Chapter Twenty-Two.
Ron's Return.

Snape and Harry raised their wands as soon as they saw Bellatrix. Harry saw Hermione immediately step in front of Ron and Ron pulling her back shaking his head. Harry heard Snape yell as two hands grabbed him from behind. Harry saw it was Lucius Malfoy.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted pointing his wand at Bellatrix, which she deflected easily with a flick of her wand, looking at Harry hungrily a glint of madness in her eyes. Before Harry knew what was happening two more death eaters stepped out of nowhere on each side of Bellatrix. Harry couldn't tell who they were as there faces were covered. Harry moved closer to where Ron and Hermione were standing.

"If any of you try to attack you will be killed instantly." Lucius Malfoy ordered them still holding onto Snape his arm wrapped around his neck and Snape struggling to get free. Harry noticed Snape was now wand less and Lucius had hold of two wands now. Harry's mind was racing should he attack even though he would surely be killed?

"I knew you were betraying the Dark Lord Severus, oh how he will reward me when he knows it is I who killed you." Bellatrix stepped forwards towards Snape, the other two death eaters still at her side. Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron who were standing next to him in shock. "Did you really think you would get away with it tonight? I saw you thinking no one was there when you broke out the boy so I followed you, obviously knowing where you were headed." Bellatrix now eyed Ron and her eyes widened excitedly. Snape was still struggling under Lucius' tight grip. "We've been having a lot of fun this week haven't we? Well don't worry you'll be back with us by tonight." She laughed coldly. Ron backed away a little and suddenly looked slightly fearful. Harry stood rooted in one spot still unsure what to do. He saw Hermione looking like she was thinking frantically as she grabbed Ron's arm, which he shrugged off. Harry guessed he didn't want her stepping in and getting hurt.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix pointed her wand at Ron, an evil smirk appeared on her face, light flew out of her wand and in seconds Ron was on the floor screaming in pain. Without thinking or looking to see what anyone else was doing Harry charged forwards towards Bellatrix but was knocked flat on the floor by the other two death eaters who had fired spells at him at the same time.

"What's going on here…Harry?" Two very strong arms pulled up Harry and he saw Hagrid looking down at him. Jet's of light flew from Bellatrix and the other two death eater's wands but they merely bounced off Hagrid, who now looked outraged and lunged himself at the death eaters knocking two of them flat on the ground. Lucius Malfoy pushed Snape to the ground suddenly and raised his wand. Snape lay on the floor making an effort to get up. Hagrid was still fighting with two of the death eaters and then Bellatrix who was moving in towards Ron who was on the floor to grab him her wand raised. Harry fired spells at Bellatrix which she deflected her eyes now only on Ron.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry whipped around and everyone stopped what they were doing to see what had happened. Snape was lying dead on the floor, Lucius Malfoy standing over him with a triumphant grin. Bellatrix shrieked in fury.

"HE WAS MINE!" She roared at Lucius. Hagrid looked at them and mouthed the words 'Run' one of the death eaters was on the ground and the other bent over in pain Hagrid standing on his wand and it snapped in two. Harry, Ron and Hermione saw their chance. Bellatrix was momentarily distracted and Hermione grabbed Ron who was still weak, his arm over her shoulder. Harry took Ron's other arm to help support him and the three of them ran as quickly as they could through the darkness of the forest. Harry was praying that Hagrid would be ok, if he'd had a choice he wouldn't have left him there but he knew if he stayed Ron and Hermione wouldn't leave either. Knowing it was only a matter of seconds before Bellatrix stopped shouting at Malfoy, realised they were gone and come looking for them Harry stopped running and pulled out his invisibility cloak.

"Good idea." Hermione whispered restlessly. Harry put the cloak over the three of them and they continued to run towards the grounds, Harry and Hermione still supporting Ron who was having trouble staying up still breathing heavily from the cruciatus curse. They ran until they got to the castle, not stopping for a second. For a moment Harry had thought Ron was going to collapse.

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked him.

"We've got to go to Mcgonagall, tell her everything that just happened. We should tell her about Snape being on our side, we owe him that much." Harry said now thinking clearly still worried about Hagrid. He didn't know how he felt about Snape's death; he'd loathed Snape for so many years now. But he had just saved his best friends life and risked his life for him.

