Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K Rowling.

Chapter Three

Struggle for Power

He had no idea what he was doing.

Anya could tell by the way the ginger-haired boy stood awkwardly in the middle of the yard, with a look plastered on his face that clearly said they were all crazy. It would take Ron Weasley a lot of practice, Anya concluded, no matter what Jane thought. The wizard stared at the people who surrounded him and though Anya tried giving him a smile of encouragement, he didn't seem to want it. She watched as Jane stood in front of him, helping him to dig into his powers that they all knew he had. All expect him, of course.

It wasn't working.

"Admit it," Ron said at one point, throwing up his hands in annoyance. "You got the wrong person."

Anya felt the same annoyance flow through her, yet it was for a different reason. He couldn't just give up, but she saw it in his eyes as clear as day. They all needed Ron, all needed him to complete the puzzle and give them the information they wanted. Anya might have been a cool and collected girl on the outside but she would make sure that Krystal and Lukas managed to get some happiness after all this is over. And if Ron gave up and ended that dream, the one they all have had for years, Anya wasn't afraid to use her powers against him.

"Just concentrate," said Jane in a soothing tone. "Focus on the jewel in your hand and concentrate on wielding your power from it. Once you have a hold on the power, the color will change to whatever best represents it."

Right now it sat in Ron's palm, void of any color. Anya remembered Ron's readiness to defend his friends and the way his blue eyes burned with determination to make sure they were all right. Fire. She had a feeling the absent color would come alive with a bright red. He was too hotheaded for the clear blue of water or the misty silver of ice. He was too loud and rude for the caring green of earth. But his raging personality fit the fiery red perfectly. But it could also be a number of things that Anya and the others have only heard of; the weather, electronic bolts, manipulation over animals or people… the list could go on and on.

She heard Lukas sigh beside her and looked up into his bored gaze. His arm was around Krystal, who was watching Ron curiously. No doubt wondering what his power would be as well. They all were. It had been so long since they had seen this action take place. The last one to join had been Krystal herself, so this would be her first time experiencing watching it unfold. So far, none of what had happened had been up to par. All three of them had better luck than Ron.

But they knew what they were doing, had known about Jane before meeting her from family. Ron, Anya had to admit, was only doing what was expected of a man who was blindingly following orders from people he must have thought were crazy.

The wind ruffled the leaves of the trees of the surrounding woods, and Ron looked up as a group of birds flew by. Jane snapped her fingers at him. "Pay attention!" she scolded and Lukas chuckled. Anya felt the corners of her mouth twitch. Jane would treat Ron as if he had been here as long as the other three had. She would make sure he felt at home. In an annoying motherly, teacher kind of way but it would feel like home nonetheless.

"How long until he snaps and runs off, do you think?" Lukas muttered to Anya.

"I think he'll at least give it some time," she replied back in a whisper.

"I hope so," said Lukas. "If Jane's right and he's the only one with that information…" he trailed off and Anya saw him twirl his wand absentmindedly in his hand. His jewel—a silvery white color—was attached to it at the base of the handle.

Krystal leaned in closer to Lukas, and even though her eyes never strayed from Ron, she must have been listening to their conversation. Her face had drawn downward in a slight frown but still held a bit of interest to the scene in front of her. She was always one to hold attention to two different things at once.

Anya turned back to Ron, who was muttering something under his breath too low for the rest of them to hear. His wand was now in his right hand while the jewel stayed in his left. Jane was watching him carefully and when still nothing happened, motioned for Anya to come forward. Anya headed over to them, her eyes trained on the colorless jewel. She had a feeling she knew why Jane wanted her, and she wasn't sure she liked where this was going. But on the other hand, if she was correct in her assumptions, then it could possibly move this along much faster.

"I think Ron needs a little more motivation, don't you think?" said Jane once the younger witch stood beside her.

A touch of guilt rose in her as she nodded her head, letting Jane know that she would use her other power; a power she didn't understand and only used when mandatory, a power that she just barely had a grasp of control over. Her fingers shook slightly as she lifted them up to Ron's head. If she messed this up, who knew what would happen to Ron?

"What are you doing?" Ron asked nervously, leaning away from Anya's touch.

"Something that might help you," she explained softly. "Just keep still and breathe. I'm sorry if I hurt you." She touched Ron's temple and closed her eyes. In a matter of seconds, his face scrunched up in pain.

"You can do it, Ron." He heard the words but couldn't find the source. Everything was black, like he had gone blind. His eyes were opened yet he could see nothing. Only the sounds of her voice broke though the barrier. Hermione's voice was soothing and encouraging, and Ron wanted desperately to see her face and loving smile. "Just focus, Ron."

"Do this for us, Ron."

"Concentrate and you will be able to."

