In Dreams

Chapter 9

Voldemort stepped into the entranceway. He was blocking it. There was no escaping him. Not this time. "I'm here to make you pay, Potter!" he snarled. "I'm here to make you pay for every year that I have suffered!"

"You'll have to get through us first!" yelled Ginny, her fear replaced by her fear for Harry's life.

Voldemort turned his attention to Ginny. His face took on one of maliciously pleasure. "Ahhh...Harry Potter's girlfriend. The one to whom I owe no thanks the way you messed up breaking open the Chamber of Secrets. No matter. This is a job for the older, wiser me and not for silly little girls."

"Listen, Voldemort," said Harry bristling with anger at Voldemort for his condescending attitude toward Ginny. "It's me you want. You can let the others go."

"No, Harry! We're not leaving you!" exclaimed Hermione in horror at the thought. They all felt her words and even Harry couldn't help the sense of gratitude and love that filled his heart at the thought of his friends.

Ron for his part was thoroughly stunned. This was so similar to his dream and yet there were distinct differences. But in his heart he knew one of them was going to be attacked first. He'd be there to stop it. He'd have to be quick. At the very least he could give the others a chance to escape and get help. But who would it be? Ron glanced uneasily-first at Hermione and then to his best friend and sister.

"Ah, loyalty," chuckled Voldemort mirthlessly. "It killed your parents, Potter, and those around them, just as it's going to do here. Say goodbye to your friends!"

Just as in his dream Voldemort turned his wand to Ron. A blue bolt shot out of it thundering toward him.

Time seemed to slow down and yet Ron knew he had mere nanoseconds to stop the most horrible events from unfolding. Ron quickly glanced and saw Hemione hurtling herself toward him. With hardly anytime to react Ron opened his arms wide and caught Hermione in a big bear hug and spun himself between her and Voldemort. Pain coursed through his body as it absorbed the impact of the blow. Between the force of the blast and the pain, Ron crumbled to the ground on top of Hermione.

For a few moments no one breathed or moved. Then, Hermione gently slid out from underneath Ron. Harry and Ginny, horrified crowded around Ron whose face was pressed against the cold cement floor. Except for the black scorch mark on his back, they would have merely thought him asleep.

Hermione took Ron's cold, nearly lifeless hand in her own as tears streamed down her face. With her other hand she gently brushed some hair out of his face and placed it on his cheek. "Ron! Ron!" she sobbed. They would have turned him over if they hadn't feared damaging him further. They prayed the point wasn't mute.

"Hermione," Ron mumbled, his eyes flickering open.

"Yes, yes, I'm here Ron."

"You okay?"

If the situation hadn't been so perilous she would have laughed. Ron, her knight in shinning armor, was asking if she was okay. She had always loved him; she knew this. If love could save Ron he would have been healed right now. But it couldn't. Hermione felt darkness threatening to over take her.

Ron felt the same darkness pressing in, like a hand gripping his heart, stopping its beating. When Hermione didn't responded he opened his eyes further to see the tearstained, anguish stricken, but very much alive Hermione. All three of them loved him, each in his or her own way. He could see in the eyes that they would miss him terribly as he would miss them. But there was one thought that was pressing upon him more than the most. That he should pass into that deep slumber, her never knowing how he felt, was unthinkable.

Everything seemed to fade away from him except Hermione's face when he said, "I love you, Hermione."

Then a bright light filled the room, blinding them all. A slight smile passed over Ron's lips as he faded into nothingness.