{ "result": "success", "story": { "id": 1, "author": { "id": 3, "name": "Professor Granger" }, "title": "Out of the Shadows and Into the Night", "chapter_count": 4, "word_count": 12347, "publish_date": 1036800000, "update_date": 1042156800, "rating": "PG13", "genres": [ "Angst" ], "pairing": "Harry & Hermione", "canon": "Books 1 - 4", "status": "paused", "summary": "Ron Weasley has been overshadowed by his brothers as far as he can remember. At Hogwarts, he was always in Harry's shadow. How far will he go to escape the shadows? A story of betrayal and redemption.", "formats": { "json": "\/api\/v1\/story\/1", "html": "\/story\/1", "epub": "\/story\/1\/epub", "mobi": "\/story\/1\/mobi" }, "chapters": [ { "number": 1, "title": "A New Face", "automated_import": 0, "known_broken": 0, "text": "
Out of the Shadows and Into the Night<\/strong><\/p>\n Disclaimer: Harry Potter & Co. don't belong to me. They belong to JK Rowling.<\/p>\n Chapter 1: A New Face<\/strong><\/p>\n Ron Weasley sat up in his bed thinking. He was about to enter his seventh and final year of Hogwarts school of\nWitchcraft and Wizardry. One year left. That was it. It was his last chance to prove that he was just as good as his\nbrothers. Each had left behind a unique legacy, and would always be remembered by name. He knew that before Harry came\nalong, it had been Charlie that was mentioned as the great Gryffindor Seeker, his legacy surpassing that of James\nPotter. Bill had been the first of the family to attend Hogwarts. His legacy was in academics, his 12 OWLs, which were\nfinally lived down by Hermione, and his position as a prefect, and later, Head Boy, the first in the family. Percy was\nknown for his perfection, his OWL score (12, like Bill) and as the second Head Boy in the family. Fred and George's\njokes were legendary, although they didn't beat the Marauder's number of detentions, though if there been only\n2 marauders, Fred and George would have cleaned up. They had received a personal congratulation from Padfoot himself,\nalthough they hadn't figured out who he really was.<\/p>\n Now it was Ron's turn. He was just the youngest Weasley boy, Harry Potter's sidekick. It was the only thing\nthat people ever saw about him. In his eyes, being friends with the famous Harry Potter was nothing to brag about.\nHarry had lots of friends. The problem was that almost none of them saw the man behind the scar. He knew that Harry\nfound it frustrating. His natural ability for Quidditch, fighting evil and just magic in general made it worse for him.\nTo the wizarding world, he was "The Boy Who Lived", "Gryffindor's Seeker and Captain", or\n"James and Lily Potter's son." No matter how hard he tried, Harry was never able to escape the titles. To\nRon, Harry was just his friend. The fact that he was an extraordinarily powerful wizard was secondary. Ever since they\nhad met on the train, Ron had been envious of Harry, although he concealed it well. Hermione knew, of course, but she\nhad figured it out on her own. Even when confronted by either of his two friends, he denied it. Harry believed it. He\nput too much trust into his friends. Hermione didn't. She was too smart for her own good.<\/p>\n Ron had longed for so long to have Harry's power, and Hermione's intellect. He knew that he would never be\nsmart. He was just a mediocre student. Well, Harry was too, but Ron half suspected that Harry only did it to make Ron\nfeel better. He could have easily matched or bettered Hermione's marks.<\/p>\n If only I had that power!<\/em> He knew that there were ways of stealing someone's power, but the spells were\ncomplicated and he knew that he wouldn't be able to perform them. What if someone else performed the spell?\nHermione would never consent to do it, and neither would Harry. He couldn't consider anyone else at Hogwarts. They\nwould immediately go to Dumbledore, and he would most likely be expelled. He needed to do it secretly.<\/p>\n That left one option. Voldemort.<\/em> The man who had been trying to kill his best friend for sixteen years was\nthe only person who could help him escape the shadows that had been holding him since he was born.<\/p>\n It was the only way, but the problem was that he didn't know a way to contact any of the Death Eaters. Granted,\nhe only knew a few names, but that was better than nothing. His name was another problem. The Weasley family had always\nbeen outspoken against Voldemort, so it would take some convincing to make them believe that he really wanted to do\nthis. He would do whatever it took, just as long as he got to where he wanted to be.<\/p>\n Finally, he decided that he would write to Malfoy. He was almost certain that he was a Death Eater. Even if he\nhadn't formally become one yet, he knew that the Slytherin would become one eventually. With those thoughts, he sat\ndown to write a letter to the person who he thought could pull the strings to get to where he wanted to be.<\/p>\n Draco Malfoy-<\/em><\/p>\n I do not know the initiation procedures for those wanting to enter the Dark Lord's service, but I have heard\nthat you are one person I could contact with my request. I would like to enter the Dark Lord's ranks, and as soon\nas possible. Send the answer by return owl, as I am not willing to put my name on this paper. Thank you for your help,\nif indeed you can help.<\/em><\/p>\n He sent Errol off with the letter, knowing that he wouldn't be recognized. He eagerly waited for a reply.<\/p>\n For three days, Ron was on pins and needles waiting for the answer. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. He\nhad just sat down to write another letter when an exhausted gray feather duster flew through his open window. A piece\nof parchment attached to it. Finally!<\/em> He thought. He knew that it was probably Errol's fault, the owl was\nreally old, and could hardly deliver anymore.<\/p>\n Ron tore open the letter. The answer was better than he expected. Part of him was expecting an outright refusal, and\nanother part was expecting a letter demanding to know who he was, and if he really wanted to be a Death Eater, not just\na spy for Dumbledore.<\/p>\n I have presented this matter to My Lord, and he has agreed to meet you and welcome you into his service. I do\nnot require your name at this time, but know that the Dark Lord will. Beware, if you intend to join in order to help\nDumbledore's cause, you will suffer, my Master has ways of determining if you are loyal or not. A portkey will be\nsent to you tomorrow, activated at midnight. This will bring you to the meeting where you will be initiated. If you\nhave any second thoughts, do not use the portkey. The Dark Lord does not deal kindly with traitors.<\/em><\/p>\n The letter was not signed. Instead, the bottom of the parchment was marked with the picture of a skull with a snake\nprotruding from its mouth drawn in dark green ink.<\/p>\n To Ron, the next day seemed to be about forty hours long. He re-read the letter at least ten times. And he was\nstarting to feel slight misgivings over what he was about to do. He didn't really want to kill or torture anyone,\nand he didn't see what was wrong with Muggles or Muggle-borns. All he wanted was the power. Was killing and\ntorturing too high a price to pay just so he could be free of the shadows?<\/p>\n He was on the verge of throwing away the portkey when there was a tapping on his window. He turned to see\nHarry's snowy owl, Hedwig, perched on the sill with a letter tied to her leg. He opened the window immediately to\nread his friends letter. As he started to read, he almost felt guilty about what he was about to do.<\/p>\n Dear Ron,<\/em><\/p>\n I don't know how both Hermione and I overlooked this fact for so long, but apparently we live in the same\nneighborhood, two doors away as a matter of fact. I have started jogging as a way to clear my head in the morning (even\nthough it has been two years since Cedric died, that night still haunts my dreams). So, I was out jogging one morning,\nand was so focused on not thinking about the dream, that I ran straight into a girl, knocking her down, nearly falling\nmyself. I offered her my hand to help her up, when I noticed how pretty she was. I mean downright beautiful. She took\nmy hand and when she was standing and had finally cleared her hair out of her face she took a step back, still looking\nat the ground, embarrassed that she hadn't seen me coming. I stammered out an "I'm sorry," and\nfinally, she looked up. As you can guess, we were both surprised that we had run into each other.