man�s voice, and Ron could tell whoever it was was now upstairs.

Another person--a woman--answered him. �Yes, yes... I told you, there�s no mistaking the red hair...�

Ron�s breath immediately caught in his throat. Someone had seen them.

�Clive... Clive, come on...�

The footsteps came closer, and Ron suddenly saw two figures come into the room. He felt Hermione grip his hand as he held his breath and watched the intruders. They wore long black cloaks, and hoods concealed their faces from this angle, but Ron knew at once--from the clothing to the way they spoke--that they were Death Eaters.

�There�s no one here,� the woman said, tugging at the man�s arm. �Come on, let�s go...�

The man ripped his arm out of the woman�s grasp. �For God�s sake, Leticia, why are you so jumpy?? If he is here-�

�We�ve already done our duty. We�ve told the master of Weasley�s presence here. You heard what he said--he�d take care of it on his own. We mustn�t try and interfere...�

�Do you think he�d actually be angry if we deliver Weasley to him on a silver platter? Are you mad?�

Ron swallowed, but his throat still felt as if it were closing in on him. It throbbed wildly, as if his heart had suddenly left his rib cage and traveled upwards to choke him.

They knew who he was. And they were out to hunt him down.

He watched helplessly as they moved about the room to look for any sign of human life. Ron prayed they wouldn�t come near the bed, for there was little room to maneuver and they were bound to stumble onto him and Hermione.

�Just think of it, Leticia! He�d have a clear path to Potter for sure... The master would commend us for being so resourceful-�

�Or he�d reprimand us for getting in his way! You saw what he did to Wormtail--do you really want to take that chance and have him punish us for interfering?�

The two figures came round the bed. Ron held his breath as they came dangerously close to where they were, but at the last second, they pulled away and headed for the other direction.

�Well,� the man said, �it looks as if he�s not here anyway...�

Again, the woman tugged on his arm. �Come on, Clive... The others will be waiting for us. He�ll be waiting for us...�

Ron looked on in horror as the man pulled up his sleeve and rubbed at his forearm. On it was a skull, which glowed red in the semi-darkness of the room. The Dark Mark.

�Damn it!� the man spat out. �He would have rewarded us for bringing Weasley in, I know it!�

�He�ll deal with him... And then he�ll deal with Potter. We just have to trust him...� She waited for him at the door. �Let�s go...�

In a matter of seconds, they both vanished, and Ron and Hermione were left in shocked silence, their hearts drumming wildly out of time.

It was a long time before either of them moved. Hermione finally lifted the invisibility cloak, then she slowly got to her feet. There was terror in her eyes when she looked down at him--real terror. The kind he hadn�t seen in her in a long, long time. He knew she was scared out of her mind at that moment, and in truth, he couldn�t really blame her.

He saw her open her mouth, but he stood and placed a finger on her lips.

�Don�t,� he said. �Don�t say it.�

�Ron-�

�Look, we�ll be safe at the castle. They can�t track us there, and at least we�ll be able to keep an eye on Harry...�

After a while, she tugged on his hand and said, �What are you thinking?�

�I�m thinking that it might not be such a bad idea after all to teach Ron and Hermione the Fidelius charm... If by some chance they can get it to work, then at least Harry�s got some extra protection.�

This didn�t seem to put her mind at ease one bit. He offered her a wan smile and pressed her lips to her forehead, letting her slide her arms around his waist.

�Do you trust me, love?� he said.

Without looking up, she answered, �You know I do.�

He brought her face up to look at him. �All right, then,� he said. �Time to do what we do best.�

She looked as if she couldn�t decide between cringing at that statement or smiling at it, but finally she chose the latter.

�D�you still mean what you promised me before?� she said. �About us going back to our quiet little lives after this?�

He grinned at her. �Come on, love, don�t you think quiet�s a bit overrated?�

But in all honesty, he would give just about anything right now to make it so.