As the time when he must inevitably face Voldemort drew closer, Harry felt even more and more dreadful of what was to come. It wasn’t himself that he was worried about, either. His face-to-face with Voldemort also meant that Ron, Hermione, and so many others would join in the battle that was sure to follow.
But Harry always reassured himself by taking a look at the Horcrux, which after nearly two weeks of decay had to have been already destroyed. At the dinner table almost a whole day before the Ministry and the Order would begin their attack, Hermione asked for the locket.
“It’s gone, Harry, just look at its state,” she said, turning it over in her hands.
“Let’s hope your right. If I actually do get to deliver some sort of finishing blow, I don’t want him to just stand back up again.”
“We can go to Slughorn,” suggested Ron.
Harry thought about it and shook his head. He had to believe that it was destroyed just like he had to believe he could kill Voldemort. “It’s gone.” Besides, it was his last real evening with Ron and Hermione before the attack the next day.
Ron smiled, and raised his glass of butterbeer. “To the fall of Voldemort.”
“And if I should fall instead,” Harry said with some dark humor, “may someone el””
Immense pain then shot right into Harry’s scar. And along with that pain was also anger”anger for having waited so long for an answer that was right in front of him. “YOU WAIT UNTIL NOW!” a horrible voice raged. “CRUCIO!” There was a horrible scream of agony, and he caught sight of a pale form in robes writhing on the floor.
The same screaming continued until Harry found himself back in the basement kitchen, and the screams of pain turned into his own. He was on his own floor covered in sweat with Ron and Hermione kneeling over him with stony expressions. Harry sat himself up, trying to hold in his urge to vomit. It had been so long since Voldemort had let his defenses down to accidently allow Harry inside, but that didn’t make what he saw any less unnerving. In fact, it made it more so with the attack only a day away.
“Harry?” Hermione said unevenly, her face pale as a ghost. “What did you see?”
He closed his eyes, and kneaded his forehead. “I’m…not sure. Voldemort’s peeved, that’s for sure.”
“Peeved at what?” Ron asked.
“Apparently somebody just told him something important, and he’s wondering why it so long for the information to get to him,” he answered, knowing it was right. There was another small prickle across his scar. “Voldemort’s up to something.”
“You have any idea what, or”or who”or anything?” Ron pressed on desperately. “C’mon, Harry, the fight’s soon, we can’t get caught off guard.”
“Look, all I’m getting is that Voldemort knows something, tortured the person who gave it to him for taking so long, and now he has something in the works,” Harry retorted heatedly. “I think that’s pretty damn good for now!”
“We have to go to headquarters, and find some way to stop the attack,” Hermione immediately said, standing up.
“Wait, WHAT?” Harry blurted out, getting to his feet on wobbly legs. “No way, Hermione, if we don’t do this tomorrow, then when will we?”
“You just said it: Voldemort knows, something now,” she said, turning to face him. “We heard the way it came out of your mouth, Harry. He is angry that something wasn’t brought to his attention before. For all we know, he knows about the attack and is preparing now.”
“No,” he disagreed flatly. “If he found out about the attack, then he wouldn’t be this angry.” Harry felt another prickle in his scar that worried him a little. It seemed as if Voldemort was planning something. “He’d be happy because he’ll know I’ll be in the front lines.”
“Still,” Hermione persisted. “We should tell the Order.”
Harry stomped that out too. “Even if the Order decides that this is a bad idea, that won’t stop the Ministry, so they’ll still go to fight. But I’ll probably be tied down at headquarters for my own safety.”
“So we do nothing,” Ron figured.
“Exactly.”
“Harry,” Hermione went on sympathetically, “remember all the times before when you entered Voldemort’s mind? It meant something every single time. How can we ignore this?”
“Look,” Harry said calmly. “After tomorrow it won’t matter anymore. I say we just go to bed.” He turned towards the door, leaving their meal virtually untouched. “And promise me that neither of you will go running off the Order.”
“But”” Hermione started.
“Promise!”
“Oh, okay, promise.”
Harry looked at Ron, who bit his lip thoughtfully and sighed. “Okay, I promise.”
He then left the room and went back up the stairs in to the main hallway. Before he even took his first step up the flight of stairs to his room, Harry’s scar throbbed, and he let out an audible yelp.
“SCUM OF THE EARTH!”
“Reducto!” The Blasting Charm hit Mrs. Black’s portrait, and she was forced to jump into a neighboring frame.
“Mistress!” Kreacher cried, scrambling to his mistress’ side.
