Title: The Masterstroke Author: maggotsstuff Pairing: Ron-Hermione Theme: A Friendship like no other/Bravery
The sleepy stone corridors of the Castle of Durmstrang reverberated with the sound of heavy footsteps. The echo of the rhythmic sound pierced through the silence of several corners and passages until it came to a halt before an old wooden door. There was a gentle knock on the wooden surface, which was soon followed by a series of raps.
The din was answered by a slow and lazy creak of the hinges, followed by the dim light of a candle that floated in the air. The silhouette of a woman dressed in black robes and a black hood appeared at the door.
"Prince Draco! What business brings you here to my chamber at this hour? Could this not have waited until the daylight had shone?" she asked haughtily.
"Huh? Is this the way to speak to the future King of Slytherin, Ravenclaw?"
"My fault, Prince Draco. But your aunt, Queen Bellatrix is still the Queen of Slytherin."
Draco became so pale that his face was almost the same colour as his silver blonde hair. The sentries escorting the Prince, who stood a few steps behind him, lowered their heads.
Draco's face contorted with a scowl, which was smothered by the smirk playing across his thin lips.
"You are too smart for your own good," Draco replied darkly. He didn't wait for her reply as he paced back through the corridors.
Ravenclaw heard warning bells chiming inside of her. Draco certainly had not come to invite her for any midnight tryst. She hurried after him. The floating candle moved ahead of all.
The quartet marched through the long corridors and then through a small passage, which opened in a big hall that was decorated with a throne with a serpent headed backrest. Ivory chairs were arranged in rows at a distance from the throne on both of its sides. The tall walls of the hall had human heads affixed to them. It seemed that each head had a story of an atrocious death to tell.
At the far end of the hall, a flight of spiral steps was erected. The small procession halted there. Draco turned back and feigned surprise.
"Ah, Ravenclaw! Did you follow us until here? Am I so lucky that the mighty witch of my land has finally discovered the truth in my words?" he jeered, raising a silver blonde eyebrow of his at her.
"I cannot ignore the nephew of my Queen. If he cares to visit me at this hour he would certainly have urgent orders for this servant. I am waiting for your commands, Prince."
"I am humbled that the mighty witch has expressed her desire to fulfil my wish," Draco stroked her cheek over her black hood. She clenched her fist to resist herself from cursing him back.
"But tonight, your service is reserved for my aunt. You will regret wasting more of her valuable time. The fulfillment of my wish can wait until then," Draco brushed his hand against hers.
Without another word or a second look, Ravenclaw glided over the staircase.
Queen Bellatrix lived in the most guarded quarters of Durmstrang. Her chamber was decorated with exotic furniture and guarded by the Naginis. They were serpents with human heads and were her pets. The Naginis spiralled themselves on the way to her bedroom. They hissed at Ravenclaw. Their hisses were silenced as a tall woman with dark hair and heavy eyelids strode forward from behind a tapestry. Ravenclaw bowed to her.
"Welcome to my palace! Was my nephew good to you?" Bellatrix winked.
Ravenclaw did not want to bite her bait.
"At his best, my Queen." She tried hard to maintain a neutral expression.
Bellatrix snorted.
"I know you have much disdain for me and my actions. Yet you never fail me, Ravenclaw. Isn't it difficult for you to serve the same woman who wiped out your entire village, maybe even your family?"
"If you hadn't raided my village and stolen me from my family that day, the villagers would have killed me because they thought I was a curse to the village."
The Queen acknowledged with a nod.
Since the Queen was silent, Ravenclaw continued, "May I ask the Queen why she summoned her servant at this hour?"
"This is what I like in you. You're always in to business," Bellatrix laughed.
Ravenclaw stood silently. There was stony silence, which was soon broken by the Naginis' hisses.
"Alright, I take it that you don't want to have a friendly chat with me. Ravenclaw, tonight I dreamt of a knight."
