It was 2:00 am on Sunday morning. St Mungo's had found beds for Arthur and Molly and they were trying to get some sleep. The rest of the Weasleys had returned to their homes, promising to come in again early in the morning. Only Harry and Hermione were still with Ginny and Ron. Their condition had stabilised but was still critical.

It was quiet in the room. Occasionally a mediwitch would come in, run some tests with a swish of her wand then quietly disappear. From time to time either Harry or Hermione would drop off to sleep only to wake a little while later.

Harry chuckled to himself.

"What's funny, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"I was thinking about that article in Revelio." He had been incensed about it earlier. Revelio was a daily gossip sheet of the worst kind. They had published the picture taken yesterday morning of Harry hugging Hermione in the hospital ward. The accompanying article more than hinted that they were having an affair even while their spouses lay stricken.

"What's funny about that?"

"I was thinking of how many times over the years the papers have tried to marry us off or suggest we were lovers. They never seem to tire of it."

"Rita Skeeter was the first, wasn't she, back when we were in fourth year at Hogwarts?"

"Can you imagine what it would have been like if we actually did get married?"

Hermione laughed. "We'd both be neurotic wrecks by now. We're both too driven and too focused. We would have become obsessed with some narrow cause and burnt ourselves out. Ron keeps me grounded and gives me a sense of proportion. Ginny does the same for you."

"You and Ron still argue a fair bit."

"Nowhere near as much as we did before we came to our senses and got together. The thing is, Harry, most of the time if Ron and I argue, it's because he thinks I'm doing something that will hurt me or I think he's doing something that will be bad for him. We are fighting for each other, not against each other."

"Well, at least the sex would have been good if we got married," said Harry jokingly.

Hermione laughed. "You don't half have tickets on yourself, do you Mr Potter. I'm not as easily pleased as Ginny. I need a warm funny man with strong arms and gorgeous flaming red hair. Besides, sex with my brother, Yuk."

"I'm warm!"

"Only when you get out of the bath. Face it Harry, you're like me. We're either hot or cold. We don't do warm."

Harry gave a half laugh. "Well, I can agree about the red hair. It is a bit of a turn on. We really got lucky, you know, Hermione. We're like two lonely and uptight kids who got absorbed into the messiest and most loving family in England."

The two friends smiled, momentarily happy, but then they remembered where they were and sadness and fear returned.

A bright light appeared, hovering in the air near the foot of Ginny's bed and rapidly grew into the form of a shimmery mongoose. Neville's Patronus had the habit of standing erect on its hind legs and looking straight at you when he spoke through it, giving the unnerving impression of a talking animal. This time Harry didn't care.

"We've located Abner Skoog. He's staying at a house in Clapham Common. We're planning to raid the house in half an hour. Assembly point corner of Hill and Stormont." Neville's Patronus faded away.

Harry looked apologetically at Hermione.

"Go, Harry. Go and catch the monster. I'll let you know if anything changes."

Harry reached out and gently brushed Hermione's cheek and then Disapparated.

It took Harry's eyes several seconds to adjust to the semi darkness. The nearest streetlight was out and the moon, though three quarters full, was behind clouds. The scene that emerged was of quiet, determined activity. Ten Aurors were methodically, though briskly, preparing to assault a house that was around the corner from their current position, careful not to make any unnecessary noise or cause any stray flashes of light.

"Auror Potter, I thought I made it clear you were not to be in the field," said Adam Gristlewaite who now, somehow, was standing right in front of Harry.

"Ginny may not last out the day if we don't get this bastard. Where else should I be?"

Gristlewaite grimaced, he looked tired. "You are not to take part in the arrest. If you must stay, make yourself useful and grab one of those brooms. You can act as perimeter guard."

"Perimeter guard? But---"

"It's that or go, Harry." Gristlewaite turned on his heels and walked away.

It was standard arrest procedure, especially in urban environments, for one Auror to ride high on a broom above the scene for the unlikely event that the target had prepared some means of escape, perhaps a tunnel, that would enable them to evade the enclosing ring of Aurors. The Aurors always laid down an anti-Disapparition field, closing off that means of escape. The job of perimeter guard was regarded as a doddle, a sideshow. Harry was chaffing to get his hands on the culprit. He wanted to extract all the information he could and then wring the bastard's neck. Muttering to himself, he grabbed a broom from the supply pile and shot into the air. At least he would have a good view.