Not wanting to be around for when Ron and Hermione came up to investigate, Harry rushed up to his room and lied down on his bed. There he just looked at the ceiling wondering what could have happened. Voldemort was extremely annoyed and angry the first time, but the one that just happened felt more like anticipation. Maybe Hermione was right about him knowing about the attack. He kept on thinking about it until sleep took him.
What awoke him at first was a creaking sound that came from downstairs. Harry decided to ignore it so he could get more rest, but not two seconds later the sound of someone pounding down the stairs got him up. He opened his eyes and saw that the sun had barely gotten up.
“Ron, where are you going?” he heard Hermione demand.
Harry yawned, shoved on his glasses, and went out of his room. He peered over the banister to catch sight of Ron and Hermione some flights down.
“I’m going out, I’ll be back soon,” he answered, about to continue downstairs.
Hermione grabbed him. “But the attack is tonight!”
Harry was now fully awake. Having a whole day before having to face the most evil wizard of all time was far different than having a mere twelve hours.
“Ron, we have to be at headquarters hours before we move out. Can you honestly say you’ll be back in time?”
“Hermione,” he said, exasperated, “today’s different, and you know that.”
“So you’ll be back,” she told him, suddenly becoming stern. “I don’t want the next time I see you to be when I’m saving you from a Death Eater.”
Ron laughed. “Okay, don’t worry. I promise that I’ll check up on things on my front as fast as I can.”
Ron turned to go again, and Hemione once again pulled him back. Only this time she forced him down to plant her lips onto his. Ron was caught off guard at first but started to kiss her back. Harry stood a few floors above them watching in a stunned silence as the kissing intensified. Ron and Hermione put their arms around each other as if trying to get so close that they’d fuse together.
After maybe a minute of snogging and Harry wondering who would consume whom first, they finally broke apart. But they kept close enough so that one could easily start the whole thing over again.
“What was that for?” Ron finally said, his voice cracking slightly.
She smiled. “Just go. I’ll see you later.”
Ron nodded blankly, continued on downstairs, and Harry heard the front door close. Hermione went back to her room with a distracted expression.
Two hours later he made no comment on what he witnessed while having breakfast with Hermione, who was reading from the Daily Prophet. The two of them just acted as if it was just business as usual, which, of course, it wasn’t with the prospect of being killed only an afternoon away.
“Any news?” Harry asked carelessly. He was once again caught up in what he saw the previous night.
“Same things as always,” responded Hermione, turning the page. “Huh?” She moved her mug of coffee to place the newspaper flat on the table.
Harry looked to see it was turned to the international section. “Two French Ministry officials found dead?” he asked out loud. “What’s that about?”
But Hermione was already scanning the article, her eyes moving from left to right in record-breaking speed. “I can’t believe it! They won’t say which department they worked in. It could be important.”
“It’s France,” Harry pointed out. “Doubt it has anything to do with us.”
“How can you be so naïve, Harry? Just because you’re going after Voldemort today, doesn’t mean he’s putting his schedule on hold.”
“Well if this is his work, then it’s just one more reason to kill him.”
They put the matter to rest, and the rest of the morning fizzled away. Their thoughts then turned to Ron, though neither of them admitted it, since the three of them were to report to headquarters in another hour. In fact, every single Order member that wasn’t already going in the front lines with the Ministry was supposed to be there.
“Where is he?” Hermione said tensely, drumming her fingers on the table.
Harry wasn’t exactly worried. It wouldn’t be like Ron to break such a promise like the one he had made.
He was about to reassure her, when the fireplace suddenly erupted in emerald flames. “RON! HARRY! HERMIONE! Get over here NOW!” Lupin shouted from the fire.
The two of them jumped at the fierce order. Harry secured his glasses, and stepped into the flames first. He felt himself spinning in the hot air, and as he neared the correct fireplace, Harry stepped off and stumbled on the floor.
He was helped up by a red headed figure, which he recognized as Fred when Harry put back on his glasses. George helped Hermione when she appeared out of the fireplace. Along with the twins and Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur were all in the room.
Lupin stared expectantly into the flames. “Where’s Ron?”
“He’s on his assignment,” answered Harry with an arched eyebrow.
“What!” Lupin exclaimed, his eyes widening. “But he supposed to be”” He stopped and shook his head.
“Remus, where could he be?” Mrs. Weasley asked worriedly.
“If he has his head on straight, Ron should be fine at the moment,” he responded, though he didn’t seem entirely sure. “But something just serious has just happened. Come up to the Council room with me. Minerva and Alastor can help explain.”
