So here we go, Chapter 4. Again, my apologies if it sucks. The next chapter shall have more action and such. This chapter has more Ron and Hermione though, which is good, and Ron's not such a jerk. If I get enough reviews, I'll have the next chapter up in like two days. But that's if I get enough reviews.
Chapter 4: Confessions
Ron was sure that the next week that passed was the slowest week in the history of his life. It felt as if he were in a waking coma.
He avoided the common room at all costs, as Hermione and Harry were likely to be there, their heads together, muttering non-stop and shooting furtive glances at him. They hadn't tried to talk to him after that time in Charms, and Ron wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or down about this. His heart still ached intensely when he saw Hermione, and he still felt the urge to punch Harry when he saw him.
In addition to that, Snape had become increasingly nasty to Ron. His grades in potions weren't great to begin with, but now he was getting Trolls on all of his assignments, and Snape never passed up an opportunity to embarrass him in class, to Draco Malfoy's delight. Ron shrugged it off. Snape was just mad because he wasn't expelled.
Ron was just extremely glad when a week had passed, and it was time for his mission for the Order.
He could barely hide his excitement, and couldn't concentrate in classes the whole day. When dinnertime came, he could barely eat, but managed to eat something, and hurried up to Dumbledore's office. He arrived at the stone gargoyle.
"Goody gumdrops," Ron said to the gargoyle, feeling out of breath. The gargoyle jumped aside and Ron stepped onto the revolving staircase. He seemed to be sweating quite a bit, and his nerves were all in a jumble. His stomach seemed to be jumping about inside of him, as if it was keen to escape.
As Ron faced the door to Dumbledore's office, a sense of foreboding overcame him. What if it really was a very dangerous mission, and he were killed? He tried to put these feelings away as he raised his hand to knock on the door. It opened and Ron found himself about to run his fist right into Mad-Eye Moody's electric blue eye. Ron withdrew his hand quickly, and stared at Moody.
"Ah, Mr. Weasley, we've been waiting for you," he said gruffly, standing back so Ron could enter the office. Ron found himself also in the presence of Lupin and Tonks, both looking particularly grim. The office was bathed in a dim light, produced by a few candles, so Ron could barely make out their faces. Dumbledore sat serenely behind his desk.
"Hello Ron," Lupin said, a worn smile crossing his lips. Tonks looked like she tried to smile at him, but failed. Ron merely nodded at them, words seeming to fail him.
"Is zis 'im? Is zis Weezy?" boomed a deep voice behind Ron. Ron umped and whirled around as a tall wizard emerged from the shadows. He was a handsome wizard, his robes a deep red color. He had copper colored hair that seemed to change from a brownish color to a red color with the flickering of the candlelight. He had a large build, and his arms were folded in an uninterested manner. "'e is kind of skinny izn't 'e?" he asked, looking Ron up and down with critical gray eyes. Ron felt his cheeks flush.
"The name is Weas-ley," Ron said, sounding out the syllables. "And I'm not that skinny!" he announced angrily.
"Ron I'd like to introduce you to Adrien. He has just graduated from Beauxbatons last year and has been a key person in helping the Order's influence spread through France. He will be assisting you all in your mission," Dumbledore said with a smile. Adrien extended a large hand towards Ron, and Ron shook it. His grip was very strong and Ron thought he heard some bones in his hand crack.
"'e is too young for zis. It is dangerous," Adrien said darkly, looking at Dumbledore.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Adrien. Dumbledore, I think you should reconsider," Lupin said, with an apologetic glance to Ron. "There is a reason there's an age limit to joining the Order. Ron probably doesn't know enough magic to save him if he gets into a sticky situation, and we may not be there to help him – I'm not saying you're not a good wizard Ron, I know you are, and you've demonstrated it on many levels before," Lupin said, clapping a hand on Ron's shoulder. "But Molly doesn't even know, and I'm sure she would object."
