Chapter One
Loss of the Loved One
Ron tried to remember the past year, but only that night, exactly one year ago stood out.
It had been a night exactly like this one, one year ago that Ron, Harry, Sirius, and all of the Weasley's excluding Percy, Bill and Charlie, had been celebrating Ron and Harry's graduation from Hogwarts. They sat around the table in the kitchen laughing and joking about the good times. Ron and Harry soon grew bored of listening to Arthur and Sirius talk about the ministry and went outside.
It was a cool evening, but it felt good on Ron's face to be outside. They grew silent and watched the stars.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" asked Ron.
Harry nodded silently. Suddenly, Ron heard twigs snapping in an area behind the burrow. He jumped up and pulled out his wand. He looked around nervously, and Harry looked up at him.
"Ron, are you all right?" he asked.
"Footsteps." said Ron, "Loads of them, coming towards us."
They both shuddered, and the area around them grew very cold. Ron felt all the happiness drain from him and he gulped. He knew what was coming. Harry knew as well, and had frozen beside him and stood rigid. The few candles around them went out.
"Harry, dementors!" yelled Ron.
But it was too late. Harry had fallen to the ground, twitching. Ron quickly ran inside.
"Dad, there are dementors coming!" he yelled, "Loads of them."
Sirius and Arthur bolted outside. Ron followed after them and they watched as small dots of light slowly approached the house.
"Molly, Fred, George!" yelled Arthur, "Come quickly!"
The others rushed outside, but Molly kept Ginny inside and told her to watch over Harry. Arthur set Harry next to the fireplace, and Ginny sat near him.
"Give him this when he comes around," said Molly, handing Ginny a chocolate frog, "And get a warm cloth."
Ginny went off to fetch the warm cloth, and Ron took this opportunity to talk to his father.
"Let me help," Ron said.
Arthur shook his head.
"Stay inside and keep Ginny safe," said Arthur, closing the door.
Ron ran to the window where he could see everything happening. Ginny came back with the cloth and set it on Harry's face. His eyes flung open and he panicked at first.
"It's okay Harry," said Ginny, "Just sit here and eat this."
Harry took the chocolate frog while Ron watched as the Dementors grew closer, but to his surprise, there weren't just dementors.
"There's Death Eater too!" Ron exclaimed.
Arthur stood with Sirius at his side, wands ready, preparing for any attack. Fred, George, and Molly stood behind them, watching the other side, to make sure the attackers weren't closing in on them.
The Death Eaters destroyed a large hedge at the back of the lawn and marched up to the house. In the lead was Lucius Malfoy, his white hair glowing brightly in the dark night, and right next to him, was Draco, following just behind his Father, a look of readiness on his pale face.
"You scum!" yelled Arthur, seeing Lucius's face, "I knew all along you were in the leagues of You-Know-Who!"
Lucius smiled and Draco cackled, delighted by their frightened looks.
"Let me kill them, Father," Draco begged. "All the Muggle lovers."
"Patience Draco," Lucius growled, "Your time will come soon enough."
Draco gripped his wand as he stepped back and the Death Eaters behind the Malfoys shifted slightly. A tall man was moving through them and the figure touched Lucius's shoulder.
"That's enough," hissed the man.
"Yes, m'lord," said Lucius bowing, and Draco mimicked him.
The tall thin man walked forward and looked down at the Weasleys. The man was Lord Voldemort. Sirius snarled angrily at Voldemort as he eyes Arthur and Molly. Finally his eyes rested on Sirius.
"Ah, Mr. Black, how good to see you," he said. "I do hope the Dementors treated you well in Azkaban."
Fire lit in Sirius's eyes.
"You'll pay for all the lives you've taken!" yelled Sirius. "All the Muggles you've killed!"
Sirius raised his wand but Arthur stopped him.
"Sirius no!" yelled Arthur, "Don't sink to their level!"
Voldemort moved closer to Arthur, who stood tall and strong. Soon Voldemort was less than a foot away.
"Arthur Weasley, the Muggle lover," said Voldemort.
"You have no reason to be here! My family did nothing to you!" exclaimed Arthur.
Voldemort laughed a harsh, high-pitched laugh and stopped quickly.
"You and your kind have done more than you will ever know!" Voldemort yelled, pulling his wand from his robes.
Arthur turned to Molly and the boys.
"You three, inside!" he commanded.
Fred and George ran but Molly stayed.
"Molly, you need to make sure the kids are going to be all right!" said Arthur. "GO!"
