A/N- Thanks everyone for the great reviews. Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter, the usual disclaimers apply, yadda, yadda, yadda.
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Nightmares and Regrets
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Hermione was walking through the ruins of Hogwarts castle. Fallen soldiers and crumbled walls encircled her. Dust was still sifting through the air, making everything in front of her resemble a mirage. She suddenly sensed the presence of someone behind her. Turning quickly, she saw the one face she needed to see most.
"Ron." She breathed, hurrying towards him.
But he was fading quickly, or the dust was growing thicker, it was hard to tell. She couldn't reach him.
"RON!" She yelled out, but he wouldn't look at her.
He was looking towards the ground, and suddenly she saw Harry standing next to him. He looked up at her, his green eyes meeting hers with a strange, sad look.
"I'm so sorry for putting you two through this." He said in a voice that sounded oddly distant.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione said, relieved at least one of them could see her.
"I wish I could just end this…stop all the suffering." Harry said in the same strange voice.
"Harry, what the hell are you talking about?" Hermione demanded, frustrated.
"You know what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't."
"Well, then you're not as clever as I thought." Harry said, smiling and fading into the mist just as Ron looked up as well.
They both disappeared.
Hermione woke up in a cold sweat.
~*~
Ron sat on the edge of his bed, feeling very anxious. Something was wrong in the camp tonight; he could sense it. He had been sitting on his bed in this manner for an hour at least, clutching his wand tightly, listening for any unusual sounds. He heard none.
You're just nervous about tomorrow, he told himself.
Shacklebolt's legion was planning a surprise attack on an army of Dementors, and if it went well, it would be a spectacular victory. If it went badly, it would probably mean the deaths of everyone in the legion.
Yes, that would be a good reason to be anxious, he thought, laughing to himself inwardly as he lay back down on the bed.
Suddenly, the flap of his tent opened. Before Ron could even react, a hand had seized him by the mouth, a wand aimed at his throat.
"Not so brave without Harry by your side are you, little Ronnie?" He heard a horribly familiar female voice say.
Ron didn't say anything, his wand was on the ground a few feet away from him and he couldn't think of a way to reach it.
"Want your wand back, Weasley?" The voice asked again.
She held her hand out, and his wand flew into her grasp.
She promptly snapped it in half.
"Oops." The woman drew her hood back, revealing the paradoxical face of Bellatrix Lestrange. A face that Ron had always thought was strangely beautiful, but at the same time, horrifyingly awful.
Ron took the moment her hand was away to speak.
"What are you playing at, you bitch? Are you trying to kidnap me?" She snapped her hand back over his mouth.
"Yes, Weasley, that's exactly what I'm doing."
"Why?" Ron managed in a very muffled tone.
"You never were too bright, little Ronnie." She said with that horrible baby-voice, and with her considerable and surprising strength, she knocked him unconscious by slamming his head to her knee.
~*~
Hermione looked over her troops. It made her heart swell with a strange sort of pride to see them all lined up and ready for battle. They watched her eagerly for instruction.
"All right, everyone. This is the day we've been preparing for. This is the day that will determine whether Hogwarts stands or falls, if you live or die. This is the day that will define all of you and show you who you really are. They say you never know how much fight is in you until you're called upon to show it. Well, I'm calling on all of you to prove it to yourselves that you can do this. That Voldemort's wasn't strong enough to bring Hogwarts down in his first reign, and that we're not giving him the chance to see it fall today." Hermione's troops burst into applause and she smiled at them.
"Let's give 'em hell!" Anthony Goldstein yelled to his group beside her, and this only brought on more applause and yells of agreement.
"For Hogwarts!" Padma added, raising her wand.
"FOR HOGWARTS!" Everyone echoed.
Just then, they heard the low rumble of many footsteps approaching from outside the castle. Hermione turned to look out the Great Hall's windows. The hills in front of the castle were swarming with a black mass of Voldemort's armies.
Her heart pounding in her chest, Hermione drew out her wand.
The battle was upon them.
~*~
"Harry! Harry, wake up!"
Harry was jolted awake to see the face of Remus Lupin leaning over his cot.
"Lupin, what?" Harry asked groggily, putting on his glasses.
"It's Ron, Harry."
"What? Is he okay?" Harry was now fully awake, sitting up in his bed.
"No one knows, Harry. I just got word from Shacklebolt that he's disappeared. And on his cot was a letter from Bellatrix Lestrange."
"What did it say?" Harry asked, his throat unnaturally dry.
"All it said was-
Potter- They're both dead in three days unless you give Lord Voldemort a reason to act otherwise.
"Both?" Harry echoed faintly.
Lupin looked at him curiously.
"Does he mean…"
"They're coming for her too." Harry finished, his heart suddenly feeling as if it was pumping lead into his veins. He could hardly breathe. His worst nightmare was coming true, and he was the only one who could stop it.
