Beta's Note: Oh, girl, this chapter is chock full of some nice little surprises. I hope you are ready for what is waiting for you. See you on the other side!
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Chapter 21 - Unbeatable
"As for Hermione Granger and yourself; I suggest you learn to move on." Headmistress McGonagall's voice and suggestion rolled in his thoughts like a thunderstorm.
"Evil bint," growled Ron as he left the Headmistress's office.
Normally, Ron felt a great bit of reverence for his former Head of House; right now however, he felt nothing but loathing. The students and even the ghostly Bloody Baron took noticed of his ire as they gave him a wide berth on the stairs. He didn't even realize where his body was taking him as his mind was more occupied with his raw anger and injured pride than the quickest way out of Hogwarts.
"I suggest you learn to move ooonnn," sniped Ron, as he accidentally bumped into an elderly witch at a turn in the hallway.
"Oh my… Merlin!" The silver hair witch gasped after Ron had knocked her to the marble floor.
"Sorry Ma'am, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," Ron remorsefully apologized then gingerly assisted the elderly witch up off the floor.
When he stood her up and step back to take a full look of her he immediately recognized her as a member of the Wizarding Examination Authority. In fact, she had been his O.W.L. examiner in Transfiguration when he was at Hogwarts. He also remembered her as being ancient even back then. Her face had more lines than a detention board. If she wasn't hitting at least a 150 years old, then he was the one in need of glasses.
"Oh my… you need to pay more attention to where you're going young man!" The elderly witch yelled a bit while she squint her eyes to see him better.
"I'm sorry…"
"WHAT?"
"I said I'm SORRY!" Ron yelled to her as she was obviously having a hard time hearing as well.
"You should be! Ever since Dumbledore left…"
"He's dead, Ma'am." Ron corrected her, even though he himself was wondering why he was even bothering to correct her.
"Who's dead?" The elderly silver hair witch roared back in reply.
Ron rolled his eyes before he attempted to be polite with her again. "I SAID DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD!"
The old witch grew indignant over his answer and told him as much. "I know he's dead… and there's no need to yell! What's your name?"
Ron exhaled in frustration as Professor Sprout came dashing over to them to sort out what was making some much noise in the hallway.
"Madam Professor Marchbanks are you alright?"
"No this blithering idiot keeps going off about Albus Dumbledore being dead!"
Ron rolled his eyes in frustration before he retorted. "No Madam. You said that Professor Dumbledore left Hogwarts and I was correcting you."
This only confused the elderly woman even more, "What about Dumbledore?"
Professor Sprout must've sized up the situation rather correctly as she offered a helpful suggestion.
"Mr. Weasley, perhaps you can assist Professor Marchbanks to Madam Pomfrey… for a spot of tea." Professor Sprout tactfully suggested tea instead of saying outright – "take the old battleaxe to the Hospital Wing."
"WHAT? You have to pee?"
"No dear, TEA! Mr. WEASLEY IS GOING TO TAKE YOU TO GET SOME TEA!" Professor Sprout shouted for Marchbanks to hear her.
"Tea would be lovely, will Albus be there?"
"I'll see that he stops by!" Professor Sprout answered and tilted her head for him to escort her to the Hospital wing.
Halfway to the Hospital Wing, Professor Marchbanks felt the need to be chatty about her tea date. "It will be good to see Albus! You know, I graded Albus Dumbledore's NEWTs' when he was a student like yourself Mr. Diesel! He did things with a wand that I've never seen before!"
He was a bit wiser about trying to correct her and said completely nothing about being called a Diesel.
"I saw him turn a stone into fire, and then changed it into a brick of gold like it was child's play! He took a glass of water from my table and had it dance around the room like it was alive! Its dancing partner was a flame of fire from one of the torch lights! They danced the Waltz… or was it the Viennese? I'll have to ask Albus to be certain!"
"You do that!" Ron calmly suggested.
It started making Ron think of what Professor Dumbledore was really doing. He had used the combination of Muggle science and Magic to pass his NEWTs. The question was could he do it? Should he try to do it? He didn't want to end up like Luna's mum by trying to bounce back the Killing curse, but moving water about and creating gold from stones seemed a bit more reasonable and safe.
