Shadows
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "He painted a pretty picture for you, didn't he Ron, what with all of his colorful lies and empty promises, how could I possibly compete with that?" A series of events leads Ron to the dark side, can anyone bring him back?
Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize, I don't own
A/N Merry Christmas all! Even though it's not Christmas anymore….but I didn't get a chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas before, so I'm doing it now! And yes, I am a strange and sad individual. Sorry about the long update, I kind of went on a reading rampage for some reason. I read twelve books in the past week. So you know, that takes away from writing time. I am also aware that is of little interest to no one besides myself so I'll just shut up now
Chapter Fourteen
Pieces From an Empty Bottle
My hands shook and my heart raced. He had singled me out and now he was walking towards me. I kept my eyes focused on the ground and hoped that as long as I couldn't see him, he couldn't see me.
Turned out to be no such luck as I felt an ice-cold hand brush my forehead as he pushed my protection away from my head. I forced myself to look up at him; I would not be a coward. He looked at me with something that can only be described as evil glee.
"What have we here," he said with a growing amount of interest. "The missing link in the Weasley chain I do believe."
Don't tremble. Whatever you do, I told myself, don't show him your fear. He knew who I was…I felt beads of sweat gathering at my forehead, where had all my bravery gone?
His eyes bore into me as if he could see straight through me. I'm pretty sure that he could. I wasn't Harry, I wasn't the one who was his match, I was just Ron and that was all I wanted to be. I was just trying to make it through life, trying to figure out who I was…I didn't want to die.
"Melissa," he beckoned.
She complied immediately; stepping forward and bowing her head in a graceful manner, "yes my Lord?"
"Are you responsible for bringing him to me?"
"Yes my Lord."
He smiled. The action still unnerved me. "I will see to it that you are rewarded."
Rewarded? Why the hell would she be rewarded for bringing a spy into a death eater meeting? And a Weasley spy at that.
"Take him to the mansion."
Before I could even begin to comprehend his command I felt myself being dragged by two men who obviously outweighed me by a good amount. My body itched to retaliate, to fight, but my mind wouldn't let it. Play along, stay alive, and be smart.
After away from the meeting area we transported by portkey to the undisclosed location of the dark headquarters. An area that no member of the light was ever supposed to see. Or at least, see and live to tell about.
They were leading me to my death, I just knew it. Wherever we were going it wasn't good. Some jail cellar no doubt, dirty and cramped and not to mention unclean. Then they would most likely stick me with some cannibal cellmate who would wait for just the right moment when I was asleep and my defense were down to use the metal end of their bedpost to-
Except it wasn't a jail cell. It wasn't a prison in the least; in fact it was very…nice. Posh one might even say. That is strange. What kind of war tactic is that? Keep the prisoners in super nice rooms, what are they using the kill em' with kindness approach?
They left me in the room in the midst of my utter confusion. I was torn between being pissed at Melissa, fearing for my life, and hitting the mini bar that I spotted with the corner of my eye.
After weighing the choices heavily in my mind I chose the last one. Alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.
Not even bothering to care about what I was drinking I absentmindedly opened a bottle and began to down in quickly. The harsh antidote numbing my pain. Within a few minutes I looked down in surprise to find my new friend was empty. Pity.
I grabbed another bottle. It appeared to be the same brand as the first, I didn't really care though. About halfway through that bottle I thought it odd that I didn't feel drunk in the slightest, I mean both the bottles were fairly large and I am kind of a lightweight. But if you were ungodly tall and skinny you would be a lightweight drinker too.
I found a couch and took my drink with me. After sitting down for about five minutes I got up and promptly fell. So perhaps I was a little bit drunk after all. Splendid, if they were going to kill me I might as well be having a good time during it.
After my second bottle was nearly gone there was a knock at the door. Not trusting myself to make it there safely and back I simply called out "enter." I figured there was really no use in hiding or anything like that, it was their home turf, what the hell kind of chance did I stand sober, let alone pissed?
