A Different Kind of Darkness

Chapter Ten: All or Nothing

Not all was well within the headquarters of the Phoenix Resistance. It had been a strained week since the confrontation between Ron and the rest of the leadership team. Although Fred had apologised to Hannah and Lee had subsequently apologised to Fred, tensions were running almost unbearably high; time was mellowing tempers, but not nearly quickly enough. On top of the general atmosphere of unease, Angelina refused to speak to Lee for striking her husband and Fred was furious with George for taking Ron's side. And if that wasn't enough, Angelina and Fred were both giving Ron the cold shoulder, while Maggie indiscriminately avoided everyone.

The single positive thing to come from the confrontation, in Ron's opinion, was that Lee had abruptly changed his mind on the whole issue and now vigorously supported Ron's move to form an alliance with the Underground. Even though Ron knew that it was mostly to annoy Angelina and Fred, he was grateful for it. Lee's support had meant that most of them had set to work ironing out the details in Ron's proposed plan, with the glaring exception of Fred and Angelina, who only took responsibility in matters relating to the running of the Resistance. The rest of them had spent the week compiling information and reports in preparation to refine Ron's rough ideas into a workable strategy.

Ron, on the other hand, had spent most of his time putting together a comprehensive set of arguments in optimistic anticipation of Neville's response. He was not, however, relaxed or even confident, a fact betrayed by his constant glances at the six empty frames surrounding the large map of the United Kingdom. Each of the occupants had another portrait in a different location that acted as a communications post for the Resistance and, consequently, spent the majority of their time in their other frames, watching out for messages left there for the leadership team. Sporadically, one of the painted figures would reappear and announce, usually to Hannah, the delivery of a message. However, Theodore N. Golly, an austere old wizard whose other portrait hung in a private room in the Siren's Song, a Wizard's tavern in Penzance, had so far not returned.

Ron pulled his gaze back to the parchment he was supposed to be reading, sternly telling himself that he had work to do. But when he attempted to focus, the words seemed to mesh together incomprehensibly, indicating that he should have taken a break about half an hour beforehand. He sighed, dropping the parchment to his lap and darting another quick gaze to Theodore's frame in case he had miraculously returned in the last three seconds. He hadn't, eliciting another sigh from Ron as he leaned back in his armchair by the fireplace.

'You all right, Ron?' Hannah asked, concerned. She was seated at the table, a huge pile of parchment in front of her. Lee, seated at the opposite end, was poring over a set of maps, stopping every so often to hastily scribble something on a sheet of parchment to the side.

'Hmm? Yeah,' Ron said, rubbing his tired eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well. Between the mental images of Hermione and lingering guilt about his unilateral decision regarding the Underground, it was a wonder he slept at all.

'Can I get you anything?' Hannah asked. 'Reports? Maps? Food?' She placed specific emphasis on the last offer and Ron grimaced, fully aware that he hadn't been eating properly but, until now, oblivious to the fact that Hannah had noticed.

'Yeah, some tea would be great, thanks Hannah,' Ron said half-heartedly, 'and the latest reports from our informants in the north, and any information that we have on the ... oh, forget it,' he sighed, waving a hand in weary submission.

She smiled sympathetically. 'How about I start with the tea and you take a five minute break?' she suggested.

'Yeah, that's probably a good idea,' Ron agreed, stretching his stiff arms above his head as she stood and made her way towards the door. 'Oh, and Hannah?' he asked, causing her to turn back and face him. 'Could you also find me a condensed version of, you know, all knowledge ever?'

'We usually use Hermione,' she replied without missing a beat, although she was fighting to hide a smile, 'but I'll see what I can do.' She turned to Lee. 'You want some tea too, Lee?' He nodded, stifling a yawn with his hand, and Hannah headed to the kitchen.

'Gotta love that girl,' Lee said, pausing in his work and flexing his sore hands.

'Yeah, you do,' Ron said, smiling slyly at Lee, who pretended not to notice.

Ron's grin broadened; he was glad that it was just the three of them for the moment. He enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and didn't feel like fighting or worse, being totally ignored.

For the moment, though, he was safe as the twins were in central France checking in with the Secret Keepers. Maggie and Angelina were also out, ensuring that no one had disturbed the wards set up around the bases, and relaying the latest news to several team leaders holed up in safe houses along with their teams. They had also planned a brief stop at the Hog's Head, with disguise spells of course, to hear the latest inside gossip from the underbelly of the Wizarding World. Fred had initially objected to the idea of the two witches going to the Hog's Head by themselves, but had flailed under fierce glares from the both of them, his protests dying in his throat.

Ron stood to stretch his legs, yawning as he rubbed at a slight ache in the back of his neck. Hannah re-entered the room with three chipped mugs balancing precariously on a tray. Lee shoved some of his notes aside to clear a space on the table and she set the tray down carefully, handing a steaming mug to each Lee and Ron before taking one for herself.

