Neville was awakened by shouts. He sat up, scrubbing at his eyes to clear them, and grabbed his wand. "Lumos."

He followed the path of light that shot from the tip of his wand to the door and peeked out. The auror that had been there when he went to sleep was further down the hall now. In front of his old bedroom. With the other two.

Neville swallowed down an instant powerful fear and stepped into the hall. "What's going on?"

"Alohamora!" The spell was spoken loudly, and then the sound of swearing drifted down the hall.

Neville, ignored, moved down the hall to them. "What's going on? Is something—"

"Sam, get him out of here!" one of the aurors barked.

The other man, the one who had been watching Neville, strode up to him and grabbed his arm, propelling him down the hall. "Come on, Mr. Longbottom. It ain't safe out 'ere."

"What's going on? He asked again loudly. "Where's Ron?"

"His door's locked some'ow we can't open. That's all we know right now." He steered Neville past the room he'd been sleeping in and to his Gran's door. He knocked lightly.

She opened the door fast, tying a long robe. "I heard the noise you were making. Is there something wrong?"

"We're not sure yet, Mrs. Longbottom. I'm going to stay in here with you two until we know what's 'appened."

She looked frightened for a moment, then saw that it was Neville he was pulling in behind him. "Neville! You're safe!"

He went to her, scared at the fright on her face. "It's Ron, Gran. They're all outside his door."

His Gran turned a haughty gaze to the auror, Sam. "This is my home and you gentlemen are under my service tonight. I demand to know exactly what's going on."

Sam frowned, but answered. "'s not much I can tell ya, ma'am. Spick heard something inside the other boy's room, and now we can't get the door open. And he don't answer when we call. That's all we know."

"Can't get the door open? That's absurd. There's no magical locks on that door."

"Yes, ma'am. That's why we're a bit worried, ma'am."

Neville bit his lip and looked to the door, praying silently for Ron to come through ushered by aurors, maybe a bit scared at the panic but healthy and fine and there and...

And the door opened, but Ron wasn't the one who came through. The auror that had been guarding Ron walked in. He carried the lamp that had always sat by Neville's bed. His face was grim. "I think it's best we get you two out of here."

"Where's Ron?" Neville asked instantly.

***

"Gone."

Mrs. Weasley gasped weakly. Her hand covered her mouth.

Mr. Weasley took her arm instantly. His face was grim. "How?"

The auror, Spick, pushed the lamp forward. "We've got someone from the Ministry coming to look at this, but there was something queer with it. I think it was made to be a port key, but only for a few moments. I've never seen nothing like it."

Neville watched the conversation, numb. Gone. Ron was gone. Taken from Neville's bedroom in Neville's house, only hours after Neville had told him good night.

He sat there and forced himself not to feel anything, because he knew if he started feeling he would be so scared it would make him sick.

His Gran stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder calmly. Her eyes were on the Weasleys.

"Who did it? Do you know?"

"Nothing definite. We've got people going over the room."

"And that's it? You can't tell us anything else about our son?"

"Sorry, sir, no. We'll find out what happened, sure enough."

***

Ron fell back as a fist caught him in the temple. He staggered, but stayed on his feet.

"Petrificus totalis!"

His body seized instantly. His arms jerked to his sides, his legs locked together, and he stood frozen.

The wild face in front of him was familiar. "Who are you? Why were you in that bed?"

Stupid, Ron thought to himself wildly. She had just made it impossible for him to answer.

"Where is the Longbottom brat? Who are you?" The crazed woman peeled off the dark cloak she had been wearing and balled it up, throwing it furiously against the wall.

Ron's fear and shock transformed then, instantly, into anger. She had been coming after Neville.

He realized who it was then, as the woman's crazed face transformed in his mind to an evilly grinning Death Eater down in the Department of Mysteries.

Bellatrix LeStrange.

She paced towards him, but stopped abruptly. The insane anger in her eyes seemed to drain out, leaving a cool sort of thoughtfulness.

It scared Ron. Bad enough the woman was evil, now it seemed she was mental on top of it.

Her eyes moved over his frozen form and she smiled. "A Weasley, are you?"

Ron cursed his family for their distinctive features and hoped the discovery wouldn't mean anything too horrible for him.

"A school mate, are you? You were with the brat and his grandmother at St. Mungo's today, weren't you." It wasn't a question. She had obviously been in a position to see them.

Ron swallowed with difficulty. He really, really didn't like this.

***

The front door to the Black House swung open with a bang, and the hunched form of Mad-Eye Moody strode in, followed by a couple of wizards Neville had never seen before.

Behind them came…

"Dumbledore!" Mr. Weasley spoke out loud, more alarm in his voice than surprise.

It was the Hogwart's headmaster, sure enough. He didn't have any of the merry twinkle in his eyes that he usually had at school, but he offered the Weasleys a brief smile. "Arthur. Molly."

"They called you?" Mrs. Weasley sounded faint.