Melissa came in looking almost ashamed of herself. Well good, she should feel bad for tricking me into coming to a seemingly innocent death eater gathering-so perhaps I was slightly daft for going in the first place but still…she should feel guilty, I didn't do anything to her. Besides use her that is.
"Ron," she said in a softer tone than I was accustomed to hearing from her, "do you know why you're here?"
"I dunno," I said slurred as if we were playing a game, "because I'm so good looking?"
She gave me a hard look before grabbing the empty bottle out of my hand and smelling my breath. "You're drunk aren't you? Well that's just perfect, this could be one of the hardest days of your life and you go off and get drunk."
Sobering up a little I glared back, "they're going to bloody kill me anyway so what does it matter if I'm drunk or not?"
"They aren't going to kill you," she retorted, "you're too important to them."
"What? Important how?"
"Ron," she started again in the same soft tone that she had began with, "there are some things about yourself that you aren't even aware of…he's been searching for you for quite some time now, he just didn't know it was you he was looking for."
"Melissa," I said bluntly, "you are going to have to spell this out a little bit because I am not in my right state of mind enough to be reading between your lines."
"Have you ever heard of a true seer?"
And there it was. I didn't even need someone to perform the sobriety spell for me, that did the trick pretty damn well. True seer, of course I had heard of the term, it had caused me plenty of worry already, I had just pushed it out of my mind.
Taking my silence as ignorance she continued, "a true seer is the most powerful version of the seer because-"
"I know what it is," I interrupted in a lifeless voice. "Are you trying to tell me that I am one?"
"I'm not trying to tell you anything, I am telling you. Face facts Ron, it'll keep you alive."
I looked up at her, searching for a bit of compassion, I found none. For all that she appeared to be on the surface Melissa was a cold-hearted bitch underneath if there ever was one. Don't be mistaken about her; she'll kick you right in the balls if she feels the need for you to open your eyes about a matter.
"Ron, when he saw you tonight his eyes light up like a Christmas tree. You are his key to winning this war and he will do anything to get you over on this side."
"And what about you," I accused, "convenient isn't it that you just happened to be there to help me out. I heard him you know, you're reaping benefits from this!"
"I do what I have to," Melissa said in an even voice, "I owe you nothing Ron. If for me and my child to survive I had to get you to him a few weeks earlier than he would have gotten to you then so be it. I am not the bad guy here Ron, I will not feel guilty over this."
My eyes met hers and I have never felt so alone as I did in that moment. And I realized that I wanted to be alone, I needed myself to figure this out, not her deluding herself out of guilt. "Leave," I commanded, "just go."
Melissa looked as though she wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it. She complied with my wishes and I was left alone on the couch with nothing but my own emptiness and alcohol to fill me.
So I did the only thing that I could do, I began to laugh. I laughed until my sides ached from the action; the whole situation was just so funny I found that I could barely stand it. To fulfill myself and get myself to forget about the whole lack of a soul thing I had gotten a job, a job that's main purpose was to bring down the dark. And here's the punch line of life's twisted joke, I was the key for the dark achieving victory.
"Something funny about this situation Weasley?"
I jerked my head up to tell the intruder to go to hell when I saw just who the intruder was. A blonde rat. Malfoy…my sister's Malfoy that she was with because he had changed so drastically.
"Well I'll be damned, if it isn't Draco Malfoy the reformed son of a death eater. Some things never change do they?"
He smirked at me, "you're here as Voldemort's guest of honor, so I suppose some things do change after all, Weasley."
I attempted to stand from my position on the couch, but failed horribly. "If I could manage to walk straight I'd beat the shit out of you."
He didn't seem frightened by my threat…pity. "Don't try to threaten your guard."
"You're my guard? I might as well off myself now."
He shrugged, "wouldn't bother me any. Want me to get you a knife?"
I scowled and stumbled forward; I was not in the mood for him. "What do you want Malfoy?"
"I just wanted to see it for myself, a Weasley turned dark. Funny, I always thought it would little Virginia that would make that move."
I saw red. With the only thought running through my mind being die you evil ferret die I allowed myself to lose restraint. Half glaring and half squinting I lounged towards Malfoy and threw a heavy punch…which unfortunately missed completely and simply sailed through the air backed by Malfoy's laughter.
