(A/N: The reviews for last chapter were brilliant! A big thank you to all who reviewed! It's so nice to 'be back' even though the last update was only a week long, it felt longer to me. This chapter was very easy to write which was great for me, since chapter nineteen was immensely difficult! And because of that, I feel like this chapter goes by pretty quick, so you might want to close read if you want it to last longer. I don't know, just a suggestion. Also, as a note to everyone, this isn't going to be one of those really happy we-live-happily-ever-after stories. I'm terribly sorry if I make people depressed or sad but I'm letting you know now not to expect some "I love you" "I love you too" "Oh my God Harry's back!" "Oh look! Hogwarts is back!" kind of ending. lol Anyways, I promised individual replies didn't I? Well I'll get started on those right away! Thanks again for all your support! Much love, Haystack)
Lafawnduh4: Hopefully the update was quick enough! Thanks so much for reviewing! Hope you're enjoying it!
Bhekie: In answer to your question, no, the Death Eaters did not forget Ron and Hermione. That's revealed in this chapter but celebration was more important at the time to them. I'm sorry you're sad about Harry! I am too, but it had to be done! Thanks so much for your continual support!
RedRose013: Hope the update was fast enough! Thanks so much for reviewing!
RainDateChick: lol oh yes there's a morning after but not exactly the same one you're probably thinking of…Thanks so much for reviewing!
Ron'n'Hermione: Aw what a sweet review! Yes poor Harry is dead. It's very sad, but you'll see about the but-who-can-stop-Voldemort-thing that there is indeed a problem. I'm very glad you liked last chapter and the compliment about my cliffhangers was lovely, thank you! Lol….hopefully the update was soon enough!
ShimmeringEvil: Hey! I'm glad you liked last chapter! Yes, Ron and Hermione got into it, but I'm not one to write that kind of heavy romance so I kind of left it hanging on purpose. Lol…thanks so much for reviewing!
EvelyneJ: Thanks so much for reviewing! It's so nice to meet a new reviewer! Hope to hear from you in the future!
AmyChris: Well I'm certainly glad I made your day! It was sooo nice to finally have gotten that chapter posted, so a big thanks goes to you on that one! As for the dedication, you deserved it! I'm very glad that you liked it though, if there was someone I wanted to make sure to impress it was you, after all, I didn't want you to have gone through all that to have a letdown chapter! So thanks so much for reviewing and hopefully the update on this one was better;)
wick3d77: lol your review made me laugh! Yes, it was a rather emotional chapter wasn't it? Hehee…I'm glad you liked it though! Thanks so much for reviewing!
dancerrdw: Hey there! I'm happy you liked last chapter! Hopefully the update wasn't too terrible! Thanks for reviewing as always!
cumbacksirius: YAY! Your review made my day! How exciting, I am very happy about those tissues in the garbage! Yes, I did kill Harry but it just wouldn't work with him alive. Very sad…I'm glad that you liked her little daydreams, I was unsure about adding them in. Anyways, soo much for reviewing!
Smiles28: I'm thrilled you got that up/down never-know-when-they're-going-to-explode-next feel for the chapter! It was what I was kind of going for…As for their separation, we'll just have to see, but hopefully there should be some surprises in the next few chapters! Heehee…anyways I'm glad you thought it was one of my best, it was a hard one! Lol thanks sooooo much for reviewing!
SlytherinRoyalty: Hopefully your concerns about the necklace thing will be explained in this chapter or the next. As for the sex part, yea, it basically was comfort sex, but I think they're entitled to that in this situation. Lol I'm glad you liked it long, it would be nice if they could all be that length but then the updates would be too sparse and I really didn't like having a week in-between them. Anyways, I'm thrilled that you liked last chapter and as always, thank you very very very much for reviewing so faithfully!
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CHAPTER TWENTY: THE WILL TO LIVE
At the sound of heavy boots pounding the ground, Ron's eyes flew open. He lay, breathing heavily as more pairs of feet than one came closer and closer.
Looking down frantically, he saw Hermione in his arms, a smile on her lips, hugging his waist contently. Heart beating fast, he sat up and looked around for their clothes.
He could hear voices now…they were coming for them!
Running quickly over to the corner, getting dressed himself, he gathered up Hermione's clothes and leaned over her, shaking her awake gently.