Harry watched the Aurors move into position. The target house was one of seven, all of identical design, jammed together in a row. Stealthily, an Auror entered each of the two adjoining houses while another two moved into position at the rear of the target house, which opened onto a small lane. A dim red flash appeared above the building, the go signal. Immediately two Aurors flew through the front upper window which moments before had shattered in a spray of glass. Four Aurors rushed through the front door.

Harry could see the house slowly light up, but could hear nothing. Harry was distracted by the sound of an electric motor further down the road. A garage door had partially opened and Harry caught a glimpse of a figure with long blond hair fly through the narrow opening and shoot skyward.

Harry had no time to waste. If Skoog got out of range of the anti-Disapparition field he could escape anywhere. He had to get within 200 meters of Skoog so that the field surrounding his broom could stop the dark wizard Disapparating. Fortunately he had an initial altitude advantage and Harry used that to close the distance. Skoog hadn't noticed him yet and was flying straight. Harry was gaining on him but he wanted to get a little closer before trying to hit him with a spell.

Suddenly, Skoog jerked left and shot higher. The manoeuvre cost him ground, but he now knew Harry was there. He fired a Stunning Spell at Harry and commenced a series of random zigzags. The spell went way wide, buy Skoog's irregular flying meant Harry couldn't hit him in return. He concentrated on closing the gap.

Skoog wasn't interested in letting Harry get closer. He went into a sharp spiral dive and Harry followed. He was gaining on Skoog but not as quickly as the ground was rushing towards them. It seemed they would both crash but Harry wasn't going to let Skoog out of his sight, not when Ginny's life was at stake. At the last possible second Skoog pulled out of the dive and shot back into the air. He got so low that the straws of his broom brushed the street surface. Harry didn't have time to admire the move, he was too busy avoiding a collision with a parked London bus. He almost cleared it but his foot hit the side at high speed, sending a jolt of pain through his body. He put the pain out of mind and concentrated on gaining altitude. He was frantically searching for Skoog and soon spotted him diving toward Harry, firing spell after spell. Harry executed a rapid series of sidestepping manoeuvres but it wasn't enough. A Stunning Spell glanced his shoulder paralysing his left arm.

Skoog had converted the momentum of his dive into horizontal speed and was now trying to make his escape. Harry chased after him. He was gaining, but far too slowly. The paralysis was spreading through his body and very soon he would be unable to use his wand. He would tumble from his broom to his death. If only he had Ginny's Firebolt Supreme he'd make short work of the chase, but he didn't and he was going to lose Skoog and Ginny. Without allowing himself to think how crazy it was, he turned off the anti-Disapparition field surrounding his broom and apparated to a point in mid-air, a hundred metres in front of Skoog. By the time he had twisted around Skoog was right on top of him and Harry hit him point blank with a full body binding curse.

They were both tumbling through the air, the ground once again rushing towards them. He summoned his broom using an Accio spell and managed to climb onto it one handed. He dived towards Skoog who was now only meters from the ground. He flashed his wand shouting mollis superficio. It was the cushioning spell that Hermione had used to save them at Gringotts six years earlier. Skoog landed softly still in a full body bind.

Harry landed but couldn't stand. He fell beside Skoog. With his last remaining strength he sent his Patronus to Gristlewaite. Then he blanked out, the paralysis spreading ever closed to his heart.

oOo

"Maybe we are dead, maybe this is what happens when you die; you just slowly lose your memories until you just fade away," said Ginny.

"That's just too depressing to be true. In any case wouldn't you lose your least important memories first, holding onto the strongest ones till the very end?"

"Who knows, I've never been dead before. I don't feel dead, though, I feel very much alive."

They sat quietly for a while. Finally Ginny spoke. "You know, those walls, the ones that we can't get close to, they remind me a bit of St Mungo's"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," replied Ron. "You know that sorta makes sense."

"Why?"

"I think we've been attacked, some kind of spell that attacks memories. We'd be in St Mungo's wouldn't we, maybe unconscious. This is some sort of dream world where our spirits can communicate,"

"That's crazy."

"Any crazier than this," replied Ron waving at their surroundings. "Any crazier than forgetting you're pregnant and married to the most famous wizard in England."

"If we've been attacked we have to fight back."

"I agree, but how?" replied Ron.

Ginny was thoughtful. "You know, if you're right, they made a mistake attacking us together."

"How so?"

"Well I can fill you in on a lot of things that you have forgotten and you can do the same for me. That's how we can fight back."

