A Place of Contemplation
by Jardyn39
Chapter 9: A Single Tear
"Crucio!"
Snape immediately writhed in agony, convulsing against his bonds.
"Ron, stop this!" ordered Harry.
A wide menacing smile grew across Ron's face.
"Or what, Harry? Are you going to challenge me to a duel?"
Ron burst into manic laughter. Harry looked down to Snape and tried to read his mind. He saw the image clearly. Snape was telling him he still had Harry's wand in his pocket. There was something else, a warning perhaps, but it wasn't clear.
When Ron's laughter finished, Harry was watching him with his full attention.
"I know it's difficult, Ron, but you can fight him. Even now, it isn't too late. Voldemort's possessing you, somehow. You can fight this! I'm on your side!"
Ron's features changed for a moment. For just an instant, Harry thought he saw Ron as he had been, as confusion and doubt appeared on his face.
"Harry?" he said weakly.
"Yes, Ron! Fight him!"
"Oh, but," began the weak voice before Ron collapsed in another fit of laughter.
"Honestly, Harry! You'll fall for anything, won't you?"
"How did this happen?" demanded Harry, becoming angry now.
"It was so easy. In my first week of starting my new job at the Ministry, I got a promotion! All I had to do was write reports. I'm good at reports. All my reports had to go in a very special report book."
"No! Not even Ron could be that stupid!"
"Oh, this one wasn't quite the same as that diary, but I suppose it had the same effect in the end. I grew powerful, as you can see."
"All I see is a poisoned fool who was once my friend."
"You have always underestimated me, Harry. I warn you, I have all Lord Voldemort's strengths and none of his weaknesses. I have not been obsessed with killing you, this time. I was quite content to allow you to come to me, if you dared."
"What have you done with Hermione?"
"Don't worry, Harry. She'll be along shortly. She just has to deal with the Longbottom boy before his trip to Azkaban."
Neville's prolonged painful yell echoed through the room.
"It sounds like she's almost finished."
"He's lying," Harry thought.
Harry considered his options. He still hadn't shown that he could do magic and he was fairly sure Snape will had his wand. Against this, he hadn't considered fighting a wizard with Voldemort's strength. Also, even if he managed to disable Ron, would that break whatever was controlling Hermione?
Harry realised that Ron's use of the phrase, "the Longbottom boy," indicated his transformation was giving him a minor identity crisis. Perhaps the two were in conflict, after all? Given the choice, Voldemort would have intended Ron's personality and motives to be eliminated entirely.
"What's it like, Harry?"
"What's what like?"
"Having no magic. You must have felt so useless and helpless."
"It's true, I did feel that way at first. Recently, though, I have realised that you are never helpless when you have friends."
"Friends? You discarded my friendship. What would you know about friendship?" spat Ron bitterly, exposing fang like teeth.
"That's not true, Ron."
"You used her and you betrayed me. Shame you lost your magic. I bet that really ruined your plans, didn't it?"
Harry shook his head.
"Well, as a matter of fact, it very nearly ruined the Dark Lord's plans as well!" Ron said conversationally, instantly losing all anger from his voice.
"What?"
"Oh, yes. You see, I got your job," said Ron with a short burst of high pitched laughter. "The Dark Lord had a contingency plan to return, in the unlikely event of your defeating him. The book was intended for you."
"Why would I have taken an administrative job? I was offered a place with the Aurors. It was the only think I've ever seriously considered doing."
"Shame you lost your magic then, eh, squib?" Ron commented nastily.
"No, Ron. I was offered the job after I lost my magic."
Anger flashed across Ron's face as Harry remembered how Ron had tried desperately to get onto the Auror training programme.
"Well," Ron said dangerously, "we'll see if a magic-less Auror would have been any match for me, shall we?"
Ron jumped over the desk and Harry dived for Snape's robes. In an instant he grabbed his wand and backed out into the middle of the quadrangle.
"What do you intend to do with that?" spat Ron contemptuously.
"I once stuck this up a troll's nose, remember?"
"True, Harry, true," agreed Ron, before lazily saying, "Crucio!"
*
Harry dived for cover behind one of the nearer columns. Lumps of plaster and stone peppered the walls as the column exploded after the spell hit it.
"Ah, just like old times, eh? You probably feel as helpless as I once did when you used to insist upon us practicing together."
"I seem to recall it was you who did most of the insisting, actually. You thought it would get you onto the Auror programme."
Harry dodged another stunner.
"I still felt helpless, Harry."
"Yes, you were pretty helpless. Hopeless, too. I remember how the five of us used to discuss how you were dragging us down. Even Luna admitted we had a point."
A volley of killing curses followed. Harry allowed himself a small smile. If he could get Ron too angry to think straight, he would be vulnerable.
"I would have thought that you'd have been at least a little cautious, Ron."
"Cautious?"
"Yes. I told you how I defeated Voldemort. Even if you didn't believe me, as you claimed before, it might be prudent to at least consider my threat to you."
"Oh, I certainly believe that you won as a result of a complete fluke. You were always lucky, Harry, I'll give you that. As for the rest, no, I'm afraid I didn't believe you.
"It is nonsense to suggest that it was your lack of magic that enabled you to win. I am curious to know what really happened, I admit. However, your story was merely a tall tale to make you out to be the hero again. Nothing more.
"Regrettably, Voldemort stopped contributing to the book before your encounter, so I have no memories of what actually happened."
Harry hesitated. If he had Voldemort's memories but none of his obsessions, Ron definitely had the advantage.
Ron fired a few more curses, making Harry dive for another column which was blown apart before he reached it. He ran for the next, knowing that Ron was just toying with him.
Harry looked up to see large cracks snaking their way across the ceiling. If enough of the columns came down, the ceiling and floor above would follow.
