A/n: Hey, back with the next chapter, which I really hope you'll like… I know the last chapter was lousy and all, but I have to start with the very beginning… I hope you'll like this one and I hope you'll review.

Grizzlepelt: thanks for you review… I think you're the only one who thinks this story is great…. Sigh…

Disclaimer: If by some miracle I did happen to own Harry Potter, I would be certainly re-writing the HBP book.

Read to your heart's content…

Chapter 2: Of Grieving and Hatred

"Weasley!" both Snape and Lucius hissed. There at their feet lay a red-haired freckled young man… Ron Weasley.

They quickly revived him and Snape held him by his front robes.

"Let me go, you slimy git!" Ron yelled at him.

"Manners, Weasley or else I will force feed them to you," Snape snarled as he pointed his wand at Ron's throat.

"Force feed yourself first," Ron scoffed.

"Why you little insolent prat!" he threw Ron, making him collide with the cold hard wall.

"What do you want from me?" Ron coughed as he tried to mask the pain and fear he felt.

"Where's your dear friend Potter?" Lucius asked.

"Why in the bloody hell should you know?" asked Ron.

"WHERE IS HE?" Bellatrix screamed, her voice echoed on the empty corridor.

"I'm never going to tell you," Ron said.

"Tell us NOW!" Lestrange yelled a little louder still.

"Quit being his best mate and tell us now!" Snape yelled.

"NO!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Lucius yelled, losing his never long patience. There was a blinding green light and everything turned quiet… no more yells… no more struggles.

Ron Weasley laid in the cold stone floor, lifeless, his face contorted with shock.

The other three looked at the poor young man's body with no trace of guilt.

"Useless filth!" Lucius sneered

"Just leave him here," Snape said.

The other two nodded and all three of them scrambled away from the dead boy… from the corridor… from the castle… never once thinking of their crime… of their supposedly 'mates' that were left to suffer the horrendous yet just punishment for their actions in the hands of the Aurors.

………….

Ginny stopped, catching her breath for a moment. She looked around, no signs of her beloved Harry. Screams of anguish and rage reached her ears from somewhere below her, even the walls trembled as curses well cast by angered wizards and witches hit the walls.

She wiped her eyes; she was so scared… beyond anything.

She took a deep breath and continued journeying along the long stretch of the corridor.

Ginny stopped yet again; there was something there at the end of the corridor, just near the statue of the One-eyed Witch. Her heart started beating faster, she had and inkling as to what or rather, who that someone in the end was, that red hair was exactly not hard to miss.

"No!" She screamed as a sob escaped form her mouth.

"RON!" her thundering footsteps bounced off the walls.

"RON!" Ginny repeated again as she knelt beside his brother's body, tears flowing from her eyes.

"N-no!" She looked around frantically. "HELP!" she howled as loud as she could. "Help me! Help us! Please, give my brother a chance, he doesn't deserve to die," she screamed to no one in particular. She found herself wanting for even the tiniest nonexistent sign of life in Ron's body, but as she stared at his brother, she felt it losing all the same.

There were footsteps all around them.

"Oh my –," McGonagall quickly halted and stood there, petrified with shock.

"Please, professor… Ron… there's something wrong with him," Ginny pleaded.

"Fix him, please!"

McGonagall enveloped the poor girl in a tight hug.

"Ms. Weasley, I'm sorry… he's gone," she said quietly. Ginny cried even louder.

"No…no…no…" she repeated all over again with a blank expression on her face, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

Professor McGonagall beckoned Filch to her.

"Please accompany little Ginerva here to the Hospital Wing and ask Madame Pomfrey to give her something for her shock," McGonagall ordered. "I'll be calling for the rest of the Weasleys and for Harry and Hermione,"

Filch nodded and led Ginny away, her cries still very strident.

McGonagall stared at Ron's body before her and felt her own eyes water.

…………………

Harry dodged the very last of the curses sent his way. He was very tired, and wanted nothing more but to lie down and sleep, or otherwise spend the rest of the night with his two best friends… Ron and Hermione.

He watched as the Aurors rounded up the unsuccessful Death Eaters and feel a small, satisfied grin creep to his lips. He looked around… where was Ron? He found himself looking for his best mate yet he was nowhere to be found.

As if on cue, Hermione appeared by his side.

"No sign of him?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"No,"

"Harry, I'm worried," Hermione said. Harry hugged his best friend tightly.

"Everything would be alright, Mione, I promise," Harry promised. Hermione nodded.

