Chapter Thirteen: The Announcement
Harry, Ron and Ginny where brought to a clearing by the Riddle House. They were made to sit on their knees with three Death Eaters standing behind them. Ron was sitting on Harry right side and Ginny to his left. In front of them were five different large fires that sat in a semi-circle the opening facing the three students, and in another semi-circle around the outside of the fires stood the Death Eaters. They were a lot more of them than there had been the year before, and Harry wasn't surprised to see some of the Death Eaters were smaller than the other. There was one of the smaller Death Eaters standing next to Ginny and another one standing next to Ron. Harry thought about who they could be, probably some of the students from Hogwarts.
"Harry." Harry heard his friend whisper to him. "What do you think is going to happen?"
"I am not sure Ron." Said Harry and as he finished Voldemort stepped into the semi-circle of fires, along with a Death Eater standing next to him, the hooded figure of Alexandra Smith, and Cassandra who was being helped to walk by a Death Eater with a silvery hand. "Wormtail." Harry whispered and pointed at the hooded and masked figure standing behind Cassandra helping her along.
"We are all ready." Voldemort's voice echoed through the clearing. "Then we will begin." Voldemort raised his wand and spoke something in a strange language Harry had never heard before. The fires that surrounded Voldemort roared up for a second and when they came back down to the side they were before Harry could see five different faces in each fire. There were two faces that he didn't recognize but the other three he did. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic was one of the, Professor Dumbledore was another, and the last one was Ron's and Ginny's father Arthur Weasley. "I would like to welcome all of you who are seeing this tonight and especially my special guests from the ministry of magic and of course Albus Dumbledore the Headmaster of Hogwarts."
"What do you want Voldemort?" asked Dumbledore and Harry saw the cold fury in his eyes.
"I just wanted to announce my return to the world, with a few very special guest of my own." Voldemort pointed towards the three students who were on their knees.
"Ron! Ginny!" Arthur Weasley said suddenly.
"Dad!" Ron and Ginny said in unison.
"Voldemort!" said Arthur Weasley. Harry looked up in surprise that Author Weasley had said his name. "If you harm my children I will kill you with my bare hands so help me god."
"Calm down Arthur." Said Voldemort with a laugh. "If I do anything to your children or to Harry there is nothing you can do about it. In fact I am sure that your son there now knows what it feels like to have the Cruciatus curse on him." Voldemort had a twisted smiled. "And Mr. Potter was reminded of it as well."
"Ron? Harry?" Harry heard Arthur Weasley's voice full on fear and concern.
"We are alright dad." Said Ron.
"Yes, but not for long." Said Voldemort. Harry sat back on his legs and felt something poking his leg. He suddenly realized what it was.
"Ron." Harry whispered. "I have my father's wand."
"What? Where?"
"I put it in my sock before we left."
"Your sock?" Ron looked disgusted.
"Yes Ron it was the only place I could think of that they wouldn't look." Harry finished and looked back at Voldemort who was still announcing his return to the people in the fire.
"You have been silence so far Minister, have nothing to say?" Voldemort was now addressing Minister Fudge.
"This can't be. Someone is playing a trick on me, and it is not funny. When I find out..."
"Get a grip Cornelius." Said Dumbledore. "It is Voldemort, like I have been telling you for the last year, but you stubbornly refused to believe either me or Harry and look where that as gotten us."
"I hate to stop this argument." Hissed Voldemort. "I would like to show you another of my guest. You all know her as the Lady of Dreams, and now she is back again with me as her master." Wormtail walked Cassandra forward a few steps.
"Get your hands off me." Yelled Cassandra and flung her arms up to get Wormtail to release her, as her hands flew up Cassandra knocked off his mask and hood showing his face. Cassandra quickly put her hand through her hair and Harry looked at her as she looked at him with a half smile.
"Peter Pettigrew." Said one of the people Harry didn't know. "Pettigrew is alive. Sirius Black was right." Harry suddenly realized that Cassandra had knocked his mask off on purpose so that Harry's godfather could be freed. Harry smiled, but his smile didn't last long as he watched the Death Eater who was standing by Voldemort move towards Cassandra and slapped her across the face. Cassandra fell to the ground. Voldemort in seeing this knocked the Death Eater to the ground next to Cassandra. He pointed his wand at the Death Eater, but stop.