Harry and Fred's voice was added to the mix and it made his heart ache for the sight. If they were here, why couldn't he see them? Did Anya kill him and he was now with his best friend and brother? The only thing he remembered before the darkness was the sudden shot of pain that erupted in his head, right as Anya touched him. But then Hermione was here, and she couldn't be dead. She couldn't be. It was impossible.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

"I'm right here, Ron," came her voice, right be his ear. "Focus on your power inside of your heart and we can be together again."

"I've tried," he said hopelessly. "It doesn't work."

Silence. Ron waited to hear her response but nothing came. Not until a loud scream pierced his ears and everything came back into view. He was at Hogwarts, standing amongst the rubble and broken down castle. And in front of him was Voldemort, with Hermione in his grasp. Hermione struggled against the hold on her, but each time she moved, Voldemort gripped tighter and dug his wand deeper into the side of her head. The grin on his face was malicious.

"I don't think we should let this Mudblood live for much longer, now should we?"

The Death Eaters that surrounded them cheered and hollered their agreement. Ron locked eyes with Hermione as fury built up in him.

"No!" yelled Ron, charging at Voldemort.

A burning sensation twisted its way through his body, like fire had come to life within him. It was powerful and strong. Ron felt like he could do anything. Suddenly the scene around him disappeared and was replaced with the scene of before: Back at the house with Anya, Jane, and the rest. They looked at him with wide eyes. Anya took a step back and nodded approvingly.

"What?" he asked, but with a glance down his question was answered.

In his hand, the once plain jewel now came alive with a bright red. The colors swirled around restlessly, and Ron could see a bit of orange mixed in: The colors of fire. It really did look like inside was a living, breathing fire that wanted to get out. Ron opened and closed his mouth like a fish, but no words were formed. It had really happened.

Anya smiled. "Exactly what I had thought. Now we get to work on your fire powers," she said.

Jane nodded in agreement and said, "Now, Ron—"

"Wait!" he cut her off. "What the bloody hell was that?" He sent a glare at Anya before continuing on. "You said you had powers over the earth. So what did you just do to me?"

He was glad when he saw Anya duck her head in shame. "It's something I don't like using," she explained. "At least not on friends. It can be used as a terrible weapon if I allowed full force on it. I needed to dig deep into your emotions to see if that would help you." Ron could tell from the guarded look in her eyes that there was something she was leaving out. But Jane took over speaking before he could push her.

"So I want you to picture a small flame to start out with and go from there, okay? If this all works out then soon you'll be able to handle your fire just like the others can handle their powers."

Ron reluctantly turned his attention back to Jane and her instructions. The glowing jewel in his hands was proof that at least one thing had worked. He would have believed that Jane had taken advantage of him and did something to the jewel to make it act like this, but there was this pull, this connection, between him and the color inside that stopped him from thinking that. Maybe he could really do this and kill You-Know-Who. Maybe he could actually make Harry proud.

He looked into Jane's eyes. "Just a small fire?" he asked.

"Just a small fire," she assured him.

Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the one thing that he was doing this for. Hermione's face filled his mind, all smiles and unharmed. Love was in her brown eyes. Did he even get the chance to tell her that he loved her? He swallowed passed the lump in his throat and forced himself to concentrate. If he did this right, it would be one step closer to finding her and the rest of his family. Breathe in and out, he told himself. Just do that and focus. And then worry about them.

A warm, tingling feeling started in his stomach and crawled upwards and then down his arms, until it hit his outstretched hand. But the feeling deflated a second later and nothing else happened. Opening his eyes, he frowned and shook his head.

"Nothing," he told the group.

Lukas stepped forward in front of Ron. Looking straight into the younger wizard's eyes, he said, "Don't worry too much. You want to give your attention to the power, yes, but you don't want to strain too hard or it'll fizzle out, like it did just now. Understand?"

Ron nodded. "I think."

Lukas ruffled his hair despite the scowl Ron supplied at the touch. The gesture reminded him too much of his older brothers and it only made him miss home more than he already did. Ron didn't even know that was possible. How could the feeling of missing home become even stronger when it already had pierced itself into very bit of his body and heart?

As Lukas took a step back to allow Ron more room, Ron outstretched his hand again and closed his eyes one more time. He tried again and again to get that spark of fire to start in his fingers but nothing ever came. Just like before when he was trying with the jewel, he could tell the others were getting tired. How long had they been out here? Krystal and Lukas found a spot on the ground and had sat down, leaning against each other. Anya and Jane were still standing, but Ron could tell they were inching to get out of the sun. Ron's stomach was starting to growl and he found himself thinking about food more and more.

But he forced himself to find that fire. He could do this. He would do this. He dug deep into his body and managed to capture that feeling once again in his stomach. For the first time since he started this, the jewel seemed to be pulsing with life against his skin. Thinking about Hermione and his family, he allowed the warming sensation to travel through his body and this time he didn't put as much focus on it as before. He heard Anya clapped and yell out with joy, and as he opened his eyes, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.