"Hmm?" she asked dreamily
"'Mione get up now!" Ron said hurriedly
"mmm? Why?"
"They're coming! Hurry!" He cried
Hermione's brown eyes shot open. Looking at him fearfully she whispered, "Where are my clothes?"
"Right here." He said, handing them to her.
If it had been any other day, and if Ron had been in any other circumstance, he would have paused for a moment, to admire Hermione's body as she dressed shamelessly in front of him. But things just never worked out for him that way.
As Hermione turned around, fully dressed, her eyes full of fear, she looked around. "What are we supposed to do?"
"Let's pretend like we're still asleep. Maybe they'll go away."
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and wrinkled up her nose. "That won't help."
"Do you have any other ideas?"
"No"
"Well then-"
"You sure it's them?" A sudden voice asked
"Oh I'm sure of it" Another replied
"Down!" Ron hissed, pulling Hermione's wrist towards the ground.
"You think they saw him die?" A different voice asked
The group snickered. "I would have liked to see their reactions" A fourth said with disappointment.
"QUIET!" An ice-cold voice suddenly shouted, "I WON'T PUT UP WITH ANY MORE OF YOUR USELESS BABBLING! I HAVE BUISNESS TO ATTEND TO HERE!"
The group fell silent. "We're sorry my Lord." One said
"NO MORE!" He cried
Ron's heart was pounding uncontrollably. Wrapping his arms around Hermione, he held her tightly, afraid that the moment he let her go would be the moment they would forever be separated. As the footsteps neared, Ron closed his eyes. What would happen? Would they kill him immediately? Or would they be tortured beforehand? Would they pry him for information? Would they rape Hermione? Would they kill her first?
The footsteps were so close….there…they had stopped. They were standing at the door of their cell, watching them.
"Ron…" Hermione breathed, the fright evident in her voice.
"Shh…"
"Ron I can't"
"'Mione…"
"I'm so scared"
"Shush"
"WAKE UP!" One of the Death Eaters cried, shaking the bars violently
"Don't," He warned
"DO YOU HEAR ME? WAKE UP!" He repeated
"Nott," A calm voice that Ron instantly recognized "Calm yourself. These two are obviously awake."
"Ron!"
"It's okay"
"No bother. They can still hear even if they pretend like they cannot. And I'm sure once they've heard what I have to say they will end their little game." Voldemort paused for dramatic effect
Hermione was squeezing his hand so hard, he was sure he'd lost all feeling in it.
"I thought perhaps that you two would like to hear about poor Mr. Potter's fateful end." Ron clenched his fists together angrily. "The boy started off fighting cockily, honestly believing that he could defeat me" Voldemort chuckled a low chuckle that sent shivers down along Ron's spine. "And we saw who really was the smart one by the end of the night didn't we? Yes well anyways, once he broke his silly glasses, he was a hopeless blundering fool. Even more pathetic than the ordinary man I come across and kill"
Ron's blood was boiling. How dare he talk about Harry that way! His words cut at his heart and Ron's hands shook. And based by the way Hermione's shoulder shook, he could tell that she was taking it just as badly as he was.
Voldemort noticed. Grinning evilly to his followers who began snorting happily, he continued, having more fun than he had imagined. " Oh yes, he stumbling about hopelessly. If only his fan club had seen him then. I took pity on the boy and tortured him for a while before finishing him off. By the end he had completely given up, lost all hope and was begging for me to kill him. Crying like a baby for a while there, he kept repeating over and over again how sorry he was. He finally saw that he was no match against me. That for his whole he'd been made to believe by that old crack of a fool Dumbledore that he could finish me off, was a lie. He saw the truth a little too late though. Perhaps maybe if he had seen it earlier he could have made his death a heroic one."
Rage was burning in Ron's eyes, and suddenly he could no longer lay on the ground pretending. Hermione sensed it.
"Ron don't!" She cried
But it was too late. Jumping up, Ron lunged through the bars, grabbing Voldemort's neck. Voldemort was screaming terribly, as Ron shook him over and over again, desperately trying to kill him. Hermione had raced over, yanking on Ron to pull him away.
