ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ʙᴜᴛ ʙʀᴀᴠᴇ ↠HP/GW ✔

Chapter Fifteen

Story: Broken But Brave
Chapter Fifteen: Formulating Plans/Ron Weasley on the Case!

⚠Mature for light depictions of blood. Read at your own risk.⚠

Hermione and Ginny apparated to a dark alcove near Linsay's Café. The overcast weather striked perfectly with Ginny's dark mood as the two girls walked into the cafe. They looked around and found a familiar red head waving at them. Hermione smiled and dragged Ginny to where he was sitting.

Ron was sitting by the end of the café, near the wall so that they would not get noticed. Ron looked really grim but as soon as he saw his sister, his face lightened up and adorned with a smile. However, it did not last. Wondering why, Hermione placed an order of three cappuccinos for them. As they waited for the cappuccinos, Ron and Ginny chatted for a little while about family. As soon as their order arrived, Hermione discreetly placed a notice-me-not charm around them.

"Alright. I hate to break this sibling's heart-to-heart but I have to because my sibling is in danger," Hermione said bluntly, causing Ginny to jump slightly and look at her.

"Danger? What danger? Is he alright?!" Ginny panicked. Hermione shook her head.

"Ginny, once again I hate to say this but your fight pushed him to the edge of his depression."

"D-depression?"

"Yes, sis. Harry had this muggle disease after the war. Guess he hid it from you?" Ron asked. Ginny frowned. Ron sighed. "He kept it from us too but well. . .Hermione here found it. It turned out that he had some other disease thing too. . .what was it called, Hermione?" Ron asked to the brunette now.

"PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," Hermione abbreviated. Ginny gasped.

"I knew that he had PTSD but then. . ."

"That's fine. He just bottles up everything. Nevertheless, the main thing here is still there on the agenda. Ron, did you find anything?" Hermione asked. Ron nodded, a grave expression on his face. He reached into his pockets and took out a polythene transparent bag which contained a small dagger. Red fluid was all over it. Hermione and Ginny gave out identical gasps.

"I found this in his bedroom. Surely no one would have been able to murder him and given his broken state. . ." Ron let his sentence hang in the air as the two girls tried to process what Ron implied.

"NO! He couldn't! He wouldn't!" Ginny shouted. "Where is he?!" she asked tentatively.

"I am as clueless as you are, Ginny. I searched his full flat and even his entire apartment complex. Asked a few neighbors too but none knew of his whereabouts. A teen saw him walking furiously to his house and slamming the door shut just half past eight in the morning. Ever since, no one has seen him."

"That was exactly when we fought!" Ginny said, her eyes were shining with water - tears of guilt, anxiety and sadness.

"Fought? You met him? Where?" Ron asked. Hermione explained everything in detail as their cups of cappuccino lay forgotten on the linen clothed table. Ginny refused to look up from her lap during the entire explanation. Ron's mouth opened and closed like a fish several times during this short period of explanation.

"We need to find him soon! We don't know where he is, Ron!" Hermione panicked.

"I will send aurors on search groups. Various places, Wizarding and muggle alike but we need to split up as well. Hermione, search all the locations where we stayed during the horcrux hunt. Ginny, where do you think he would go? Any place where you both go together?" Ron ordered Hermione and asked his sister. Ginny nodded lowly.

"Well, there are three. Potter Manor, Godric's Hollow and Grimmauld Place."

"I thought you sold them," Hermione said. Ginny shook her head.

"No, Harry holds all three of them close to his heart. Maybe not Grimmauld Place like that but still, it is a remainder of his godfather, Sirius Black. That's why I didn't sell them for philanthropy," Ginny answered. The pair nodded.

"Okay, Ginny, search those three places in and out. I will let the aurors search and join you myself," Ron ordered. The duo nodded. "Meet me here, with or without Harry at one in the morning. Pretty sure this is going to take up the whole day. It's already ten to one in the afternoon so we have exactly twelve hours and err some number of minutes to search," Ron said. Hermione rolled her eyes but nodded. Ginny nodded too and left the Café after paying for her cappuccino which was still full.

"Ron, I'm afraid if we are late. . ." Hermione said after Ginny left the Café. She looked extremely worried and Ron did not like this.

"Me too, Hermione but that is not going to stop me from not searching for him. Know one thing, Hermione?" Ron asked. Hermione shook her head no. "He's my best friend and I know him. He's broken but brave. He will not let himself down that soon. We will find him. Did you see that determined glint in her eyes? It was there because of her Gryffindor bravery. The trait we value the most. I will find him even if it's the last thing I do," Hermione smiled and kissed him softly before pulling away. "Love you, Hermione."

"Love you too, Ron."

With that exchanged the pair split up to search for their best friend. Ron was right, Hermione thought. Harry was a brave man. Even Dumbledore said that but what worried Hermione the most was that Harry was reckless and selfless. He would put others' needs in front of his if it got down to that. Hermione shuddered of the what if question which passed through her brain. What if Harry thought that Ginny would be sad until and unless he disappeared out of her sight. . .? Hermione shook her head out of such negative thoughts and forced herself to concentrate for her best friends.

Short chapter. Sorry about that! Couldn't find time with loads of assignments. I hope you liked it! A bit of Romione sprinkled in tehe.

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x