Chapter 26: Closure

She was wearing that familiar cardigan. The one with the alternating rows of green and white flowers that she�d been wearing that day she rushed him off to St. Mungo�s when he was five, when he had thought for certain that he would die after swallowing that mouthful of Pepper Imps that Fred and George had handed him on a dare. In later years that very same cardigan would become woefully threadbare, worn thin at the elbows and faded so far beyond recognition that one could hardly tell anymore that the shapes and patterns that had become indistinct over time had once been roses. Her favorite flowers.

It was, he remembered just then, what she had been wearing at Platform 9 � that very first time she had seen him off to Hogwarts with Percy and Fred and George, when she�d nearly rubbed his nose raw trying to get that bloody spot of dirt off. It never did come off, come to think of it. Not the first time in his life that he had tried to shrug her off, and most regrettably, not the last time either.

Mum...

He had almost spoken the word aloud until he got hold of his senses just in time and stopped himself before it slipped out. The sight of her, so young, so vibrant--so alive--had thrown him for quite a loop, even more than he ever would have expected. Not that he�d ever expected to see her again. He�d almost forgotten what she�d looked like at this point in time, when her presence had been such a certainty in his life that the thought had never once crossed his mind that the day would come many years down the road when she would be gone. Forever.

Long after they had lost her, when he had finally managed to pull himself out of the haze of mourning that had encased him for so many weeks and months, he�d learnt that there was really only one way to keep going. Only one way to live his life, to try and function like a human being once again, and that was to keep all the grief dammed up in a closed-off part of his heart that he would let no one--not even himself--ever access again.

But now that dam had broken, sending everything flooding back at once, and suddenly, he felt as if he were drowning all over again.

�Ron?�

He felt Harry poke him in the back, and it was only then that he realized they�d been standing at the door for some time now--long enough and awkwardly enough for Harry to reasonably come to the conclusion that something must have been up.

�What�s the matter?� he whispered again. �Why aren�t you going in?�

He didn�t seem to want to wait for an answer. Or perhaps Ron had waited too long to give him one, because before he knew it, Harry had moved from behind him and walked straight into Dumbledore�s office, apparently having decided to see for himself just what had stopped Ron dead in his tracks.

And then, it was far too late for either of them to turn back.

�Harry!!�

Harry had stopped just inside the door, one hand still closed around the handle as if he wanted to be ready for a quick getaway if necessary, and Ron right behind him, holding his breath and hoping and against all hope that there would be some way to get out of all of this without jeopardizing everything they�d worked so hard for already.

�Mrs. W-Weasley...� He was clearly trying to get a grip on himself and appear as cool, calm, and collected as possible, but was failing miserably. �What... what are you doing here?�

Ron�s eyes flew back to his mother, trying to gauge her reaction. She had to have been in shock all this time--otherwise she would have done or said something by now--but the shock seemed to be wearing off now, slowly giving way to panic, and Ron wracked his brain to come up with the next step before she had a chance to catch up.

�Ron didn�t tell me you�d be visiting...�

�I came here as soon as I found out!� she said, starting in his direction.

On instinct, Ron made a move to place his hand on Harry�s shoulder to pull him back, but her sharp eyes caught the action, and without warning, she launched into a lioness-like defensive mode.

�Don�t you touch him!!�

She crossed the room so fast that Ron barely had the chance to register what she was about to do.

�Harry, get away from him!! Get away from him at once, he�s-�

�No, it�s... it�s all right, Mrs. Weasley-�

Harry stepped forward to come between her and Ron, but it was Harry she wanted; once she got close enough, she grabbed hold of him immediately, then pulled him away, eying Ron carefully as she slowly backed into Dumbledore�s desk once more. She was clutching Harry�s arms so tightly that Harry seemed to be having genuine trouble trying to break free, and Ron could only stand, watching the both of them in silence, hoping that by staying perfectly she would not think he was too much of a threat.

She didn�t trust him.

Of course, she wouldn�t. She really had no reason to. Ron supposed he couldn�t really blame her for being frightened of him, or thinking he was here to harm Harry; by God, he would be thinking the same exact thing, were he in her shoes right now. He knew all of this, and yet it didn�t make the knowledge cut any less deeply.

