Author's Note: Here is the revised version of Chapter 2. I picked up an omega-reader (my co- writer). Seems trifle of a story needs more of a woman's touch. So, Thank-You Much's go out to Gaia30. Enjoy the chapter.
Lord Voldemort had returned. In his quest to build a new army, stronger and more powerful than any seen before, he sought to enlist the most ferocious magical beasts into his service.
Rubeus Hagrid was the new head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (mostly because no one else wanted the job.) With the help of his wife, Olympe Maxime, he had convinced the giants to side with the Ministry of Magic. The vampires, however, had been lost to darkness, and Lord Voldemort had moved on to bargaining with the Quintapeds.
Aiding Hagrid and the Ministry in their quest was Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Once a top-notch Auror, he now led the Auror Academy. Ron Weasley had joined the Big Bloody Monster Squad under Moody soon after graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was only now beginning to realize that the monsters he'd deal with really would be big, scary, and bloody dangerous.
***
"Ahhhhh!" screamed Ron. A six-foot, furry, reddish-brown leg landed inches away from his skull. He instinctively felt for his wand, but he had lost it in the struggle. Ron hated things with more than four legs. Especially if those legs happened to be very large, and the beast came equipped with huge, gnashing teeth. And even more so when he was unarmed in the open air.
Ron dodged another club foot, then a pair of foot-long fangs. Where the hell is my crew?, he thought. The sudden cries of agony told him exactly where they were -- and that they all needed help.
The monster was one huge lump with five legs. Its mouth encompassed most of its body. At the moment, its small beady eyes were staring directly into Ron's. Probably trying to figure out the best way to pull me apart. Saliva (or possibly blood -- he couldn't tell) dripped from its fangs. Big bloody monster! Why can't You-Know-Who just take the vampires and be done with it?
Ron heard another scream as the severed head of one of his crew members flew by. The head was marked by an expression of fear and agony. It seemed to be frozen in a scream, only with no voice to provide the sound.
She was one of my best Aurors! Ripped apart by that fucking Quintaped! How did I let Hagrid convince me to come here? Why the hell did I join the BBM Squad in the first place? How did I get to be so dense? And why am I talking to myself?
Ron heard thumping as the Quintaped drew nearer. He racked his brain for any possible escape, but found none. The heat of its breath was making Ron dizzy.
"Expelliarmus!" The Quintaped was thrown across the field and into a large tree, where it crashed with a sickening thud. The body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
"Thanks, guys. Great timing. Though, next time, could you wait until the monster had me in its jaws? Makes for a better story," Ron remarked, brushing himself off.
Dean Thomas smiled. "Oh. Sure. In that case, I guess we'll just let this guy's friends know where we are -"
"All right, you've had your fun. Let's not forget that this island's full of these things. We have no idea where they are until they're on top of us, and..." Seamus Finnigan trailed off, turning his gaze toward the grass, now tinged with red. "We don't want them to have died for nothing."
All three men were silent for a while. Far too many great Aurors had been lost in the past years, and the fight was not yet won.
Ron's memory took him back to his first mission, a few years earlier, during the Great Vampire War. The entire BBM squad had been slaughtered, save for Ron. The new recruits had unanimously voted him their leader. Ron was more than willing to take the position. It was a chance to make a name for himself, to outshine his brothers. The only Auror in the Weasley family, Ron soon turned his BBM squad into the best of the Department. His squad was assigned the most dangerous missions: negotiating with vampires in Romania, containing a rogue Chimaera in Sicily, tracking a Lethifold in Papua New Guinea, slaying a Tebo in Zaire. The most satisfying for Ron was destroying a huge nest of Acromantulas; Ron took pleasure in their killing after the near-fatal incident in his second year at Hogwarts.
Hagrid almost did us in that time! Come to think of it, Hagrid always gets us into trouble with some monster. Thinks we can handle the bloody beasts. 'Course, we usually can.
Snapping out of his reverie, Ron mentioned to Dean and Seamus that they'd better get going. They Apparated away from the Isle of Drear to the northern Scotland Auror base.
***
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley!" cried Colin Creevey, running towards the group with an armful of papers. Ron had hired Colin to keep the Auror Owlery, but only after much persuading from his old friend, Harry Potter.