<\/em><\/p>\n Anyway, to make a long story short, I have spent most of my summer over at her house, doing homework and just\nrelaxing. There is something about her that just makes me let go of everything. Well, yesterday, I finally got up\nenough courage to ask her out, and she said yes. You probably don't want to know, but we spent a good portion of\nthe day snogging.<\/em><\/p>\n That's my big story of the summer. I am looking foreword to going back to Hogwarts so I can see you again.\nThe only reason I can stay at Hermione's is because it is so close to the Dursley's house that the wards still\nwork.<\/em><\/p>\n That's all I have to say for now, so watch out for Fred and George, and I'll see you in a\nmonth.<\/em><\/p>\n Harry.<\/em><\/p>\n Dammit! Harry always got what he wanted. All of the guilt he had felt was replaced instantly by bitter jealousy. So\nthey were a couple now! It was one more thing that would shove him on the back burner for the rest of the year. They\ndeserved what was coming to them.<\/p>\n 'I really need a change,'<\/em> Ron thought.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Finally, after the longest day of Ron's life, it was 11:59. He pulled the hood of his cloak up, and firmly\ngrasped the portkey, an enchanted galleon. The clock started striking, far two slowly for Ron's taste. As it hit\nthe last note, he felt a tug from somewhere behind his navel. He had been attached to the portkey for what felt like\nforever, when he felt his feet slam to the ground.<\/p>\n Draco was waiting for him when he arrived at Malfoy Manor. He had a blank expression, which, Ron noticed, was rather\ntense. Draco's eyes gave his expression away. Ron could tell that he was deadly curious about who the new person\nwas.<\/p>\n "I see that you have a cloak with a hood," Draco said. He held out a black mask, "Here, put this on.\nIf you don't want to be known yet, then turn your back."<\/p>\n Ron wisely said nothing, preferring to stay silent in the company of his worst enemy. He didn't want to know\nwhat Draco would do to him if his real identity were revealed before they reached the Dark Lord.<\/p>\n Nothing else was spoken between them. When Ron turned around again, the mask covered his face, and the hood of his\ncloak covered his hair. Draco made a motion for him to follow, and he did.<\/p>\n He had no idea what to expect. His very limited dealings with the dark arts were all done from Harry's side. He\ndidn't know what Voldemort would expect him to do. A feeling started in the pit of his stomach and slowly spread\nthrough his limbs. It was similar to what he had felt before he was sorted on their first night at Hogwarts.<\/p>\n They soon reached a door. Draco knocked once to announce their arrival before pulling out his wand and muttering a\npassword. Slowly the doors creaked open to reveal a large and richly furnished room. The walls were hung with deep\ngreen tapestries. The patterns were so complex that Ron could not make them out from his position just inside the\ndoors. The floor was covered in a black plush carpet. Ron could feel how thick it was through the soles of his boots.\nAt the far end of the room was a throne. It was black and set with blood-red rubies.<\/p>\n In the chair was the most repulsive man Ron had ever laid eyes on. Ron could tell that he was tall, even though he\nwas sitting down. He was made of nothing but flesh and bone, a fact that showed clearly through his long, black robes.\nHis long spindly fingers were clearly visible from the other side of the room. But it was his face that made him truly\nrepulsive. His skin was pure white, a stark contrast to his jet-black hair. Instead of a nose, he had two flat slits,\nwhich reminded Ron of a snake. He had blood-red eyes that were pointed at the corners. He didn't have any marks or\nblemishes on his face. Ron had to look closely to ascertain that he had a mouth; no lips were visible. Curled up on the\nrug at his feet was a giant snake. Ron recoiled slightly. He wasn't afraid of snakes, but they still didn't sit\nto well with him.<\/p>\n Draco moved toward the throne and bowed low, kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes.<\/p>\n "Rise, Draco," Voldemort spoke in a cold, high-pitched voice. "I see you have a new servant for\nme."<\/p>\n "Yes, My Lord," Draco spoke, bowing once more. Draco motioned Ron to his side, bowed a final time, backed\naway from the throne and left, closing the door as he left.<\/p>\n Ron was almost visibly shaking now. Following Draco's example, he bowed low and kissed the hem of\nVoldemort's robes. He straitened up to find himself looking directly into the Dark Lord's red eyes.<\/p>\n "You have nothing to fear if you come to me out of loyalty to my cause," Voldemort addressed him directly\nfor the first time. Ron's physical trembling stopped, and Voldemort seemed satisfied, although he didn't break\neye contact.<\/p>\n After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke again, "Is your blood pure?"<\/p>\n "Yes, My Lord."<\/p>\n "What is your surname? People have a habit of lying about this particular trait."<\/p>\n "I am a Weasley, My Lord. There has never been a Mudblood in our family tree."<\/p>\n The name caught Voldemort's attention.<\/p>\n "A Weasley? Interesting. And you are not spying for Dumbledore?" Ron shook his head. "I am compelled\nto believe you. Which Weasley are you? If you are in school, then you will be highly useful to me."<\/p>\n "I am Ron Weasley, My Lord. I am in my final year at Hogwarts."<\/p>\n "The same year as Harry Potter. What house are you in?"<\/p>\n "Gryffindor, my Lord."<\/p>\n "Better and better. I am assuming that Harry Potter is also in Gryffindor?" Ron nodded. "A Gryffindor\nwill not be suspected of being treacherous. You might prove to be my most valuable servant. What brings a brave\nGryffindor like yourself to my service?" His voice was laden with sarcasm.<\/p>\n Ron was a little daunted by his tone, but continued anyway. After all, the Dark Lord knew his name now.<\/p>\n "I came to you because I want power, My Lord. You are the only one who can provide me with the power that I\nwant."<\/p>\n "You have much potential. A perfect servant." Voldemort stayed silent for a long time. He seemed to be\ncontemplating the boy who stood in front of him.<\/p>\n "Kneel, boy," he said at last. Ron followed his instructions.<\/p>\n "You say that you want power, but in order for me to give that to you, you have to offer me your powers, for me\nto use as I see fit. Are you willing to make this offer?"<\/p>\n "Yes, My Lord"<\/p>\n "Are you willing to give up your life for me? It is the thing that most humans value above all else."<\/p>\n "Yes, My Lord, I will give up my life for you, if that is necessary to help your cause."<\/p>\n "You claim that you have not been sent by Dumbledore, is that correct?"<\/p>\n "Yes, My Lord."<\/p>\n "Because of your name, I doubt that claim. Crucio<\/em>."<\/p>\n A pain worse than anything Ron imagined ripped through his body. It was as if the curse were tearing him apart from\nthe inside out. Time slowed to almost a stop as the pain took over his senses. After far too long, Voldemort removed\nthe curse, and Ron staggered to his feet. He swayed for a few seconds as he tried to regain his equilibrium.<\/p>\n Voldemort spoke, "Do you still maintain that you are loyal to me?"<\/p>\n "Yes, My Lord." Ron's voice surprised him. It felt colder and harsher than what he had known his voice\nto be before. Maybe it was just an effect of the Cruciatus Curse.<\/p>\n "I find that you are a suitable servant for me. Hold out your left arm."<\/p>\n Silently, Ron did as he was instructed. Voldemort placed his long, spidery hand over Ron's forearm, just inside\nthe elbow and murmured a spell. When he removed his hand, a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth was burned\ninto Ron's arm. He let his hand fall, and his sleeve covered the mark.<\/p>\n "There are several spells that you must learn, but first, I promised you power, did I not?"<\/p>\n "Yes, my lord."<\/p>\n Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Ron's chest.<\/p>\n "Tout a un prix. Vous vous \u00eates donn\u00e9s me, je vous donnez votre souhait. Puissance,"<\/em> he spoke;\nhis voice void of all emotion, of all life. A blood-red mist poured out of his wand and surrounded Ron. He felt a surge\nof energy as the mist invaded his body. It was the best feeling he had ever experienced.<\/p>\n Slowly, Voldemort lowered his wand. Ron looked him in the eye for a second. Then, he bowed, once again kissing the\nhem of his master's robes.<\/p>\n "Thank you, My Lord. I am honored to be in your service."<\/p>\n "You must speak of this to no one, not even Draco. You do not know if the enemy is listening. You are excused.\nYou will be summoned."<\/p>\n Ron made his final bow, and walked backward to the door. He did not turn around until he was outside, and the door\nwas closed. This would be his year. He now had the power he craved. No one, not even Harry, would be able to beat\nhim.<\/p>\n"
