CHAPTER 18 The Warning And Impending Doom

Ron sighed as the door was slammed in his face. He stared at Hermione's apartment door for a few seconds, before pulling out his wand and Disapparating back to his own house. He crept inside his house and quietly closed the door behind him so as not to wake Krista. Very quietly Ron made his way back to his bedroom and spotted the sleeping form of Krista still in his bed. He got undressed and slipped in beside her, but Ron had no intention of sleeping, for that was the very last thing on his mind. After all he had just told Hermione he needed her in his life, but he hadn't been very honest with her or himself, because only when she slammed the door in his face did he realise, he didn't just need her in his life, it was much more complicated than that. He loved her, and as he lay in his bed next to his girlfriend, he realised he had always loved Hermione. He eyes popped open at this revelation and he wondered how he hadn't seen this before. He was still madly in love with Hermione and the fact that she had rejected him, believing he only wanted to use her hurt him even more. He had driven the woman he loved even further away from him. As Ron rolled around and looked at his sleeping girlfriend, he realised he didn't love Krista. She had been a very good replacement and he liked the idea of loving someone else, but if he really thought about, Krista was nothing like the bushy haired bookworm now fuming because of him back at her own flat. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, willing himself to sleep. At least then he wouldn't have to think at how horrible he had made everything. And god through it all he missed Hermione even more. It was ironic really, when he needed her help and advice the most, it was because of her he was in this position.

Ron didn't know when his thoughts finally let him drift off to sleep, but he woke up with the sun glaring in his eyes and the sound of roadworks on his street.

"Damn it!" Ron cursed. He hated it when the muggles had to dig up the street, make lots of noise just so they could fill the holes up again and move on. Ron rolled over, saw that his bed was empty and Krista was not there and sat up puzzled. It was not like her to go to work without at least waking him and saying goodbye. Ron deftly got out of bed and wandered about his place to look for a note that Krista might have left him, but he found none. Growing rather angry, Ron went off to the bathroom, intending to have a nice long shower, all the while complaining of women and how they couldn't stick to one emotion at a time. They always had to go changing their minds and blaming him for everything. He might as well give up on them, Ron grumbled as he stepped into the shower and washed his hair. Because god knows they weren't any use to him now.

Ron stepped out of the shower still grumbling and went off in search of some clothes, before making his way to the kitchen to make himself a hearty breakfast. Nothing like a good meal to help him think, because he sure needed to do that today. Ron wished he didn't have Quidditch training on today, because then at least he could think but Johnson was still glowering at him for not concentrating the other day and wanted him to train extra hard. Forty minutes later and after a good hearty breakfast consisting of a good fry-up, lots of toast and a pot of tea, Ron was briskly walking towards the Canons' grounds, bag slung over his shoulder and broomstick neatly wrapped up to look like a parcel. He decided against Apparating, thinking he could enjoy muggle London better by walking, and maybe even think a few things through, as he had no time to think when he was training. His walk took him no longer than twenty minutes, and he soon found himself outside the Canons' grounds, though to an ordinary muggle it just looked like an abandoned building site with a high fence running around it. Ron walked into a side alley away from the main road and the busy traffic, took out his wand, muttered an incantation and when a door opened, he made his way through. He walked through the maze of outbuildings holding things from old brooms to new goalposts. He reached the changing rooms and spotted some of his team members already getting changed, talking animatedly. Ron quickly got changed into his Quidditch gear, and went onwards to the tack building, grabbing a spare pair of gloves, having forgotten his at home. Along the way he noticed how quiet it was in the grounds today, which was odd because the Canons had a rather important league match coming up in the next few days and people and workers should have been rushing around getting the pitch in order for the match, yet he spotted no-one and heard no noise. He was starting to become really curious, when he rounded a corner and heard a quiet whispering voice. At first thinking it was one of his team-mates talking, he spun around but found no-one. Ron shrugged, he had probably imagined it. He shook his head. He definitely needed more sleep if he was starting to hear things. Or maybe he should just stop being around Hermione, because if she caused him to hear things, it was definitely not good! He made his way back to the changing rooms, intending to have a good talk with one of his team-mates, when he heard the whispering voice again, only this time it was louder and coming from somewhere. Ron tried to concentrate on the words, but he could not hear properly. The place was eerily quiet around him, and he spun around looking for the source of the noise. This was definitely not good.

Ron shook his head, he must be imagining things, because noises didn't appear out of nowhere, not in the magical world either, unless there was someone with an invisibility cloak in the grounds, but they had security measures against such things. Ron shook his head and mentally kicked himself for being so jumpy lately. He really needed a holiday!

