A/N: Here is the story of how the world fell apart. Hope you find it intriguing.
Reviewer: Don't worry, I wasn't hounding you to review the other story. I was just telling you that I had updated since you seemed to be looking forward to it.
kungzuone: Thanks! I'm really glad you're liking it.
krysalys73: Aww… did I really make you cry? Poor Ron. Butt-kiss all you want. I love it. Snerk. :-)
BekaJWP: Hooray for Ron stories! And yes, you do get some answers in this chapter. Now the question's going to be, what is Ron going to do about it?
J Black: Aww… more tears for poor Ron. Seriously – I can't imagine what it would be like to miss a decade and find out that half of your family was dead. It would be awful.
carebear11488: About Percy… read on and find out!
shedoc10: So did you actually keep on reading? Hope so! I sure think the story is swell, but then again, I'm biased. :-)
High Serpent King: Judging by your review – this chapter is for you!
Seraphim: Muscular Snape, indeed! I'm not a fan of Sexy Snapes (he's greasy and ill-tempered, for crying out loud!) but he's not the only one who's put on some muscle. Since these people now have to be ready for anything they can't be soft or slow, so that means they've got to be in better shape. In the last chapter when Ron hit his dad he noticed that the skin didn't "give" as much as it ought to. I suppose that means that we've got Sexy Arthur, too.
LovinsomeElrond: Thanks! This chapter ought to answer some of those questions. Hope you like it!
Chapter Four: The Rise of the Tyrant
Ron had no idea how long it took for him to cry himself out, but it felt like ages. The horrible truth was that he would never see his mother, Charlie, or George again. There would be no more hand-knitted sweaters, mince pies, or affectionate smothering from his mother; no more visits from Charlie, always looking cooler than cool with his dragonhide boots and multiple scars; no more pranks and laughter from George. The worst of it was that Ron hadn't gotten to say goodbye. His mother and brothers had perished thinking him dead. Ron could only hope that they had been happy for him rather than disappointed when they got to heaven and found him missing.
At long last the pangs of grief lost their razor-sharp edges. A lead weight seemed to be settling into the pit of Ron's stomach, but he no longer had the need or energy to keep on crying so. He unabashedly leaned his head against his father's shoulder as his tears dried up, sniffing constantly until a blotchy-eyed Ginny handed him a handkerchief. Ron noisily blew his nose a few times and scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. "How did they die?" he said hoarsely.
Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Ginny all looked at each other. "Answering that question will generate more questions," said Mr. Weasley. "We have our own story to tell you."
"Well – just tell me how," said Ron. "You don't have to give me details, I just… I want to know."
His father seemed quite unable to continue, so Bill bravely stepped into the gap. "Mum got sick. Charlie was captured and executed." Bill's voice trembled slightly. "That was about four years ago. And George died in a fight along with Hagrid; they saved Fred and Harry's lives. It's been less than two years since that."
"Mum's death was the easiest to bear because it wasn't so sudden," Ginny said softly. "She got to talk to us all before it was over and she was really very peaceful when the time came. She also didn't have to see Charlie and George killed."
"That alone might have finished her," Mr. Weasley murmured.
"People who die nowadays usually meet violent ends," said Bill. "Mum, thankfully, did not."
Ron nodded, seeing the silver lining that his siblings were so carefully pointing out. His mother had certainly had her share of bravery; she had been a Gryffindor and a member of the Order of the Phoenix before Ron disappeared. If she had been in Charlie's place she would have faced her own execution fearlessly, having the knowledge that the Order and her family were safe to buoy her up. But Ron knew that there was one thing she couldn't face – the loss of her husband and children. Harry had told him what she had seen when facing a boggart. Ron felt awful when he thought of how his mother must have wept for him.
"We searched for you for months," said Mr. Weasley as if he were reading his son's mind. "Even though we pulled Montague back, we hoped that maybe you might have only been transported somewhere. Perhaps Montague had had a portkey on him. Perhaps you were a prisoner of You-Know-Who. But no ransom note ever came, and nothing at all was heard from you. Eventually we had to face the fact that you had most probably perished just like Montague." He smiled down at Ron. "The last ten years have been very hard without you, but my heart is much lighter knowing that you are alive."
