A/N- So sorry about the long time updating. I've been insanely busy, but here ya go! Chapter Five baby- all right, please review, the usual disclaimers apply.
As Long As It Takes
Chapter Five
Through the Smoke and the Fire
~*~
Hermione, Anthony, and Padma stood on the front lines, about to begin the spell they had been practicing from the book in Dumbledore's office.
"Okay, are you guys ready?" Hermione said, her voice speaking over the roar of oncoming dark soldiers.
"Ready." They said together.
The three brought out the ingredients as quickly as they could- the spell's after effects would only last for thirty seconds, so they had to wait until now to employ it. Quickly mixing them in a cauldron Anthony was holding, and dipping their wands into the mixture, the three pointed their wands at the army and yelled together-
"Maldebon corpis!" Like a shock wave from their wands, a force reverberated from them, rippling over the mountains and successfully knocking hundreds of dark soldiers to the ground lifeless.
Hermione, Anthony, and Padma all fell to their knees, struggling for breath. The amazing amount of magic that had just passed through them was enough to put someone in the hospital wing for weeks. But it had worked. They had successfully knocked out the entire front line of Voldemort's attackers, and their troops were mobilized and ready behind them.
McGonagall hurried to their side.
"Brilliant job, you three. Some of the most powerful wizards in the world have tried that spell and failed." She helped them to their feet, as a deathly pale Padma wretched.
Hermione didn't really feel sick, just exhausted. She knew this was bad since she was about to have to fight harder than she ever had.
Trying to take deep, steadying breaths as she clung to McGonagall's arm, Hermione tried to focus on something besides the shaking in her knees as tried to stay upright.
Suddenly, she had a very clear vision of Ron in the common room, his dark blue eyes piercing into hers.
"I'm coming back. I love you so much." He heard his familiar voice over the roar of battle all around her.
He was coming back. And she'd be here when he did. Reinvigorated at this thought, Hermione released McGonagall's arm and steadied her grip on her wand.
Hexes were zooming past her already. Even with their amazing losses they had just suffered, the Dark Armies were not discouraged. They pressed on even harder, and she fired her first hex as she saw one Death Eater finally crest the hill. It hit him smack in the chest, stunning him. Hermione watched with satisfaction as he fell to the ground.
Let them come.
~*~
Ron woke up in a darkened room, his head throbbing and his arms tied behind him. Where the hell was he? He suddenly jumped when he realized that Bellatrix was sitting across from him, watching him carefully.
"Good morning, sunshine." She said cheerfully, in that horribly raspy voice.
Ron didn't reply.
"Aww, what's the matter?" She suddenly jumped at him, wrenching his mouth open and nearly ripping his tongue out, holding a knife to it.
"Cat got your tongue?" She rasped, smiling.
She let Ron go, and he backed up against the wall, pale with terror.
"Tell me what you're thinking."
"You're bloody insane." Ron shook his head.
"Oh, that old line." Bellatrix grinned, stretching out catlike on the ground.
"So what's your job? Keep me company?" Ron asked mockingly.
"Not really. I was just kinda bored. But don't worry about company, Ronnie darling. You'll have plenty by tomorrow."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Your other little friend, Hermione whatever-the-hell, apparently Voldemort wanted her in on this whole prisoner thing."
"Hermione?" Ron choked out.
"Bloody awful name, that."
"Whereas Bellatrix is really catching on." Ron responded faintly, desperately looking around the room for a way they could escape.
"Ouch, Weasel. That really hurts." Bellatrix rolled over onto her back, lazily looking over at Ron.
"So basically, Voldemort figures that if you kidnap me and Hermione, Harry will come racing to our rescue and he can make that whole Boy-Who-Lived moniker not really apply to Harry anymore?" Ron asked her curiously.
"Yeah, well, he will, won't he?" Bellatrix smiled.
Ron sighed heavily, his stomach twisting with anxiety.
"Yes." He finally said miserably.
~*~
"Expecto Patronum!" Hermione shouted, her Patronus taking the form of an otter and hitting the Dementor squarely in the chest. The Dementor shrieked and disappeared.
Hermione turned to face three Death Eaters who were approaching. They all three stopped in surprise when she turned around.