Two hours later, Ron slowed down from his chasing the Beater, spun around as Johnson blew the whistle from below and made a dive for the ground. He landed perfectly on the grass next to Johnson and stepped of his broom.

"Well done Weasley", Johnson commented, her face showing only a glimmer of a smile. "Thank you Sir", Ron replied grinning back, for he knew that was the most of a compliment he would ever get of her on the pitch. It was amazing how much she changed when she stepped onto a Quidditch pitch and became coach. Whenever he saw her with Fred at home or in Hogsmeade she was as relaxed and girly as any of the other girls, yet as soon as she stepped onto the pitch, she became this other person, this woman obsessed with getting everything perfect and having her team play to the best of their abilities.

"Now team that's been a major improvement since the last few practices and if we keep this up, we might just be able to win against the Wimbledon Wasps on Thursday. Alright team go hit the showers", Johnson cried and the team slowly started heading back up to the changing rooms, Ron at the back, when Angelina held out an arm to stop him and he turned around. "Ron, Fred wants to see you tonight at the apartment, he says its something important, but I don't know what", Angelina said relaxing and Ron saw the chatty girl that she really was underneath.

Ron nodded his head to show her he understood.

"Ron, is everything ok with you?" Angelina asked, and Ron noticed a note of concern in her voice. "You've been off lately and I thought it was just laziness, but when Fred told me last night how you had a talk with him and George and how you seemed stressed, it kind of clicked in my head. If you want me to go easy on you until you've sorted out whatever seems to be causing you this grief, just ask".

Ron shook his head and replied, "No its ok, I'm fine. Just me being a dumbass again". He sighed and slowly made his way back to the changing rooms. Angelina let him go, though she had a worried and sympathetic look on her face.

Ron walked over to his locker and drew out some towels, when he suddenly heard the noise again, only this time it was louder and clearer than before.

"The time is almost upon us. The countdown has begun and only two days are left". Ron spun around, looking for the source of the voice.

He spun around once more, looking all around him and cried out, "Where are you? I can hear you!"

"Hey mate you ok?" a man asked as he came up to Ron and laid a hand on Ron's shoulder. With the other, he kept a firm grip on his towel.

"Did you hear that voice?" Ron asked spinning around to face him.

"Voice, what voice. Hey Ron mate are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah Tim", Ron said shaking his head and as he looked up he looked much older than before. "You sure you heard no voice?"

"Definitely", Tim replied, "Ron you don't seem too great, you look really tired".

"That's because I am", Ron replied still looking around the changing rooms, when his eyes rested on the closed gateway down to the cave below, where him and Harry had rescued Hermione a few days before.

"Hey Tim, you know the cave beneath us, why didn't they ever fill it up or use it when these grounds were built?" Ron asked turning around to look at Tim.

"Don't really know, the only thing I know is that that, that cave below us is meant to be a powerful and magical site. Maybe its useful in some way", Tim shrugged.

"Do people ever use it anymore?" Ron asked.

"Not that I know of. Its always been blocked off and most people I'd say forgot about it a long time ago", Tim replied, "Why you ask?"

"I don't quite know, but I think it has something to do with that cave", Ron shrugged and dropped his towel in his locker again. "I think I'm going to go check it out". Ron took his wand from his locker and made his way to the blocked entrance of the cave. With just a quick flick of his wand, the wall had crumbled up and there lay only a heap of small stones and dirt where the wall used to be.

"Lumos", Ron said lighting up his wand and gingerly making his way down the dark steps, the dark corridor pressing in on him. Eventually he made his way down to the bottom, after a lot of groping around in the dark. The cave, or cavern was as massive as ever, though it was not nearly as dark as the corridor was, in fact there was a pale iridescent glow from the cave itself, making it almost light enough for Ron to see. Ron stepped into the middle of the cavern, looking around him, his shallow breathing echoing across the vast space. Then suddenly a fire burst into flames just a few metres in front of him, the flames licking at the wood that was lying in the middle of the cavern. The light filled the whole cave, illuminating every nook and cranny in a flickering glow. The fire grew brighter as Ron stepped away, for the fire was growing larger by the minute. And there was that voice again, this time perfectly clear and loud;

"The countdown has begun. Two days to go!"

And suddenly everything clicked in Ron's head, as the sharp, clear reality of his realisation hit him. He had better hurry for he only had a little time left, if they were going to stop this. Ron rushed back up the stairs, clumsily falling on every step as he rushed to get outside, and when he finally managed to reach the top again, he forgot all about his Quidditch gear. He raced out of the grounds and Apparated away.