Shitza: Whew, finding inspiration and ideas for this chapter was incredible hard this time, yet I hope I got everything. I can say I had planned Ron's fate from the first beginning, yet if I killed him or not you'll see.

I do have an anxious feeling that JK Rowling is planning on something of this; after all on http: during one interview someone asked her this…

What will Ron's job be when he leaves school?

And she answered…

Well, assuming he lives to leave school... I'm not going to tell you

See my point… Unless read it once again. Yet as much as I can say Rowling can't kill him or make him disappear from the story! That would be brutal, after all she killed Sirius, so we don't need another of our favourite characters to die! I can accept death, of most kinds. I would love to see Cho die; yet as it is I think you guys must have affected my opinion in that. There are just too many Evil Cho fics around. I could even accept Dumbledore's death, yet I wouldn't like it. After all he is like Harry's grandfather through the story.

Oh well, talking too much again. Did the same thing at school today so at the moment I'm surprised I have my voice left.

Enjoy the chapter and please review! Review makes everyone happy, especially me.

Shitza

Chapter 34 Voldemort's Victory

Neville sighed as he looked at the sleeping brother of Gryffindor. He still hadn't swallowed what had happened. Due to Percy's words it sounded as if Ron was dead. Neville cursed himself… Had his prediction been so wrong? Why did he have to be such a fool? He had been so sure Ron would survive through this.

Tears falling from his eyes, as he stood bent over Percy checking the man's wounds Neville swore to revenge him. He would not accept this, he tried over and over again to see if the news were true, after all Percy was still unconscious and hadn't awoken since he stumbled up at the gates. The tears falling from his eyes dropped down onto the sheets, some of the tears even hit the wounds. Neville dried them up and tried to get back to work. At the same time he tried to see more, yet either he had been forbidden to see anything or he was only too unconcentrated to do it. He cursed once more.

At the moment both Hermione and Harry ran down the corridors to find either Cassie or Draco. Hermione eventually ran to find Draco first while Harry decided to find Cassandra. Yet he knew they would probably have to have a close watch on the girl afterwards. Knowing Cassandra she would probably take her life after this loss.

Hermione found Draco sitting in the library talking with Blaze and Blaise. The three boys looked up as she ran over to them, tears trickling from her eyes. Draco was immediately by her side and the two of them walked down to the great oak so that Hermione could tell him the awful news.

Meanwhile Harry found Cassandra by the lake. The Ravenclaw wore a blue satin robe with brown leather boots.

"Cassandra!" he called forcing himself to sound happier then he really was. He wanted to make sure the first thing she wouldn't do was to throw herself into the lake in despair.

Cassandra looked down at him and rose to her feet. Thankfully she climbed slowly down to him. As she stood in front of him, looking questioning, his mask of hope faded.

"Cassandra," he said. "Just some hours ago Percy arrived at the gates."

"Really," she said sounding relieved and thinking her love had managed to save his family after all. But when she saw Harry wasn't smiling at all she too looked worried.

"He told us," Harry continued. "That Voldemort had taken him."

Cassandra stared at him. First she couldn't believe his words, but as the message, after around five minutes, finally managed to sink in…

"No…" she said weakly. "NO, he can't have…" (Shitza: Yes indeed it is hard to think awful things happen you or someone near, I experienced that only last summer)

"Cassandra." Harry tried but the Ravenclaw backed away from him as if he had been made of poison. Then she ran back towards the lake, crying.

Harry hurried after, he knew what she was thinking, only a week ago she had told them something he would never forget.

-Flashback-

They were sitting in the Room of Requirement, just taking a short break from everything, enjoying themselves with some butterbeers and chocolate. Harry was playing Exploding Snap with Draco, loosing. Ron sat holding Cassandra while teasing her really roughly. The Ravenclaw giggled as the lion kissed her neck while silently purring. Hermione sat in one chair, reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, here and there the girl took out a napkin from her pocket to blow her nose or dry the tears. Neville was feeding a small Venomous tentacula with mice Hagrid had caught for him. Hagrid's cottage had very recently been invaded by mice so the half Giant had nothing against it.

Hermione looked up from her book and looked at the couple. Ron had finally stopped his little tease game and now he just sat in the sofa with Cass by his side. She rested her head on his shoulder.

Hermione smiled before turning her head back to the book. It was well written, but so sad. She was reading the part where Nancy was shot.

Tears trickled down her eyes. She couldn't help it, the whole book sounded like one enormous tragedy. Ron saw her crying and decided to see if she was okay.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

Hermione sniffed weakly and then smiled.

