Chapter 6: Knowing

"When am I ever gonna meet your folks?" Asked Ron, eating his spaghetti.

"Later."

"When's later?"

"When I ask them."

"When will you ask them?"

"When I feel like seeing them."

"When will you feel like seeing them?"

"When I'm not angry at them."

"When are you not gonna be angry at them?"

"When I forgive them."

"When will you forgive them?"

"When I want to."

"When will you want to?"

She finally cracked. "Stop it! I don't have time for your silly mind games! Go see your family, I need time to think."

"About what?"

"Your training. To see how far I can push you until you crack." Her eyes glinted.

Ron smirked, and walked to the fireplace. He grabbed some powder, dropped it in, and said, "The Burrow!"

Ron kept his elbows in, and was flooed across an entire continent. He tumbled out of his own fireplace to hear his mum shriek.

"Ronald! You scared me!"

"Hi, mum."

"Hello, sweetheart." Mrs. Weasley caught him in yet another death grip.

"Ron, old chap!" Said George.

"We sincerely missed you, brother of ours." Said Fred.

Molly let go of him, and he turned to the twins. "In a couple weeks, I'll be the one laughing when you see what I can do."

"Antonia, how is she?" Asked Molly, charming the dishes to wash themselves.

"She's. . . . She's great. A little distracted, I'd say, though. Hiding some things."

"That's good. Have you see Harry or Hermione lately?"

"No."

"Hermione wrote me about Harry two days ago. He's a wreck without you, Ron. Moping, and things." She explained.

"I'd better go see him, then." Ron kissed his mother's cheek, smirked at his brother's confused faces, and flooed to Hogwarts.

Ron came to the familiar Gryffindor Common Room. He saw no one, but then the portrait opened, to reveal his two best friends.

"RON!" Hermione yelled, and ran to hug him.

Harry wasn't as quick.

"It's great to see you too, Herms." He laughed. Ron looked up. "I know you're angry with me for leaving."

"A little." Harry said, meekly.

"If it helps any, I missed you. You too, Hermione. Antonia is really laying on the work."

Hermione sat down, and made him too. "Tell us what's happened."

"Well, I have my own weapons."

Hermione gasped.

Harry smiled. "You like the idea of a sword in your hand? Feels cool, doesn't it?"

"You should know, having killed Voldemort with the sword. I also have daggers, and my own bow, and a muggle thingy called a 'pistol', and a club. All sorts of things. Although I think Tone's hiding something."

"About what?" Hermione asked.

"Her parents. I asked when I'd meet them, but she would always answer like 'when I call them', or something like that. It's weird. And then there was this room, filled with music stuff. I know there is some significance because when she saw that I saw her "secret room" or whatever, she called me 'Ron'."

Harry raised his brows.

"In Transylvania they refer to men as masters. I am"- He straightened up-"Master Weasley. She always calls me that, and won't call me Ron. That's how I know."

"Hm. . . The plot thickens. . ." Hermione laughed. Both boys looked at her strangely. "It's a quote from a famous book!"

"Figures." Ron muttered, earning a slap on the arm.

'God, I missed them', Ron thought.

About two hours later, he flooed back to Transylvania. He went to find Antonia, but he couldn't find her anywhere. He looked in the kitchen, her room, the bathroom, his room, everywhere. Only when he heard a faint clanking of metal did he look outside. And that's when he saw it.

It was Antonia, dressed for dinner, a very long sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other. The opponent, looked to be some type of ninja, fighting just as well as she. He watched in awe, at the complexity of the moves, the sweat running down her face, the look of pure anger on her face. His incapability to move ended when she ran him through.

The ninja sank to his knees, and then fell to the ground. He saw as Antonia blessed the ninja by touching her shoulders and forehead, and then kissing her own fingers and rasing them to the sky. She turned him over, and closed his eyelids. As Ron walked out, he heard her say,

"May God grant mercy on your soul." She looked up, and didn't seem surprised to see him standing there. "I know, it isn't easy, ending someone's life, and then dealing with the grief. You'll pass it by, all the same though. By the way, this is yours. The closet one in reach." Antonia took out a handkerchief, and cleaned off the blade. She flipped it over, so the hilt was in his reach.

Ron took it. "Did he attack you?"

"Everyone attacks me." She said it like it was a joke.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"You get used to it, after a while. Are you ready for dinner?"

"Yes."

As they started walking, Antonia stopped, and placed both hands on Ron's shoulders. He stopped, and waited.

"You must understand something."

"And that is?"

"In the battle soon to come, you will have to kill. I can assure you. Show them no mercy, for they will show you none. I know of Master Potter's trivialis with death. His parents, his uncle, Cedric Diggory. You will not end up like that. Those people did not deserve to die. That man," She pointed to the corpse, "did. All of the people you will encounter during the time you are battling, deserve to die. They've killed, and tortured, and even worse things that I doubt anyone could comprehend. This world in Transylvania, like I've told you about, revolves around death, blood, and corruption. This is not a happy place, like I've told you. You understand this, Ron?"

She called him Ron again. She was serious. "Yes, I do."

"Good." She smiled. "You definitely learn faster than most. Most people take a long time to understand that concept. My level of admiration just went up for you. Tell me, how can you understand this so quickly?"

"It's hard to explain. Being around death with Harry, I guess you can't help but think about it. Then there is the deserving thing. I have a brother, named Percy, who deserves to be alone right now. You don't know this, but my family. . . we are not exactly known for our money. Having seven children your purse gets pretty low. He insulted my father, about his muggle appliance obsession, and that if he didn't support Fudge, our Minster of Magic, he was crazy. Something like that. My mother and father don't deserve that. I don't deserve that. No one does. . . To be told something like that by your own son, it cuts deeper than just some other person. My parents are probably the poorest couple in all of magical England, but they are the happiest people I know. It just goes to show, you know?"

"Yea, I do. My family was some sort like that. Except my parents were insulted about their trying to make everyone into a union. Everyone here had their own beliefs, priorities, opinions, and that's good. But the problem was none of them felt the importance of a working government. They thought it would just complicate things. And it does, to say. But it keeps everything in order. I was lucky to scrape up the few trainees I have to help me when the final battles comes rolling around." Her smiled faded into that of a wince. "I won't confuse you with politics, or problems. You are probably tired and achy, I know I've worked you hard this past week. After dinner, instead of another sword drill, why don't you go get some sleep? I know you must be tired."

"No offense, Antonia, but why are you being so nice to me?"

She waited a bit to answer. "It's just that I've realized something. Go ahead, I'll be there."

"Okay." Ron headed up to the sliding glass door, and stepped in.

When she was alone, Antonia sank to her knees. Her hand went to the chain necklace around her neck.

"Mama, Papa, forgive me. . ."

Wheeee. Review review review!