"Come in." Harry heard a tired voice say from the other side of the door. Harry opened the door to Mcgonagall's office followed by Ron and Hermione. Mcgonagall looked at Harry and then as her eyes fell on Ron she stood up in surprise and gasped, she opened her mouth to speak but merely said "Sit down." Mcgonagall pulled up two more chairs for Ron and Hermione with her wand and the three of them sat down. "I think you'd better explain to me what's happened." Harry with the help of Hermione explained everything that had happened in the forest. Ron had been strangely quiet but Harry guessed he just felt too tired to talk.

"So Severus was innocent, I always had a doubt in my mind from the things Dumbledore had told me." Mcgonagall said in disbelief putting her face in her hands. Harry remembered the conversation between Mcgonagall and Lupin he and Ginny had heard at the wedding. She gave her head a shake and turned to one of the portraits who were all listening intently. "Notify Lupin, Eccledon, Tonks and Alistair that there is the dead body of Severus Snape inside the forbidden forest. And tell them to look for the gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. Make sure you tell them to be careful, there may be death eaters lurking around, although I very much doubt they are still there." The small wizard in the portrait nodded and was gone in seconds. Mcgonagall turned to face Harry again. "There is going to be an attack on the castle? But how will they get in, and why would they want to do it now?" Mcgonagall asked them.

"Snape started to tell us but he got interrupted, and as for how they got in I don't know." Harry said bewildered.

"I can't say we haven't been prepared for another attack. I will need to let Mr and Mrs Weasley know that their son is ok. Take him to the hospital wing, goodness knows what's happened to him." Mcgonagall told them getting up from her seat and walking towards the door. "The order will need to question him as soon as he is in a fit state to answer them."

"Professor, when you find out about –

"I will let you know as soon as I have any information on Hagrid, Harry." Harry and Hermione supported Ron all the way to the hospital wing. He had kept falling asleep on them and they'd had to wake him up several times. They finally arrived in the early hours of the morning and Madame Pomfrey was cleaning. Harry realised she always seemed to be awake and wondered if she ever slept herself, ironic as she was always aggravating her patients to rest even if they didn't want to. She looked at them and sighed.

"It's you three again. What's happened?" She walked over to them pulling Ron out of their grip as he opened his eyes suddenly and flinched in pain as he was moved onto a bed.

"We don't actually know, he'd been missing for a long time and we found out tonight he'd been captured by Voldemort." Harry informed her. She let out a frightened groan as Harry said Voldemort's name but Harry ignored her. Hermione sat down in a chair next to Ron watching him anxiously. Madame Pomfrey shook him awake again and forced some potion down his throat.

"I need to wake him up a bit to see if he can tell me what's happened to him. Otherwise he'll be a lot harder to treat. He looks very bruised and battered that's for sure, but I don't know what's going on with him mentally do I?" Madame Pomfrey explained to Harry and Hermione. They waited for about five minutes until Ron opened his eyes and looked more awake than he had all night. "Do you know what happened to you Mr Weasley?" Madame Pomfrey asked him bent over his bed. Ron shook his head.

"Nothing at all?" Madame Pomfrey said exasperated.

"Nothing." Ron replied.

"Well if your brain has been meddled with that much, your lucky you can even think straight." Madame Pomfrey said pouring another potion into his mouth. "You two can wait with him until the potion wears off and he get's tired, but then you have to leave." She told Harry and Hermione now walking along the hospital wing looking around for something.

"Your not lucky Ron, they needed you to be able to think straight for when Voldemort interrogated you." Hermione said thoughtfully. Harry now sat down next to Hermione and Ron tried to sit up but Hermione stopped him and he sank back down into the bed. "How are you feeling?" She said gently.

"I'll be ok, it looks worse than it is." Ron reassured Hermione who was still looking dismayed.

"Do you really not remember anything?" Harry asked him.

"Nothing that's important." Ron said looking away from them. Harry didn't press the issue any further as Ron looked like he didn't want to talk about it. Harry suddenly thought of something and looked at Ron. "You must remember how you and Snape got here." Harry asked eagerly.

"Apparated." Ron yawned looking tired again.

"Ron you can't apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds." Hermione looked as if she was concerned for his sanity.

"Well Snape did." Ron said sincerely. Harry wondered how Snape could have possibly apparated into the Hogwarts grounds but put it out of his mind for a moment.

