Ron's Secret Affair Exposed: A Forbidden Love Story Unfolds

Having spent the entire day avoiding all of his friends, Ron decided to skip dinner completely. Ignoring his rumbling stomach, he changed out of his school robes and into jeans and a sweatshirt before collapsing across his bed and staring angrily at the ceiling. Life wasn't fair... it was a concept he'd been confronted with over and over, he didn't understand why it continued to surprise him. He was tired of being offered the promise of happiness only to have it ripped away. Okay, so maybe he'd never had a chance with Hermione... but Luna had been his, they'd been in love and either one or both of them had ruined it. But he'd wanted to pick up the pieces after, she was the one who'd been so convinced it was over. And this year- at one point he'd thought Parvati was just the distraction he'd needed, that he could grow closer with her and make something of it... And then Jacinda Nicolau had walked into his life... It had seemed a miracle that she'd returned his interest in her, but then she left and worse, Parvati had been taken away and was now suffering who knew what fate because he hadn't been vigilant to her and her needs as he should have been. After all, he'd agreed to begin dating her before he even knew Jacey existed, Parvati should have been his first concern.

Ron slammed his fists down on the bed, tired of feeling guilty and mad and frustrated. Maybe he needed a friend right now after all, someone to talk to and help get some of this off his chest. Harry had claimed to want to listen... but that had been while he'd come to defend Luna's honor. He didn't really feel like talking about any of this to the guy who was now in all probability sleeping with his first love.

He sat up at the sudden sharp knock on his door and quickly strengthened the shields around his mind, figuring Harry had somehow picked up on his thoughts and was now coming to hash things out. Taking a deep breath in preparation, he got up and went to the door ready to tell whoever it was to go away... but when he opened it, no one was there.

"Boo!" Jacey's head suddenly appeared out of nowhere as she laughed heartily at his reaction. Fully pulling off the invisibility cloak, she walked right past him into his room and turned to him with a dazzling smile. "Are you not glad to see me?"

"I'll let you know as soon as I get my heart going again." He closed the door and faced her nervously. "What are you doing back here?"

"Turns out my business does not take me as far from the castle as I had thought. I was having the opportunity to come see you tonight and so I took it." She answered, suddenly having trouble meeting his gaze. "Harry has told me what happened with Parvati and that you are sad. I am so sorry about this."

"It's not your fault." Ron sighed, slightly upset to discover that Harry had sent her to see him.

She walked over and took his hand. "It could be though... there is something I should tell you about."

"I don't want to hear it." He quickly shook his head and squeezed her hand. "I've been over it and over it in my head for the last two days, Parvati's parents arrived today and are staying in the castle until we find her... it's already too much right now. I don't want to know anymore unless you can tell me exactly where she is."

"I cannot." She said sadly.

"Then I don't want to know. You're here, that's enough."

"Is it?" Jacey smiled and Ron felt himself blush.

"Well, uh... I mean, um..."

She laughed and put her finger to his lips, silencing his attempt to explain. Then she smiled coyly, staring into his eyes before leaning in to lightly brush her lips against his. "Perfect." She whispered as she leaned back with her eyes closed and a soft smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Am I dreaming?" He asked breathlessly, unable to believe what was taking place.

"'I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was.'" She whispered, quoting Shakespeare.

Feeling confident, Ron leaned in and fully captured her lips. His boldness was instantly rewarded as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to press herself against him. And then the carpet was ripped out from under him as she pulled away, ending the best thing he'd ever begun to experience.

"I can not stay." She said, looking away almost guiltily while hugging her arms around herself. "I just wanted to tell you, to let you know that I am not forgetting you."

Recalling that Parvati was still missing, Ron began to feel rather guilty himself for indulging in such brash behavior. "Trust me, I can't forget about you either." He said, picking up the cloak and handing it to her.

Her hand lingered over his as she took it from him. "Just remember, if you are needing to talk to someone, I am not far... If you call out to me-" She reached out and tapped her finger against his forehead before ruffling his hair. "-I will most likely hear you and if I do, I promise I will answer."

"But you can't stay tonight?" He asked, both hoping and fearing she would agree to stay.

Jacey shook her head. "It would not be wise I think." She flung the cloak around herself so that only her head remained visible. "Until next time, I hope you think well of me."

"That's the only way I think of you." He smiled, opening the door so she could walk through. Once in the hallway she pulled up the hood and once more disappeared out of his life... But this time she'd left him with the promise of a way to reach her at any time he wanted, though he wondered if she was aware that he wanted her around all the time.

(BREAK)

"I feel like the worst guardian ever." Lupin sighed as he led the way through the woods. "I mean I've been legally bound to ensure your well-being-" He turned to look at Draco, "-and Harry your parents are counting on me to help look after you, yet here we all are on a midnight stroll through the Forbidden Forest to dispose of a body... I can't keep James and Lily from finding out obviously, but not a word of this gets back to Tonks, got it?" He asked very seriously.

