Stripped Bare
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Let me see her, Hermione," Ron threatened. His large frame had never seemed more intimidating than in this moment. His breath smelled heavily of liquor. It was a stench that Hermione was beginning to relate with him. Hermione stood her ground despite the injury in her leg. Idly, she was amazed that he was able to Apparate and still be in possession of his limbs.
"No, Ronald," Hermione's tone held a strong command. His dark blue eyes looked deranged. She had only seen that look when he wore that damned necklace. Despite her fear at what it meant, she stood her ground. If he got to Lavender not only would Spencer and Lav be in danger, but so would the child growing inside of Lavender. She gripped the wand in her pocket. Unknown to him, she had her wand aimed at his crotch. He would lose his boys with the slightest threatening move toward her.
"Hermione, I'm not playing with you," he growled. Hermione tipped her head back defiantly and stared into his deranged eyes. His fists were clenching slowly. His strong, freckled arms were shaking heavily. He was near snapping. "Hermione…move!" He snarled. He reached for her. Hermione stepped back and nearly fired the spell, but the sound of her front door smacking the wall stopped her. Derek Morgan leaned against the archway.
"Problem here?" Derek asked with a small quirk to his eyebrow. He easily studied the situation. Spencer had said that a friend of Hermione's needed help, needed to be taken to the hospital. He had added that he thought the man that put her friend in her state was in the house and that Hermione had locked them in her bedroom.
"Who the fuck are you?" Ron demanded in a snarl. Derek's eyebrows curled upward as Hermione gripped her wand harder. She willed it to turn into a Taser. She had found out that it would take the shape of what she wanted if she pushed enough magic into it. She slowly removed it from her pocket as Morgan opened his mouth to speak.
"Derek Morgan, who are you?" he kicked from the wall. He could see Hermione withdrawing something from her pocket and neared closer to her. The red head seemed dedicated to block his way. Derek suppressed an outward expression. He had been threatened the young woman before. Why was he protective of her now?
"Derek, Lavender needs to go to the hospital," Hermione said, distracting the men from the contest they seemed to be having.
"Like hell she does!" Ron snarled. "She's coming with me!" Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"Lavender isn't going anywhere with you. Not anymore," Hermione denied him. Ron's blue eyes narrowed. Derek raised his eyebrows at the commanding tone in Hermione's voice. She stood so tall despite the injury. Once more, Derek felt power pulsate from her tiny frame. A small smile tugged at his lips, he really didn't want to be in this man's shoes. "So you can just shove that idea up your ass, you abusive prick!" Derek caught the movement before Hermione did. Ron's arm was moving to strike her. Derek intercepted it quickly and bent Ron's arm behind his back. There was a sickening pop as Derek applied pressure to Ron's shoulder blades with his knee. Ron screamed out in anger and pain. Hermione flinched.
"Bad move," Derek growled. The fiery protectiveness he felt for women rose to the surface violently. "You better sober up fast, man," Derek ordered. His brown eyes finally caught what Hermione had in her hand-a Taser. He smiled at her. She gave a small smile back. "You know how to use that?" He asked her. She nodded. "Good, because I'm going to ease pressure off of him. If he goes to lunge at you, take his ass down."
"Right," Hermione whispered. Guilt clogged her senses for a moment: both for lying and for the idea of tasing Ronald. The moment Ron stood up she caught sight of the blue eyes she had once loved. They were filled with emotion, but she knew just how manipulative those eyes could be. She waited with tense shoulders for him to move. Her eyes widened slightly as red flashed through his blue eyes for a moment. "Ron?" She mumbled, slightly frightened.
"Get away from me, Mudblood," Ron hissed. Hermione's heart broke at the sentence. Her "taser" slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor. Derek saw red. His fist smashed into the side of Ron's jaw before the redhead could react. Ron smacked the floor hard. Derek planted his knee in between Ron's shoulders and pulled both of wrists around his back. He slapped handcuffs on him and yanked him up. Hermione stared numbly at her once-upon-a-time friend. Deep down, she knew that something was wrong with her friend and that something was a lot larger than just a magical imbalance. Hermione closed her eyes to keep from looking into his eyes as he called her name, as he called for her help. He was back to himself, but she didn't know for how long. Before he could say another word or struggle more, Hermione bent and picked up her taser. She didn't even look at him as she hit the button. Ron gave three jolts before hitting the ground at Derek's feet, unconscious. Derek looked up at Hermione with a slightly shocked expression, but he did not say a word.
"Leave him here; we have to get Lavender to the hospital," Hermione muttered. Derek nodded. It seemed that the ever-so-confident man didn't know what to say now. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that her blood was in no way dirty. That want only grew as a tear smacked the hardwood as she turned to unlock her bedroom door. He never could stand the sight of a woman crying.
Lavender was the first one out of the room. She gasped as she caught sight of the red hair poking out behind the couch. Once upon a time, she would have ran over to him and taken him in her arms. Now, she only stared at his fallen form.
"Is he dead?" Lavender asked. Hermione shook her head. Derek and Spencer were waiting patiently at the front door for the women. Spencer noted the way Derek's eyes seemed to cling to Hermione. His friend's brown eyes were filled with concern.
