A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.
I owe you guys an apology. There have been a few significant changes in real life for me, and between adapting and plain business, I haven't updated in like three weeks. I promised that I haven't abandoned this fanfiction, and I intend to resume posting on a weekly basis. Happy reading!
I would watch the whole thing even if it grew to be too much. I needed to do it and I would.
-Hermione-
Ron continued thrashing as I put the spiders in the compartment above his face, and I couldn't help but smirk at his terror. My new pets really were a sight to behold. As soon as I put them in the compartment, they clashed violently. Turning my attention away from them for a moment, I decided it was time that some of my questions were answered.
"So Ronald, how have you been?" I asked sweetly. He started to say something but I silenced him harshly. "Oh wait. I don't care." He remained silent.
"Tell me who all knew that you kept me captive," I demanded calmly.
"Pl-plea-please. Please. Take them away," he begged. I grinned.
"Tell me. If I were you, I'd cooperate as much as possible, although it won't help you much in the end," I promised.
"I c-can't tell you," he gasped out as he intently watched the spiders that were so near his face.
"What's it matter? You're going to die regardless," I questioned.
"Betray them. I can't," he panted out.
"And why not? You betrayed me, didn't you?"
"Impossible. You're mine," he grunted. I chuckled.
"You're awfully cocky aren't you?" I asked rhetorically.
"I have every reason to be. You're clearly just trying to scare me. You'll let me out, and we'll go home together," he forced out.
"Oh. I don't intend to kill you, then? I believe you're mistaken," I whispered as I approached him and rested my hand on the gate that would allow my spiders to have access to his feet.
"You won't," he stated plainly.
"Answer my original question," I demanded calmly.
"No," he hissed.
"Fine by me," I shrugged as I released the trap door. My lovelies rushed towards his exposed feet, attacking them instantly. His scream was nearly overpowering but I could only smile at him. He deserved every bit of pain he received.
"Please! Make them stop! I'll tell you anything," he screamed. I stayed silent, waiting for him to answer the question he knew I wanted answered.
"All of them!" He finally relented. I could hear the spiders' fangs scraping through his tissue and nerves, all of the way down to his bones.
"Be more specific," I demanded swiftly.
"My family. Mom, dad…just all of them," he cried. I was momentarily stunned. I thought them to be a sort of second family to me. I was obviously wrong, but I still couldn't conceive some of them doing this to me.
"Including Fred and George?" I nearly shouted.
"No, no, no. They died before I told anyone," he moaned in pain. I nearly sighed in relief. I'd just believe that they wouldn't have allowed it to happen. I had to believe that, otherwise I didn't think I could hold myself together.
"Very well," I said smoothly, faking a calm confidence that I didn't actually feel anymore. I opened the latch to his lower legs then. I didn't have anything further to ask about. I didn't care about anything else. He was sick and disturbed and the sooner the world was rid of him, the better off everyone would be. But the rest of the Weasleys were another story. They'd pay when their time came. In fact, I planned to deliver them a little present later on now that I understood their true nature.
I watched in silence as the Pishachas tore at his flesh. His screaming faded into the distance as my mind focused. Soon enough, the flesh on his legs was completely gone—as was everything else. Only bone.
"You bitch!" He screamed violently as I made to approach again.
"There's no need for name calling," I said as I plucked up my wand again. I did a short complex movement, and his screamed increased dramatically.
"Because of your stupidity, I've created artificial nerves in your legs. You will continue to feel the last sensations that they were exposed to before being devoured," I hissed darkly as I shuffled through the puddles of blood on the floor. I released the next latch, exposing his pelvis to the spiders.
"When they're eating away your manhood, I want you to think of all the times you raped me. All of the times you hurt me. The life you snuffed away before it even had a chance," I nearly growled. He began thrashing again, although it was almost comical because he no longer had anything that constituted as legs.
I watched the thing I hated the most of anything in the world disappear with something akin to glee. Whoever claimed that revenge wasn't worth it obviously never got their revenge. It was sweeter than the most saccharine sweet. Nothing I'd ever experienced had ever measured up to it.
His next scream was the loudest one yet, and I was clearly able to see why. They ripped it off, I thought with a demonic giggle. It was gone forever. Eaten by spiders, I laughed maniacally.
I quickly released the next latch and they rushed to his midsection, immediately tearing at the tender flesh of his stomach. Blood sprayed on my face, but I couldn't be bothered to care. His screams no longer bothered me. I nearly enjoyed them. Fuck him, I thought viciously. He doesn't deserve my mercy.
Soon enough, his torso was gone too. He was being kept alive by my magic only. I wasn't done with him yet though. There was still his neck and head, and with that in mind, I had something else to say to him.
"I just figured I'd let you know that I'll be delivering what's left of you to the door of the burrow personally. They won't get away with it either," I promised. He only whimpered. I started wondering about the mechanics of the whimper when he no longer had lungs or a heart or any other organs for that matter, but the wonders of magic were truly wonders. I finally released the last latch and the spiders rushed to his neck and face. There were probably quadruple what I started out with, but I wasn't complaining. I just didn't know what to do with them afterwards. Maybe give them to Voldemort as a gift. I'd make sure they understood that he wasn't to be attacked first though.
