Disclaimer: I own nothing. Hope everyone likes the new chapter!


-Fire and Flame-


The Room of Requirement had reformed itself into an impressive labyrinth, one comprised of various objects and knickknacks that had accumulated over the years. Once again, Ron was reminded of his father's old shed, except this time on a much larger scale.

The one thing that Ron couldn't fathom though; was that Tom Riddle, the man who set up an elaborate cave of traps, guarded by Inferi to keep a single Horcrux safe, just stuffed another one in here? Where anyone in the castle could have access to it? It seemed ludicrous to him. Ron voiced his thoughts to the others. Harry's flippant response was that Voldemort simply thought he was the only one who knew about the room.

How arrogant of him to think that. The massive piles of random crap should have been a pretty big tip-off that others had visited it before him. More and more, Ron was beginning to realize that Voldemort was not some all-powerful creature of destruction, but rather a mortal man: one who made mistakes. This realization served to strengthen Ron's belief that in the end, Harry would be able to beat the Dark Lord.

Ron and Hermione followed Harry's lead as he tried to remember the location of the bloody Horcrux. They passed by the Vanishing Cabinet Malfoy had used last year, and Ron felt a shiver travel up his spine. That slippery little ferret; Malfoy might not have given Harry and the others away when they were captured, but he sure didn't help them escape either. The coward probably would have just stood there and watched Greyback tear Hermione to shreds.

Ron's grip on her hand tightened for a moment. Hermione turned to him, searching his face for what he was thinking. Her features then suddenly softened and graced him with a sweet smile. Ron returned it vowing that if he ever saw Malfoy again, he was going to sock the git right in the teeth.

When Harry reached the intersection of the other aisles, he looked around the space forlornly; as if not knowing where to go next. Hermione then tried the Summoning charm, and just like with the cup, it didn't do a lick of good. Harry then suggested they split up. Ron really didn't like this plan, but it seemed that they were quickly running out of options.

Apparently, they needed to find a bust wearing an old wig and a tiara. "What a chic ensemble! It would do both Dobby and Luna proud," thought Ron, reluctantly letting go of Hermione's hand.

He didn't want to let her go, but he knew he had to.

"Don't worry about me, Ron," assured Hermione as she gave his hand one last quick squeeze. "I'll be fine. Concentrate on finding the diadem, all right? "

And with that, she took off down the left aisle. With a sigh, Ron fought down his anxiety and chose to search the right aisle.

"She'll be alright. No one else is in here except us. Harry will be fine on his own. They'll both be safe," thought Ron as he scanned the mountains of junk for an ugly needle in a haystack of crap.

With every minute that went by, the task became more and more daunting. Ron turned down what felt like the millionth corridor and stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

He rested his hand on the wall made of flotsam and jetsam to steady himself. No matter how hopeless it seemed, they had to keep going. The fate of the wizarding world was depending on the three of them to find this stupid thing. Ron released a frustrated grunt as he lightly punched the wall and took off again.

"Teapot: Crap, Wine Bottle: Crap…. I-Um…Don't even want to know why that's in here…Crap, Crap, Crapulent crap-" but Ron's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of heated voices echoing through the room.

Distinctly male sounding voices, to be exact.

"Did Neville come back in?" thought Ron as he skidded to a stop and called out, "Harry? Are you talking to someone?"

Suddenly, a loud blast exploded above him. Ron shielded his head with his arms and ran from the avalanche of cascading objects, crashing to the floor around him.

"Ron!" he heard Harry bellow and Hermione scream as he narrowly dodged a lovely set of drawers that attempted to bash his head in. Glass and other items continued to rain down from the sky as Ron heard Harry call out a spell. Whatever Harry had done, it steadied the wall of junk that was collapsing on top of him.

"Whew, that was a close one," thought Ron as he caught his breath. Once again he yelled for his friend, "Harry? What's going on?"

It was then that he heard a voice roar the word, "Crucio!"

"That is most definitely not Neville," thought Ron as he took off at a run. Somehow the Death Eaters had found them, and Harry was now in danger. Was Voldemort here as well? Would they have to face him one on one? The thought terrified Ron, but that fear only served to strengthen his resolve.

He allowed the sounds of the battle to be his guide through the ever twisting maze. Ron heard a familiar voice exclaim, "It's that Mudblood! Avada Kedavra!"

"You son of a bitch! God, please let him miss!" thought Ron fanatically as his legs pounded all the harder against the floor.

"Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" screeched Malfoy in that high-pitched voice of his.

"Please don't let me be too late to save Hermione!" gasped Ron out of breath.