"The sins of the father, will be visited on the son." Said Voldemort and he turned his wand to the small Death Eater who stood next to Ginny. What happened next, happened quickly, as Voldemort uttered the Cruciatus Curse Harry felt movement from beside him and he looked at Ginny quickly. She had gotten to her feet and pushed the Death Eater out of the way of the curse, but she could move quickly enough and the curse hit her instead. Harry heard her scream in pain and five different voices, his included, calling out her name. "Weasley your child did that to herself, and now because of her interference you will have one else mouth to feed, but I don't think I will kill the girl." He turned to Ron. Fear and panic rise in Harry has the Death Eaters were pull both of them to their feet. Ginny was still screaming in pain of the curse.
"Fininte Incantatem." Whispered the Death Eater that Ginny had saved, and Ginny's body relaxed but her cries didn't stop.
"Arthur, you have five other sons, you will not miss this one to much." Voldemort walked steadily towards Ron and Harry. There was a silence that hung over the clearing as everyone watched, some with horror some with amusement as Ron realized that he was about to die. Harry looked at his friend.
"No this is all my fault and if Ron dies I don't think I could live with at." Harry thought. "I can't let him die." Later Harry couldn't really remember exactly what happened next, but everything seemed to go in slow moment as Voldemort stop walked toward them only a few yards away from the two boys his wand pointed straight at Ron's chest. Ron looked at Voldemort with fear, and angry, he wasn't going to beg for his life and he wasn't going to cry either. He was going to die with dignity like he always heard about, like he heard when people talked about Harry's father.
"Avada Kedavra." Everyone heard Voldemort say the words and Ron saw the flash of green light heading for him. It seemed to come in slow moment. He stared at it for what seemed to be forever and heard his father cry out his name, but a second later he saw Harry's face as he stood in front of him and smiled.
"No." said Ron as he realized his friend had just stepped in front of the killing curse to protect him. Ron stared at his friend in horror. Harry looked at Ron and smiled. He was going to protect his friend; he was going to die for his friend just like his mother had done for him.
"Goodbye Ron." Harry whispered as he felt something hit him hard in the back and pushed him into Ron. Darkness.
Ron was falling backwards with the weight of Harry's body falling on him. Harry limp body fell on top of Ron. Ron sat up and looked down at his friend's lip body, who looked only as if he were asleep with his head in Ron's lap. "Harry?" whispered Ron as he pulled Harry's body towards him and hugged his friend. Ron looked up at Voldemort and the other people who had watched his friend sacrifice his life for him. They all stared down at the two of them shocked. Everything seemed surreal to Ron.
"This can't be happening. This can't be happening. Damnit Harry, why did you have to go and do that?" Ron said to himself. Ron looked at Voldemort and saw that he was staring at Harry in shock, which surprise Ron a great deal. "Why does he look at surprise he did want Harry dead and now he has it." No one in the clearing moved for a long time.
"Damn Weasley." Ron heard one of the Death Eaters in the outer circle say. "I will kill him." The Death Eater raised his wand and pointed it at Ron. "Avada Kedavra." He said and for a second time Ron watched has the green light headed for him.
"No!" he heard Cassandra scream, but it was too late. The curse was inches from him, and Ron closed his eyes. He was going to be with Harry soon. He felt something hit him in the chest and a pain ripped through his body. He wanted to for the darkness but it never came. Ron opened his eyes he wasn't dead. He looked down at his chest and there, where the curse had hit him, was a whole in his clothes and a lightning shaped cut in the middle of his chest. Ron realized what had happened when he looked up to see that the Death Eater who cursed him was no longer there and all of the Death Eaters behind him were lying on the ground as if they were had to duck to dodge something.
"Idiot." He heard Cassandra hiss as she ran up to the two boys. "Are you okay Ron?"
"Yes I think so, but Harry." Cassandra smiled at Ron and then looked down at Harry and the smiled slowly disappeared from her face.
"No, this can't be." Said Cassandra and with tears in her eyes.
"What?" asked Ron.
"He's dead." Cassandra stood up and turned to look at Voldemort. Tears were streaking down her face. "He is dead an you killed him."
"That can't be." Ron heard Dumbledore's voice. Ron suddenly felt a cold and powerful energy surround him as he looked up at Cassandra whose rage was out of control.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" she screamed and Ron felt something fly by him. He looked at Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters as they were thrown back by the power that came from Cassandra, the same power put out the fire and the faces that were there a moment ago were gone. Still shaking from rage Cassandra turned to Ron. "Ron you have to get out of here and take Harry."
"But..." There was a noise from behind him that made him stop. Someone was coming out of the tree line.
"Severus good you're here." Said Cassandra. "You need to take the children away form here." Snape nodded at her and went to pick up Harry.
"Wait." Said Ron and grabbed Harry's father's wand from inside his sock. "Accio wands." Said Ron and his, Harry's and Ginny's wands flew out of Voldemort's robes and into Ron's hands. Snape picked up Harry and motioned for Ron to follow him. "Ginny lets go." Said Ron, but when he looked over to where she sat been lying, she wasn't there. Ginny and the Death Eater that she had saved had disappeared.
