Chapter Seven: The Forbidden Forest

Ron stood at the edge of the balcony, overlooking the dark mark dancing in the sky. They'd covered Neville's body with a sheet, but he couldn't bear to look at it, unmoving and still like a puppet. Lupin was tending to James's shoulder while Sirius and Moody were quietly discussing something away from the group. Peter had shown up, and was barely managing to keep a sobbing Frank away from the body. James's jaw twitched, like he was also trying not to cry.

Ron felt the wind sharpen, as a voice seemed to echo all around the tower, seeping its way into his very bones …

"You have fought valiantly," a cold calm voice said, Ron knew deep down who it was. "But it is in vain, I have ordered my forces to temporarily retreat. Use this time to tend to your dead and dying, I have blocked every escape route from the castle. But there is no need for more bloodshed, have your leaders join me under the dark mark and I will spare those who remain. You have one hour."

"Don't—" Sirius shook his head, "don't listen to him, James—"

James stood, pushing past Lupin to get to the stairs, he looked much older and wearier than he actually was.

"We need to get people out James," Lupin pointed out, "they won't know about the room of requirement entrance."

"Take it," James said hoarsely. "Have Petunia go to warn Aberforth, and try to open the mirror for Ron again." He drew out a long silvery cloak. "But I can't—I won't lose him again. I'll buy you some time, and try to meet you back in Hogsmeade …" He added as an afterthought, Ron knew immediately he was lying.

Sirius thought for a moment, leaning on Lupin for support.

"I can double that time." He said.

"So can I," Lupin added.

"Me too," Peter chimed in. James forced himself to smile in admiration of the three of them.

"I'm going too." Ron said, trying to convince himself that he was confident. James blinked.

"I can't let you—"

"Look if you don't take me now, I'll just follow you." Ron snapped. "I can't get the damn mirror to work … but I can do this, please …" His voice cracked. The marauders exchanged another look, like they were reading each other's thoughts. If anything, it'd keep James from strutting up to his own suicide.

"Okay," James said quietly. He looked over to Moody, "let us know when you're out?"

Moody nodded, and James tossed his cloak over to Ron.

The walk to the forest seemed to take much longer than it had on all of Ron's previous trips. He'd put on the invisibility cloak, while all four marauders walked ahead. Sirius and Lupin were holding each other's hands so tightly Ron thought their fingers would break. They'd thought about shifting into James and Peter's animagus forms, but it was likely that they already knew to look for a stag and a rat. In the forest, Ron saw the gleaming lights of several camps, as they got closer he noticed several locked carriages, and his breath ran cold. Inside he could see the gently swarming mist of the dementors. Voices started to echo in Ron's head, louder than they had any other time he'd come across the dementors. He heard his fights with Hermione and Harry third and fourth year, his mother screaming at him through her howler, and—

"They once kept a severed head alive for 40 days before they finally let it die, how long do you think you could make it?"

Sirius summoned his patronus, a wolf, and Ron immediately felt the air get warmer. He could still hear the voices, but they were faint now, like they were coming from the other side of the field. The Death Eaters let them pass without protest, Ron could hear several of them whispering insults under their breath as the marauders passed by. He felt like a snake was slowly constricting its way around his rib cage. He knew they couldn't see him, but that didn't make it any less unnerving. But still, Ron had a job to do. He needed to find Harry while the others distracted the Death Eaters.

A tall woman with heavily hooded eyes watched them approach, Ron recognized her from some of the old wanted posters. Here, Azkaban had not robbed Bellatrix Lestrange of fourteen years of her life. She smirked as she watched the group approach.

"And here I thought I'd need to send my little babies after you." Bellatrix gently twisted one of the doors to the dementors carriages. "He's waiting." She released the handle without opening it, and began to lead the marauders further into the forest. Ron could see clearly in the night now, the light from the dark mark overhead made it seem like a full moon.

Bellatrix led them into a clearing, there were seven other people waiting in a half circle. Some of them Ron recognized from old wanted posters as well, Crouch let out a hollow laugh as he saw them approach. The marauders stopped as Bellatrix made her way back into the circle, taking her place next to him. Further back, Harry looked up in shock, as if he hadn't planned on seeing them again. He uncrossed his arms, as if ready to take out his wand at any moment. Ron relaxed a bit when he realized he was unharmed.

Just beyond him was a tall man, his head bent over as if in prayer over his own wand. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties, a small speckle of gray in his dark hair. He looked up from his meditation, his handsome features locked in a mechanical smile. In any other circumstances, Tom Riddle would have looked like he was greeting guests to a party, but there was something about the smile that felt like needles driving their way into Ron's skin.

"Welcome, my friends," he said softly, and Ron felt the urge to run as far away as possible. The other people in the circle remained rigid, as if they were afraid to move. "I must confess … I did not expect you to come …"

James said nothing, he took out his wand and leveled it with the Dark Lord's heart. His jaw was twitching again, as if it were taking every ounce of his willpower not to leap at the man in front of him and tear him apart. Even though Ron was invisible, he flinched as several Death Eaters from the circle pointed their wands at the marauders. Riddle continued on, as if he were talking to an old acquaintance.