"Don't alarm yourself, Molly." Dumbledore moved past Moody, who had grabbed the lamp from Spick and was studying it, both his good eye and his magical eye locked on it closely.

"Professor Dumbledore." Neville's Gran greeted him as he past.

"Mrs. Longbottom. I'm sorry for the disturbance to your home."

"My only concern is for the boy."

"Yes. As is mine." Dumbledore turned an eye to Neville. "We'll sort this out, never fear."

Neville nodded stiffly.

Dumbledore continued on his way to Ron's parents. "There are no signs of a fight, or that young Ronald was hurt. We can rest assured that whoever took him wants him alive and unharmed."

Mr. Weasley didn't seem reassured. "Why did they call you?"

"They didn't ask me to come, Arthur. I was simply concerned."

Mr. Weasley sagged a bit, nodding. Neville understood his relief – if the aurors really had summoned Dumbledore, it would have meant they had some clue that whoever took Ron was so bad they needed their top wizard.

There was a sudden noise from the stairs, and every single eye (except the one magical one that stayed locked on a certain lamp) turned instantly.

Harry was on the stairs, disheveled but wide awake. Behind him were Ginny and Hermione, standing together on the landing with worry in their eyes.

Harry spoke when no one downstairs did. "What's going on?"

"Professor Dumbledore?" Ginny moved down to the stairs and looked around. "Mum? Dad? What's wrong?"

Mrs. Weasley looked away, worry coming through in the form of tears.

Mr. Weasley left her to Dumbledore and moved to the stairs. "You may as well come down. Hermione, would you mind waking Bill and Charlie?"

"We're awake." Bill appeared from the upstairs hallway, followed by his brother.

Harry moved down the stairs quickly, looking around at the strange assortment of people. His eyes lit on Neville, then at his Gran, and he looked around instantly for someone he didn't find. "Ron," he said in alarm. "Where's Ron?"

Neville looked away from him as Dumbledore started talking calmly.

***

Ron watched helplessly as the wild pacing and mutterings of the absolutely cracked woman in front of him grew slower and more thoughtful.

He had to remember to apologize again to Neville for having been put under this spell first year – petrificus totalus was rather horrible. To be frozen there, hardly able to breathe, unable to do anything but watch what was happening and think about it.

Though Neville had been able to serve out the length of the spell on the floor in the common room in Gryffindor Tower. That was perhaps a bit luckier than the position Ron was now in.

He stood there locked in place for what felt like hours before Bellatrix LeStrange turned her glassy-eyed stare back on him.

She moved to Ron and stood there for a moment, regarding him. She had to look up to meet his gaze, a fact that seemed to amuse her. "You're a tall one, aren't you?" Her hand came up, brushing over his frozen chest. "Innocent little boy, though. All of your kind. Dumbledore's army." She sneered. "Nothing but children."

We beat you and your master good, Ron wanted to remind her. Although the Department of Mysteries fight was mostly a blur to him thanks to a hex he was struck with and a brain he almost got smothered by, he had heard enough about it to know what happened. Harry and the other 'children' had defeated long-time Death Eaters, with maybe a bit of help from Dumbledore and the Order.

Neville, Ron remembered with a feeling of pride, had been the last one standing along with Harry. He had faced down this woman, gotten cursed, and still walked out of there instead of running and hiding the way she had.

Ron silently laughed at the woman. She was small and shrill and absolutely balmy, and he wouldn't be scared of her.

He would have laughed in her face if he hadn't been frozen.

She moved right into his face, grinning, and her eyes drove into his. "Unfortunately for you," she hissed in his ear, "Longbottom's house will be crawling with aurors now. The brat will be long gone, off to one of Dumbledore's hiding places. And so you will have to tell me where I can find him."

She raised her other hand, the one clutching her wand, and tapped his chest with a smile. "Ennervate."

Ron's body shuddered loose from the spell restraining it, and he pushed away from her instantly. He turned and made to get away.

But now he got his first good look at the room they had ported into.

There was nothing there. No windows, no doors. No nothing.

He turned again, backing away from her. "Where are we?"

She grinned. "Little boy. Poor little boy doesn't know what's going on."

He glared at her. "They're going to find me. They'll catch you this time."

She laughed; a squeaky, high-pitched sound that would have given Ron shivers if he hadn't been frozen. "Find you? That's exactly what I want them to do."

He backed up as she came towards him, and hit the wall.

"It's rather simple, isn't it." She approached Ron, grinning suddenly. "I have you, and I want him. Simple trade. Longbottom's no doubt as honorable and self-sacrificing as his parents. Should get him about as far in life, shouldn't it?"

He clenched his hands into fists. He didn't have his wand, and there was no way he was good enough to do any of those wandless spells the stronger aurors knew. But there were always good old-fashioned Muggle-style defensive moves.

She must have read his mind. Her wand flicked out lightly. "Defigo."

From the tip of her wand sprang a black rope. It launched itself at Ron, who raised his arms to fend it off…

…and a moment later was almost as frozen as if the curse was still on him. His arms were fastened tightly against his chest, and the rope had him bound from hip to collar.

