A Hero's Defeat

A Hero's Defeat

Chapter 2

Ron couldn't stand it anymore. He turned and walked back to the castle. Because of the attack, many parts of the school needed to be repaired and that was the current project of those few living members of the Order of the Phoenix. It had been a difficult task and was finally nearing completion and soon, hopefully, the students would be able to return to the halls.

"Ron!"

He looked up to see his younger sister. Something had happened. He could tell by the look on her face. What more could Voldemort do to them? He had stolen their hopes, their families, their lives. What else was left for the monster to take from them?

"What's happened?" he asked, dreading her answer.

"Draco was killed," she said, her voice cracking. "Voldemort found out...His body just appeared at the doors." She collapsed into his arms sobbing.

What more could they possibly take?

~~~

The Ministry of Magic had been the first to fall. After killing Cornelius Fudge and half of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Voldemort had turned his attention to the Muggles watching. Three hundred people had died that day; magical and Muggle alike. No one had been safe.

Now, more than two years later, George Weasley walked into the rebuilt Ministry and to his office. In his Hogwarts days, if someone had told him that one day he would be the Minister of Magic, he would have laughed until he turned blue.

Now, after everything that had happened, laughing was the last thing that he felt like doing. He felt like dying.

Why did life have to be so hard? Why did everyone have to die?

George had watched his family being tortured for hours before Voldemort got bored and killed most of them. Only he, Ron, Ginny, and Charlie had been released, or had escaped, aided by Draco Malfoy.

George sank into the chair behind his desk.

After Dumbledore had been killed, the public needed guidance but the Ministry was gone too. George and Percy had stepped forward to help and Percy was immediately named Minister, but after his death, the people were once again without a leader and everyone wanted a Weasley in office for some bizarre reason. Ron and Ginny were busy at Hogwarts and Charlie had taken over the Order of the Phoenix.

There had been no one else left. Being in control of so many people would have thrilled the once carefree Weasley twin, but now, it just made him sick. He'd give it all up just to have his family back.

"Sir?" a woman asked, poking her head in. "Your brother is here." George nodded and she left. Seconds later the door opened again and Ron walked in, his face drawn.

"Draco's dead. I've already told Charlie."

Of all the things Ron could have said, George hadn't expected that. Draco had been the only spy still in Voldemort's Inner Circle. And now he was dead. They had no way of knowing who or when the Dark Lord was going to attack. Well, George thought cynically, it's not like he needs to attack anyone anymore. Everyone has given up. Either turned or under the protection of the Ministry.

~~~

Harry Potter was still standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He hadn't moved an inch, not even when Ginny had told him about Draco Malfoy.

Why should he care that Malfoy had gotten himself killed? It didn't matter that Malfoy was the only reason the remaining Weasleys were alive.

Nothing mattered except what he had done. He killed Remus and condemned his godfather to even more torture and eventual death. He couldn't do anything to stop it.

Voldemort had won. The people around Harry couldn't see that small fact. He was the only person who could kill Voldemort and honestly, he didn't want to anymore. He didn't have anything left to save, not anymore, not after Hermione.

Things had been so much simpler before he entered the world of wizards. Sure, his life had been hell, but at least while he was at the Dursleys' he hadn't known of the threat of Voldemort, hadn't known the pain of loss or the pain of having friends who cared so much that they would die to protect you so that you could fight another day and hopefully rid the world of the dark lord.

Now he knew. Everyone was dead now, because of him. His parents, Remus, Arthur, Molly, Fred, Bill, Percy, Dumbledore, and McGonagall. They were all dead.

And Harry blamed himself. It was all his fault as Voldemort had reminded him so many times during the time he'd been the Dark Lord's captive in Azkaban.

"Hope never dies."

Harry looked around. He knew that he'd heard a woman's voice but no one was there.

"Remember the past."

Who was speaking? No one. He was going crazy. That had to be it. All that time under the Cruciatus curse and around the Dementors had drove him to insanity; it just hadn't displayed itself until now.

"Some things never change..."

Harry continued to look around. Who was that?

"...and some things do."

Harry sucked in a breath. Those words. He'd heard them before, but where?

Then he remembered. Remus. His old dead mentor had spoken those words. Why was he hearing them now? Harry knew that no one was insane enough to go into the forest alone.

Insanity.

Perhaps he was insane. Voldemort's torture would drive people insane.

"You will break,"

Lucius Malfoy had said. "Everyone breaks."

And Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived had broken. Now, the world belonged to Lord Voldemort, or so everyone thought and Harry Potter was determined to let everyone believe the former.

~~~

In the cold confines of the former wizard prison, Azkaban, a man suddenly woke from an unconscious slumber. His face was pale and sunken. He looked extremely malnourished and appeared to have been severely beaten many times, but his eyes, his eyes held such a passion that scared Peter Pettigrew. He knew what his lord's spell had done and though he didn't doubt his Master's ability to keep control of the spell, he doubted that this man would allow himself to be controlled for any period of time.

But despite Pettigrew's uncertainties, he said nothing as Voldemort laughed triumphantly.