"DON'T YOU SAY THAT ABOUT HARRY!" He roared "YOU BASTARD! YOU'RE BARKING MAD! I'M HARRY'S BEST MATE! YOU DON'T SAY THAT IN FRONT OF ME! YOU'RE A DEMETED, SICK MAN! YOU'RE DAMNED! YOU'RE GOING TO THE DARKEST PITS OF HELL FOR WHAT YOU SAID!"
"RON STOP IT! GET OFF!" Hermione screamed
"NO HERMIONE! HE KILLED HARRY! HE'S GOING TO DIE! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"
"G-g-get him!" Voldemort squeaked
The Death Eaters nodded, and raised their wands, all sending silent curses towards Ron. He flew through the air and landed on his back, Voldemort now freed from his grasp.
"RON!" Hermione shrieked, running towards him.
Voldemort bent over, catching his breath and regaining his composure, his face one of absolute fury.
"RON! NO RON NO!" Hermione cried, leaning over his body. He had no visible scars from what Hermione could see. Sobbing hysterically, she continued to shake him.
Opening his eyes he gazed at her tear stained face and blinked. Hermione threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, crying into his shirt.
"You're such an idiot…" She sobbed
"That's about the only thing I've ever agreed on with a mudblood" Voldemort hissed, "You just did a very stupid thing my boy. I hated you both from the start, but you two had never done anything to make me want to kill you immediately. That's all changed now, you understand? You're going to pay Weasley, and you'll bring your friend down with you as well! You're going to regret this more than anything you've ever done. Oh just you see, I'm going to make your deaths so slow that you'll beg for me to finish you off….just like Potter" He grinned "Boys, I think these two would benefit from the room downstairs don't you think?"
Laughing, they all nodded enthusiastically. "Well then" Voldemort smiled "I'm afraid I will not be able to join you, I have appointments with others like yourselves, but be assured that I will drop by later to reap the benefits of your pain." Laughing like a madman he made a motion with his hands as though he were tipping at hat at them "Nice to meet you both"
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Ron would have never noticed it. When one of the Death Eaters ran their hand along the side crack of one of the large stones, Ron thought he was mental. But when it gave way to reveal a spiraling staircase, lit with torches, he wondered why he hadn't noticed it before.
Hermione's sobs had quieted and her tears were gone. Instead, fear had replaced them both. He had never seen her in such a state before. She clung to him; even more so than before and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Her face was drained of all color, yet her jaw was set determinedly. Something Ron knew she only did to appear strong for him. He appreciated it greatly, his own hands shaking a bit, and his stomach twisting in guilt. It was one thing for them to torture him, he should have seen that one coming. But it was quite another to punish Hermione.
As they walked down the steep staircase, water dripping a bit from the ceiling, a chorus of mice singing that provided little comfort for Ron, they walked into a dimly lit room.
He had been right. Torturous items filled up the room, a few bodies that had been able to handle it, lying in the corner. He shuddered with the thought of how their deaths might have come about. Hermione gasped and he squeezed her hand.
The Death Eaters got to work setting up the items and checking them thoroughly. Ron turned to Hermione.
Lowering his eyes he whispered, "I'm so sorry"
She seemed distant, her eyes caught up somewhere else. Shaking her head, she simply held out her arms and he engulfed her in a hug. "Don't leave me" She whispered
"I won't. I promise I won't let them touch you."
Her bottom lip trembling, she sunk to the floor. "'Mione?" He asked, kneeling so that he was level with her. Lifting her chin with his finger, he stared into her eyes. Tears were there.
"How could everything have gone so wrong?" She whispered, "My potion was supposed to save him"
"I-I don't know. He probably didn't hit him with Avada Kedavra then. Mine worked fine"
"Mine too"
They fell silent.
"This is really the end isn't it?" She whispered fearfully
"No" He said determinedly, his heart breaking with her lack of hope
"Promise me you'll try to save yourself"
"Don't talk like that"
"Don't worry about me. Leave me and get out of here. Go somewhere where they can never find you. America, Australia, somewhere."
"Hermione!"
"Please Ron?" She asked tearfully "Please promise me"
"Stop talking like this!"
"Promise!"
"I can't!"
"Please Ron, I'm begging you, do this for me!"
"If we want to live enough than we will!"
"That's false hope. I'm talking about reality here. Just promise me!"
"I—ah!" Ron cried as two of the Death Eaters pulled at his arms, yanking him backwards.
