Chapter Seventeen - The Battle of Pevensy

"Ronald you need to lead them back down to the cove so the three of you can apparate safely."

Ron felt his way over to the edge of the ledge while Dumbledore stood at the top of the stairs and waited for him to join him.

"Now if you don't mind channelling a small spell for me I can create an easier way down for the three of you," the older wizard smiled before bending down and connecting with Ron's hand, pointing down at the stairs, "Labor lapsus!"

Ron saw a blurred magical light cascading downwards away from him and understood what Dumbledore had done for them immediately.

"Harry, Hermione, we can slide down. It won't be as bad," he called out to his now invisible friends.

He wriggled off the ledge and onto the magical surface and pushed himself downward. It felt spongy and solid at the same time and before he could get used to the strange sensation he had zoomed off at the bottom and slammed down onto the damp sand at the bottom. He was about to look up at Dumbledore to ask him what to do next when a force hit him in the back and the weight remained, pinning him to the ground for several seconds, before lifting again and he struggled back to his feet in some confusion. He turned around and saw two shadows moving around behind him, Harry and Hermione were safely down the slide too.

"Now Ronald I can only think of one place that Fawkes would go if he knew that Lord Voldemort was looking for him and that is the town of Pevensy on the south coast."

Ron had another strange moment of deja-vu and frowned to himself.

"I've heard of that place somewhere."

"From your brothers maybe? I don't know exactly how they came upon it but they found the Pevensy stone chest of an old friend of mine. To add to the miracle they discovered the correct way to use it, those enterprising young men never cease to amaze me."

Ron wasn't in any kind of mood to hear how wonderful another person thought the twins were again, it was amazing really considering how disapproving everybody was regarding their antics that the second they started making money people suddenly had all this respect for them.

"And Fawkes?" Ron asked.

"Fawkes should be there, if he has not been captured of course, and I regret to have to prepare you for this fact but I fear the dark lord and his followers may already be waiting for you."

"What?" Ron exclaimed as he thought of dragging his friends into such a blatant trap, "They can't go; I can't take them into that, what kind of plan is that?"

"Ron, Ron, please don't panic. I am simply being honest with you about what the three of you may find there, I do not intend to risk any of you. Do you understand?"

"Not really," Ron said, a little surprised at himself for being stroppy with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore seemed to ignore his attitude however.

"Do you trust me?" he asked as he looked over the top of his glasses and right into Ron's eyes.

Why does he need to wear glasses anyway if he's dead?

"Of course I do," Ron said with a huff.

"But you don't like the idea do you?"

Ron shook his head and looked down at the blur that was his feet. He glanced at his left arm and saw that he was wearing one of the bond of blood hoops around his bicep. He wouldn't be able to leave Hermione behind even if Dumbledore had wanted him to.

"Ron I will be there, I will not leave you and you know how powerful you can be when the two of us join forces. I only have a short amount of time with you and I want to be of use."

"But..."

"I can see Harry and Miss Granger to defend them for you," Dumbledore added before Ron could even begin his next line of protest.

"Yeah, I forgot about that," he said, relaxing a little more about this plan now, "ok let's go."

Ron reached out his arms on either side of himself and began to feel around for Harry and Hermione. He saw that there was a shadow right beside him and made a grab for it. It was soft and warm and something told him that he had his hand on Hermione. He reached out further on his left and still couldn't find Harry.

"Harry we need to go now, take my arm," Ron soon felt a pressure around his elbow and looked back up at Dumbledore, "right. Wands out at the ready ok?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as he heard Ron's cautious warning to his friends.

"Now Ronald we may be lucky but..."

"That's not how things tend to work out for us is it?" he smiled.

"No we're not, very true, and Voldemort's soul rests in Fawkes so that gives them a connection that the dark lord can follow so it's very likely we will be thrown straight into battle."

Ron nodded and Dumbledore stepped up to Ron and placed his hand upon his shoulder to send him the image of the place they needed to apparate to. Ron was feeling very anxious, this time for his friends wellbeing and not his own, and Dumbledore frowned at him before a flicker lit up his grey eyes and he leaned in towards Ron's ear with a smile growing on his lips as he did.

"In answer to your earlier question Ronald, I don't need clothes either but I'm sure you appreciate my appearing to you fully dressed!" the old ghost whispered.

Ron gave a revolted shudder at the image now planted in his head while Dumbledore chuckled.

"There's no law that says you can't go into battle with a smile on your face Ronald, now send us on our way!"

Ron disapparated while semi disgusted and partially laughing.

They appeared in a swirl of bright daylight and rich green grass. Ron released Harry and Hermione while Dumbledore quickly surveyed their surroundings and Ron tried to make out what he could through his blurred vision. There was a jagged dark building of some kind just ahead of him and a broken wall around them, like some kind of crumbling boundary, and no other black shadows other than those of his two friends.

"Are they here?" Ron asked the Dumbledore nervously.