"It's her." One of them said to the others.
Before Hermione could even react, two of them had seized her by the arms, and thrown her harshly to the ground. The third one leaned over her, inspecting her face.
"Are you sure it's her, Lucius?" An unfamiliar voice asked to her left as Hermione struggled heedlessly.
Hermione saw Lucius Malfoy's face through the shadowy folds of his hood. His cold narrowed eyes met hers piercingly.
"I'd recognize this horrible Mudblood anywhere. It's her.'
Hermione had no chance to reply. A stupefying curse hit her from three different wands, and she shook slightly from the force of it and did not move again.
~*~
Hermione was thrown roughly into a darkened room. She was surprised to hit another body in the dark.
She heard a sleepy grunt, and the body stirred. Hermione backed away from the unknown figure, her arms bound behind her back and making her slightly off-balance.
"Who's there?" The groggy voice asked.
But Hermione knew that voice. She would know it anywhere.
"It's me." She said softly.
"Oh, no, Hermione-please tell me you're just Bellatrix being weird again." Ron struggled to make out her face in the dark.
"Bellatrix? As in Bellatrix Lestrange? She was pretending to be me?" Hermione asked, disgusted.
"Let's not get into that…suffice it to say, she is a very strange woman with many complex mental issues." Ron said, shuddering slightly.
"Ron, what's going on? Why are we here?" Hermione tried to free her hands from the ropes binding them as she spoke.
Ron sighed heavily, and as her eyes slowly adjusted to the room, she could almost make out his face.
"To put it simply, we're…bait."
Hermione finally got her ropes free. The fact that they were easily broken made her think there was absolutely no way out of this room.
"Ron, you know he'll come." Hermione said miserably, sliding across the room to help untie Ron's ropes.
"Yeah, I know. It's Harry. He has a "saving-people thing"." Ron smiled sadly at her, remembering Hermione's rather concise observation of Harry in their fifth year.
Hermione smiled back, a now familiar anxiety making her feel somewhat sick.
"Ron, what are we going to do?" She asked softly, as Ron wrestled his hands finally from the rope.
Ron turned to face her finally, and even in the dark, he could see her beautiful and comfortingly familiar brown eyes looking up at his, dark with worry.
"We'll try to find a way out, Hermione. We'll do everything we can. But I think right now, it's up to Harry."
"Like it always is in the end." Hermione shook her head, hating how life always seemed to end up like this for Harry.
"Hermione, look at me."
Hermione did, as if realizing Ron was really there for the first time.
"Ron…" She said softly as Ron brought his hands to her face.
"We're going to get through this. We always do. And if we don't…"
Hermione finished the thought for him.
"We go out together." She put her hand over his, her eyes shining with tears.
Ron sighed, sounding frustrated.
"You know, Hermione, I always thought we'd graduate together, get married with Harry as the best man, have four kids, send them to Hogwarts, they'd give us grandkids, we'd grow old together and wear matching jogging suits, and then we'd just fall asleep together one night and not wake up. That's what our lives should be… it shouldn't end like this."
"You think about the future, Ron?" Hermione asked, smiling softly.
"Of course. Being a soldier is not quite a wham-bang exciting as you might think. At least not everyday. I think about you… us…all the time."
"I want all those things, Ron… so much I can't even tell you. But sometimes… life doesn't turn out like you planned it." Hermione said quietly.
"I know. But we've got to try at least. I'm not going to just let Voldemort and his stupid minions take all of that away from us."
"I know you won't, Ron. And that's why I love you." Hermione kissed his forehead.
"That's the only reason?" Ron said, smiling and trying to break the serious mood.
"Well, that, and you' re devastatingly handsome." Hermione grinned back.
"Ah, I thought that might be a part of it." Ron said.
~*~
Through the wind and the rain, through the smoke and the fire
When the fear rises up, when the wave's ever higher
I will lay down my heart, my body, my soul
I will hold on all night and never let go
Ev'ry second I live, that's the promise I make
Baby, that's what I'll give, if that's what it takes
~*~
A/N- There ya go, everyone, Chapter 5! Please leave me a nice, long review. Chapter Six should come pretty soon- I have camp this week, but I'll get back on the 26th. Thanks guys!