Everything was cleared now and the Aurors were fixing up damages and all those have been injured have been sent up to the infirmary. Luckily, all of the students have been sent up to their dormitories with a special charm to protect them. However, all the old DA members (except those who have graduated) have helped in battling the Death eaters.

"Mr. Potter! Ms. Granger!" the two looked around to find McGonagall hurrying towards them. "To my office, if you must," she said urgently.

…………

Harry and Hermione entered the headmistress' office. It was not so different from what Dumbledore's office. It was as if McGonagall never dared to touch the office from its last form.

McGonagall motioned for the two to sit down as she herself settled in a chair behind the desk with a mournful look on her face.

The two cautiously sat down and eyed the weary professor. "I… well… I have to explain this before – before I make the next – er – step," she said with quite difficulty. The two just nodded quietly, afraid of what they might hear.

Who have they taken now?

Hagrid?

Neville?

Colin?

Ginny?

"Ron," Professor McGonagall started. Ron? "He…. He's gone,"

Hermione's eyes welled with unshed fearful tears. "Gone? We need to find him. Merlin knows what they might do to him," she said panicking.

"No, what I mean is…is… he's gone," the headmistress said with despair. "Gone?" Hermione repeated, "No,"

"No! That's – that's… illogical! He can't – die out – on me… on us! He just can't!"

Harry had kept quiet all those times. From the first time McGonagall had related the news on the two of them, he had understood what she meant by gone… and on that exact instant, tears fell freely from his eyes while Hermione refused to believe the truth under her nose.

Hermione's piercing sobs filled the office and not long after Harry's soon accompanied hers.

"I'm sorry for your loss," McGonagall said, crying and joining the two. After a few minutes while the two calmed down, she spoke again, "He has been brought to the room beside the statue of the troll, if you want to see him,"

The two rose and McGonagall followed suit. She led the two distressed teenagers to the room where the body of their best friend lay.

In front of that dark oak door, Harry felt the rising fear in his stomach and when the headmistress opened the door, it has seemed that his lungs had been punctured.

Inside the small room, there was a table similar to that of Dumbledore's where Ron's pale lifeless body lay; but instead of the purple cloth covered with stars used to cover Dumbledore's body, there was a maroon silky material at Ron's foot.

In an instant, Harry found himself beside Ron with a distressed Hermione crying beside him.

"Ron?" Harry helplessly tried.

Tears streamed down from his eyes. There was a shuffle and Harry saw Molly Weasley approaching him. He looked up at the plump woman.

"Mrs. Weasley –," Harry started but never got to finish what he made to say because Mrs. Weasley has slapped him hard across the face.

"I don't want to hear your apologies, boy, it won't bring back my son!" she screamed. Hermione looked at them dumbfounded. She was shocked and so was everyone else in the room.

Harry looked around the room. Mr. Weasley was just sitting there quietly gazing at Ron's body.

"Stop it, Molly," Arthur whispered weakly.

"It's your fault! Entirely your fault! He died defending you and he wasn't supposed to be involved! Haven't you noticed he was the only one who died? They want you, Harry! It's you they want! Not my son's life! Oh… my poor son," Mrs. Weasley accused.

"I…. I,"

"Stop this, Molly! Harry didn't do anything; he isn't the one to blame. If you haven't noticed, he has been one of the people dodging curses and sending these Death Eaters to prison tonight. He lost someone dear, too, you know," McGonagall said.

"Does he even know why Ron's dead?" Mrs. Weasley asked furiously, ignoring the headmistress' comment. "Harry, he died because he denied where you were! These Death Eaters came here to get you and look: Ron's dead! He's dead because he kept his loyalty to you. He shouldn't have,"

"Mrs. Weasley, please," Hermione pleaded, chocking down her own tears.

"Innocent lives have been lost for you. You should feel ashamed with yourself! I feel sorry for having welcomed you graciously… if I would have known that… that –," Molly said harshly.

"I know! These innocent lives; I haven't asked them to give it so that I could keep my own. Do you even know how I hate it? How badly I wanted to give my life so that theirs would be returned? " Harry's outraged voice broke out.

Silence ensued after Harry's little tirade.

"I thank you, Mrs. Weasley, and your family for your generosity and I really am sorry for causing you pain and trouble," and with that, Harry left.

TBC

A/n: Okay, so that was that… even shorter than the first one. I know lots of you would be shocked with Mrs. Weasley's reaction, but let me tell you, this is certainly important for the development of the plot. Besides, it's not everyday when you get to read about Mrs. Weasley becoming angry and blaming Ron's death on Harry.

Hoping you wouldn't flame and to see you next chapter, Pumpkingurl.

Review but no flames!