Dissociation

In the morning, Harry suggested that Viktor use the Invisibility Cloak during Ron's questioning before the shard was removed.

"If he doesn't see you, he might stay calmer. Trust me on this, Vik. You were the focus for his rages even before the shard was in his arm."

"I vill use it. Thank you. I vant to bring Nin out of hospital today. Is best I stay calm as vell." Viktor agreed.

"You two behave yourselves. I am going to the Burrow and sit with Mum. If I know her, she has been knitting up a storm. I'll run by St. Mungo's and check on Hermione, too." Ginny waved at them as they left.

Harry personally thought Ginny had a special glow this morning. He remarked as much to Viktor on their way to the Ministry.

"Is happiness, Harry. Nin had that same look the day she left to see Veasley. Posdrawlenia*, my friend."

It took about thirty seconds for what Viktor had implied to sink in, then Harry broke out laughing.

"You're congratulating me and I am terrified. What if I am an awful father?"

"Harry, you loff Ginevra. She loffs you. You vill be vonderful father. You haff much loff to giff. Trust me." Viktor winked at him and they both laughed.

When they reached the Ministry, Harry asked at the desk where the hearing for Ron Weasley was to be held.

"MLE floor, Mr. Potter. In the training rooms. Here is the guest pass for the Ambassador." The man at the desk seemed to be quite busy, so Harry took Viktor's pass and they went to the lifts.

In the lift, Viktor said, "You must act surprised vhen Ginevra tells you. It vould not be good idea to haff her mad at me for spilling secret. You and I vill go book shopping after I bring Nin to house. Ve buy books for me, vhich I vill giff to you after she tells you. Ve do sneaky things so vifes not mad at us."

Harry was trying his best not to laugh when the lift doors opened, and he saw the crowd of people waiting to get into Ron's hearing. That effectively killed the laughter.

All eyes were riveted on Viktor, Harry knew. Alastor and Minerva stood a ways away from the rest of the crowd, so Harry steered Viktor to them.

Alastor opened a door into one of the offices and ushered them inside.

Minerva hugged Viktor, saying, "You look so much better, dear. Ginny sent an owl saying that Hermione is awake and taking care of the babies. That is wonderful news."

"Ve are bringing her to Grimmauld Place this afternoon. I know she vould vish to see you both."

"We'll be there. I just think it is best if Weasley doesn't see you when they bring him into the room," Alastor said as he peered out the door.

"Alastor, I loaned him my cloak. He can be standing next to Ron and Ron wouldn't see him at all. Go ahead and put the cloak on, Vik. You can sit next to Alastor when we get in there," Harry suggested.

"Yes, definitely, do that. I am going to run by St. Mungo's and see if there is anything I can bring for Hermione. I'll see all of you later at the house," Minerva commented.

The members of the Wizengamot had filed into the smaller of the two training rooms. A Charmed mirror was going to be their window on what went on.

The larger room had many chairs in it. The Weasleys and Lavender were seated at one side of the room. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry Potter, and Alastor Moody were seated at the other side of the room. The apparently vacant chair between Moody and Harry was occupied by Viktor. Snape, Slughorn, and the two Healers were seated in the middle of the room just in front of the chair where Ron Weasley was to be shackled.

When they brought Ron into the room, the Aurors fastened his shackles to the chair. Ron looked around and snarled, "This isn't an effing freak show. I had the right to punish the stupid bint any way I wanted."

One voice contradicted him. "No, you didn't have a right to treat anyone like that, Ron. Moreover, she wasn't your wife. I am your wife." Lavender had risen to her feet and looked Ron squarely in the face.

He momentarily lost the belligerent look and seemed surprised at his surroundings. Harry saw, fleetingly, the old Ron looking back at him.

Shacklebolt nodded to Slughorn, who rose to cast Legilimens at Ron. A Pensieve was brought for Slughorn to deposit memories in.

When Slughorn was finished, the Pensieve was sent into the room with the Wizengamot. Healer Ormond went into the room with the Wizengamot to read them the transcript of Hermione's injuries.

Severus Snape was called into the room where the Wizengamot were viewing Ron's shard-induced memories. A second Pensieve stood by Augusta Longbottom, the witch in charge of the Wizengamot. Severus asked that only Madam Longbottom view the memories taken from Hermione Krum. That request was granted readily and a vow was made that nothing of those memories would ever be made public.

Severus poured the flask of memories into the second pensieve and Madam Longbottom viewed them. When she raised her face from the Pensieve some minutes later, she was as white as a sheet. Horace Slughorn handed her a cup of tea which had a few drops of Calming Potion added to it.

