My name is Ron Weasley.
I slowly eased into consciousness. My head pounded. As always, I couldn't feel my legs.
Istrum opened my eyes and blinked. He slowly pushed me upright. Something wet trickled down the side of my face. Istrum touched it. My fingers came away bloody.
"Ow," he said fervently.
"No kidding," I said sarcastically.
Shut up, he snarled. He looked around and saw the floating wheelchair. It was no longer floating and the metal on one side had melted and cooled. He cursed darkly.
"What are you going to do now?" I taunted.
I told you to shut up!
He propped me up on my elbows and surveyed our surroundings. Nothing was really going on in this corner of the room. He looked over to where Harry had been the last time we had seen him.
Istrum smiled. I wailed in despair, a wail that never left my lips.
Harry was slumped against the wall. There was a hole right through him, about the size of a small plate. Blood was still oozing out of the wound. His lips were parted and blue. Dried blood stuck on his chin. His glasses were wet and there were trails through the blood on his face.
See what has become of your precious hero now, Ronniekins?
"NOOO!" I yelled. I took my magic and shoved against the Yeerk. Hot tears of fury and sorrow rolled down my cheeks. My back arched for that one moment I was in control. My hands balled into fists and I howled a war cry.
Istrum tried to regain control. I rebelled, screaming and swinging my fists at some invisible opponent. "No!" I yelled, "No, no, no!"
Istrum silenced me. My words stopped as I formed them on my tongue. I screamed in the little corner of my mind I possessed. My prison. After a while, I subsided into disbelieving silence.
This had to be a dream. A nightmare. There is no possible way that Harry can be dead. I just can't be paralyzed from the waist down. I can't have a Yeerk in my head. This must be the stuff of my imagination. There's no possible way… none…
I didn't need Istrum's next jeer to realize that it was true. The pain of losing my best friend was just too real. Besides, if this were a nightmare, I would have woken a long time ago.
There was only one thing I could do.
"Get out of my head," I said quietly, but in a very threatening kind of way.
Why? What are you going to do?
"I'll kill us. I promise you I won't fail this time. This time I won't make you fall off a flight of stairs. Maybe I'll use a knife, this time, or a sword. Maybe I'll get you to the Whomping Willow. Or I might just feed myself to the giant squid. Anything to get you out."
I felt a wave of panic from Istrum. He knew very well that I could control myself from time to time. All I needed was to be close to a sharp object, or some sort of weapon. The panic disappeared quiet suddenly. He actually became quite smug.
Fine, then. You're willing to kill yourself off? Here's the weapon!
Istrum pulled the Dracon gun out of my pocket. He shifted in my head and I shuddered. Wait! I shuddered!?
My eyes slid out of focus and snapped back again. I looked at the gun in my hands. I squeezed my eyes shut. Istrum was still wrapped around my brain; I could feel him. I opened my eyes again.
With a trembling hand, I lifted the gun and put it against my head. My finger shook against the trigger. I closed my eyes again. My breath caught in my throat.
And I pulled the trigger.
As I was pulling it, I felt Istrum shifting in my head and involuntarily jerked the barrel of the gun away from my head. It missed.
I rasped a feeble scream as I felt a searing pain in my throat. I felt the Dracon beam puncture my throat and come clean out the other side. I very suddenly couldn't breathe. Blood spilled down the sides of my neck and the arm holding me up collapsed.
The world was spinning. My ear stung as Istrum crawled out. I watched through teary eyes as he crawled away. I wrinkled my nose in pain and disgust.
With all of my remaining strength, I grabbed the fleeing Yeerk. It squirmed in my palm. It's amazing how such a small thing could imprison me in my own head and cause my death. My face a mask of fury, I slowly squeezed my fingers into a fist. Istrum was slowly crushed beneath my fingers. I made sure his death was long and painful.
I finally gave in to the urge to breath. Blood cascaded down my lungs. My lungs burned as they filled with it. I coughed and blood sprayed out the holes in my windpipe. I gagged, only making it worse.