~*~
~*~
Nightmares and Regrets
~*~
Hermione was walking through the ruins of Hogwarts castle. Fallen soldiers and crumbled walls encircled her. Dust was still sifting through the air, making everything in front of her resemble a mirage. She suddenly sensed the presence of someone behind her. Turning quickly, she saw the one face she needed to see most.
"Ron." She breathed, hurrying towards him.
But he was fading quickly, or the dust was growing thicker, it was hard to tell. She couldn't reach him.
"RON!" She yelled out, but he wouldn't look at her.
He was looking towards the ground, and suddenly she saw Harry standing next to him. He looked up at her, his green eyes meeting hers with a strange, sad look.
"I'm so sorry for putting you two through this." He said in a voice that sounded oddly distant.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione said, relieved at least one of them could see her.
"I wish I could just end this…stop all the suffering." Harry said in the same strange voice.
"Harry, what the hell are you talking about?" Hermione demanded, frustrated.
"You know what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't."
"Well, then you're not as clever as I thought." Harry said, smiling and fading into the mist just as Ron looked up as well.
They both disappeared.
Hermione woke up in a cold sweat.
~*~
Ron sat on the edge of his bed, feeling very anxious. Something was wrong in the camp tonight; he could sense it. He had been sitting on his bed in this manner for an hour at least, clutching his wand tightly, listening for any unusual sounds. He heard none.
You're just nervous about tomorrow, he told himself.
Shacklebolt's legion was planning a surprise attack on an army of Dementors, and if it went well, it would be a spectacular victory. If it went badly, it would probably mean the deaths of everyone in the legion.
Yes, that would be a good reason to be anxious, he thought, laughing to himself inwardly as he lay back down on the bed.
Suddenly, the flap of his tent opened. Before Ron could even react, a hand had seized him by the mouth, a wand aimed at his throat.
"Not so brave without Harry by your side are you, little Ronnie?" He heard a horribly familiar female voice say.
Ron didn't say anything, his wand was on the ground a few feet away from him and he couldn't think of a way to reach it.
"Want your wand back, Weasley?" The voice asked again.
She held her hand out, and his wand flew into her grasp.
She promptly snapped it in half.
"Oops." The woman drew her hood back, revealing the paradoxical face of Bellatrix Lestrange. A face that Ron had always thought was strangely beautiful, but at the same time, horrifyingly awful.
Ron took the moment her hand was away to speak.
"What are you playing at, you bitch? Are you trying to kidnap me?" She snapped her hand back over his mouth.
"Yes, Weasley, that's exactly what I'm doing."
"Why?" Ron managed in a very muffled tone.
"You never were too bright, little Ronnie." She said with that horrible baby-voice, and with her considerable and surprising strength, she knocked him unconscious by slamming his head to her knee.
~*~
Hermione looked over her troops. It made her heart swell with a strange sort of pride to see them all lined up and ready for battle. They watched her eagerly for instruction.
"All right, everyone. This is the day we've been preparing for. This is the day that will determine whether Hogwarts stands or falls, if you live or die. This is the day that will define all of you and show you who you really are. They say you never know how much fight is in you until you're called upon to show it. Well, I'm calling on all of you to prove it to yourselves that you can do this. That Voldemort's wasn't strong enough to bring Hogwarts down in his first reign, and that we're not giving him the chance to see it fall today." Hermione's troops burst into applause and she smiled at them.
"Let's give 'em hell!" Anthony Goldstein yelled to his group beside her, and this only brought on more applause and yells of agreement.
"For Hogwarts!" Padma added, raising her wand.
"FOR HOGWARTS!" Everyone echoed.
Just then, they heard the low rumble of many footsteps approaching from outside the castle. Hermione turned to look out the Great Hall's windows. The hills in front of the castle were swarming with a black mass of Voldemort's armies.
Her heart pounding in her chest, Hermione drew out her wand.
The battle was upon them.
~*~
"Harry! Harry, wake up!"
Harry was jolted awake to see the face of Remus Lupin leaning over his cot.
"Lupin, what?" Harry asked groggily, putting on his glasses.
"It's Ron, Harry."
"What? Is he okay?" Harry was now fully awake, sitting up in his bed.
"No one knows, Harry. I just got word from Shacklebolt that he's disappeared. And on his cot was a letter from Bellatrix Lestrange."
"What did it say?" Harry asked, his throat unnaturally dry.
"All it said was-
Potter- They're both dead in three days unless you give Lord Voldemort a reason to act otherwise.
"Both?" Harry echoed faintly.
Lupin looked at him curiously.
"Does he mean…"
"They're coming for her too." Harry finished, his heart suddenly feeling as if it was pumping lead into his veins. He could hardly breathe. His worst nightmare was coming true, and he was the only one who could stop it.
~*~