“‘Has his head on straight’?” Harry saw Mrs. Weasley and Hermione mouth silently with some dismay as they went into the hallway.
There, Harry saw that some Order members had already arrived for the meeting. But they just gave the group curious looks as they passed. As Lupin began up the stairs, he said, “Did you hear about those dead Ministry officials in France?”
Just then the front door locks all clicked open, and the door itself burst open with a resounding slam. The sound caught everyone’s attention as a crippled figure limped into the house. Its head was bowed, the breathing was ragged, the left arm was grasping the chest, and it wasn’t until Hermione screamed out “Ron!” that Harry finally recognized the figure for who it was.
Ron looked up at them with a bruised and bloody face, muttered something inaudible, and collapsed onto the floor.
“Ronnie!” shrieked Mrs. Weasley, running to side with the rest of the Weasley’s right behind her.
“Bloody hell!” Fred and George chorused together.
“Merlin’s beard,” said Mr. Weasley.
“Ron? Ron, can you hear me?” asked Hermione, her face positively white.
Ron groaned and opened his eyes. His breathing was still ragged, and he tried to say something but all that came out frothy blood.
“Oh no,” she gasped, pulling up Ron’s shirt. On his chest were more bruises, which most likely meant broken ribs. “I think he has a punctured lung.” Mrs. Weasley gasped and tears started to pour from her eyes.
“Minerva!” Lupin called.
McGonagall came rushing downstairs, and gave a gasp of her own when she saw Ron’s condition. “What in heaven’s”?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out. I know school’s out, but is there any way that you can get in touch with Madame Pomfrey?”
“Yes, of course,” she said, leaving through the still open front door.
“Remus, do you have a bed somewhere?” Bill asked.
“Yeah, let’s get Ron on a stretcher and take him upstairs.”
It was less than four minutes later when Ron was lying on a bed with everybody surrounding him, when Madame Pomfrey burst into the room.
“Where’s Minerva?” asked Lupin.
“She said she had to go to Hogsmeade,” she replied, shooing everyone away from her patient. Madame Pomfrey examined his chest first, and then took out a vial from her case. “Drink.” Ron did so without question, and Madame Pomfrey immediately waved her wand over the chest.
All of a sudden Ron inhaled loudly, and coughed but this time with no blood. He tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by Madame Pomfrey.
“Ron, please tell me that you didn’t,” Lupin pleaded, dumbfounding all those in the vicinity.
Scowling at him, Ron replied, “What else did you expect?”
Lupin shook his head. “You should have come straight back to us to report this!”
“Well by the sound of it, you found out before I even got here,” he retorted strongly, trying and failing to sit up once more.
“At least tell me how you knew to be there in the first place.”
Ron took a few easy breaths as everyone listened carefully (except for Madame Pomfrey, who was working on his other injuries). “Last night,” he started off, “Harry saw into Voldemort’s head”ouch!”
“Sorry,” Madame Pomfrey said. She went back to work after she prodded him with her wand.
“What did you see?” Lupin asked Harry.
“It was nothing, really,” Harry insisted, baffled that it had anything to do with what was happening. “Voldemort was just really angry at someone for holding out on something important.”
“Malfoy,” Ron blurted out, trying and failing to sit up. “It was Malfoy you saw, Harry.”
“How could you possibly know that? The only way for you to know is if you were th”” Hermione gasped and put her hands to her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear as she asked, “Ron…you’ve been doing that!”
As Ron nodded shamefully and Hermione groaned into her hands, it hit Harry even harder than Cormic McLaggen’s Bludger to the head. “You haven’t!” Harry said in shock.
And the undeniable proof revealed itself as Ron shook back his left sleeve: there, on his upper forearm, the Dark Mark burned blacker than Harry ever thought possible.
Harry looked around to see everybody else’s reactions, and it didn’t give Harry any hope that it would all be okay. “Remus,” Mr. Weasley started off slowly, “what did you make my son DO?” He was about to lunge but was stopped by Fred and George, though they didn’t take the surprise pleasantly, either. Mrs. Weasley started to cry. Bill and Fleur were just staring at Ron in disbelief.
“Sorry,” Ron said to Harry.
“‘Sorry’ doesn’t begin to cover it, mate,” said Harry, a part of him glad that “mate” didn’t sound foreign.
“No…sorry for tying you up back at Lectun Isle. But I have to look keep up the act, you know.”
Harry racked his brains, trying to recall the details of that day. “So wait, you were that Andrew guy? You were in disguise.”
