AN: Before I let you read the chapter there is one thing I would like to make perfectly clear: my plot is inspired by Alexander Dumas novel "Le Comte de Monte Cristo" and so the plot will have some similarities with the original novel. Still my fic is not a remake. This story is going to have some elements or scenes straight from the novel and some twists and turns are going to be my own. Now, should anyone be bothered if plot is too close to Dumas I am truly sorry but I'm not forcing anyone to read this fic. Should you continue reading it is up to you, I am not creating here anything life changing, I write this because I want to. Thank you and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not owe any of HP characters, nor do I owe Dumas novel.

BARON RÖNNSKÄR

CHAPTER 5 TWO HANDSHAKES

Malfoy…Krum…Percy…Malfoy…

Ron repeated those names in his mind over and over again. Every time his hit the stones in the tunnel with hammer he imagined it would be one of their faces.

Percy…

His own brother had betrayed him. He had been betrayed by one of his own family. And only because of ambitious and jealousy! Percy was probably rich as hell and a man of influence by now.

Krum…

There was a time when Ron was a big fan of Viktor Krum, Bulgaria's gift for Quidditch. And instead that he would have faced Ron like a man he stabbed him in the back like a coward. All for Hermione, which of course was understandable as it is easy to fall in love with her. Did he have her by now? Was he kissing her lips and touching her body at the moment? The idea of Hermione finding someone else had crossed Ron's mind many times but now that he knew what Krum had done the idea was even more unbearable.

Malfoy…

That scheming two-faced ferret! He had turned against his father and Voldemort and received redemption from every one. But he hadn't change; he was still the one who aims only for himself. No doubt he also was an important man of power by now.

Ron was pulled out of his thoughts by something catching his eye. He stopped hammering and looked at what was before him. Have I lost my mind or could it be…? He didn't dare to finish in case he was to prepare for disappointment. He turned to look at black haired man behind him.

"Snape, do you see the same as I" Ron asked.

Snape crawled enough to see over Ron's shoulder. He was about to say he didn't see anything when it caught his eye also. "Bloody…" he whispered.

Both men looked at each others, huge grins on their faces. From the small crack in the wall was coming daylight! Only few hammering strikes separated them from freedom.

"Better return to cells, Weasley" Snape said. "Let's wait till dark".

As Ron was again in his cell and the hole was covered he could feel excitement running through his entire body. Tonight he could have his freedom back. After seven years in this hell he could be free again…or die on the way. Ron decided that should they fail and be caught he would make resistance. He wouldn't return to this place again. One way or the other he would be free tonight!

Night couldn't have come any sooner. As Ron crawled to the tunnel with Snape he could feel his heart beating like thunder. It hadn't beaten that much since he had asked Hermione to marry him. He took the tools to his hands and looked at Snape. His was quite but obviously nervous also. He gave a nod and so Ron started to hit the wall in the small tunnel. He tried to be as quiet as he could, they didn't know where the guards would be.

Both men almost stopped breathing when the wall gave in and the fresh night air greeted them. Snape turned the lamp of immediately. Very slowly, still trying to adjust to the dark, both men crawled out of the tunnel. The feeling of the wind against them was almost exhilarating. They heard the sound of waves splashing against the shore. The ocean was right in front of them. Little swimming and they could apparate away. If they could get there without being seen, Ron thought. There was no moon or stars shinning that night so they could use darkness as their cover. Unfortunately if there were any guards near the darkness covered them also.

Ron felt something touching him and turned around to see Snape standing next to him. He was holding a hand to him. Ron understood that there was no way to be sure what happens now. He shook Snape's hand, silently thanking him. And then they took a deep breath and started to move forward. When they reach the water it took everything in Ron keep him from shouting. They were on the north coast of Scotland and the sea wasn't exactly warm. Not to mention Ron hadn't even taken a shower during the last seven years. He forced himself to stay quiet and heading forward.

Suddenly something flashed right next to him. Ron was about to turn around when he heard Snape's voice shouting to him.

"Don't stop! We've been seen! Keep going!" he shouted.

Ron tried to apparate from the place he was but couldn't succeed. He headed forward, water touching his shoulders now. In a moment of few seconds old instincts and memories of many swimming times in Burrow took over and he was swimming as fast as he could. Same time as water was splashing against his ears he heard guards on the land shouting and casting spells towards them. Some of them almost hit him but the darkness made them aim badly.

And then he heard Snape's scream. Ron turned towards the sound and saw that Snape was having difficulties to stay on the surface. Also he heard one of guards on the land shouting something like "I think I hit him". Ron took hold of Snape's shoulder and started to pull him with him. He tried to apparate but failed. Damn! How far away must one be!

There was light coming behind them. Guards were in the boats now and coming fast. Ron tried to swim faster which was little difficult as he was pulling Snape along him. Spells were become closer, soon one would hit. Again he tired to apparate but failed.

