To the Death

Thanks for the reviews! Just a warning, there's a lot of graphic language in this chapter. This one's going to be one of the longest chapters in the story. I wanted to include how the family was reacting to EVERYTHING that happened in the arena so far. Enjoy!

RON'S POV:

The tears of pure terror and absolute heart ache never left our eyes. The two ton weight of anger and frustration remained positioned on all of our hearts. I was numb to everything around me. Numb to all of the meaningless words of comfort that were ironically not making me feel any better. "She'll be okay." I heard constantly in a far off world. "She's so strong, she can do this."

I know. Really, tell me something I don't know. Hermione is the strongest person I've ever met. She's such a fighter, and she'll do whatever it takes to live. Well, not everything. Hermione couldn't hurt anybody. She just couldn't. It's just not in her. Hermione is the most angelic and innocent person I think anybody's ever met. She's too much of a sweetheart.

I gripped the small television, squeezing it's sides, surely leaving a dent. My knuckles were white as I gripped it harder. My family was silent behind me, keeping their eyes glued to what they could see of the screen. You could hear a pen drop from how quiet it was in that room.

I let out a sob as Hermione shook with fear from her spot on the floor of the Arena. I was filled with fury as I noticed that all of the tributes had a backpack in front of them… but Hermione did not.

"What the hell? Why doesn't she have a bag?" I screamed at nobody in particular. Lucius Malfoy's voice boomed through the room from the tiny speakers of the television.

"In front of you is a backpack. This backpack contains the weapons that you will need to survive. All of you except one have one in front of you. The person without one was chosen by random draw."

Harry exploded behind me in fury, taking the words right out of my mouth. "RANDOM ORDER, MY ASS!" I looked back at him. His face was deep red, tears streaming down it in a steady stream. My mother let out a loud sob followed by a quiet hiccup.

I gripped the television as Lucius began to speak again. "Hermione Weasley. Your backpack is placed in a clearing about one mile ahead. You have to retrieve it immediately if you wish to survive." My blood boiled with anger as he spoke again. "All of you with backpacks, you may take out one of your weapons. Hermione Weasley, you are defenseless until you retrieve your bag. Therefore I would suggest that you…. Run fast."

"NO! THAT'S NOT FAIR! THIS IS BULLSHIT!" I screamed, all of the fury bubbling up inside me. "SHE'S GONNA DIE!"

My mum came forward and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "She's g-going to be okay! They d-don't call h-her the brightest witch of h-her age for n-nothing! Stop thinking that w-way! It doesn't help anybody, especially Hermione!"

I pushed her hand off of my shoulder and she retreated back to my dad's arms. My heart thudded against my ribs as the countdown began. I could see Dean beginning to scoot toward Hermione, about to stab her.

"Fuck- no, Hermione- shit! Watch out!" As if she heard me, Hermione turned her head to look at Dean, a look of fury on her face that I had never seen before. "Yes! Good girl, good girl!" I was screaming things that were absolute nonsense to everyone in the room, but that didn't matter to me.

I grabbed fistfuls of ginger hair on my head as Lucius uttered the dreaded number. "1."

I screamed as Dean thrust his knife at Hermione's side. Everyone had run off into the forest except Dean and some bloke named Cody. I was infuriated beyond belief at the 6 people who ran off. They didn't even try to help Hermione.

"YOU BLOODY FUCKING COWARDS! SHE NEEDS YOUR HELP, DAMMIT!" Hermione was being circled by the two bastards, defenseless as the two of them continued slicing at her. I continued to scream at the 6 people who didn't help her, sounding like a mad man. "I HOPE YOU'RE ALL SATISFIED WITH YOURSELVES, YOU SELFISH BASTARDS! IF SHE DIES IN ANY OF YOUR PLACES, I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU!"