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"number": 2,
"title": "Treading on Quicksand",
"automated_import": 0,
"known_broken": 0,
"text": " Chapter 2: Treading on quicksand<\/p>\n Back at home, sitting on the bed, Ron could feel the power coursing through him. It was the most incredible thing\nthat he had ever felt. He felt alive. There was no other word for it. He could do anything, without needing to sleep or\neat ever again. Maybe that's why Harry eats so little.<\/em><\/p>\n But no matter what he felt like, he still had to keep up appearances for his family. He pretended that he was just\nhis normal, cheerful, invisible self. The twins paid some attention to him, but it was only to use him as a subject.\nEver since they had gotten their hands on some money two years ago (who would be so foolish as to give those two\nmoney?),<\/em> their number of pranks and inventions had skyrocketed. Now that they were on out of school, they were\nplanning to buy a shop in Diagon Alley. They had increased their original amount by selling products to Zonko's,\nand were now fairly well off.<\/p>\n 'Just another reason to cast me into the shadows<\/em>,' Ron thought bitterly.<\/p>\n He privately considered himself a very good actor, since no one had even hinted that he wasn't his normal self.\nThey seemed to think he was his normal self again, and were treating him as such. None of them perceived the air of\npower that was now in him. Typical that they wouldn't notice.<\/em> What his family thought was of no importance\nto him anymore. The Dark Lord thought that he was worthy enough to receive the mark despite his family's\nreputation. It was only his Master's opinion that mattered, after all.<\/p>\n ********<\/p>\n It had been two weeks since his initiation and Ron was getting very irritated with his new master. He had been\nreading the newspapers and there had been several attacks on Muggle homes, and on some Muggle-borns. Ron hadn't\nbeen summoned for any of them. I joined to help Voldemort, and he doesn't even summon me when he plans an\nattack. I thought that I would be getting some recognition when I joined. Apparently not.<\/em><\/p>\n The next morning, when he went downstairs for breakfast, he picked up the paper, as was his new habit. The cover\nstory was another attack on Muggles, this time in Surrey. The name rung a bell in Ron's head, but he didn't\nthink much of it. He was always forgetting something. He looked at the date to be sure that it was current, and to\nremind himself of what day it was. July 31. Another alarm bell went off in his head, but again, he ignored it, and\ncontinued to read the paper.<\/p>\n Muggle dies protecting her cats<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Death eaters attacked Madeline Figg in her home in Surrey yesterday morning.<\/em><\/p>\n The woman was a muggle, and the mother of Arabella Figg, best friend of the late Lily Potter, and extremely\ntalented Auror. According to the neighbors, Figg has an obsession with cats, never having less than ten in her home.\nShe had been warned by her daughter to be careful of leaving the house because of You-Know-Who's rebirth. Despite\nsome close calls, Figg remained unharmed until yesterday. She was found with her body on top of two live cats.\nAuthorities concluded that she tried to save her cats even in death.<\/em><\/p>\n The dark mark was reported anonymously by one of the neighboring boys. Authorities have not found the source of\nthe information yet. Since the owl arrived so soon after the attack, authorities suspect that it was sent by a death\neater to lure authorities out of the ministry. As of now, nothing is known about the informant, or the attack.<\/em><\/p>\n Once again, alarm bells started ringing in Ron's head. Instead of ignoring them, he thought about the names\nmentioned in the article. He did know Arabella Figg, she had been their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in\nfifth year. He vaguely remembered someone mentioning that Old Mrs. Figg was a Muggle who loved cats. He just\ncouldn't think of who it was. Maybe Hermione. She was a Muggle born, but Ron wasn't quite sure of where she\nlived. Someone he knew lived in Surrey. It was probably Hermione. Oh well. He flipped to the Quidditch section. The\nCannons were at the top of the league for the second year. Ever since Oliver Wood had been drafted as keeper. Ron\nsmiled at that. Wood was probably giving the coach pointers about how to run the team. He had led Gryffindor to the\nQuidditch cup his last year, even though they lost one match. The fact that he had coached the famous Boy-Who-Lived\ndidn't hurt.<\/p>\n Scanning the rest of the paper, Ron found nothing else interesting. He put his dishes into the sink and climbed the\nmultiple flights of steps up to his room. When he was satisfied that no one would barge into his room, he rolled up his\nleft sleeve and fingered the blood-red mark that was imbedded on his forearm. It had turned black several times, but it\nnever burned. He had not been summoned to join the Dark Lord yet. Sure, he had been initiated, but what good does the\ninitiation do if you aren't going to be serving? He was starting to get anxious about when the Dark Lord was going\nto call him. He couldn't go in the middle of the day, someone might see him leaving, or discover that he was gone.\nHe would then have to answer a deluge of questions, mostly from his mother, who never stopped pestering him. Ginny\nwould pipe up a vague note of concern when she was roused from her daydreams about Harry, and the Twins would just\ntease him mercilessly about his rendezvous with Hermione or some local girl that they had noticed. If he was called at\nnight, it would be ok for the time being, but once Harry arrived (and Hermione for that matter), it would be\nimpossible. Harry was a light sleeper due to a lifetime of abuse from his relatives, and years of being hunted by the\nDark Lord.<\/p>\n But wait, Harry wouldn't be coming this summer, again. He was spending the summer over at Hermione's,\nsnogging and doing homework. What fun.<\/em> So he could be called at night and go undetected. He smiled at the\nthought. It was his first smile in a day.<\/p>\n *******<\/p>\n Ron was drifting in his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door. He hastily stood up and covered his mark. He\nwould be handed straight to the ministry if his family found out.<\/p>\n Ron was expecting his mother to be at the door, but to his surprise it was Ginny.<\/p>\n "Ron, are you ok?" she asked, her eyes full of concern for her older brother.<\/p>\n "I'm fine."<\/p>\n Even though no one had asked about his well being yet, he was a bit short-tempered.<\/p>\n "Because I noticed that you didn't send Harry a birthday present. He turned 17 today, you know."<\/p>\n "Oh bugger. I completely forgot. I'll send him a card and get a present before we go back to school.\nThanks, Gin, I completely forgot." He mentally slapped himself. He knew why the alarms had gone off in his head\nwhile reading the newspaper. Harry lived in Surrey too, and Mrs. Figg had been his babysitter when he was little.<\/p>\n "What's up with you? You've been really preoccupied lately, and I don't think I have ever seen you\nread the paper before. It looks like Hermione is rubbing off on you." Ginny joked, trying to improve Ron's\nmood. After all, he did seem distant.<\/p>\n "No, she's probably doing that to Harry right now. I don't hear much from Harry during the summer, and\nsince You-Know-Who is so active now, I want to know if he is hurt. The paper is the only way to do it." He lied,\nabout the paper anyway. For all he knew, Hermione really was rubbing Harry right now.<\/p>\n "Ok then. It just doesn't seem like you to forget your best friend's birthday." With that, she\nleft, pulling the door closed behind her.<\/p>\n Ron sat back down on the bed and rolled up his sleeve again. This year he wouldn't have to worry about anything,\nother than pretending to be on Dumbledore's side. The man could see through almost any disguise or lie. Just his\nluck that the fool was his headmaster. I'll just have to stay out of trouble. I can avoid getting sent to\nDumbledore's office if I really try. Harry is the one that is always in there.