As Long As It Takes
Chapter Five
Through the Smoke and the Fire
~*~
Hermione, Anthony, and Padma stood on the front lines, about to begin the spell they had been practicing from the book in Dumbledore's office.
"Okay, are you guys ready?" Hermione said, her voice speaking over the roar of oncoming dark soldiers.
"Ready." They said together.
The three brought out the ingredients as quickly as they could- the spell's after effects would only last for thirty seconds, so they had to wait until now to employ it. Quickly mixing them in a cauldron Anthony was holding, and dipping their wands into the mixture, the three pointed their wands at the army and yelled together-
"Maldebon corpis!" Like a shock wave from their wands, a force reverberated from them, rippling over the mountains and successfully knocking hundreds of dark soldiers to the ground lifeless.
Hermione, Anthony, and Padma all fell to their knees, struggling for breath. The amazing amount of magic that had just passed through them was enough to put someone in the hospital wing for weeks. But it had worked. They had successfully knocked out the entire front line of Voldemort's attackers, and their troops were mobilized and ready behind them.
McGonagall hurried to their side.
"Brilliant job, you three. Some of the most powerful wizards in the world have tried that spell and failed." She helped them to their feet, as a deathly pale Padma wretched.
Hermione didn't really feel sick, just exhausted. She knew this was bad since she was about to have to fight harder than she ever had.
Trying to take deep, steadying breaths as she clung to McGonagall's arm, Hermione tried to focus on something besides the shaking in her knees as tried to stay upright.
Suddenly, she had a very clear vision of Ron in the common room, his dark blue eyes piercing into hers.
"I'm coming back. I love you so much." He heard his familiar voice over the roar of battle all around her.
He was coming back. And she'd be here when he did. Reinvigorated at this thought, Hermione released McGonagall's arm and steadied her grip on her wand.
Hexes were zooming past her already. Even with their amazing losses they had just suffered, the Dark Armies were not discouraged. They pressed on even harder, and she fired her first hex as she saw one Death Eater finally crest the hill. It hit him smack in the chest, stunning him. Hermione watched with satisfaction as he fell to the ground.
Let them come.
~*~
Ron woke up in a darkened room, his head throbbing and his arms tied behind him. Where the hell was he? He suddenly jumped when he realized that Bellatrix was sitting across from him, watching him carefully.
"Good morning, sunshine." She said cheerfully, in that horribly raspy voice.
Ron didn't reply.
"Aww, what's the matter?" She suddenly jumped at him, wrenching his mouth open and nearly ripping his tongue out, holding a knife to it.
"Cat got your tongue?" She rasped, smiling.
She let Ron go, and he backed up against the wall, pale with terror.
"Tell me what you're thinking."
"You're bloody insane." Ron shook his head.
"Oh, that old line." Bellatrix grinned, stretching out catlike on the ground.
"So what's your job? Keep me company?" Ron asked mockingly.
"Not really. I was just kinda bored. But don't worry about company, Ronnie darling. You'll have plenty by tomorrow."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Your other little friend, Hermione whatever-the-hell, apparently Voldemort wanted her in on this whole prisoner thing."
"Hermione?" Ron choked out.
"Bloody awful name, that."
"Whereas Bellatrix is really catching on." Ron responded faintly, desperately looking around the room for a way they could escape.
"Ouch, Weasel. That really hurts." Bellatrix rolled over onto her back, lazily looking over at Ron.
"So basically, Voldemort figures that if you kidnap me and Hermione, Harry will come racing to our rescue and he can make that whole Boy-Who-Lived moniker not really apply to Harry anymore?" Ron asked her curiously.
"Yeah, well, he will, won't he?" Bellatrix smiled.
Ron sighed heavily, his stomach twisting with anxiety.
"Yes." He finally said miserably.
~*~
"Expecto Patronum!" Hermione shouted, her Patronus taking the form of an otter and hitting the Dementor squarely in the chest. The Dementor shrieked and disappeared.
Hermione turned to face three Death Eaters who were approaching. They all three stopped in surprise when she turned around.
"It's her." One of them said to the others.
