A/N: Now, I originally thought about merging 24 with 25 but then I thought to myself: "How terrible to do something like that! It's the end of the story entirely and I give them no warning what-so-ever in Chapter 23!" Well, now I give you warning my wonderful-amazing readers!!! The story comes to a close in chapter 25! It was a great run! So after this chapter, 1 more then… POOF.

Disclaimer: Same old same old… Just read the other 23 Chapters and you'll get the point!

Chapter 24

"Fair Winds Blow"

Hermione had yelled the moment she felt Ron pull away from her arms. At this sudden realization, the moment had remained frozen in time. She saw Ron's face give a look of fear as the strands of red hair flew forwards and his body tumbled back. His eyes were filled with fear and shock. No! She wasn't going to let him leave her again! Wherever he was going, she was going to be with him! She took a hold of his body as the moment passed and the feeling of weightlessness took over. They both began to fall!

Harry and Draco had both ran to the opening as Ron, Hermione and Wormtail began to drop. Harry reached for his friends' hands but they were now beyond his reach. Ginny had crawled to see her brother's mouth wide open and hear his yell of surprise. Draco had remained frozen above watching the scene in disbelief and bewilderment.

"Hah!! You're both going with me!!!" yelled Wormtail as they fell faster.

"No!!" yelled Ron as he tore Wormtail's hand away and in the same stroke, felt something slip into his hands. "This is ENOUGH!"

Ron held Hermione as tightly as he could and closed his eyes tightly. Suddenly, Ron's body began to glow blue as their clothes rippled in the accelerated speed of the fall. The blue light had become a flash coming from Ron's ring and the cloak above them had amazingly grown larger. Wormtail had continued to plummet as his eyes became tiny with shock! Before him, the Raven-cloak became two massive black wings.

The newly formed feathers were carried by the wind and they stopped falling. Wormtail however, was yelling defeated as his body was propelled forcefully into the rock and waves. Hermione felt a warm feeling come over her and soon felt a hand brush her face. She opened her eyes to see Ron looking down at her lovingly, the enormous wings open and molting black feathers around them in a whirlwind.

"Ron –"

"Pretty cool isn't it?" he said smiling as the wings began to send them slowly upward.

"You're amazing," she said trying to move her arms to grapple onto his neck.

"No… You are. In all my dreams you've been there, watching over me. I wasn't always able to see it but I felt it. I felt your eyes around me. Everything I've lived through was a nightmare… but I knew you'd be there to take care of me, to keep me safe. I've never loved anyone like you… I've never loved anyone other then you," he said as he pulled her into a kiss.

Their embrace lasted until they firmly reached the floor on the top level. The moment Ron let Hermione go Ginny had jumped on top of him and hugged him so tightly his ribs began to hurt. She began to cry of joy but it seemed to Ron that she was also sobbing with hurt in her voice.

"Ron! I was so stupid!! I was so upset by the idea of that man having posed as you and that he was going to attack you, I – I -"

"Ginny! It's okay," he said stroking her hair.

Ron's large wings began to glow and they became the blue cloak once again. Ron then looked up to see Harry run into him and nearly topple over in a brotherly hug. Ron then looked at Harry and removed an item from his pocket. It was the pendant.

"I think it's only fit if you do the honors," said Ron as he put it on the floor.

Harry nodded and turned around to fetch the Gryffindor sword. With one mighty stroke he had plunged the glowing red blade into the rock and crushed it into a thousand pieces as a green smoke evaporated into the air. Ron smiled and looked at his friends' faces. That is until the near shock of seeing Draco among them hit him like a bullet. Draco looked away, turned around and motioned for everyone that they had better leave. They all followed happily for not even the gloom and desolation of the prison could keep their spirits down. They had Ron back and that was all that mattered.

Harry picked up his fallen wand and they evacuated the fortress at a quick pace moving a side the bodies that lingered with the stench of death. Ron's eyes saddened at the sight and his heart sank even with the warm touch of Hermione's hand in his. As they made their way outside, there was a loud honking noise and flashing lights hit their faces as they exited the opening that Harry had made. It was Ron's car, beeping joyfully at the return of its master. It even began to purr softly like a kitten as they approached. Without another moment to spare they all entered the car as Hermione, Ron and Draco took the back seat. The scene felt odd to Ron who felt like he had just woken up from a thousand-yearlong nap. He continued to stare at Draco perplexed until it looked like a vain had begun to throb on the silver-haired boy's forehead.

"WHAT? WHAT IS IT?"

"What - What happened? What happened to your dad?" said Ron as Draco began to blink. What an odd first question from someone who was just released from a curse.

"He… He's still in the ministry's custody. I'm going to tell Black about him when we get back. He has to pay back his debt to society,' said Draco in a monotone voice.

"And… um – why are you here anyways? I wanted to ask that first but I thought it would be more polite to ask about your dad," said Ron honestly as Draco sighed irritably.

"Ron!" said Hermione looking discouraged.