Ravenclaw's eyes blinked in astonishment. She was not at all prepared to listen to the Queen's rendezvous with a knight in her dreams.
"The Vision," Bellatrix gestured towards a glistening mirror, "told me that he can give me the child who will help me conquer the world."
Bellatrix, who was pacing around Ravenclaw, stopped on her tracks and gauged her reaction. The witch kept on staring straight. Bellatrix handed over a scroll of parchment, several quills and an assortment of ink pots to Ravenclaw.
"I want you to paint me a picture of this knight. With your mystique powers you will tell me who he is."
Ravenclaw sat deeply immersed in her thoughts in the confines of her dingy room. Her companion of recluse, the black robes and the hood laid discarded in a corner. Eyes shut, she let her mind run free.
While she was at Bellatrix's palace, she had decided to safeguard the man from the evil designs of Bellatrix whose sketch she had unintentionally made. Soon after, her mind worked at the speed of light.
Bellatrix wanted to have him captured by her Dementors. She convinced Bellatrix that if the Dementors captured Ronald, Gryffindor would definitely know that Bellatrix had him kidnapped.
King James of Gryffindor was not on good terms with Bellatrix. (The relationship between the two monarchs had soured after she had executed Sirius, Bellatrix's brother and James' friend, on charges of treason.) The king would encash the opportunity for a war because of this; Slytherin's army would not be able to sustain Gryffindor's warfare, she reasoned.
Instead of creating unwanted repercussions, Bellatrix could allow her to steal him away from Godric's Castle. No one would know as she would kidnap him through her magic.
Bellatrix's eyes gleamed with evil delight. The echo of her savage laughter still rang in the precincts of her mind.
Ronald — the valiant warrior of the kingdom of Gryffindor — the knight appearing in Bellatrix's dreams — the man with fiery red hair grown up to his shoulders, long nose and strong jaw, with arrogance in blue eyes — his eyes stirred the memory of someone far, yet so near, that someone who was always so kind to her, that someone whom she loved, whom she might still love. But Ronald was not him. Still….
"RONALD! We shall meet soon!" Ravenclaw thought aloud.
At Godric's Castle, which was miles away from Durmstrang, Ronald heard his flute piping out a syllable which strangely felt like his name. He hurried to the object which was staked in his old leather bag.
He shook his head in disbelief and unwittingly blurted out, "It's not possible!"
But a part of him still hoped.
Draco kept lurking around and pestered her for information about her meeting with the Queen. But as days elapsed, he gradually lost interest in the matter. Ravenclaw regarded that the time had finally arrived as Draco's prying eyes were off her.
One moonless night she flew off to Gryffindor in quest of Ronald, the man with blue eyes. She flew hundreds of miles across cities, rivers, forests and oceans, until finally she noticed Gryffindor's red and golden flag fluttering with the wind. Her tired body immediately recovered with a fresh surge of energy.
Ravenclaw hovered over Godric's Castle for a few seconds. To her relief there were no protective enchantments over the Castle. But the Castle was much bigger than Durmstrang. She decided to perch on top of a low tower until it was dark.
Ravenclaw chose a window as her hiding place which was hidden from direct view. When she crawled onto the panel, she was alarmed by the sound of a low cough. She crawled through the panel into the tower and found herself standing in a small bedroom and staring at an old dog.
"Fang!" she exclaimed. The dog ran towards her, barking with delight.
But, there was a rush outside and she hid herself under the simple four poster bed.
"Fangiekins! What's up," the entrant hollered. Fang pulled him to where Hermione was.
Down under the bed, Ravenclaw tried to control her breath. She knew it was him.
Ronald — Ron! What would she do now?
Before it was too late and Ravenclaw changed her mind, she exhaled through her mouth, emptying her two lungs. Right after her action, she saw Ronald's legs lose balance and before he tumbled onto the floor she withdrew herself from her position and helped him fall asleep on the bed. Fang fell asleep too. All she needed was to wait until dark to steal him away. She hid herself again under Ronald's bed, her mind wandering back to the alleys of Hogsmeade where she met Ronald for the first time.
