Chapter Three:

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling or whatever company is representing her. Very few characters are mine, but the plot is…

Chapter Four: Fallen Defenders

Ron sat on a desk in the long meeting room in the London branch of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Around him sat the other Aurors: Jules Fortis, Neville Longbottom, Sicalus Ellis, Otrere Baring-Ross, Seth Fitzwilliam and Persephone Riches. Giving them all an in depth briefing on what their assignments for the week were was Arabella Figg.

Ron knew that Harry held Arabella in high regard, and he did too, but she was slightly insane. Mad-Eye Moody had trained her and she had very strict views of what should be done with Death Eaters because of it. Ron didn't exactly disagree with her, it was a hard thing to do when she was such a stunning strategist despite her slight over-enthusiasm, but he was a little afraid of her. Then again most of the magical world was.

She had almost been killed trying to avenge the death of her two school friends, James and Lily Potter and Dumbledore had from then on put her in charge of protecting Harry. She had used an ageing potion for disguise and become a mad, old lady, in Harry's words. Arabella was also who Harry was named after, technically.

Among her friends she was known as Ari, though her Aurors would never dream of calling her that. Lily and James had decided that their first born should be named after her, Ron would never understand why. When their baby had turned out to be a boy Ari had just become Harry. Fred, George and he had teased Harry about it for weeks and George still called Harry "Bella" from time to time.

"Ron, Seth," said Arabella. "I'm sending you two to pursue that lead on Perimedus, he keeps getting away and I promised the Minister I'd bring him in soon."

"He's the one who almost killed that alchemist in Manchester?" asked Seth.

"That's him," said Arabella. "I'm sure you can get his file from one of the assistants. And if that's all there is for today, good afternoon to you."

She picked up her wand and walked out of the room. The other Aurors made their exit out of the Ministry building and Seth went down to the administration department to pick up the files of Perimedus.

"See if we had work experience we'd be able to get the kids to do this boring stuff," said Persephone, "Then we could do the whole thwarting evil plots thing."

Ron and the other Aurors laughed. Persephone was newly out of Auror training and had showed exceptional skill so she had been made a senior Auror already. The other Aurors had all been working when the Death Eaters were being brought in and had seen plenty of eager, young Aurors expecting to be catching Death Eaters and Dark Wizards every day of the week. Where as really, even when Voldemort had been building power they brought in very few Death Eaters, usually it was just supporters or sympathisers.

"Who's this Perimedus guy anyway?" asked Persephone.

"Some guy who wants to be the next Dark Lord," said Jules with a shrug. "He's more dangerous than most. But most of the Dark Wizards who might have sided with him are already in Azkaban. Anyway, he's not all that good. If there were any Dark Wizards still around they'd just kill him or he'd become a tag-along."

"He's good at evading capture though," said Otrere. "We can never catch him…. Pattern fits that he's trying to bring Voldemort back to life, but it isn't going to happen. Potter broke the spells that would have brought Voldemort back to life. Perimedus just wants a bit of power… Bit of pillock really."

"Didn't he almost kill someone?" asked Persephone, frowning.

Ron nodded, "Yeah, but we can't do anything about it except ask people to be careful and report any sightings of him. He's not really so dangerous when you get up close, he's just the sort that throws sand in your eyes and legs it down the street."

"Oh," said Persephone, obviously disappointed.

Ron left his co-workers at the door after Seth had given him a copy of the file on Perimedus. Rhetoric Alley was the Ministry's London Headquarters and most departments had an office there. The white buildings and brass plaques were all very well and good, but usually though the workers put there were the ones the Ministry wasn't too sure of: Aurors, Unspeakables and Administration.

"Hello, Ron," said Hermione, appearing at the end of the street.

Ron kissed her with a smile and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked up Diagon Alley, "Finished badgering Ginny yet?"

"I do not badger," said Hermione, giving him a playful shove.

"Come on, Hermione, you know you do," said Ron and ducked her hand. "It's not an insult."

"Really," said Hermione, hands on hips.

"Definitely," said Ron, wrapping his arms around her and leaning very close to her. "And I love you for it."

Their lips touched and stopped right there, "Do we really need a public display?"