"Mr. Weasley lets go!" Snape said impatiently.
"I can't go without my sister." Said Ron.
"Ron I will find your sister, okay." Said Cassandra. Ron looked up into her eyes and nodded Ron followed Snape into the forest.
"There is a portkey in that clearing just ahead. It will take us back to Hogwarts." Snape informed the confused Ron. They ran into the clearing when suddenly they heard a scream from where they were a moment before. Snape and Ron turned to see Cassandra and Alexandra standing in front of each other Alexandra had her hands on the sides of Cassandra's head and Cassandra had the same with Alexandra. They stood there for a moment before they both let go of each other and stumbled backwards. Ron notice at shadow near Cassandra move and Cassandra screamed again as she realized that it was a Dementor. The Dementor quickly grabbed Cassandra and pulled her to him. Ron had never seen the Dementor kiss before, but now he watched it in full horror.
"No!" breathed Snape and he turned to go back to Cassandra, but Ron grabbed a hold of his robes.
"Professor." Said Ron looking up at Snape. Snape looked down at the boy and reluctantly turned back to the portkey.
"On the count of three." Snape said and Ron nodded. "One... Two... Three." They both took a hold of an old soda can, and before Ron was pulled away from the place horror he whispered a single word, 'Ginny'.
They had landed just outside the doors to the Great Hall. Snape walked towards the doors with Harry's limp body in his arms. Ron pushed the doors open to find that most of the students were all sitting at the tables. They had been eating dinner, and they were crying. Someone in the hall scream has the noticed them standing at the door. Everyone rushed over to them crying and scream. Dumbledore was one of the first people to get to them.
"Severus please take Harry to the hospital wing." Snape nodded and headed towards the hospital wing. "Prefect please escort the student back to your dormitories." Dumbledore said and then turned to Ron, who was still standing next to him staring at the people crying. "Mr. Weasley your parents are on their way, and you need medical attention."
"But Ginny." Said Ron. "We couldn't find my sister, Professor." Dumbledore looked down at the boy.
"I am sorry Ron, but there is nothing you can do right now. I will inform the Aruor immediately and they will search for your sister." Ron nodded and followed Dumbledore to the hospital wing. They were almost there when they heard a cry. It was Sirius. Ron ran up to him. He stood in the corridor just outside the hospital wing staring after Snape who had just walked through the doors.
"Sirius?" Ron said and Sirius looked down at Ron, with a horrified look.
"Ron are you okay?" he asked looked that the lightning shaped wound that he had on his chest.
"Yes I am as well as can be excepted. I am more worried about Harry. Sirius I think he is dead." Said Ron and tears started to fall from Sirius' eyes. Ron had never seen him cry and Ron felt his own tears start to fall. "Sirius lets go and see what is happening." Without another word Sirius and Ron ran into the hospital wing. Ron noticed that Harry was lying in a bed with the Professors around him, and Madam Pomfrey was busy. He also noticed that Hermione was all right and awake. She was sitting on the ground just next to the bed where she had been lying staring in horror at the bed across from her where Harry lay. Ron and Sirius started for where the Professor where standing but they never made it that far. Madam Pomfrey stood up suddenly with a cry that made them stopped where they where.
"He's dead." She cried and Ron left a pain in his chest and fell to his knee. His best friend was dead. He died saving his life. He felt the darkness surround him as he stared at his friend's body lying there peacefully.
"Its all my fault." Darkness.
Harry was standing at a crossroads, which four separate roads going indifferent directions. Next to the crossroads there was a signpost that had three arrows pointing in three directions. Harry looked up and read the words that were on the arrows. "Things that were, things that are, thing that will be." He stood there for a long time, before anything happened. He saw a light coming closer to him from the road that did not have an arrow pointing at it. He watched the light get closer and closer and was not afraid of it. The light was right in front of him now and there were people in the light. It was his parents and they were smiling at him. Harry wanted to walk towards them, towards the peaceful and loving place, where nothing could hurt you anymore. He got a step forward, but stop when he heard someone talking to him.
"I would not go that way if I were you." Harry turned to see who was talking to and Cassandra was standing right behind him.
"Why?" he asked. "Is there something wrong with that place."
"No there is nothing wrong with that place. That is the place where you go when you die." Said Cassandra
"Yes and I am dead, Cassandra. The killing curse hit me and I die saving Ron's life." Harry said, but there was no hurt or anger in his voice. He had made peace with his decision.