�This man isn�t who he says he is-�

�Mrs. Weasley,� Harry said, trying once more to ease her grip on him, �trust me... it�s all right-�

But she didn�t seem to want to hear the rest of the sentence, and instead fired away at Ron.

�What do you want with him? Who�s sent you??�

�I-�

�Where�s Professor Dumbledore?? Where is he?�

The wild fright in her eyes was almost too much to bear. Ron reminded himself that she was only reacting the way anyone under the circumstances would, forcing himself not to take it personally, but the more he tried to do just that, the more he failed. No matter what he did, he simply couldn�t get his vocal chords to work, until finally he managed quietly, �I don�t know...�

It was not the answer she wanted.

�What have you done with him-�

�There, there, Mrs. Weasley. As you can see, I�m all in one piece, just as I should be...�

Ron caught movement at the top of the staircase, and looked up in time to see Dumbledore making his way down to his desk.

�Professor!�

Dumbledore met Ron�s gaze and gave him a subtle nod before turning to his mother.

�Oh Professor, I am so relieved to see you,� she said. �I�m sorry to have barged in unexpectedly like this, but it was absolutely urgent that I see you. Arthur and I received a letter from Ron yesterday and learnt something very disturbing, and you needed to know immediately!�

She turned to Ron, as if to make certain he hadn�t moved from his spot, then looked back at Dumbledore.

�This man,� she said, pointing a finger at him, �this... Professor Weasley, as he�s apparently claiming to be, is not who he says he is, Professor-�

�I know.�

The response took everyone in the room by surprise, even Ron. Harry threw him a puzzled look, but Ron could offer no answer to his unspoken question; it seemed Dumbledore was once again keeping them all on their toes.

�Mrs. Weasley, I�m afraid I�ve made a grave error,� he said. �You see, I should have told you and Mr. Weasley the truth at the beginning of term.�

What the devil was he doing??

Ron sent him a bewildered look, hoping for some kind of clue as to what this was all about so that he could be certain to play along, but Dumbledore only gave him another cryptic nod that Ron guessed to be some sort of gesture of reassurance.

He didn�t feel too reassured, though.

�I don�t have to tell you, of course, of the circumstances we all find ourselves in.�

�Of course,� his mother said. �And that�s exactly why I�ve come here, Professor. We can�t be too careful these days.�

�No, we can�t,� Dumbledore said. �So when the Ministry suggested that I have someone special here at the school to offer extra protection for Harry...�

Ron finally let out the breath he�d been holding in. He was starting to catch on.

�You mean...�

His mother looked at him again, her eyes trying to take him all in, as if she were still reluctant to let go of her doubt altogether.

�This man is an Auror,� Dumbledore said. �He was sent here by the Ministry to make sure that Harry is safe. Understandably, his true identity needed to be kept strictly confidential, so to keep students from asking too many questions, we said he was a relative of yours.�

Ron shifted his weight uncomfortably as all eyes turned to him.

�It was easy enough for them to believe, given his more-than-passing resemblance.�

Slowly but surely, Ron began to feel the tension in the room diffuse, and at last his mother laughed shakily.

�Oh, I see,� she said, her voice still retaining a slight waver. �Well I suppose that explains it all, then.�

�I should have told you and Mr. Weasley from the beginning, but we had hoped to have as few people as possible in the know, to keep things less complicated.�

�You don�t have to explain, Professor,� his mother said. �After everything that�s happened, of course you would want to take every precaution possible.�

She turned to Ron, her eyes considerably softer now than they had been only moments ago, and for a split-second, he actually thought he saw recognition in them.

But of course, that would have been impossible.

�I�m very sorry,� she said.

Ron was forcing himself to concentrate on her words, but it was so hard not to get caught up in that familiar gaze of hers.

�You see, I have four children here at Hogwarts. As you might imagine, their safety is my primary concern, and when I hear of someone posing as a relative... And then of course, Harry is just like one of my own, too, and-�

�There�s no need to apologize, Mu--Mrs. Weasley...�

He hoped she would be unable to catch the near-miss, but he saw both Harry and Dumbledore tuck away smiles just then. Apparently he had not been as smooth about it as he had hoped.

�You did what any parent would have done. I don�t blame you one bit.�

She smiled, the kind of smile she reserved for those whom she did not really know, but Ron hungrily took it in nevertheless.