Sighing at the sight, Ron flashed back to his days at Hogwarts. The days before Harry had become Head Auror, before he was an Auror at all. The days when the world was safe. well, safer than it had become. The days when he could still be with Hermione.
Ron loved Hermione with a passion unparalleled by many known to man. He'd loved her since their time at Hogwarts. Six years earlier, Hermione Granger had unknowingly broken his heart by joining the Wizard Intelligence Agency. Ron knew that the Ministry would not exist without the WIA to do reconnaissance, and that it was the perfect job for Hermione, but he couldn't help feeling distraught. His only love, and he didn't even know if she was still alive, much less where she was working.
If not for that son of a bitch You-Know-Who, we'd still be together. God, I love Hermione. If only she knew. If only I could tell her.
"Mr. Weasley, an owl just brought this letter. It's from Harry Potter," explained Colin. Colin handed Ron the letter, fighting the urge to whip out his camera. No pictures could be taken on the base for security purposes. Ron opened the letter, and read it, concern growing on his face.
Ron,
This is important. You know I wouldn't have bothered you if it wasn't. We have new information on Voldemort.
Ron winced. Even after all these years, he still couldn't say the evil overlord's name.
I need you at Hogwarts as soon as possible. Don't waste time thinking, just move. I'll pull rank if I have to.
Harry
P.S. She's here, too, Ron. We'll be waiting for you.
There was no need for Ron to ask who "she" was. It took about five minutes for everything to register. He dismissed his crew to make sure the new BBM recruits didn't get splinched, took a deep breath, and concentrated on his last memory of Hogwarts.
Nothing.
What the...? Oh. How many times did she tell me? "Ron, you know you can't Apparate within school grounds. It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Honestly, aren't you ever going to read that book?"
Ron smiled to himself. Hermione had obsessed over Hogwarts, A History so much that she'd written the new, revised edition after graduation. That was before she'd found work with the WIA.
He instead set his mind on King's Cross Station, London. He'd catch a train into Hogsmeade from Platform 9 3/4. The thought of finally seeing his love again brought a grin to Ron's face as he Disapparated with a faint pop.
Lord Voldemort had returned. In his quest to build a new army, stronger and more powerful than any seen before, he sought to enlist the most ferocious magical beasts into his service.
Rubeus Hagrid was the new head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (mostly because no one else wanted the job.) With the help of his wife, Olympe Maxime, he had convinced the giants to side with the Ministry of Magic. The vampires, however, had been lost to darkness, and Lord Voldemort had moved on to bargaining with the Quintapeds.
Aiding Hagrid and the Ministry in their quest was Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Once a top-notch Auror, he now led the Auror Academy. Ron Weasley had joined the Big Bloody Monster Squad under Moody soon after graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was only now beginning to realize that the monsters he'd deal with really would be big, scary, and bloody dangerous.
***
"Ahhhhh!" screamed Ron. A six-foot, furry, reddish-brown leg landed inches away from his skull. He instinctively felt for his wand, but he had lost it in the struggle. Ron hated things with more than four legs. Especially if those legs happened to be very large, and the beast came equipped with huge, gnashing teeth. And even more so when he was unarmed in the open air.
Ron dodged another club foot, then a pair of foot-long fangs. Where the hell is my crew?, he thought. The sudden cries of agony told him exactly where they were -- and that they all needed help.
The monster was one huge lump with five legs. Its mouth encompassed most of its body. At the moment, its small beady eyes were staring directly into Ron's. Probably trying to figure out the best way to pull me apart. Saliva (or possibly blood -- he couldn't tell) dripped from its fangs. Big bloody monster! Why can't You-Know-Who just take the vampires and be done with it?
Ron heard another scream as the severed head of one of his crew members flew by. The head was marked by an expression of fear and agony. It seemed to be frozen in a scream, only with no voice to provide the sound.
She was one of my best Aurors! Ripped apart by that fucking Quintaped! How did I let Hagrid convince me to come here? Why the hell did I join the BBM Squad in the first place? How did I get to be so dense? And why am I talking to myself?