"Professor Dumbledore did say he knew I wouldn't abuse or test the limits of the powers like Luna's mum or even Hermione would. It wouldn't hurt to know a few tricks to use if I'm going up against the Immortals." Ron thought to himself as he assisted Professor Marchbanks to the Hospital Wing.
"Albus?" Professor Marchbanks shouted at the door of the Hospital Wing immediately gaining the attention of Madam Poppy Pomfrey otherwise busy with a few ailing students. "I hope we aren't late for tea?"
"Madam Pomfrey, a table for two. Professor Marchbanks and Professor Dumbledore." Ron said rather cheekily as he walked Professor Marchbanks into the Hospital Wing then closed the door behind her locking her inside.
"Mental she is." Ron griped as he made his way out of Hogwarts.
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Ron needed answers. Normally he would go straight to Hermione who point him in the right direction but nowadays that direction pointed straight off a cliff. Adding to that was Professor Dumbledore's portrait was nowhere to be found and he couldn't speak to anyone else about whether he should or shouldn't try to use Dumbledore's Muggle magic. That's when the idea occurred to him. He had to go straight to the source for a second opinion.
That lead him to where he was currently standing. He was standing just a few meters away from Hagrid's hut facing straight at one of the scariest place in the world, the Forbidden Forest.
"Harry said he dropped it on the way to Voldemort's camp. According to some of the Death Eater prisoners we captured they had the camp about a kilometer from Hogwarts grounds a little bit off Hagrid's hut. Still how the bloody hell, am I going to find a normal looking river stone in the middle of a forest." Ron said to himself as he heard the rustling of leaves in the forest.
The problem seemed hopeless even as he started walking into the tree line with his wand out.
"Accio Elder Stone. Accio Resurrection Stone."
"Nothing. That was stupid," reflected Ron on his actions. "Maybe I can trace a magical signature. No, that won't work either; it's the Forbidden Forest - there's ton of magical beings in there. Think, Weasley, think."
Before he could come up with an answer a small gold orb floated out of his Auror robe pocket and floated right in front of him.
"What the… Hermione? Is she wanting me?"
The gold orb slowly moved away from him and then swiftly started heading east deeper into the forest. Ron wasn't sure what was guiding it but he could sense that it knew where he needed to go. He hastily ran after it, leaping over roots, plowing through bushes, and swerving around giant trees.
Finally after an exhausting run of trying to stay within sight of the gold orb, it stopped. Like a falling feather it gingerly descended to the forest ground in front of him. He raced to the exact spot the gold orb went and dug past the leaves and dirt to find a black river stone in the shape of a diamond. Fearlessly and without hesitation he took the stone and turned it over three times in his hand.
"So pathetically dim-witted!"
Ron looked over his shoulder to see a smiling Fred Weasley in the form of a shadow. Fred was more than a ghost but less physically solid than a human being.
"Fred?" Ron timidly asked as his heart raced in equal parts of happiness and fear.
"No, I'm George. Accio Harry's broomstick."
Ron felt Harry's broomstick magically fly out of his Auror robe straight to the eager hands of Fred.
"I've been dying all over again to ride this wicked broom." Fred cracked as he magically enlarged it and tried to board it to ride.
Instead he fell straight through it like he was a ghost going through a wall.
"Bugger. Hold on… there has to be a way."
"I don't think there is." A familiar voice declared.
Ron looked around and saw Professor Dumbledore walking straight toward him. He was smiling with the same look he reserved for Harry.
"Ronald, to what do I owe the honor."
To Ron it seemed totally surreal and yet reassuring that both of them were there with him. Also, a bit maddening that neither one were truly there and were but a shadow. He had come to see Dumbledore, but seeing Fred was something he did not realize that he also needed.
"I think you know Professor," answered Ron.
"I might indeed. I see that you got a rudimentary grasp of the theory and now you're wondering if you should attempt putting those theories into practice."
"Yes sir." Ron replied with the background noise of Fred trying various magical spells on Harry's broom in order to ride it.
"I cannot say if you should. I can only explain the risks either way."
