A Midnight Talk
Written for QLFC Round 8, season 4.
Position: Beater 2
Team: Appleby Arrows
Prompts: (Word) Allegiance, (Word) Lace
Task: What would life be like two years after Voldemort rises to power.
AN: Voldemort wins!AU
WC: 2994
"I must be mad," Ron muttered under his breath. He paced back and forth as he waited impatiently for his friend to arrive; an old friend who he hadn't seen in two years. The second of May 1998, to be exact. The day that everything changed—and not for the better. What a coincidence that today's date was the second anniversary of the day You-Know-Who had been victorious and defeated his nemesis.
Bad memories filled his head before he could block them out. Ron took a deep breath and focused on the letter he'd received yesterday morning. He burned it as soon as he'd finished reading it, of course, but the words were etched in his brain.
Ron,
I'm taking a huge risk in sending this letter, so please burn it as soon as you've read it. I know this has been a long time to come, and you probably gave up hope a long time ago. We may have lost a significant amount of our numbers, but the DA is still out there, and we are gaining more members every day. We feel that the moment is finally right to approach you, so wait for me in the courtyard of your house at midnight.
Neville Longbottom
P.S Remember to burn this letter.
Ron was still annoyed at the vagueness of Neville's letter, but the logical part of his mind knew that it was too dangerous. Both their lives would've been at stake if the message had found its way into the wrong hands. Looking at his watch, Ron saw that it was midnight. He prayed that Neville had evaded capture. He heard a faint pop a few minutes later, putting his worries to bed.
"Ron?" a whispered voice called out in the darkness.
"Neville?" he whispered back.
The two men glanced at each other apprehensively. Two years had passed by with no communication between them, and now neither knew how to approach the other. "Hello, how are you?" sounded ridiculous in their current situation.
After clearing his throat, Neville mumbled "Lumos Maxima," and the tip of his wand lit up. Ron followed suit, glad to be able to see Neville finally. Hesitating briefly, Ron gathered Neville into a quick hug.
"Merlin, is it good to see you."
"Likewise."
.oOo.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"No!" he yelled, watching the lifeless body of his best friend drop to the floor. Cheers erupted from the Death Eaters, and Bellatrix Lestrange cackled maniacally. They weren't supposed to lose; they were the heroes, and everyone knew that the goodies always won. Yet here they were, looking defeat in the eye as their last flicker of hope died with Harry. Hermione sobbed and rested her head on his shoulder, but Ron barely noticed. His eyes remained fixed on Harry, willing him to move. Even as tears trickled down his cheeks, Ron refused to believe Harry was dead.
"And now it's your turn, traitor."
Narcissa retained her stoic demeanour as the Death Eaters dragged her forward. The only thing betraying her was the tear on her cheek as she looked towards her husband and son.
"Mother!" Draco cried, struggling to free himself from his father's vice-like grip.
"Do you have any last words?"
Narcissa's eyes were fixed determinedly on her son's. "I lied to keep you safe, Draco, and I'm not sorry for that. Always remember that I love you."
Sounds of repulsion and disgust came from the Death Eaters, and Bellatrix mimed vomiting as she stared disdainfully at her younger sister.
"Avada Kedavra," You-Know-Who shouted. Narcissa dropped to the ground, landing next to Harry as cheers broke out once more.
Chaos ensued without any warning as the villains struck, taking down the members of the order with ruthless skill. Ron looked on in horror as he saw his classmates brought to the ground. Hermione ran to help Luna and Ron was about to follow her when he heard a scream; it was Ginny. Looking around frantically, Ron finally found her being restrained by Dolohov. A roar of rage emerged as he charged towards them with his wand raised, ready to fight. With the help of George, Ron defeated Dolohov and slashed the ropes that bound Ginny's hands together. He reached his hand out to pull her up before a spell hit him, causing him to fall to the ground as his eyelids drooped and stars appeared.
.oOo.
Anger filled Ron to the brim as he thought about how Neville and many others had disappeared without a word. "Where have you been for the past two years? What have you been doing?"
"One question at a time, Ron. Are you sure we're safe here?"
"I checked before you arrived. It's perfectly safe, so get on with it."
Neville rolled his eyes. "Impatient as ever, I see. Some things never change."
"Well?"
"We've been Apparating all over. It was decided that we weren't safe in one place for long, so we gathered as many followers as we could in three months and Apparated somewhere else. We've been repeating that process over and over for the last few years. Now that our numbers have increased so strongly, it's safe for me to return."
"How good of you," Ron told him dryly, taking Neville's words in and rubbing his eyes wearily. "So nobody has been spying and reporting back?"
Neville shook his head guiltily. "I'm sorry, Ron. We had to do what we thought was best."
"What's best?" Ron scoffed in disbelief. "Do you even have any idea what it's been like for the ones left behind. The Muggle-borns have been wiped out, apart from a couple of lucky ones who were allowed to live."