<\/em><\/p>\n Hermione is the same. She had always been able to read Ron's emotions and thoughts like a book. Well, he would\nhave to avoid her as much as he could. There was no other solution to the problem. No matter what his relationship had\nbeen with her previously, she was a Muggle-born, and would eventually be killed. He didn't want to be close to her\nwhen that happened. She had been his friend for the last six years.<\/p>\n ********<\/p>\n Ron woke up in the middle of the night because his arm felt like it was splitting open. He moved over to the window\nand pushed his sleeve up above the mark. It was black, and the lines seemed to be getting deeper in his skin. He\npressed his hand over it and closed his eyes in an attempt to block out some of the pain. To his great surprise, it\nworked. Be slowly opened his eyes and looked at the tattoo. It had reverted back to its regular red. He looked around\nhis room, but was startled to find that it wasn't his room anymore. Next to him were a cloak and a mask.\nFinally, I've been summoned. Took him long enough.<\/em> Ron put on the items left for him and moved to the door\nof Voldemort's room. Both doors stood open, and inside, a circle of people was assembling. There was an empty spot\nclose to his master's side, and silently, he walked over and filled it. Before he took his place, he bowed low, and\nkissed the hem of his master's robes, as he had seen the others do. Slowly, the circle was filled with people, and\nwhen there were no empty spots left, Voldemort spoke.<\/p>\n "Tonight, we will start to our plan to defeat Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix," he said.\n"Part of that will be defeating Harry Potter. We do not have much more time to find him outside of school. He is\nvery well protected, and if he is still at his relatives, then he cannot be touched. Not even by Ronald. For although\nhe is Mr. Potter's friend, the wards will not let him pass since he now bears the Mark." Voldemort paused and\nlooked around the circle at the hidden faces of his servants.<\/p>\n "We now have two people inside of Hogwarts. A student and a teacher. It will be their job to find out a way to\nbreak the spells guarding the castle." He looked into Ron's eyes, and Ron flinched slightly. Not enough to be\ndetected by his master, but the look still gave him chills. He didn't know how Harry could survive multiple\nencounters with the creature of almost pure evil power that was standing in front of him. He was glad that he was on\nthe stronger side, should it come to war. The other side's strongest warriors were an old man and a young man.\nHarry hadn't been trained to fight, and Dumbledore was past fighting age. Standing around him were at least 30 able\nbodied men, all at the peak of their strength. The others fighting with the old fool were not half as powerful as the\npeople around him. He allowed himself to smile slightly, and then turned his attention back to the meeting.<\/p>\n "Wormtail, you will accompany Ronald back to Hogwarts as his pet. That way, I will have three of my servants\ninside the castle."<\/p>\n Ron stepped foreward. "My Lord," he said, bowing, "It would not do to have Wormtail accompany me as a\npet for the year. He was my pet at one time, and both Harry and Hermione, as well as Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and\nDumbledore know who he really is. I have no doubt that one of those people would recognize who he really is and either\nkill him or turn him in." Ron gave another deep bow, and stepped back to his place in the circle.<\/p>\n "You make an excellent point. What do you suggest we do about this?" Voldemort asked.<\/p>\n Ron thought for a minute. He did not want to risk upsetting his master. He had already seen the punishments for\nthose whom Voldemort disapproved of. Slowly, he stepped forward.<\/p>\n "My Lord, Wormtail should accompany me back to the castle, but not as a pet. He could pretend to be just\nanother rat. As long as he stays out of the way of Harry, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus, he will be safe. Dumbledore has\nnever seen him as a rat, and will not recognize him. This way, he can snoop around the castle, and he will not be\ncaught."<\/p>\n Ron bowed once again and stepped back to his place, once again blending into the crowd. It was no easy matter to\nplace an idea in front of the Dark Lord. For just this once, he liked to be part of the crowd.<\/p>\n "An excellent idea, Ronald. Wormtail, I trust that it is not too much for you to get to Hogwarts on your own?\nYou will report to Severus if you find any useful information. That is all for the meeting, you are\ndismissed."<\/p>\n As a group, they backed out of Voldemort's throne room, bowing before they stirred one step. When the door was\nclosed, Ron rolled up his sleeve, and pressed his hand over it. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his orange room\nat the Burrow. He looked at the clock, 3:42. He groaned. He would need a lot of sleep to be ready to face the day of\nacting in front of his parents. And his mum never looked well on having a lie-in. Well, he could just pretend that he\nwasn't feeling well. That always worked. But then again, if he tried that, he would have his mother on his back all\nday, babying him. It wasn't something that he really wanted. Resolving to work it out in the morning, he crawled\ninto bed feeling completely drained. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.<\/p>\n ********<\/p>\n Ron was back at Hogwarts with Harry and Hermione. They were snogging in a chair by the fire in the common room.\nHe tried clearing his throat to get their attention, but they just ignored it, and kept up their activities.<\/em><\/p>\n He shivered. He was pretty close to the fire. The seventh years always got the good armchairs, but even though\nhe was next to the fire, he was freezing cold. And no matter how loud he shouted, his two best friends continued to\nignore him.<\/em><\/p>\n Suddenly, he spotted a figure slowly standing up behind them. Time slowed to a crawl as the figure straightened.\nHe was hardly taller than Harry and Hermione, even though they were sitting down.<\/em><\/p>\n Ron stared in horror as a glint of sliver became visible in the mystery person's hand. The higher he brought\nhis hand, the longer the object seemed to grow. It tapered to a point, and finally, it was raised high enough into the\nshadow that all that was visible was a gleaming silver point, held in a gleaming silver hand.<\/em><\/p>\n Realization slowly dawned on Ron that this was Wormtail. And he was about to kill his two friends.<\/em><\/p>\n "Harry! Hermione! Run! Wormtail is behind you!" He screamed at them. Progressively growing louder and\nshriller as the point of the knife was brought closer and closer to Hermione's back.<\/em><\/p>\n After what seemed like an eternity, they looked over at him. The expression on their faces scared him. They\nweren't the smiling, friendly faces of the people that he had been friends with for six years. What was there was a\ncold shell of indifference, which was barely masking the pure hatred flashing in their eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n "And why should we believe you?" Harry asked coldly. "You are just like him. You betrayed us just\nlike Wormtail betrayed my parents. You don't belong in Gryffindor. Pack your stuff and move to Slytherin, where you\nbelong." He continued to glare at Ron for another minute.<\/em><\/p>\n Ron tried to speak, to argue his case.<\/em><\/p>\n "I would have been killed if I had said no," he managed to stammer out. As soon as the words left his\nmouth he regretted it.<\/em><\/p>\n "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Harry. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD\nHAVE DONE FOR YOU!" For a moment, both Harry and Hermione's faces shifted into the faces of Sirius and Remus\non that far away day in the shrieking shack.<\/em><\/p>\n As soon as he blinked, Harry and Hermione's faces had returned to normal, and they were both glaring at him\nwith a hatred that he had only ever seen in his master's eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n They simultaneously pulled out their wands to curse him, but he held up his hand to stop them.<\/em><\/p>\n "Don't bother. I'll leave. I'll go and pack, and talk to Dumbledore about transferring houses.