Ron was suddenly animated. "Good idea," he said, then he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, little sister, you used to have to hide your love life from me because I got all bolshy and protective. It's going to feel funny telling you all about it instead." Ginny stared at him then, she too, started laughing.

Brother and sister started fighting back.

oOo

Harry woke in the emergency clinic at Auror HQ. Madame Metrodora was standing over him.

"Well, Mr Potter, another lucky escape. That was no ordinary Stunning Spell you were hit with. Another five minutes it would have spread to your heart, stopping it forever."

"Did they get the Skoog? Have they gotten anything from him?" Harry tried to sit up but Madame Metrodora pushed him back down. You have to rest, Harry, at least for another hour, otherwise that curse will reactivate and you will die."

"How can I rest here while my wife and best friend lie dying?"

"There in good hands. The prisoner is being interrogated and anything useful we learn will be rushed to St Mungo's. The best thing you can do for everyone is rest."

"Could you at least transfer me to St Mungo's so I can be in the same room as Ginny?"

Five minutes later the door to Ginny and Ron's room opened and Harry, in a wheelchair, was pushed in. Hermione rushed to him.

"I'm fine, Hermione, I'm just not allowed to stand up for the next hour. How are Ginny and Ron?" said Harry, forestalling any questions from Hermione.

"They've stabilised in the last hour, thank God. I think Ron's cheeks have filled out a little too, but maybe that's wishful thinking. Their apparent body mass is still hovering around 65%"

"Push me over closer to Ginny will you Hermione," said Harry. He then explained to Hermione and to Molly and Arthur, who had returned to the room, what that had happened, leaving out the detail of his mid-air leap.

"Thank Merlin you are safe, Harry", said Arthur. Molly gave him a hug and then returned her attention to her stricken children.

Silence settled over the room, interrupted sometime later by a knock on the door.

"Who knocks in a hospital?" asked Harry.

"And at 5:00am?" added Hermione as she rose to open the door.

"Luna, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Scandinavia," said Hermione.

"I got this sudden urge two days ago to return to England. I arrived a couple of hours ago only to find out that Ron and Ginny were very ill. I also learnt that you and Harry had become lovers again which is a little strange given the circumstances, don't you think, Hermione?"

"Yes, Luna, it would be very strange if it were true, but it isn't."

"That's good to know." Luna smiled at Hermione. She walked towards Ginny's bed and promptly collapsed. She recovered, pulled herself into an empty chair and pushed back a little from Ginny's bed. She was as pale as a fresh sheet of white parchment.

"Are you OK, Luna?" asked Harry.

"There's a dreadful force at work here. It's sucking them away."

Hermione gasped. "Stop it, Luna, I'm frightened enough as it is"

"They've been hit with a nasty spell," said Harry. "We've caught the wizard who did it. We should find out soon what he did and how to fix it".

Luna shook her head. "He's not responsible, Harry. This thing is not of this world, it's coming from another plane."

"That ridiculous, Luna, there are no 'other planes'," said Hermione.

"Of course there are Hermione, everyone knows, for example that tree sprites live half in this plane and half in the monadic plane. They can only live in special types of trees such as oak that can act as a portal between the two planes. If the tree dies the sprite is split in two and dies as well."

"That just a myth," said Hermione.

Luna looked at Hermione with sad eyes. "Someone who has hunted the Hallows and ridden on dragon back should know better," she said gently.

Hermione said nothing.

Luna took out her wand and held it by the tip. She closed her eyes and swayed slowly from side to side, her lips framing a silent spell. Her long blond hair took on an ethereal glow that bathed her soft face and then her arms and then her whole body, eliminating all imperfections and for one brief moment she was the very idea of beauty. Then the glow faded and Luna opened her eyes.

"I think maybe there has been a disturbance in the Numenosphere."

"The Numenosphere?" queried Harry.

"Yes, some people call it the creative plane, but that isn't quite right. I wrote an article on it for the Quibbler two years back at Father's suggestion. The ancient wizards first described it over two thousand years ago. Every object and every being in our plane, the plane of reality, starts out as an idea in the Numenosphere. Once it manifests in our plane, in other words when it becomes real, it takes on a life of its own, but remains connected to the original idea."

Hermione snorted.

"What's this got to do with Ginny and Ron?" asked Molly, frowning.