"Yes, everything is okay, it's just that one of my favourite characters in this book just died. It felt so sad. She was really nice and then someone she thought was good for her killed her. (Shitza: Sorry, long time since I read the book though, can't remember all the details.)

"Awful" Cassandra said and yawned. It was late; it was almost midnight to be exact.

"Death just is such a tragedy," the Ravenclaw continued. "Especially when people you know completely disappear from your life. I can't stand much more death. Next time someone will die I'll probably drown in the lake or fall from my broom deliberately.

Harry stared at her, he fully understood her opinion, after all not only her whole family had been killed, so a whole school she knew had completely been demolished. Sure enough Harry had experienced seeing his friends get murdered and he survive through it all. First his parents had died, then Cedric, after that Sirius, Cho and many more just because of the Prophecy he sometimes wished had been destroyed or something so that none of this may not have happened. Yet there also had to be two prophesies, not just one.

He didn't have more time to think because then his cards all exploded in his hand sending white and gold sparks around. He sighed as Malfoy did a victory sign with two fingers.

There was just something you couldn't beat that Malfoy in and that was exploding things.

-End Flashback-

Harry managed to finally catch up with Cassandra as she stood by the shore of the lake, picking up rocks and putting them in her pockets. He wondered how he would be able to tackle this problem. Panicking he sent a telepathic message to Draco, to get the other and hurry over. Then he slowly and carefully walked towards her, not daring to frighten her more then she already was.

"Cassandra" empty your pockets, come back to us. There is no need to sacrifice yourself because of this."

Cassandra stared at him, her black hair falling to hide one left eye from view.

"Do you think I am stupid, what do I have to live for now that he is dead? Do you have any idea of how much I loved him?"

Harry felt speechless, just then Hermione and Draco arrived from behind. When they saw what was happening Draco fired a Body bind curse on her. Cassandra fell to the ground, the stones falling out of her pockets. She could only watch as Hermione emptied and the pockets and threw the stones as far away as she could. Draco bent over the Ravenclaw and conjured up ropes to bind her. Then he lifted the curse, but Cassandra still couldn't move, completely bound to the ground.

"Are you mad!" he said angrily. "What use would it have to kill yourself like that, how would that help anyone? I thought you were the one to be clever around here, filled with wisdom as I've heard plenty of the Slytherins say. I never thought you could be such a coward Cassandra, death don't help you for everything."

"But…"

"No buts here Cassandra, you are wise enough to figure out when you have been a complete idiot and not. After all, we are not a hundred per cent sure of that Ron really is dead and if he would be, why kill yourself then? You are needed here and I guess Ron would be clearly disappointed of you if you just committed suicide, especially drowned yourself in the lake."

Cassandra was pale as a sheet, yet she didn't at least try to fight. Instead she calmed down, enough to let them untie her and lead her back to the castle. She was still sad, but at least she had abandoned all her thoughts of dying. Yet Hermione said she would take her to the Hospital Wing and then stay guarding her. After all this Ravenclaw had become slightly vulnerable.

Harry was relieved to see Hermione take care of the rest. With heavy steps both he and Draco followed. They thought first of going to bed, yet they changed their minds and followed Hermione up to the Hospital Wing, where Neville still sat bent over Percy taking care of the young man's wounds, which had almost completely healed. Neville was tired, but his payment had been that Percy would survive; he was away from all thinkable crises.

"Wonder when he will wake up?" Harry murmured before sitting down by the bed. Neville looked up at him.

"I have no idea Harry, his wounds are almost completely healed yet it's not only his body that was broken, his soul has been shattered over and over again, supposedly from shocks. You know Voldemort, he doesn't only attack your body, and he likes attacking your very spirit.

Draco sighed, and then he picked up the little green snake, which lay sleeping in his pocket, and fed it with what looked like rat ears. Harry gave him Zlits, who purred slightly as Draco too gave him to eat. Neville smiled at the two snakes. At least someone in this big castle didn't need to feel the darkness.

Harry tapped Zlits on the head, the snake looked up at him with its cute reptile eyes. Then it went back on eating.

Hermione entered, she looked tired but cheerful enough to smile. Cassandra had finally fallen asleep and at the moment she had asked Blaze to stand guard. She had seen him right outside putting traps for a certain cat. Even if Mrs Norris was a lot nicer towards them these days she still guarded the corridors.

The heirs and the sorceress stood discussing a lot of things that had happened. They didn't notice that Percy finally woke up. He blinked and tried to focus on the world around him.