Draco shared an amused grin with Potter as both boys agreed to keep Tonks in the dark. Lupin led them deep into the woods, letting the boys handle the task of floating Tristan along as the man had claimed it to be their mess to clean up, he was simply there to see that they did it right. The corpse was hidden under Draco's invisibility cloak as Potter had leant his to Jacey, but the further they went, the more difficulty they were having in maintaining the spell to keep it in the air. "Haven't we gone far enough?" He asked, not wanting to have to actually carry Tristan's body.

"I suppose we have. No one should be able to see the fire from here." Lupin replied, stopping their progress. "Besides, there's a big Ash Tree right over there."

Letting the corpse drop to the ground, he went with Potter to help gather enough wood for the task ahead of them. While they did that, Lupin began making a ring of stones around Tristan, instructing the boys to cover the vampire completely with the wood. When they were finished, Draco wiped the sweat from his brow and removed his coat despite the frigid temperature.

"Now we light it?" Potter asked grimly.

"Actually, there's something else that comes first... It's pretty gruesome so I think I'll handle this." Lupin replied unhappily, looking as if whatever he was about to do was the last thing on earth he wanted to be a part of.

Both boys watched with a sort of twisted fascination as he bent down and moved the sticks away from Tristan's head and pulled the vampire's mouth open while ignoring the jagged pieces of wood still sticking out of his eyes. Picking up one of the pieces of Ash next to him, Lupin turned away before solidly jamming it down Tristan's throat. "We have to be sure to get the fire down inside him too." He said, quickly covering the head back up. "And now we light it."

All three pointed their wands and stepped back as the pile of wood exploded within the stone circle. This was the last phase of their dark deed and Draco was glad that Ginny had chosen to follow Luna's lead and stay behind. He didn't even really want to be a witness to this, it was better that one of them have the piece of mind to never have to relive this moment. Tristan's skin seemed to sizzle and almost scream as the Ash wood burned down. Lupin had of course been right about how the wood would weaken the vampire's natural defenses... but they stayed until there was nothing before them but a glowing pile of embers, just to be sure.

(BREAK)

Fred woke up to his mother pounding on his door. Groaning in displeasure, he buried his head under the pillow and willed her to go away... unfortunately no one's will was as strong as Molly's. "Come on Fred, get up!" She called as she continued to bang away on the door.

With a loud grunt he threw his pillow away and unwillingly got out of bed. Flinging open the door, he regarded his mother warily. "What?" He demanded, too tired to care about being rude.

"And a good morning to you too, though it's nearly lunch time." She returned. "You really should get to bed earlier dear."

"I'll work on that." He said sarcastically as he rubbed his face and yawned. In all honesty, he never would have fallen asleep if his body hadn't just given up and passed out on him sometime in the early morning hours. But since he had gone to sleep, he was irritated with her for ruining it. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Something Lee wanted actually." She replied huffily, thrusting an envelope at him. "A ministry guard showed up with this for you a few minutes ago. Said Lee needs you at the shop. The guard is still down there, waiting to take you."

"Okay, I'll be right down." He promised, suddenly wide awake as a wave of nervous nausea washed over him. Closing the door on her, he tore open the envelope but the note inside wasn't helpful- it was simply a request that he come to the store as soon as possible. That wasn't like Lee at all, if there was a problem he wasn't afraid to complain about it in full detail.

Throwing the useless note aside, he rushed to get dressed and brush his teeth, simply running his fingers through his hair as he hurried down the stairs. Grabbing his coat and kissing his mother goodbye, he left the house and climbed into the waiting ministry car. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to just apparate from the backseat to the store, but not knowing what awaited him he knew it was better to arrive with an actual Auror.

They parked outside the Leaky Cauldron and hurried through to Diagon Alley, trying to rush without being noticeable as they made their way to the store. Fred was surprised to find it closed up, with the shades drawn and the front door locked. "Hey, come in there with me, okay?" Fred asked the guard, pulling out both his wand and his keys.

"What do you think is going on?" He asked as he took out his own wand.

"I don't know, but it's not good." Fred unlocked the door and let the other man go in ahead of him. Fear tingled along his nerves as he followed, but the showroom was empty and nothing seemed out of place. "Lee?" He called out nervously.

"Maybe the office?" The guard suggested tensely, heading down the hallway and opening the door. "Hey! He's in here!"

He rushed over, entering the office to find Lee spread out on the floor and bleeding from a wound on his head. Kneeling beside him, Fred was able to see that his friend was still breathing. "He's alive." He assured the guard who was busy searching the closet for enemies.

"Okay, apply pressure to his wound." The man replied, moving to the door. "I'll call for backup."

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that." Elanya appeared suddenly from the hallway and before either could react, she drew her wand and cursed the man to death. "Hello Fred." She turned her wand on him as he pointed his at her.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, trying his best to ignore the now dead man laying a few feet away. "And what did you do to Lee?"