"What? I need to catch up! You have no idea what I've been through! It was terrible! The worst thing about being a Dementor is the unsatisfying hunger! And all I could do, was go on feeding and feeding!"

"And that's different from the way you are normally?" said Harry in a sarcastic voice.

"Ha! Very funny Harry!" he retorted. "You have no idea! Plus, you know most Dementor's can't see right? Well I could! I could see everything! I could see… everyone…" said Ron looking at his feet.

No one made a sound. The somewhat light-hearted discussion died down until Ron spoke up again. He felt like he was long over due for some explanations.

"It happened a few days after I got there. Wormtail had been saving that stone in his pocket for a while and he kept talking to me constantly. I tried as best as I could to shut him up but he just wouldn't stop. He kept telling me that he knew I didn't deserve to be here, that I should just burst out of there because I was innocent. And then one night I had fallen asleep and he managed to slip it on me…"

"Probably turned into a rat and put it on. If that stone really gave him the power to do magic in there then he could have done so at any moment," said Draco flatly.

"No… he wanted me doubting myself and everything before. It was like some sort of conditioning! When you become a Dementor, your body feels cold from the inside and everything in your mind and heart escapes you! You want something to fill you. You want warmth and comfort and you starve for it. Wormtail made sure I didn't starve though, starting with the guards… and then moving on to those wizards… where I made Harry's mark… I remember it all. Finally he had me taking every single prisoner in Azkaban whose shame and doubt drew me near but it was never enough to fill me. They might as well send me back there… I'm a murderer,"

Hermione looked deeply distressed. She had just gotten Ron back and he was still feeling miserable. She knew that what had happened to him was not his fault and she waned to desperately tell him but Ginny cut her off with something that Hermione would have, under normal circumstances, found herself saying.

"But Ron… why is it that you didn't remain a Dementor? If that stone really was the source to the Dementors' creation then why didn't you just remain in that horrible body like the normal ones do?" asked Ginny now zooming over the water.

"Because I wasn't completely empty. I told you that Wormtail wanted me sorely depressed before he'd slip it on. I think that the original Dementors were people who had black hearts then with that stone were turned completely wretched! I think that's why Dumbledore hated them so much. However, there was a power that protected me and kept me safe. I couldn't fall into the spell with that sort of power inside me,"

"The Phoenix Ring?" asked Hermione.

"This time you're wrong Hermione, it was you," he said lovingly. "I still had your love in my heart so it kept wearing off. Wormtail had to always take it off and put it back on me so the spell would work, as a rat of course. I would have attacked him as a human,"

"How terrible! I can't believe you had to go through that!" added Ginny.

"Looking around, I'm thinking that some of us had gone through a lot worse then even I did," he said looking at Draco.

They did not talk for the rest of the journey. Hermione felt, for once, without the desire to speak. She simply clung on to Ron's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. As she fell into sleep he would sometimes kiss her head. Draco looked at the scene a bit awkward. Now that everything was settled, now that all the wrongs would soon be turned right what was really left for him?

After a long trip, they finally returned to the castle as the sun peaked high in the sky. It had been an exhausting night and after landing on Hag's Head isle, Ron took over driving so Ginny could rest. Draco took the front seat during the remainder of the trip but said nothing to Ron. He as well kept quite to himself and hardly stray his sight from the route. Although Ron's concentration, he looked like something else was occupying his mind. The other three in the back were huddled in sleep, Harry's arm over Ginny and Hermione resting her head on his back. When the one thousand year old school came into view and once they were properly landed, Ron had to nudge all of them so they could enter the castle. Ron's eyes continued to dart to Draco until they stopped right before the large oak doors.

"Mal – Draco. I just want to say I'm sorry," said Ron.

"What? What do you mean?"

"It was because of my selfishness that it all started! I – I did put myself before everyone! I didn't think! And I know that your father was involved in the whole thing but I didn't know if you were too - but if you're here then that means you weren't! And if you didn't then your dad –"

"Enough Weasley! Your voice is jarring!"

"But it means he –"

"Nothing can be done. Just shut up," he said in a non-menacing tone.

"I've had you all worry about me when everyone else was suffering more then I was. And then with Harry, I almost killed you Harry… I couldn't hold back,"

"Ron! Listen to yourself! You've got to remember that we're all here for each other all right? So what if I almost died… what else is new?" said Harry as he began to laugh. Ginny whined like a puppy after hearing that and Ron's face brightened.

"I feel sorry for all of you… if I was away for so long then that means the only one to spread the laughs was Harry… You really must have all suffered…" he said in a tragic tone as Harry tried to punch Ron in the arm.

"Yeah, like Draco said: "Shut up Weasley!" laughed Harry.

Hermione felt so relieved to have Ron back. The sounds of laughter filled the air once again and to her, this was the way it should be. Everything was right with the world again, at least, she hoped.

A/N: One more Chappy and its over! Watch out for my silly Epilogue at the end of Chapter 25! Bye-bye! kisses