�I�m glad you understand, then,� she said. �And Professor Dumbledore, I apologize for coming all the way down here, raving like a madwoman, but-�

�Say no more, Mrs. Weasley,� Dumbledore said, raising a hand to interrupt her. �You did the right thing. Now, as for you two...� He turned to Ron and Harry. �I assume you�ve come here to tell me about Professor Trelawney�s incident in the Great Hall?�

Harry exchanged a look of surprise with Ron.

�You�ve... already heard about it?�

Dumbledore nodded. �Madam Pomfrey informed me of what happened just before I returned to my office. This is... an interesting turn of events, indeed.�

�Interesting??� Ron said, almost choking on a laugh. �Yes, interesting would be one way of putting it. You�ll excuse me for saying this, but I don�t think Trelawney is full of it this time-�

�I�m well aware of that, Professor.�

His tone was not harsh, but unmistakably direct and firm. Immediately, Ron held himself in check, remembering who this was he was talking to, and the fact that they were not having this conversation alone.

�What�s happened?� his mother said.

�It appears the divination teacher has had a... premonition tonight,� Dumbledore explained. �In front of a group of rather frightened students in the Great Hall.�

�A premonition! About what?�

�About Harry. About Harry and Voldemort.�

His mother let loose a gasp.

�Well, what was it about? Is there-�

�Mrs. Weasley, I assure you, we plan on taking every measure to ensure Harry�s protection.�

Before he had even finished the sentence, his gaze had already fallen upon Harry, who fidgeted uncomfortably under the weight of everyone�s stare.

�I know this is not something you�ll want to hear,� Dumbledore said, �but I must ask you not to leave the castle for anything, Harry. Not even to visit Hagrid. Understood?�

Harry looked to Ron, as if to silently plead for his help, but Ron wasn�t about to disagree with Dumbledore on this. As if resigning to the inevitable, Harry sighed and nodded, keeping his head bowed low.

�Yes, sir.�

�Well, I... I suppose I should be going, then,� his mother said.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, then he realized with a start that there wasn�t really anything he could say at that moment. Nothing that wouldn�t just make the entire situation even odder than it already was, anyway, and that was the last thing any of them could afford, especially after the near-disaster that had just miraculously been averted, thanks to Dumbledore�s quick thinking.

The headmaster was eying him intently now; Ron was vaguely aware of it, though he could only see this from the corner of his eye.

�Perhaps you should escort Harry back to Gryffindor tower, Professor.�

Dumbledore�s words contained a gentle nudge; he had no doubt meant for Ron to catch it. Ron understood straight away what Dumbledore had meant by it, and nodded.

�Of course.�

The three of them descended down the staircase in silence: Ron, his mother, Harry. His mother was no doubt still mulling over everything she�d learnt this evening, and Harry probably just wanted to keep out of their way as much as possible, but Ron... Ron was just afraid he�d let the wrong thing slip out. He didn�t trust himself one iota at that moment.

He had never wanted so badly to sod all the rules and regulations as he did at that moment, just to have the one thing he�d been dreaming about for so many years: five more minutes with his mother to tell her just how sorry he had been for the fight they�d had before she died.

When they�d got to the foot of the staircase, and the gargoyles slid back into place, once again concealing the pathway to Dumbledore�s office, they shared an awkward goodbye, with his mother thanking him for keeping an eye out for Harry and the rest of the students, and then telling Harry to be careful.

Ron watched her make her way down the corridor, and he started to follow Harry in the direction of Gryffindor tower, but as the distance between them stretched, and he was about to round the corner, something seized him. He would never have this chance again. He never thought in a million years he would even get it in the first place.

He cuffed Harry on the shoulder. �Go to my office. Tell Hermione what�s happened and make sure she follows you all the way to Gryffindor tower.�

�Ron, come on! I can manage by myself, you know. I�ve done it hundreds of times-�

�Harry, just... please, don�t give me any trouble, all right? Just do as I say.�

Harry seemed to work out just then what this was all about. At length, he nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but apparently changed his mind and closed it back again.

�I�ll... see you soon, then.�

�Yeah,� Ron said. �See you soon. Make sure Hermione is with you the entire time, and she doesn�t leave your side until she sees you go into the portrait hole, understand?�

Harry rolled his eyes, but Ron could see there was a hint of a grin on his face.