There was a soft knock on the heavy wooden door. "Come in," said Mr. Weasley.
Harry slipped into the room. He was carrying a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese. "All right, Ron?" he said.
Ron smiled wanly. "All right."
"I thought you might be hungry," said Harry. "It's not much, but I thought perhaps I should keep it simple."
The sight of the food set Ron's stomach to rumbling again. "Thanks," he said, taking the offering and setting to with a will.
"When are we going to explain everything to him?" asked Ginny.
"How many blows to the head do you think he can take in one day?" said Bill.
Ron glanced back and forth between the others. "What could be worse than learning that you've gone ten years forward in time and that three of your family members are dead?" he said, taking a bite of cheese.
Harry's mouth thinned. "You haven't heard the worst of it yet," he said.
Ron paused in mid-chew. "Tell me," he said after a moment.
The other adults looked at Harry. "In a minute," Harry said decisively. "Eat first, and then the five of us will go and see Hermione."
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, spraying a few crumbs in his haste. He blushed and swallowed before saying any more. "Where is she? Why hasn't she come?"
"Because she can't," said Bill.
"She was injured a few weeks ago," Ginny added.
"She barely escaped with her life," Harry concluded darkly. "I have ordered her to stick to bed rest though she does do some light paperwork to keep herself from going crazy. I went to see her just a few minutes ago and she'd already heard the rumors. I've taken the liberty of telling her your story so that you won't have to tell it again so soon. If you'd care to add more detail later that will be up to you."
"You ordered her?" said Ron as he polished off the last of the bread. It was astonishing how fast he had downed it.
"Didn't Neville tell you?" said Harry with a twisted smile. "I am the head of the Order of the Phoenix."
"Well, he said you were his leader, but I didn't know that meant... Where is Dumbledore?"
More significant glances passed between the adults. "We'll get to that," said Harry, and Ron's heart sank a little. Dumbledore was a rock upon whom they had all depended. If he was gone, then the times were dark indeed. His presence would have been a beacon of hope.
"Finished already?" said Harry, raising an eyebrow at the crumbs on Ron's shirt that were all that was left of the bread and cheese.
Ron shrugged. "You were right. I was hungry."
Everyone stood up. "We're coming too, of course," said Mr. Weasley.
Harry smiled. "I won't make any effort to separate you," he said. "Let's go; Hermione is probably climbing the walls by now."
They headed down the hallway, moving back the way that Ron had first come. People who saw him pass waved cheerfully and shouted greetings. It seemed that some of those who had followed Ron into the room he had just left had stuck around in the hope of seeing him again. Dean and Parvati were there, grinning from ear to ear. Ginny and Bill stuck close by Ron as they walked, pointing out people and telling him who they were. He had been right about the young blonde men being the Creevey brothers and about Angelina. A few members of the D.A. were also there, including Ernie Macmillan, Zacharias Smith, and Hannah Abbot, but there were also people that Ron had never expected to see. Marietta Edgecombe, Marcus Flint, and Blaise Zabini were people whose presence Ron thought could use some explaining. Well, perhaps not Marietta; at least she hadn't been a Slytherin.
The group turned off down a quiet side corridor. The lamps that lined the walls glowed with a soft, comforting light. "This is our 'hospital wing'," Harry explained. "Ah – here we are." He pushed the nearest door open and everyone stepped inside.
There was only one person among the white beds. Hermione stood up as Harry, Ron, and the other Weasleys entered. Like Ginny, she had grown and changed but was just as familiar as ever. She was not smiling; her lips quivered and her brown eyes watered with tears. She put both hands to her mouth and made quick gasping noises as she stared fixedly at Ron. "Oh, my," she said in a small voice. "Oh, my." She seemed to be trying not to burst out crying.
Watching Hermione attempt to master herself, Ron felt a huge lump forming in his own throat although he felt in no danger of crying any more himself. The realization that he had been greatly missed was finally sinking in. His family, his friends, Harry and Hermione, even his old teachers seemed overwhelmed by his reappearance. While Ron still desperately wished that none of this had ever happened, he couldn't help but feel warmed by the welcome he was receiving.