"What happened?" He muttered to him quietly as he watched the women speak. Derek leaned over and began to break down what he had seen.
"Just unconscious," Hermione placed her hand on her friend's arms, "let's get you to the hospital before he wakes up." Lavender didn't argue nor did she take her eyes off of her husband's unconscious body. As soon as the front door shut, she smiled weakly at Hermione.
"I knew that it was a good idea coming to you," she whispered. "You always know what to do." Hermione suppressed telling her that she didn't always know. She had never felt more helpless than she had in this moment. Her once-upon-a-time best friend could be possessed by a fragment of Voldemort's soul. The Weasleys would have to know. They would have to know about the years of abuse for Lavender and the moment of abuse for Hermione. They would have to know how far their son had fallen. It broke Hermione's heart to know that she had to be the one to tell them.
Stripped Bare
Hermione waited patiently for the boys and Lavender to fall asleep before she stepped out of the emergency room. She clenched her wand tightly in her hand as she walked. Lavender had four broken ribs, a fractured arm, and five torn muscles in her legs. Ron had done that. Ron had beaten Lavender without regard to the life inside of her. Hermione would have to tell the Weasleys that Ron had done it. She would have to tell them that it could have been her. Ron could have done that to her. Hermione fought off a small sob as she walked quietly through the dimmed halls. She didn't stop until she reached the darkened alleyway outside of the hospital.
She leaned against the alleyway before gaining the confidence and courage to do what she had too. With tears threatening to build over, she apparated to the Weasley home. For once, she was thankful for the time differences. While it was twelve a.m. in the U.S., it was only six p.m. in England. She landed with a stunted grace outside of the Weasley home and hobbled up the steps to the front door. She closed her eyes and suppressed the urge to lean against the wood.
She had never felt so awkward and unsure coming to the Weasley house before. She was bringing terrible news. She was bringing news she was sure was going to break Molly's heart. Hermione took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock. The door flew open before she had the chance. A beaming Molly Weasley stood before her.
"Hermione dear, you know you never have to knock!" She exclaimed as she ushered the injured girl inside. "Come in, come in, Fred and George were just about to show us a new product they were advertising at the joke shop so everyone's here. Well, except Ron and Lavender….we tried getting ahold of them but couldn't…" The worry in Molly's voice felt like an iron rod threw Hermione's heart. It must have shone on her face for Molly turned and took Hermione's shoulders into her gentle hands. "What's wrong, dear? Did something bad happen?" Hermione nodded. Tears beaded up in her eyes once more.
"I'm really sorry, Molly," she choked. All of the stress and pain she felt over the decision she had made filled her body. There was no turning back. She had to tell them now. She felt Molly's arms wrapped around her small frame. The crutches she had been leaning on for support smacked the floor loudly. Hermione could hear the others pouring into the kitchen at the noise; she could hear the shocked exclamations of her name, but she couldn't see them because of her tears. She could feel Molly pressing napkins into her hand. Hermione cursed herself silently at her weakness as she attempted to still her tears. She took a few deep breathes and readied herself to tell them the bad news. "Ron's at my house in Quantico," she told them bluntly. "He hurt Lavender." Hermione turned her pleading eyes to Molly's brown. "She's in the hospital." Sirius flung himself away from the table and began to pace. Remus closed his eyes and slumped down in the chair. Hermione's eyes widened as Sirius breached her personal space bubble. He placed his hands on the edge of her chair and leaned forward.
"Did he ever hit you?" He asked. Hermione couldn't lie when her best friend's god father was speaking so passionately. She could see the anger and concern in his grey eyes. Hermione nodded. Molly gave a small wail from the corner and fell into Arthur's arms.
They had all suspected Ron of violent behavior. Lavender's actions the night before had spoken volumes to the family. When Fred had announced that Hermione had left for Quantico, Lavender had looked so frightened. They had done nothing to help her. They had reassured themselves that nothing was wrong, that Lavender was simply fearful of her son's famous Weasley temper. Molly could feel the guilt gnawing at her stomach.
"That son of a bitch," Fred growled angrily. "I'll kill him!" He went to apparate, but found himself being held onto. Hermione Granger's soulful brown eyes met his. He didn't shake the hand on his forearm, but he did not calm down. He simply stood beside her and fumed.
"He's unconscious," Hermione spoke. She waited a moment for her statement to sink in then she readied to deliver the final nail in the coffin. "I think that there is a fragment of Voldemort's soul still remaining inside of him…" Instantly, a strong amount of outrage and disbelief filled the room. Hermione's heart fell as she saw Harry's face. It was a look she swore that she would prevent from ever touching his face again. A small stab of guilt rushed through her as she realized that she was the cause of it this time.
"But…" Harry started to argue. Hermione readied herself for it. She stared up into his green eyes and dared him to argue that the facts weren't there, that what they had all witnessed throughout the last two years was a lie. Presley cut the future argument off before it even began.
"It would explain why he suddenly grew more violent and why he's magically imbalanced. The level of black practically pulsated from him the last time he was here," Presley explained. The Weasleys fell silent underneath the implication.