�Yeah, all right,� he said. �Go, then. Go before she�s gone.�

Ron smiled, then sprinted down the corridor, waiting until he was just behind his mother to call out to her so that she wouldn�t be startled.

�Mrs. Weasley...�

�Oh, it�s you, Professor...� She paused, then laughed softly. �My goodness, I just realized I don�t even know your name! In all the craziness in there, I didn�t even bother to ask!�

�It�s...�

Ron Weasley, your son...

God, this wasn�t exactly something one could just blurt out. Although he didn�t really know how else could he tell her what he needed to tell her, and he knew he wasn�t doing either of them any good by just standing here, fumbling for the right words.

What was he waiting for, then? Hadn�t this been the moment for which he�d been praying for so long?

�Mrs. Weasley, there�s... there�s something else that you don�t know...�

For a fraction of an instant, he wondered if perhaps this wasn�t such a good idea after all. Dumbledore had obviously suspected he might do exactly this, and had been trying to remind him, albeit without so many words, not to give into the temptation. Ron wanted to care. He really did. And in some part of his brain--the logical part of it--he did care, but his brain wasn�t ruling anymore. Not at that moment.

His heart was telling him something else.

�What is it, Professor? You don�t have to tell me if it�s confidential. I know I�ve probably found out more than I should have, haven�t I?�

�This... this is something you should know.�

�Oh,� she said, �how do you mean?�

Ron took a deep breath. This was it. He was about to break the rules again, and he knew very well there was no way he would ever be able to justify it this time.

But he needed to do it.

�I am an Auror. And the Ministry has sent me here to protect Harry, but... I didn�t come here just because the Ministry sent me...�

Confusion clouded her eyes, and she stared back at him, more puzzled than ever.

�I came here, because... because Harry is my best friend, and I vowed never to let anything happen to him...�

Ron wasn�t sure if the laugh she let out was because of amusement or pure disbelief--or both--but he didn�t want to take any chances either way, and rushed to speak again before she had the chance to respond.

�It�s... me, Mum,� he said softly. �It�s Ron.�

It had never been this bad.

Not even in her worst fears had Ginny imagined it could ever be this bad, even after all the close calls they�d managed to scrape by since this whole bloody nightmare began. The last few hours had blended together in an indistinguishable blur, with her brain having gone on auto-pilot some time ago. It was the only way for her to do what she needed to do without falling completely apart.

Harry�s skin burned her to the touch. It was a heat that stung her flesh immediately, and though she should have got used to it by now, it still took her by surprise, making her recoil whenever she brought a hand anywhere near his body. He was shaking, too. The way he had shook in the Chamber all those years ago, as the Basilisk�s poison slowly trickled through his system. And just as he had back then, he seemed to be doing everything he physically could to keep his muscles from betraying him, but they did anyway.

She had tried to prepare herself for the worst. In the back of her mind, she had always known that there was a real possibility that Ron and Hermione might not be able to reverse history again, and that time was slowly running out for them.

But now she wasn�t sure if he could even make it through the night.

Luke was sleeping just over in the next room, still and quiet in his own bed, though the last little while had meant a now familiar sort of agony for him. For now, at least, he was free of any outward strain or discomfort, and that in itself was a small miracle that Ginny was willing to take. Nearby in the spare room, Emily, too, seemed all right for the time being, though not without a scare earlier that evening, when Colm had rushed her over after she had collapsed in their flat. Thankfully, the cooling charm had taken effect for both of them, enough to keep them comfortable until the morning.

But nothing had worked for Harry so far. Not the cooling charm, nor the fever potion, not even her most desperate of prayers. He had slipped in and out of consciousness, muttering words she couldn�t make out, and though at times his eyes would be wide open, she wondered if he even recognized her anymore.

Right now, he was asleep again, but it was a troubled and restless sleep. He seemed to be dreaming something, a terrible dream from the looks of it, for he was tossing and turning, and his eyelids were fluttering wildly. She even thought she had heard him murmur Ron and Hermione�s names at one point, but she wasn�t sure; there were other words he was saying, ones she�d never heard before and made no sense.

�Harry...�

He flinched when she brought a hand to his shoulder to still him, but a few seconds later, his eyes flew open, and he looked disoriented and confused.