Hermione crossed the room and Ron suddenly found himself being hugged yet again. "I can't believe it," she murmured. "I just can't believe it. We thought you were dead – oh, Ron!" She gave him a particularly tight squeeze and Ron couldn't suppress a grunt. When she let go she was beaming like the sun although more than a few tears had escaped her. "You look just like I remember."
"You mostly look like I remember," Ron said truthfully. Hermione burst into hiccupy laugher and Ron felt pleased that he had amused her. He didn't really like to see her cry, even if it was from pure happiness.
"How are you feeling, Hermione?" asked Harry.
"Perfectly fine," she said, wiping her eyes. "You know that. Why won't you take me off the sick list?" The tone of her voice indicated that they had had this discussion more than once before.
"Soon," said Harry.
"That's what you said a few days ago," Hermione griped.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look," he said, "you did almost die. It scared the living daylights out of me, so you'll forgive me if I selfishly want to keep you out of harm's way for just a little bit longer."
Hermione's face softened. "All right," she said. "I know what you mean. I felt the same way after you…" She trailed off, looking uncertainly at Ron. "Does he know?"
A spasm contorted Harry's face for a moment. Ron thought about what Bill had said – that Fred and Hagrid had died saving Harry's and George's lives. "They told me," he said. "You don't have to tiptoe around it." The weight in the pit of his stomach shifted. It was surreal, half of his family being gone, but that's the way it was; he would have to get used to the notion eventually.
"I'm very sorry, Ron," said Hermione.
Ron gave her a half-smile. "Thanks."
"How are you doing?" she asked gently.
"Better," said Ron. "After I saw the Burrow and what had happened to London I realized that everyone might be dead, so it wasn't completely unexpected, but…" He trailed off.
Hermione smiled weakly. "Yeah. I know what you mean. By the time Voldemort was finally defeated, we had lost too many friends. We didn't have a chance to mourn them until it was all over."
Ron barely heard the second sentence. "You-Know-Who was defeated?" he said numbly.
The others looked at each other. "At the end of our seventh year," said Harry. "Didn't you realize that?"
"London's destroyed, half my family is dead, the Order is in hiding…" stammered Ron. "I just assumed…"
"You've heard talk of the Legion and the Tyrant, haven't you?" said Bill. "You-Know-Who never called himself the Tyrant."
"Well, I did just miss the last ten years," Ron said defensively, "and it seems to me that a tyrant is exactly what You-Know-Who wanted to be!"
"You're right," Harry said apologetically, holding up a hand. "I'm sorry. We've all gotten used to the idea that Voldemort is gone; you haven't had that chance. Of course you would look at all this desolation and assume that it was his doing. The fact is that we've been dealing with a new… problem… for almost seven years."
"What problem?" said Ron.
"Perhaps I'd better start at the beginning," said Harry. "For you that will be the day you disappeared. For two months the Order's efforts were focused almost entirely upon finding you."
"Yes, we've told him about that," said Mr. Weasley.
Harry nodded. "No one wanted to give up on you, Ron, but in the end we had no choice. Voldemort was flexing his muscles and the Order had to focus on him. Attacks on villages were happening more frequently and we had a hard time knowing when and where they would happen. As for me, I went into advanced training. Dumbledore was trying to teach me the things he knew, including Legilimency and Occlumency, since I eventually would have to face Voldemort." Harry paused. "Do you remember how I told you at the birthday party that I had something to tell you on the train?"
Ron nodded.
"Suffice it to say that Dumbledore heard Professor Trelawney give a prophecy about me and Voldemort during her job interview," said Harry. "She predicted that I would be his alter-ego, the one with the power to defeat him, but that one of us would have to die for the other to triumph."
Ron listened with wide eyes. No wonder Harry had been so closed and withdrawn. Learning that on top of losing Sirius must have been dreadful. "That's the prophecy that was smashed in the Department of Mysteries?" he said.
"Exactly," said Harry. "And even though I didn't hear it, Dumbledore had his memory of the event in his pensieve. Anyway, now that I knew that I really had to face Voldemort, I had to get ready. It was all-consuming; Dumbledore became something like a private tutor to me. I barely attended regular lessons anymore."
"Didn't the other students notice?" asked Ron.
