Wow! I suck at keeping a constant updating pattern! Sorry! I won a nice
little award at that drama competition of mine and I've just been too high
on life to type this all out since, I guess. I hope this chapter will be
enough to please everybody who has waited so patiently.
Rose-petal-forever- Last review? * sigh * That makes me sad, but thank you for the support you've given me since the beginning and all the reviews!
Solin- Sorry that the last chapter was so short. I wrote it quickly and lazily. I hope the description in this chapter is better than the last!
BuckNC- Yes, I'm evil with those cliffhangers! I'm glad you love evil!Draco as much as I do. Though even at that I'm a bit mean to him.
Gone_ron_crazy- That review was so excellent to read! It boosted my confidence in my writing a bunch and made me smile! Thank you!
VENGEANCE by MyKonstantine
Chapter 9: Battle Scars
The blood pounded in Ron's ears as his body screamed in pain. He hadn't been the first to be hit with the Cruciatus curse, that had been Harry, but it hurt nonetheless.
The battle was fierce, and even though they had successfully managed to drive the Death Eaters back into the room were Hermione was being held captive, they were still outnumbered.
Ron could feel his own power draining. He tried to push the thought of defeat out of his head and gained his composure.
He soon as he could, Ron pointed his wand at a Death Eater who was approaching Ginny and weakly shouted out the first curse he could think of.
"Tarantallegra!" The Death Eater become quite confused as his feet moved him across the floor. Harry did the last thing he would be expected to do during battle in response.
He laughed. "Way to go, mate! Let's just make the most lethal men in the whole of England dance!" Ron smiled back at Harry in a very surreal battle moment.
He was slammed back into his surroundings when a violet light shot out of Harry's wand and hit the dancing Death Eater.
"We're fighting even now." Ginny shouted after she saw the man go down. "There's one in the back, but he won't leave Hermione."
Ron snarled in disgust at the thought of the one with Hermione. "Deal with one bastard at a time, Virginia."
He could see the sweat pouring down her fragile face. Streams of light ricocheted off every stone inside the castle's inner walls.
Though they were exhausted, the odds were getting greater and Ron felt a newly restored sense of confidence.
That is, until one Death Eater found a way to cut through all of their hearts. He charged at Ginny, sweeping her up off her feet and over his shoulder.
She kicked and screamed as her wand dropped to the floor, but without it her frail body had very little defense. As the Death Eater ran away down the tunnel from which the trio had entered, they could see his long blonde hair under his white mask.
"Fuck!" Ron said brashly. He sent a jinx at one of the remaining Death Eaters and then quickly scooped up Ginny's wand.
He could already see Harry going after Ginny's screams. "Hold them off, Ron!"
"No! I need to get Ginny!" Ron felt a bit out of place. Why should Harry be the hero who saves his sister? It was his sister, after all.
Then he caught Harry frustrated face for a moment, and he could see that tears welling his eyes.
"She's already saved my life, I need to help her!" Harry shouted. "And I love her, Ron. By god, I love her!"
Ron felt his brotherly notions snap. He understood Harry's feelings completely. Was he not trying to do the same thing for Hermione at that moment?
"Be careful, Harry!" Ron said. He could see Harry rushing down the hall from the corner of his eye.
The two extra Death Eaters tried to follow Harry in hot pursuit, but Ron got in between. He tried to hold them off, but he could slowly feel himself walking backwards down the lengthy hall.
He could hear the dark voices hollering in the distance. They must have been back in the hotel room.
"Don't move, Potter! I've killed muggle lovers like Weasley before, and I'll do it again!"
"You prat! Voldemort is gone! You belong in Azkaban!" Ron heard as he took another step back that feel like another agonizing defeat.
"My lord may have been lost, but he will be avenged when you and your friends are dead!"
Harry's tortured words filled the air with an aura of bravery that reverberated through the castle. "NEVER! I'LL KILL YOU LUCIUS!"
"I'll kill the girl, Potter! I'll do it!"
Ron shook with worry as he continued his fruitless battle with the two Death Eaters. He wanted to help Ginny and Harry, but he knew there was nothing he could do without being killed.
"Avada Kedavra!" He heard two different voices call out almost simultaneously, and then all was silent.
What happened? Were they okay? Was Hermione okay? Ron's head was filled with questions that were impossible for him to answer. All he knew was that his energy was waning and the Death Eaters had begun to discover his weaknesses.
His body ached from all the spots his had been hit. A blue light hit his legs and he dropped hopelessly to his knees.
Ron didn't think it could ever end like this. He tried to gather his strength as best he could, but the Death Eaters already held their wands at attention.
