The Calm Before the Storm

Three days had quickly become three hours. That was how long Ron had left in this screwed up world and during those last three hundred and sixty moments he was sitting playing chess in an all too quiet common room.

Ever since he had returned from St Mungo's everything had changed- and definitely not for the better. Apparently, shortly after he had left the hall with Snape, Dumbledore had disappeared as well. Harry had said that the wizard had looked old and drawn and seemed to have a slight problem standing as he exited. Twenty minutes later Smith had entered, taken the Headmaster's seat and declared that he had been taken to hospital and that she would be replacing him as Head of the school.

Ron glanced around the common room and tried to stop himself from shifting uncomfortably and allowing his anxiousness to show in full view. Shrugging off a growing feeling of disquiet he returned his eyes to the chessboard.

"Come on Rob. Concentrate," Harry teased lightly trying to dispel the tension, "I'm winning."

Ron gave a startled look toward his playing pieces and realised that Harry was two moves away from putting him into checkmate. He wondered how that could have possibly happened, but that was a stupid question when the answer was obvious.

As worrying as Dumbledore's disappearance was to Ron there was another emotion eating him from the inside out. Guilt. The constant churning of his stomach had reached butter making levels over the past day, as he was torn between the excitement of finally going home to his real family and friends and remorse at leaving everything he had done here behind. Ron had burst his way into a world that he had technically left a long time ago, pushed himself into the lives of those still grieving and unthinkingly ripped the stitching out of many old wounds. On the other hand he had cleared Sirius' name and gotten an insight into a life he defiantly didn't want to lead and could maybe hope to prevent. The problem being that he was abandoning his new/old friends to this world and whatever it could throw at them.

Any attempt to discuss this little predicament with the others became futile as soon as it was conceived. Ever since Dumbledore's departure keen eyes had been trained on Harry and other key members of the school with questionable loyalties. Ron himself had caught certain portraits watching his every move and was becoming distressed over the question of whether the apparently foolproof plan to get him back home would actually work.

A letter had come from Lupin yesterday detailing that plans were in place for the corridors on route to the Doorway to be clear at exactly fifteen minutes before his departure time. How that was going to happen none of the three were entirely sure but it was just something else in which they would have to trust. In all his years of being friends with Harry Ron had never been entirely in the loop but it felt odd to be centre stage with only the briefest of scripts to follow; maybe this was what it felt like to be the famous Harry Potter.

He glanced at Hermione, a forgotten book in her lap as she watched them play. As his eyes caught hers and became locked together suddenly the feelings of guilt exploded again. He could see the depression she was trying to hide. The pain she was trying to prevent him from seeing.

Unable to stand it any longer he tore away and looked at his other best friend only to wish that eyes had found the floor instead for they practically mirrored Hermione's. What Ron didn't know was that his own face betrayed the same emotions only with the added tinge of betrayal. He was leaving them- again- and he felt as if he were personally handing them over to the dementors.

"You know," Ron began cautiously, "it could be that I can still win this game."

Harry looked at him questioningly.

"But if I did," he continued, "then maybe a couple of your players could be saved if they came with me."

"Robert what are you going on about?" Harry questioned, however Hermione quickly reached for her book in order to excuse herself from the conversation.

"What I'm saying is that wizard chess is a pretty brutal game and I'm sure that some of the pieces would prefer to join a new set rather than… lose." He stared Harry in the eyes and his friend nodded in understanding of what he was trying to say.

"You could offer them a way out yes," Harry said airily as if describing the weather to hide the seriousness of what they were saying, "but they would never fit into another set. They're stuck in the game they've played and to simply leave because things aren't going to get better is a betrayal of their team."

"But Harry your- they're going to lose. You can see that!" Ron pleaded.

"Rob the decision has been made," Hermione spoke quietly, "the pieces will stay where they are, where they are meant to be. I'm sorry but it's the only way."

"What if I stayed?"

Hermione shot him a glare at his lack of tact in terms of those listening and the suggestion itself. "Don't be an idiot Robert," she said forcefully whispered, "you have a huge part to play back home and I'm going to get you there if I have to push you through myself. You're needed there. You know that now more than ever."

Ron nodded in grudging acceptance and leaned back in his seat with a heavy sigh. His fingers began tapping restlessly and he glanced at the clock slowly ticking on the wall in front of him.