Neville struggled to look Ron in the eye as he asked his next question. "Hermione?"
Her name was a destructive weapon that stabbed him in the heart every time he heard it. "She's alive. You-Know-Who viewed her as a prize, and she's now a slave at Malfoy Manor. It amused him greatly when she begged for death rather than an eternity at that place," Ron spat angrily.
"I'm sorry, Ron."
Ignoring his apology, Ron continued to question him. "Why are you here, Neville?"
"I want you to come back with me, of course. We're plotting an attack, and we want you to help us."
.oOo.
"I pledge my allegiance to you, my Lord."
He felt like he was running further and further away from Harry with every word he spoke, but he didn't have a choice. Ginny sobbed in front of him as Bellatrix slowly removed the knife from her throat. She looked disappointed at being denied her desire for blood.
"Now, that wasn't so hard. Was it, Mr Weasley?"
Ron managed a nod as he looked at his parents and his brothers; they'd all been forced to do the same and Ginny would pay with her life if they refused. If he'd been given the option, Ron would have died before pledging to serve You-Know-Who, but he didn't want his sister's blood on his hands.
"Take the girl back to her cell. I think she's going to be very useful indeed."
"As you wish, my Lord."
"But I thought—"
"You thought that I would mercifully let her go and that you could return to that run down house of yours as a family once more? My dear boy, who did you mistake me for? Dumbledore?"
Laughter filled the room at the mention of Dumbledore, and Ron watched as Ginny was dragged away.
.oOo.
"Are you contacting anyone else while you're here?"
"Yes. I'm hoping that your brothers will join us as well."
"Oh, so now that we're valuable to you we're suddenly remembered. Thanks a lot. Do you have any idea what it's been like since you disappeared?"
Neville's face darkened as he glared at Ron. "I'm sure things have been terrible here, but life has hardly been a bowl of cherries for us, either. Constantly looking over your shoulder and travelling from place to place in fear of being caught gets old quick, believe me."
Taking a deep breath and counting silently to ten, Ron relaxed and put himself in Neville's shoes. It can't have been easy to leave their friends and families, but that's what they had to do if they were to have a chance at victory.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too. I know I'd be angry if our roles were reversed. Will you join us?"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because they've got Ginny, and I dread to think what they'll do to her if I disappear."
.oOo.
"I've got to do this, for Ginny."
This was Ron's silent mantra as he stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. He'd been ordered back to the school to complete his seventh year, and it was made painfully clear that if he disobeyed, Ginny would be the one to suffer.
There were no longer four houses; the only Hogwarts house to remain was Slytherin. The subject once known as Muggle Studies had been replaced by a Death Eater training class that was to be taught by Antonin Dolohov. The once sunny atmosphere had become overcast, and no student even dared to make a sound. The majority of the seats remained empty, for obvious reasons. As the train left the station, he couldn't help but think about how the students would travel to Hogwarts next year. After all, Voldemort and the Death Eaters were currently tracking down Muggle-borns, but it was only a matter of time before he turned his attention to the Muggles. Ron shuddered as he thought of the massacre that was to come.
.oOo.
Neville swore loudly and kicked the fence. Ron didn't blame him since he felt like doing that himself most days. While his friend rubbed his foot gingerly, Ron continued talking.
"They still don't entirely trust us as they know we're only on their side because they threatened to kill Ginny. Once we pledged our allegiance, he kept Ginny hostage and refused to let her go. If one of us puts a toe out of line, she will suffer. I won't risk my sister's life by running off, no matter how much I want to help."
A nod was the only response he received, and for a few minutes, an awkward silence descended on them. Neville was the first to break through it.
"I could go back and form a plan with the others. I'm sure we could find a way to get her out, but it would be risky."
Ron snorted. "Risky? It's suicide. Anyway, he is obsessed with increasing the pureblood population, so he's marrying us all off and ordering us to have children. With Ginny being a pureblood it's only a matter of time before he wants to pair her off as well."
A dry laugh slipped out of his mouth as he stared at Neville's horrified face. "I've heard rumours about him planning to pair her with Zabini," he added with a shudder.
"Merlin's pants," Neville muttered. "I suppose the only bright side is that she will be released."
"Yeah. Released from the dungeons only to be chained to bloody Zabini. She's leaving one prison and heading straight to another."
Unfortunately for Ron, this was the moment that Neville asked him the question he'd been dreading. "Have you been paired up yet?"
With a heavy sigh, Ron nodded. "I'm married."
"To who?"
"Pansy Parkinson."
.oOo.
"Do you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, take Pansy Cordelia Parkinson to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
'No, I bloody well don't!' Ron longed to shout, right before running down the aisle as fast as his legs could carry him. However, there was one vital reason why he had to go through with this, no matter how much he didn't want to. With a heavy heart, Ron looked at the girl who would soon be his wife; the girl who spoke up in favour of handing Harry over. He imagined that the eyes staring back at him through the lace-edged veil were brown and that the sleek, black hair held in a neat bun was a mass of wild, shoulder-length curls.