"Yes you did step in front of the killing curse and you did save Ron's life, but you are not really dead Harry." Harry looked at her confused. "Harry you remember the spell Voldemort used bring himself back?" Harry nodded. "You remember that he used your blood?" Cassandra touched the arm where Wormtail had cut him to get his blood. Harry nodded. "Well you see Harry your blood is in him, and he cannot kill you with any curse, hex, or enchantment. It is another of those ancient magiks that he forgot about, just like the one that saved your life, so many years ago." Cassandra looked up at his scar.
"So why am I here Cassandra, if I am not dead?"
"Your mind thinking that you are dead. Your body absorbed the killing curse and that put your body into a magic stasis. This stasis makes it look has through you are dead and you mind believes it. Now you have to choose, to go to your parents." Harry looked at his parents who were beaconing him towards them. "Or go back and live." Cassandra pointed away from his parents, to the road with the sign that said "Thing that are." where he could see what was happening in the living world. Ron was sitting in a chair next to a bed where Harry's body lay. Ron was staring at Harry not moving, and his heart ached to see him like that. "If you go to your parents, Ron will never be the same again. He will exist only in a world of darkness where he will constantly blame himself for your dead." Hermione came up next to Ron and hugged him, but Ron didn't move or react in any way. Tears streaked down her face. The picture suddenly changed and Ron, Hermione, Sirius and the Weasleys along with a group of other people were standing in a graveyard looking at Harry in his coffin.
"What is going on?" he asked quickly.
"Time moves different here Harry. Here it seems to be only a few minutes since you were in the clearing saving Ron, but out there it has been a week and they are burying you."
"But if I am still alive?"
"They don't know that Harry to them you are dead and gone, so they are burying you in Hogwarts private cemetery, and they are suffering Harry." She pointed back at the picture of his funeral, and watched as Hermione walked up to his coffin and looked down at Harry's body. She suddenly started to shake Harry and cry out.
"Wake up!" she screamed at him, and he watched as she started to cry. "Wake up Harry!" Tears streaming down her face as she shook his body desperately tried to get him to wake up, but he never did. "Harry wake up!" she let go of him and fell to her knees. "Please..." tear stream down her face and she didn't have any strength left in her body. Tears were now streaming down his face.
"Are you going to let them suffer like that?" Harry watched as Sirius picked Hermione up off the ground and carry her back to his seat. She sat curled up in Sirius' lap crying into his cheat. Sirius had silent tears on his face and Harry's heart broke to see that.
"I don't want to see that anymore." Said Harry, but the picture never went away.
"Harry, you can't turn that picture off. That is what is happening right now. Those are real emotions from real people who love you so much." Her voice wavered for a moment, but then cleared her throat and continued. "There is something else that you should see Harry." Suddenly there was another picture from the road marked, "Thing that will be" and this on was even worse. There were fires raging everywhere and people were crying out in pain.
"Is that hell?" Harry asked.
"No Harry, that is the future. That is what will happen if you go to your parent and not live the life that you were destined to live." Harry stared that the image on the future and shook his head in horror. "Now you have to decide before it is too late. Go to your parents, or go back and fight." Harry looked up into Cassandra's eyes.
"What about you?"
"Me well." She looked at the image on the present in the living world, and there she lay on a bed with someone sitting in a chair next to her. "My body lays there, a result of the Dementor's kiss. Poor Severus." Harry suddenly realized that the person sitting in the chair next to her was Professor Snape. "He was like a father to me. He took care of me when I was little and he was the one to help me disappear and hide, but that doesn't matter now you have to choose and I must be leaving. Before I go I will give you an early birthday present." She placed her hand on the side of his head and stared into his eyes. Everything became blurry and he couldn't see. "Take off your glasses." Harry took off his glasses and could see perfectly. There was a dull ache in his head that suddenly went away. "There you can keep your own secrets." She said with a smile and turned to walk away.
"But I don't understand."
"Harry didn't you know. I was your secret keeper." She said before disappearing. Harry stared at the spot where she disappeared for a moment before looking at his parents and smiled. There was a sense of peace that came from that place that called to Harry's heart, and beaconed him. He was unaware that he was moving closer and closer to the place where his parents were, until he heard Hermione scream his name and he suddenly turned toward the living world. It was the end of the year feast and the school was gathered in the Great Hall. Hermione was crying and so was everyone else. Harry looked up at the head table to see tears falling down Professor Dumbledore's face. He watched the feast for a moment longer and then turned to the picture of the future considering what he was to do. Then he turned to his parents and closed his eyes. A calm settled over Harry has he knew what he was going to do.
"I have decided." Darkness.