"So what did happen to Luna, Ron?"
"She didn't have to die. I offered her the chance to live."
"What did you want from her?"
"That's my business."
"Let me guess. Flowers, chocolates and an, "I betrayed everything I believed in," tee shirt?"
Harry expected another instant barrage, but none came.
"No, Harry. I asked her to join me. She said yes, but only if I gave everything else up. She even said she'd stand by me while I went to Azkaban."
"Luna was a very special person, Ron. She'd have to be to overlook the red eyes and manic laugh."
"No, Harry. It was necessary for me to maintain my normal physical appearance for as long as possible. This is a rather recent change."
"So what changed?"
"Never you mind. It was necessary, that's all."
Harry considered a further taunt about Luna, but he couldn't help wondering what Ron had been trying to achieve. Perhaps, like Voldemort, he was experimenting with charms and potions to extend his life. If he really had all Voldemort's memories, it would make sense that he might try the same thing again.
"I'm growing tired of your antics, Harry. When are you coming out to face me like a man?"
Harry hurled the sizeable chunk of debris he'd collected directly at Ron's head.
Ron dived backwards in shock and tripped over his own robes, his wand flying out of his hand.
Harry jumped on him, his left hand at Ron's throat.
"Some Dark Lord you turned out to be," said Harry contemptuously, raising another large rock in his free fist.
"I'm sorry, Ron, I really am."
Harry lifted his arm up, fully committed to crushing Ron's skull with the stone.
Immediately Snape started making warning noises, struggling once again against his bonds. It sounded like his throat was being constricted.
Harry looked over to him. Snape's eyes looked fearful and were looking the other way. Harry turned to see but felt himself hurled bodily away from Ron.
From the other side of the room, Harry scrambled to his feet, still holding his lump of debris. He dropped it at once and took out his wand again.
She was silhouetted against the open doors on the far side of the room. Harry was quite transfixed. He had longed for so long to see her; worried so much about her. She stood perfectly still, totally silently.
Ron erupted with laughter as Hermione stepped into the room. As she stepped forward, her short cloak fell to the floor, although she had made no movement to remove it.
Snape gurgled and then passed out.
"Darling, how nice of you to join us," said Ron loudly.
Hermione stood still again, wand held loosely at her side. Her hair was unkempt but tied up out of her face. Harry was desperate to see her eyes, hoping that would give some clue as to the form of control she was under. Unfortunately, Hermione was looking away to the side.
"Harry's here, Hermione. I'd like him to die."
Hermione didn't move. Perhaps she was fighting this, after all.
"Kill Potter," ordered Ron seriously, in a perfect imitation of Voldemort's voice. "Do it now!"
Hermione took a step to the side and moved around the room. Harry realised that she was avoiding looking at Ron's eyes.
Harry ran forward, pointed his wand directly at Ron's heart and shouted, "Stupefy!"
The red stunner almost hit its target, but Hermione had run forward as well and at the last moment whispered, "Protego!"
The stunner bounced harmlessly away as Ron laughed again.
"Ah, so you can do magic now, Harry. Unfortunately, as you can see, it won't be so simple.
"Don't you see it yet? This has all been my plan. I've had my agents monitoring your every move since you arrived at that grovel of a room. Your wonderful Landlady has been giving me regular reports about your every move and mood. She even regularly gives me an updated inventory of your entire possessions.
"I've been waiting an entire year for you to return so I can deal with you properly. I wasn't ready before, but I am now."
Harry took no notice of Ron. He was watching Hermione, still avoiding looking at Ron and, it seemed, himself.
Then he caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were dull, almost lifeless.
"What have you done to her?"
Harry dived as Hermione's spell narrowly missed him and blew a pair of doors clean off. Harry decided it would be best if he could separate Hermione from Ron. He hurried through the destroyed doorway and found himself in a large anteroom.
As he'd hoped, Hermione followed at a slow pace.
"Hermione! Please? It's me, Harry!"
Ron's laughter reached them from the other room.
Hermione aimed her wand at Harry again and fired. This time, Harry returned fire, aiming at her legs. Her shield easily deflected his curse.
Harry ran forward and grabbed her wand arm. With his free hand he forced her head to face his. She still wore no expression in her facial features. Only her eyes moved, and they continued to avoid his look.
"She's too far gone, Harry," said Ron, still lying on the floor in the other room, enjoying the show. "She always resisted looking into my eyes, whatever I did. She can't look at you, because it was her hatred of you that gave us control over her."
"No," breathed Harry.
Hermione tried to pull herself away, but her wand remained pointing away from him.
"Hermione! I love you! That's why I left. You seemed so happy with Ron. I couldn't bear it any longer."
"Forget it, Harry. She's a vegetable."
Anger flared up inside him. Harry pushed Hermione away and aimed at one of the few remaining columns in the other room.
Ron looked surprised for a moment, before glancing at Snape. Then he relaxed into a grin again.
"Tut, tut, Harry. You're going to kill Snape as well as me? Hardly the actions of a Gryffindor hero!"
Harry fired and the final four columns exploded into dust. Tonnes of rock and stone deluged the room. The roar of noise drowned out Harry's cry of "Accio!" but Snape and chair came skidding out of the room just in time, travelling so fast his momentum carried him crashing into the wall opposite.
He leapt to his feet and faced Hermione. She was levelling her wand at his heart, even though she still looked away from him.
Harry walked towards her, wand at his side.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I deserve whatever you want to do to me. All I ask is that you do it for your own sake. That wasn't Ron. Voldemort tricked him. I know I was wrong to go, and wrong not to tell you the truth about why. Please let me tell you the truth now."
Harry looked into her dull eyes, still darting around the room, looking anywhere except at him.
"Please, Hermione," he whispered.
A single tear fell down Hermione's cheek before she fired.