"Avada Keda-" "Avada Kedavra!" A woman's voice cut of the Death Eater's at double the speed.
Ron was blinded by the shocking green light. When it faded, he was faced with one dead Death Eater and another in retreat.
"Stupefy!" Another voice said from behind him, and the last of their immediate collapsed on the ground.
Ron swung around to find Harry cradling Ginny in his arms as she sobbed without any relent.
"You're alive!" Ron cried out, grabbing the two of them is a strong embrace. However, neither of them seemed quite as happy.
"Lucius.. He tried to kill me. So, Harry killed him." Ginny let out quietly in between sobs. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Better him than you, Gin!" A wail fell from her lips and she put her head in Harry's shoulder.
"But then that man tried to kill you.." A visible wet spot had already formed on Harry's shirt. "..and I killed him. I murdered him."
"He deserved it." Harry mumbles into her ear. "He deserved it and so did Lucius."
Ginny nodded vigorously, and then began to wipe her eyes. It was obvious that she was still disturbed by the idea.
Ron remembered something and turned around quickly, but nobody was there. "There's still one more in there. He's gone Hermione and he's expecting us. I'm also damn sure that it's Draco Malfoy."
"He's worthless and outnumbered now. This shouldn't be too tough."
"No," Ron said, "he knows us. He knows what will get to us, and he's not afraid to hurt anyone, because he's alone. He's got nothing to lose."
With an over-exaggerated huff, Ron turned around and the three began to march down the corridor.
As they entered, they could see Draco standing at attention in the shadows and Hermione's body on the ground. She wasn't moving.
"Face us, Malfoy." Ron spat in a bitter tone. "Getting out of the corner, you coward."
Draco did just that. He lunged out and yelled "Avada Kedavra!" The spell came toward Ron, but his leapt away just in time for it to narrowly miss his head. The wall crumbled behind him.
"Well, isn't that a familiar sight." Draco said with a drawl. "Weasley trying to save the girl and making me damage walls worth more than him."
Harry and Ginny pointed their wands at him with intention. Ron jumped up to his feet. "You were the one who took her?"
Draco let out an amused laugh. "Do you actually think any of those other imbeciles were fit enough to do it? Even in Lupin's body they wouldn't have been able to take it."
He began to raise his wand again, but Ron's flew up faster. "Don't do it, Malfoy. You're the only one left here." Draco shook his head. "Oh no, we will recover and meet again once you are dead."
"There will be no recovering for some, Malfoy." Harry spoke up in anger. "I killed your father. Another one of your people died as well."
The shock of Draco's face could be seen quite clearly. He certainly hand not expected his muggle-loving arch-nemesis to kill anyone, especially his father.
The room was dead quiet as Draco stared into the eyes of his three lifelong enemies. It seemed as if he had turned to stone until Hermione began to move.
He pointed his wand at her and looked directly into Ron's eyes. "Make your move, Weasley."
Ron sucked in a deep breath, thinking of what to do next. Draco was staring at him with a rough intensity. Before he let out a word, a curse flew at Draco from across the room. He flew into the wall with a loud thud.
"Before you tell a Weasley to make their move, remember that there's two of them!" Ginny twirled her wand through her fingers with a devilish grin on her face.
The remarkable show of teamwork gave Ron a nerve he hadn't quite possessed before, and he walked straight over to Draco.
He pointed his wand right between Draco's eyes. "Surrender, Malfoy. You're alone now. You belong in Azkaban with people who deserve your company."
Draco's eyes lingered up Ron for a moment before he slowly moved his wand hand again. However, he did not point his wand at the others, but at himself.
"Avada Kedavra." The words tumbled from his lips like the most deadly of poisons. There was another lime green flash, and Draco Malfoy was dead.
The room was filled with a sickening tension as they stared at the body of their once enemy. When the realization had finally struck him, Ron ran over to Hermione and untied her.
"Oh my goodness, Ron." Hermione whispered slowly. It seemed like she thought he was made of glass, and his image would break apart if she spoke too loudly.
"I love you, Hermione." Ron blurted out, pulling her weakened body into a tight embrace. "You're alive and I've loved you for years."
To Hermione's great surprise, she could see the tears sliding down his pale face. She thought she had no more tears left to cry, but when she saw his tears of joy it was very easy to find her own. "I love you too, Ron."
They sat there for what seemed like hours on the cold stone floor, just enjoying the ability to hold each other in their arms. Hermione could see Harry and Ginny doing the same.
"Let's get out of here." Hermione spoke up finally. "Let's go home."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I'll really proud of this chapter. I feel oh-so accomplished, but never fear! This is not the end! Because of all your lovely reviews, there'll be an epilogue to tie up any loose strings.