"I do," he answered after a long silence.
"And do you, Pansy Cordelia Parkinson, take Ronald Bilius Weasley to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Pansy glared at him for what seemed to Ron like an eternity.
"I do."
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
'I'm sorry, Hermione.'
Their eyes met hesitantly, and Ron reluctantly lifted the veil. Pansy gave him a slight nod, and Ron leaned in, claiming her lips in a chaste kiss.
.oOo.
"You're married to Pansy Parkinson?"
"Yes. Bet you never saw that coming, eh?" Ron asked him, managing a small smile as Neville gaped at him.
"When?"
"Last September. The nineteenth, to be exact," he told him with a grimace. Neville's eyes widened.
"Is she—"
"Yes. We found out in December, and the baby is due on the twelfth of August."
"Wow."
"Yep."
"I guess this is another reason for why you can't come with me?"
"I won't leave them. With their blood status, I doubt You-Know-Who would hurt them, but I won't take that chance."
"I'd expect nothing less from you, Ron."
"I do want to help, though. Will you keep me up to date with what's going on and let me know when you've returned to London? I want to fight when the time comes."
"Of course, mate. Oh, I guess I should say congratulations."
"Oh, erm, yeah, thanks mate."
"Well, I'd better get back. Everyone will be wondering where I am. Look after yourself, Ron."
"You too, Neville."
Neville Apparated away, leaving Ron to his thoughts. He wondered what Harry would think about his decision. Most likely he would've been pleased with Ron's determination to protect Ginny. Ron remembered Harry's angry reaction to Remus announcing his plans to leave a pregnant Tonks behind so he could go on the Horcrux hunt with them; the memory seemed like a million years ago now. He felt regret at the way he'd abandoned Harry and Hermione, even though he knew the important thing was that he came back.
He would never walk away again.
.oOo.
All too soon, the wedding day came to an end, and they found themselves being escorted into a large, plush bedroom. Pansy's parents had bought the house as soon as they found out their only daughter was to be married. Of course, they were unhappy about the groom but were wise enough to keep their opinions to themselves.
The door was closed, leaving them alone for the first time. As the newlyweds stared at each other, Pansy wished that she'd taken the opportunity to get as drunk as possible.
"We're not doing this tonight," Pansy spat out with a confidence she didn't feel.
"We don't have a choice. It's part of the marriage—"
She cut him off with a huff, knowing that he was right. The marriage contract stated that they had to consummate their marriage that night. Pansy silently cursed her inexperience. Her mother had informed her at the age of eleven that she was to stay 'pure' until her wedding night. Looking over at Weasley, she was startled to realise that he didn't seem too nervous. Perhaps he'd done this before. Thinking back to her sixth year, she guessed that the simpering Lavender Brown was the most likely candidate. Or perhaps the Mudblood. Maybe even both. She hated being the vulnerable one.
"Have you done this before?" she asked.
"Yes."
She crossed her arms and glared at him, waiting for the question. It never came. Blue eyes watched her, and she knew that he saw through her tough act. They were the same; both as angry, scared and reluctant as the other. This realisation gave her a small amount of comfort, and taking a deep breath she took a step towards him. He followed her lead and moved closer to her, a promise of gentleness in his eyes.
.oOo.
Pansy Weasley was finding pregnancy rather hard to deal with, and once again her sleep was disturbed by the baby pressing down on her bladder. Once her need had been taken care of, Pansy realised that her husband had not yet come to bed and went to investigate. She soon wished that she hadn't.
She walked back into the bedroom, wandering over to the desk that contained parchment and a quill. Voldemort had chosen to pair her with Ronald Weasley because he trusted her to inform him if the man was up to no good, and it was her duty to reveal his intentions. However, her hand hovered over the quill as if frozen by the Petrificus Totalus curse. The baby had chosen that moment to kick.
Her baby. His baby. Their baby. Suddenly Pansy didn't know if she could do this. How would she ever explain to her son or daughter that she was the reason their father was no longer around?
The door opened slowly, causing Pansy to jump up quickly and step away from the desk.
"Oh. I didn't think you'd be awake."
"The baby woke me up again," Pansy snapped huffily at her husband.
"Are you okay?" Ron asked with a concerned look on his face. "You're looking a little peaky."
"I'm fine. You try growing a human being inside you and see how hot you look!" she snapped again, hoping to draw him into an argument. To her chagrin, he chuckled and got into bed. Why couldn't he go back to being the immature oaf she knew him to be at Hogwarts?
"Goodnight, Pansy," he mumbled sleepily.
She ignored him and got into bed. "I hate you."
"I hate you too."