They turned to see Harry standing before them and grinning broadly. Ron let go of Hermione and immediately pulled his friend into a bear hug that Hermione suspected crushed a few bones. Harry broke free and Hermione hugged him next, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"What are you doing here, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Shouldn't you be practising like hell?" asked Ron with mock seriousness. "I want to see England get the World Cup again, you know, and we aren't going to get it if you're running around Diagon Alley."

"Well if that's what I get for wanting to see my two best friends again, then I'm awfully sorry. I'll be going now then," said Harry, blinking back a few imaginary tears.

"Seriously, Harry," said Hermione. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to meet Pagasus – you remember him, don't you – at the Leaky Cauldron and see if he's still got his grant from the Ministry," Harry told them. "But the meeting over ran so I'm going to meet him tomorrow."

"Who would have thought you'd have been any good at languages," said Ron.

"I have played Quidditch in quite a few countries, Ron," said Harry. "You pick these things up."

"Want to go to Fortescues?" asked Hermione. "We can catch up over ice-cream."

"Like old times? Sure," responded Harry.

The three old friends made their way up Diagon Alley laughing and joking just as they used to do and still did every time they met up again.

*****

Everyone in the Great Hall sat in tense silence. Death Eaters had been spotted on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Fang had been killed when Hagrid had stumbled across them. Even the Slytherins were silent, a few of the first years in the hall were crying and the Prefects of their various houses were doing their best to comfort them. In fact even some of the upper year students were crying and many were just as distraught.

Suddenly Dumbledore marched in flanked by McGonagall and Snape. They all looked tense as they walked up to head table and took their seats. Dumbledore was left standing by the door though; he had not followed his two professors. "Would the Head Boy and Head Girl come here for a moment please?" he asked.

Ron and Hermione rose from their table and walked over to Dumbledore with every eye on them both. "Yes, professor?" asked Hermione, trying her hardest to sound calm.

"Tonight the students will remain in the Great Hall," said Dumbledore. "You are to insure that they stay in here and they do not leave under any circumstances. This is the safest place in the school and although the common rooms will not be targeted they are easier to get into thanks to years of students who want to escape their houses at night. Just keep everyone under control and one of the professors will drop in every now and then to check you are all alright.

"Voldemort doesn't want to kill all the students, they might be useful to him. So if you just keep them from getting in his way they will be safe. Can you do that?"

"Yes, professor," said Hermione tensely.

"Professor?" asked Ron. "What will you be doing?"

"We will be re-enforcing the protections around Hogwarts to try and insure Voldemort nor his Death Eaters can gain entry," said Dumbledore.

"Does Voldemort want Harry, sir?" asked Ron, paling slightly.

"Yes and no," responded Dumbledore, his face growing far grimmer. "Harry should not attract Voldemort into the Great Hall though. Tonight he is after something else. Okay?"

"Yes," they both said.

Ron and Hermione returned to their seats and eyes once again returned to Dumbledore, "Now you're going to be spending the night in the Great Hall for you own safety. One of the professors or myself will come to check on you now and again. So don't worry, Voldemort isn't after you."

He waved his wand and the tables stacked up against the walls and sleeping bags appeared. The professors left and Hermione and Ron managed to sort out some sort of order. None of the students could get to sleep though and they sat up talking quickly, none more so than Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Harry had his mother's journal open on his lap and the three frees were poring over it. Lily Evans had been a meticulous writer and when she had come to Hogwarts she had written everything down. To their amazement Lily had known even more about Hogwarts' secret passages than James Potter and his friends had. She knew of the Ravenclaw Rings, where every one of them was, in fact. She had also mapped out quite a lot of the tunnels under the Castle, some of them led right out under the Forbidden Forest, one even came out over the mountains at McKinnon Castle.

"What are you three doing?" asked a very pale Ginny, as she came over.

"If the Death Eaters attack we have to know the best escape we can think of," said Ron briskly. "You can sit down if you want to though, Gin."

"Thank-you," she said, laying out her sleeping bag beside theirs'. "Do you have maps of the entire school in that thing?"