LeStrange regarded her work with a wide smile. "Little boy, all wrapped up. Well, little boy, why don't you tell me where I can find your brat friend, hmm?"

Ron laughed mockingly. "Oh, sure. I'd be more than happy too. Stupid cow."

Her eyebrows went up. "Now now, little boy. You're supposed to respect your elders."

Ron rolled his eyes, but his heart was racing against the tight rope binding him.

This was bad. Really bad. Worst was that he actually knew where Neville would be. He knew and he would have no choice but to tell her if she used any kind of truth serum.

But he wouldn't. He wouldn't hand Neville over to her.

Though. Neville would be in a well-protected house surrounded by aurors. Could she really get to him?

No. It wasn't worth it to find out. She worked for You-Know-Who, and Ron wouldn't be the one to give away the Order's hiding spot to You-Know-Who himself.

He just hoped the Order found him, fast.

"Alright, little boy. Let me tell you about how things work in the grown-up world. I could care less what happens to you. The only thing I need to know is where I can send a little message to the brat."

He frowned stubbornly, looking away from her.

She sighed and moved closer. "How long do you think I'm willing to wait?"

He was pushed back against the wall, and he faced her again reluctantly.

She looked up at him, those crazed eyes intense. "Little boy," she called, her voice sing-song and high. "Little boy. Tell me what I need to know, little boy."

He twisted his bound body away from her awkwardly. "Get away from me."

A loud, high laugh answered him. And then a merrily spoken word. "Crucio."

Ron didn't have time to react before his entire body seemed to catch on fire and turn inside out. He screamed helplessly, falling to the floor, and tried to curl in on himself but the ropes held his spine straight.

There were moments where he knew nothing at all except the fire in his skin, and when it passed he was left panting and shivering and more scared than he had ever been in his life.

And she was standing over him. "I'm quite good at that one," she said proudly. Her foot came out and nudged him onto his back. "Don't you think?"

Ron shuddered, his eyes locked on her wand. He tried to scoot away, but it was too hard to move with his upper body bound.

She studied him. "Little boy smells like fear now," she said with a happy smile. "Little boy should tell me what I need to know."

Ron shook his head desperately. "I don't know where he is!"

"Crucio," was all he heard before the room around him vanished into fire and agony.

And then her voice called him back. "—happen to know that your brood hasn't been going home lately. Only those two ridiculous twins. The rest of you have to be hiding out somewhere safe. Your pathetic dad is important to Dumbledore. You think we don't know that?"

He shook his head, watching her wand fearfully. "Please. I don't--"

"Crucio."

He was sobbing when he left the pain behind and found himself back in that room.


And she was watching him with fevered eyes, as if feeding off the sight of him. "Little boy wants to go home to mummy?"

Ron tried to swallow but his mouth was bone dry.

"Where is the Longbottom brat hiding?"

Ron's voice was hoarse, and he was suddenly stammering to get words out. "I d-don't…don't—"

"Cru—"

"Wait!"

She smiled in delight. "Go on."

He struggled to find something to tell her. Anything that would make her stop. "I…he…"

Her wand pointed at him again.

"No! I mean…Hogwart's!"

Her hand lowered a bit. "You want me to believe Dumbledore's only place to hide is that school?"

He fought to gather his thoughts and answer.

The wand came up again, and her mouth formed the word.

He struggled against the magical rope that bound him desperately. "You said…you said you o-only wanted to know w-where to s-send a message!"

She regarded him. "Hogwart's. I suppose Dumbledore could get the letter to the brat, couldn't he?"

Ron nodded hard.

She smiled again, looking almost sweet but for the light in her eyes. "Accio globe."

From a corner of the bare room came a small, pale globe. It floated into her outstretched hand, and she turned her grin to Ron. "Do you know what this is?"

It was bigger than a snitch, but not much. It fit in her hand, pale, shining with a dull sort of glow.

He shook his head, fearing the worst.

"It's a way to get my message sent." She got to her knees beside him suddenly and leaned over, breathing against his ear. "Make it sound good, little boy."

She set the globe on his chest and made to stand up, but hesitated and smiled down at him. "Poor little boy." She leaned down again and forced her mouth on his for one strange, hard moment.

He jerked back and she stood up with a smile.

His eyes went from her to the globe on his chest.

Her wand lifted, and he whimpered despite himself. "Vox captivus." Her wand flicked at him.

Nothing happened. Ron tried to dig himself into the floor to get away from her.

Then she smiled and spoke one horrible word again. "Crucio."

When he screamed, the sound lifted out of his mouth in a fog that floated over him for a moment before being pulled into the globe.

***

A/N – I'm in a hurry today, so I'm sending out a general thanks to you nice folks who sent me feedback for the last chapter. Yes, I had to put some angst in. Stories aren't the same without dramatic plots. Not to me, anyway.

I'll give you each a personal thanks next chapter, promise. G