Title: Where You Find It

Author: Lena

Pairing: Ron/Remus, Ron/Harry, past Remus/Sirius

Rating: Chapter 6 - PG-13

Genre: War Fic, Angst, Romance, loads of things…

Warnings: Not really…although, I guess HBP pretty much didn’t happen…

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or Ron or anything in the HP world. Darn it.

Summary: The War has started and Harry is missing. Ron finds someone surprising to love. Someone he never thought he would have so much in common.

Author’s Notes: Each chapter represents some of the different stages in a relationship. The pairing idea came from Matilda Bishop. So, thank you to her! And thank you so much, as always, to my beta and friend, Lorien_Eve.

Chapter Six - Leaving

“Ron, come on!” growled Moody.

Ron got up from his desk, but looked once more at the map. Malfoy Manor. He pointed to it. “Malfoy knows what’s going on.”

“Don’t lose your head, boy!”

Ron looked up at Moody. “He knows.”

Remus touched Ron on the shoulder, trying to calm him. He had talked Alastor into letting Ron come on this raid, and he hoped he wouldn’t regret it. Alastor had told Remus, if Ron had one more outburst…

Ron turned and looked at him. “Okay, let’s go.”

Moody led the group out the door. Ron, Remus, and the other Aurors followed.

*****

They Apparated to a clearing outside of Malfoy Manor, but away from the house, so they wouldn’t be seen. They drew their wands. Moody cast wards around the group, to protect them, as they crept to the back of the mansion.

Moody clutched his wand and placed it against his neck. “MALFOY!” The sound reverberated throughout the air. “MALFOY! THIS IS A RAID!”

The door slowly opened. Lucius Malfoy strolled out on his veranda, with a drink in one hand. “Really! What is this all about?”

“This is a raid Lucius,” said Remus, calmly.

Malfoy sighed and drawled, “Oh. How boring. Come in, come in.”

Ron marched up the stairs following Malfoy, with the rest of the Aurors following Ron.

When they all reached the main room, Moody turned to Remus. “Bind him until we are done.”

Remus turned his wand on Malfoy and prodded him to a chair. Malfoy said, “Is this all so necessary?”

Ron turned on him. “Yes, it is!”

Malfoy snorted at Ron, but didn’t say anything.

All the Aurors began scouring the mansion, all except Remus. Remus kept his wand pointed at Malfoy’s forehead, an inch from the flesh. He towered over Malfoy, and enjoyed it.

The Aurors separated into different rooms and began casting spells, trying to dislodge the evil wards set up in the building. It was difficult, but they were able to complete most of them.

Ron came to a door in a spare room, upstairs. He tried to cast a spell on it, but it wouldn’t shake the wards around it or open the door. He became frustrated as he looked around the room, trying to figure out why this room was different. He turned and saw a bureau with a large mirror. He looked at it, and realized that this hadn’t always been a spare room. This used to be Draco’s room.

Sitting on the corner of the bureau was a ring. A ring that Draco had worn all through school. Ron walked over and tried to snatch it off the counter, but he pulled his hand back when it burned him. He looked closer at it. He tried to touch it again; this time he was able to touch, but it was still hot. It fell off the bureau and onto the floor. He got down on his hands and knees to retrieve it.

Ron moved the ring toward him with his wand. He was able to touch it this time without burning himself. The door opened behind him. He got up and looked. He saw memorabilia from Hogwarts school days. He laughed at the thought of Draco actually keeping these things. Quidditch banners, photos of that pug-nosed Pansy Parkinson…then Ron saw something in the closet that was not green and silver.

It was a scrap of material. Ron gasped as he grabbed it. It was a blue t-shirt material, and from the smell and the warmth emitting from it, he knew it was Harry’s.

He looked at the material and stood there for a second, before storming out of the room. He raced down the stairs and into the main room, where Remus was still holding Malfoy.

When Ron saw them, he became even more enraged. As he stomped over to the two men, he yelled, “Where is he, Malfoy? Where does your fucking son have Harry?”