"I can't say Ronald," Dumbledore said, he seemed to be a little on edge himself, as if this wasn't what he expected to find at all," something is definitely not as it should be here, instruct Harry and Miss Granger to be alert."

"Be alert you guys, something's not right," Ron said to the shadows.

"Ron duck!" Dumbledore suddenly yelled and Ron felt the silver figure thrust him downwards into the ground.

"Where, where are they, I can't see?" Ron gasped as he tried to see what he was being protected from and finding nothing.

Dumbledore bent over him and shot a surge of power into him, suddenly his surroundings were a little clearer but he still couldn't see any people around.

"Back on your feet, turn to your right; destroy that arrow slit to the right of the drawbridge. Now Ron!"

Ron didn't have his wand in his hand and yet the power in him somehow made that not matter. He held his hand out to the arrow slit Dumbledore had spoken of and thought he saw a shadow there.

"Dirvo!" Ron yelled and felt the spell shooting down his arm and out through his fingertips.

The spell seemed to hit something before it reached the wall beside what he could now see was a drawbridge.

"Excellent Ronald, same spot, hold him!" Dumbledore said; his eyes alight and directed at the spot Ron had just attacked. Ron was really confused about this battle with an invisible enemy but went ahead and did as he was instructed anyway.

"Captivas!"

Ron glanced over to Dumbledore for a reaction to his spell and saw his old headmaster's face fill with fear and the spirit ran behind him and stabbed him in the back with something ice cold that made his whole body stiffen with a surge of intense power. He felt Dumbledore's strength and power inside him and his hands were shaking with the extra energy that now waited to thrust out of them.

"Contego! Detino!" Ron heard himself yelling while Dumbledore did the same inside his head.

'Hold firm on that spot Ronald' Dumbledore instructed him and Ron felt the confusing sensation of controlling one spell while another part of his body conjured a whole new one and threw it in another direction.

"Oppugno!"

His whole body would've been shaking if it weren't for the incredible surge of strength that made his back arch and his entire body hold its unnaturally rigid posture as if he was being struck by a never ending bolt of lightning.

He felt the sudden urge to throw both hands to the ground at his feet and as he did he heard Dumbledore inside his head instructing him to perform a release spell on the shadow at his feet.

"Solvo!"

Before Ron could take a breath from delivering that last spell Dumbledore got him to lift his arms in front of him, the old dead wizard was worried about something, he could feel it inside him, and was shouting through Ron's mouth.

"No Tom, I won't let you do this, Everbero!"

Ron felt a surge of power flow through his mind and down his arms, through his fingertips and bursting out around himself for several feet.

"Contineo!"

'No not now Ron, don't reject me yet, not now!' Dumbledore was pleading from inside his head but Ron wasn't aware that he was doing anything to Dumbledore.

Suddenly Ron saw a shimmering light surrounding him and felt the cold intrusion leave his back where it had first entered. He felt suddenly breathless and unsteady while an icy trickle of sweat ran down his spine and the silver form of Dumbledore stood at his side once again.

"Harry has been hurt Ron, you must heal him quickly."

"What?" Ron gasped, and began to feel around himself blindly, "Harry where are you, are you alright?"

"Drop to your knees Ron, I will show you where to place your hands."

Ron fell down hard onto his knees and fumbled around desperately before Dumbledore placed his ghostly hands on top of Ron's and guided them onto a still black shadow and he felt a body beneath his palms.

Ron dropped to his knees and fumbled around for Harry's body, Hermione was scanning the situation outside

"Sano! Corrigo sano!" Ron completed the spell and turned when he heard Dumbledore practically screaming his name in fear.

"Ron no!" the spirit yelled before jumping before him and standing tall and trying to hurl his own protection spell into the distance without using Ron to channel it for him.

Ron felt something hitting him and his vision went hazy again as Dumbledore looked both mortified and furious as he threw his arms forward and shouted out a spell at the same moment that two brilliant lights appeared from either side of him, seeming to come from the shadows that stood at either side of him.

"Reluctor!"

Ron felt his energy draining away, as if it was trickling out through the palms of his hands that rested flat on the grass beneath him. He felt so tired and weak as he heard Dumbledore throwing as many defensive spells out around them as possible. Ron felt his elbows give way and his arms could no longer support his body weight. He hit the ground face down and wondered if Harry and Hermione were alright. That thought made him need to do something, one last thing to help them, before he ran out of steam altogether. He grimaced and lifted his right arm with considerable effort and mumbled weakly.

"Acerbus!"

As the spell was performed Ron collapsed completely and could no longer lift his own head. He saw the shadow they had all been fighting against disappear in the darkness he had created and felt a small degree of satisfaction that they were now as blind as he had to be during most of the fight. He barely had the strength to breathe now that he was lying on his chest. He tried to keep his eyes open and watch Dumbledore but it was too dark and he couldn't make anything out.

"Ronald stay alert," he could hear Dumbledore saying, "Ron do you hear me?"