Fininte Incantatem.
Harry, Ron and Ginny where brought to a clearing by the Riddle House. They were made to sit on their knees with three Death Eaters standing behind them. Ron was sitting on Harry right side and Ginny to his left. In front of them were five different large fires that sat in a semi-circle the opening facing the three students, and in another semi-circle around the outside of the fires stood the Death Eaters. They were a lot more of them than there had been the year before, and Harry wasn't surprised to see some of the Death Eaters were smaller than the other. There was one of the smaller Death Eaters standing next to Ginny and another one standing next to Ron. Harry thought about who they could be, probably some of the students from Hogwarts.
"Harry." Harry heard his friend whisper to him. "What do you think is going to happen?"
"I am not sure Ron." Said Harry and as he finished Voldemort stepped into the semi-circle of fires, along with a Death Eater standing next to him, the hooded figure of Alexandra Smith, and Cassandra who was being helped to walk by a Death Eater with a silvery hand. "Wormtail." Harry whispered and pointed at the hooded and masked figure standing behind Cassandra helping her along.
"We are all ready." Voldemort's voice echoed through the clearing. "Then we will begin." Voldemort raised his wand and spoke something in a strange language Harry had never heard before. The fires that surrounded Voldemort roared up for a second and when they came back down to the side they were before Harry could see five different faces in each fire. There were two faces that he didn't recognize but the other three he did. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic was one of the, Professor Dumbledore was another, and the last one was Ron's and Ginny's father Arthur Weasley. "I would like to welcome all of you who are seeing this tonight and especially my special guests from the ministry of magic and of course Albus Dumbledore the Headmaster of Hogwarts."
"What do you want Voldemort?" asked Dumbledore and Harry saw the cold fury in his eyes.
"I just wanted to announce my return to the world, with a few very special guest of my own." Voldemort pointed towards the three students who were on their knees.
"Ron! Ginny!" Arthur Weasley said suddenly.
"Dad!" Ron and Ginny said in unison.
"Voldemort!" said Arthur Weasley. Harry looked up in surprise that Author Weasley had said his name. "If you harm my children I will kill you with my bare hands so help me god."
"Calm down Arthur." Said Voldemort with a laugh. "If I do anything to your children or to Harry there is nothing you can do about it. In fact I am sure that your son there now knows what it feels like to have the Cruciatus curse on him." Voldemort had a twisted smiled. "And Mr. Potter was reminded of it as well."
"Ron? Harry?" Harry heard Arthur Weasley's voice full on fear and concern.
"We are alright dad." Said Ron.
"Yes, but not for long." Said Voldemort. Harry sat back on his legs and felt something poking his leg. He suddenly realized what it was.
"Ron." Harry whispered. "I have my father's wand."
"What? Where?"
"I put it in my sock before we left."
"Your sock?" Ron looked disgusted.
"Yes Ron it was the only place I could think of that they wouldn't look." Harry finished and looked back at Voldemort who was still announcing his return to the people in the fire.
"You have been silence so far Minister, have nothing to say?" Voldemort was now addressing Minister Fudge.
"This can't be. Someone is playing a trick on me, and it is not funny. When I find out..."
"Get a grip Cornelius." Said Dumbledore. "It is Voldemort, like I have been telling you for the last year, but you stubbornly refused to believe either me or Harry and look where that as gotten us."
"I hate to stop this argument." Hissed Voldemort. "I would like to show you another of my guest. You all know her as the Lady of Dreams, and now she is back again with me as her master." Wormtail walked Cassandra forward a few steps.
"Get your hands off me." Yelled Cassandra and flung her arms up to get Wormtail to release her, as her hands flew up Cassandra knocked off his mask and hood showing his face. Cassandra quickly put her hand through her hair and Harry looked at her as she looked at him with a half smile.
"Peter Pettigrew." Said one of the people Harry didn't know. "Pettigrew is alive. Sirius Black was right." Harry suddenly realized that Cassandra had knocked his mask off on purpose so that Harry's godfather could be freed. Harry smiled, but his smile didn't last long as he watched the Death Eater who was standing by Voldemort move towards Cassandra and slapped her across the face. Cassandra fell to the ground. Voldemort in seeing this knocked the Death Eater to the ground next to Cassandra. He pointed his wand at the Death Eater, but stop.