Ron heard thumping as the Quintaped drew nearer. He racked his brain for any possible escape, but found none. The heat of its breath was making Ron dizzy.
"Expelliarmus!" The Quintaped was thrown across the field and into a large tree, where it crashed with a sickening thud. The body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
"Thanks, guys. Great timing. Though, next time, could you wait until the monster had me in its jaws? Makes for a better story," Ron remarked, brushing himself off.
Dean Thomas smiled. "Oh. Sure. In that case, I guess we'll just let this guy's friends know where we are -"
"All right, you've had your fun. Let's not forget that this island's full of these things. We have no idea where they are until they're on top of us, and..." Seamus Finnigan trailed off, turning his gaze toward the grass, now tinged with red. "We don't want them to have died for nothing."
All three men were silent for a while. Far too many great Aurors had been lost in the past years, and the fight was not yet won.
Ron's memory took him back to his first mission, a few years earlier, during the Great Vampire War. The entire BBM squad had been slaughtered, save for Ron. The new recruits had unanimously voted him their leader. Ron was more than willing to take the position. It was a chance to make a name for himself, to outshine his brothers. The only Auror in the Weasley family, Ron soon turned his BBM squad into the best of the Department. His squad was assigned the most dangerous missions: negotiating with vampires in Romania, containing a rogue Chimaera in Sicily, tracking a Lethifold in Papua New Guinea, slaying a Tebo in Zaire. The most satisfying for Ron was destroying a huge nest of Acromantulas; Ron took pleasure in their killing after the near-fatal incident in his second year at Hogwarts.
Hagrid almost did us in that time! Come to think of it, Hagrid always gets us into trouble with some monster. Thinks we can handle the bloody beasts. 'Course, we usually can.
Snapping out of his reverie, Ron mentioned to Dean and Seamus that they'd better get going. They Apparated away from the Isle of Drear to the northern Scotland Auror base.
***
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley!" cried Colin Creevey, running towards the group with an armful of papers. Ron had hired Colin to keep the Auror Owlery, but only after much persuading from his old friend, Harry Potter.
Sighing at the sight, Ron flashed back to his days at Hogwarts. The days before Harry had become Head Auror, before he was an Auror at all. The days when the world was safe. well, safer than it had become. The days when he could still be with Hermione.
Ron loved Hermione with a passion unparalleled by many known to man. He'd loved her since their time at Hogwarts. Six years earlier, Hermione Granger had unknowingly broken his heart by joining the Wizard Intelligence Agency. Ron knew that the Ministry would not exist without the WIA to do reconnaissance, and that it was the perfect job for Hermione, but he couldn't help feeling distraught. His only love, and he didn't even know if she was still alive, much less where she was working.
If not for that son of a bitch You-Know-Who, we'd still be together. God, I love Hermione. If only she knew. If only I could tell her.
"Mr. Weasley, an owl just brought this letter. It's from Harry Potter," explained Colin. Colin handed Ron the letter, fighting the urge to whip out his camera. No pictures could be taken on the base for security purposes. Ron opened the letter, and read it, concern growing on his face.
Ron,
This is important. You know I wouldn't have bothered you if it wasn't. We have new information on Voldemort.
Ron winced. Even after all these years, he still couldn't say the evil overlord's name.
I need you at Hogwarts as soon as possible. Don't waste time thinking, just move. I'll pull rank if I have to.
Harry
P.S. She's here, too, Ron. We'll be waiting for you.
There was no need for Ron to ask who "she" was. It took about five minutes for everything to register. He dismissed his crew to make sure the new BBM recruits didn't get splinched, took a deep breath, and concentrated on his last memory of Hogwarts.
Nothing.
What the...? Oh. How many times did she tell me? "Ron, you know you can't Apparate within school grounds. It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Honestly, aren't you ever going to read that book?"
Ron smiled to himself. Hermione had obsessed over Hogwarts, A History so much that she'd written the new, revised edition after graduation. That was before she'd found work with the WIA.
He instead set his mind on King's Cross Station, London. He'd catch a train into Hogsmeade from Platform 9 3/4. The thought of finally seeing his love again brought a grin to Ron's face as he Disapparated with a faint pop.