Chapter 7: Soldato
Ron woke up in a pitch black room with a single beam of light shining down on him.
"Harry.Hermione?" Ron whispered nervously. But there were no replies. He got up and as he explored the room the beam of light that shown over him mysteriously remained on him even when he started walking. There were mysterious hieroglyphics drawn all over the walls. As he walked along the walls, he noticed a single brick protruding from the rest of the bricks. He examined it.
"Hmmm.Maybe I should push it." Ron nervously ran his fingers over the brick, closed his eyes and pushed it. Torches placed all around the room lit up one by one. As everything in the room became visible, he saw a peculiar statue standing on a platform at the southern end of the room. He walked toward the statue and examined it slowly. The statue was of a young man holding two children. The man was bruised and cut looking as if he had just survived a crude battle. Ron noticed that in the man's hand he held a glowing silver wand. There were strange words written on the bottom of the statue but a layer of dust covered the words making them illegible. Ron used his hand and brushed the dust off. But as he touched the words a voice spoke out.
"Take the wand, it's he who has courage that inherits the wand." The wand seemed to glow even brighter. Ron didn't know what to do so he decided to obey the voice. He slowly put his fingers around the wand as the glowing became so strong it blinded him. He closed his eyes and yanked the wand from the statue's grip. As he did the light from the wand disappeared. He looked down at the wand and saw that it was not an Olivander's wand, instead the wand was made of silver and covered in strange symbols.
"Come now," said the voice. "Use the wand wisely. Remember, a true Soldato excels in courage and in heart. Prove yourself and you will be entrusted with our name. Please go now."
The voice disappeared and a portal formed at the northern end of the room. He walked toward the portal with his new wand and pushed his arm into the portal. It sucked him in like the one at the platform had before. He shut his eyes as his body rotated in painful ways. He heard a loud bang, landed on a hard surface, and opened his eyes. To his surprise he was back at the burrow.
"I must be dreaming." He thought. But in his hand, still gripped tightly, was the silver wand he had taken from the statue. Just then the door to his house opened and his mother stood at the doorway peering curiously about.
"RON! What in heavens are you doing here?" she shrieked with shock. She ran over to him and helped him up to his feet. She gave him a hug and looked into his face.
"Where's Hermione and Harry? What happened? How did you get back?"
"I don't know mum. We were sucked into these portals and I was brought to this strange room," Ron explained. He noticed his mother looking at the wand in his hand curiously. Ron explained to her about the statue and the voice. She took him into the house and seated him at the dining table.
"Here I'll make you something to eat." Mrs. Weasly started to cook some food when the rest of the family entered the room. They were all shocked to see that Ron was back. He explained the whole story to them as they all sat and examined the wand.
"So what's this Soldato business?" asked Ginny.
"Was Dumbledore there?" asked Fred.
"Where'd Hermione and Harry go?" asked George. Ron shook his head.
"I don't know. Dumbledore wasn't even at the platform. I have no idea where Harry and Hermione are." Ron looked very lost and confused.
Just then Mr. Weasly walked into the house. He looked grim and somber.
"What's the matter dear?" asked Mrs. Weasly. Tears started to stream down his face. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it in hesitation.
"I-I-I lost my job." Mr. Weasly said looking down at the ground. He fell to the floor and started bawling. Mrs. Weasly quickly ran over to him and embraced him. Ron still couldn't believe what he heard. How could his dad lose his job.
"They accused me of trying to steal the great seal of Magus. But I didn't do it. There was an invasion last night at the Ministry, and they're all accusing me." Mr. Weasly wept at his own thoughts. Ron couldn't believe his ears. If his dad lost his job how in the world would they survive. A knock at the door broke the uncomfortable silence. Percy went to open the door. There were three men standing outside the burrow one of which Ron recognized to be Lucius Malfoy.
"I'm sorry Arthur. We will be taking you to Azkaban to further await your trial. Also, these two men here will be here to take your house," Lucius said with a malicious grin fixed upon his face.
"YOU CANNOT DO THIS!" screamed Mrs. Weasly. She flung herself over Mr. Weasly to shield him from Lucius.
"My, Arthur I'd never thought you'd be needing a woman to protect you," taunted Lucius. All of the Weasly children stood helplessly watching their family being torn apart. The two men that came with Lucius barged into the house and grabbed Mr. Weasly by the arm and started to take him. Ron thought really hard. He could not let this happen to his family. He was going to lose everything, his house, his father, and eventually they'll be living on the streets. Suddenly, his wand started to tremble. His stomach lurched in his body as he thought of what he had to do. He closed his eyes and yelled, "I DID IT! I was the one who broke into the Ministry, it was I who tried to steal the seal NOT my father!" Everybody looked over at Ron. He saw his mother weeping silently in her hands not knowing what to do. Mr. Weasly shook himself free from their grip and ran over to Ron.