“You honestly didn’t think they’d let a Weasley into the Death Eaters, did you?” Ron said with some pride.
“But it makes no sense,” Hermione said, finally speaking up and looking directly at Ron. “Voldemort is a powerful Legilimens, so how could you have stayed under his radar?”
Ron looked confused. “What’s radar?”
“We’re getting off topic?” Lupin interrupted. “Ron, what happened to Ginny?”
The atmosphere in the room became even more rigid than it already was. It felt to Harry as if all the hope left in the world was about to run dry. What did Lupin mean?
A dark expression crossed over Ron’s face. “He has her.” And with that the last of the hope was gone. All of a sudden Harry couldn’t breathe properly, and he could no longer control his movements. It just couldn’t be true. It wasn’t true. There was no possible way it could be true because Ginny was in France. Harry looked at the other Weasleys, hoping to see reassurance that it was all a bad joke, but he couldn’t find it.
“What the hell do you mean by that?” Bill yelled in panic, vocalizing Harry’s thoughts. It was clear the rest of the family wanted to shout the same thing.
Madame Pomfrey was now done, and slumped to the corner with eyes full of fear.
“I mean,” Ron continued angrily, sitting up, “that Voldemort had Ginny kidnapped!” His hands curled into a fist in the bed sheets.
“But…but, why?” Mrs. Weasley asked, once more on the verge of tears. “Why would he go”?”
“Malfoy!” Ron repeated, his breathing getting harder. Now that Ron got his secret out in the open he was able to focus on telling them what had happened. “It was Malfoy. He told Voldemort about Ginny.”
Mr. Weasley looked at Harry. “But that doesn’t explain why he’d target Ginny.”
Harry had no problem confessing that he dated Ginny at the moment, but that would’ve only added some unneeded complications. Ron saved him from explaining.
“Because if Harry went into the Chamber of Secrets to get her, then he’d try to save her now!” Ron exclaimed. He exchanged glances with Harry, who nodded in thanks and for him to continue. “He knows Harry won’t just leave her to die, just like he’d try to save the rest of us.”
“But she’s all the way in France””
“Exactly!” Ron cut in again. “She’s the one who had the least protection if you think about it. All Voldemort had to do was use someone in the Ministry to find out where she was, then send two of his cronies to get her.”
Mr. Weasley was skeptic. “You have a point, but two Death Eaters can’t walk into Beauxbatons.”
“They can if they’re in disguise,” Lupin said, sighing tiredly. “Two people from the French Ministry were found dead early this morning. It wasn’t in the papers but Madame Maxime sent us a letter saying they were from the school board. Apparently those same people came to the school asking for Ginny last night. After they left she said she noticed that Ginny and one of the governors looked a little off, but it was so late that Madame Maxime didn’t give it much thought.” He ran his fingers through his graying hair. “And this morning Alecto Carrow was found in her bed. The woman didn’t even put up a fight; she acted as if she already won while being restrained. That’s when the letter was sent out to us.”
The door burst open. “We thought it was urgent when we saw that the eagle owl carrying it had a Speed Charm placed on it,” Moody growled, making his way in. Harry saw the magical eyeball land on the Dark Mark. “So I guess the secret’s out.”
“Too right it is!” Harry exclaimed. “Now let’s go now! Voldemort wants me to go save her, so I’ll give him exactly what he wants.”
“Wait, Harry,” said Lupin.
“What d’you mean, ‘wait’?” Fred and George cried, taking their wands out.
“We’ll be right there with him,” said Fred.
“Just try and stop us,” dared George.
“Ron, how come you were left alive?” Lupin asked hurriedly.
Ron looked as if he tasted something foul in his mouth. “I saw Ginny being dragged in, so what else could I do except try and save her. But seeing as I was surrounded by Death Eaters I was beaten to pulp.” He scowled at the floor.
“They then took me Voldemort, who looked into me head.” He punched the bed. “He saw through my disguise, found out who I was, who my friends were, and what I did. The only reason he let me live was so that I could give Harry a message.” Ron looked up at him. “He wants to continue the duel that you two started three years ago”at the same place.”
“What does that mean?” Bill immediately asked Harry.
Harry didn’t answer. Instead he turned to Lupin and Moody. “The attack plan is scrapped. We have to get word to the Ministry, and deviate every single person they have to Little Hangleton! Voldemort isn’t just going to sit and wait”he’ll kill every single Muggle in the village just for the fun of it.”
“Too right he will,” Ron said urgently, standing up. “Because if you’re not there by the time they’re all dead then so is Ginny.”
