Guilt and Innocence
Ron reached the dungeons and wasn't at all surprised to find Kingsley stood there with George; the two men though looked surprised by his presence.
"Ron what are you doing here? I'm taking over watch for Kingsley."
He looked up at his elder brother and felt sorrow flow through his veins. Life shouldn't be like this it was suppose to be fun and enjoyable where had the good times gone to?
"I need to speak to the Prisoner."
"Weasley I don't think that's a good idea."
"Kingsley my best friend is laying unconscious in a hospital bed, if there is any way the Prisoner can help me find out what happened I want to know. Now stand aside."
He moved to the door and opened it quickly stepping inside closing it tight behind him. He looked towards the bed that had been set up in the corner and saw the dark haired man sitting there his emerald eyes sparkling with something Ron didn't want to know about.
"Took your time, I thought you would have come down first thing."
"I had classes to teach."
The man snorted and shook his head, laughter was etched in his eyes and Ron was insulted what right did this thing have to laugh at his life at lest he was living.
"Sorry got the image of you trying to teach History of Magic in my head."
"I could teach that."
"Yeah right, you were as bad as I was in that subject."
Ron shook himself quickly he had to remember where he was and why he was here. This wasn't Harry Potter his best friend this was Prisoner X the man who murdered Neville Longbottom.
"Don't do that; don't talk like we're friends Prisoner."
The man's face darkened instantly and he lifted his chin so that he was looking straight ahead in a stony manner.
"You want to know about what happened to Hermione right. Well I didn't do it."
"I don't believe you."
The prisoner turned his eyes to meet Ron's and he saw the coldness that had now appeared in them.
"Cast your spells Weasley go on you'll find that none of the ones Hermione cast have been broken. We both now she put so many on here one would have broken if I got out, even if I used the House elf corridor over there."
"Alright then if it wasn't you who did it?"
"The traitor."
"And that is?"
"I had a deal with Hermione."
"What!"
"She made me a deal; I don't have to see any of you. So leave."
"Listen to me okay Potter! You're best friend is lying there unconscious and we don't know if she'll ever wake up again, I've lost everyone and I won't lose her now tell me everything you know or I'll make you."
The man stared at him for a moment and shrugged.
"I told her something when she came to Azkaban to see me."
"And that was?"
"I'm still connected to him, after all these years the scar still works. I know what he's planning. The night before you came to me I had a vision in a dream, somebody in the Order met him outside of London."
"You're sure."
"Yeah. The attack is coming tomorrow. They said it was three days away, well yesterday was day one, today day two and so tomorrow –"
"Tomorrow it happens. Right but what about Hermione?"
The Prisoner looked straight at Ron as if contemplating something then he nodded.
"I'm only telling you this because Hermione was civil to me, she destroyed me but she doesn't deserve death, nobody who fights Voldemort deserves death."
"Potter!"
"Fine Voldemort told the traitor to kill her last night. I don't know if the traitor was male or female but I know that they had a dagger to stab Hermione. The traitor said that she had convinced too many people to get me to help and they weren't happy about that. Hermione was sure the traitor was somebody who voted against brining me back."
"I voted against you."
"Well there you are, you're the traitor everything is solved."
"Shut up Prisoner."
Ron stood there for a moment before dropping onto the bed next to the man. It was the first time they had been this close since that fateful night five years ago. Ron's mind was working over time; there had been no mention of a stabbing.
"Are you sure there was a dagger?"
"Yes Voldemort gave it to the traitor why?"
"Because she wasn't stabbed."
"Weasley are you sure?"
"Broken ribs, broken leg and a fractured arm, no mention of a wound."
"What actually happened to her?"
Ron bit his tongue this was too much like old times he shouldn't tell him anything but something in him made him tell, he needed to work this out and the Prisoner was here and had information himself.
"As far as we know she fell from one of the platforms that the moving stairs touch. She fell one whole tier. We're only guessing but her injuries make it almost certain she fell from a height. Plus Remus found a note with the names of the people that voted up a tier."
"Weasley Hermione is smart, she would know better than to be trapped there."
"What if she didn't realise?"
"Weasley now listen to me okay. I told her that somebody was going to kill her and she had deduced that it was going to be somebody that voted no. What if as she came off the stairs she met the traitor?"
"And as they were talking the stairs behind her moved and she was trapped between the empty space and the traitor with the dagger."
"And Hermione is smart, she'd look down at the stairs and must have realised she was more likely to live if she jumped."
"Then Remus turned up and the traitor ran."
The two stared at each other and it was the Prisoner that spoke up.
"We need to speak to those that voted yes, you have a traitor among you."