Title: A Dangerous Mission
Rating: M
Summary: When the Order learns of a unique plot to kidnap Harry Potter, they attempt an equally unique way to turn the situation to their advantage.
Disclaimer: LOL, see icon:P
Warnings: Harry/Ron Slash, AU, somewhat dark, contains simulated torture, and some bad language.
Author's Note: This is one of the most challenging pieces that I have ever written.
It was written as a gift for wolfiekins during the 2007 bestmatesxmas gift exchange on Livejournal. The story is canon compliant up through Half Blood Prince, and then presents an Alternate Future, disregarding Deathly Hallows in its entirety.

A Dangerous Mission

The air is thick with tension as the Order members file out of the room; leaving us alone to prepare. There isn't much time for us to put our plan into action. The window of opportunity is small, the risks extremely high, and the fate of the Wizarding World may very well rest upon the outcome of this night.

Even though I already knew the details of the mission, having played a major part in its development, I suddenly found myself struck with self-doubt as the words of Kingsley's briefing echo in my mind.

"When we captured Peter Pettigrew and questioned him under Veritaserum, we discovered that Voldemort had very specific instructions for his minion. Pettigrew was supposed to place Ron under the Imperius Curse, force him to capture Harry, and then deliver him to the Dark Lord bound, tortured, and broken. If our plan has any chance of succeeding, it is crucial to make Voldemort believe that he is receiving exactly what he asked for."

I nervously run my fingers through the copper strands of my hair as I raise my gaze to meet the determined green eyes of my best mate. He doesn't appear to be plagued with any doubts as crosses over to me. Without wasting time he unbuttons his shirt. Calmly, he slips it off of his shoulders, and drapes the garment over a nearby chair. His undershirt follows a moment later, exposing his skinny, yet muscled frame.

He kicks off his sandals and when he moves to unfasten his jeans, I swallow hard against the lump that has formulated in my throat. I stop him, taking his steady hands into my trembling ones. His emerald eyes look at me questioningly and I confess, "I don't know if I can do this."

"I know you can do it," he answered as he pulls me into a comforting hug. "It will be fine."

"It's too dangerous," I insist. "We should just send the fucking rat to Azkaban and keep trying to find another way!"

"We'll never have another opportunity like this in a million years, and you know it. Voldemort underestimates you; he'll never suspect that anything is other than the way it seems. It's his biggest weakness and now he's given us the opportunity to get close enough to finish him once and for all!"

I'm terrified but I know he's right; that we have to move forward with our plan. Reluctantly I nod my head, and he leans in to place a soft kiss on my lips. Our foreheads press together and I run my fingers through the back of his messy black hair.

My voice cracks as I whisper, "I don't want to hurt you," against his lips.

"You won't," he answers with certainty. "I trust you."

I capture my best mate's mouth in a brief, yet powerfully passionate kiss before returning my attention to the task at hand. We've already wasted precious minutes due to my lingering doubts, and now there is no turning back. I trail my hands down his chest, marveling at the contrast of the freckles on them against the creamy complexion of his skin.

His jeans are removed and I cast a series of charms to protect him from the chill in the air. He holds out his arm and I firmly secure the leather sheath of his wand holder against his forearm. After a quick test to make sure he can access his wand quickly; I cast the charm to make it invisible. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," he answers. "How do you want me?"

"Put your arms behind you, with your hands grasping at each elbow."

He does as I ask and using my wand, I carefully guide the rope that I had especially prepared with cushioning charms to secure his hands in place. It's a tricky task because I need to make sure that it looks like a tight and uncomfortable binding, without it actually being so. I manage it by wrapping more rope around his body, fastening his arms to his chest. It further restricts his maneuverability, and is more comfortable for him than other possible techniques, but is thorough enough to be convincing. The picture is completed when I create a hobble at his ankles, allowing him just enough movement to be practical.

I run my hands over the bindings once they're completed to be certain they're not cutting off his circulation. "Do they feel alright?" I ask. "Not too tight?"

"They're fine," he answers.

I nod and say, "Okay then," before moving on the next stage of our deception.

I rip my best friend's pants in several places and cast several charms to make him appear dirty and disheveled. Numerous glamours are cast to make it appear as if there are painful bruises, whip and burn marks, and open wounds all over his body. Gently, I remove his glasses and place them into the pocket of my robes. Then I perform a temporary vision correction charm, followed by another one to make his eyes look bloodshot. I also create bags underneath them, giving the illusion that he has been crying for a long period of time. Then, as a final touch, I sweep his jet black hair away from his forehead to ensure that the famous scar is visible.

"I suppose that's it then," I whisper.

The door opens after a brief knock and even though I know it's only Hermione, and that she's taken the Polyjuice Potion, I cannot help but shudder when she enters the room looking exactly like Wormtail.

"Are you guys ready?" she asks.

"As ready as we can be," I answer solemnly.