\nThen neither of you has to put up with me again." He sighed. He would be moving to a place where his family name\nwas hated, where he would never be a part of them. Sure, he was a servant of the Dark Lord, but he knew that his six\nyears in Gryffindor would keep them from trusting him fully; just as he two ex-friends didn't trust him\nnow.<\/em><\/p>\n He looked back at them. They had resumed where they left off, and Harry's hand had slid up underneath\nHermione's shirt. Ron couldn't see Wormtail behind them anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n Slowly, he got up from his seat, shivering, and made his way up to the seventh year boy's dorm. He opened\nhis trunk and started to pile his things into it. He shrunk it, put it into his pocket, and walked out of the dorm he\nhad shared with Harry, Neville, Dean and Seamus for six years. He slowly descended the stairs to find that Hermione was\nnow sitting at a table studying, and Harry was sitting in a chair staring into the fire.<\/em><\/p>\n As Ron crossed to the portrait hole, Harry got up and walked over to him. His face was friendly again. Nothing\nremained of the mask of hatred that he had been wearing earlier.<\/em><\/p>\n "Ron, where are you going?" He asked.<\/em><\/p>\n "I told you, I am moving to Slytherin as soon as I talk to Dumbledore about it. Good-bye,\nHarry."<\/em><\/p>\n "Nonesense. I didn't tell you to do anything as drastic as that. I just wanted you to leave us alone\nfor a minute. I didn't want you to pack and move to our opposing house." Harry replied cheerfully.<\/em><\/p>\n Ron saw a flash of silver close to Harry's left ear. With horror, he realized that Wormtail had returned\nwith his knife.<\/em><\/p>\n "Harry! Watch out!" he screamed.<\/em><\/p>\n "What are you talking about-" Harry's words were cut off as a knife plunged through his back. His\nbody fell forward onto Ron. He put up his hands to keep himself from being crushed by his friend's body. He could\nonly hold him up for a little, and Harry's head soon hit the floor with a loud thump.<\/em><\/p>\n Hermione rushed forward and cradled him in her arms, sobbing. Ron stared unbelievingly at the hands that had\nbeen unable to support his friend. They were soaked in blood; Harry's blood; the blood of thousands of people that\nhad been murdered by his master.<\/em><\/p>\n Hermione looked up at him.<\/em><\/p>\n "How could you, Ronald Judas Weasley?"<\/em><\/p>\n He just stared at her, unable to answer.<\/em><\/p>\n She continued.<\/em><\/p>\n "And what did you get out of it, hm? I hope something more than just thirty sickles." She turned her\nback on him, bent down to pick up Harry, and carried him down into the great hall, so that everyone could see what he\nhad done. Ron followed.<\/em><\/p>\n She stretched out Harry's body on the Gryffindor table, and with a flick of her wand turned all of the\nhangings around the hall black. She climbed to the top of the table and looked out at the people around her. She\nspotted Ron and pointed him out for everyone to see.<\/em><\/p>\n "I give you Ronald Judas Weasley, the betrayer, who is no better than his old pet rat." With that, she\npulled out a knife out of her robes and held it to her chest. She looked down at Harry, "my love, I am joining you\nnow and forever." With those final words, she stabbed herself, her body falling and covering Harry's.<\/em><\/p>\n The crowd of students pushed Ron back into the darkest corner in the hall, and no matter how hard he tried, he\ncould not escape the darkness around him. He continued to struggle for days, but to no avail.<\/em><\/p>\n *******<\/p>\n With a start, Ron woke up, his body covered in sweat and shaking. It was the worst dream that he had ever\nexperienced, but he couldn't remember the details. No matter how hard he tried to remember what had gone on, it\ndidn't work.<\/p>\n Eventually, he gave up. Tomorrow is another day. I'll think about it tomorrow.<\/em> And with that, he fell\nasleep again.<\/p>\n"
},
{
"number": 3,
"title": "Ankle Deep",
"automated_import": 0,
"known_broken": 0,
"text": " Chapter 3: Ankle Deep<\/p>\n September 1st was rapidly approaching and Ron was starting to feel very nervous. Wormtail had been at the castle for\na few weeks, following Snape at the end of the professor's summer holidays. Not that he needs to get the feel\nof the castle<\/em>, Ron thought.<\/p>\n What was really bugging him was the fact that he would have to face Harry and Hermione again. Being a death-eater\nwas fine away from the castle, but once he was back, it would be a lot more work to keep up the fa\u00e7ade in front of the\ntwo people that knew him best. He started to make a mental checklist of things that he couldn't do around his two\nfriends. 1: no pulling up my sleeve, I need to keep long sleeves on at all times. 2: avoid the shower when it is\nfull. 3: avoid talking about the Dark Lord. 4: Avoid trouble so that I don't get sent to Dumbledore's\noffice.<\/em><\/p>\n When he was satisfied that he had a thorough list, he stood up and started packing his things. Maybe the year would\nbe fun after all.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Once he was on the Hogwarts Express, Ron breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken all of his will not to walk around\nand find Harry and Hermione. He knew where they would be: the prefect and head student compartments at the front of the\ntrain. For that reason, he chose a compartment towards the back that was mercifully empty. Hopefully Harry and Hermione\nwould be too involved in their snogging to notice that he hadn't seen them. If they did walk in, he had an excuse\nprepared: He wasn't a prefect or head boy, so he wasn't allowed in their compartment. Satisfied that they would\nbelieve his excuse, he conjured a pillow and blanket, stretched out on the bench, and drifted off to sleep.<\/p>\n Several hours later, he was rudely awakened by the force of the door slamming open. In an instant, his wand was in\nhis hand, and a hex on his lips. It was only Malfoy.<\/p>\n "What do you want, Malfoy?" He asked irritably. At the same time, he waved his wand to clear away his\ncomfortable bedding.<\/p>\n "We need to talk, Weasley," Malfoy said in his typical drawling, snobby voice. "The Dark Lord may\napprove of you and your plans, but you are a Gryffindor, and I don't trust you. I don't care what Voldemort\nthinks." He spat the word 'Gryffindor' with his characteristic hatred.<\/p>\n "If that's all you wanted to say, then I suggest you leave. Unless you want a repeat of the incident from\nthree years ago." Ron snarled. Once again, his voice surprised him. Maybe it wasn't just from the curse.<\/p>\n "Fine. Just remember, I don't trust you farther than I can spit." With those final words, he left,\nslamming the door a second time.<\/p>\n Ron conjured the pillows and blankets again; hoping that this time, whoever woke him would be nicer about it.<\/p>\n He was right about the kindness of the second, but it was Harry, the one person he wasn't ready to face. He\nquickly looked down to check that his arm was covered, and was immensely relieved to see that it was.<\/p>\n "Ron! Where have you been! Hermione's been worried sick that you missed the train, or something. Why\ndidn't you find us when you got on?" Harry asked. His expression was a mixture of relief and puzzlement.<\/p>\n "I \u2026 I didn't think that I would be able to be in your compartment. It's reserved for prefects and\nheads, isn't it?" Despite his well-prepared excuse, he stuttered a little bit, feeling guilty about lying to\nHarry.<\/p>\n "You know that you are welcome anytime, don't you? I mean even if we are the head students, you are still\nour best friend." Harry said.<\/p>\n "Sorry, but I did need to catch up on some sleep. I haven't been sleeping well for a while." He\nwasn't lying this time. Voldemort often called in the dead of night, but Ron had been excluded from most of the\nmeetings. But once he was awakened because of the burning in the mark, he often found it hard to return to sleep. Half\nof him was angry that Voldemort wasn't calling him, and the other half carried twinges of guilt about betraying his\nfriends, family, professors, and Dumbledore. He always managed to brush away those feelings, and it was mostly the\nanger that kept him up at night.<\/p>\n "Well, wake up, we're almost there. I'll let you get changed on your own." For the first time, Ron\nnoticed that Harry was in his school uniform, complete with the Head Boy badge, still shiny from the countless times\nPercy had polished it, and the Quidditch captain pin, covered in dirt, reminiscent of Oliver Wood.