Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again, that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers.
Chapter 5 At the Ministry
Ron hoped everything was going fine with Hermione and Harry's plan. He hadn't realized where he was going and knocked into someone.
Ron gasped "Professor Snape," when he saw who it was. 'I'm so sorry."
"Something on your mind, Mr. Weasley?" Snape asked in a low voice.
"I… I…" Ron began, knowing he was in trouble.
He then closed his eyes, knowing Snape would use Legilimency on him, but nothing happened. Ron slowly opened his eyes.
"Very good," Snape said.
"Sorry?" Ron asked, not really understanding what was going on.
Snape looked at him as if he should've known this, and said, "You've learned to close your mind finally."
"Oh, great," Ron replied, not knowing what to say.
"Unfortunately," Snape then said with a bit of amusement in his voice. "Mr. Potter has yet to accomplish Occulmency."
"Sir?" Ron asked, not knowing what his teacher was getting out.
Of course, he knew Harry was also receiving lessons from Snape, but he didn't know how they were going.
"I know what he's planning to do," Snape told him.
"Oh," Ron said, the answer obvious now.
"You know as well as I that this is a trap," Snape said.
Ron looked down and sighed. He would have told Harry this, but he knew he wouldn't believe him.
Ron looked back up and asked, "What do I need to do?"
Snape took a step closer to Ron and said, "Go to the Ministry with Potter and the others. Help as much as you can. Then you must get out of there any way you can before the Death Eaters arrive."
"Yes, sir," Ron nodded.
As soon as Ron rounded the corner, he ran into… "Ginny!"
She was out of breath as she said "I've… been looking… all over for… you."
"Why?" Ron asked.
However, he had a feeling he knew why. Ever since the train ride to Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year, he was starting to think Ginny was starting to fancy Harry.
"Harry and Hermione got caught," Ginny said.
"What?" Ron gasped.
He knew they were trying to contact Sirius, but he didn't think they'd get caught.
"Umbridge caught them in her office using the Floo," Ginny explained.
"I got to go," Ron said.
He started running, though he didn't know where he was going.
He stopped and turned as Ginny yelled, "Ron!"
He wanted to tell Ginny to leave him, but he knew she wouldn't listen to him.
They both gasped when they ran into Hermione and Harry.
"Ron, you can't be here," Hermione said desperately to him, wrapping her arms around him. "What if someone sees you?"
Ron smiled and took hold of her chin and said, "How many times do I have to tell you I don't bloody give a damn what people think?"
"That goes for us as well," someone said from behind them.
They turned and saw Neville and a Ravenclaw girl Ron only knew as Loony Lovegood, though her name was Luna.
"Ginny get back to the common room now," Ron said, figuring he should at least give it a shot to get her to safety.
"I would, but there's just one problem," she said. Ron rolled his eyes, knowing what she was about to say. "I don't give a damn what people think either."
Ron sighed as they made their way out of the castle.
"I don't want any of you coming to the Ministry with me," Harry told them suddenly.
"That's just rude," Luna's dream-like voice said. "After all we've been through."
Harry looked down and replied, "I just don't want to lose any of you."
"Too late for that," Neville said. "Now, how are we getting to London?"
"On those," Luna said, pointing into thin air.
Ron, as well as Ginny and Hermione he could tell, couldn't see anything.
"What are you pointing at?" Ron asked.
"Thestrals," Luna declared.
"And how exactly are we going to fly something we can't see?" Ginny asked.
"Harry, Neville, and I can," Luna said.
xxx
Ron fell to the ground as they finally reached the Ministry.
"Never again," he said, his voice shaking like crazy. He ran over to Hermione when she landed. As he helped her get off, he asked, "Are you alright?"
"I will be," Hermione said, her voice also shaking.
After getting out of the telephone booth, Ron pulled Ginny aside.
"You should be back at the castle," he told her.
"So should you," Ginny replied.
"I have my reasons," Ron said, looking away for a moment.
"Yeah, and so do I," Ginny said.
They were soon surrounded by doors. They started checking each one.
Taking his chance, Ron grabbed Ginny and said, "Quick, in here."
"What's your problem?" Ginny demanded as Ron closed the door behind them.
"This is a trap. Harry's Godfather isn't here," Ron said.
Looking around, they noticed a container of brains.
"How do you know?" Ginny asked, still looking around nervously.
"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that Death Eaters are on their way, and we can't be here when they do," Ron said.
"I thought you…" Ginny began before Ron covered her mouth and said, "This is different. Please, Ginny, trust me."
"What's your plan?" Ginny asked.
Taking another look at the tank of brains, Ron closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry, Hermione," before putting his wand at the tank and yelled, "Accio brains!"
Hermione gasped "Ron," when Ginny came out of the room, carrying Ron as best as she could.
A brain was still trying to strangle Ron.
"Ginny, what's the matter?" Harry asked, he and Hermione immediately started trying to pull the brain off of Ron, but they just couldn't.
"The idiot thought it'd be funny to see how they felt," she explained, tears now fall down her cheeks.
"Get em' off," Ron chocked, wanting to kick himself for even doing what he did.
Harry stood up, pointed his wand at the brain, and yelled, "Reducto!"
"Ron," Hermione gasped when he became unconscious.
"Is he going to be all right?" Neville asked from behind them. He and Luna had apparently been in one of the many rooms.
"I don't know," Harry admitted. He then looked at Ginny and said, "You better take him to the hospital wing."
"Ri… right," she stuttered.
"I'll show them to the Thestrals," Luna said.
After Luna had safely gotten Ginny and Ron on a Thestral, Ron woke up and whispered, "Snape…"
"Sorry?" Ginny asked.
She could have sworn he had said Snape, but she hadn't been sure.
"We can't… go… to the… hospital wing. You… need to…. take me to… Professor Snape's office," Ron said.
"All right, fine," Ginny replied, hoping they would get back to the castle in time.
xxx
Ron had fallen out of consciousness again when they got to the castle. Ginny thought it was miracle that she had even gotten to Snape's office.
She was about to collapse on the floor when the door open and a cold voice started, "What's going…"
He stopped at the sight of a worn-out Ginny and Ron on the floor.
"Please, Professor. He said to come to you," Ginny said.
"Inside, quickly," Snape told her. Snape raised his wand and Ron came up off the ground and floated inside.
"Can you help him?" Ginny asked as she walked over to where Ron was lowered onto the couch.
"Of course, I can, now stand aside," Snape commanded.
xxx
When Ron woke up, he was in the hospital wing. The first person he saw was Ginny.
"I thought I told you…" he began, thinking she hadn't done what he told her to do.
"I did," Ginny said. "Professor Snape brought you here after doing what he could." She than leaned closer to him and whispered, "You got in a row with another Slytherin last night."
"Right," Ron replied, glad that he didn't have to make up the excuse himself.
AN:
One more chapter. And Happy Belated Independence Day!