A fire, small and barely the size of his finger but still a fire, was burning in his hand. Ron stared at it in amazement. "I did it," he whispered. "I really did it."

Anya raced toward him and gave him a tight hug. "It's small," she said, pulling back, "but it's a start."

A start to finding my family, Ron agreed. And that was what he was going to talk to them about next. He did what they wanted him to do. Now it was time for him to get what he wanted.

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed with Ginny standing by the window. They both were quiet, only speaking to the other when they felt the absolute need to. The other residents of Shell Cottage were downstairs, discussing a possible new place to take shelter. The Order had recently talked about the dangers of staying here for too long, even under the Fidelius Charm. Hermione knew what they meant, but what if they left and Ron came looking for them only to find an abandoned house? It didn't seem right to leave, not when Ron was still out there.

Ginny turned to face Hermione. "Do…Do you think he's still alive?"

Hermione glared at her, refusing to let the alternate of what Ginny was saying to cross her mind. "You're giving up on your brother just like that?" she asked sharply. She didn't mean to sound so horrible but it came out that way nonetheless. She took pleasure in the feeling of seeing tears well up in Ginny's eyes, but the younger witch quickly blinked them away.

"I don't mean that," she said. "I just—He's my brother and we all need him to come back, but…" Trailing off, she went to sit next to Hermione. "Dad won't tell me anything about what's going on, and neither will anyone else. I can't stand not knowing! With Ron and the things going on with You-Know-who!"

"I can't stand it either, Ginny," mumbled Hermione. She didn't say anything else, just had let Ginny fume about the unfairness of things. It was Ginny's way of handling things as of right now, she knew. Ginny wasn't one to cry in front of people. Hermione knew that once Ginny was alone, the tears would come.

And she had a feeling that it wouldn't just be a usual summer rain, but a downpour.

The door creaked open, revealing Charlie's tired face. The two witches appraised him with confusion and Ginny asked harshly, "Oh, are you here to finally tell us about your secret meetings?"

Charlie sent her a look that clearly stated that he was sorry, but otherwise ignored her. "Hermione," he said, "we need you downstairs. We need to know what exactly went on doing your mission from Dumbledore."

Hermione looked at Ginny, who had her arms crossed over her chest and a stubborn tilt to her chin. "Ginny should be allowed to come down, too," she told Charlie. "I know she's not of age yet, but does that really matter? I think she's done enough this year to prove herself. And she has a right to know, just like all of us."

She was worried that Charlie would say no, but after a few minutes, he sighed and glanced at his sister. "Alright, but if Mom tells you to come back up here, it'll be best to listen to her."

Ginny allowed a smile and the three of them headed down the stairs. Hermione and Ginny followed Charlie into the kitchen where the rest of the Order members were currently holding their meeting. Molly's eyes narrowed when she saw Ginny.

"Charlie, I said only Hermione," she told her son.

"I know," he said, "but Ginny can at least know, right? She doesn't have to be in the thick of things. And besides, Hermione will probably just tell her everything we say later on."

Molly apparently couldn't find a way around that one because she only pursed her lips and allowed Arthur to put an arm around her. Kingsley cleared his throat to get their attention and they all turned to face him. He looked at Hermione.

"So we heard that you had a mission form Dumbledore. Would you care to tell us about it?"

Hermione glanced around and saw everyone's curious faces. George was there, leaning against the counter. She met his eyes and found her voice to speak. "During our sixth year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had taught Harry about Horcruxes, which is an object that a person can store a part of their soul in to, and after finding out that You-Know-Who had made some, we—Harry, Ron, and I—set out to destroy them." She went on to tell them about their journey and how they had managed to destroy all but one: the snake.

"So let's kill it," George said angrily.

"It's not that simple," said Hermione. "You-Know-Who knows we are after the Horcruxes and with the snake being the last one, he's going to protect it with all he has. Jumping straight in without a plan will be like suicide."

"So then how do you reckon we do this?" Charlie asked.

Hermione looked around the room at the current Order members. The count had lowered, thanks to the battle, but they had gain new ones, most being what remained of the DA. "I don't know," she admitted. "We'll all have to work together and figure out a plan. We will end this. For Harry."

"For Harry," chorused the rest, their voices strong and proud.

She felt tears come to her eyes, but she forced them away. It shouldn't be her here encouraging them all. She shouldn't be the one explaining how about all of this, about how to end this war; at least not her alone. Ron's face swarmed in her mind and she bit her lip. She wouldn't give up looking for him. They would be together again. That thought was the only thing from having her breaking down what then and there.

A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry for the late update. I really am. I started working more on my original stories and kind of stepped away from this one for a bit, but I got myself to finish this chapter for all of you. I don't know when the next one will be up but it shouldn't take as long as this one. I'm not so sure how well I did on this one, so I'm really sorry if it sucks or at least not up to par. Thank you to the people who have read and reviewed. It means a lot. :)