“Then it looks like the new plan is to head to Little Hangleton and hope for the best,” said Lupin, tensing up. “Bill, if you have any way to reach Charlie, tell him about the change in plans. Arthur, I know you want to save Ginny as fast as possible, but we need you get go the Ministry and warn Kingsley of this.” Mr. Weasley nodded and left. “Poppy, if I were you I’d get over to St. Mungo’s…there’s going to be a lot of injured people heading that way soon.” Madame Pomfrey also left without a word.
“Where’s Minerva, Remus?” asked Moody.
“Hogsmeade”probably to have a chat with Aberforth,” said Lupin. “We should meet her there, and then gather as much help as possible.”
“Be careful,” warned Ron. “The first people you encounter won’t be actual Death Eaters, but prisoners under the Imperius Curse.”
“I doubt Voldemort told you that much,” Lupin retorted. “And if he did, he’s probably looking for us to go easy on his forces.”
“Well, all my information before now has been reliable, so if you find yourself killing Trent Perch out there don’t come crying to me,” Ron flung right back heatedly.
Lupin and Moody looked and each other, and left the room without another word.
“What the hell are all you people lounging around for?” Harry heard Moody shout from downstairs. “Send a message to every Order member not here yet: GET YOUR ASSES TO LITTLE HANGLETON!”
“I have to get to Charlie,” said Bill.
“I shall go with you,” Fleur said.
Mrs. Weasley ran up to them. “Hold on, I want to go too.”
“We have to get there by broom, Mum, and I can’t take you and Fleur on the same one.”
“I’ll show you just what I can do!” she argued, her eyes flashing. “Just wait another minute.” Mrs. Weasley then went over to give Fred and George a spine-crushing hug. “I can’t stop you this time, so take care of yourselves.”
“We will, Mum,” they said, trying to breath.
“And as for you,” she said, going up to a nervous Ron, who was also dragged down for a hug, “what you did was stupid”but brave. Take care, Ronnie.”
Harry thought that she was now finished, and would now leave, but he was wrong. “You’ve always been like a son to me,” she said. “Make sure to bring Ginny back.”
“I will, Mrs. Weasley.”
And now it was Hermione’s turn. Mrs. Weasley gave her just a big a hug as the rest, and told her, “You’re part of this family, too.”
With that, she, Bill, and Fleur all left.
Fred and George exchanged glances. “See you there,” said Fred, starting to leave with George.
“It’d be safer if we stuck together,” Ron protested.
George smirked, and looked at Harry and Hermione. “Make sure our ikle Death Eater here doesn’t get himself killed.” With a wave they left.
“Let’s get moving,” said Harry, wondering why he hadn’t already. “I’ll Apparate us somewhere secluded.”
“Fine with me,” agreed Ron eagerly.
“Me, too, but I at least want to know how come Voldemort never found you out until now,” Hermione persisted.
“You want to know? Fine!” Ron said rounding to her, being short with for the first time in months. “I didn’t actually infiltrate their ranks until after the holidays were over. Before that I was right here trying to learn Occlumency.”
“So that’s why you’ve been less volatile than usual.”
“I admit that’s why I’ve been trying to keep my temper these past months, but I still wasn’t good at it. That’s why Lupin came to talk to me during Christmas: to try and make me back out…I should have but I didn’t.” Ron pressed both his palms to his eyes. “Can we go now?”
“But Volde””
“Something clicked,” Ron interrupted. “I dunno what, but when it was my turn to get the Mark burned into me, it all came to me at once, I calmed down…and I kept my mind clear as Voldemort tried to penetrate my head like he did everyone else.”
“Bloody hell,” Harry breathed. He had a firsthand experience in trying to learn that technique, and knew how hard it was. Then again, Harry had Snape for a teacher, Umbridge breathing down his neck, constant fights with Cho Chang, and half the school thought he was off his rocker.
“So you’re an Occlumens now?” Hermione said with a gasp.
Ron shook his head. “I haven’t been able to do it since, but with all the crap I’ve seen since then not keeping a clear mind shouldn’t be hard to explain…. Luckily I was only a scrub that Voldemort had no interest in, so he only did it that one time up until today.”
There was a few seconds where none of the spoke, until Harry asked Hermione, “Happy now?”
She nodded. “Enough time was wasted. Let’s go.”
The three of them ran outside, Harry grabbed his two friends, and they all Apparated away.
Harry Potter and the Secret Spell by Phoenix 86
Chapter Notes: ........reviews are always nice