Before darkness crept in, Ravenclaw came outside. She paused to stare for a moment at the tall man sleeping soundly in his bed and then set to work as fast as she could. She gathered
ropes, leather straps, even iron chains that she found in the tiny room and strapped Ronald securely to his bed. When the Castle went silent, she levitated Ronald's narrow bed and with a little shove pushed it outside of the window. She fastened her robes to one of the four posters and flew away towards the land of Slytherin where Bellatrix was waiting for her prey.
Ravenclaw zoomed into her chamber with a sleeping Ronald on his four poster bed, through the open window of her chamber. The morning rays of sun followed her soon after.
No one noticed except a man with silver blonde hair who had patiently waited for Ravenclaw's arrival since her departure. He hurried towards the Queen.
Ravenclaw headed straight for her bathroom. She needed a bath and food for further functioning. But when she finished her bath and entered her room a hard punch on her head welcomed her, knocking her straight to the floor.
She laid on the floor trying to gather her wit when she saw Ronald's familiar pair of boots running past her. There was a thud and the door to her chamber swung open. She tried to crawl towards the door, but she felt too weak.
She heard Ronald. He kept on swearing. There was the sound of hitting, punching, kicking and cries of pain. Ronald roared.
Ravenclaw somehow managed to stand on her feet. She snatched a scarf, covered her face and hurried out of her chamber. Injured bodies of sentries laid scattered on the stone floor. She saw Ronald clutching Draco's neck and suffocating him with his bare arm.
"Ronald! No! Please don't kill him!" Ravenclaw screamed. Ronald continued holding Draco's neck but it seemed to her that he had relaxed his muscles.
"Bring him to my palace." Everyone who was not gravely injured turned with surprise to the spot from where Bellatrix's voice came.
"Well done, Ravenclaw. But your service is not over yet. Follow us to my palace," Bellatrix commanded. Ravenclaw obliged, forgetting that she was awfully hungry.
On their way to the hall, Draco sidled her.
"Why did you bother to save me from that beast?" he asked out of the corner of his mouth.
"Maybe because I hoped that you can do better than what you are," she whispered back. Draco became sober.
Bellatrix ordered all but Ravenclaw and Ronald to leave the hall. Ravenclaw furtively glanced at Ronald. He was still fuming.
"Follow me," she commanded while climbing up the stairs. Ravenclaw followed. But Ronald could not break the magical barrier and climb the staircase.
"My Queen, this is the magic of your ancestors. No man can ever cross this barrier and reach your chamber," Ravenclaw said concernedly.
"But you're a witch. Break the barrier so that Ronald can follow his destiny," Bellatrix demanded. Ronald frowned.
"Your ancestors' magic is far more superior than the feeble witchcraft I practice."
"In that case, I beseech the responsibility of his well-being upon you. My nephew Draco shall be commissioned for your assistance."
Ravenclaw understood the subtle warning. Yet, she felt relieved.
"Unlock any room nearby to your chamber and arrange for his stay. You can take him away now." With an air of finality, Bellatrix flounced away.
"Why am I here?" Ronald growled as he followed Ravenclaw through the corridors and passages.
"I am not supposed to tell you. Ask the Queen," Ravenclaw kept on marching forward without looking back at him.
Ronald let out an exasperated breath.
"You are the one who kidnapped me, aren't you? Not her. So you will tell me."
"I didn't know you could be so naive, Ronald. If you haven't noticed, I am a plain servant here and I work on orders. It's the Queen who decides," Ravenclaw's voice vibrated out shrilly.
Ronald was taken aback. They walked in silence for some time and then Ronald said grumpily, "I am hungry."
"So am I. I haven't eaten for more than twenty four hours. Besides, there was nothing to eat in your room at Godric's Castle and the stench in it was horrible," Ravenclaw barked.
