Flames of War
Chapter Twenty-Six: Now that the War is Done…
Ah, I slept quietly
Ah, I slept quietly
That person alone was my…my story.—"Stone Roses"
July 24, Monday, NIGHT, 2000
Ronald Weasley had no recollection whatsoever of being tortured through any sort of memories; Hermione had told him that he wasn't expected to—he hadn't been hit with the experimental curse, only Blaise's Cruciatus. And, thanks to Hermione, all of his physical wounds were perfectly healed. It was the emotional ones that were being stubborn. Yes, he had known that becoming a Death Eater was one of those stupid, idiotic moves that would kick him in the arse later (and it did—hard enough to lay him out for seven months) but he'd done it anyway. He had seen Harry mature, and up to the point of the War's beginning Harry had still been that arrogant bloody git who was so selfish that he would try to take down the world by himself. However, that was only half of Harry's personality. The other half was the what took on the world so that no one would have to carry his burden—or, sometimes, their own. Harry was surprisingly a very simple person: People mattered first. Not magic, or politics, but people, regardless of whether or not they were wizard or muggle. There was a pureness in Harry, and now that he thought about, it was something that Harry and Hermione seemed to have in common.
Perhaps he had possessed it at some point, but he didn't anymore.
Being a Death Eater with a hidden motive was no easy feat by far—Ron couldn't fathom how Severus Snape had done it spying for Dumbledore for all of those years. Ron had only been there one year, and the line between good and evil had been wearing thin, blurring; when did you reach your limit? Would you torture an innocent man to prove your loyalty to Voldemort? Would you kill a child, take a Ministry agent under your control?
Unfortunately, to pull the act off properly, the answer had to be 'yes'.
It was in becoming a Death Eater that Ron realized precisely how wrong he'd been about Snape—The Professor had been lucky to come out of serving Voldemort at all, let alone for the two decades Snape had been there. As much as Snape had tortured Harry and himself at Hogwarts, Ron was honestly surprised how ironic the end to the story had been. Severus Snape in love with Harry? The world must have been shot to blood hell.
He laughed bitterly at his own thoughts.
"Feeling better alright, son?" a warm, kind voice wafted to his ears. Arthur Weasley, his own father, came through an open door, sitting at a large, ornate desk before Ron. "Anything injured?"
Ron had been waiting to speak to him. "I'm fine." This was the truth; it had been a long, long time since he had been able to give that answer smoothly. "Look at you, dad. All dressed up as the Minister. It's rather nice."
"I feel rather useless, actually; considering how long we've chased after Lucius Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, I've been on constant press release control since I have been in Office. I have almost no time at all to study my muggle culture."
"Think about how much time you'll have when the real work comes in," Ron joked dryly.
"I know. Your court paperwork is already becoming a bother. Do you know how many pages I had to notarize?"
"Sorry."
"You shouldn't be pressed for charges; you made it possible for Harry to kill You-Know-Who."
"He's dead now, dad. Call him by his name. Voldemort." Ron remembered, after he had first met Harry, how he had been afraid of speaking that name. He shook his head. Too many ironic endings.
"…I can't."
Ron laughed. "You're the Minister. You should be able to say Voldemort's name."
"I won't. Too many memories…" Arthur Weasley distracted himself by shuffling through some papers, and handed Ron a roll of parchment. "Read it," his father said. It was an article from that morning's Daily Prophet.
DEATH EATERS CAPTURED AND KILLED!
It was revealed by Arthur Weasley, Minister of Magic, that late last night infamous Death Eaters Lucius Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were found six days ago after being followed and tracked by Aurors for almost two weeks. They were discovered with Bellatrix Lestrange, cousin of the Auror Sirius Black—whom after the death of He-who-must-not-be-named was cleared of all crimes with outstanding evidence. We were told that she was the individual who had escaped Azkaban more than two weeks ago. The information, it was said, had been kept from the public to control the Wizarding World's panic levels, and that we would have been—and still will be—informed if fatal danger arises.
British Auror found the trio lurking at Godric's Hollow, where apparently Zabini and Malfoy had performed a Fidelius Charm to conceal themselves."Because they were constantly moving to avoid being discovered," Auror Daniel Hayes, a participant of the raid, said, "they didn't have time to recast the Charm to conceal themselves."
The Aurors who captured Bellatrix and Lucius are his son, Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood—a werewolf who studied under Remus Lupin, famous lycanthrope and Auror extraordinaire—Nymphadora Tonks, and Daniel Hayes. Blaise Zabini, who was an accomplice to Malfoy during the entire ordeal, was killed after casting an unidentified curse at Harry Potter. The Ministry is withholding the details on the Boy Who Lived for now due to lack of information as to Malfoy and Zabini's activities and operations. The Daily Prophet will diligently update readers as more information becomes available.
Zabini and Malfoy were the last two known Death Eaters, and therefore processing for court verdicts are speeding more quickly than usual. Many Aurors are pushing for the trial of Ron Weasley, member of the Order of the Pheonix-turned-Death Eater who allegedly aided The Boy Who Lived in defeating Voldemort according to accounts from several wizards in attendance to the event at the time. That includes Order of Merlin, First Class member Albus Dumbledore, head of the Order. After remaining unconscious for more than six months due to injuries, the young Weasley is expected to be seen in court soon. When asked how he felt about his son being tried for betraying the Wizarding Community, the Minister replied, "Of course no one wants to see their son charged for these sort of things, but I—for one—am simply glad that he is awake now and able to deal with any charges at all. We should not forget the man wizards and witches who died in this War. In any case, I have faith in the judicial system of the Ministry, and in that the truth will be revealed. I also believe in my son, as any father would."