He rounded the corner just in time to hear Harry's Disarming spell strike Goyle.

Ron took in the scene in an instant. Goyle was searching around for something, Malfoy had just dodge out of the way of a Stunning spell cast by… Hermione, oh thank god Hermione was still standing there fighting them off. Ron quickly waved his wand and shot a full Body-Bind Curse at Crabbe's exposed back. The spell just barely missed him.

"Shit!" thought Ron as he watched Crabbie arse spin around to face him. He knew what curse the git would use.

"Avada Kedavra!" screamed Crabbe and time slowed. The air became thick; it felt like wading through a marsh. Ron's heart leapt into his throat as he dove for cover behind the corner of the wall. The heat of the curse scorched his skin as it flew past. It burned with a searing type of anger, a kind unlike any Ron had ever known. He could feel the utter hatred literally radiating off of it. It was so strong, that if hit, Ron knew it could stop a man's heart cold. The Avada Kedavra curse had come very close to taking his life. He could feel it in his bones.

It truly was… unforgivable.

Ron shivered for a moment, cold with shock. But he quickly regained his composure when he heard Crabbe's heavy footsteps barreling down the aisle after him.

The redheaded warrior jumped away from the wall just as Crabbe rounded the corner. Ron sent a Stunning spell at him. Crabbe retaliated with a curse of his own, but both combatants missed.

"Missed me again, Crabbie pants," growled Ron as he readied his wand to cast another spell.

It was then that Ron felt an intense heat suddenly burst to life behind his back.

He spun around and saw a massive fiery blaze envelope the piles of contraband behind him at an alarming rate.

Consuming everything in its path, the glowing yellow-orange flames quickly raced towards the pair, hungry for more.

"Didn't need to hit you," grunted Crabbe as they both took off at sprint back down the hall where the others were still fighting.

Ron could see the horrified realization on both Harry and Hermione's faces as he ran to meet them.

"Like it hot, scum?" roared Crabbe as the flames licked at the back of their heels.

"You idiot, you're going to kill us all!" thought Ron as he continued at his frantic pace.

"Aguamenti!" Harry bellowed.

"I don't know who's stupider at this moment, Harry: you or Crabbe. Aguamenti? Seriously?"

The jet of water soared from the tip of Harry's wand and simply evaporated into thin air.

"RUN!"

"No shit!" thought Ron as he grabbed Hermione's hand and ran after Crabbe's retreating back. He and his friends pelted down the aisle searching for any means of escape. The raging fire instantly reduced the towering walls of the labyrinth to ash. Smoke burned in Ron's lungs as the air within the room quickly became saturated. As he looked back behind him, enormous heads of magical beasts suddenly erupted from the depths of the inferno. The fire now moved like a living breathing thing; a pure force of destruction, hell-bent on devouring them whole.

Malfoy and his band of idiots disappeared from view, but they really weren't Ron's major concern at the moment. For the trio was suddenly met with a dead-end. As they spun around; the fiery monsters encircled them in a ring of fire. The demonic creatures lashed and snapped at them with their fangs as they drew closer. Heat burned at the trio's faces as they backed up against the wall of forgotten items.

They were trapped.

Ron gripped Hermione's hand even tighter.

"What can we do?" she screamed over the deafening surge of the raging inferno. "What can we do?"

For a moment, all seemed lost.

Voldemort had won.

But as always, when things seemed their darkest; Harry found some crazy way to get them out alive.

"Here!" yelled Harry as he dove into the pile of trash and extracted a pair of ancient looking brooms.

"And the brilliance of a desperate Harry Potter strikes again!" thought Ron with elation as he grabbed the one Harry threw to him. He quickly mounted it and pulled Hermione on with him.

The second her arms latched around his waist, he kicked off into the air with Harry flying right beside them.

Both brooms swerved to avoid the snapping beak of a flaming raptor and soared into the air directly above the chaos. Ron glanced down at the glowing fire below. He watched as generations of student contraband were eradicated in such a grand displace that it would have made Filch proud.

Well…on second thought maybe not; because without the evidence, none of the perpetrators would be punished.

Anyway, Ron looked down at the yellow-orange blaze, wondering if Malfoy and his cronies had escaped as well. As much as he despised Draco, Ron would never wish such a death on him. It was similar to his feelings about Wormtail's demise. Ron felt such rage and anger towards them both, but sensing Crabbe's hatred embodied in the Avada Kedavra curse, woke Ron up to a lot of things.

But he really didn't have time to reflect on the ramifications of that right now.