She was listless. That was the first time after so long; she had a banter with someone and was thrilled about it.
"Now it is my fault that I don't keep food to feed my kidnappers!" Ronald retorted back.
Ravenclaw smirked. They kept on walking and reached the same point where Ronald had caused quite a stir some time back.
"This is where you will stay. I will send for some food if you are hungry. And behave yourself. Don't try to run away again. We have had enough of your nuisance," she said sternly.
"This is mental."
Ravenclaw heard him say before she left, and she felt butterflies fluttering inside her belly.
Almost a month had passed since Ronald's kidnapping. To Ravenclaw's relief, Bellatrix was yet to figure out how to let Ronald into her palace. The wizards she had summoned to break the jinx failed miserably in their mission. Bellatrix ensured that those wizards were punished adequately.
When Ravenclaw entered Ronald's room, he was lying on his small bed, blankly staring at the ceiling. He didn't even stir when he heard the door to his room open and close.
"I just came to check on you," Ravenclaw tried to be as comforting as she could. He said nothing.
Over the past one month Ravenclaw had shared many details of her dark life and Ronald shared his experiences. They became much more civil to each other, if not friendlier.
"Look I never wanted to put you through this—"
"Bellatrix came here yesterday," Ronald blurted out.
Ravenclaw's palm automatically covered her mouth over her hood; her eyes popped so wide that it could have bounced out of its socket.
Ronald stared at her for a moment and then said, "You knew about her intentions, didn't you?"
Ravenclaw slowly nodded her head. She knew that he would now hate her forever.
"Then why did you bloody kidnap me?" he yelled.
"Or else she would have sent the Dementors after you. They are the worst kind of species. They would have plundered everything you had in Gryffindor and scarred your people for life," she screamed back.
"Huh, Dementors! As much as Bellatrix called you a brilliant witch who traced me out of her dreams, you failed to understand that I am not afraid of any mortals or demons. But since you wanted to become this angel," Ronald marked quotes in the air, "you could have spared me too. Why did you bring me here?" Ronald asked sarcastically.
"Because I was stupid and thought that I could protect you. Besides, I knew that Bellatrix's palace was forbidden for man. Her father, King Salazar, was a wizard and a blood purist. He cast those unbreakable spells so that no man of lesser blood ventures near her. And I knew
you didn't have royal blood running in your veins. But I must admit that I didn't know Bellatrix well. I didn't think that she would keep you a hostage and…," Ravenclaw's eyes were downcast with guilt and she faltered.
"What if I refuse to oblige. Would my head be displayed on the wall of that scary hall?" Ronald asked, frowning.
"No. I will never let that happen. Tonight you will escape from Durmstrang. And you needn't escape through that tunnel underneath your bed." Ronald stood up in attention.
"You think I didn't notice," Ravenclaw said with a chuckle. Ronald deliberately bumped his head against one of the posters on his bed.
"Don't do this," Ronald snarled. "I don't want you to risk your life for me."
"You needn't bother about me. I'm tired of my life, anyways. People like Bellatrix keep me safe, but scar my soul. Your world will not take me back because of who I am," Ravenclaw turned away to hide the tears glistening in her eyes.
Ronald tentatively placed his hand over her shoulder. This was the first time he touched her in the past month of their acquaintance.
"You never asked me why I didn't kill your friend Draco when you asked me not to kill him," Ronald said gently. Ravenclaw turned around in surprise.
"The day you kidnapped me, I heard your voice coming out from the flute an amazing girl once gave me. She was a witch, but she didn't know that I knew. We seldom met. But I remember all the moments we shared together in the village of Hogsmeade," Ronald paused. Ravenclaw's eyes began to shed those unshed tears of years.
"One day she told me that she cannot be friends with me anymore. Rumors of her being a witch had already rippled through our village. I told her that I wanted to be friends with her no matter what. I would stand by her even if the gods were against her. She cried. Just like you're crying now."