"Each person starts as an idea in the Numenosphere also. There's the idea of Luna, there's the idea of Ron, and of Ginny. Once we are alive in this plane we grow and make connections and add layers of experience and even change a little. We take on a life of our own, but what we become must still be consistent with the original idea. I couldn't become a boy, or a Muggle or even be devious. It's just not consistent the idea of Luna."

"I still don't see what this has got to do with Ginny and Ron," said Molly shuffling in her chair.

"I sense that some force in the Numenosphere has altered the idea of Ron and the idea of Ginny. It's like they are characters in a book and the author has re written them as something essentially different."

"We are not characters in a book!" said Hermione leaping to her feet and glaring at Luna, her nostrils flaring.

"Of course not, Hermione. It's just an analogy. The point is something has changed the idea of Ron, of Ginny at a fundamental level and everything that is incompatible with the new idea is being sucked out of them, including all the associated life experiences. I can't see how they can survive that."

Hermione was staring wide-eyed at Luna, shaking her head, "You have to be wrong, Luna, you have to be."

"I don't think so, Hermione, but I wish I were. It won't stop with Ron and Ginny either. We are all connected. We have all shared so many experiences together. I think you and Harry will be next. Then it will spread. We might survive, but we won't be us anymore. It is very sad."

Harry, too, was shaking his head. "I still think we are dealing with a curse and we will find out its nature very soon, but, Luna, if what you are saying is true, what do we do?"

"I don't think there is anything we can do, Harry. We can't effect the Numenosphere."

"I can't accept that."

"Things are true whether you accept them or not, Harry."

It was at that moment that Neville entered the room. He looked like he was only still standing by an act of will.

"What news, Neville? What spell did he use?" asked Harry.

"I'm sorry Harry, he didn't do it. We interrogated him using Veritaserum, he's not responsible."

"Maybe his immune to Veritaserum."

"No, Harry, he told us all sorts of things he would never want us to know. It's as a damn good thing we got him too. He's a real bad piece of work. He was planning to kidnap Bill and Fleur's little Victoire and use her as bait to lure the Weasleys into a lethal trap. It was a good plan too and well advanced, it could easily have worked, but Harry he isn't responsible for what has happened to Ginny and Ron, I'm sorry."

Harry stared hard at Neville, then stood up and left the room. When he returned ten minutes later it was with Healer Aradia Liland. She checked both patients

"Well, they are both better than they were half an hour ago. Their weight is now back to 70%," she reported with a half-smile, but then she added "I don't want to give false hope; their condition is still critical. It's not unusual for patients to show signs of recovery only to, well…"

"But they are getting better, aren't they though, Aradia?" asked Hermione.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley, but if we can't get them back over 85% I cannot see them lasting out the day. We still don't know what we are dealing with. I'm sorry."

"Luna, tell Healer Liland your theory about the Numenosphere," said Harry.

After Luna had repeated her explanation, Aradia responded, "It's an old theory, not completely discarded, but not given much credence these days. During the middle ages, Healers used to blame 'disturbances in the Numenosphere' for all sorts of maladies for which we now know the real cause. They even used the idea to explain people who had simply gone missing."

"Do you think there's anything to it?" asked Harry, pushing for an answer.

"I don't know, this is more in the realm of metaphysics than magic or medicine. I do know one thing, the Ancient Healers did believe you could influence the Numenosphere. They thought you could fight disturbances in the Numenosphere' by emphasising the patient as ' manifest in the real world'."

"Huh?"

"Basically they recommended the patient's loved ones talk to them and keep on talking to them, reminding them who they are, reminding them of their ties to this world, trying to pull them back to it, asserting the dominance of reality over the abstract idea. Frankly, that wouldn't be a bad plan of action. No matter what we are dealing with, it couldn't hurt and it just might help. If you can reach their unconscious you just might give them the strength and the will to fight whatever it is that has attacked them."

And that is what they did. Throughout the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon the family took turns talking to Ron and Ginny.

oOo

"Ron, do you think those walls are getting a little closer?" asked Ginny.

"I don't know, yeah, maybe. Maybe the walls will let us approach a little closer if we try."

"I can hear voices, Ron."

"Yeah, so can I."

oOo

They had been at it for hours.

George talked to Ginny about when they were young and the pranks they used to play on Ron. When Harry wasn't in earshot, he laughed about the big 'surprise' that they had hatched together for Harry's next birthday. He talked to Ron about the shop and how Ron was wasting his talents on the Aurors and how he should come back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He talked to Ron about Fred and he shared how much all the support Ron had given him at the time of Fred's death meant to him.