He watched Harry swoop around the room; most likely keeping an eye out for survives just like Ron was. But the smoke and heat were quickly becoming too much. Hermione's hacking cough finally convinced him that they had searched long enough. Panic was finally starting to set-in. If they didn't leave now, they might not be able to at all.

"Harry, let's get out, let's get out!" bellowed Ron desperately at his friend. And for a moment, he thought Harry was going to comply, but a withering scream, deep within the sea of ravenous flames suddenly caught their attention.

Ron knew that look on Harry's determined face.

His reckless friend was going to try.

Harry was going to risk his life, his future, and the future of the entire wizarding world for the life of Draco Malfoy. A man whose family locked them up and tried to kill Hermione; a man whose friend just tried to kill all three of them, Draco included.

The strategist in Ron screamed that Malfoy wasn't worth it.

It was too late; if Harry tried he'd surely perish!

"It's – too – dangerous – !" he yelled as Harry wheeled around and dove straight into the pits of hell.

"Shit," thought Ron as he debated about what to do. He had not just his life to think about, but Hermione's as well.

"Hermione, I-"

"I know what you're going to ask. Just hurry up and go after him, Ron!" was her heated reply. As one, they dove into the firestorm below.

It was like jumping into a furnace. Flames licked ravenously at their hair as they bobbed and weaved through the fire.

When Ron finally spotted his friend trying desperately to grab Goyle's sweaty hand, he roared, "IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!"

Ron swept the unconscious idiot up onto his and Hermione's broom with the ease of a Keeper. The extra weight made them pitch and roll dangerously, but they were able to get airborne again.

Knowing that Harry was following immediately behind, Ron sped as fast as he could toward the door. Black soot and ash filled Ron's lungs making him hack and cough. Finally, he caught sight of the closed doorway, and zipped toward it with all his might.

They couldn't risk dismounting to open it, so Ron cast Reducto! with such force that it practically blew the door right off its hinges.

As they glided over the threshold, fresh air filled their gasping lungs. Ron spun around and braked. They landed to the left of the door, just in time to avoid colliding with the opposite wall.

Both he and Hermione tripped dazedly off the broom and fell panting to the floor. Their hair was singed and lightly smoking, but they had made it. They were still alive.

That had been far too close.

"Wait a moment…" Hermione gasped heavily, "where's-"

But the answer to her question came spiraling out of the open doorway, slamming into the wall next to them, causing both riders to tumble gracelessly to the floor.

"Thank, Godric," thought Ron as he and Hermione watched the doorway to the Room of Requirement fade from existence.

Malfoy repeatedly whimpered Crabbe's name.

"He's dead," said Ron harshly. He really didn't have any sympathy for the prat at the moment. If Crabbe hadn't just tried to kill them all, Ron would honestly feel sorry that he was dead. But you don't start a fire that you can't control; it's common sense!

A cavalcade of headless ghosts then sped past them and Harry suddenly started to panic, searching around the corridor.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron's friend asked sharply. "She was here. She was supposed to be going back into the Room of Requirement."

"Yes, Harry. Because she was so clearly going to do what you told her," thought Ron sarcastically. He then turned toward the vanished entrance of the room, asking aloud if it would still work. He knew voicing his thoughts on Ginny would not help Harry's nerves; so Ron, for once, decided to take the tactful approach and suggested splitting up to look for her.

Hermione dismissed his idea though, saying that she thought it would be best for them to stick together.

It was then that Hermione noticed something dangling from Harry's wrist.

As he slid the object off, Ron realized that it wasn't a bracelet, but a crown.

"Bloody hell, Harry found the diadem!" he thought in shock and watched the thing leak out a dark, tarry like substance. The Horcrux then shuddered in Harry's hands and broke apart into a million pieces.

The fire had destroyed a Horcrux. As Hermione explained how it could have done such a thing, Ron's heart filled with joy.

"Five down, and one to go," he thought as the end of their harrowing adventure finally seemed within reach.

Even the flames of hell couldn't stop them. They were going to make it through this!

Little did Ron know; he was about to suffer a loss so great that it would very nearly shatter his soul…


Author's Notes: I think I used just about every word for fire there is in the English language at least once XP

Hehehee! Anyway, twelve down, and five to go!

Yeah, I'm stopping there. Fred's death deserves a chapter all its own. It's going to have a lot of flashbacks and deep contemplation as I explore the complexity of Fred and Ron's relationship.

Your heartstrings shall be pulled and you will weep with open tears! At least I hope to invoke that response from my readers!

Next Time: "No Longer Afraid"

Please remember to read and review! Everyone's encouraging and helpful suggestions really keep me going!

Thanks again!