"You say you did not take all the memories of abuse, Severus. Which did you leave her? The minor injuries: slaps, shoves, and suchlike, I presume. Is she doing better now? I would like to talk to her at some point after this hearing. I think it best if I talk to Potter and her husband right now. Tell the Healer to remove the shard and bring it to me."

Severus bowed and left the room. He whispered to Harry that Madam Longbottom wanted to see him and Viktor at once.

Harry opened the door, then looked back at Ron while Viktor went through the doorway. Once inside the inner room, Viktor removed the Invisibility Cloak.

Augusta Longbottom had conjured a small table and three chairs set in a back corner. Harry and Viktor sat on either side of her. Harry cast Muffliato so whatever was said would not be overheard.

"I have viewed the memories taken by Horace Slughorn fromn Ron Weasley, and the ones taken from your wife, Ambassador. I think there is a very delicate situation here. If this shard has brought out the worst characteristics in Ron Weasley and amplified them, then he was not in control of his actions. But he did know he had been injured by the shard and never sought help, which makes him culpable all over again. I need input from both of you."

Harry answered her, "I want to talk to Ron, the way he is now. When Lavender stood up and spoke to him, I saw a glimpse of the old Ron. I think he's still in there. I'll be back." He stood and walked back through the door. Ignoring the rest of the people in the room, he pulled a chair up close to Ron. "Ron, I know you're in there. Fight it. Talk to me. Why did you do this? You were already married to Lavender."

The struggle was evident on Ron's face. Finally, the sheepish face of the old Ron looked back at Harry."I don't know, Harry. I thought suddenly she should have been mine. That I loved her..."

"I know what you are saying, Ron, but you must never have loved her. It was my love for my friends that kept Voldemort from possessing me in the Ministry back in fifth year. Had you really loved her, and not just been obsessed with having someone else's girl, then you would never have done this. Did you even know that you'd been hurt by that effing Horcrux when you used the Sword on it?"

"I thought it was a thorn from the brambles in the forest. It bothered me for a bit, but then I forgot about it... Is that what happened to me?"

The cold, cruel look came back over his face again as Harry watched. The shard-Ron smiled an intensely evil smile at Harry and fell silent.

Harry replaced the chair where it had been before and walked back into the other room.

"Ron is still in there. I don't think he knows what he has been doing. I asked him, the real him, about being injured by the Horcrux. He said he thought he'd picked up a thorn running through the forest. I watched him change back to the shard's control. I don't know what to think."

Augusta thought about what Harry had said and asked, "What about you, Ambassador?"

Viktor took a deep breath and answered her, "Madam Longbottom, I do not know if you haff been informed of my unusual abilities. I am an empath. Vhen that voman spoke to Veasley, I felt the efil leave him for a few seconds. The man who looked out of his eyes vas scared and confused."

"Yes, Ambassador, Minister Shacklebolt told me and swore me to silence. That is the best evidence I have heard so far. Harry, tell the Healers to take the shard out of his arm now. You may stay here, Ambassador. Our viewing screen can be enlarged."

With that, she waved her wand at the gilt-edged mirror and it grew even larger. The rest of the Wizengamot were making notes or talking amongst themselves.

Harry walked back into the other room and nodded to the Healers. Both of the Healers, Slughorn, and Snape approached Ron, who began to scream epithets and imprecations at them. The curses had no effect because of the dampening field Snape had set up.

Only Ron's right arm was out of the field. Healer Ormond touched the pulsating bubble on Ron's arm with his wand and murmured a spell. The bubble burst and green pus began to ooze out. The other Healer levitated both the ooze and the shard into a flask while Healer Ormond healed the sore on Ron's arm.

Ron had lost consciousness when the bubble had split. When he came around again, he was confused and scared. Slughorn immediately performed Legilimency on him to see if removing the shard had achieved the intended goal.

Snape, in the meantime, was examining the shard and the oozy pus. With a triumphant look at Harry, he took the flask into the room with the Wizengamot. Harry followed, certain that Snape had had a revelation.

Snape held up the flask in front of Augusta Longbottom and said, "Augusta, this green substance looks to be the same as the one Harry and I had to remove from the cave where Voldemort had stored the locket. When we went to deal with the Inferi, we found the remnants of a potion in the basin. I am sure that poison, along with the shard, is the cause of Weasley's break with reality. With your permission, I will compare this..." he lifted the flask and continued, "...with the flask in the Ministry vaults. I can be done in less than an hour. The hearing could proceed while I check."

"That was the poison that was killing Dumbledore when we returned to Hogwarts that night, Madam Longbottom," Harry added.

Augusta nodded, saying, "Do it, Severus. I think this changes the whole picture."

A/N: *Posdrawlenia translates as congratulations.