<\/p>\n Harry gave him one last smile before walking out and gently closing the door behind him. As soon as the door clicked\ninto place, Ron breathed a sigh of relief. One down, one to go. Acting normal in front of Hermione would be harder, she\nwas always so much more observant than Harry. He would have to be very careful in front of her. And Harry, for that\nmatter, since he would probably be discussing everything with her. He would just have to watch what he said and did\ncarefully when he was around either of them. While he was changing, he mentally ran through his checklist, and when he\nwas fully clothed, he was confident that he could act normally in front of the rest of the house, and most likely in\nfront of Harry and Hermione, but hopefully they would be too wrapped up in each other to notice any off behavior on his\npart. Just remember Weasley, keep your arm covered.<\/em><\/p>\n He glanced once more at his arm, as though expecting the mark to show through the sleeve, when it didn't, he\ntook a deep breath and walked out of the compartment to try to find his fellow Gryffindors.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n "Ron!"<\/p>\n Ron looked around in the direction his name came from. Great. Just whom I wanted to see.<\/em> Harry and Hermione\ncame running up the path from the front of the train.<\/p>\n "There you are!" Harry exclaimed, out of breath. Ron scowled internally as he noticed his friends'\nfingers intertwined between them. He pretended to be happy, and smiled at them. He hoped that they wouldn't notice\nhow forced it was.<\/p>\n Hermione dropped Harry's hand, and gave Ron a quick hug. Harry gave him a quick one before joining hands with\nHermione again. He noticed Hermione was also wearing the Head Girl badge, though it wasn't as shiny as\nHarry's.<\/p>\n "Well," Ron started as a way to break the silence, "why are we standing around? I believe that the\nfeast is about to start. I'm starving!"<\/p>\n "Always thinking of your stomach, eh Ron?" Harry joked, giving Ron a playful punch in the shoulder.<\/p>\n Ron winced as Harry's fist connected with him. Even though it was through his clothes, Ron could feel the slight\nburn of Harry's tough. 5: don't touch Harry.<\/em> After committing the last item on his checklist to\nmemory, he followed Harry and Hermione to the carriages, hoping that Harry wouldn't see Wormtail during the\nfeast.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n The feast went better than he had hoped, and soon he found himself once again trailing Harry and Hermione up to\nGryffindor Tower. By the time they reached the fat lady, Ron had started to feel somewhat guilty. He didn't belong\nin Gryffindor anymore. He belonged with Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle in Slytherin. But then he thought of the advantages\nhe would be able to provide for his master. A way into Harry Potter's room and life.<\/p>\n For the rest of the night, he sat and stared into the fire while Harry and Hermione chatted. To make them think that\nhe was really paying attention, he interjected a few comments here and there, mostly about the looming war, and the\nattacks that had happened over the summer. He could tell that Harry felt guilty about not being able to save the people\nthat had died, but he saw that it was Hermione's job to comfort him.<\/p>\n Finally, around 11pm, Harry and Hermione stood up to go to bed. Instead of separating at the bottom of the separate\nboy's and girl's staircases, they went together to a tapestry between the two. Harry muttered something under\nhis breath, and a door appeared. They disappeared inside, together.<\/p>\n Damn. Master won't be too pleased at this. I can get someone into the common room, and locate their door,\nbut I can't get inside. Maybe this is going to be harder than I thought.<\/em> He would just have to make sure that\nthey still trusted him enough to give him their password. It would take every bit of energy he had to convince them\nthat he was still their friend, when he wanted nothing more than to stay away from them.<\/p>\n He sat staring into the fire for a few more hours before he realized that the common room was deserted. He yawned,\nstretched, and headed to bed. He almost screamed when he saw the rat curled up on his pillow. He knew right away that\nit was Wormtail, but he welcomed the rat's presence. Maybe, just for one night, he could pretend that everything\nwas the same as it used to be. Harry asleep in the bed next to him (he noticed that there were only 4 beds in the\ndormitory this year), Hermione in her dormitory, and Scabbers asleep in his bed. While he knew that the first two\ncouldn't possibly happen this year, Scabbers really was in his bed, and even though he knew what the rat really\nwas, it was a comfort to have his old pet back.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n The next morning was worse than he though. Ron woke up to Harry's persistent poking, and he knew that when he\nwent to shower, there would be little fingerprint-sized burns on his skin.<\/p>\n "Go away, Potter!" he said crankily. Quickly, he realized what he said. Luckily for him, Harry seemed to\ntake it as his normal morning grumpiness.<\/p>\n "Ron, if you don't hurry up, you'll miss breakfast, then Hermione and I will have to listen to you\ncomplaining about your stomach all morning. So get up!"<\/p>\n Ron groaned, and Harry took that as a yes. At least, he left the room, and left Ron to his own devices. Ron dressed\nquickly, and went downstairs to find Harry and Hermione engaged in a morning snog. Without a word, he walked past them,\nand headed down to breakfast, his stomach growling in agreement.<\/p>\n When his friends showed up a few (15) minutes later, they acted as though they were surprised to see him there.<\/p>\n "We didn't know you were already down here. We waited for you for a while, but you never showed up,"\nHermione commented, "I guess that's because you left before us."<\/p>\n Does snogging kill that may brain cells? Before they were together, she wouldn't have felt the need for such\na useless comment. Guess Harry's obliviousness has been rubbing off on her.<\/em> Instead of voicing his thoughts,\nhe gave them a quick smile, and placed the rest of his concentration of eating his breakfast.<\/p>\n When he was finished, he mumbled some excuse about having to go get his stuff up in the tower (which was true, he\nHAD left all of his books there), and quickly left the table, aware of the two pairs of eyes, one green and one brown,\nboring a hole into his back.<\/p>\n He looked at his schedule, which he had grabbed before leaving the table, to see what classes he had today. Potions,\ndamn it, paired with slytherin again. Herbology, double with Hufflepuff. Divination. History of Magic. When he reached\nis dorms, he grabbed all of his necessary books and his wand, and made his way down to potions early.<\/p>\n Even though he had left breakfast early, the trip to the tower took longer than he thought, and he had to make a mad\ndash to be on time for potions. Even though Snape was on his side, he knew that to keep pretenses up, his tardiness\nwould cost points. He managed to make it into the room about two seconds before the bell rang, and the only seat left\nwas the one his friends had saved for him, right next to them.<\/p>\n The period was torturous. They had each been given individual assignments, and it seemed that Snape was trying to\ntarget all of their weaknesses. His potion was a pain-reducing potion, Harry was making a power-inducing potion that\nwas fairly complex, and Hermione was brewing a universal protection potion, which was strong enough to protect the\ndrinker from Avada Kedavara, if brewed correctly.<\/p>\n He knew Snape was out for vengeance with that one, since no one had brewed it correctly for over five hundred years,\naccording to the history books. And from what he could see of Hermione's concentration, she wouldn't do it\neither. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to be completely absorbed in his task. Ron thought that he possibly had a\nchance to do it correctly.<\/p>\n Since Ron was completely wrapped up in thinking about his friend's possible failures, he failed to notice that\nhe had botched his own. In an instant, his cauldron had melted Neville-style, and his potion was flowing through the\ndungeon.<\/p>\n "Weasley! I thought that only Longbottom was capable of melting a cauldron with such a simple potion. Thirty\npoints from Gryffindor, and detention with me tonight. Class dismissed."