�Harry, it�s going to be all right... You�re going to be all right...�

�Gin?�

She reached for his hand. It was like touching an open flame, but she didn�t care. She just needed to feel him.

�Right here, love... I�m not going anywhere...�

His eyes were clear at that moment, she realized; he was lucid for the first time in hours.

�How... how are they?�

�They�re all right for now, Harry,� she said. �They�re both sleeping.�

She saw him shakily take in air. �Are they in pain?�

�Not right now,� she said. �I think I managed to get them comfortable for the next while.�

�Good,� he said, �that�s good.�

�Listen, you need to take it easy right now, all right? Just relax-�

�Ginny, I... I need to tell you something.�

�I don�t want you to push yourself, Harry-�

He shook his head. �Please, this is... important... we may not have a lot of time left...�

�No,� she said, �don�t say that...� Tears began to blur her vision; she felt them roll down her cheeks. �You�re not going anywhere, do you hear me, Potter?�

But he only smiled as if he already knew something she didn�t yet.

�You know I may never get the chance to say this to you.�

Yes, she knew. She knew he was speaking the truth, but she still couldn�t bring herself to accept it. She didn�t think she would ever be able to accept it, even if she had no other choice but to do so. She felt fire on her face; he�d reached up a hand to cup her cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

�You�re the bravest woman I know, you know that?�

More tears welled up, replacing the ones she�d shed already. This wasn�t what she wanted to hear right now. She didn�t want to be brave. She didn�t want to be alone. She just wanted her husband to be all right once again.

�You got through everything in the Chamber... you fought Riddle off again... and you married me, for God�s sake...�

She laughed, in spite of herself.

�Best thing I ever did,� she said.

�You�ll be just fine, Ginny.�

�Don�t-�

�You will. You will, I know it. And I hope whatever the alternative to this is... it finds you happy... and you�re not alone...�

Hearing the words out loud made it seem set in stone, and Ginny wished they could somehow take it back, but she knew that would be impossible.

�There�ll be someone else for you,� he said. �I just hope he�s able to give you the love you deserve.�

�No... no, there�s nobody else-�

�Don�t do this... don�t do this to yourself-�

�There will never be anybody else,� she said. She was sobbing uncontrollably now. �Do you hear me? There will never be anybody else...�

�Gin, listen to me, there�s something else I need to tell you...�

�No! No more, please! I can�t-�

�Please,� he said, �I need you to listen because I don�t know how much longer I have left...�

She felt him squeeze her hand and she tried her hardest to pull herself together.

�What is it?�

�Jack,� he said, �I need you to get Jack...� He took another deep breath, as if breathing alone were taking all the effort in the world. �I need... to tell him...�

Her heart leapt against her ribs.

�What?�

�I know... I know who�s behind all of this...�

She was quiet for so long that Ron was certain he�d just made the biggest mistake of his life. Seconds ticked by conspicuously, each one seemingly longer and slower than the one that had gone before it, and Ron was very much aware of the heavy silence that continued to hang in the air, like a dense fog that had yet to lift.

In truth, it had probably been less than a minute since he�d spoken, but it felt like an eternity nevertheless, with her blank, unreadable eyes staring back at his. This wasn�t the way it was supposed to be, and yet Ron knew perfectly well this was probably why he never should have done it in the first place.

Well, he thought grimly, if she were going to hex me, she would have probably done it by now.

But she had yet to reach for her wand. In fact, she didn�t even look to be making a move for it anytime soon, and Ron took this as somewhat of a hopeful sign, however slim the hope might be. Of course, she could very well still be in shock, and once that had worn away, she would probably rush back up to Dumbledore--and then everything would really cave in.

God, what had he just done? How could he have been so stupid as to jeopardize everything they�d worked so hard to accomplish here? He really should have known better--and he had--but he had done it anyway. He just couldn�t help himself.

Surely Dumbledore would understand. Surely everyone would understand why he had done this.

At last, she shook her head--the first sign of movement he�d seen from her since he�d stunned the hell out of her--and Ron held his breath, bracing himself for... something. He didn�t know what she�d do next, to be perfectly honest, but he knew whatever it was, he probably needed to be prepared for it. Well-prepared.