"Yeah," said Harry, not looking up. "According to Medea my mum used to make little maps of Hogwarts to stop herself getting lost in her first year. When she discovered the Ravenclaw Rings –"

"The Ravenclaw what?" asked Ginny, her brow furrowing.

"They're these invisible hand holds that you can climb around the school walls with. It's how we get up onto the roofs when we want to," explained Hermione. "You need a map of them because you have to be holding onto one before you can see the others and even then you can only seen the rings on the particular path you're going along."

Harry tipped the book up to show her an example, "That's the way to get up above the Ravenclaw common room, you can hang on just under the eaves if you're up to it. Course there is a lot of jumping involved, I mean if you want to get onto the greenhouse roofs then you'll have to jump quite a long way."

"Oh," replied Ginny, nodding.

"The best bet is the tunnels," said Ron, returning to the book. "There's a passage down to the dungeons through the ante-room off the hall and we can get down to them from there. We can come up in McKinnon Castle."

"No, we can't go there," said Harry. "Medea told me that there have been Death Eaters in the forest around there. It's the first place they'd expect us to go."

"The Duelling Room," said Ron, clicking his fingers at the idea. "Nobody knows about that and it's easy enough to hide in if they do follow us."

"It's far enough away from Hogwarts too, but not too far away, " said Hermione. "They'll never even suspect we're in there!"

A few students turned to look at them, "Quiet, Hermione," said Ron. "The Death Eaters might be listening."

"We ought to tell them though, Ron," pointed out Hermione. "So they don't get confused."

"Right," said Ron, getting to his feet. "Hey! Listen up!"

"What's the matter, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "Afraid of the dark?"

"Actually. Malfoy, I was just going to tell you lot how to escape if you Death Eaters attack," snapped Ron. "Now, if they do attack them just stay calm and go into the ante-room at the far end of the room. You'll be able to get down to the dungeons from there and we can take you out through a little-known escape route from there. So just remember that you'll be okay and try not to panic under any circumstances… Now get to sleep the lot of you."

He sat down with a triumphant air about him and Harry smirked at him as he put his mother's journal back into his book bag. The night dragged on for what seemed like forever and Ron was just starting to get off to sleep when there was a bang and in the gloom he could see a flash of brilliant green light coming from outsides, accompanied by a piercing scream.

The rest of the school woke up and apparently they hadn't regarded his advice and they began to scream and shout. The prefects and older students rushed around trying to keep everyone calm and Ron had to stop a Gryffindor boy going out of the doors to find out what was going on.

Moments later, as the students were huddled together in groups there was another scream from elsewhere in the castle and some of the younger students started to cry again. Hermione was trying to calm down a group of Ravenclaw first years and Ron glanced over to Harry.

"Do you want to –"started Ron, but Harry was already marching towards the window.

With one leap the younger boy had climbed up onto the large sill and knelt looking out of the window. He turned and jumped back down, shaking his head as he walked back to Ron, looking very pale. He was trying to keep steady breaths, Ron could see and doing his best not to appear at all afraid.

"Who was it?" choked Hermione, coming up to them.

"I couldn't see," muttered Harry. "But there are Death Eaters trying to get in through the main doors – won't work of course, but Voldemort will have them looking for easier ways in."

As he said that there was another scream, closer to them and Hermione grabbed Ron's arm tightly. The three friends had turned white with terror and were all looking fixedly at the door. There was the sound of running feet in the Entrance Hall and then a scream, a sickening thud and whoever it was who had just been killed fell against the door as even the older students began to shriek with terror.

"Not yet," said Harry firmly.

"Not yet," agreed Ron.

They waited in silence and could hear the bangs and explosions as curses hit the main doors. The Death Eaters already inside the castle had apparently left the Great Hall though, it sounds like they were looking for something. Inside the Great Hall the tension was incredible and no-one was crying at all anymore, just looking at the doors with terror. Then there was a huge explosion and the sound of millions of wood splinters tearing across the entrance hall, the main doors had been broken down.

"Now," said Ron.

Harry and Hermione both nodded their agreement. Ron got to his feet and Hermione and Harry ran to the ante-room to open the passage down to the dungeons.

"Right, stay calm," he said in a steady voice. "Now slowly – if you don't they Death Eaters will know what we're doing – walk to the ante-room and follow Harry and Hermione. Okay? Go."

