Eighth [Harmione]

16. Sundry Consequences

  PART IV: Denouement  

As Ron careened through the front doors of the Ravenclaw Foundation, like a man on a mission, the cameras began to flash again, and he heard the desperate, strained voices of several reporters shout out,

"Mr. Weasley!"

"Mr. Weasley, what were you looking for?"

"Where's Harry Potter?"

He muscled his way past them, giving no sign that he even knew they were there, until he heard a clear, calm voice say, "Ronald." He skidded to an ungainly halt, and turned to see the dirty blond hair of the girl he was dating, just at the edge of the crowd, evidently covering the story for her father.

"Luna," he said, grabbing her arm, and steering her away from the crowd of media. Her eyes searched his face intently, losing their generally vague look.

"Ronald, what's wrong?" Ron shook his head in response.

"I don't have time to explain. I've got to get to St. Mungo's. I've reason to believe that the Death Eaters are after the Longbottoms. I could use any wand I can get." She lifted her chin to look him in the eyes, and her own eyes grew bright. She dropped her notebook and quill, without even realizing that she had done so.

"The Order..." Luna proceeded tentatively.

"Harry thinks the Order could be taken by surprise," Ron replied grimly.

"Where is Harry?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange has Hermione." Luna nodded, as Ron's answer required no further explanation. She knew where Harry was going.

They Apparated to St. Mungo's.

When they arrived at the wizarding hospital, they found people hunched together in anxious groups in the lobby, whispering at each other. Ron found it rather reminiscent of the scene he'd just left.

"Excuse me," he asked, trying to adopt the confident tone that Harry had used at the Ravenclaw Foundation. "What's going on?"

The receptionist leaned over her desk, resting her weight on her elbows. Her dark eyes were shadowed with fear, but managed to look excited at the same time. "The Death Eaters came through here. They just blasted their way through the lobby like a - like a- " she shook her head, at a loss to describe exactly what the Death Eaters' rampage had been like. "I hid under the desk. They hurt a couple of people over there," she pointed to a corner, where some Healers were kneeling over the fallen.

"Where did they go? Do you know what they were after?" Ron asked urgently.

The receptionist shook her head, looking somewhat sorrowful that she would not be asked to tell any more of this thrilling story to this tall young man. Something like awareness dawned in her snapping eyes. "Are you - are you Ron Weasley?" Her face lit up like candle flame.

Behind him, Ron could feel, rather than see, Luna rolling her eyes.

"He's on a mission for Harry Potter," Luna said, leaning around Ron's shoulder and smiling, leaving subtle emphasis on the name. The receptionist's eyes threatened to bug out of her head. "We're quite busy." She steered Ron through the double doors at the back of the lobby, one hung loosely off of its hinges, and it was a fairly safe bet that the attack had proceeded in this direction. The receptionist watched them go, with wide, amazed eyes, and then looked around for someone to whom she could relate that story.

❾¾ ❾¾❾¾❾¾ ❾¾❾¾❾¾

They took the stairs to the floor where the Longbottoms' were, moving in defensive posture as they had learned in the D.A. Ron could not keep a small smile from straying across his face, as he recalled how much he enjoyed working with Luna. Her blue eyes would become focused and serious, and the change in her expression made her look like a completely different person.