"The sins of the father, will be visited on the son." Said Voldemort and he turned his wand to the small Death Eater who stood next to Ginny. What happened next, happened quickly, as Voldemort uttered the Cruciatus Curse Harry felt movement from beside him and he looked at Ginny quickly. She had gotten to her feet and pushed the Death Eater out of the way of the curse, but she could move quickly enough and the curse hit her instead. Harry heard her scream in pain and five different voices, his included, calling out her name. "Weasley your child did that to herself, and now because of her interference you will have one else mouth to feed, but I don't think I will kill the girl." He turned to Ron. Fear and panic rise in Harry has the Death Eaters were pull both of them to their feet. Ginny was still screaming in pain of the curse.
"Fininte Incantatem." Whispered the Death Eater that Ginny had saved, and Ginny's body relaxed but her cries didn't stop.
"Arthur, you have five other sons, you will not miss this one to much." Voldemort walked steadily towards Ron and Harry. There was a silence that hung over the clearing as everyone watched, some with horror some with amusement as Ron realized that he was about to die. Harry looked at his friend.
"No this is all my fault and if Ron dies I don't think I could live with at." Harry thought. "I can't let him die." Later Harry couldn't really remember exactly what happened next, but everything seemed to go in slow moment as Voldemort stop walked toward them only a few yards away from the two boys his wand pointed straight at Ron's chest. Ron looked at Voldemort with fear, and angry, he wasn't going to beg for his life and he wasn't going to cry either. He was going to die with dignity like he always heard about, like he heard when people talked about Harry's father.
"Avada Kedavra." Everyone heard Voldemort say the words and Ron saw the flash of green light heading for him. It seemed to come in slow moment. He stared at it for what seemed to be forever and heard his father cry out his name, but a second later he saw Harry's face as he stood in front of him and smiled.
"No." said Ron as he realized his friend had just stepped in front of the killing curse to protect him. Ron stared at his friend in horror. Harry looked at Ron and smiled. He was going to protect his friend; he was going to die for his friend just like his mother had done for him.
"Goodbye Ron." Harry whispered as he felt something hit him hard in the back and pushed him into Ron. Darkness.
Ron was falling backwards with the weight of Harry's body falling on him. Harry limp body fell on top of Ron. Ron sat up and looked down at his friend's lip body, who looked only as if he were asleep with his head in Ron's lap. "Harry?" whispered Ron as he pulled Harry's body towards him and hugged his friend. Ron looked up at Voldemort and the other people who had watched his friend sacrifice his life for him. They all stared down at the two of them shocked. Everything seemed surreal to Ron.
"This can't be happening. This can't be happening. Damnit Harry, why did you have to go and do that?" Ron said to himself. Ron looked at Voldemort and saw that he was staring at Harry in shock, which surprise Ron a great deal. "Why does he look at surprise he did want Harry dead and now he has it." No one in the clearing moved for a long time.
"Damn Weasley." Ron heard one of the Death Eaters in the outer circle say. "I will kill him." The Death Eater raised his wand and pointed it at Ron. "Avada Kedavra." He said and for a second time Ron watched has the green light headed for him.
"No!" he heard Cassandra scream, but it was too late. The curse was inches from him, and Ron closed his eyes. He was going to be with Harry soon. He felt something hit him in the chest and a pain ripped through his body. He wanted to for the darkness but it never came. Ron opened his eyes he wasn't dead. He looked down at his chest and there, where the curse had hit him, was a whole in his clothes and a lightning shaped cut in the middle of his chest. Ron realized what had happened when he looked up to see that the Death Eater who cursed him was no longer there and all of the Death Eaters behind him were lying on the ground as if they were had to duck to dodge something.
"Idiot." He heard Cassandra hiss as she ran up to the two boys. "Are you okay Ron?"
"Yes I think so, but Harry." Cassandra smiled at Ron and then looked down at Harry and the smiled slowly disappeared from her face.
"No, this can't be." Said Cassandra and with tears in her eyes.
"What?" asked Ron.
"He's dead." Cassandra stood up and turned to look at Voldemort. Tears were streaking down her face. "He is dead an you killed him."
"That can't be." Ron heard Dumbledore's voice. Ron suddenly felt a cold and powerful energy surround him as he looked up at Cassandra whose rage was out of control.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" she screamed and Ron felt something fly by him. He looked at Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters as they were thrown back by the power that came from Cassandra, the same power put out the fire and the faces that were there a moment ago were gone. Still shaking from rage Cassandra turned to Ron. "Ron you have to get out of here and take Harry."
"But..." There was a noise from behind him that made him stop. Someone was coming out of the tree line.
"Severus good you're here." Said Cassandra. "You need to take the children away form here." Snape nodded at her and went to pick up Harry.
"Wait." Said Ron and grabbed Harry's father's wand from inside his sock. "Accio wands." Said Ron and his, Harry's and Ginny's wands flew out of Voldemort's robes and into Ron's hands. Snape picked up Harry and motioned for Ron to follow him. "Ginny lets go." Said Ron, but when he looked over to where she sat been lying, she wasn't there. Ginny and the Death Eater that she had saved had disappeared.