"It didn't matter," said Harry. "Shortly after you disappeared Voldemort went public with his desire to destroy me, so everyone understood why Dumbledore was teaching me even though they didn't know about the prophecy." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Now that I think back on it, I'm glad that I had something so important to do. It helped me keep my mind off of Sirius – and you."
"The last two years of school were dreadful," said Hermione. "The constant fighting was bad enough, but with you gone and Harry always with Dumbledore it got very lonely for me. The rest of the D.A. did try to fill the void" – Hermione gave Ginny a grateful smile that Ginny returned – "but the three of us had always been together. It just wasn't the same."
"Voldemort and his Death Eaters finally besieged Hogwarts in our seventh year," said Harry. "Everyone suspected that it was coming. What greater victory could Voldemort gain than defeating Dumbledore and the Boy Who Lived in their stronghold? Suddenly Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick had their hands full protecting the school. Heads of House are entrusted with that duty, you know."
"No, I didn't," said Ron.
"They all had to work together," Ginny put in. "Whatever they did, it was pretty powerful magic."
"But it left me without Dumbledore," said Harry. "He had wanted to be with me when it came time to fight Voldemort. When the D.A. found out what I was going to do, they insisted on coming along. Nothing I could say or do would keep them back. In the end I was reduced to begging that the underage members stay behind but it was all for naught. They protected me while I tried to reach Voldemort. Some of them did so with their lives. And I did reach him, thanks to them, and I defeated him."
"How?" said Ron.
"I've never told anyone," Harry said simply.
Ron gaped at him. "Why not? Didn't anyone see you?"
"Voldemort called up a fog that surrounded both him and Harry," said Hermione. "None of us saw what happened between them."
"And I don't like talking about it," Harry said flatly. "It doesn't matter that he was evil personified; I still had to commit murder to rid the world of him, but at least he's completely gone this time. He can't ever return."
Ron was flabbergasted by this attitude. He felt fairly sure that if he had killed You-Know-Who he would want the whole world to know about it. Just like Harry had said, the man was evil on legs. Ron thought that ought to be enough to justify the killing in Harry's eyes; it certainly was enough for him. He wanted to press Harry on the subject, but Hermione caught his eye and gave her head a subtle shake. Ron resolved to get a moment with her later on. If Harry had given any details of You-Know-Who's destruction away, he would have given them to her and her alone.
Ron waited expectantly for the story to continue, but Harry was staring off into space, looking as if he had forgotten that anyone else was there. Hermione cleared her throat and picked up where he had left off. "Voldemort's Death Eaters delivered one last blow at the school once they saw that their master had been felled. The forces on our side did subdue them pretty quickly after that – Voldemort's downfall gave everyone new strength – but the damage was done. The wards on the school itself were severely damaged, and Dumbledore and the four Heads were badly injured. They had been maintaining and strengthening the wards when the Death Eaters struck."
"The school and the students inside were untouched," said Ginny, "but we paid a heavy price for it."
"Well, Snape, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout are okay," said Ron.
"They are now, but they weren't then," said Hermione. "The three of them made it down a long road to recovery. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, though… they weren't so fortunate."
"Dumbledore bore the brunt of the attack, and Professor McGonagall slightly less than him," said Bill. "Both have been senseless since the incident."
"We've placed spells around them to keep them from aging and naturally passing away," said Mr. Weasley, "but that policy has lately come under serious debate. Eight years of trying to bring them back have failed, and many people think they should be allowed to die – myself included. I have no hope that they can be restored." He glanced sideways at Harry whose jaw had acquired a decidedly stubborn set.
"Why was it so bad for them?" Ron asked softly.
"Because they were Headmaster and deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts," said Bill. "They had a larger part in the protection of the school than the other Heads."
"Getting back to the timeline…" said Harry, clearly eager to steer away from the subject of Dumbledore and McGonagall. "You're probably thinking that everything was peaceful after Voldemort's defeat, but that was hardly the case. Everything was chaos. People were burying their friends and family. Hogsmeade was entirely destroyed and Diagon Alley had been badly hit. There were hundreds of witches and wizards without homes because their villages were destroyed. Some of the Death Eaters were still on the loose and obsessive manhunts began. The Ministry was utterly swamped; Voldemort was unscrupulous in his attacks and plenty of Muggles had either died or seen magic being used. The magical economy was going south with businesses in shambles and prices skyrocketing. Hogwarts was severely weakened without its wards, and with Dumbledore gone our community was suddenly without a strong leader."
