Ron Weasley and the Runes of the Four
Chapter One
Ron Weasley pulled his way through the low hanging branches that seemed to weave a web of obstruction all around him, catching at his robes and hair and scratching at his face. The night sky was obscured by the overhead canopy of tree limbs and cool, being late October, and his quick breathing left a light plume with each hurried gasp for air. His heart beat in his chest like a drum roll and he trembled with a fear he could not identify. He looked around but the forest was dense, too dense to see far. And far denser than the Forbidden Forest had ever been…
And this time he was all alone…
A sound to his right made him turn suddenly, green eyes wide with a fear as he reached for his wand with a shaky hand. "Bloody hell!" he cried out as he gave his ankle a half twist against a jutting tree toot and pitched forward on his face in the dew damp moss. He groaned from the pain in his ankle, and then covered his mouth, trying hard to see ahead, raising his head. Through loose strands of red hair, he could barely see movement, the shadows moving ahead. Was he being stalked by something? He swallowed, trembling as he brought his wand up to the ready, peering as best he could ahead.
Footsteps paced ahead of him, not too far ahead. Carefully, favoring his injured left ankle, he stood up, using the tree as cover to avoid being seen by however or whatever it was. He felt cold and lonely without the presence of his friends Harry and Hermione nearby and for a moment, a bout of indecision seized him so strongly he felt like turning and running back towards the safety and security of Hogwarts. And then a smile slowly crept up and spread across his lips. "I can do this," he whispered to himself. "I don't need them for everything now do I?" Brandishing his wand with a hand on slightly more steady than the moment before, he slowly stepped forward, wincing with each step on his left foot, but trying not to make a sound.
Up ahead there was a break in the trees, a small clearing. Despite the opening in the overhead tree branches there was still a shadow that seemed to cover everything, that seemed to trap the cold not only in Ron's robes but also under his skin and along his spine. He stopped and leaned against a large tree, looking about for what he thought he saw moving just moments before. Above the moon was a half disc of silver, its light muted…
And Ron saw why…
A tall broad shouldered man in a dark robe stalked around the clearing. His back was to Ron and he looked as if he was looking at something. Taking the opportunity to maintain stealth, Ron did a bit of stalking himself, moving as silently as he could around the edge of the clearing towards whatever the figure was looking at. His skin felt cold and tingly and Ron shivered more as his earlier confidence started to weaken as he realized the truth of the matter. He was alone, a potentially hostile person was only a stone's throw in front of him and he was already injured to make a run for it. How he could already hear Harry and Hermione's voice in his head…"Way to go, Ron!" he could imagine Harry saying. "You can do it!" This of course may him smile and puff up with pride. But then he heard Hermione…
"Look at what you've gone off and done now!" she would scold him. "Well I guess you're finally going to have to try to think for yourself for a change. Be a surprise if you don't go and get yourself flattened by something." Ron tightened his grip on his wand, a mix of anger and cold terror forcing him to draw a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh that he was sure couldn't be heard by the man pacing before him.
But it was heard by the smaller figure hiding close by. A rustling of leaves close by made Ron jump back barely choking back a yelp of surprise. He leaned back against a tree as the pain in his ankle got worse. He looked around quickly and saw in the shadows a person hiding, obviously from the broad-shouldered man. But the shadows still played tricks with his vision and he could only see that the person had long dark hair, and he could see a bare hint of blue and white on the person's clothing. A girl, he realized, shorter than himself and trying to move deeper into the forest. He looked at her, brow furrowing, confused by everything. But at least she might know what was happening. "Excuse me," he started. "But…who are—" The girl gasped and Ron realized his mistake. Sneaking. Quiet! He face palmed himself as he heard the man growl angrily. He turned to face the man and gulped. The towering figure was already holding a wand in hand.
"There you are you little meddler!" he growled menacingly. "You'll go no farther!" He then saw Ron for the first time and his wand moved in his direction. "I see you've bought help but it will do you no good." He turned a deadly sneer to Ron and said in a venomous hiss, "Avada Kedav--!"
Ron panicked and the death curse was not finished before the fifth year could react with a counter charm. With wand already in hand, he cried out, "Expecto Patronum!" The green flash of deadly light arced out and met the white flash of Ron's protector. And from Ron's wand came…a hail of fiery white butterflies! The man stumbled back, startled, recoiling from the stinging impacts of the multitude of ghostly insects the light filling the clearing with flickering illumination now. The man almost looked familiar but before he could fully see the man's face, or look back at the girl, the light of the Patronus expanded and filled the clearing. He threw up his arms to cover his face, crying out as the light burned his eyes and made his head throb in pain.
And as the pain increased, he felt himself fall back, passing into a void of darkness.