"Mr. Weasley lets go!" Snape said impatiently.
"I can't go without my sister." Said Ron.
"Ron I will find your sister, okay." Said Cassandra. Ron looked up into her eyes and nodded Ron followed Snape into the forest.
"There is a portkey in that clearing just ahead. It will take us back to Hogwarts." Snape informed the confused Ron. They ran into the clearing when suddenly they heard a scream from where they were a moment before. Snape and Ron turned to see Cassandra and Alexandra standing in front of each other Alexandra had her hands on the sides of Cassandra's head and Cassandra had the same with Alexandra. They stood there for a moment before they both let go of each other and stumbled backwards. Ron notice at shadow near Cassandra move and Cassandra screamed again as she realized that it was a Dementor. The Dementor quickly grabbed Cassandra and pulled her to him. Ron had never seen the Dementor kiss before, but now he watched it in full horror.
"No!" breathed Snape and he turned to go back to Cassandra, but Ron grabbed a hold of his robes.
"Professor." Said Ron looking up at Snape. Snape looked down at the boy and reluctantly turned back to the portkey.
"On the count of three." Snape said and Ron nodded. "One... Two... Three." They both took a hold of an old soda can, and before Ron was pulled away from the place horror he whispered a single word, 'Ginny'.
They had landed just outside the doors to the Great Hall. Snape walked towards the doors with Harry's limp body in his arms. Ron pushed the doors open to find that most of the students were all sitting at the tables. They had been eating dinner, and they were crying. Someone in the hall scream has the noticed them standing at the door. Everyone rushed over to them crying and scream. Dumbledore was one of the first people to get to them.
"Severus please take Harry to the hospital wing." Snape nodded and headed towards the hospital wing. "Prefect please escort the student back to your dormitories." Dumbledore said and then turned to Ron, who was still standing next to him staring at the people crying. "Mr. Weasley your parents are on their way, and you need medical attention."
"But Ginny." Said Ron. "We couldn't find my sister, Professor." Dumbledore looked down at the boy.
"I am sorry Ron, but there is nothing you can do right now. I will inform the Aruor immediately and they will search for your sister." Ron nodded and followed Dumbledore to the hospital wing. They were almost there when they heard a cry. It was Sirius. Ron ran up to him. He stood in the corridor just outside the hospital wing staring after Snape who had just walked through the doors.
"Sirius?" Ron said and Sirius looked down at Ron, with a horrified look.
"Ron are you okay?" he asked looked that the lightning shaped wound that he had on his chest.
"Yes I am as well as can be excepted. I am more worried about Harry. Sirius I think he is dead." Said Ron and tears started to fall from Sirius' eyes. Ron had never seen him cry and Ron felt his own tears start to fall. "Sirius lets go and see what is happening." Without another word Sirius and Ron ran into the hospital wing. Ron noticed that Harry was lying in a bed with the Professors around him, and Madam Pomfrey was busy. He also noticed that Hermione was all right and awake. She was sitting on the ground just next to the bed where she had been lying staring in horror at the bed across from her where Harry lay. Ron and Sirius started for where the Professor where standing but they never made it that far. Madam Pomfrey stood up suddenly with a cry that made them stopped where they where.
"He's dead." She cried and Ron left a pain in his chest and fell to his knee. His best friend was dead. He died saving his life. He felt the darkness surround him as he stared at his friend's body lying there peacefully.
"Its all my fault." Darkness.
Harry was standing at a crossroads, which four separate roads going indifferent directions. Next to the crossroads there was a signpost that had three arrows pointing in three directions. Harry looked up and read the words that were on the arrows. "Things that were, things that are, thing that will be." He stood there for a long time, before anything happened. He saw a light coming closer to him from the road that did not have an arrow pointing at it. He watched the light get closer and closer and was not afraid of it. The light was right in front of him now and there were people in the light. It was his parents and they were smiling at him. Harry wanted to walk towards them, towards the peaceful and loving place, where nothing could hurt you anymore. He got a step forward, but stop when he heard someone talking to him.
"I would not go that way if I were you." Harry turned to see who was talking to and Cassandra was standing right behind him.
"Why?" he asked. "Is there something wrong with that place."
"No there is nothing wrong with that place. That is the place where you go when you die." Said Cassandra
"Yes and I am dead, Cassandra. The killing curse hit me and I die saving Ron's life." Harry said, but there was no hurt or anger in his voice. He had made peace with his decision.