Within moments, all that remained of Ronald Bilius Weasley was a skeleton. Without a second thought, I commanded the Pishachas back into their cage, which magically extended on its own, as per my instructions when it was built. They immediately stopped fighting and settled down, sensing that their duty was done for now.
"Good, my pets," I whispered as I vanished the cage to a storage area near my room. I then summoned a bag for the bones, making sure they were magically held into a human form before tossing them inside. I sent the bag to the same room that held the spiders. I turned and exited the cell without another thought for what I'd just done.
I made my way back to my room in a near daze. Everything still seemed unreal, like I was back in the cell watching Ron be devoured by my spiders. I really did hope it was agonizing for him until the very end, and I would have bet my own life that it was. I took every measure to ensure it after all.
I opened the door, and Draco was there waiting for me. I must have looked like a mess because he rushed to me immediately with urgency in his eyes and stance.
"Are you hurt?" He demanded. "You're covered in blood," he added as he ran his hands over me.
"I'm fine," I said as I swatted his hands away. "None of the blood is mine," I said numbly. Then I remembered when he hit me in the face. "Well, most of it isn't mine," I added. He nodded and hugged my body to his, completely ignored the blood covering my form.
"It's done," I whispered. "He's dead. Bones."
"Do you regret it?" He replied quietly as he tightened his hold around me.
"Not even a little. He deserved it. I do have something else to do though," I added.
"And what would that be?"
"I need to deliver his bones to his family."
"Why? What did they ever do for you?" He asked, assuming I was delivering the bones so they could give him a proper burial. There was no accusation in his voice, merely curiosity.
"The better question is what they didn't do for me. They knew he held me prisoner the whole time. They knew what he did to me, and yet they did nothing to interfere. Barring Fred and George, but they were already dead. I'm delivering them as a warning, not as a gift," I said as I turned to numbness again.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. You didn't deserve anything that happened to you. I only wish I would have known sooner. I would have helped you get out," he said confidently.
"Would you have really? I'm pretty sure you hated me."
"Yes, I honestly would have. No one deserves what he put you through. It doesn't matter if I disliked you before, Hermione," he assured me. I believed him.
"Don't call me that," I requested.
"Don't call you what?" He asked perplexed. I actually hadn't really thought about what I'd said before I'd said it, but I realized what I meant belatedly.
"Hermione. It's not my name," I answered.
"What would you like to be called then?" He asked.
"Scarlet," I shrugged. "Or some variation," I added.
"You got it, Scar," he replied jokingly, but I had a feeling the nickname would end up sticking.
-Ginny-
I was just rolling over to go back to sleep when I heard a scuffle at the door. Stupid rodents, I hissed under my breath as I hopped out of my warm bed. I quickly made my way to the door to shoo whatever was out there away, but the sounds stopped before I reached my destination. I opened the door cautiously then, thinking about all of the battles I'd fought in. There was nothing in plain sight. I looked around for a moment before I noticed the duffel bag at my feet. It was plain black and nondescript, but I felt a sense of foreboding just looking at it. Something told me not to touch it, so I didn't. I went and got Mum and Dad up, showing them what I'd found and the circumstances under which I'd found it.
They stared at the bag just as I had, but we all knew someone would open it. We were all too curious to not. Dad reached out and unzipped it carefully. I saw a flash of white through the opening, and father upturned the whole bag, spilling the contents into the grass.
Bones. A full skeleton. Still assembled with the use of magic.
"Oh my god!" I heard from somewhere to my left. I immediately noticed the note attached through the eye socket, so I quickly plucked it up. Maybe it contained some answers. Who was it? Why were they brought here?
Weasleys,
Don't think you're safe, because you're not. You wronged someone who didn't deserve it. Someone important to the other side, someone close to Voldemort, a member of the inner circle. You'll pay just like dear Ronald did. I know everything. You can't escape. You can't hide. The Order will fall, and with it your pathetic family.
Yours truly,
Scarlet Gaunt (previously Hermione Granger)
I looked back down at the bones, feeling bile rise in my throat. I silently handed the note to my mother. She read it silently and collapsed to her knees, handing the note to my father.
"I knew we should have stopped Ron. I knew this would come back to haunt us, and now my baby is dead," Mum sobbed hysterically. I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks. Was it so wrong to support your family at any cost? Yes, yes it was wrong. We'd betrayed everything we believed in, and for what? For Ronald to rape and torture someone I'd once considered a sister and a dear friend.
The worst thing was that all my sympathy still lied with Ronald. Despite knowing what we'd let happen was wrong, I couldn't bring myself to feel bad about it. I still had Harry, which had been part of the deal, and I knew that we'd win the war. Hermione was only a pawn in the grand scheme. I had Harry all to myself, and that's all the Light needed to win, but the supposed true identity of Hermione worried me slightly. If Harry were to find out about what had happened with Ron, the Order would lose its hold over him for good.
A/N: Thanks to nathaliie, shaymars, MacaqueAttack713, Chester99, madisonwaaalsh, DollyJani, Guah Guah, K8-Amelia, DarkFairty8605, LadyofMalfoyManor, reignbowz, Embers and Flame, Ashley Ayoub, Guest, kelliewhitlocktownsend23, the-hooded-figure2, LillianMarie2, Twizard2013, Arangogirl, and Guest for reviewing. Also a huge thanks to everyone who followed/favorited. You are all awesome.
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