In the end it became too much for George. He became agitated and raised his voice. "You have no business leaving us little brother, none whatsoever you hear, and taking our little sister with you, that's just wrong, damn you, just wrong."

Arthur put his arm around his son, calmed him down and then, gently, took over talking to Ron.

They all had a go. Fleur talked to Ginny about Victoire and little Dominique and the joys of motherhood. Robert Granger talked to Ron about their first chess game and chided Ron for getting him interested in such a bunch of losers as the Chudley Canons. Then he talked about Hermione. "We both love the same woman, Ron. She's wonderful, isn't she? Well she's always been that, but she hasn't always been happy. You've made her happy, very happy and I'll always be grateful for that. Thing is, son, you have to stick around. Hermione isn't going to be happy if you go, well that's an understatement. You're a fighter, Ron, and you have always fought for Hermione. That's what you have to do now, fight. Fight!"

At first they were encouraged. After the first two hours both Ginny and Ron had visibly improved. Ginny's face had regained some colour and Ron's had lost some of that hollow look. Their apparent weight had risen to 75%. But then, as hour followed hour, there was no further improvement. In the last hour, first Ginny and then Ron had begun to deteriorate. They could see in the eyes of the Healers that they thought the end was fast approaching, but they didn't give up. The Weasleys had seen dark times before and they didn't give up. They weren't going to give up now.

oOo

"I'm so tired, Ron, so very tired," said Ginny. "I need to lie down for a bit."

"I think if we lie down, Ginny, we'll never get up again, if we sleep, we will never wake."

Ginny looked searchingly into her brother's eyes and then she nodded.

They pressed on.

oOo

Hermione was exhausted. She'd only had three fitful hours of sleep in the last day and a half, her emotions churning all that time. She couldn't stop and rest, though, Ron was depending on her. She started talking to Ron once again.

"Hi, Ron, it's your wife Hermione here. I don't know where you are, or what's happening to you or if you can even hear me but if you can hear me then I need you to listen to me, I need you to come home to me."

"Do you remember when we were at school, in third year, and a large black dog dragged you into a tunnel under the whomping willow. I followed you down the hole to rescue you. I'd follow you down this hole too, my love, if I could. I'd rescue you if I could, but I can't so I need you to come to me."

"I need you to come back to me, Ron, like you did in my darkest hour, when I needed you the most, when Harry and I both needed you the most. You followed my voice then Ron, follow it again, follow it back to me, follow it back to the woman who loves you more than life."

"You promised me you would never abandon me again, Ron. Do you remember that? You better remember it and you better fulfil that promise because I'm going to get very angry if you don't, and you know what I'm like when I'm angry, so you better come back to me. I'm holding you to your vows, Ron, all of them"

Hermione slumped in her chair, trying again to control her emotions, to regain the composure she needed to carry on.

"Did I ever tell you about my most cherished treasure, Ron? I think I did, I remember telling you after we had a big fight many years ago. Well it's no secret. My most cherished treasure is the knowledge that you love me - me. I take it into my daily battles, I carry it in my heart and I can say to my foes 'you can't hurt me, I am loved'. I can say 'you can't put me down, I am loved'. I can say ' you cannot make me feel small, I am loved and cherished'."

"I am loved by a man whose is warm and courageous and funny and strong and loyal and who isn't afraid to challenge me when he thinks I'm wrong or to support me when the world thinks I'm wrong and who I can love with all my heart and who cherishes my love. I love you Ron, I love you with everything I am. Please, please come back to me."

Hermione couldn't continue. She rested her head on Ron's chest. She had no more tears left to cry, but her whole upper body shook. She felt a hand rest gently on her back, giving her comfort and then she heard the croaky words, "is that you Hermione, is that really you?"

She jerked up her head and found herself looking straight into Ron's open eyes. His smile grew wide and he just got out the words "it really is you," before Hermione closed his mouth with her kisses.

"You've come back to me Ron, you've come back."

"I always do, my love." He pulled Hermione into a hug, though his arms were yet weak. He held her for a long time. He then looked across the room and saw Ginny sitting up in bed, talking animatedly with Harry. Ginny turned to him and her smile got even larger. She nodded to him, her eyes twinkling, and then she turned back to Harry.

oOo

It was two days later. Hermione woke to see Ron, lying at her side, smiling at her

"Are you really, truly my wife Hermione?" asked Ron

She looked at him curiously and then answered, "Of course, silly, what else could I ever be?"

The End

oOo