"What time is it?" he asked.

The heirs, so unprepared for this jumped of fright before turning back towards him. Harry looked pale, Draco was still breathing harshly, Neville immediately began measuring up new potions for the next stage and Hermione was in tears.

Percy didn't understand a thing; after all he had been unconscious for a while. Harry sat down on a chair beside his bed.

"It's late around afternoon, yet none of us have really bothered checking the time. Yet Percy, before you fall asleep once more, tell us what happened to Ron?"

Percy looked at him, his eyes filled with tears. "It was horrible…" he started.

-Percy's Torture-

Me, mum, dada, Bill and Charlie had been captured just some days before they dragged in Ron to it all. The Death eaters came to our door in a surprise attack. They demolished everything to the ground, we tried to fight them, but they were just too many. They tied us all up, I remember mum having all these wounds on her arms. It was so horrible.

They took us to their Headquarters in Rosengard and they left us there in some dungeons. I can say it was three days after that we got there that they forced mum to write the letter to Ron. She tried to refuse, but the made her.

Ron arrived the next day; they had taken us all to watch. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was there to judge him, or so we thought. Ron looked so angry and hurt at the same time. Snape had brought him; once I get that traitor I will burn him into ashes. Voldemort told Ron he would let us all go in trade of the Gryffindor Powers. I can't understand why he didn't fight back, we screamed and warned him. Those two shook hands and…

The Dark Lord absorbed his powers, I don't know if it was all of it but it was much. Ron wasn't screaming, but I know he must have been in more pain then being hit by a Cruciatus curse. After that when he had fallen unconscious they dragged him down to the same dungeons as we had been brought down to. I know they tortured him because we could hear his screams even from the tallest tower.

-End-

Tears streamed down Percy's cheeks as he had finished telling them the short version of what had happened. Harry felt ice down his spine and he prayed Ron was still alive. He wondered how they would be able to get him out though; after all it was Voldemort you talked about.

"He demonstrated his powers quite brutally melting down a wall with hanging prisoners." Percy whispered as he had almost fallen asleep.

"One question Percy, how did you escape?" Hermione asked.

"They threw me out. I was so underfed and lost they presumed I was dead. When they threw me into the lake I took the opportunity to flee, I swam to the other side of the lake and then took me best I could back to England. The death eaters were fools enough not to make sure I truly fell to the bottom, they were gone by the time I had after a lot of descending managed to swim up to the surface."

Percy closed his eyes.

"If you don't have anything against it I think I would want some light before I die. I travelled in darkness and it would be good to see a light before I close my eyes forever."

To this both Draco and Harry smiled as the two together conjured up a small flame, which floated above the bed. Percy opened his eyes once more, smiled and then fell asleep again.

"You won't die" Neville said to the sleeping man. "I haven't been guarding you all this time to let you die again."

The Heirs smiled then went back to tell the news for Dumbledore.

They didn't get far down before they heard Professor McGonagall's voice down the Halls.

"ATTEBTION, DEATH EATER HAS BEEN SIGHTED AT THE GATES. GO DIRECTLY TO THE GREAT HALL, NO EXCEPTIONS!"

"Now what?" Harry said complaining as he, Draco, Hermione and Neville hurried down the stairs to the entrance hall. They ran past a bunch of teachers, outside and straight towards the gates. Indeed someone was there.

Outside the gates stood a hooded figure with the well-known mask on his face. Draco lifted the sleeve of his robe and was about to blow this thing back to Scandinavia when the hooded person said.

"No Draco, wait. It's me."

The person in front of them lowered the hood and removed the mask. To everyone's shock it was…

"RON!"

To Reviewers: See, didn't kill him. And sorry for having you waiting for this chapter but it has taken me a while to write. Yet hope you liked it…

Dannen: Thanks, not often people think it's a nice cliffhanger.

Draco's Wife Lover: Hi again, sorry for keeping you waiting for the chap. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter, I will be more detailed by Ron's conditions but right now… (Yawn) I'm so tired I can barely sit on the chair.

To Reviewers from other chapters:

donalddeutsch: Well, even if you where late you voted the same result as everyone else. I don't think there were any votes on Terry back then, poor guy, he had to be slightly unpopular.

End Notes:

Too tired on babbling, please review, flame or whatever you want. I love reviewers and I do wonder where my old reviewers went. I really hope people hasn't stopped reviewed, I know the story is incredible long and many parts not needed.

Shitza