Now that I've finished with the core of the story, I'd love to here your opinion of it! Review!
Rose-petal-forever- Last review? * sigh * That makes me sad, but thank you for the support you've given me since the beginning and all the reviews!
Solin- Sorry that the last chapter was so short. I wrote it quickly and lazily. I hope the description in this chapter is better than the last!
BuckNC- Yes, I'm evil with those cliffhangers! I'm glad you love evil!Draco as much as I do. Though even at that I'm a bit mean to him.
Gone_ron_crazy- That review was so excellent to read! It boosted my confidence in my writing a bunch and made me smile! Thank you!
VENGEANCE by MyKonstantine
Chapter 9: Battle Scars
The blood pounded in Ron's ears as his body screamed in pain. He hadn't been the first to be hit with the Cruciatus curse, that had been Harry, but it hurt nonetheless.
The battle was fierce, and even though they had successfully managed to drive the Death Eaters back into the room were Hermione was being held captive, they were still outnumbered.
Ron could feel his own power draining. He tried to push the thought of defeat out of his head and gained his composure.
He soon as he could, Ron pointed his wand at a Death Eater who was approaching Ginny and weakly shouted out the first curse he could think of.
"Tarantallegra!" The Death Eater become quite confused as his feet moved him across the floor. Harry did the last thing he would be expected to do during battle in response.
He laughed. "Way to go, mate! Let's just make the most lethal men in the whole of England dance!" Ron smiled back at Harry in a very surreal battle moment.
He was slammed back into his surroundings when a violet light shot out of Harry's wand and hit the dancing Death Eater.
"We're fighting even now." Ginny shouted after she saw the man go down. "There's one in the back, but he won't leave Hermione."
Ron snarled in disgust at the thought of the one with Hermione. "Deal with one bastard at a time, Virginia."
He could see the sweat pouring down her fragile face. Streams of light ricocheted off every stone inside the castle's inner walls.
Though they were exhausted, the odds were getting greater and Ron felt a newly restored sense of confidence.
That is, until one Death Eater found a way to cut through all of their hearts. He charged at Ginny, sweeping her up off her feet and over his shoulder.
She kicked and screamed as her wand dropped to the floor, but without it her frail body had very little defense. As the Death Eater ran away down the tunnel from which the trio had entered, they could see his long blonde hair under his white mask.
"Fuck!" Ron said brashly. He sent a jinx at one of the remaining Death Eaters and then quickly scooped up Ginny's wand.
He could already see Harry going after Ginny's screams. "Hold them off, Ron!"
"No! I need to get Ginny!" Ron felt a bit out of place. Why should Harry be the hero who saves his sister? It was his sister, after all.
Then he caught Harry frustrated face for a moment, and he could see that tears welling his eyes.
"She's already saved my life, I need to help her!" Harry shouted. "And I love her, Ron. By god, I love her!"
Ron felt his brotherly notions snap. He understood Harry's feelings completely. Was he not trying to do the same thing for Hermione at that moment?
"Be careful, Harry!" Ron said. He could see Harry rushing down the hall from the corner of his eye.
The two extra Death Eaters tried to follow Harry in hot pursuit, but Ron got in between. He tried to hold them off, but he could slowly feel himself walking backwards down the lengthy hall.
He could hear the dark voices hollering in the distance. They must have been back in the hotel room.
"Don't move, Potter! I've killed muggle lovers like Weasley before, and I'll do it again!"
"You prat! Voldemort is gone! You belong in Azkaban!" Ron heard as he took another step back that feel like another agonizing defeat.
"My lord may have been lost, but he will be avenged when you and your friends are dead!"
Harry's tortured words filled the air with an aura of bravery that reverberated through the castle. "NEVER! I'LL KILL YOU LUCIUS!"
"I'll kill the girl, Potter! I'll do it!"
Ron shook with worry as he continued his fruitless battle with the two Death Eaters. He wanted to help Ginny and Harry, but he knew there was nothing he could do without being killed.
"Avada Kedavra!" He heard two different voices call out almost simultaneously, and then all was silent.
What happened? Were they okay? Was Hermione okay? Ron's head was filled with questions that were impossible for him to answer. All he knew was that his energy was waning and the Death Eaters had begun to discover his weaknesses.
His body ached from all the spots his had been hit. A blue light hit his legs and he dropped hopelessly to his knees.
Ron didn't think it could ever end like this. He tried to gather his strength as best he could, but the Death Eaters already held their wands at attention.
"Avada Keda-" "Avada Kedavra!" A woman's voice cut of the Death Eater's at double the speed.
