A/N: Oh my gosh! Tenth chapter! Wow, I think this story has gotten written pretty fast. Well, this chapter is going to be the calm before the storm. It will be the last calm chapter until the end of the story! It might be a bit short. It is just preparing for the war ahead. Hope you like it! There will be a death that none of you expected.

Thank you to my reviewer Potterlunar! Thanks very much for the ideas! I'll use them!

This chapter is dedicated to my third reviewer Potterlunar! Thanks!

Chapter 10

Calm before the Storm

Harry stretched lazily on the tattered couch. He was still staying at Grimmauld Place with Tonks, Warren, Fred, George, and Snape. It was determined by Kingsley that all of them should stay there until the war was over.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Harry jumped off the couch and pulled out his wand. Warren barged down the stairs with his wand out, and threw open the black front door.

Hermione Granger stood shivering in the cold rain that fell during the Dementer - infested day. She looked like she had been rolling in a mud bath, and had several long scratches down her face. With a second's hesitation, Warren pulled her inside and shut the door, locking it securely with his wand.

A few minutes later, Snape was called downstairs.

"Hermione!" cried Harry, seeing his oldest friend walk down the hallway and into the room.

"Harry!" she cried, and they hugged until Warren cleared his throat.

"Don't worry!" said Harry, looking at Warren. "She's on our side."

"Is that so?" asked Snape, entering the room.

"Yes!" huffed Hermione, looking offended.

"Forgive me, Harry. I was only wondering how she got here!"

After Hermione told the story, everyone was silent for a minute.

"You do know you are a fugitive?" asked Warren.

"I had to do it! I couldn't let Harry, er, I mean you guys fight You – Know – Who by yourself!"

"His name is Voldemort." said Snape.

"Yeah, but I prefer to call him ickle Tommikinns." sneered Warren.

Snape snorted and filed the name away for future use.

"Mr. Warren?" Hermione said, looking embarrassed. "Can I ask you something in privet?"

Warren looked confused, but nodded and followed Hermione out of the room.

"I'm – um, sorry about what I said at the trial. I was just upset and -"

Warren cut her off. "It's fine, don't mention it!"

"Thanks!" smiled Hermione gratefully.

Both were silent for a minute.

"Is there really going to be a war?" she asked.

"Yes. There's going to be a war."

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Dumbledore was hopeful. His plan was going just as he had hoped. His contact in Azkaban was currently working on freeing him, and many of the other high security prisoners.

It was only a matter of time now! He thought, and paced restlessly. As soon as someone gave him a new wand, he would break out. And when he did, he would get that silly Auror for what he did to him.

Dumbledore heard the sounds of muffled footsteps coming towards his cell.

"Sir?" asked a sly voice, holding up a wand.

"Ah, yes! I'm glad you were able to perform your task successfully!" said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling like mad.

The large figure on the other side of the bars just nodded and moved out of the way.

With a sweep of Dumbledore's wand, his bars melted into nothing, and he walked out. "Finally! Free at last!"

A few minutes later, Dumbledore met up with Ron who had picked up a wand from the security center on the first floor.
"Dumbledore?"

"Yes Ronald?" huffed Dumbledore, sore at being interrupted and called by his last name. He thought himself beneath being called anything but 'Sir' or 'Professor'

"I can't work for you anymore! Look where it led me!" Ron snarled, and quickly raised his voice. "IT'S YOUR FAULT ALL THESE GOOD PEOPLE ARE DEAD!"

"Now, now Ronald! I can understand you being upset, but to blame this all on me is -"

"Shut your mouth you bloody sodder – faced fool!" growled Ron, readying his wand.

"Mr. Weasley, language!"

"Don't you get it old man? I'm going to kill you! It will finally be my chance to do something good for this world!"

Dumbledore smiled sadly and pulled out his new wand. "That would be a death wish for you to try."

"Oh is that so? What if I don't mind dying? I don't have anything left to live for, thanks to you! I'm a murderer! I'll always be stuck in here! If you kill me, I'll take you down with me!"

Dumbledore sighed, but before he could say anything, he was forced to dodge an unforgivable from Ron. He grimaced and sent a bone – breaker at the teen, which hit his leg with a nasty crack. Ron gasped in pain, but did not fall over as Dumbledore had hoped. He sent a cutting curse at Ron, which sliced across his stomach and caused him to topple over, blood staining his cloak.

"Well played Mr. Weasley, well played." smirked Dumbledore, standing over Ron.

"Yeah?" gurgled Ron, blood filling his mouth.

"Unfortunately, I always win!" boasted Dumbledore. He was so busy gloating; he didn't notice Ron pulling out a strange horn – like needle.

He noticed when it pierced his leg. "What was that?" he yelled, burning pain racing up his leg. "Answer me! CRUCIO!"

Ron twitched and howled in pain, and then smiled. "I told you I'd take you down. That's an incurable poison. Only I know the antidote."

Dumbledore went white and knelt next to Ron, grabbing him by the front of his robes. "Tell me -"

"Don't waste your breath!" chided Ron, throwing down the horn. "It takes about a month to work its way to your heart, but you will die. I will never tell you the antidote."

Dumbledore yelled in fury and blasted Ron with a Reductor. "I told you I'd take you down!" panted Ron. "Now I can go tell Proudfoot how sorry I am! Maybe I'll be forgiven, huh? Sorry, but I can't say that I forgive you, cause I don't."

With a final rattling breath, Ron's head thudded to the ground, and he moved no more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hermione? What's the matter?" asked Harry, squeezing her hand.

"I don't know! I just have this feeling that something terrible has happened." she looked around warily.

"Well, don't worry about it!" laughed Harry, pulling out his wand. "Want to practice dueling?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up. "Sure!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Warren and Snape were dueling upstairs. Both had become rather good friends in the past week. Snape was in the process of teaching Warren how to shield his mind from Voldemort. It was hard work, but Warren was good at it.

"Let's see how you've progressed, shall we?" smirked Snape, but then gasped in pain as he tried to break into Warren's mind.

"What was that?" cried Snape, feeling light – headed.

"Oh, I toned down my defenses so you could enter without killing yourself," said Warren carelessly.

"Bloody fast learners!" muttered Snape.

Before he could say anything else, Warren hit him from behind with a hex, and he was forced to turn back around.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dumbledore had many emotions swirling around in his head. The first was a burning, intense anger. The second was a terrible worry.

Don't worry! He thought to himself. I'll find the cure!

Dumbledore shook his head to clear it, and then prepared to lay their trap.

Warren and Tonks would come. But they would not leave.

A/N: Hahahaha! I bet no one saw that coming! (Evil Laugh) Poor Ron, I kind of feel sorry for him. Oh, well. Thanks again for the awesome reviews! To answer your question Potterlunar, to publish a story, just go to publish on your account and the very last thing on the list is a guide. It will tell you how do all that stuff.