"You have done well to hold on to Hogwarts as long as you have," he said, taking slow methodical steps to close the gap between himself and James. "I have tried choking your supplies, assassinating your leaders, but nothing worked. I congratulate you; you have the survival instincts of cockroaches." Several of the Death Eaters laughed.

"I'd almost completely disregarded the blood barrier as an option," Riddle continued. "I only knew of one person that would be able to get through, and I am loathe to send one of my own children into war unprotected … perhaps I'm growing sentimental, but I heeded Harry's request for the task. One month to unlock the barrier and kill James Potter, or … I would." He took out his own wand and pointed it at Sirius, James made a move to step forward in front of his friend.

"The plan worked better than I have imagined, James Potter," Riddle breathed, "the Order of the Phoenix dies tonight, and I even heard about a mysterious little visitor you've been entertaining." Ron felt his heart seize in horror as Riddle looked directly at him, even with the cloak. "He will die too, of course, but I have nothing more to say to you Potter. This is the end for you."

Ron ducked out of the way as Riddle sent a blinding green light over his head. Sirius, Lupin, and Peter took on the remaining Death Eaters, while James charged forward in a fight with Riddle and Crouch. Riddle hissed something in parseltongue to Harry, and Ron felt piercing green eyes lock onto him again. It was that same pressure, digging into Ron's eye, but less extreme this time. He didn't need to understand parseltongue to know what Riddle said to do.

Kill

Ron raced behind the tree line, the spells from both other duels nearly blinding him. He stumbled, and the cloak caught on a bramble of bushes. He shook it off, ducking behind a tree as he heard a spell nearly cleave it in half.

"What will your friend do once I've killed you, Ron?"

"Expelliarmus!" Ron shouted. Harry blocked the spell wordlessly. Ron continued running, if he could just make it back into the clearing. Suddenly he felt all the panic he'd experienced that night vanished, it was bliss to feel nothing at all. He'd been hit by the imperious curse

Point your wand at your head, a calm familiar voice sounded in his head. Ron obeyed, feeling the warm pressure of his wand against his temple.

Very good, now say the killing curse, Ron opened his mouth to obey.

Why? A second faint voice said.

Just say the curse, the first voice repeated, more forcefully. Say it now.

No, I don't want to, I don't want to die—I don't want to.

SAY THE CURSE.

"I won't!" Ron felt the curse break, he lowered his wand from his own head. It was like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over his head. Ron felt panic seize him once again, he could hear the ricochetting of spells from the adults' fight. Harry regarded him coldly, readying his wand for another spell, and Ron seized his opportunity to run back into the clearing.

James was in a one-on one fight with Riddle, each dealing deadly curses that only missed their opponent by millimeters. Crouch lay unmoving on the forest floor. Ron saw him twitch, and realized he was not dead yet. Further behind, Sirius and Lupin managed to kill two of the others, Ron ran back to help them with the fight.

"Get out of here!" Peter screamed, shooting a protection spell around Ron as Bellatrix fired another round of stunning spells. He ran over to protect Ron. In the distance, Ron saw the silvery outline of a patronus approaching, a large badger spun through the air before Moody's voice sounded.

"It's done."

Sirius seized the opportunity to send a shock wave, knocking over the remaining Death Eaters.

"Nice one Padf—" Peter began to say before a shining dagger pierced him in the back, right behind his heart, spraying blood onto Ron.

Peter paled, and Ron saw the light quickly leaving his eyes, as Harry twisted the knife back out. Peter was dead, the body slumped forward into Ron's arms. The expression on Harry's face was impossible for Ron to read. There was no malice, nor joy, he just did it … Sirius sent another shockwave coursing through the clearing. Far beyond, James realized what was happening, and his pace slowed.

Ron threw down one of the smoke bombs he grabbed earlier. Harry yelled out in pain but Ron'd already ran from him, tearing off further into the woods. Far beyond he could hear the whistle of a train. Behind him, Sirius and Lupin were yelling protective spells.

"James! James—Leave him!" Lupin bellowed. James must've realized what was happening, and managed to break away from the duel. The four of them ran through the woods, dodging spells and branches as they made their way towards the train.

"Stand aside!" Ron could hear Riddle screech in the distance. "I will kill them, they're mine!"

Up ahead, Ron could see the train rounding a corner, it wasn't like the school train, but with hard wooden box cabooses for freight. He forced himself to continue forward, leaping in after Sirius as they climbed into an open box car. In the distance, Ron could see wandlight searching the tree line. The Death Eaters didn't see them. Lupin covered Ron's mouth with his hand and ducked behind a crate. Outside he could hear several brooms whistling in the wind.

"They must've dissapperated," Bellatrix said, and Ron could hear a frustrated scream from far in the distance. A section of the tree line caught fire, and Lupin braced himself and Ron from the heat. The train rounded a corner and Lupin let go of him, allowing Ron to sink into the floor. In the distance, he saw the burning glow of Hogwarts in flames.