My family wasn't horrified by my tirade like I had expected them to. In fact, they all joined me, screaming incoherent things at the television. Suddenly a loud booming sound came from the speakers. The cannons! I thought to myself. Somebody's dead, and it's not Hermione!

With a deranged laugh, I screamed at the television. "HAHA! ONE DOWN! STARTING TO RETHINK RUNNING AWAY NOW, ARE YOU! TOO LATE, YOU STUPID BASTARDS!" I didn't have time to calm down as Hermione took off past Dean and Cody, using their distraction as an escape.

"Yes! Go, baby, Go!" I yelled at the television, a smile breaking out on my face, despite the fear that still coursed through my veins. God, she's so smart. I thought to myself as Hermione darted into the trees.

Ginny suddenly appeared next to me. "GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!" She screamed. "RUN, HERMIONE RUN!"

I was filled with anxiety as Dean and Cody broke out into a run after her yelling very vulgar things at her. "C'mon, sweetheart, run!" I screamed at the television. My mum sobbed louder as Dean began to catch up to her.

Dad, who had been silent the entire time, yelled from behind me. Cody circled around in front of her. My heart shattered as I saw Hermione's face. Her face depicted absolute fear. I hate seeing her scared, especially when I can't do anything to help her. She slowed her pace, much to my horror.

"NO! YOU'RE SO CLOSE, HERMIONE! DON'T SLOW DOWN!" I sunk to the floor, lying down on my elbows as Cody made a run at her, a long dagger in his hand, ready to sink it into her flawless skin.

"FUCK! HERMIONE NO!" Harry screamed from behind me. It was too late. Cody made a flying tackle right into Hermione's side, surely knocking the breath out of her. I clawed my nails into my face, the amount of stress I was under showing itself on my face. I lost hope. It was just so easy. I began to sob as reality sunk in. So many things could've happened in that small space of time. Cody could have stabbed her the minute he hit her. He could have slit her throat while they were in the air. She could've landed on his knife.

My heart stopped as I saw him on top of her, blood covering both of them. I stared at her chest through the tiny television, begging for her to breathe for me. I was filled with utter relief as Hermione blinked, tears escaping her perfect eyes.

"Oh, thank God!" My mother screamed from behind me. But who's blood soaked both Hermione and Cody?

Cody collapsed, falling off of Hermione, a knife lodged into his back. Being the beautiful person that she was, Hermione immediately went into a panic, trying desperately to save the man who had just tried to kill her. My heart filled with an overwhelming amount of love for her at that moment.

My mother spoke calmly behind me. "She's just….unbelievable." Those three words wrapped up what everybody was feeling at that moment. Not just my family, but possibly the entire wizarding world.

Dean stood behind her, blood covering him. I heard him mutter something unintelligible, but Hermione definitely reacted.

"No. I c-can't just l-leave him h-here!" I heard her beautiful, choked voice flutter through the television gracefully. A sound that I craved to hear so much. Somehow, the minute I heard her sweet voice, everything felt like it was going to be okay.

That feeling disappeared as quickly as it came as Hermione took off into the forest again. "Oh, God. Where are you going?" I asked Hermione through the television as if she could answer me.

We all held our breaths, waiting for something horrible to happen. Suddenly the television cut to something that I will never forget.

Hermione was being strangled. Not strangled by Dean, or Penelope or anybody else. She was being strangled by… me.

"NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO!" I screamed, new hot tears rushing from my eyes. I hit the television as hard as I could, hoping to break through the glass and somehow help Hermione.

"RON STOP!" George ran forward, yanking me backward, hoping to keep me from electrocuting myself. Tears streamed down both of our faces. I kept my eyes glued to the screen, hoping to God that Hermione knew that wasn't me.

I crawled forward, my face inches from the television and screamed at it. "HERMIONE! IT'S NOT ME! IT'S NOT ME!" That horrible version of me on the television turned her around. I got a clear view of her face. She was turning blue, her eyes bulging from their sockets, blood vessels popping out in them. The worst part of it all? I could see tears streaming down her perfect face.