"And I guess Voldemort knows everything now, but…hold on wouldn't he have known about Snape being a traitor a long time before he broke you out?" Harry said confused. Not even Hermione had any answer for this and the three of them sat not talking for a moment.

"What if he knows about Aberforth?" Hermione gasped. Ron groaned and Harry saw his eyes close and re-open again.

"Don't force yourself to stay awake mate, we can talk about this later." Harry said getting up.

"I don't want to leave him, what if the death eaters come back or something?" Hermione said uneasily biting her lip.

"There not going to be able to storm into the castle up to the hospital wing when the castle is surrounded by members of the order Hermione." Harry rolled his eyes at her. Hermione stood up and kissed Ron lightly on the forehead.

"We'll be back here first thing in the morning." Harry told Ron as him and Hermione left the hospital wing and started to walk towards the common room.

"I really don't think it was wise to leave him Harry, Bellatrix wanted him back tonight. Voldemort is going to want him back. We shouldn't be leaving him."

"I know, but right now he's safe in the hospital wing, stop worrying." Harry told her firmly.

"And I really don't think we should be talking about what a mess everything is in front of him, he's really got enough to cope with right now." Hermione carried on. Harry who knew better than anyone that Ron wouldn't want to be treated like something fragile when he came out of the hospital wing.

"Everything is a mess, but we will deal with it like we always do." Harry sighed, a thousand thoughts running through his head. The next day Harry had been informed by Mcgonagall that Hagrid was ok and that Bellatrix and Lucius had gone before he could even try and get to them. Harry, Hermione and Ginny all went to visit Ron who was wide awake. He said Madame Pomfrey could find nothing out of the ordinary wrong with him and he'd just had a broken rib, which fixed easily. He just had to wait for all the cuts and bruises to fade away before she let him go. He seemed in a much better mood, Harry had a feeling that was because Madame Pomfrey had been giving him a potion for shock.

"So…anything happen while I was gone?" Ron asked stuffing a piece of chicken into his mouth. He had regained his appetite and was now eating everything in sight saying he probably hadn't eaten so much as a crumb while he was under Voldemort's 'hospitality'. Harry, Hermione and Ginny all glanced at each other and laughed. They were all sat around his bed. After about an hour they had managed to explain everything to Ron. He grinned looking ecstatic. "Great, now we've only got the one in Hogwarts…and the snake, if were right in thinking the snake is one." Hermione clapped a hand over her head.

"I've just thought, Voldemort knows about us destroying the horcruxes right? And there's a sudden planned attack on Hogwarts castle. What if they are trying to move it to a place we will never find?" Hermione exclaimed.

"I think you might be right Hermione." Harry said grimly. "We just have to get to it before they do." Ron nodded in agreement still stuffing food into his mouth and downing it with pumpkin juice. They carried on talking until Madame Pomfrey walked over to collect Ron's plate looking at it approvingly that he had eaten all his food.

"You have visitors." She told Ron and Mr and Mrs Weasley came walking through the hospital wing doors smiling.

"Ron!" Mrs Weasley cried bending down to hug Ron.

"Allright Ron?" Mr Weasley beamed at his son pulling Mrs Weasley away from him and hugging Ron himself now. He turned around and shook Harry's hand. "Good to see you, you three." He said looking around at Harry, Hermione and Ginny. "We mentioned we were coming down to see Ron, and the order thought it would be better for us to question him than a whole room full of people." Mrs Weasley didn't look too happy about this.

"And I said it could wait didn't I Arthur?" Mrs Weasley said disapprovingly.

"Quite right." Hermione agreed nodding in approval.

"Some of you will have to leave, I can't have you all disturbing my patient" Madame Pomfrey said sternly. Harry stood up.

"I'll go. I'll see you later Ron." Harry grinned at him.

"Me too." Ginny stood next to Harry. They both looked at Hermione who remained seated.

"I think I'll stay for a while, I'll see you back in the common room." Hermione told them.

The next few days passed quickly and Harry and Hermione were made to go back to lessons so they had barely any time to visit Ron. Hermione started a schedule for Ron to help him catch up on all the work he'd missed which Harry could tell Ron had only pretended to be grateful for and wasn't at all thrilled at the thought of starting work again.