"What about Fudge?" said Ron.
Bill snorted. "He was never a strong leader. If he'd been at all adept You-Know-Who would have had him killed. No one really trusted him after he was finally forced to admit that Harry and Dumbledore had been telling the truth about You-Know-Who all along."
"He wasn't such a bad Minister when times were good," Mr. Weasley said fairly. "But when the going got tough…" He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Fudge wasn't really in charge any more," said Hermione. "The Ministry was falling apart. It had been badly infiltrated by Voldemort's spies and no one knew who was trustworthy and who was an enemy. There was also a power struggle going on between Fudge and a dozen other people who wanted his job."
"Who won?" Ron asked, scarcely daring to imagine how they would answer. It had to have been someone really awful for the world to have fallen apart the way it had. No one competent would have allowed it.
Everyone looked very uncomfortable for a moment; no one seemed to want to answer. Harry's face had gone dark, Hermione was watching Harry anxiously, and Mr. Weasley and Bill were looking sad and introspective. Finally Ginny answered Ron's query. "Percy," she said.
Ron's jaw dropped. "Percy?" he said in complete disbelief. "How? Did he stop being a complete and utter git?"
"No," Bill muttered through clenched teeth.
"He's much worse than a git," said Ginny.
Ron looked at the others' faces. There was obviously some very bad blood between the Order and Percy.
"Percy became Minister when some of the warring factions aligned behind him," said Harry in a very hard voice. "Our thinking is that they hoped he would be like Fudge – merely a figurehead that was easy to manipulate."
"Wait a minute," said Ron. "Wasn't there an election? Percy was always devoted to Fudge. People had to know that! Why didn't the Order put a candidate forward?"
"We did," said Mr. Weasley. "Kingsley Shacklebolt was our man."
"He was perfect," said Bill. "He was younger than Fudge but not too young to be considered inexperienced. He had distinguished himself during the war – become a hero, in fact. His reputation was spotless, and best of all, he was an Auror. People wanted a warrior after You-Know-Who and the whole Fudge debacle."
"He was very popular," said Harry, "and that's why some of those factions grouped together and picked their figurehead. It was either get together or face losing power."
"And they were going to lose power," said Hermione, "so they rigged the election."
"They had to have done," said Harry. "It's the only way Percy could have won. He was nowhere near as dynamic or engaging as Kingsley and had little public support."
"What do you mean, 'they had to have done'?" said Ron. "Aren't you sure about what happened?"
"We are sure," said Harry. "Everyone was sure. If you'd been around when it had happened you would understand. The outrage people expressed when Percy was declared the winner… it was really something."
"The problem was that we couldn't prove any wrongdoing," said Hermione. "Percy's backers really did the thing properly so they wouldn't be caught."
"They bribed or blackmailed members of the Wizengamot," said Ginny. "That was the group that officially looked into the claims that the election was fixed."
"They covered their tracks – destroyed papers, avoided being seen with certain people, that sort of thing," said Bill.
"How could judges do such a thing?" Ron exclaimed angrily. "Take bribes and look the other way, I mean? Didn't they know that keeping the world from falling apart was more important than money?"
Mr. Weasley sighed. "Ron, what you have to remember is that no one's futures were secure anymore. Jobs were scarce. Prices for everything were sky-high. People were losing their homes. Only the people who had been wealthy before the fall of You-Know-Who could feel certain that they would be provided for. Suddenly money was everything."
"But they put their own comfort before the good of everyone else!" said Ron.
"They did," said Mr. Weasley, "and they disgraced themselves and their positions by doing so."
"Once Percy was elected things really started to disintegrate," said Harry. British magical folk were furious with the Ministry and everything associated with it. They had already lost too much to Voldemort, too much that couldn't be replaced, and feelings of betrayal led to violence."
"Two members of the Wizengamot were attacked in Diagon Alley by a mob," said Bill. "Percy had the perpetrators punished. Harshly."
Ron could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Wizards fighting wizards right in the middle of Diagon Alley?