“Aw, how sweet! Weasley misses his Potter!” He turned to Remus. “Jealous, Lupin?”

Ron ran at him, pushing Remus out of the way and grabbing Malfoy by the throat. Behind gritted teeth, Ron said, “I’ll kill you. You fucking-”

“You are out of control, Weasley!” Moody yelled over the clamour.

“He most certainly is, Moody!” Malfoy gasped.

“I’d shut it, if I were you, Lucius,” Moody rounded on Malfoy.

Ron let go of Malfoy, but pushed the material in Moody’s face. “Look at this! Look at this!! He must know where Harry is!”

“What is this, Ron?” asked Remus.

“It’s Harry’s shirt. He was wearing it when he went missing.”

Moody took it from Ron. “But this could be any shirt.”

Ron shook his head violently. “No, no, no! It’s Harry’s. I found it in Draco’s old room. It’s Harry.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Ron grabbed it back and put it up to his own face. “It feels like Harry. It smells like Harry.”

Moody and Remus looked at one another.

Ron turned to Malfoy again, calmer now. “You must be embarrassed that your inept son has ruined your plans. Draco hasn’t been very careful, and you will have to clean up his mess. But then you’ve had to do that for him for years.”

Malfoy hesitated, and then turned on his bravado again. “Really, Weasley, what makes you think Potter lived through that first night?”

Ron wavered, but stood his ground. “I know he’s still alive.”

*****

“Goddammit! What do you mean we have nothing to hold him on? We have this!” Ron shoved the piece of material in Moody’s face again.

“Just because some material smells like Harry to you, isn’t sufficient evidence, boy!” Moody roared.

“This is fucking bullshit!”

“Look, we believe you are right, Ron. When we find Draco, we’ll find Harry,” Remus said quietly.

Ron sat slumped at his desk.

“Boy, you are taking a few days off,” Moody said.

Ron sat up in his chair. “No! Fuck, no! I have to be there when Harry is found.”

Moody shook his head. “Weasley, you are too close to the situation--”

“Harry is NOT a situation!”

“You know what I mean! You are out of control and can’t do your job properly anymore where Harry is concerned. You are taking the next few days off with Remus, and we will continue to look for Draco.”

Ron slumped his head forward into his hands, slowly letting them fall to the table. He knew he could swear until dawn, even use words Moody hadn’t heard, and it would do no good. He was off the case.

*****

Ron and Remus stayed around Ron’s flat for the next two days. They knew the Aurors were leading yet another raid on Borgin and Burkes, but what else they were up to, Ron had no idea. He suspected the Remus knew, but he didn’t ask him.

They were curled up together on the couch, watching the Muggle television in the late afternoon of the second day, when a brown owl batted at the window.

“What the-” Ron got up quickly, went to the window and opened it. The owl flew in, and Ron snatched the note and read it.

He looked at Remus, who was crossing the room to Ron.

Ron trembled. He whispered, “They found Harry. We have to go to St. Mungo’s.” It hadn’t taken long to track Draco, only a few days.

Remus took Ron’s hand, gave it a squeeze, and then let go. He softly smiled, then Disapparated.

Ron followed.

*****

Ron looked down at Harry’s bruised face. He had been held hostage for a little less than six months. Not at Malfoy Manor, but at another home of a Death Eater. Draco Malfoy. It had been unknown to the Order or the Ministry, until recently, that Draco had acquired a home of his own.

Ron hadn’t wanted to know what horrible things Harry had been through. At least not yet. He just wanted to be with him. Look at him and make sure he would never be lost again.

Remus had been in to see Harry, but Ron could barely look at him. He knew he had to go out into the hall and talk to Remus.

The door opened behind him, and Ron turned around. It was Hermione. He got up and hugged her.

“Oh, Ron!”

“It’s all right, Hermione. He’s safe now, just like you said he would be.”

They pulled away from each other, and Hermione looked down at Harry.

“Harry!” She reached for his hand.

“He’s still unconscious, but they say he should wake up in the next day or two.”