Also announced was the confirmed decision to re-open Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this September. We were informed by the Headmaster that letters are currently being sent out, and that he apologizes for the tardiness in the school's affairs. "I wanted to wait until most families could be assured of safety," remarked Albus Dumbeldore. "I cannot and will not risk any potential students."
CONTINUING ON PAGE SIX, WE ARE FEATURING A FINAL ACCOUNT OF ZABINI AND MALFOY'S DESTRUCTION OF THE WIZARDING WORLD!
Ron looked at his father, eyes furrowed. "That's bullshit. They try to get you on account that you're my father , but there's nothing included about Draco and Lucius? So unfair."
"Ronald…"
Ron smirked. "Kidding. It's nice to be able to do that, now."
Arthur sent his son a sad smile. "We've missed you." He paused. "I'm sorry I could only see you tonight. I'm so swamped during the day—"
"Have you seen Harry?" The question was sudden, but it was necessary. It seemed that no one had very much information about him.
"…when the Aurors first brought Blaise, Bellatrix and Lucius back, yes…I made it my priority."
"How does he look?" Ron knew that answer, but desperately hoped that he was wrong.
"Not good, Ron. Not good at all."
"Did you visit him in St. Mungo's?"
"I am assured by Albus that he will not be there too much longer. I will visit him when he is moved to Hogwarts. How is Hermione?"
"Fine," Ron accepted his father's change in subject. He also decided not to comment on his father's vagueness of Harry's condition. He would see his best friend eventually. "She's asked me to marry her." He frowned.
His father seemed to read into his expression. "Is that a bad thing? You two used to be inseparable."
"I find it hard to believe that Hermione has forgiven me for leaving. She really had no idea what I was planning."
"I think, after your trial, you should. Clearly, she loves you enough to not want to be separated from you like that again. That was why Molly and I married young; with You-Know-Who on the loose, Molly was worried she would lose me…"
"Dad…she's afraid of me, even though she asked. I can feel it. She's scared of who I am now. You should have seen her when she went to see Snape with me. She couldn't believe it."
Arthur shuffled through some papers on his desk. "…she still loves you…" he said, slipping on a pair of reading glasses. "That's what's important."
Ron certainly hoped so.
July 25, Tuesday, MORNING, 2000
"Mister Weasley," came a gentle voice from outside of the door. Ron had already been awake, and he rose from his cot in the corner of the room to make his way to Hermione's bed, shaking her.
"Miss Granger…Mister Weasley…? I realize that it is very early…"
Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione slept on. He opened the door himself, using his wand to hastily change into long, black dress robes. He shook his head at himself, thinking, You're no longer a Death Eater! You aren't required to wear black…He smiled at Dumbledore, slightly surprised that he was being visited by the Headmaster.
"Hermione is sleeping," Ron said.
"Perhaps it is good for her not to know." Dumbledore's voice had turned very serious—the most grave that Ron had ever heard the Headmaster speak. "I am here to update you on Harry's condition. Minerva told me that you and Hermione stopped by my Office after you awoke. I apologize for my absence. At the time I was with Harry."
"Arthur—Dad—won't tell me what's wrong with him." It was odd, saying the word 'dad' again. All the Death Eaters addressed the Minister as Arthur or by the title itself—there was no personal attachment.
"I myself find it difficult; but I can get through it. I have had to tell Draco and Severus already. They were not happy."
"Hmph. Then I won't be happy, either."
"I suppose that you won't. I am not able to cure him like Lupin did the others." Albus made a small, subtle gesture to Hermione, and without another word, Ron followed him out into the hall and closed the door behind him. "The incantation," the Headmaster continued in a whisper, "that Lucius and Blaise created is complicated. They have locked Harry's conscious away, and they are controlling his subconscious. The curse makes Harry—had made Harry—a slave, essentially, like those under the Imperius curse. Since Blaise is dead, I am sure that the control should have shifted to Lucius, who completed the incantation."
"Past tense. Why?"
"Harry was protected by both Luna and Tonks as he was hit. His connection to Lucius is too weak not to take advantage of it, I think. I am using my magic to change the commander of the spell to someone else."
"You're…giving someone—who isn't Lucius—the right to control Harry?"
"If you must phrase it that way, yes. That is exactly what I am doing. Harry has unlimited potential—I do not want Lucius to use it."
"…who are you choosing? Clearly not me."
"Of course not. You and your fiancé have much to plan." There was a slight glimmer in Dumbledore's eyes.
Ron paled. "How do you—dad. Right. Stupid question."
"You've become rather perceptive in your absence." Dumbledore smiled.
"I've become a lot of things, Headmaster. Many of them are things I do not want to be."
"Ronald, we are all glad that you are back. All of us."
"I'm sure that Lucius isn't."
"He does not know. There. Now to the business of who should, in essence, have Harry—"
"It should be Severus," Ron said. After speaking to Snape, Ron was sure that the ex-Death Eater would take better care of Harry than even Ron himself would—unbelievable as it was.
The world had changed too much; too many things were creepy now; Severus was in love with Harry, despite Lucius; Draco loved Remus, despite Blaise; he himself had been damaged, and now his familiar place had been taken by Draco; Voldemort was dead but Lucius was trying to replace the Dark Lord? He would never be gone for such a long time. Ever again.
"My, my, how rumors get around," Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eyes. "For Severus is precisely who I've chosen."
The when the winds pick up and blow away, and I close my eyes; my world's turned to gray. –"Last in my Winds"
A/N: I'm in the mood to root for Ron after this chapter. I like who he's become in this story, and I'm looking forward to what he's got to contribute to it. He's about serious business.