Forever is Only Years Away
Chapter 6: No Reason

Head first he dove in, expecting the water to be at near freezing point, it was the only way these monsters stayed alive; he had learned that long ago in his Auror training camp.

It hit his body like 101 needles, piecing him and he cursed as he felt his muscles wanting to cramp, he willing his physical self to endure this, he had been under much worse. He would see Hermione's drowning body a few feet from him, he wouldn't loose anyone else to Malfoy. This time he was prepared, he has waiting too many years to fail now.

He could feel the snake rounding them about.

10 seconds gone by, he counted inside of him. Her hair was swimming wild around her and it was the closest thing he could grab, so he grasped a hand full of her hair and pulled with all his might.

Her body was stiff and unmoving so it would be up to him to save her, once again it laid all on his shoulders.

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A small, evil smile appeared on Malfoy's face.

"When he takes her out of the water... kill her," he told the rest of the men.

They chuckled.

"Stupid Weasley, killing himself for a mudblood." he sneered, watching entranced from his spot above. Under him, as the death eaters watched gleefully as Jackie circled the struggling couple a sudden bolt of lightening appeared next to him.

Some of them were thrown off, hit against the walls, others screamed and ducked.

"What the--" Malfoy's unbelieving eyes took in the sight before him.

A grown up, very pissed Harry holding the Gryffindor sword in one hand and his wand in the next.

"It's Harry Potter!" some of the death eaters cried and one of two ran out of the door, fleeing for their lives.

"Petrificus totalus!" Harry cried, pointing his wand at Malfoy who was open for the charm. He repeated the charm on a few of the death eaters who were about to attack him.

As he finished with his third Ron's head burst trough the water, pulled a very bound Hermione.

"Get her!" he cried to Harry.

Harry quickly grabbed her upper body and pulled her up.

Ron took the sword that Harry had dropped on the floor and dove once again in the water.

"Ron!" Harry cried, realizing his long lost friend was going to brave the snake by himself. "Bloody hell!"

Harry quickly grabbed his wand and pointed at Hermione and undid her bound. She took a deep breath and sat up.

"Harry! Ron! We must help him, Harry!" she cried, looking at the water pool were Ron was swimming downwards.

Harry nodded and pointed his wand at the last four death eaters who were pointing their own wands at them, closing in on them.

"Voldermort couldn't kill me, what makes you think you can?" Harry told them, calmly.

They seemed to consider this. He could hear Hermione whimpering beside him as she watched Ron in the water.

"I'll ask once, how do you kill the snake?" he said quietly.

Wands were pointed at each other, no one was moving except the water which seemed to trash but Harry didn't dare look.

"HOW?!" he screamed.

"Fire," one of them said.

Harry studied them, not knowing if to believe them of not.

He turned and pointed his wand at the pool; Ron was emerging from the water as was the snake that was just about to attack Ron.

"Ron duck!" Hermione screamed.

"Incendio!"

Harry had to give him credit, his instincts were better than his.

Flame showered directly to the snake from Harry's wand, making it howl in such high pitch notes that all of them covered their ears in pain.

"Incendio!" Harry repeated.

The snake trashed about, it's burning head smashing the water, wetting them all.

It went under the water, trying to cool off but the magical fire continued to burn it under the water, turning the flames blue until the snake stilled. Hermione was hiding behind him, her hold body shaking.

The waited, watching it; hoping it would be dead.

Then it exploded; it's head chomping to pieces, flying everywhere.

Both him and Hermione screamed.

"Ron!" she said seconds later, throwing herself into the water to search for him. Harry regained him composure and turned his want to the rest of the death eaters.

"Petrificus totalus!"

He then turned to the pool as Hermione was now the one who was swimming in the blood-drenched pool, pulling Ron to the edge.

"Help me, Harry!" she cried.

Harry grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him up, there was blood soaking his robes and he was wincing but at least still conscious.

"Ron!" Hermione had pulled herself out of the pool, her robes also soaked in the blood from the water.

"He's alive, if that's what you mean." Harry told her, searching for his wound.

Ron glared up at him, reaching under robes and yanking something out. He let out a howl. "Bloody fucking hell!"

Hermione was pale and looking at the object in his hand. "A fang!"

Ron groaned and threw it in the pool. "It's not poisonous."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, placing her hands on his wound, her head whirling around to look at the destroyed snake.

"Yeah, if I'm not mistaken that is a Black Convos, deadly in the way they chop you and eat you but not poisonous." Harry helped Ron sit up.

"We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey, I'm sure she has some Violet Brass from the duel we intercepted yesterday." Harry told him.

"I'll be on my way..." Ron's eyes turned to the struggling Malfoy, whom as beginning to gain his body's control from Harry's charm. "As soon as I deal with a most urgent matter."

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The doors to the headmistress's office burst open revealing Arthur Weasley, minister of magic... in his nightgown.

"Dad!" Ginny cried, almost jumping off her seat and running to him.

Arthur embraced his youngest child and held her to him. "There, there, Ginny, girl. All is well."

"Oh, dad! Harry dreamt a horrible dream of something awful happening to Ron and Hermione and then Harry left --like an idiot!--" she roared. "--and hasn't been back for almost half an hour!"

Arthur nodded, trying to understand his daughter's raging words. "Where did he leave to?"

McGonagall stepped from behind her desk, her large robes swishing around her ankles. "To help them Minister."

"Professor, you allowed this?" Arthur asked, rather shocked.

"I did, it was what he had to do." she said firmly.