Ron held his cup in both hands, examining the thick liquid that was still bubbling inside and smelled like recycled dishwater. 'Uh, Hannah?' he asked tentatively. 'This is just tea, right?' The concoction didn't quite look brown and evoked in Ron thoroughly unpleasant memories of Polyjuice Potion.

Hannah fixed him with an unimpressed look. 'Yes, it's just tea,' she said exasperatedly. 'Go on, drink it!' Ron and Lee exchanged a look, both desperately willing the other to sip his beverage first. Hannah stamped her foot impatiently. 'Honestly, you two are a couple of babies!' she exclaimed, taking a large swallow from her own mug. Lee and Ron watched as she turned a faint green colour before spitting it out over the worn carpet.

'Yech!' she cried, spluttering as she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her robe. She peered warily into the mug, as if not entirely sure the liquid within wouldn't leap to life and try to finish the job. 'There must be something wrong with the leaves. Or maybe we're having problems with the water again,' she suggested, giving another cough.

'Or maybe you're just a bloody awful cook,' Lee suggested. Hannah glared at him, but Ron laughed out loud.

'What's so funny?' George's inquiry came from Amelia's room. Moments later, he and Fred walked into the lounge room, wearing cloaks and tired expressions.

'Hannah's cooking ability. Or lack thereof, I should say,' Ron said, his laughter dying as Fred greeted him very coolly. He was almost thankful for Hannah's scolding.

'Oh, shut up, Ron!' Hannah snapped. 'That's the last time I do you any favours.' She snatched the mug from his hand, returning it to the plastic tray on the table.

Lee deliberately turned to the twins to avoid Hannah's wrath. 'How're the Secret Keepers?' he asked.

The twins grimaced. 'Same as usual,' Fred replied. 'On edge and bored out of their minds.'

'Yeah,' George agreed, frowning. 'Apparently, there's a limit to how many games of Exploding Snap you can play and they've to have reached it.'

Ron scowled but made no comment. The problem had initially arisen two days ago when Angelina had checked in on the Secret Keepers. They had been both anxious and tetchy and Ron's sympathy for them was greatly limited considering his own circumstances. George, however, had pointed out that at least Ron was actively doing something. The Secret Keepers weren't involved with the planning of any sort of operation as they all came from completely separate teams, even though they had spent time together on the bases. All they could do was play the waiting game and everyone knew that was just as bad, if not worse, than being directly involved in the action.

'Did you tell them that it won't be for much longer?' Hannah asked, clearly concerned.

'Yeah, we did,' Fred said, 'but we all know that's not true. We're out of commission for at least another few weeks, longer if there are signs that someone's been poking 'round the bases.' He frowned. 'Speaking of which, are the girls back yet?'

'Not yet,' Hannah said, frowning as she looked the twins over. 'Have you two eaten? I could fix you something, if you like.'

Panic flickered over the faces of both twins. 'No, no, it's ok, thanks Hannah,' George said politely but very quickly. 'You three are working, we won't disturb you. But food's not a bad idea,' he continued, turning to Fred. 'We haven't eaten since about dawn. C'mon. How 'bout we say hello to my favourite niece, and then raid the kitchen?'

'My daughter, you mean,' Fred said, smiling proudly. Ron noted with private relief that the twins were back to normal. There was nothing worse than when they were angry at each other.

As the twins filed out towards the kitchen, taking the tray loaded with Hannah's toxic brew with them, Lee and Hannah settled back down to work at the table. Hannah cleaned the mess on the carpet with a flick of her wand, giving Lee a half-friendly punch on the shoulder for his less-than-complimentary comments before she moved back to her seat. Ron sat back down in his armchair, picking up the parchment which had fallen to the floor, and glanced again at the portraits. Sighing, he tried to return to his own work, pushing down the knowing guilt Fred had elicited with barely a word. Silence reigned for only a few minutes before it was interrupted once again.

'Hey Ron, what do you mean by this here?' Lee asked, looking up from the plans he was studying. Ron looked up from his own notes, frowning.

'Well, that's nice and specific,' Ron said, annoyed at being disturbed so soon. 'What do I mean by what where?' Lee was looking over the annotated maps of Diagon Alley, trying to figure out the best way to carry out that particular phase of Ron's extensive plan. At the moment, though, he was looking at Ron with a thoroughly confused expression.

Lee glanced down at the parchment again. '"Regular patrols, tight security particularly around Gringotts,"' he quoted, continuing before Ron could ask where the problem was in that. '"The guards are strangest here."' Lee's eyes flicked back to Ron, eyebrows raised.

Ron's face screwed up in bewilderment. 'What?' he asked incredulously. 'I didn't write that!'

'Yes, you did,' Lee insisted, chortling. Hannah stood once again and moved quickly around the table to peer over Lee's shoulder.

'Where does it say that?' she asked sceptically. Lee pointed to the section, shaking with silent laughter. Hannah's eyes scanned through the hastily scribbled notes, while Ron tried to remember what he'd been thinking. Trouble was, it had been a week since he'd put those notes together, and the details were a little hazy. Surely he hadn't been that out of it!