"Ron!" Hermione cried as she made a move to go after him
"Tsk Tsk little Missy! You weren't thinking of going after him were you?" The other Death Eater said in good humor
Hermione looked at him with horror before suddenly sprinting. The man grabbed her ankle and she landed on the ground. Picking her up, the man laughed. "Haven't you ever heard of 'Ladies First'? Don't worry about your friend, he'll get to sit back and enjoy the show with us!"
"NO! NO! PUT ME DOWN!" She shouted, pounding the man as hard as she could.
"HERMIONE!" Ron screamed as the two men slammed him against the wall. He flailed his arms around. He had to get to her!
"Stop wiggling!" One cried, as he tried to tie his hands together with rope.
"You're going to make us miss the show!" The other cried
Immediately looking up, Ron suddenly saw what the other man was doing. A crying Hermione was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, the man fingering a wand behind his back.
"NO!" He cried out, but it made no difference
"CRUCIO!" The man screamed
Ron's heart felt like it was slowly dying as he watched his best friend and the woman he loved scream in agony. He'd heard hundreds of screams within the past 24 hours but Hermione's was by far the worst, the one that would forever haunt his dreams.
He tried to kick his capturers, tried to wiggle his hands free, tried to run and simply drag the two Death Eaters with him, but nothing worked and Ron was left feeling helpless and guilty beyond his imagination.
Again and again the Death Eater shouted spells at Hermione. Ron was at the breaking point. He couldn't take it anymore. Using every bit of strength left in him, Ron lifted his foot slowly, and kicked the man to the left of him. The man fell to the ground, and while the Death Eater to the right of him looked at his comrade, Ron kicked him in the groin as well. Without skipping a beat or wasting a moment, Ron began to run.
He ran as fast as he could, though it was difficult with his hands still tied behind his back. As he neared Hermione and the other Death Eater he realized that he didn't have a plan of any kind. Using terms Ron was most familiar with, he slammed into the man, knocking him on over on his face. From there, Ron stomped on him, crushing every body part he could find. Once he felt sure that the man was hurting as badly as Hermione appeared, he walked over to her.
She was on the ground, scars and welts of all kinds on her body. She was lying motionless, yet breathing heavily, appearing as though she had been fried; and as Ron gazed at the burn mark down her right arm, it looked as though she had been.
She opened her eyes though, gazing at him silently, a small smile on her lips. "I made it," She whispered, though it sounded as if the words strained her.
Ron felt tears sting his eyes and nodded sadly, "Yea…you did"
But their conversation was cut short, as Ron was violently thrown backwards onto the ground, the three Death Eaters circling around him. Without saying a word, they shot spells at him, the forces of one mixing with the other, creating a kind of pain Ron had never felt before.
"RON!" Hermione cried, standing up and beating one of Ron's previous guards with surprising strength for someone who had just been tortured.
The Death Eater pushed her away but she kept at it, screaming things the whole time.
Ron tried to move, but he couldn't. The fire was eating away at him, licking up his insides and dissolving his flesh. It was as though needles were piercing his skin, and yet it was as though he had no limbs, like they had all disappeared. His mind was all fogged up, he could hear a struggle happening, he could hear cries and screams, yet he couldn't comprehend it, his mind was one tracked, completely focused on the horrors his body was undergoing. It consumed him, the world disappeared, there was no love in the world, no good, no compassion or hope, it was pain, it was darkness, it was evil, it was fire.
And then as suddenly as it came upon him, it stopped. Stopped so suddenly, he couldn't seem to believe it at first. It was as though someone had poured a bucket of ice water over the flames, they were smoldered and smoking, but they were gone. He regained his vision in the matter of seconds and what he saw made him heart lurch.
One of the Death Eaters had Hermione pinned to the ground, her shirt and bra discarded, his own pants pulled down, poised above her. She was screaming and crying hysterically, but the other two held her down.