"What if something happens to him!?" Ginny cried, her face red with fury. "What if something happens to Ron--or-or Hermione?"

Mr. Weasley seemed more alarmed at his daughter's alarm than anything else. "Ginny, dear --really! I've never seen you this way!"

McGonagall came and stood next to her. "It's all right, Minister; we women tend to emotionalize when carrying a little one."

Ginny scowled at her. "He better be alright! You distracted me!" she pointed an accusing finger at McGonagall.

"I did, Professor, I will not deny it." she said, most seriously.

Mr. Weasley almost jumped back as he heard a near growl coming from Ginny's throat.

"I'm more upset at him; going off in another one of his stupid adventures--"

"If I remember correctly, Professor- it was you that often instigated him to go on such "stupid" adventures." the headmistress said calmly.

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"Ron, no!" Hermione cried after him. "You can't Ron, you wont be able to live with yourself, and you know you wont!"

Ron was limping but with great determination as he climbed the stairs were Malfoy was nearly as free as before.

"Go away, Hermione." he growled.

She turned to look desperately at Harry who was watching his old friend with great sadness. He k new what it was to want the blood of those who killed a loved one. He, himself had felt it when he took the life of Bellatrix, a year after she killed Sirius.

But it was nothing he could warn anyone about, it was something that the soul needed to be whole. Otherwise he would live his entire life hunting it.

"Harry, do something!" she cried, desperately. "Disarm him!"

"It'll be no use, Hermione. Wand or no wand I will kill him." Ron told her, so calmly that it made her blood run cold.

He had only four steps to go until he was upon Malfoy who has a cynical taunting smile on his face.

"You want me, Weasley?" he told him.

"You, shut up!" Hermione snapped at him. "You're a horrible person with a black heart who has never been loved in his life and therefore makes him incapable of human emotion!"

Malfoy looked a bit stunned and a ghost of a smile appeared on Ron's face.

Hermione flushed. "I've wanted to say that for years."

"I see," Ron smiled at her. "Now go away."

"No!" she said, stubbornly.

Ron was now eye level with Malfoy who had no wand on him as his had fallen down to the pool.

Hermione placed herself between the two men and grasped Ron by his shoulders. "Ron, listen to me." she begged. Her wide brown eyes sparkling the way he so often remembered. "All this time you've run away from something awful that happened to you, something that no one can say they know what you feel... not even me. And maybe that is why you left because no one would ever be able understand your pain and I knew that and I accepted it and understood it. You've searched now for seven years, Ron--seven years of your life, hunting for this man who is not worthy or anything you give him, and yes he's taken something precious, more precious than life; but you cannot destroy your life by searching for his destruction." her eyes were pleading now. "You've left us all behind, Ronald Weasley... you've left me, but I was and am willing to forget it all, if you'd just come with us... come home with us. To your father, your friends, your sister and the nephew she is about to give you and all of your brothers and their children.... and me. Come with us, it is where you belong." she gave Malfoy a side ways glance. "He belongs in the cells of Azkaban... and you cannot lower yourself to his level because you will loose yourself in your hate.... and you will loose yourself from me."

Ron cupped his face in his hand and brought his lips to hers. He pulled away and looked at her, his eyes soft and warm like she had remembered them.

"Then I shall remember you this way, warm, alive and determined; all that made me love you."

He pulled from her and before she could understand any of his meanings...

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Hermione screamed. Harry ran up the stairs shouting "no".

Ron stood, his wand in his hand, not shaking, not one inch of regret. He was looking down at the crumbled body of Draco Malfoy.

Hermione's and were covering her mouth, her eyes wide and un-accepting.

Harry stopped and took in the body for himself. "Ron--"

Ron grabbed Draco's body in his arms and in one swift motion, dumped it in the pool beneath them, it made a splash as it sunk down, engulfed by the bloodstained water.

He turned to what used to be his friends. Hermione was shaking, tears running down her cheeks.

Harry's eyes were wide in a mixture of horror and disbelief as he stared at Ron.

"Harry, mate-- thank you for coming to my rescue once more. I wont forget it, like I haven't all the other times. Take care of my sister and family, please." he turned to Hermione who was hiding behind Harry now.

"'mione... I'm sorry. But I told you once the man you loved was dead. And he is still dead. I am a killer, it's not the first time blood has been shed through my wand and it won't be the last. You cannot love me... no one can."

A soft popping sound was heard as he disappeared before them.

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Ginny was almost at the point of restraint against bodily hard to the headmistress when Harry and Hermione walked through the door on the top floor of the office.

"Harry!" she cried, running past McGonagall and to her husband. Harry held his hand up as he almost carried Hermione down the stairs.

"Hermione!" Ginny whispered.

"I'll call Madam Pomprey," McGonagall said quickly.

Mr. Weasley, Harry and Ginny helped Hermione sit in a cushion sofa, she was still shaking and was pale as a leaf.

Ginny turned to Harry and embraced him, her arms wrapped tightly around him. "I was so worried!" she whispered to him.

Then she pulled away. "You borg!" she spat and smacked him. "How dare you--"

"Where is Ron?" Mr. Weasley said loudly, trying to stop his daughter from murdering Harry.

Harry gulped loudly but it was Hermione who spoke.

"Ron is..." she closed her eyes. "Ron is dead." she looked up to the other Weasleys. "He said to tell you that he loved you all."

There was a stunned silence as Ginny and the minister took the information.

Harry had known the minister for years and had seen him at his worse... but it was the first time he had seen his father in law sob.

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The End (j/k! TBC... really! Don't glare!)

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