"The ringleaders were tried and hung in the square in front of Flourish and Blotts," said Harry. "And this was just the beginning, because Percy had gotten a taste for power. We didn't know it until later, but Draco Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge had become his two chief advisors. They may seem like strange bedfellows, but you and I both know that Percy was vulnerable to flattery and those two can please whom they wish."
Ron was beginning to feel sick.
"The Order regrouped," Harry continued. "It had never disbanded, but more than half of the members were now dead and the loss of Dumbledore hit us all hard. He was the glue that held everything together, and he'd been doing it for so long that we were almost unable to function without him. Kingsley became our leader, and we were trying to oppose Percy, but we were in over our heads.
"Percy and his advisors decided that measures had to be taken to prevent mob violence in the future. He organized a sort of police force to sniff out the people who planned to incite such acts and gave that force a good deal of latitude. Arrests were made and charges were brought. When two more people were executed as traitors, the magical community finally began to take Percy seriously."
"And then Kingsley was arrested," said Hermione. "They had nothing on him; the police had to create evidence and invent conversations that never happened."
"But Percy must not have been in his right mind!" Ron interjected, unable to hold back any more. "He always was an ass, but he would never do anything like that! He liked rules and regulations, not killing!"
"Percy changed," Bill said tightly. "Power can be seductive, especially when you have the wrong people whispering in your ear, urging you to take it."
"But –" said Ron.
"He was practicing the Dark Arts by the time Kingsley was jailed!" said Bill in very harsh tones. "Malfoy was teaching him everything his father had known!"
Ron was silent. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
"Draco and Umbridge probably convinced Percy that it was the best way to get the populace under control," Hermione said gently. "You said it yourself – he liked rules and regulations, and he was already warped by Fudge's fanaticism. I think it really is possible that if he thought the end result was important enough, then any means of achieving it was justified."
"But the Dark Arts are still dark, no matter what you use them for," said Mr. Weasley. "They corrupt souls as surely as water and air will rust iron. Once Percy started down that path he just kept going."
Ron did not answer; he had nothing to say. As ill as it made him feel to think of Percy as a wielder of the Dark Arts and dupe to two of the most worthless people in the world, he thought he could see how it happened. Percy was ambitious and angry with his parents, so he rebelled by moving out and taking up a political position that they opposed. He followed the leader of that position with dauntless zeal and then, when offered the chance to be in charge himself, he took it. People poured honeyed words into his ear and he was only too happy to listen. Bit by bit they proposed courses of action that seemed a little shady, but once they had been taken the next path didn't seem so dark. He was led to water like a docile cow, and by the time he got there he had completely transformed without even realizing the extent of the change.
"The Order had been talking of an overthrow of the Ministry for some time," said Harry, "though none of us wanted to resort to such extreme measures. Voldemort had left the world in shambles; we wanted to preserve the government if at all possible. But when Kingsley was arrested it was confirmed that Malfoy and Umbridge had Percy's ear, and we knew that it was now or never.
"I was chosen as the leader of the Order in Kingsley's absence," Harry continued. "By now other groups had formed who opposed Percy's government, and I made overtures to them to form an alliance. They saw as clearly as we did that time was running out for all of us; if we didn't act we would all be living under an iron fist. It was agreed that we would attack three days before the date of Kingsley's execution. The plan was to storm the Ministry by force and stage a coup. Kingsley would be released, Madam Bones of the Wizengamot would be set up as a temporary Minister, and elections would be held again."
Harry paused, looking angry. The others' faces were sad and resigned. "I suppose it didn't work, then," Ron said softly.
"We were betrayed," said Harry, and the razor-sharp edge was back in his voice. "You remember Pansy Parkinson?"
"Pansy?" Ron said incredulously. "Who was mad enough to trust her with anything?"
"She must have been a good actress," said Hermione. "Everyone knew she'd been Malfoy's girlfriend."
"She was involved in one of these other groups – the Resistance, as they called themselves," said Harry. "Undoubtedly she was working as a spy, because she ran straight to Malfoy when she learned of the plan."
Ginny called Pansy a very rude name under her breath.
"We never had a chance to stage our coup," said Harry. "Percy hit the other groups hard. Their headquarters were burned, and most of the people inside did not escape. Anyone who did make it outside was killed on the spot. Kingsley was executed that very day, ahead of schedule. The only reason the Order survived was that Pansy did not know where our headquarters were."