I took deep breaths, willing myself to calm down before speaking again. "Hermione, remember the photograph. Remember the photograph." It didn't work. Hermione was slipping away from me quickly. Not by the hand of Dean or somebody else, but by her own husband. Of course, it wasn't me, but Hermione didn't know that.

I was brought out of my thoughts as I heard Hermione's weak, choked voice float into my ears. "I l-love you." My heart felt like it had been hit by several bullets when she said those words.

I put my hand to the television, guilt spreading through me like wildfire. I could've prevented this. I could've fought harder for her. I should've forced them to take me instead. "I love you so much, Hermione. More than you'll ever know." I whispered quietly as if on cue.

I looked away from the television to wipe the tears from my eyes. When I looked, I expected to see Hermione laying motionless on the ground. My heart gave a leap as she sat up and coughed loudly, wheezing, trying to catch her breath.

"Ron, get out of the way! We can't see anything." I heard Ginny speak in a voice that thundered with pent up frustration. I turned to her, a murderous look on my features.

"Do you know how many televisions there are in this house? Do you know how many you own at your own house? I'm not blocking every damn television in this house, Ginny. Why don't you just leave? I think we'd all be happy if you did." I immediately felt guilty for what I had just said.

"Jesus, Ron! I just asked if you could move out of the way! I didn't need a lecture."

"Sorry, I'm just really stressed out and scared. That's not Harry fighting for his life out there right now. It sounds silly, but the closer I am to the television, the closer I am to Hermione."

All conversation stopped as I heard Hermione let out a loud scream. I turned, my heart thudding against my ribs. New tears sprung to my eyes as I saw her twitching on the ground and groaning. I couldn't watch this. I was brought back to the memory of her torture seven years ago.

Hermione's delicate fingers gripped the grass tightly, trying desperately to get rid of the pain. "Does anyone know what's happening?" I screamed at everybody in the room. They stared at me with red, tearful faces, not giving me any kind of answer.

"DID SHE GET STABBED, DID SHE GET SHOT? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" I roared, all of my emotion pouring out of me with every word.

"WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU WERE IN THE FUCKING WAY!" George, who had been uncharacteristically quiet until that point exploded with fury. I was ready to jump and tackle him when James, Harry's son, walked up to the television.

I took a breath, trying to calm myself down. "Hi, Jamesy. Do you need anything? A bottle? Some food?" He shook his head, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

He turned his small frame toward the screen, much to everybody's panic. I don't think he understood that he was seeing his aunt cough up blood and shake violently on the ground, because he turned to me and asked in a sweet voice, "Where's Mine?" Mine. When he was learning everybody's names, I called Hermione by her nickname, Mione. He started to try to say Mione instead of Hermione, but could never pronounce the O in her name. He's called her Mine his entire life.

Hermione was basically his second mother, constantly spending time with him, taking him to do fun things and all that stuff that aunts do. He idolized her, he loved her. He told me that she was his hero.

That's why I went into a panic as he recognized the person shaking on the ground. "Is that Mine?" He asked, fear dripping from his voice. He turned to all of us. "Why are you all crying? She's just sleeping!"

Sleeping. It's funny, the world of little children. So innocent. Death and pain don't exist when you're that young.

Harry decided, finally, to be the father and took his son's tiny hands. "That's right, little man. She's doing what you should be doing right now. Why don't you head back upstairs and mummy and I will come tuck you in." James nodded, a smile breaking out on his face and ran upstairs.

As if she sensed that he was gone, Hermione screamed and let herself fall to the floor. I was filled with an overwhelming amount of denial as my mind told me that she was dead. No. She wasn't dead. Her fingers are still moving, she's just unconscious.

Looking back, I should've been trying to figure out what had happened to her to cause her this much pain and suffering.

The entire room screamed as none other than Dean Thomas dragged my wife's unconscious form away.