Ron was blinded by the shocking green light. When it faded, he was faced with one dead Death Eater and another in retreat.
"Stupefy!" Another voice said from behind him, and the last of their immediate collapsed on the ground.
Ron swung around to find Harry cradling Ginny in his arms as she sobbed without any relent.
"You're alive!" Ron cried out, grabbing the two of them is a strong embrace. However, neither of them seemed quite as happy.
"Lucius.. He tried to kill me. So, Harry killed him." Ginny let out quietly in between sobs. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Better him than you, Gin!" A wail fell from her lips and she put her head in Harry's shoulder.
"But then that man tried to kill you.." A visible wet spot had already formed on Harry's shirt. "..and I killed him. I murdered him."
"He deserved it." Harry mumbles into her ear. "He deserved it and so did Lucius."
Ginny nodded vigorously, and then began to wipe her eyes. It was obvious that she was still disturbed by the idea.
Ron remembered something and turned around quickly, but nobody was there. "There's still one more in there. He's gone Hermione and he's expecting us. I'm also damn sure that it's Draco Malfoy."
"He's worthless and outnumbered now. This shouldn't be too tough."
"No," Ron said, "he knows us. He knows what will get to us, and he's not afraid to hurt anyone, because he's alone. He's got nothing to lose."
With an over-exaggerated huff, Ron turned around and the three began to march down the corridor.
As they entered, they could see Draco standing at attention in the shadows and Hermione's body on the ground. She wasn't moving.
"Face us, Malfoy." Ron spat in a bitter tone. "Getting out of the corner, you coward."
Draco did just that. He lunged out and yelled "Avada Kedavra!" The spell came toward Ron, but his leapt away just in time for it to narrowly miss his head. The wall crumbled behind him.
"Well, isn't that a familiar sight." Draco said with a drawl. "Weasley trying to save the girl and making me damage walls worth more than him."
Harry and Ginny pointed their wands at him with intention. Ron jumped up to his feet. "You were the one who took her?"
Draco let out an amused laugh. "Do you actually think any of those other imbeciles were fit enough to do it? Even in Lupin's body they wouldn't have been able to take it."
He began to raise his wand again, but Ron's flew up faster. "Don't do it, Malfoy. You're the only one left here." Draco shook his head. "Oh no, we will recover and meet again once you are dead."
"There will be no recovering for some, Malfoy." Harry spoke up in anger. "I killed your father. Another one of your people died as well."
The shock of Draco's face could be seen quite clearly. He certainly hand not expected his muggle-loving arch-nemesis to kill anyone, especially his father.
The room was dead quiet as Draco stared into the eyes of his three lifelong enemies. It seemed as if he had turned to stone until Hermione began to move.
He pointed his wand at her and looked directly into Ron's eyes. "Make your move, Weasley."
Ron sucked in a deep breath, thinking of what to do next. Draco was staring at him with a rough intensity. Before he let out a word, a curse flew at Draco from across the room. He flew into the wall with a loud thud.
"Before you tell a Weasley to make their move, remember that there's two of them!" Ginny twirled her wand through her fingers with a devilish grin on her face.
The remarkable show of teamwork gave Ron a nerve he hadn't quite possessed before, and he walked straight over to Draco.
He pointed his wand right between Draco's eyes. "Surrender, Malfoy. You're alone now. You belong in Azkaban with people who deserve your company."
Draco's eyes lingered up Ron for a moment before he slowly moved his wand hand again. However, he did not point his wand at the others, but at himself.
"Avada Kedavra." The words tumbled from his lips like the most deadly of poisons. There was another lime green flash, and Draco Malfoy was dead.
The room was filled with a sickening tension as they stared at the body of their once enemy. When the realization had finally struck him, Ron ran over to Hermione and untied her.
"Oh my goodness, Ron." Hermione whispered slowly. It seemed like she thought he was made of glass, and his image would break apart if she spoke too loudly.
"I love you, Hermione." Ron blurted out, pulling her weakened body into a tight embrace. "You're alive and I've loved you for years."
To Hermione's great surprise, she could see the tears sliding down his pale face. She thought she had no more tears left to cry, but when she saw his tears of joy it was very easy to find her own. "I love you too, Ron."
They sat there for what seemed like hours on the cold stone floor, just enjoying the ability to hold each other in their arms. Hermione could see Harry and Ginny doing the same.
"Let's get out of here." Hermione spoke up finally. "Let's go home."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I'll really proud of this chapter. I feel oh-so accomplished, but never fear! This is not the end! Because of all your lovely reviews, there'll be an epilogue to tie up any loose strings.
Now that I've finished with the core of the story, I'd love to here your opinion of it! Review!