"Don't you know that no-one escapes from Azkaban?" a guard asked. His voice was coming too close now. From the corner of his eye Ron saw the head of the boat coming next to him. He heard one of the guards to start casting a spell when he with every fever of his body took one last risk and tried blindly apparate somewhere. And then he wasn't in the water anymore.

Ron looked around him as fast as he could. Where…? He still heard the guard's voice but couldn't make out of the words, they were too far away. Ron didn't know anything about his location except that he was on some shore. Was it an island or some other part on coast of Scotland…Ron didn't know. All he knew that forest he saw provided a temporary hide out for him and Snape. He put Snape's arm to his shoulder and helped him to walk to the forest. It was still dark and Snape was weak. Ron didn't know what to do next but he did know one thing: he would wait till sunrise and then decide what to do.

Ron hadn't meant to fall a sleep but couldn't help it. It was Snape's muttering voice that woke him up. To Ron's surprise Snape seemed to be completely okay.

"Snape-what…?"

He hushed him to be quiet. "We're not alone here" he whispered. And with that they heard yelling coming from the shore and then spells being cast. Funny thing was they weren't coming towards them. Both Ron and Snape looked behind the trees and realised that they were witnessing a battle. On the shore there were three guards of the Azkaban casting spells against a group of four. The group of four had three men and were lead by a woman in mid 30's. She was dressed in a long green robe and had black ebony hair. She was very good casting spells. Unfortunately three men weren't as good and the group was almost beaten.

There was a huge light and then one guard and one of the woman's men were lying on a ground. Snape and Ron looked at each others, confirmed what they thought and jumped from their hideout. They took the wands from the ground and started casting spells against the two guards. Snape had to admit that Ron had learned well. He remembered the exact way to use wrist to cast certain spells. With Snape and Ron on her side the woman easily beat the two remaining guards.

Nobody said anything for a moment.

"So…" the woman started with her foreign accent, "I guess by the way you look that they were looking for you". There was a slight humour in her voice which told both men that they would be safe for now.

Five months later…

Ron was sitting in a muggel café shop in London drinking his coffee. He looked peoples around him: young lovers holding each others, parents with their children and old people remembering years behind. This is a good day, he thought. Everyone seems to be happy. Everyone except him, for he alone seem to have no place in this world.

Five months ago he and Snape had met Natasha Blackwood (AN: boundaries of my creativity). She's a Russian woman who became an outlaw during the war. She's the leader of that gang they met fighting on the shore against the guards. Natasha seems arrogant, rude and totally cold but that is all just a façade in order to survive. No wonder Snape took immediate liking on her. They had joined her crew. That crew did everything it was paid for, from blackmailing to assassinations. Crew was very close, almost like a family. In a way they reminded Ron of his time in Burrow.

He was pulled out of his thought by Snape sitting next to him.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" he asked.

"I have to. I must know what exactly happened. Haven't you notice that there are no wanted poster of us in wizard London?" Ron said.

"I have noticed. I suspect that it has something more to do with you than me" he said. "And when you have learned what you need to learn what then?"

Ron gave a hollow sigh. "I don't know" he said. They had been free for five months but he didn't free at all. His life was gone and unlike Snape he wanted it back. Then Snape did something quite unexpected. He pulled a map out of his pocket and put it to Ron's lap.

"Do you know what country that is?" Snape asked.

Ron looked at it for a moment. He didn't recognise it until he saw its neighbour country Russia. "It's Finland" he said.

Snape pointed south coast of Finland with his long finger. "There is an island there named Rönnskär…" he started to tell.

"Rnnskr?" Ron asked.

"Rönnskär" Snape corrected him. "It's a small island that is used by muggles. There really isn't anything else than some of those muggel bunkers and a light house". Ron looked at Snape, knowing that something was about to come. "The Dark Lord used it as his bank vault". That Ron hadn't been expecting. "When you enter the bottom stairs of the light house and say Lord Voldemort's true name the secret door will open. Unless aurors have found it there should be millions there. Our Death Eater attacks were expensive ones" he said, small smile in his lips.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ron asked.

"When I first started planning my escape I was going to get to Finland and take as much as I needed. But now…these last few months have changed my mind. It was Death Eater money; I don't want to have it. I actually like this little crew and its way of living" he admitted.

"The crew or Natasha?" red-haired one asked smirking.

Snape pretended not having heard him. "So I would be glad if you took it" he said.

"What?" Ron asked, his jaw hadn't been hanging like this since he and Snape met again two years ago then.

"I want you to have it all. Use it as you please" the former professor said. "Promise me just one thing though; use some of it for good. I know it is blood money and it shouldn't be use like that ever again".

"I don't know what to say…" Ron muttered.

Snape just smiled. He then offered his hand for the second time in Ron's life. Ron took it. "Thank you, Snape" he said quietly.

Snape merely smiled and then walked away from the café shop. Ten minutes later he left the shop and pulled a wand he had bought few weeks ago then. With a simple spell he changed the colour of his eyes and hair and then apparated. To have answers to his questions he needed to see an old friend.

AN: Phew. Hope that's enough for a little while. Maybe more later this week…