<\/p>\n The rest of the day was as bad as potions had been. He got tangled in a Devil's snare in herbology, received a\ndeath prediction from Trelawney (he would die at Harry's side, after they had defeated he-who-must-not-be-named\n(Ron laughed at the irony)), and was hit by a quiz in history of magic.<\/p>\n And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't avoid Harry and Hermione. They insisted on tagging along after him\nno matter how much he told them to go and have some time to themselves.<\/p>\n "But Ron," Harry protested, "we had time together all summer, and we missed you."<\/p>\n "Really, Harry, just go and enjoy your time with Hermione," her replied every time Harry hit him with the\nprotest. In the end, Harry caved, but soon Hermione started bugging him, too. It was harder to lie to her.<\/p>\n About a hundred repetitions of his protest later, it was time for his detention. He made a show of not wanting to go\nspend a few hours with Snape, and left quickly. He was almost in the dungeon classroom when the mark started to burn.\nHe met Snape at the door, and was quickly pulled inside, the door locked, and the fireplace lit.<\/p>\n Snape didn't say anything. He just stepped into the fire and touched his mark. Ron followed his example, and\nsoon found himself in the somewhat familiar chambers of the Dark Lord.<\/p>\n "Welcome back, my faithful servants\u2026"<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n A\/N: Yes, I had to leave the chapter in a cliffhanger; it was the only way for me to believably set up the next\nchapter. Hope you liked it.<\/p>\n Cheers!<\/p>\n ~*~Professor Granger~*~<\/p>\n"
},
{
"number": 4,
"title": "I'm Falling",
"automated_import": 0,
"known_broken": 0,
"text": " I'm Falling<\/p>\n * * *<\/strong><\/p>\n "Welcome back, my faithful servants. I know that this meeting time is inconvenient for some of you," he\nlooked at three of the robed figures standing silently in front of him. "I have a treat for my newest servant. It\nwill prove his loyalty to me. If he fails, then he will be killed. The task is not impossible, nor is it hard, unless\nmy servant is a traitor." Voldemort paused for effect, staring into the black eyes of all of the masks in front of\nhim. "Weasley! Snape! Step forward."<\/p>\n With hesitation, Ron did. It made him nervous that the dark lord might consider him a traitor already, when he had\nonly attended two meetings. It must be the fact that I'm in Gryffindor with Harry Potter<\/em>, he thought.\nBut Wormtail was in Gryffindor, too, and as far as I know, he's loyal.<\/em><\/p>\n He didn't look to the side, but he could feel Snape's overpowering presence next to him. It was every bit as\nintimidating as it was in the Potions classroom, and it was almost as strong as his Master's was. Together, they\nknelt in front of the Dark Lord, kissed his robes, and retreated a few steps in silence. Ron stared straight ahead,\nkeeping his face as blank as possible, even though it was covered by his mask, and shaded by his hood.<\/p>\n The dark lord made a motion with his hands, and Wormtail stepped out from behind the throne, dragging three people\nbehind him. One was a middle-aged, large and beefy man. Ron struggled to keep his face blank as he recognized who it\nwas, and who the other two must be. It was Harry's muggle relatives, the ones that he had to live with over the\nsummer, who hated him.<\/p>\n "Weasley, we are going to play a little game. Snape has played many times, as have all of my other\nservants." Voldemort smiled sadistically. "I am giving you the gift of three muggles. You may do with them as\nyou like, but keep them alive. When you are done, they will be returned to their home, with their memory intact. It\nwill serve my purpose of destroying Potter."<\/p>\n Those that didn't know exactly who the three muggles were were puzzled by the Dark Lord's statement. How\ncould torturing three stupid muggles bring down Harry Potter? Ron knew the answer to that one. Over the summer, he was\nsafe from Voldemort while he was at his relative's house, but he wasn't safe from his relatives. It was\ningenious.<\/p>\n Remembering a story Harry had once told him about the boa constrictor at the Zoo, Ron slowly drew his wand and\nhissed, "serpensortia!<\/em>" Slowly, a large black snake fell out of his wand. It spied its new targets,\nand moved menacingly forward, circling them slowly.<\/p>\n Ron felt instinctively that he had control over the snake, as though he had cast the Imperious Curse on it. He\nthought about what he wanted it to do, and watched with some amusement as it followed his orders.<\/p>\n It continued to circle, getting closer to the muggles every time. Finally, it was brushing their feet every time it\npassed, and Ron felt a small bit of satisfaction as he watched the muggles trembling with fear. It circled a few more\ntimes, before curling up in front of Harry's annoying cousin. It raised itself until it was looking straight into\nthe frightened boy's eyes and bared its fangs, as though it was about to strike. Ron noticed the small, rank\nsmelling pool that had formed at the boy's feet. Typical, cowardly muggle.<\/em> He thought. It brought a smile\nto his face.<\/p>\n My father's a fool to like them so much<\/em>, he thought. He called his mind back to the present, and\nwatched as the boy passed out in fright, almost landing on his mother, who had done the same thing a few minutes\nbefore. He hit the ground with a resounding thud. Harry's uncle looked down at his wife and child and screamed. Ron\nlaughed and sent a minor pain spell his way. Not as strong as an unforgivable, but enough. The muggle didn't know\nthe difference, and continued to scream until his throat was completely dry. Finally, Ron released him, banished the\nsnake, bowed to Voldemort, and backed up so that he was once again standing in the circle of silent, black figures.<\/p>\n He smiled, glad that his mask prevented anyone from seeing his emotions. He knew that Harry would be happy about the\nlittle episode, until he went home for the summer. Then he would regret ever having defeated the Dark Lord in the first\nplace.<\/p>\n Wormtail levitated the bodies out of the chamber, and Voldemort let out a high, cruel laugh. Harry had described it\nto him before, but it was nothing like he had ever imagined. It rang with cruelty, power, and malice. Once again, Ron\nfelt himself smiling. He liked the sound.<\/p>\n Finally, Voldemort spoke again. "Weasley, you are indeed a faithful servant, a very impressive show. Thank\nyou," Voldemort clapped his hands for a few seconds, and abruptly stopped. The sound echoed for a few seconds,\nbefore the room fell into a strangled silence. "Weasley, I want you to continue to find ways to bring down Potter,\nyou are closest to him, and he trusts you. Make sure you don't betray that trust," He let out a short, harsh\nlaugh, and the sound died the instant he stopped. The room was once again silent for a while before Voldemort barked\n"Dismissed!"<\/p>\n Ron followed Snape out of the room, and back to the fireplace. Within seconds, he slammed into the ground in the\nPotion master's dungeon, and scrambled out of the way, so that Snape could return as well.<\/p>\n "Well done, Weasley." He said as he came out of the floo. "I didn't expect that from\nyou."<\/p>\n Without saying a word, Ron took off his mask, handed it to Snape, and left.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Back in the Gryffindor Common room, Ron sat in front of the fire thinking about what he had just done. He had never\nthought that he would be a person to torture muggles, especially given what his dad thought about them. He would be\ndisappointed in me<\/em>, Ron thought. But he probably won't ever find out.<\/em><\/p>\n He sighed and continued to stare into the fire, getting lost in the swirling, dancing colors. Hours passed and he\ndidn't notice. He wasn't asleep, but he had stopped thinking hours ago. His mind was locked in a fierce battle,\nbut he wasn't even aware of it anymore. It didn't matter. He would serve his master no matter what. He had\npledged his life, and he would give it.<\/p>\n "Ron!"<\/p>\n Ron started, and looked around to see whom it was. It was Hermione, standing in her doorway. He cursed himself for\nforgetting that she was an early riser. She liked to have the peace and quiet before the daily grind of classes, as she\nalways told him and Harry. It was the one thing that she did that she didn't try to persuade them to join her.