"I never was very good at the Imperious curse, and he fought against it the whole time." She shook her head regretfully. "I mean I got him to write the note and hand it off, but he finally broke free of my influence. I certainly didn't want to kill one of your friends but I had to shut him up somehow. Don't worry, it's just a nasty bump on the head."

"You had no qualms about killing that innocent man." He pointed out, still not looking at the fallen guard.

She shrugged. "Neither of us knew him, what does it matter as long as he's out of the way?"

"You're a very cold person."

"Perhaps." She shrugged again. "Perhaps I just need to find the right positive influence."

"And perhaps you're just bat shit crazy." He replied meanly, wanting to leave her in no doubt as to his opinion of her.

"You could be right... time will tell." She smiled coyly. "Don't worry, someone will come along to clean up my mess after we leave. Come on, I'm only giving us an hour."

"Come on where? And an hour to do what?" He scrambled to his feet and stood protectively in front of Lee.

"We're going to your vault in the bank and then I'm giving us a limit of one hour to shop for all the clothes and supplies we'll need to disappear... and then we'll disappear." She laughed.

"Today?!" He asked in a panic. "But... but you said Friday... and Willem isn't here." He argued, desperate for the extra two days she'd promised.

"I see, you want me to play by the rules while you run around breaking them? Thanks to you, Willem can no longer be a part of this..." Elanya scolded. "You didn't play the game right."

"What are you talking about? What rule did I break?" He asked desperately.

"You told people about all of this... you involved Hermione Granger and so now the rules have changed. We are leaving today Fred and you will play the game correctly from now on or she will serve the penalty."

"If she knows what you're up to, then she'll certainly be on guard for you or your spy." He spat out, hating how helpless and angry he felt.

"Everyone must sleep sometime." She sneered.

"Meaning?"

"I'm sure Harry and Luna informed you of the trip to Azkaban and I'm sure they told you that they know it was Sarah working through Cho... All Sarah needs is a location and an unconscious vessel that she could make do anything at all, from hurting someone else to taking a walk off the top of the highest tower at Hogwarts. It doesn't matter how guarded Hermione Granger is, she can't stay awake forever."

Fred glared at her as his brain worked overtime trying to figure a way out of this, or at best, a way to warn Hermione and perhaps have Luna or Harry try to help protect her mind while she slept. Feeling the weight of the compact in his pocket, he wondered how long it would be until he could find the time to use it.

"I'll take your silence as begrudging acceptance." Elanya said, offering him a falsely sweet smile. "And before you get those wheels turning too fast, I won't be giving you the opportunity to warn your little girlfriend or your special friends about any of this. We've thought of everything and neither Harry nor Luna will be given the chance to help." It was almost as if she could read his mind though he knew that wasn't the case, she was simply being thorough in explaining the hopelessness of his situation. Using extreme will, Fred was able to keep from reaching in his pocket and grabbing the compact to gain a sense of comfort. Instead he used the fact that Luna was already helping and could therefore involve Harry to calm himself.

"Okay." He finally broke his silence. "You got me, I admit it. Let's go."

Elanya regarded him suspiciously. "Just like that? I expected a little more resistance."

"What more do you want?" He cried, throwing his arms out in frustration. "You win! You've beaten all the fight out of me! What am I supposed to do? One wrong move on my part and it means something bad for Ron or Ginny or Hermione... so okay, I agree to the terms. Let's just go already!"

"Give me your wand." She demanded, holding out her hand. In the only small act of defiance he could manage, Fred threw it at her feet instead. She smirked with amusement as she bent to retrieve it, putting both wands in her purse. "There's just one more thing." She pulled out a strange looking device with tons of lights and gauges.

"What is that thing?" He asked as she approached him.

"Just relax and stand still." She ordered, waving the thing over him from his head to his feet. It suddenly started lighting up and beeping like crazy as she moved it over his pocket. "You have a communication device." She grinned.

"No I don't." He lied unconvincingly, even in his own ears.

Elanya nodded. "Put it on the desk."

Fred hesitated. The compact was the only reason he'd so readily agreed to go with her, figuring he'd be able to use it at some point and alert the others to his predicament.

"Come on, you don't want to start breaking rules already, do you?" She taunted.

She really had won, without giving him a way to warn Hermione, Ron and Ginny, she had his complete obedience and she knew it. Reluctantly he pulled the compact from his pocket and placed it on the desk. Elanya picked up the glass paperweight, leaving Fred to watch as she smashed the compact into pieces. "That's seven years bad luck." He said numbly.

"Really? Because I feel my luck is starting to change for the better." She laughed as she brushed the pieces to the floor and stepped on them for good measure. "There was no way you were walking out of here with that anyway. I told you, we thought of everything."

　

　

NOTE: Uh oh... now what's Fred going to do? Stay tuned for more chapters to find out...
Chapter 50: Searching for the Lost

A/N: Well, so much for my hope to have the characters out of Hogwarts by chapter 50 J So much to deal with here so go ahead, Read, Review and Enjoy!

　

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THE END