"Yes you did step in front of the killing curse and you did save Ron's life, but you are not really dead Harry." Harry looked at her confused. "Harry you remember the spell Voldemort used bring himself back?" Harry nodded. "You remember that he used your blood?" Cassandra touched the arm where Wormtail had cut him to get his blood. Harry nodded. "Well you see Harry your blood is in him, and he cannot kill you with any curse, hex, or enchantment. It is another of those ancient magiks that he forgot about, just like the one that saved your life, so many years ago." Cassandra looked up at his scar.
"So why am I here Cassandra, if I am not dead?"
"Your mind thinking that you are dead. Your body absorbed the killing curse and that put your body into a magic stasis. This stasis makes it look has through you are dead and you mind believes it. Now you have to choose, to go to your parents." Harry looked at his parents who were beaconing him towards them. "Or go back and live." Cassandra pointed away from his parents, to the road with the sign that said "Thing that are." where he could see what was happening in the living world. Ron was sitting in a chair next to a bed where Harry's body lay. Ron was staring at Harry not moving, and his heart ached to see him like that. "If you go to your parents, Ron will never be the same again. He will exist only in a world of darkness where he will constantly blame himself for your dead." Hermione came up next to Ron and hugged him, but Ron didn't move or react in any way. Tears streaked down her face. The picture suddenly changed and Ron, Hermione, Sirius and the Weasleys along with a group of other people were standing in a graveyard looking at Harry in his coffin.
"What is going on?" he asked quickly.
"Time moves different here Harry. Here it seems to be only a few minutes since you were in the clearing saving Ron, but out there it has been a week and they are burying you."
"But if I am still alive?"
"They don't know that Harry to them you are dead and gone, so they are burying you in Hogwarts private cemetery, and they are suffering Harry." She pointed back at the picture of his funeral, and watched as Hermione walked up to his coffin and looked down at Harry's body. She suddenly started to shake Harry and cry out.
"Wake up!" she screamed at him, and he watched as she started to cry. "Wake up Harry!" Tears streaming down her face as she shook his body desperately tried to get him to wake up, but he never did. "Harry wake up!" she let go of him and fell to her knees. "Please..." tear stream down her face and she didn't have any strength left in her body. Tears were now streaming down his face.
"Are you going to let them suffer like that?" Harry watched as Sirius picked Hermione up off the ground and carry her back to his seat. She sat curled up in Sirius' lap crying into his cheat. Sirius had silent tears on his face and Harry's heart broke to see that.
"I don't want to see that anymore." Said Harry, but the picture never went away.
"Harry, you can't turn that picture off. That is what is happening right now. Those are real emotions from real people who love you so much." Her voice wavered for a moment, but then cleared her throat and continued. "There is something else that you should see Harry." Suddenly there was another picture from the road marked, "Thing that will be" and this on was even worse. There were fires raging everywhere and people were crying out in pain.
"Is that hell?" Harry asked.
"No Harry, that is the future. That is what will happen if you go to your parent and not live the life that you were destined to live." Harry stared that the image on the future and shook his head in horror. "Now you have to decide before it is too late. Go to your parents, or go back and fight." Harry looked up into Cassandra's eyes.
"What about you?"
"Me well." She looked at the image on the present in the living world, and there she lay on a bed with someone sitting in a chair next to her. "My body lays there, a result of the Dementor's kiss. Poor Severus." Harry suddenly realized that the person sitting in the chair next to her was Professor Snape. "He was like a father to me. He took care of me when I was little and he was the one to help me disappear and hide, but that doesn't matter now you have to choose and I must be leaving. Before I go I will give you an early birthday present." She placed her hand on the side of his head and stared into his eyes. Everything became blurry and he couldn't see. "Take off your glasses." Harry took off his glasses and could see perfectly. There was a dull ache in his head that suddenly went away. "There you can keep your own secrets." She said with a smile and turned to walk away.
"But I don't understand."
"Harry didn't you know. I was your secret keeper." She said before disappearing. Harry stared at the spot where she disappeared for a moment before looking at his parents and smiled. There was a sense of peace that came from that place that called to Harry's heart, and beaconed him. He was unaware that he was moving closer and closer to the place where his parents were, until he heard Hermione scream his name and he suddenly turned toward the living world. It was the end of the year feast and the school was gathered in the Great Hall. Hermione was crying and so was everyone else. Harry looked up at the head table to see tears falling down Professor Dumbledore's face. He watched the feast for a moment longer and then turned to the picture of the future considering what he was to do. Then he turned to his parents and closed his eyes. A calm settled over Harry has he knew what he was going to do.
"I have decided." Darkness.
Fininte Incantatem.