He brushed his fingers against her tears. Ravenclaw closed her eyes.
"She gave me a magical flute and said that if she ever needed me she would call out for me through that. She had indeed called out for me on the day she vanished from her village. I went in search of her, but the entire village was in shambles," he hesitated and then added, "her family was murdered too."
"OH, RON!" Ravenclaw wrapped her arms around Ron's torso and buried her head into his chest and cried. He embraced her with equal passion.
They sat down together on Ron's bed. She craved more of Ron's warmth and comfort, which he was more than willing to give.
"What gave me away?" she asked softly.
"Your voice, Hermione!" Her body tensed at the mention of her name which she thought had died a thousand deaths already.
"You could have found me using your magic. Why didn't you do so?" Hermione could sense hurt in Ron's voice.
"I was in captivity, mind you. But after that I thought that you would never want to be my friend after knowing my truth," she said with a shaky whisper.
"From the day we met here, I wanted to say something to you, but couldn't sum up my courage—," Hermione covered his mouth with her palm before he could complete his sentence and said, "Say it Ron."
"That Ravenclaw is a stupid name and your costume is ridiculous," he chuckled.
Hermione punched his gut.
"Ouch! Hermione!!" He gasped in pain.
"I can curse you and make you speechless," she threatened him with mock anger.
"I know you won't because, I — I wanted to say that I was and will always be yours," Ron whispered.
Words didn't seem enough to express what Hermione felt at that moment. She lifted her hood in one swift motion and kissed Ron's mouth. She was finally back with the one she belonged to.
Hermione braced herself to execute the plan of their escape that she and Ron had hatched. If caught, she knew both of them would face a gory end. Ron was, however, amused to find her so worried.
"Come on, love," he said, "I am the best commander of Gryffindor. I know the rules of the games. From what I could make out of the excellent details you have provided, we are on the right track."
We are on the right track—We are on the right track— She kept on repeating.
And then she found the person she was searching for — Draco. He was standing on the edge of an open terrace.
"Good Evening, Prince! Have you gotten tired of spying on me so soon?" Hermione cooed. Draco was startled. "And oh! Please don't let yourself stand on these edges. A sweet little shove could be fatal," Hermione murmured into his ears and smirked mischievously.
For a moment Draco was shocked at her audacity, but thereafter he composed himself.
"Why did you come here?" he grunted. "Are you not supposed to be guarding your captive?"
"Umm… the Queen herself guards him now."
Draco glanced at her sharply.
"Didn't you know why she made me kidnap him? She wanted to have an heir to her throne. The Vision told her that Ronald is the man who should father her child if she wanted him to be invincible."
Draco was gobsmacked. "And did she tell you all this when she summoned you?"
"10 points to you. At least you figured this out. Yes, indeed she told me. You should have known that he meant more to her than other men when she refrained from killing him after he created all that nuisance on his first day here."
Draco was staring at her in silence.
"But I pity you, Prince. After how she murdered your grandfather and your parents, you still believe that she will let you be the king of Slytherin."
"You are lying. My parents murdered my grandfather and she punished my parents for spilling the blood of their father. She brought me up like I was her own progeny," Draco countered.
"For a Prince, you have an intellectual range of a teaspoonful," Hermione snorted.
"What do you mean by that?" he growled.
"Your aunt staged everything. She didn't kill you because you're not capable of harming her while you're a kid. But times have changed."
Draco contemplated for a moment.
"But why are you telling me all these things? I have never been really good to you. In fact, my words only confirmed my not so good intentions for you," Draco said plainly.
"Like I said before, I believed you could be better. I always considered your behavior towards me as an act of spite. You said those things because you were jealous of me and wanted to rile me up. If I am not wrong you would have considered it to be a personal insult in laying your hands on the dirty knickers of a witch," Hermione said in a breath.
"What now?" Draco asked intrigued. He had dropped all his pretense and listened to Hermione with rapt attention.