Hermione sat in the chair next to the bed where Ron had been sitting.

“Would you do me a favour?”

“Of course!”

“I need to talk to Remus, but I didn’t want to leave Harry alone.”

Hermione looked sympathetic and said, “Yes, go ahead. He’s out there.”

“Thanks.”

“And Ron?”

He reached for the doorknob. “Yeah?”

“Don’t feel too guilty. Remus can handle it.”

“You know, if it wasn’t for Viktor and then Remus, I would still be on your couch.”

“I’ll thank Viktor for you when I get home. Now go talk to Remus.”

He tried to smile at Hermione. “Why are all the women in my life so damn smart?”

Hermione smirked at him and said, “Because…we’re women.”

“Oh, I see! Thanks, Hermione. Really.”

“I know.” She gestured towards the door. “Go.”

The lighting in the hallways at St. Mungo’s was harsh and it made things hard to see, but he could see the outline of Remus Lupin leaning against the wall down the corridor.

He walked towards him, and he saw Remus move as he noticed Ron.

“How is he doing?” asked Remus.

They stood in front of one another. Ron didn’t know if a hug was appropriate. He didn’t want to upset Remus.

“He’s going to be fine, they say. He’s still unconscious, but he’s supposed to wake in the next day or two.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Your parents are on their way.”

“Oh, that’s nice. They think of Harry like a son--”

Ron realized that was not the right thing to say, but Remus didn’t say anything.

Ron looked around at the bright, white walls. He didn’t know what to say or where to start. The hallway at St. Mungo’s was not where Remus deserved for this conversation to take place.

“Ron, can we stop being so formal and not pretend that everything is fine?”

Ron looked at Remus. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Look, I knew this was going to happen someday. Am I happy Harry’s back? Hell, yes. He is Sirius’s godson. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him. But am I happy you are leaving me? No. I told you, I want to be with you. I would get on my hands and knees and beg you to stay with me, if I thought it would work.”

“Sorry,” whispered Ron.

“Would you stop saying that? I appreciate the fact that you have a conscious, but you aren’t doing anything that I wasn’t warned about.”

“But it can’t make it easier. That I told you. That…Harry…”

“Did I say it would be easy on me? Just because I knew? Of course not! Then I would’ve just walked away, wouldn’t I?”

Ron didn’t say anything.

Remus continued, “You have to do what you need to do, Ron. You believe you belong with Harry, and you are probably right.”

“You sound angry,” said Ron quietly.

Remus frowned, “Yes. And sad. And hurt. I have feelings, Ron. I’ll move on, I will, but it will take time. That can’t be helped.”

Ron finally found his voice. “No, I don’t expect you not to have feelings, but you must know that I never lied to you about anything else either. I do love you. I care about you. I know that’s not good enough right now, but you have to know that every feeling I have ever had for you and all the time we’ve been together, I meant it and I don’t regret one second I spent with you.”

“But I’m not Harry.”

Ron stared at him. He had nothing else to say. There was nothing else he could say.

“We’ll see each other around, won’t we?” Ron said, after a moment.

“Not for a while, but after some time, yes.”

“I understand.” Ron looked behind him at the door to Harry’s room, and saw his parents walk in.

Ron turned and walked down the hallway. He reached Harry’s door and touched the knob, but stopped.

“Ron?”

He turned and saw Remus standing alone in the hallway.

“Ron, even knowing how things would turn out…I never regretted a second with you, either.”

Ron closed his eyes and lifted his head, looking straight at the stark hall lights. “Remus, you were always so good to me.”

Ron wavered at the door. He thought, how could he leave this man? This man who was so kind and good. This man who was his first lover. This man who understood him more than anyone…

Ron opened his eyes and looked down at the knob. Behind this door was Harry. His Harry. He turned and looked at Remus one last time. He opened the door and walked in.

Ron stood for a moment on the threshold of the door, and then closed it behind him. He leaned against the door as he looked across the room at Hermione, his parents, and then Harry.

Whose eyes were open.