"No Ron. No," he wept. "You can't do this. You'll get expelled from Hogwarts not to mention spending the rest of your life in Azkaban." Ron looked at his helpless father and began to cry. He put one hand on his father's shoulder and reassured him.
"Dad, I have to. I won't let this family fall apart. You can't lose your job, mum needs you. If you lose your job we'll lose our house. Just promise me you'll find the real thief before I'm thirty." Ron managed to strain a smile as he embraced his father. He walked toward the guards and stuck out his hands motioning for them to take him in.
"NO! I will not have him do this." Mr. Weasly screamed. He ran after Ron and pulled him away from the guards. But Ron shook his head and told his father.
"Look after mum and Ginny. Trust me dad I believe you have the power to find the true criminal. I'll be waiting." Lucius had a disgusted look on his face and walked out of the house with a snicker. Ron then followed the guards out of the house. As the sunlight hit Ron's face he felt a small jolt. The ground below him disappeared and he fell through the floor into the darkness.
Ron awoke in a strange room with a single door at the end of a long hallway. He looked around confused realizing it had just been an illusion.
"You show great courage in your trials. You have extreme potential in upholding the Soldato's inheritance. Take this gift with you and use it wisely." A book appeared out of thin air. Ron reached out and grabbed the book titled "Ortografa Del Soldato".
" Remember, a true Soldato shows great courage and heart both in which you're blessed with. You will receive the mark of the Soldato." At these words Ron felt a burning sensation on the lower part of his neck. He put his hand over it and felt something engraved itself upon him.
"Go on your journey and stay true to your name." The mysterious voice faded from his ears. Ron flipped through the book to discover it to be a book of spells, rituals, and pictures of strange glyphs that Ron had never seen before. He walked toward the door at the end of the hallway. He tried to open the door but it was sealed with a spell. He looked for a counter spell in the book to unlock the door. To his surprise the book opened automatically and flipped to the page with the spell he would need to unseal the door. With a wave of his wand he muttered, "Ora Aprasi."
Ron woke up in a pitch black room with a single beam of light shining down on him.
"Harry.Hermione?" Ron whispered nervously. But there were no replies. He got up and as he explored the room the beam of light that shown over him mysteriously remained on him even when he started walking. There were mysterious hieroglyphics drawn all over the walls. As he walked along the walls, he noticed a single brick protruding from the rest of the bricks. He examined it.
"Hmmm.Maybe I should push it." Ron nervously ran his fingers over the brick, closed his eyes and pushed it. Torches placed all around the room lit up one by one. As everything in the room became visible, he saw a peculiar statue standing on a platform at the southern end of the room. He walked toward the statue and examined it slowly. The statue was of a young man holding two children. The man was bruised and cut looking as if he had just survived a crude battle. Ron noticed that in the man's hand he held a glowing silver wand. There were strange words written on the bottom of the statue but a layer of dust covered the words making them illegible. Ron used his hand and brushed the dust off. But as he touched the words a voice spoke out.
"Take the wand, it's he who has courage that inherits the wand." The wand seemed to glow even brighter. Ron didn't know what to do so he decided to obey the voice. He slowly put his fingers around the wand as the glowing became so strong it blinded him. He closed his eyes and yanked the wand from the statue's grip. As he did the light from the wand disappeared. He looked down at the wand and saw that it was not an Olivander's wand, instead the wand was made of silver and covered in strange symbols.
"Come now," said the voice. "Use the wand wisely. Remember, a true Soldato excels in courage and in heart. Prove yourself and you will be entrusted with our name. Please go now."
The voice disappeared and a portal formed at the northern end of the room. He walked toward the portal with his new wand and pushed his arm into the portal. It sucked him in like the one at the platform had before. He shut his eyes as his body rotated in painful ways. He heard a loud bang, landed on a hard surface, and opened his eyes. To his surprise he was back at the burrow.
"I must be dreaming." He thought. But in his hand, still gripped tightly, was the silver wand he had taken from the statue. Just then the door to his house opened and his mother stood at the doorway peering curiously about.
"RON! What in heavens are you doing here?" she shrieked with shock. She ran over to him and helped him up to his feet. She gave him a hug and looked into his face.
"Where's Hermione and Harry? What happened? How did you get back?"