The students crept across the hall, many had started wailing again as the main doors had been blasted apart and into the ante-room. Ron rounded up the stragglers and got everyone down the passageway. He met Harry at the entrance to the passage who gave him and pat on the shoulder.

"Hermione's gone ahead – you really are a great Head Boy, you know," said Harry with a rather sad smile.

"Thanks, mate," said Ron.

They climbed into the passage and Harry shut the portal behind them with a click and sealing spell. On the other side there would be no sign that there was even a passageway in the wall. The two friends walked swiftly down the passage way, keeping everyone walking quickly. They came out in the dungeons and ahead Ron could see Hermione already had the portal to the tunnels open and was ushering everyone down the ladder.

At the top of the stairs there was a flash of light and a scream. Then there was laughter that made the hairs on the back of Ron' head stick up and he tensed all over, stopping dead in his tracks. He heard Harry whisper the name of the man to whom the laughter belonged, but he had already known. To his amazement though Harry walked to the bottom of the stairs and he went after him to pull him back.

And then he saw what had brought Harry to the bottom of the stairs. Lying on the stairs were a pair of gold rimmed, half-moon spectacles and he choked with terror, gripping Harry's arm ever harder. And then above in the entrance hall he heard a voice that he knew few people had lived to hear.

"And how the mighty have fallen," it sneered. "Now will people understand what happens to those who challenge his Lord Voldemort! And now Mr. Black," said the cold voice, "shall you die the way your friend did?"

Ron felt Harry tense and then sprinted up the stairs from a standing start that surprised Ron enough for him to temporarily lose his grip. He quickly gathered his wits though and raced after his friend. He heard a cry from behind him and he knew Hermione was running with him too.

"No!" screamed Harry as he reached the top of the stairs. "You can't!"

Ron could see Harry was finding trouble standing due to the pain in his scar, indeed he could see it burning red hot on his forehead and sweat dripping down his friend's face. He dare not touch Harry though, the boy appeared to be angry beyond belief and he wasn't sure which was more horrifying; to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named face to face, or see his friend looking both so scared, angry and full of blood lust at the same time.

"Hello, Harry," sneered the Dark Lord. "Have you come to see your godfather's death?"

Ron looked over at Sirius who was being held by two Death Eaters and trying to lash out at Peter Pettigrew, who was cowering behind his master. But what sickened Ron to the pit of his stomach was the sight of Professor Dumbledore lying lifelessly on the floor, his hand reaching for his wand across the floor, but never able to reach it again.

McKinnon was sprawled out across the stairs, Ron could see her the blood flowing freely from the Blood Circle on her chest a tell-tale sign that she had been exposed to the Cruciatus curse. Snape was trying to pick himself up from the floor, but blood was pouring from his chest, Ron had never even known Snape had a Blood Circle too, and he wasn't able to support himself.

"Crucio!" snarled Voldemort.

Sirius screamed and shrieked with agony and Harry raised his wand, "Expelliarmus."

Voldemort's wand didn't spin out of his hand, but it writhed in his grip and Voldemort growled. He turned to Harry, his red eyes flashing and then he smiled a disgusting smile.

"Apparently red heads are a family trait, Potter," he snarled.

Ron thought he was talking about him, but then to his horror he turned to see Ginny standing behind Harry. He reached out to grab her, but with a blast from a wand he was spend across the hall and crashing into a wall. Harry raised his wand and yelled a curse that Ron couldn't hear as the blood was rushing through his brain. Before he knew what was happened Harry was dodging out of the way of a killing curse.

Harry just dodged it, but the curse grazed his arm and now it was bleeding and his sleeve was crackling with green flame. Hermione screamed and reached out for her wand to stop a Death Eater grabbing Ginny, but she too was sent crashing across the room, hitting the stairs with a sickening crack and Ron could see how awkwardly her arm was bent.

Voldemort swept up the stairs standing hard on McKinnon's hand, making her cry out. A Death Eater Ginny was dragged behind them all. At the top of the stairs Voldemort turned with a sweep of robes and laughed at the struggling casualties left in his wake.