"Okay," she says as she pulls a dusty, worn book out of her robes. "Wormtail's portkey will only activate once three people are touching it at the same time. It's supposed to bring us directly to Voldemort, so the second we touch it, we need to be playing our parts. We need to get as close to him as we possibly can before striking, so we'll need to put on enough of a show to lure Voldemort into thinking that he's in complete control of the situation."

"Right," I agree, before returning my attention to my bound best friend. I raise my wand to his face and at his nod I hit him with the Tearjerker Jinx. At once tears begin to fall, adding to the illusion of his helplessness. I step behind him, roughly grabbing a fistful of his unruly hair and placing the tip of my wand against his throat. Hermione comes forward, maneuvering the portkey into a position where all of us can touch it, and we are instantly transported into the heart of the Dark Lord's lair.

I maintain a neutral expression as I force my friend to move forward into the room. He struggles hard against my grip and cries out, "No, Ron, please, stop!"

I'm surprised to realize that there are only a handful of Death Eaters in the room. Voldemort sits at the far end of the room in a throne like chair. Bellatrix Lestrange is the only unmasked servant in attendance as she stands by her Lord's side. The snake, Nagini, is coiled near the chair at his feet.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort hisses as he watches us approach. "It's so nice of you to join us."

"Go to hell, Tom," he responds as he glares at Voldemort and continues to fight against his bondage.

Voldemort tenses and his anger is potently visible at the use of his former name. "Such disrespect will not be tolerated," he hisses. The glowing red slits of Voldemort's eyes move to focus on me as he commands, "Bring him to me, Ronald."

I obey, moving us closer to the Dark Lord. I'm still holding firmly to a handful of his dark hair, and he strains his neck as far as he can in an attempt to look at me. As we move he pleads with me, lacing his voice with panic and desperation. "Please, Ron! It's me, Harry. I know this isn't really you. You know that you don't want to do this!"

I force myself to appear unmoved by his pleas and when we're almost all the way across the room, I remove my hand from his hair to press lightly against his back. He catches on to my meaning and throws his own body forward. I follow the motion through with my hand in order to make it look like I was the one who pushed him. He stumbles on the hobbling ropes at his ankles and crashes to the ground with a loud cry, landing only a couple of inches away from Nagini.

Voldemort laughs as he sobs loudly, and Hermione takes advantage of the fact that 'Wormtail' has not even been acknowledged. She moves forward along a side wall, and places herself in a perfect position to aid us when it's time to strike.

Voldemort returns his attention to me and says, "Ronald, why don't you teach your friend some manners? I think the Cruciatus Curse will do nicely."

I look down at my friend, and he raises his emerald green eyes to mine and softly begs, "Please don't hurt me again, Ron."

I narrow my eyes at him, raise my wand at his vulnerable form and wordlessly cast a mild stinging hex on him, while calling out, "Crucio", for the benefit of our audience. All of the Death Eaters laugh as they take in the sight of Harry Potter, screaming, and twisting on the ground as he's tortured by the hand of his best friend. Voldemort has me maintain the hex for nearly a full minute before he finally says, "Enough." He sounds pleased, and I know that our performance has lowered the guard of everyone in the room.

The moment has come and Hermione makes her move, banishing the ropes binding our friend and stunning Bellatrix Lestrange in rapid succession. Chaos ensues as Voldemort's most trusted lieutenant falls to the ground in a heap. The remaining Death Eaters are astonished when they see Harry Potter jump to his feet, free from his bindings. Nagini rears up to attack him and he quickly casts, "Avada Kedavra," on her, using his still invisible wand. The Death Eaters gasp as he does so, believing that the snake was killed using wandless magic.

Two more Death Eaters are taken down by Hermione's stunning spells, and the remaining two Death Eaters begin dueling with her at once.Voldemort screams with fury with the death of his snake and the destruction of his final Horcrux. My presence has been completely forgotten in the scuffle and as Voldemort raises his wand toward my best friend, I aim my own with deadly precision at Voldemort, and shout " Avada Kedavra. "

Voldemort's lifeless body falls to the ground with a crash, as Hermione subdues the two remaining Death Eaters. Then we summon the Order and wait for them to come and take the Death Eaters into custody. The war is finally over.

I rush to my best mate's side, pull him close and kiss him fiercely. We break for air just as the change begins. His green eyes morph back to their usual brilliant blue, and his raven black hair returns to the color of fire. I feel myself shrinking as I return to my usual height, and my vision becomes fuzzy as I become myself again.

I pull my glasses out of the pocket I had placed them in earlier and put them on. The world comes back into focus and I look into Ron's beaming face.

"You did it, Harry!" Ron says as he gathers me in crushing hug.

"No," I correct him. "We did it."

I hold Ron close and now that the danger is over, the proximity to his nearly naked body begins to stir my desire. "Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Now that the whole possible untimely death bit is out of the way, maybe we should try the whole bondage thing again."

Ron smiles broadly, "Sure thing, mate," he whispers huskily into my ear. "Only this time, I'll tie you up."

His kiss is full of the promise of what he'll do to me once we get home and I can hardly wait.