My eyes spilled over. I wouldn't be able to say my last words if anyone ever found me before it was too late. My eyes rolled up into my head. I was slowly spiraling down into a black oblivion…
No.
Not before I have my last say.
Oh, God, I'm really dying, aren't I?
Well, at least I would be with Harry. Maybe I'll become a ghost. After all, I wasn't finished here on Earth.
I wonder what Hermione will do, with us both dead. I suppose she'll find other friends.
And my family? I'll miss my family, if indeed I can miss people on the other side. They'll probably be better off with out me, though. More money for the others. I just hope they miss me when I'm gone…
I really wish I could have freed Dumbledore somehow. He would have set things right. Probably would have kicked Voldemort's butt. Then I wouldn't be dying…
A beautiful, unearthly song filled my ears. Angels? Possibly. Probably.
I was dimly aware of someone touching my neck. I couldn't see, so I couldn't tell who it was. Something wet slid down into my fatal wound. I hissed in pain and squirmed a little. Yeah, sure, I appreciated the mourning but did they have to put salty tears into the injury?
My vision started to clear. I felt another tear slide into the cut on the other side of my neck. My eyelids fluttered. The pain was clearing. My thoughts weren't as rushed. If this was dying, it felt pretty good…
I blinked. Once. Twice. My eyesight was fuzzy, but it was improving… that meant that I probably wasn't dying! Something was happening… I don't know what…
I blinked again. Something red stood above me. I squinted at it. It was a beautiful fire-colored bird. It leaned its head on mine and wept into the cut on my forehead.
Fawkes! Fawkes the phoenix!
He waddled back a bit so that I could sit up. I did and beamed at him. I stroked his head. "Thanks, Fawkes! I don't suppose you can do anything about my legs?"
He cocked his head quizzically at me. I motioned toward my legs. He waddled over and studied them. He shook his head and cooed softly. "Oh, okay, then," I said, unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
I pointed to Harry. "Is he dead? I mean, can you fix him?"
Again, the phoenix shook his head. I ran my hand down his back. He bobbed his head, as if apologizing for Harry's death. I smiled sadly at him. "It's not your fault," I said. My voice was raspy. Well, I did just have a hole through my neck…
I touched the places where the Dracon beam had cut. There were scars there, both about the size of a sickle.
I sighed and looked back down at my legs. I probably wouldn't be able to move them ever again. Getting around was going to be harder than ever. Well, that's freedom's price for you. At least I wasn't still trapped in my head. After all, I had paid up.
I had paid freedom's price.
~*~
My name is…
Oh, yeah, I don't remember my name.
My pain has lessened. Yet I must continue to morph. Or demorph. As I said, I don't remember what I am anymore.
How long have I been here? This is a question I cannot answer. It feels like forever. Will I be here for eternity? I cannot stay like this forever. This is torture.
Will I remember who I am when this terrible ordeal has passed? I hope so. I don't know how I could live a life I know nothing about. All I remember is that things have happened in my life that are horrible… so horrible that they should have never happened…
I want to call out for help, but my throat is changing… slowly… slowly… Besides, what kind of call would come forth? Would one come out at all?
Someone needs me. I forget who. Is there more than one person? I have no idea. All I know is that I'm needed.
Desperately?
Yes.
Why?
I don't know.
Was there someone I loved?
Yes.
Who was it?
I don't know.
All I can do right now is wait for my morph to finish…
Wait…
Wait…
Wait…
A/N: Wah hoo! Two chapters in a day! Score! Hope you liked it. Ron is officially free! What'll he do now? Heh, I'd kick some Yeerk butt if I were him.
I've started school again so the updating of my story will slow just a bit. I hope to finish it before Monday. Stick around for my next chapter, "Chapter 32: Can't Fight the Moonlight (Ax)"! (Hmm, now I wonder what that's about.)