"Let's see how much you care for your little red head, Mr. Potter," he laughed. "Crucio!"

Ginny shrieked and screamed, tears running down her face and Ron tried to pull himself to his feet. He failed though and fell back, but Harry did. Voldemort pointed his wand to Harry once more and called out the torturing curse, making Harry collapse back to the floor with howls of agony. With that the entire party left the entrance hall.

To Ron's utter amazement Harry pulled himself to his feet, though blood was pouring from his chest where he had been branded with the Blood Circle. His friend staggered across the entrance hall and gripping the banister rail began to run up the stairs. It was painful to watch him, slip and stagger up the stairs, leaving a trail of blood.

Ron managed to build up his strength in a burst though as Harry reached the top of the stairs. He pulled himself to his feet and blinked hard as the blood rushed to his head. He could feel something wet in his hair and he reached back to find he was bleeding, he hadn't even realised he had dashed his head on the wall.

He took a deep breath and staggered over to the stairs where Hermione was trying to pull herself up, tears of pain falling down her cheeks and cradling her broken arm. Ron pulled her to her feet and they steadied themselves on each other for a moment before by silent agreement they both made their way up the stairs. The path they had taken wasn't hard to follow, Harry had left a trail of blood.

Stumbling, staggering and falling constantly they ran after Harry, Ginny and Voldemort to the sixth floor. Harry's trail led them along a south-facing gallery. Ahead they saw a doorway that certainly hadn't been there before, opposite the windows that looked out on the grounds. They reached the door and it was only by leaning on each other that they resisted collapse. But they gasped at what they saw beyond the large, red doors.

Inside what by all rights ought to have been a narrow wall cavity was a huge chamber in white marble. Tall pillars held up the arched roof and there were dozens of torches on the walls behind them. At the far end though there was an altar with a beacon like fire blazing on it, resting on a golden bowl. The flames flickered, changing from colour to colour, red, blue, green and yellow.

Standing on the floor in front of the altar was Voldemort his wand raised. At the centre of the chamber was Harry, who too had his wand raised. Ginny was lying against one of the pillars and Death Eaters were everywhere. Voldemort's lips moved and though they couldn't see him, they knew that Harry's did too. There was an almighty flash of blinding light and when Ron and Hermione had opened their eyes the door had disappeared and they were looking a blank wall.

"HARRY" screamed Hermione, throwing herself against the wall.

Ron clawed at the stone and mortar, calling out for his best friend and little sister. He could feel his own blood seeping down his neck and Hermione's nose was beginning to bleed, her broken arm already causing her a lot pain, but she kept on trying to find the door.

"Come on!" yelled someone, grabbing his arm.

Ron turned to see that too his amazement Draco Malfoy was trying to pull him away, "No! My friend and my sister are in there!"

"Yeah and there are dozens of Death Eaters out here!" snapped Malfoy. "If we don't get out of here then we'll be killed."

"Ron," said Hermione weakly, tears still running down her face. "We can't get to them."

"No! Harry and Ginny are in there," said Ron stubbornly.

"Look, Weasley, I risked my neck to drag you back down into the tunnels," snarled Malfoy. "But if you want to waste your life on Potter then by all means. But don't you think it's a bit of a waste to let yourself die when he would have obviously wanted you to live."

Ron was amazed, Malfoy was actually making sense. "We have to go, Ron," said Hermione, gulping heavily.

He nodded and was dragged own the gallery by Malfoy to leave his best friend and little sister to an unknown fate. He turned back to his path though and set his mind to getting the others out alive and getting word to the Ministry. Harry would be alright, he always was and he would protect Ginny… But Ron remembered that pale, red-eyed face, so snake-like in appearance and he wondered if Harry would be so lucky this time.

A/N: Aren't I cruel? Leaving you like that and all. Yeah you know Harry doesn't die, but what happens, hmm. And I hoped you Draco fans liked that bit of subtle Malfoy redemption there, my mum likes the character so I decided I ought to do something nice. If I had written the entire seventh year rather than just doing flashbacks to different times there'd have been more of that Draco-redemption stuff and it would have been more obvious too. I still haven't decided what happens to Draco yet though, so your suggestions there are always welcomed.