"Percy did that?" Ron whispered. A tear slid down his father's cheek.
"He didn't soil his own hands," Harry said bitterly, "but he gave the orders. He admitted as much the next day, making a proclamation that called the dead traitors. He declared anyone who plotted against his government to be guilty of sedition and an outlaw. Not that we cared much; we might be treasonous but Percy had seized power illegally and was no better than the scum who served him."
"Percy's actions were enough to sufficiently cow the rest of the magical population," said Hermione. "His forces had grown to sizes much larger than the Order. We were overmatched, our allies were dead, and we had been branded as traitors. The Order was forced underground."
"How was London destroyed?" Ron asked timidly, afraid of what the answer would be. This story only got worse and worse as it went on.
"I'm coming to that," said Harry. "The short answer is that it happened when Percy went mad."
"He wasn't already?" said Ron darkly.
Harry and Mr. Weasley exchanged glances. "He was corrupted, certainly," said Mr. Weasley. "The young man I had raised was gone; a new personality had taken his place. But it was the death of his wife that pushed him over the edge and into insanity."
"Penelope," Ron said. Who else could it be? Percy had been wild about her.
"He married Miss Clearwater clandestinely during your fifth year," said Mr. Weasley. "I can only suppose that he kept it quiet because he didn't want his mother and me to know."
"After Malfoy and Umbridge became Percy's advisors, Penelope noticed a drastic change in him," said Ginny. "She felt uneasy and tried to convince him to rid himself of their influence, but he wouldn't listen. She found out that she was pregnant at about the same time that Percy started hanging people. By then he had changed so much that she was afraid for her child's future, so she left him and came to us."
"Percy suspected she'd gone to a rival faction," said Bill. "He was furious. His people were scouring the country looking for her."
"He didn't want to hurt her," said Ginny. "He just wanted her back, but she wouldn't go. She said she was afraid of him – of what he'd become – but she still loved him."
"She loved the man she used to know," Hermione corrected. "It would have been better for everyone if she'd been able to banish him from her heart for good."
"You can't know that, Hermione," said Mr. Weasley. "Even if she had lived Percy still might have gone mad. With Malfoy, Umbridge and the Dark Arts poisoning him it was probably just a matter of time."
"Percy kept writing to Penelope asking her to at least talk to him," Ginny explained. "She didn't really think she'd be able to make a difference, but she said she owed it one last try. She thought that if anyone could make him see reason, it was his wife."
"And so she went against our advice," said Harry. "The morning she left was the last time we saw her. The next thing we knew, warnings were coming from our spies in the Ministry that Penelope was dead and Percy was blaming us."
Ron gasped. "How did she die?"
"Umbridge killed her," Harry said gravely. "She used the Killing Curse, so it was mercifully quick, but then she and Malfoy brought her body to Percy and said that she'd been found like that in front of the Ministry. They claimed that the Order had killed her."
"And like the fool that he was he bought the story hook, line, and sinker," Bill said bitterly.
"He went crazy," said Harry. "He left the Ministry in a raging madness and set about ravaging everything in sight. His followers were only too happy to join him."
"Couldn't you do anything to stop him?" Ron whispered.
Harry laughed mirthlessly. "We tried – for about five minutes. Percy was a more than competent wizard, Ron. It wasn't just adherence to rules that made him a prefect and then Head Boy; it was magical prowess. He learned the Dark Arts very thoroughly, and his hate and wrath made it impossible to stand before him. As much as we loathed it, we fled and lived to fight another day."
"A good part of London was destroyed," said Hermione. "Some of the pillaging has happened since, but much of it was done on that day."
"Everything was even worse after that," said Bill. "Everyone was utterly terrified and Percy's police state was solidified. There were Muggle refugees everywhere; our worlds had been blended again. Percy's followers began rounding up the poor people and setting them to work."
"They were enslaved," Hermione said flatly.
"The Muggle government was scrambling to explain what was happening," said Harry. "A few direct attacks later and it had entirely crumbled. Muggles were attempting to flee the country in droves; they couldn't possibly expect to withstand repeated assaults by a force they could neither explain nor wield themselves."