He felt the last of his strength melting away like butter in a frying pan and used the last of his energy to respond to his protector. He opened his eyes again and saw that the spells were still flying back and forth out of the black cloud while his ghostly companion looked over him with desperation. He tried one last time to help them.

"Oppugno!" he didn't even know if he had said the spell out loud.

"No Ronald, no more magic, you need to conserve the last of your strength to keep your heart beating. I am almost out of time. Tell Miss Granger to get the three of you out of here while I try to deliver one last diversion on my own."

Ron's eyes began to close and he didn't think that he even had it in him to lift his little finger anymore.

"Ron no!" Dumbledore's voice demanded, Ron almost thought he sounded scared, "Vivificus!"

He felt a warm invisible hand stroke him and he forced his eyelids open again and swallowed.

"Herm..." he barely said, "...Hermione, Her-minnie...?"

"Tell her Ron, now!" Dumbledore pleaded.

Ron heard Dumbledore bellow out seven consecutive spells directed on all sides of them and he used everything he had left in him to pass on Dumbledore's message.

"Time's up, get us out of here."

As Dumbledore's final incantation was delivered the blackness enveloped him and a thick suffocating weight pushed Ron down into unconsciousness.

Something had gone very wrong.

He could hear crying.

He couldn't lift his eyelids open, it felt as if somebody had sealed them shut with a permanent sticking charm, and it was wearing him out to even try. So he didn't try anymore. He stopped trying. He fell back into the numbness of sleep.

He felt a pressure on his chest and something was flickering outside his closed eyelids, it was like flashing lights, and he managed to open his eyes a crack. He saw Hermione dropping her head down onto his chest and listening for something. She made a whimpering sound before looking up and aiming her wand at him again. She saw him looking at her and let out a gasp.

"You're alive!"

He swallowed and tried to part his lips to speak but he felt tired again and his eyes were closing themselves again. Hermione's hand was tapping his face and she was shouting something at him. Then the flashes started once more and he thought he heard her casting spells before her voice faded away and he was lost again.

Something bright illuminated his entire face and his eyes sprung open, he squinted as the bright light dispersed and Hermione stroked his face and smiled down at him. She was talking to him, he didn't know how long she had been doing that, and he couldn't hear her. Then her voice grew audible and something within his body made him draw a deep intake of breath.

"Oh thank Merlin," Hermione was saying as she took his hand and kissed it, then she looked up at the ceiling, "thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Herm…" he tried to speak but his voice seemed to have been sucked away from him as the air left his lungs.

Hermione looked back down at him and put a finger to his lips.

"Don't try to speak Ron, you're still not strong enough yet, I'm going to try some more spells just to make sure your heart doesn't give out again…I mean, never mind. Just stay still and don't try to talk alright?"

He blinked at her and she smiled, leaning over to kiss him and stroke the side of his face, she looked as if she had been up all night he thought.

"Don't worry about anything ok? I'm fine, Harry's going to be fine and you're going to be fine as long as you do as you're told ok?"

He looked at her and wondered what had happened to the three of them.

"Ok?" she asked again and he blinked again, "Good now I've got to go to Fred and George's place to get something to heal Harry's injuries and to make you a strengthening solution so I'll be gone a little while."

He nodded and felt as if he'd just run up a flight of stairs.

"I said don't move! Didn't I say don't move? I mean it Ron, not even little things like nodding or talking alright? My spells aren't strong enough to keep you alive if you start exerting yourself and I don't want to see you even thinking about picking up your wand and doing magic until we get you back to St Nectan's Glen for another meditation understand?"

He blinked again and she set about casting more strengthening spells at him. Afterwards she rested her head back onto his chest and listened again. She listened for quite a while before looking up at him and wiping her face.

"It's still not good enough Ron but at least I can hear it now, it was barely there when we first got here, I don't want to leave you but there's nothing else I can do. We need Fred and George's miracle cures."

Ron was sick of blinking, he wanted to talk, he wanted to at least thank her or tell her not to worry but he knew that she'd get angry with him for trying to do so.

She got to her feet and leaned over him, kissing his forehead and pushing the hair back from his face with a sad smile.

"I'll be back soon; don't do anything stupid, I love you."

He opened his mouth and she stared down at him sternly, silently warning him of the wrath he would feel if he dared to try to speak after all she had said to him just now. He swallowed and mouthed the words 'I love you' back to her.

She lost her steely glare and lifted her wand to his face with tearful eyes.

"Get some rest Ron, please. Obdormio!"

Once again the world was pulled away from him and everything was swallowed up in the darkness.

A/N Two of you have asked now so I'll clear up Wally for you all here and now.

A Wally is a name we call somebody who is quite dozy but loveable, it is an affectionate put down.

A Wally is also a very large pickled cucumber you buy at Fish and Chip shops, the smaller variety that you call dill pickles in America and get in your Big Mac sliced up are called gherkins.

Oh and before you ask...a bollocking is a ferocious telling off, derived from the phrase "She'll have my bollocks for this" bollocks being a gentleman's balls.

Maybe I should write my own slang dictionary!