Ron hesitated before asking, "Everything that Professor Marchbanks said about you… was it true?"
Professor Dumbledore merely smiled as he answered, "It was the waltz. She forgot to mention the lighting and music that went along with it. I must say, I'm quite proud of the choice of dance music that I selected. It was a very memorable performance."
"You were the one that guided the gold orb to the stone. Weren't you?" Ron spoke up to the nodding answer of Professor Dumbledore.
"Okay, let's say I do attempt it. What exactly do I… I mean, I get that it's the flow of electrons in matter-"
Professor Dumbledore interrupted, "Not just the direction you can also control the speed as well."
"The speed… what will that do?"
"You tell me," Professor Dumbledore reassuringly suggested for him to practice by pointing at a rather large granite rock nearby.
Ron pointed his wand and minus a magical command or spell simply willed the electrons in the rock to go faster.
Nothing happened.
"It helps if you move you wand in the direction and speed that you want the electrons to flow in." Professor Dumbledore lectured.
Ron circled the wand in a clockwise motion, once, twice, three times with each spin faster than the one before. The effect was instant, the dormant rock vibrated then burst into flames.
"Now relax your wand to your side."
Ron returned his wand to his side and was surprised that it had not stopped the fire. In fact, it was burning on its own without the aid of his magic.
"The nuclear forces of the atoms, combined with the brunt force of magic can move matter in ways that Muggle or magical people have never dreamed of. In this case the speed of the electrons has caused a thermal conductivity within the rock. Now Mr. Weasley, what would happen if we were to slow the rock's electrons?"
Ron shrugged his shoulders that he wasn't sure before he lifted his wand and did the exact opposite of the wand motion and decreasing circular speed. As instantly as the rock was set ablaze it quickly smoldered and turned brittle. The rock looked as if it suffered a massive freeze and was unable to hold shape. It quickly cracked and then crumbled into much smaller rocks.
"Wicked. How about the direction? How do I make water flow up and down without me constantly using magic? Like the Seine River through the French Ministry." Ron excitedly asked.
Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow before he refused to answer his questions. "Ronald, there are some things that you are going to have to learn by yourself. Then when you feel you are ready you must test your skill in combat against an unbeatable wand. It is the only way to fully master the knowledge and power."
"What… wait… an unbeatable wand? It's buried with you." Ron attested to Professor Dumbledore with a tint of frustration.
"Yes, I had to defeat Gellert Grindelwald to be the true master of the Elder wand and the master of this power. Even though you say it's buried with me can you not think of another?"
Ron's mind immediately answered Professor Dumbledore's question before his conscious could object.
"Harry? You want me to beat Harry… in a duel."
"Well you're overdue that's for sure." Fred yelled over to him as he was still trying to ride Harry's broom.
Ron thought the whole premise was silly, after all the whole purpose of an unbeatable wand was - it was unbeatable. Professor Dumbledore sensed his next question and answered before he even asked.
"My dear boy, yes the wand is unbeatable and all powerful as you can imagine. However, it has for centuries had one single weakness."
Professor Dumbledore, with pure irritation on Ron's part, paused before he revealed the weakness. "You cannot beat the wand, Mr. Weasley, but you can certainly beat the wizard holding it."
"That's how you beat Grindelwald… it made you the true master of the wand." Ron surmised.
"I was a shade more skillful. Now Ronald I must return and you should not use the Resurrection stone ever again. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." With that Professor Dumbledore completely faded away.
Watching Dumbledore leave he hadn't even noticed what Fred was up to. That was until an errant broom whizzed by his head missing him by a few centimeters.
"Oi, you stupid broom." Fred shouted at it.
Ron wasn't even upset with him; he missed him so much that he wasn't even going to waste a second of it arguing.
"Fred, I missed you… we've all missed you. Mum, Dad, George… everyone. It hasn't been the same without you."
Fred smiled a bit before he keenly turned angry at him. "Shut up you tosser. I know that already. What you don't know is George and the rest of the family needs you more than ever."
Ron said nothing as Fred rambled on. Fred had never been one to ramble like this so Ron figured what he was saying must be important.