Harry tidied away the chess set as it became obvious that the game wasn't going to be finished- shame, he may have actually won, and sat down on the couch next to Ron. He felt somewhat relieved that he and Ron couldn't discuss their coming separation. Yes, it was great having his best friend back and alive but he didn't want to have to deal with losing him again any sooner than he would have to. After Ron's death in his world he hadn't been allowed to mourn properly due to Hermione's distress, it may have been that in fact that brought him out of his slow slump into depression as Voldemort grew in power. This time however his friend wasn't dying and he would even get to say goodbye, but he had to keep any emotion in check. The constant watching was a danger to Ron and the Doorway. If anyone had inkling of what was down that corridor well… he couldn't even bare to think about that. He too glanced at the clock and revelled in the comfortableness of being able to sit quietly with his friends- a novelty he now fully appreciated.

Meanwhile Hermione was close to collapse. She had done her best to place a barrier between her Ron and this one but in seemed to be an impossible task. Maybe as she got older it would get easier, maybe one day she could move on, but today wasn't that day and neither was it one of those in the near future. She hid all of this from Ron though. He had only experienced a glimpse of what there could be between them and she couldn't risk his Griffindoric tendencies kicking in and keeping him and his Hermione apart out of some misplaced sense of sacrifice. If he knew how painful it was to be separated he may never allow them to be together in the first place. So she too relaxed into the unique experience of having time to waste without any pressing worries. Glancing at the clock she had two hours left until he had to go home so, locking this moment into her memory forever, she threw her book to the side and placed herself on the floor between the legs of her close friends, leaning her head against the front of the sofa.

Unfortunately the quiet lasted barley ten minutes for soon the portrait door was opened and Umbridge had entered.

"Hem hem." The deliberate cough silenced an already quiet common room. "You are all needed in the Great Hall. Now," she ordered.

Tiredly the Griffindors moved out under the toad's watchful eye. As Harry passed by she reached for his shoulder and held him back. "You will wait and walk with me Potter," her sugary sweet tone barley concealing the hatefulness of her glare. "Move along dearies," she smiled at Ron and Hermione.

The two friends looked at Harry in indecision. "Don't worry," he grimaced slightly and shuck off Umbrigde's touch, "I'll be down in a minute." They grudgingly shuffled away towards the hall when Ron heard Harry's voice, "Mind you don't get caught up in the passageway to the table, you don't want to be caught up in everyone else." His carefully hidden message triggered a sick feeling in Ron's stomach- Harry was reminding him of what Snape had told him to do in case of an emergency.

They had found the seat at dinner yesterday. It was fairly well hidden from the rest of the hall and towards the bottom of the wall behind it had been a brick with the image of an archway scratched into the mortar. Ron nodded to show his understanding and just hoped he wouldn't need to use it.

"Goodbye mate," Harry called once more.

Ron paused before turning to follow Hermione. "Goodbye," he replied, subtly waving back with a grim smile on his face.

It was quiet as every child and teacher sat down at the appropriate tables and the hall doors shut defiantly behind them.

Too quiet.

Ron manoeuvred himself to the corner as advised by Snape and Hermione settled next to him. With Harry still separated the broken trio glanced around nervously, their heartbeats racing and breaths short.

"This is it," she whispered.

"It- It can't be," he stuttered back, terrified, "not this soon."

His denial was to be answered in the calmest of manners. Slowly the great doors re-opened and five cloaked figures entered. No one offered any resistance.

Though the flagstones beneath their feet screamed in agony at being touched by such evil and the magical ceiling was gripped by a manic lightening storm in anger, the children of Hogwarts ignored its call. Every teacher except for Snape and Lupin dipped their heads in deference, two thirds of the pupils of all houses followed their teacher's lead whist any that showed any sign of opposition quickly found a wand trained on their position, often in the hands of the person sitting next to them.


AN: My beta is adament that you will all hate me now so I take great delight in saying that if you don't yet then you soon will, but that doesn't mean it'll end like that so please don't leave me now.

Thank you to all my reviewers I love you all.

sea-me-surf- this is how it gets worse and there's more to come.

broken rain- it's a pleasure to still get reviews from you especially as you've been reviewing from my very first story. I hope the writing has improved and that the depressive plot twists don't send you running lol. Meanwhile I'll carry on milking.