"That was a truly pathetic example of defending your sister's honor," he prodded through laughs. He shook his head at me, as if reprimanding a child and promptly left the room.
"Yeah you better run," I mumbled after he was long gone. Not the most intelligent or witty line, but at least I had the last word. Take that you damn ferret.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN I swear I really meant to make the chapter longer than that. But that just seemed like a good ending place to me. Besides work I have nothing to do this coming week so I am going to make an effort to update. An actual effort by the way, not just saying I'm going to try to please readers.
Oh and the whole "alcohol, the cause of, and solution to all of life's problems" belongs to The Simpsons. The greatest television show ever created, and yes, I have seen way too many episodes of it. Anyone one else as obsessed as me that they can name the show that line came from?
And "die you evil ferret die" was the brainchild of RonandHerm4eva after downing some cold medicine. Her insanity astounds even me at times…
Thanks to:
Orli-enthusiast (Lol, you're forgiven for missing one chapter. I suppose I can overlook it. Glad that you enjoyed the past two chapters, and things didn't go too badly for Ron in this chapter…well maybe they did. His luck should change around sometime soon though.), Hplova4eva (Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter, I just couldn't resist! But no cliff in this chapter and I swear that I will make a conscious effort to get the next chapter out by sometime this week.), cosmoz (Lol, don't be going all "valley girl" on me with like ten oh my gods in a row. Sorry to keep you in suspense, but Ron made it through another chapter in relatively one piece and I'll try to update soon!), Hurdlingbaybe06 (I agree, poor ickle Ronnikins. I do so love to torture him…Glad that you're enjoying the story and thanks for reviewing!), RonandHerm4eva (Lol, you're right Melissa is too nice to be a death eater. Hmm, wonder how long she'll stay alive…of course in my stories you know that no one has that great of a chance for staying alive until the end of the story. And I love you for the whole "die ferret die" thing, I was seriously cracking up.), Trempush (Feel free to think through the keyboard all you want, I have the basic guidelines set up for this story but I still have a lot to fill in and am always open to suggestions. And there will without a doubt be an angst-filled scene between Ron and Hermione full of awkwardy goodness!), themadscriptor (I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story and thank you so much for saying that the plot is not a cliché. I strive on originality and I was afraid that the basic Ron being evil thing would be seen as somewhat of a "it's been done" type thing.), Penny Wishes (Lol, I may leave updates hanging around for a while, but I won't abandon this story. Glad you're enjoying the story and hopefully there will be another update soon!), Me (No worries about missing a chapter. Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter, I would promise not to leave another one but I know that will be a promise I break so I just won't bother, lol.), Enchanted Spirit (You know what, I never really thought about Voldemort being able to read people's minds…Hmm, I kind of forgot about that. But Ron and Voldemort will meet next chapter so I think that I'll incorporate that in. Thanks so much for reminding me of it!!!! And Melissa is God, she is all seeing and all knowing. Just kidding, I'm a really big geek.), Funness (Aw, you think my story is cool? Sweetness, now I feel like I'm cool. Lol, just ignore me, I'm in a really weird mood. Glad that you're enjoying the story, I'll try to update soon!), Shakespeare's Muse (*screams* are you seriously a Chili Peppers fan? I am like on of their biggest fans, you do not know how much I love them! Ever since I heard Give It Away Now when I was little I have loved all of their songs!!!! So you like stories that are filled with angst and grief? Gee, I never would have gathered that from your writing, lol.), Murmelikunkku (*hangs head in shame* I'm sorry about the long updating…I've kind of had like 85% of this chapter written for a couple of weeks now, I just never got around to finishing it. But if it makes up for it at all it was your review that got me to finish the chapter. Glad you're liking the story and I will try to update again later this week!), bluehoax (Lol, sorry that my causing you to twitch. If it makes you feel better I'll let you know this, Ron is going to be on the dark side, but not necessarily evil. I hope that makes sense, because now that I think about it, it really doesn't…at least not to me, but then again I haven't slept in a while.)