"News is that Ronald is going to escape tonight. If I were you I would have never stopped him," Hermione finally made her move.
"I will not stop him. But who's going to stop Bellatrix? Her Dementors will find him from any corner of the earth," he stated matter of factly.
"Did you know how your grandfather was murdered?" Hermione asked.
Draco scowled and shook his head affirming his lack of knowledge.
"Bellatrix turned the Dementors against him. And from what I know, you have access to her palace being of royal blood. Bonus — the Naginis would not be very happy with her if they knew that Ronald does not have royal blood running in his veins, yet she had been pursuing after him."
"Ravenclaw, you are simply a genius. I would have actually married you if you were not a witch. What do you want in return? I will give you anything," Draco blurted out. His eyes were gleaming with pleasure.
"I want to leave Slytherin. No one should come hunting for me," she said boldly.
"Granted. Tonight you and Ronald can leave Slytherin, and no one from Slytherin will come after you. I will handle the rest," Draco announced.
"Fine. I take your word. Goodbye," she said.
"Ravenclaw, one final word. If Ronald does not accept you, you can still be the old witch of Slytherin," Draco sniggered.
Hermione left him without another word.
The death hour had arrived. Ron didn't agree to be flown away by Hermione. He wanted some action during his escape so that no one became suspicious of Hermione helping him. In case Draco ditched them and Ron was captured, he didn't want her to be tortured.
When it was dark, Hermione reluctantly let him crawl out of the tunnel he had dug out on the wall. She supplied him with all the ammunition he wanted. They kissed each other before he left promising to meet soon.
Hermione watched through her window as Ron dropped himself on the ground with the help of ropes suspended from the tunnel. He was dressed in the robes of sentries of Slytherin. After some time, she saw his silhouette riding a horse towards the entry gate. And then she saw the big gates ajar. Draco had ultimately kept his word. She heaved a sigh of relief. She watched until she could see his silhouette fading away in darkness.
Hermione swept her glance one last time all over her little room and then with a smile on her face leapt out from her window to fly away. She deserved to share her home with Ron. They had always belonged with each other.
Murder of the wicked Queen Bellatrix by her own pet Naginis spreaded like wildfire through Gryffindor. The king of Gryffindor, James, announced a feast for all the countrymen in honor of his dead friend Sirius, who was framed and killed by Bellatrix.
Hermione watched everyone making merry from the small quarters where both Ron and Hermione now lived together along with Fang.
Ron watched her golden wedding ring glisten under the sun. He tried to steal a glance of her content face as she examined her ring. As much as he tried to watch her smile, the cascade of her brown untamed hair teased him by causing hindrance.
In a way, her wild hair was like intense dark clouds in the sky, hiding away the brightness of the sun beneath them, he thought. In their case, it was the pleasure of experiencing the sweetness of her smile that he was being robbed off. Ron smiled. He was a goner.
Ron trudged towards the window beside which his wife was standing. He lightly grasped a fistful of her hair and kissed her neck. Hermione sighed. He closed his eyes and savored the feeling.
"Ermynee! You're so intoxicating. What have you done to me?" Ron breathed into her ears.
Hermione turned to face him. They kept on staring into each other's eyes.
"What did I do?" Hermione asked, raising her brows.
"I was a savage man. And now I am a moonstruck lover." He pressed his hand against his heart and staggered backwards.
"But how could I help in this situation?" Hermione asked with mock dismay.
She flung her arms around his neck. He embraced her with fervor and crushed her chest against his.
"As much as I like your clothes, your skin suits you best," he hummed breathlessly, lacing his fingers in her hair. And then they kissed.
"I love you so much, Ron," Hermione murmured in between kisses.
"I love you more," Ron panted and smiled.
The anticipation became too much for both of them to bear. He pulled Hermione to their bed to worship every inch of her body.
Hermione smiled. She would never need those black robes and the stupid name with Ron around her.