Before Hermione could even react, two of them had seized her by the arms, and thrown her harshly to the ground. The third one leaned over her, inspecting her face.
"Are you sure it's her, Lucius?" An unfamiliar voice asked to her left as Hermione struggled heedlessly.
Hermione saw Lucius Malfoy's face through the shadowy folds of his hood. His cold narrowed eyes met hers piercingly.
"I'd recognize this horrible Mudblood anywhere. It's her.'
Hermione had no chance to reply. A stupefying curse hit her from three different wands, and she shook slightly from the force of it and did not move again.
~*~
Hermione was thrown roughly into a darkened room. She was surprised to hit another body in the dark.
She heard a sleepy grunt, and the body stirred. Hermione backed away from the unknown figure, her arms bound behind her back and making her slightly off-balance.
"Who's there?" The groggy voice asked.
But Hermione knew that voice. She would know it anywhere.
"It's me." She said softly.
"Oh, no, Hermione-please tell me you're just Bellatrix being weird again." Ron struggled to make out her face in the dark.
"Bellatrix? As in Bellatrix Lestrange? She was pretending to be me?" Hermione asked, disgusted.
"Let's not get into that…suffice it to say, she is a very strange woman with many complex mental issues." Ron said, shuddering slightly.
"Ron, what's going on? Why are we here?" Hermione tried to free her hands from the ropes binding them as she spoke.
Ron sighed heavily, and as her eyes slowly adjusted to the room, she could almost make out his face.
"To put it simply, we're…bait."
Hermione finally got her ropes free. The fact that they were easily broken made her think there was absolutely no way out of this room.
"Ron, you know he'll come." Hermione said miserably, sliding across the room to help untie Ron's ropes.
"Yeah, I know. It's Harry. He has a "saving-people thing"." Ron smiled sadly at her, remembering Hermione's rather concise observation of Harry in their fifth year.
Hermione smiled back, a now familiar anxiety making her feel somewhat sick.
"Ron, what are we going to do?" She asked softly, as Ron wrestled his hands finally from the rope.
Ron turned to face her finally, and even in the dark, he could see her beautiful and comfortingly familiar brown eyes looking up at his, dark with worry.
"We'll try to find a way out, Hermione. We'll do everything we can. But I think right now, it's up to Harry."
"Like it always is in the end." Hermione shook her head, hating how life always seemed to end up like this for Harry.
"Hermione, look at me."
Hermione did, as if realizing Ron was really there for the first time.
"Ron…" She said softly as Ron brought his hands to her face.
"We're going to get through this. We always do. And if we don't…"
Hermione finished the thought for him.
"We go out together." She put her hand over his, her eyes shining with tears.
Ron sighed, sounding frustrated.
"You know, Hermione, I always thought we'd graduate together, get married with Harry as the best man, have four kids, send them to Hogwarts, they'd give us grandkids, we'd grow old together and wear matching jogging suits, and then we'd just fall asleep together one night and not wake up. That's what our lives should be… it shouldn't end like this."
"You think about the future, Ron?" Hermione asked, smiling softly.
"Of course. Being a soldier is not quite a wham-bang exciting as you might think. At least not everyday. I think about you… us…all the time."
"I want all those things, Ron… so much I can't even tell you. But sometimes… life doesn't turn out like you planned it." Hermione said quietly.
"I know. But we've got to try at least. I'm not going to just let Voldemort and his stupid minions take all of that away from us."
"I know you won't, Ron. And that's why I love you." Hermione kissed his forehead.
"That's the only reason?" Ron said, smiling and trying to break the serious mood.
"Well, that, and you' re devastatingly handsome." Hermione grinned back.
"Ah, I thought that might be a part of it." Ron said.
~*~
Through the wind and the rain, through the smoke and the fire
When the fear rises up, when the wave's ever higher
I will lay down my heart, my body, my soul
I will hold on all night and never let go
Ev'ry second I live, that's the promise I make
Baby, that's what I'll give, if that's what it takes
~*~
A/N- There ya go, everyone, Chapter 5! Please leave me a nice, long review. Chapter Six should come pretty soon- I have camp this week, but I'll get back on the 26th. Thanks guys!