"Percy's 'revolution' inspired similar uprisings in other countries on the Continent," said Mr. Weasley. "No one wanted to take in the British Muggles; they had their own problems keeping their countries together."
"Suddenly the magical world decided that it was time it put the Muggles under its thumb," Ginny said derisively. "It's disgusting how many people joined in."
"Why didn't they just come to you?" Ron said angrily, trying to make sense of the senseless things he was hearing.
"Who, the Muggles or the people who didn't vote for Percy?" Bill said coldly. "The Muggles were terrified and can't be held accountable. It's the wizarding world that failed. Ordinary witches and wizards were faced with a choice: oppose Percy and become hunted outlaws or take part in a new hierarchy. Most of them took the easy choice and sided with Percy by not opposing him. They stood by and watched while his followers subjugated the Muggles. If they had been willing to band together then, we still could have stopped Percy even though we had been weakened by Pansy's betrayal."
"We fought back where we could – stopping the capture of Muggles, hiding them, aiding their escape," said Harry. "We've been nipping at Percy's flanks ever since." The stony look on his face told Ron that he was not happy at the Order's inability to make much of a difference.
Silence fell upon the small group. The weight in Ron's stomach seemed to have doubled in size. The British magical government was a sham and the country was in ruins. Wizard dictators were springing up all over the world. Muggles were slaves. The remains of his family were in hiding, and it was all because of one person – Percy. He had just heard the whole story and still Ron could hardly believe it. Percy was just about the last person on earth who he would have thought could become such a powerful Dark wizard.
"The Muggles started referring to Percy as the Tyrant," said Mr. Weasley, ending the quiet moment. "They call his followers the Legions. There are a few Muggles who have actually risen above their fellows to become foremen of sorts. They call themselves the Muggle Containment Force."
"It is no longer safe to roam the streets," Harry said gravely. "Only Muggles, their supervisors, and the Legions walk freely outdoors. Even the witches and wizards who didn't choose sides don't go about without great caution. They didn't ally with anyone and so they are not trusted either by Percy or by us. Most of them reside in villages that are ruled over by faithful members of the Legion, but they still live in considerably greater comfort than the enslaved Muggles – or us."
"What about the other races – the giants, the centaurs, the goblins…?" asked Ron.
"Those that weren't wiped out by Dolores Umbridge have gone into hiding, just like us," said Hermione. "She hated 'half-breeds', remember?"
"Hogwarts has been leveled," said Harry. "St. Mungo's and the old Ministry of Magic are gone, too. They were all remnants of the old way of life. The new world of magical dominance is aptly symbolized by the Black Tower. The Legions built it and it is their fortress."
"I saw it," said Ron, remembering the spire he had seen before Neville had caught him. "From a distance!" he exclaimed when the others looked alarmed.
"We stay away from it," Harry said firmly, and Ron knew that he was being instructed to do the same. "Those of us who have ventured near it have only met death there."
Ron was about to ask how when the door suddenly opened and Remus Lupin stuck his head in. "There you are, Harry!" said the werewolf. "You are needed immediately."
"Is it –" said Harry.
"Yes," said Lupin.
Harry hurriedly got to his feet; so did Bill and Mr. Weasley. "I'm sorry, Ron," he said, "but I need to see to this."
"Dad?" said Ron, feeling worried by the urgency in Harry's voice.
"Nothing is wrong," Mr. Weasley said reassuringly. He put a hand on Ron's shoulder and squeezed it. "It's just something we've been waiting for. Stay with Ginny and Hermione; we'll see you again soon, and hopefully we'll have Fred with us next time."
"Okay," said Ron. He didn't want them to go but he had no say in the matter.
Harry, Bill, and Mr. Weasley ducked out of the room. Lupin put his head in one last time and smiled warmly at the three remaining occupants. "Welcome back, Ron," he said, and he shut the door behind him, leaving Ron alone with Ginny and Hermione.
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A/N: There are two reasons for my not explaining how Harry defeated Voldemort. First of all, I don't know exactly how he did it and I'm going to have to save that for my year 7 story. Second, it's not important as far as this story is concerned. Voldemort's gone and Harry won; it seems natural to me that he wouldn't want to talk about it much.
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