Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Blind Rage
By: ChoCedric
They are in Malfoy Manor, and Ron is blinded by a corrosive hatred and fury. He and Harry, that bastard Harry, are being forced down the stairs and away from Hermione, and the last look she gave Ron was one of defiance but utter terror. Ron feels so much rage towards Harry right now, for he was the one who said You-Know-Who's name and got them into this mess in the first place. Whatever happens to Hermione will be his fault, and Ron grasps this fact with a certainty he cannot deny.
As he and his so-called friend are being forced into the cellar, Hermione lets out a terrible, high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream, which makes Ron's veins boil over. You did this, Harry, he thinks bitterly, anger pulsing through him. How could you be so thick? I told you the name was tabooed! Ron doesn't care about himself; all he cares about is the girl he loves, Hermione, who is moments away from being mercilessly and brutally killed.
He is petrified that the next time he looks into Hermione's eyes, they will be a mockery of the eyes which held so much intelligence; they will be lifeless and staring aimlessly at nothing. Then Greyback will devour her like a piece of meat, tearing his love's beautiful, soft skin. He knows Harry is apt to blame himself if she dies, and this time, Ron isn't going to accept any of his apologies and be sympathetic to his pity parties. This time, it really will be his fault.
Ron will do anything to save Hermione, even if it means giving up his own life. All the times he's ever argued with her, all the times he's ever shouted at her go racing through his mind, and he swears to Merlin that he'll fix Harry's careless and sloppy error in judgment and save the girl he loves more than life itself. As he hears her scream again, he yells her name; it comes tearing out of his lungs, and he feels the most panicked he has ever felt in his life. He's half-screaming, half-sobbing, pacing up and down, looking for an exit.
And oh, the nerve of Harry! He has the gall to tell Ron to be quiet! How can he stand there so calmly while his best friend, and the love of Ron's life, is being tortured right near them? Ron dreads the sight of that flash of green light that will take his love's precious life; it will reduce her to a marble statue, a shell of the vibrant and wonderful person she was. How could you, Harry? He chants ferociously. He thinks with a bitter laugh that if it wasn't for him and Hermione, Harry would be dead a thousand times over by now.
As his dreamgirl screams yet another heartrending scream, Ron feels despair bubble within him. The more time that passes, the more time Luna takes to undo their binds, the closer Hermione comes to dying, and the closer Harry comes to killing one of his best friends. Ron vows that if Hermione dies, he will never speak to Harry again. He cannot show the rage to his friend now, but oh, Merlin, does he feel it.
Then, suddenly, Dobby the house-elf shows up. The next few minutes are a blur to Ron, and he doesn't come to full awareness again until Hermione's threatened by Bellatrix with the knife. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screams in complete hysteria, grabbing Hermione as the chandelier falls on top of her precious, fragile body.
Then, the next thing he knows, he's inside Shell Cottage, Hermione lying on the bed and Ron, in pure terror, waiting for her to wake up. The rage at Harry has started to ebb, replaced by a cold, raw fear. He doesn't bloody care about Harry right now; all he cares about is his love, Hermione Jean Granger, and whether she's strong enough to stay alive. Tears stream down his face, and he swears he has cried more tears this day than any other in his life. He gets down on his knees, takes a hold of Hermione's hand, and prays to every deity he can think of that the girl who has come to mean more to him than anything in this world will be all right.