Molly ran inside the house and closed the door. Arthur turned and faced Voldemort, with Sirius right behind him. The Death Eaters shifted behind Voldemort, in order to see the action more clearly.
"Say good-bye," said Voldemort, "Avada Kedavra!"
Without thinking, Sirius shoved Arthur out of the way and they both rolled off to the side, into a shallow ditch. Sirius felt the spell go over his back and ruffle his hair. He looked at Arthur, who was still alive.
Meanwhile, Ron was now at another window; he didn't want to miss anything. He wanted to be outside, he wanted to help, but Mum was bothering his about quills and Errol or something, he wasn't really paying attention. He gripped his wand tightly, as his Mother scribbled down words on a piece of parchment.
"I have to do something," he begged, "Please, Mum, let me help!"
"Ronald Weasley!" she scolded. "For the fifth time, NO! It's too dangerous!"
Harry sat silently in the corner, trying to act like nothing was happening, but Ron knew he could hear the explosions, the yells from Sirius, and the laugh of Voldemort. Harry buried his face in his hands.
"It's all my fault," he whispered, "Voldemort's only here because of me."
Fred shook his head and George knelt next to Harry.
"It's not your fault, Harry," said George.
Ron turned back the window just to see Voldemort pointing his wand at Sirius.
"You get in the way too much, Black!" he yelled, "Expelliarmus!"
Sirius flew past Arthur and landed with a thud. He cried out with pain, his wand several feet away. Sirius rolled in pain as Voldemort turned his wand on Arthur. Arthur stood there, Voldemort's wand in his face.
"Good-bye," said Voldemort, "Avada Kedavra!"
The green light filled the inside of the house. Ron screamed and Molly rushed to him.
"Ron, what's wrong?" she asked.
She looked out the window just in time to see Arthur fall over, a look of fear on his face. Sirius looked at Arthur and glared up at Voldemort. Fred held Ginny in his arms, as Ron shook with anger. He had never felt like this before. His head was swimming in the wave of emotions that had just hit. At first he felt nothing as though he had gone numb. Then he could feel the tears forming in his eyes. But suddenly the tears disappeared and he was overcome by a feeling of hate so strong he felt that he could've taken on Voldemort by himself.
Voldemort had killed their Father.
Ron tried to remember the past year, but only that night, exactly one year ago stood out.
It had been a night exactly like this one, one year ago that Ron, Harry, Sirius, and all of the Weasley's excluding Percy, Bill and Charlie, had been celebrating Ron and Harry's graduation from Hogwarts. They sat around the table in the kitchen laughing and joking about the good times. Ron and Harry soon grew bored of listening to Arthur and Sirius talk about the ministry and went outside.
It was a cool evening, but it felt good on Ron's face to be outside. They grew silent and watched the stars.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" asked Ron.
Harry nodded silently. Suddenly, Ron heard twigs snapping in an area behind the burrow. He jumped up and pulled out his wand. He looked around nervously, and Harry looked up at him.
"Ron, are you all right?" he asked.
"Footsteps." said Ron, "Loads of them, coming towards us."
They both shuddered, and the area around them grew very cold. Ron felt all the happiness drain from him and he gulped. He knew what was coming. Harry knew as well, and had frozen beside him and stood rigid. The few candles around them went out.
"Harry, dementors!" yelled Ron.
But it was too late. Harry had fallen to the ground, twitching. Ron quickly ran inside.
"Dad, there are dementors coming!" he yelled, "Loads of them."
Sirius and Arthur bolted outside. Ron followed after them and they watched as small dots of light slowly approached the house.
"Molly, Fred, George!" yelled Arthur, "Come quickly!"
The others rushed outside, but Molly kept Ginny inside and told her to watch over Harry. Arthur set Harry next to the fireplace, and Ginny sat near him.
"Give him this when he comes around," said Molly, handing Ginny a chocolate frog, "And get a warm cloth."
Ginny went off to fetch the warm cloth, and Ron took this opportunity to talk to his father.
"Let me help," Ron said.
Arthur shook his head.
"Stay inside and keep Ginny safe," said Arthur, closing the door.
Ron ran to the window where he could see everything happening. Ginny came back with the cloth and set it on Harry's face. His eyes flung open and he panicked at first.
"It's okay Harry," said Ginny, "Just sit here and eat this."
Harry took the chocolate frog while Ron watched as the Dementors grew closer, but to his surprise, there weren't just dementors.
"There's Death Eater too!" Ron exclaimed.