"George won't admit it, but the business is circling the loo. Ginny and Harry are wanting to get married and they keep holding it off because they are worried about you. Mum and Dad are having a hard time paying off the loans. Then there's you."
"What about me," Ron asked a bit defensively like he was once again being picked on by his older brother.
"You're so pathetic that you don't realize you let the only girl that can put up with you slip right through your fingers."
"It's not my fault she left me and went sneaking around with some rich wanker." Ron shouted back at his disbelieving older brother.
"The same wanker that's home all the time, not doing some dangerous mission for no pay in some bloody far off country. He treats her to fancy restaurants and nights out on the town. While you… ha! When you finally did get home all your lazy arse did was stay home and gripe how little your pay was and how you got no respect."
"We went out!" Ron shouted in his defense.
"To Ginny's Quidditch matches? What makes you think Hermione cared at all about Quidditch?"
Ron said nothing as he started to find the dirt a whole lot more interesting.
"Face it, Ron. The cauldron has blown up in your face. You were a miserable git and she had enough of you."
Ron's shoulders slumped down in defeat as the truth laid on him like the weight of a dragon.
"Little brother, it's time for you to make a change and soon." Fred stated as he too started to fade away. "Tell George to start living as well by marrying Angelina. She's a good-"
Fred had completely vanished leaving Ron completely alone in the forest. He reburied the Resurrection stone and flew out of the forest on Harry's broom.
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Ron continued to stay at Hogwarts to take up some mind-clearing Quidditch practice. It seemed a bit unusual to see a grown man, an Auror no less, practicing Quidditch surrounded by younger kids, but he didn't care. The kids on the other hand were all a bit scared of him and gave him half the field to be alone on. That was everyone except Marty and Tom. They were the two third year Gryffindor students that he had shown the House cup too. The familiarity between them made him less scary in their view and certainly more approachable.
Tom would frequently ask him questions on which goal posts to hover in front of or how best to move out of a Bludger's way while still guarding a goal post. During this, Marty would attempt to hit either one of them with a Bludger as an opposing Beater. Problem being, Marty had the aim of a drunken sailor. He was awful.
"Marty, you're knocking them into the stands." Tom yelled over at him.
"I'm not strong enough to hit them where they need to go," Marty exasperated back to Tom.
Tom answered, "You don't have to power through with the Bludgers to get it where you want to go. You just direct it and let the Bludger do all the work."
"Bloody hell," Ron said aloud at what he had just said. "That's how you change the direction of the stream."
"What," asked Tom and Marty in confusion?
Ron didn't even reply as he stopped hovering around the goal posts and flew off the pitch to land over next to the lake. Tom and Marty quickly followed behind him.
"Here goes," Ron declared as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the lake.
He pointed then slashed his wand like a Beater swing at the water electrons in the lake to make a massive column of water. It roared like a giant tidal wave and ushered fifty feet straight into the air like a colossal water fountain.
"Wowww," said the kids behind him.
Ron then did a swing at the water column in the air toward the Quidditch pitch. The water column immediately shot across the grounds through the center goal post and straight out on to the field.
"That's incredible," voiced Tom in total awe with him.
He had a half of a mind to make it spell out "Weasley is our King" over the Quidditch pitch. Instead he wisely directed it back toward the lake in a zigzag formation over the stands.
"I have to go," Ron advised his fellow Gryffindor.
"Where are you going," Marty asked as he look at the replenished lake and then back over to him?
"I have to go kick Harry Potter's arse."
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Ron was a bit nervous if he was honest. Not like he was going to have an easy job of it. Harry was good, better than good, and when you added his unbeatable wand - he was exceptionally good. He knew his only chance was to beat Harry the Wizard. Only then will he be a true master of the power and knowledge that he possessed.
As he made his way across the Ministry atrium toward the lifts, he happened to notice Hermione heading in the opposite direction for home. She looked exhausted after what was already a long day. Even though he was sure the last thing she needed was for him to talk with her; he still felt an overwhelming need to talk with her after everything that Fred had told him.
"Hermione can I have a word?"
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A/N: Cliffhangers, an Author's best friend. BWHAHAHA!