"I don't know mum. We were sucked into these portals and I was brought to this strange room," Ron explained. He noticed his mother looking at the wand in his hand curiously. Ron explained to her about the statue and the voice. She took him into the house and seated him at the dining table.
"Here I'll make you something to eat." Mrs. Weasly started to cook some food when the rest of the family entered the room. They were all shocked to see that Ron was back. He explained the whole story to them as they all sat and examined the wand.
"So what's this Soldato business?" asked Ginny.
"Was Dumbledore there?" asked Fred.
"Where'd Hermione and Harry go?" asked George. Ron shook his head.
"I don't know. Dumbledore wasn't even at the platform. I have no idea where Harry and Hermione are." Ron looked very lost and confused.
Just then Mr. Weasly walked into the house. He looked grim and somber.
"What's the matter dear?" asked Mrs. Weasly. Tears started to stream down his face. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it in hesitation.
"I-I-I lost my job." Mr. Weasly said looking down at the ground. He fell to the floor and started bawling. Mrs. Weasly quickly ran over to him and embraced him. Ron still couldn't believe what he heard. How could his dad lose his job.
"They accused me of trying to steal the great seal of Magus. But I didn't do it. There was an invasion last night at the Ministry, and they're all accusing me." Mr. Weasly wept at his own thoughts. Ron couldn't believe his ears. If his dad lost his job how in the world would they survive. A knock at the door broke the uncomfortable silence. Percy went to open the door. There were three men standing outside the burrow one of which Ron recognized to be Lucius Malfoy.
"I'm sorry Arthur. We will be taking you to Azkaban to further await your trial. Also, these two men here will be here to take your house," Lucius said with a malicious grin fixed upon his face.
"YOU CANNOT DO THIS!" screamed Mrs. Weasly. She flung herself over Mr. Weasly to shield him from Lucius.
"My, Arthur I'd never thought you'd be needing a woman to protect you," taunted Lucius. All of the Weasly children stood helplessly watching their family being torn apart. The two men that came with Lucius barged into the house and grabbed Mr. Weasly by the arm and started to take him. Ron thought really hard. He could not let this happen to his family. He was going to lose everything, his house, his father, and eventually they'll be living on the streets. Suddenly, his wand started to tremble. His stomach lurched in his body as he thought of what he had to do. He closed his eyes and yelled, "I DID IT! I was the one who broke into the Ministry, it was I who tried to steal the seal NOT my father!" Everybody looked over at Ron. He saw his mother weeping silently in her hands not knowing what to do. Mr. Weasly shook himself free from their grip and ran over to Ron.
"No Ron. No," he wept. "You can't do this. You'll get expelled from Hogwarts not to mention spending the rest of your life in Azkaban." Ron looked at his helpless father and began to cry. He put one hand on his father's shoulder and reassured him.
"Dad, I have to. I won't let this family fall apart. You can't lose your job, mum needs you. If you lose your job we'll lose our house. Just promise me you'll find the real thief before I'm thirty." Ron managed to strain a smile as he embraced his father. He walked toward the guards and stuck out his hands motioning for them to take him in.
"NO! I will not have him do this." Mr. Weasly screamed. He ran after Ron and pulled him away from the guards. But Ron shook his head and told his father.
"Look after mum and Ginny. Trust me dad I believe you have the power to find the true criminal. I'll be waiting." Lucius had a disgusted look on his face and walked out of the house with a snicker. Ron then followed the guards out of the house. As the sunlight hit Ron's face he felt a small jolt. The ground below him disappeared and he fell through the floor into the darkness.
Ron awoke in a strange room with a single door at the end of a long hallway. He looked around confused realizing it had just been an illusion.
"You show great courage in your trials. You have extreme potential in upholding the Soldato's inheritance. Take this gift with you and use it wisely." A book appeared out of thin air. Ron reached out and grabbed the book titled "Ortografa Del Soldato".
" Remember, a true Soldato shows great courage and heart both in which you're blessed with. You will receive the mark of the Soldato." At these words Ron felt a burning sensation on the lower part of his neck. He put his hand over it and felt something engraved itself upon him.
"Go on your journey and stay true to your name." The mysterious voice faded from his ears. Ron flipped through the book to discover it to be a book of spells, rituals, and pictures of strange glyphs that Ron had never seen before. He walked toward the door at the end of the hallway. He tried to open the door but it was sealed with a spell. He looked for a counter spell in the book to unlock the door. To his surprise the book opened automatically and flipped to the page with the spell he would need to unseal the door. With a wave of his wand he muttered, "Ora Aprasi."