<\/p>\n "Hey, Hermione." Ron looked guiltily at her. He didn't want to talk to anyone, especially her, but he\ncouldn't get out of the conversation now, he had returned the greeting.<\/p>\n "What are you doing out here?" she asked. "I thought you would still be in bed. You're never up\nearly."<\/p>\n "I couldn't sleep after detention last night," he said. It was true, he mused. He couldn't sleep.\nHadn't slept. "so I just sat down and fell asleep in the chair." That was a lie. He couldn't remember\nany other time that he had lied to her, but she couldn't know what he did, or he wouldn't be able to follow his\norders. If he didn't, it would be disaster. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding on your personal time,\nHermione." He looked at her with the most sincere expression he could put on. He really was sorry. If it were his\ntime, he would have blown up at the offender. As it was, Hermione searched his face, and sat down in the chair next to\nhim.<\/p>\n "It's ok, Ron. I want to talk to you anyway."<\/p>\n Ron cringed, turning his face away from her so that she wouldn't see the expression. She couldn't have\nfigured anything out this quickly. He had only been to three meetings, and one during his supposed detention time.<\/p>\n She continued, not noticing his silence. "I'm sorry Harry and I have been spending so much time together.\nWe're both concerned that you've been feeling left out." She looked at him much more carefully this time.\n"If you do have a problem, just tell us, and we'll behave. I promise." She smiled, and gave his hand a\nsmall squeeze.<\/p>\n "It's ok, Hermione. I promise. I've just been thinking a lot lately. I hardly noticed the change."\nThat's a lie,<\/em> he thought. I noticed as soon as I saw you on the train. You couldn't wait to get\naway from me so that you could be alone together. If you think that's the truth, then something happened to\nyou.<\/em> He looked at her with what he hoped was a sincere expression. Serving the Dark Lord really does have\nbenefits. At least I learned how to control my facial expressions.<\/em><\/p>\n She smiled and nodded, obviously thinking about something that she wasn't ready to put into words yet. They sat\nthere for a while in dead silence before Hermione spoke again.<\/p>\n "You've changed, Ron. I don't know what happened to you, but something did. Is it your family?"\nShe asked.<\/p>\n Damn. Breath. Think. Lie.<\/em> "No, I think it's just that it's the last year of school. It's\nstrange to think that the next time we leave the castle it will be for good. Unless, of course, you come back to teach.\nI don't think either Harry or I are fit for the job. We wouldn't assign homework, and we'd constantly have\nMcGonagall on our backs for it." Breathe Weasley. Don't let her see that you are lying.<\/em><\/p>\n "I never thought that you would be sad at the thought of leaving school. Just think: after the next nine\nmonths, we won't have to see Snape ever again."<\/p>\n Oh yes I will. If I'm going to continue to be in the Dark Lord's service after school, then I'm\ngoing to have to see him. He really isn't that bad.<\/em> "Thank god for that. I don't know why he\ncontinues to teach. The students don't like him, and no one ever understands what's going on."<\/p>\n "Oh Ron, If you would pay attention in class instead of trying to plot ways to sabotage his class then you\nmight get better marks." She laughed at her own joke.<\/p>\n "Not that you can pay attention in any class we share with our savior, Mr. Potter." He put an\nextraordinary amount of emphasis on savior<\/em>, but she took it as nothing more than it used to be: a jab at\neveryone's view of Harry.<\/p>\n But Ron had meant it in a different way. Sure, the wizarding world saw him as a hero for blocking the curse of the\nDark Lord once, but to keep thinking that he was a hero when he had actually helped<\/em> the Dark Lord to rise\nagain was absurd. And there was also the issue of how fast he would fall now that his "best friend" had\nbetrayed him. Had been for two months without anyone knowing any differently. He snickered quietly.<\/p>\n Finally, Hermione gave up trying to talk to him, seeing that he clearly wasn't in the mood for it. She squeezed\nhis hand again, and left, presumably to go back to her room to say good morning to Harry.<\/p>\n Ron wiped his hand on his pants as soon as she was gone. He really liked Hermione. She was smart, funny, kind,\nbeautiful and several other adjectives that came to his mind, but hurt too much to think. But she was muggle-born, and\ncould never live up to proper wizarding standards. As much as he liked her and respected her abilities, he still had to\nwatch himself when he was around her. Her attention to details was as good as ever, and now that she suspected he was\nacting strangely, she would stop at nothing to find out what was wrong. Unless he managed to stay out of her way, so\nthat she could occupy herself with Harry. If he couldn't stay away from her, then there would be nothing he could\ndo to keep his secret from her.<\/p>\n He knew that he would never be able to harm her. She had once been his best friend (besides Potter). He had talked\nto her about everything from potions homework to their first love interests (his had been her), and they had been on a\nfew stumbling dates before they had realized that they truly were just friends. Even if she wasn't a proper witch,\nshe shouldn't be killed. Her intellect was superior, and if she married a proper, pure-blooded wizard, their\nchildren could be legendary. He might even persuade them to follow in their "Uncle Ron's" footsteps.<\/p>\n He knew that Draco Malfoy was bent on getting her killed. He just had to make sure that he never attempted anything.\nHe could argue that she was too close to Potter, and would bring his attention to them before they were ready for a\nfight.<\/p>\n Harry, Potter<\/em>, deserved to die. He had defeated the Dark Lord too many times, and he needed to be taken\ndown a peg, even if the only way to do it was to kill him. He couldn't be allowed to survive in the regime the Dark\nLord wanted to build. No doubt he would be a foolish Gryffindor and lead a puny resistance, only to be crushed along\nwith his small legions. It was too risky to keep him around. He would find some way to take them all down. The only way\nto prevent that was to take him down first. Simple, really, which is why Harry would never expect it. It saddened him\nthat he was thinking about his former best friend in this manner, but it was all for the general good of the wizarding\nworld. After all, their supposed savior was a half-blood anyway. He ignored the fact that he was currently serving a\nMaster whose blood was less pure than Harry's.<\/p>\n He had pledged his life to the Dark Lord, and he would give it if necessary. He was willing to make the sacrifice\nfor a worthy cause, and it truly was. It would give all wizards something to be proud of. They wouldn't have to\nhide from the muggles. They would eventually kill all of them, and populate the world with wizards. And they would all\nbe pure-blooded. No more contamination of the population. Squibs wouldn't be allowed to reproduce, since they were\nas worthless as muggles. The only difference was that they knew about the wizarding world.<\/p>\n Oh well,<\/em> he thought, Time to get on with my day. Rule number 1 Weasley: Don't show your arm, and\nRule number 2: Pretend you aren't a servant of the Dark Lord. You can't afford to slip up so soon.<\/em><\/p>\n With a sigh, he got up to get changed (without showing his left forarm). It was time to face the day in the way he\nalways did: As the Great Harry Potter's sidekick. He knew that one day that it would change. That Potter would be\nfollowing him around, preferably in chains. But it would be better if he was just plain dead.<\/p>\n As he was leaving the dorm, and idea struck him. Why not capture Sirius Black? They could hand him over to the\nministry, and no one would know who did it. Black would immediately get the Kiss, and Potter would be ruined. Then they\ncould work on Lupin, one by one, taking away all of the people that had been close to Lily and James Potter. It would\nkill Harry, and he would have less work to do. It was too easy. But then I have to find Black first. And if he even\nsuspects that anyone is after him, he'll run.<\/em> But Dumbledore\u2026 A much easier target. Harry's beloved\nmentor must be brought down.<\/em><\/p>\n"
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