Arthur stood with Sirius at his side, wands ready, preparing for any attack. Fred, George, and Molly stood behind them, watching the other side, to make sure the attackers weren't closing in on them.
The Death Eaters destroyed a large hedge at the back of the lawn and marched up to the house. In the lead was Lucius Malfoy, his white hair glowing brightly in the dark night, and right next to him, was Draco, following just behind his Father, a look of readiness on his pale face.
"You scum!" yelled Arthur, seeing Lucius's face, "I knew all along you were in the leagues of You-Know-Who!"
Lucius smiled and Draco cackled, delighted by their frightened looks.
"Let me kill them, Father," Draco begged. "All the Muggle lovers."
"Patience Draco," Lucius growled, "Your time will come soon enough."
Draco gripped his wand as he stepped back and the Death Eaters behind the Malfoys shifted slightly. A tall man was moving through them and the figure touched Lucius's shoulder.
"That's enough," hissed the man.
"Yes, m'lord," said Lucius bowing, and Draco mimicked him.
The tall thin man walked forward and looked down at the Weasleys. The man was Lord Voldemort. Sirius snarled angrily at Voldemort as he eyes Arthur and Molly. Finally his eyes rested on Sirius.
"Ah, Mr. Black, how good to see you," he said. "I do hope the Dementors treated you well in Azkaban."
Fire lit in Sirius's eyes.
"You'll pay for all the lives you've taken!" yelled Sirius. "All the Muggles you've killed!"
Sirius raised his wand but Arthur stopped him.
"Sirius no!" yelled Arthur, "Don't sink to their level!"
Voldemort moved closer to Arthur, who stood tall and strong. Soon Voldemort was less than a foot away.
"Arthur Weasley, the Muggle lover," said Voldemort.
"You have no reason to be here! My family did nothing to you!" exclaimed Arthur.
Voldemort laughed a harsh, high-pitched laugh and stopped quickly.
"You and your kind have done more than you will ever know!" Voldemort yelled, pulling his wand from his robes.
Arthur turned to Molly and the boys.
"You three, inside!" he commanded.
Fred and George ran but Molly stayed.
"Molly, you need to make sure the kids are going to be all right!" said Arthur. "GO!"
Molly ran inside the house and closed the door. Arthur turned and faced Voldemort, with Sirius right behind him. The Death Eaters shifted behind Voldemort, in order to see the action more clearly.
"Say good-bye," said Voldemort, "Avada Kedavra!"
Without thinking, Sirius shoved Arthur out of the way and they both rolled off to the side, into a shallow ditch. Sirius felt the spell go over his back and ruffle his hair. He looked at Arthur, who was still alive.
Meanwhile, Ron was now at another window; he didn't want to miss anything. He wanted to be outside, he wanted to help, but Mum was bothering his about quills and Errol or something, he wasn't really paying attention. He gripped his wand tightly, as his Mother scribbled down words on a piece of parchment.
"I have to do something," he begged, "Please, Mum, let me help!"
"Ronald Weasley!" she scolded. "For the fifth time, NO! It's too dangerous!"
Harry sat silently in the corner, trying to act like nothing was happening, but Ron knew he could hear the explosions, the yells from Sirius, and the laugh of Voldemort. Harry buried his face in his hands.
"It's all my fault," he whispered, "Voldemort's only here because of me."
Fred shook his head and George knelt next to Harry.
"It's not your fault, Harry," said George.
Ron turned back the window just to see Voldemort pointing his wand at Sirius.
"You get in the way too much, Black!" he yelled, "Expelliarmus!"
Sirius flew past Arthur and landed with a thud. He cried out with pain, his wand several feet away. Sirius rolled in pain as Voldemort turned his wand on Arthur. Arthur stood there, Voldemort's wand in his face.
"Good-bye," said Voldemort, "Avada Kedavra!"
The green light filled the inside of the house. Ron screamed and Molly rushed to him.
"Ron, what's wrong?" she asked.
She looked out the window just in time to see Arthur fall over, a look of fear on his face. Sirius looked at Arthur and glared up at Voldemort. Fred held Ginny in his arms, as Ron shook with anger. He had never felt like this before. His head was swimming in the wave of emotions that had just hit. At first he felt nothing as though he had gone numb. Then he could feel the tears forming in his eyes. But suddenly the tears disappeared and he was overcome by a feeling of hate so strong he felt that he could've taken on Voldemort by himself.
Voldemort had killed their Father.