Dumbledore stood up and replied, "I have alerted Arthur about Ron's current position. He seems to agree with my decision, even though he is very worried. He will alert Molly in good time, and I am prepared to take Molly's wrath when the time comes. However, I am confident in Ron's abilities as a wizard, and his abilities as a person," Dumbledore said with a reassuring wink at Ron. Ron felt some of the worry that seemed to be weighing down on his shoulders lift, and he beamed at the headmaster.
"He has experienced more than any of us know, I'm sure. However, Ron, I want you to stick close to these people. It is dangerous, what you're going to do, and they will help you. Do not lose your head, and keep calm. The greatest strength that a person has in an unexpected situation is their own wit and determination," Dumbledore turned from Ron to address them all, saying, "Watch after each other. Be careful, but keep the goal in mind," and to this they all nodded grimly.
"Now Ron, I'll let you know what you will be doing," Dumbledore said, leaning against his desk. Ron fidgeted, anxiousness weighing down on his mind. What if it was a crazy task that he couldn't possibly do? What if he was completely useless?
"Well Ron, you know there are other Ministries of Magic all over the world in different countries," Dumbledore began, and Ron nodded. "It seems that the French Ministry is in a bit of trouble," Dumbledore said softly. Ron looked at Dumbledore, alarmed. He was going to France?
"What happened?" Ron asked urgently. He wanted to get the worse over quickly.
"I'll tell you what 'appened!" Adrien started, obviously flustered at the idea that Ron had no clue what was going on, "Meeneester Darley ordered all ze muggle-borns an' ze 'alf-bloods out of France! Zen 'e began ordering zem to be killed! Zey are murdering muggles for enjoyment!" As Adrien explained this, he was wheeling his arms about in a flurry. Ron wondered to himself briefly if all French men talked with large hand gestures.
"Please Adrien, try to compose yourself. We're going to solve the problem as soon as possible," Dumbledore said in a soothing voice.
"As you can imagine Ron, France is in an uproar. Many witches and wizards, even those of pureblood descent are fleeing into neighboring countries. Many at the French ministry have been killed, or have fled, leaving the country and the government in total disarray. It's just how things were back when Voldemort was really in control," Lupin said solemnly. Moody barked a short laugh.
"If we're not careful, our ministry will end up like that soon," he growled. At seeing the panic-stricken look on Ron's face, Tonks quickly added,
"But don't worry Ron, we have Dumbledore here and all… we just have to concentrate on their ministry first," Adrien was nodding firmly.
"So how could this happen? Is Darley under the Imperius Curse?" Ron's head was filled with questions, and it seemed to be bursting with all the information he was gathering.
"Right you are, Weasley," Moody barked, the candlelight reflecting off his face in a sinister way."We believe there are a lot of Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic building with him. They're keeping him and some of the other people in the building under the curse, and using them to do Voldemort's will."
"What about the Aurors? How did Death Eaters just manage to burst into a building full of trained Aurors?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow. It didn't seem that these French aurors were like their British ones.
"Well they are spread thin Ron, just like our Aurors are. Everyone's all over the place, trying to find out where Voldemort is, and what he's doing. There's about a half-dozen Aurors in the building also under the curse. They're the ones that the Death Eaters have been using to murder the half-bloods and muggle-borns," Lupin said wearily. Even in the diminished light, Ron could plainly see the bags under his eyes. He felt sorry for Lupin. It must be hard to be a werewolf and be a key part of an organization that's working day and night to rid the world of evil.
"A lot of our Aurors are defending Beauxbatons. It is ze only safe place left en ze country," Adrien said quietly. Ron contemplated the French boy for a moment. Adrien couldn't be more than a year or two older than him… and here he was, just out of school, ready to face You-Know-Who and his supporters. Ron wanted to prove that he could be that brave too.
"I want to help. What can I do?" Ron said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. He was going to be going up against Death Eaters and Aurors under the Imperius Curse? This was going to be dangerous. And it didn't seem to be as fun as Ron thought it was going to be the previous week.
"We're going to have to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic building, and capture the Death Eaters inside. And we can't forget about the ones outside the Ministry also. It's going to be very dangerous, and very hard. Are you sure you're up to this?" Moody asked Ron, his magical blue eye was rolling all about his head, but his normal one was staring at Ron. Ron nodded grimly. He was ready. He was going to do this. Dumbledore clapped his hands together, and Ron jumped at the sudden noise.