�What did you just say?�

Her tone seemed to be more one of disbelief than anything else. Ron made no effort to answer immediately, wanting to give her just a few more moments to let this all sink in before he launched into his fantastical explanation--which he was sure she�d think was completely mad anyway.

She hadn�t moved from her spot; at least she didn�t seem to be in any immediate hurry to fetch Dumbledore. Instead, she stood perfectly still, her eyes raking him over as if she were making a genuine effort to determine whether or not he was telling the truth.

And at least he could be grateful he hadn�t sprouted tentacles out of his head yet, and that he still had the full use of his limbs. So far, that was.

�Look, I... I know this probably seems completely insane-�

She let out something that sounded like a laugh, but Ron wasn�t entirely sure it was out of amusement.

�I know how this must sound,� he said. �I mean, I hear myself saying it, and even I have to question my own sanity, but... I swear... I�m telling you the truth.�

�I just... don�t understand,� she said, shaking her head. �Why would... how...�

Ron took a deep breath. This was going to a lot to take in, but at least she seemed ready to hear all of it now--even if he wasn�t necessarily ready to go over the whole of it yet again.

�Twenty-two years ago, in my time, Voldemort was defeated...�

He saw her shoulders rise as she took in air. Ron waited for her to register his words before he went on.

�Professor Snape had infiltrated his inner circle-�

�Snape??� she said. �But I thought that he�d-�

�Whatever you and Dad might have heard, Mum, it wasn�t true. He was on our side all along. Dumbledore had entrusted him with this secret mission--he was a spy for years, just waiting for the right time to take action. And then he did.�

�What do you mean?�

�He recruited me.�

She gasped. �You?�

�I helped him by pretending to have switched allegiances,� he said. �I got Voldemort to trust me so that I could help destroy him from the inside. We brought him down, Mum. Snape and Harry and I, we brought him down. But then two Death Eaters from my time got hold of a time-turner and they tampered with everything... And that�s why Harry�s in danger. That�s why I�ve come back here to help him.�

For a long time, Ron wasn�t sure if she was ever going to say something. He had so much more he needed to tell her, but the time would come for that. Right now, he reckoned, she would need to take all of this in.

She was looking at him again, but with different eyes than before. This time it was as if she were regarding him, running her gaze over his face and his hair, the long-faded freckles and the lines that had set in over time.

�It�s really you,� she said, and he noticed that her eyes were glistening.

She was crying.

�Yes, Mum,� he said, �it�s really me.�

She took a small step forward, and then another one, and before he knew it, she had wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. Ron felt the dam break for good this time.

�You�re all grown up, I can�t believe it,� she said. She pulled away slightly to look up at him. �I always told you you�d be something important. You wouldn�t listen to me, but I told you...�

He laughed softly. �Well, I was always hard-headed, wasn�t I?�

She didn�t say anything in response, instead reaching up a hand to pat his cheek.

�There�s something else,� he said. �I never thought I�d have the chance to say this to you, but-�

Suddenly, she broke the embrace. Ron could tell she was upset, but couldn�t work out why.

�What�s wrong?�

�No,� she said, �don�t... You�ve already told me too much, I... I shouldn�t hear any more of it-�

She couldn�t do this to him now. Not when he�d come so close.

�Please, Mum, you don�t understand-�

�Ron, no! You have to use the Memory charm on me, do you understand?�

�The Memory charm!! No, I won�t do that-�

�Yes you will!! You will, and you�ll forget about this conversation... Too many things may change...�

There was only one thing he wanted to change. And she wasn�t even letting him do that.

�You have to listen to me...�

�I won�t hear this, Ron, I won�t...�

�I won�t lose you again, Mum! Please-�

She reached into her handbag to retrieve her wand. Ron tried to grab hold of her wrist but she pushed him off.

�Do it, or I will,� she said.

It was the longest minute of Ron�s life. But finally, he pulled his own wand out and aimed it at her, somehow managing to keep his hand from shaking. She watched him go through the motion, nodding wordlessly as if to encourage him.

�Will you remember any of this?� he said. �Any of it at all?�

She shook her head. �Please, Ron. Do the charm. You know this is the way it has to be.�

Suddenly, she stepped forward to give him a swift hug, but released him before he ever had a chance to savor the moment. Then she closed her eyes, and he raised his wand. He knew he had to do it before he lost his nerve.

With a deep breath, he whispered, �Obliviate...