"But why is Voldemort dead if a piece of his soul still resides in Ron?" Harry asked angrily. He glared slightly at Presley. He knew that he was ignoring some important facts that pointed in Ron's possession, but he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't have failed his best friend that way! He just couldn't have.
Harry was so concerned with his own thought process that he missed his wife's slight shift in body movement. It wasn't until she spoke that he realized she was uncomfortable with the conversation.
"It may not be a fragment of his soul, but Ron's soul having been darkened by the experience." Everyone in the room turned to look at the red head. Harry felt hope course through him at his wife's words. Ginny met their eyes steadily. "Voldemort's soul only magnifies the darkness you have in you. It doesn't create it," Ginny informed them. "Who had the longest exposure to Voldemort's soul while you three were on the run?" She turned to her husband. It took both of them a moment to think on it. They had attempted to divide the time evenly, but they hadn't known how sensitive Ron was to the locket's whisperings. Harry ran a hand through his hair and sighed:
"Ron." The raven haired man couldn't help the guilt and anger that bubbled up in his stomach. They hadn't taken into account the idea that Ron may not have been strong enough to handle it.
"We overestimated him," Hermione admitted as if reading Harry's thoughts. "We thought that he couldn't handle the same amount of exposure as the rest of us…"
"Voldemort played off of our fears and our insecurities," Ginny told them. "Ron has more of them than a normal person." A conversation that had once included the full Weasley family now dwindled down to the few that had experience with Voldemort's seductions.
"So what do we do?" Mr. Weasley asked, attempting to draw the attention back to the needed direction.
"Tie him up and pour serum down his throat," Sirius grumbled. Hermione looked at him. She couldn't find it in her to be as horrified as Molly was. She understood the reasoning for it even as Sirius elaborated his idea to Molly. "Lavender and Hermione were just stepping stones in his violence, Molly. This could get ugly quickly if he is left to wander on the streets."
"I think that he has a few moments were he is able to overcome Voldemort's soul," Ginny gave a small cough, "or overpowering the darkness in him," Hermione stated, glaring playfully at Ginny. "Before I knocked him unconscious, he seemed truly remorseful, but it could be just the battering boyfriend act." Sirius nodded. His decision was made. If there were some part of Ron left in the hull that resembled him, Sirius was bound and determined to bring him back. He didn't want Ron to spend unneeded years dealing with more pain that necessary. He knew what that felt like. "He's at my house on the rug. Get him before he wakes up," Hermione told Sirius. He nodded. Hermione turned her eyes back to her family. "I'm sorry to leave, but Lavender's still in the hospital along with Spencer and Derek. They will be wondering where I went if I'm not back."
"Of course, dear," Molly whispered. Hermione's heart broke as the elder woman staggered forward and hugged her. "Take care," she demanded and she took Hermione's face between her hands. Hermione nodded and kissed Molly's cheek before apparating on the spot.
She reappeared in the women's bathroom. She leaned against the stall and gained what little composure she could before pushing open the bathroom door. She walked in silence back to Lavender's room. She jumped slightly as she came face to face with an angry looking Derek. He crossed his arms defiantly over his chest.
"Where were you?" He demanded in a low hiss. Thankfully, Spencer and Lavender were still asleep. Hermione turned her eyes back to Derek.
"I went to go check on Ron," Hermione lied. Over the years, she had gotten exceptionally well at lying. Derek seemed to get angrier at that.
"And you didn't think to wake anyone?!" He demanded. His tone rose slightly, but not enough to make Lavender or Spencer stir awake. "For goodness sake, Hermione, he was going to hit you when I walked in!"
"I've got a taser!" Hermione defended. "Besides he was still unconscious!" Derek gave an aggravated huff and stomped toward the door. He stopped at the doorway and jerked his thumb to indicate that she follow him. Hermione pulled a very Ginny-like move and rolled her eyes before she followed him.
"That's not the point and you very well know it," Derek told her as he clicked the door closed. "If he had hurt you…" Derek trailed off as if feeling awkward by his admission. Hermione's eyes softened slightly.
"I can take care of myself, Derek," Hermione stated softly. Derek opened his mouth to protest; Hermione placed a hand on his arm softly. "But next time I think of doing something reckless, I will call you for back up, promise." Hermione reassured. She watched him shake his head slightly.
"Okay," he stated in a low voice, "but I'm still mad at you." He told her. Hermione gave a small laugh. Derek threw his arm around her shoulder and led her back into the room. Hermione curled herself into the armchair beside Spencer. A sense of calm replaced the emotional unrest she had felt as she curled near him. A small amused twitch touched her lips as she caught Derek staring at her.
"Are you going to continue staring at me until I fall asleep?" Hermione asked lightly. Derek gave her a small amused smile.
"Yup," he told her. "Have to make sure you don't slip out again." Hermione gave a small laugh. She was tempted to tell him that no matter how well he was watching she could still get away, but she did not. Hermione gave a small yawn. The day had been rather taxing on her. She slipped into sleep quickly. She was blissfully unaware that in Devon, England, Ronald Weasley was calling out for her in vain.