"Hurry up! I want a go with her!" One of them cried out
Ron thought he was going to be sick. Rage overcame any pain he had, and before he fully understood what he was doing, he shoved the Death Eater away, grabbing his wand that fell to the ground. Pointing the wooden stick at the other two he demanded, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
The two snickered and pulled out their wands, not moving their positions. But Ron couldn't stand it, and as another wave of fury passed over him he discarded any logic or reason and shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Their faces had enough time before the spell hit to change from a look of cockiness to one of horror. Eyes burning, Ron turned to the third Death Eater who was half naked in front of him. The man cowered and began to babble incoherent mutterings, something Ron didn't have tolerance for at the moment. The man had tried to rape Hermione, and he bloody well would have if he hadn't come along. In Ron's mind, that made up his decision. Ignoring the small guilty voice in the back of his head, he pointed the wand at the man. "Avada Kedavra" He said calmly, watching with some satisfaction as the Death Eater's body went rigid.
Then, and only then, did he allow himself to approach Hermione.
She had grabbed her shirt and covered herself when Ron tackled her attacker but otherwise hadn't moved positions at all. Her face remained one of horror and fear, frozen in place as though she were a terrified Barbie. Even as Ron took a step closer, she backed away from him, a motion that slapped Ron in the face.
"H-Hermione?" He asked gently, reaching a hand out to her
Tears flew down her face. She said nothing but instead shook her head back and forth and buried her face in her hands, her sobs racking her body. Overcome with the urge to hold her, look her over to make sure she was okay, Ron sat down beside her and ran a hand comfortingly through her hair.
"Shh…it's okay now. I'm here," He said as softly as he could
That appeared to be all the invitation she wanted, for Hermione simply climbed into his lap, huddled and shaking like a scared child. Ron wrapped his arms securely around her, rocking her back and forth soothingly, kissing her forehead.
"I'm so sorry…" He whispered, "It's all my fault. I should have controlled my anger in the first place with Voldemort. Oh Merlin, I never meant for it to turn out like this 'Mione. I certainly didn't want you hurting. I'm so sorry….I'm so sorry"
"I-It's okay" She whispered,
"I love you so much" Ron said gently "I thought you were dying when they were torturing you. How did you survive that for so long?"
Hermione turned around to face him, brushing the tears off her face. "I was thinking about you"
"Me?"
"I told you before, you are the only thing I have left in the world."
"Still but-"
"I couldn't leave you. Even if I was tempted to. It just wouldn't be fair to you, I couldn't survive if you died; I didn't want to put you through that. I wanted to stay with you, I never want to be without you for as long as I live"
"Me neither." Ron said honestly
"You were right though," She said quietly
"About what?"
"That you really can survive if you want it badly enough."
Ron shrugged. "Just something Mum always said. I always believed it."
"Well I do too. And I mean what I said, I want to spend my life with you, though I'm not sure exactly how much longer that will be. Harry lost and we're personal enemies of Voldemort, it doesn't seem likely that we'll live to a ripe old age."
Ron nodded but was deep in thought. She was right…Their days were numbered. But…what if they could escape? Where would they go? Somewhere far, somewhere remote. They needed to be as far away from magic and England as they possible could be. Leave everything behind, leave no clues, no traces, and make it appear as though they had vanished into thin air. It pained Ron to think of leaving his family behind, especially Ginny, but it was the only way to survive. It was the only thing that would keep Hermione safe, and that meant the world to him.
"Unless we escape." Ron said quickly
"What?" Hermione looked at him curiously
"Escape." He repeated, "We're alone right now, Voldemort assumes we're being tortured. He'll come soon and we'll be gone."
"But Ron…Where would we go?"
"Like you said before. Somewhere far away like an island. The last place he'd ever suspect."
She was contemplating it, the wheels of her mind running, searching for mistakes.
"We'd have to leave England" She whispered
"I know" He replied solemnly
"Ron, we'd leave Ginny."
"I know" He said, the words sticking in his throat
"Your family, my family, all of our things that weren't at school"
"All I'd have would be you. But I'd rather have you and be on the run with nothing to our names and dirt poor than lying next to you, dead"
That statement had more power over Hermione than anything he'd said before. He could tell by the way her eyes flickered. "Me too" she agreed. "Let's go"
Ron smiled slightly at her sudden change of mind, and offered out his hand. "I'll go first" He whispered, squeezing her hand tightly as he headed towards the spiraling staircase.
She nodded and Ron's heartbeat sped up. This was their one chance. If they blew it, it might be the end. Hand shaking, Ron held up the wand of a man he killed, completely unaware of the fact that deep down in the hollow chamber, voices carried, and Hermione wasn't the only one who had heard his brilliant idea
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