"Alright then, it's settled. Ron I want you to go to your dormitory and pick up anything you might need for the trip. Remus, Tonks, Alastor, and Adrien will go ahead of us to make sure everything is all clear for when we arrive. Be quick now," Dumbledore urged, and Ron nodded and bolted for the door.
He ran all the way to the Gryffindor common room, and was quite out of breath. Even though he had been looking forward to this mission, he couldn't stop the fear that was flooding through his body.
He ran up to his dormitory and opened his trunk to retrieve his winter cloak. He stopped to think if there was anything else he needed. Nothing came to mind, so he left the dormitory. As he made his way back into the common room, he stopped. He looked around for Hermione and found her sitting with Harry by the fire, reading a book.
Ron felt a vice clasp around his heart. This could be the last time he saw her. She would never know that he still loved her, no matter the mean things he had said to her before. She would never know how his heart fluttered every time her amber eyes met his. She would never know how he adored the way she scrunched up her nose when she was concentrating on a book or assignment. Or how his whole body tingled every time she touched him, he had to smile every time she laughed.
She would never know how he had imagined and dreamed about holding her, and kissing her.
And at that moment, he knew what he had to do. He didn't know if he was going to regret it later, but he gathered up all of his nerves, and marched over to them by the fire. Harry glared at him, but he ignored it, and turned to face Hermione. She looked up curiously at him.
"Hermione," he began, kneeling down so he could look into her eyes, "I may never see you again, and I want you to know that I love you. I love you with everything that I am," Ron tried to breathe in deeply, for it seemed something was constricting his chest. Hermione gaped at him, not able to speak. Harry looked the same.
Taking advantage of the silence, Ron leaned forward and put his hand softly on Hermione's cheek. She closed her mouth, and just stared into Ron's eyes, as if she could see his intentions in his eyes. His heart beating like a jackhammer in his chest, Ron put his lips on Hermione's. He had expected her to shove him off, but she returned the kiss. Ron moved his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. Ron felt incomparable bliss resonate through his body. For the first time in his life, he felt complete.
Hermione broke away suddenly, her eyes searching Ron questioningly. Ron stood up reluctantly and turned to Harry.
"Harry… you'll always be my best mate. I'm sorry I've been a prat lately. But I've got to go," Ron said sincerely.
Harry stared at him, and managed to say, "What?" Ron didn't answer, grabbed his cloak and ran from the common room, all the way back up to Dumbledore's office. As he climbed the spiraling staircase for the second time that night, a disbelieving numbness spread through his body.
He might never see anyone again. He might never again get to climb the moving staircases of Hogwarts, or play Quidditch, or fail miserably in his classes, or do anything he used too. Ron suddenly felt a great appreciation for even the boring things he used to do, like de-gnoming the garden.
He might never get to kiss Hermione again. And he would never go on another adventure with Harry and Hermione. Ron felt a pang of sadness more poignant than anything else he felt that night.
But that was what he was trying to get away from. He was having his own adventure without Hermione's smarts, or Harry's bravery. It was just him, Ron, alone on this one.
… This might not turn out too well then…
Ron knocked on the door and entered to find Dumbledore sitting quietly at his desk in the flickering candlelight.
"Are you ready, Ron?" Dumbledore asked in a low voice. Ron nodded. "Very well, come here," Dumbledore said, holding what looked like an empty soup can. Ron understood at once. They were traveling by portkey. Ron walked over to him, and placed a hand on the portkey. "Here we go," Dumbledore said. Ron felt a jerk about his navel and Dumbledore's office was replaced by whirling colors as Ron's body flew about, his hand still firmly attached to the soup can.
The whirling colors came to a stop, and Ron felt his feet fall upon hard ground again. Ron and Dumbledore dropped the can.
Ron heard a male voice shout the words "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" and then Ron fell to the ground in a blaze of red light.
As Ron lay there, frozen on the ground, he thought to himself, This is not a good start.