Hannah rolled her eyes, slapping Lee playfully over the back of the head. 'That's strongest, you idiot,' she said, shaking her head.

Lee rubbed the back of his head, staring at the page. 'That's an 'o'?' he asked dubiously, his mouth twitching. Hannah shook her head, returning to her seat.

'Well, that's a relief,' Lee continued lightly. 'Though, if they're supporters of Potter, it could go either way.' Hannah pulled a sheaf of parchment towards her, ignoring him. Ron, on the other hand, grabbed a small stuffed dragon lying on the floor that belonged to his niece and threw it at Lee, laughing as it bounced off his friend's shoulder.

'Highly amusing,' clipped a refined voice. Three heads swivelled to face the magical map and, more specifically, the small portraits hanging beside it.

Theodore N. Golly was sitting regally in his polished oak chair, impatiently drumming his fingers on its arm. His leonine features were half hidden by a salt-and-pepper beard, and completely covered by an expression of condescending boredom.

Ron's heart leapt. 'Is there -'

'Mistress Hannah,' Golly cut in, his voice oily and apathetic. He glanced lazily around the room, ignoring Ron completely.

Hannah was on her feet and in front of the portrait in a heartbeat. 'Master Golly,' she responded smoothly, 'how very nice to see you again.'

Golly regarded Hannah appreciatively. 'My delight at your growing beauty is only outweighed by my astonishment at your continued choice of companions, my dear,' Golly said, giving a seated half-bow.

Ron saw Lee clench his fists tightly as Hannah responded. 'You're ... too kind,' she replied. 'Do you bring us news or is this simply a delightful social visit?' She managed to keep any strain showing in her voice - Ron was sure Hermione would have been proud.

Golly harrumphed, shooting suspicious looks at Ron and Lee before lowering his voice slightly. 'I bring ... news,' he said. 'A letter has been left in the room at the Siren's Song.'

Ron's pulse quickened further; he exchanged an apprehensive look with Lee.

'I'll go there at once, then,' Hannah said matter-of-factly. 'Would you be so kind as to meet me there and show me the specific location?'

'I would be delighted, Mistress Hannah,' Golly responded in his greasy voice, standing and shooting final glares at Lee and Ron. 'I shall meet you there.' And with that, he exited the portrait, just as Fred and George re-entered the living room.

'Did my ears deceive me, or did we just hear the slimy voice of old Jolly Golly?' Fred asked.

'You heard right,' Hannah said hurriedly. 'George, can I borrow your cloak? I'm headed off to Penzance.'

'There's been a reply?' George asked quickly, shrugging out of his cloak.

'By yourself?' Fred asked at the same time, frowning. 'No, you're not! The Siren's Song can get pretty rough. I'll go with you.'

'I was going to say, I'll go with you too,' Lee offered. 'Either way, you can't go by yourself. And before you start, this isn't a female thing - none of us would go to there by ourselves either, right?' He looked to the twins for support and they nodded.

Hannah gave an irritated snort. 'Look, I'm fine, really ...' Hannah cast around the room to look for support. 'Tell them, Ron.'

'Forget it, Hannah, they're right,' Ron said. 'You definitely can't go alone.'

Hannah sighed exasperatedly. 'Fine then - Fred, come with me; Lee, you stay - Golly doesn't like you,' she said with a grimace. 'But let's hurry,' she added impatiently, thanking George as she yanked on his cloak. She looked at Fred, nodded, and they Disapparated.

George sank into the couch opposite Ron's armchair and regarded his little brother with a tired expression. 'The fun just never stops, does it?' he commented in a flat voice, though his eyes twinkled.

'You think it's Neville's reply?' Lee asked. Ron shrugged tiredly; he honestly didn't know and wasn't sure if he cared. Lee started to ask something else but was interrupted by a sudden 'pop' in the next room, just before two distinctly female voices drifted in.

'Damn that bloody Hydra!' Maggie's declared. Angelina added something even more colourful before remembering that her baby daughter was in the same room.

'Angelina! I'm appalled!' George called out. 'That's my niece you're setting such an unladylike example for!' A moment later, Angelina and Maggie appeared, pulling their cloaks off and throwing them onto a chair before slumping into two armchairs.

'How'd it go?' Ron asked, leaning forward in his seat.

'Fine,' Maggie responded agitatedly, 'but honestly, that ruddy door knocker has to go!'

'What happened this time?' Lee asked, grimacing slightly. They had all suffered the wrath, or tedium, of the Hydra heads at least once.

Angelina sighed. 'We had to endure this never-ending story from Penelope about how if Odysseus had just stopped and asked for directions, he would have been home twenty years earlier,' she replied, sagging into her chair.

'And then he wanted to give his side of the story,' Maggie added. 'We could have been there all week if Hannah and Fred hadn't come out.' She frowned slightly. 'Where were they headed, by the way?'

Ron looked away as George responded. 'Penzance - someone left a message at the Siren's Song. Jolly Golly's showing them where.'

Angelina pursed her lips while Maggie looked sharply at Ron. 'Neville?' she asked him directly.

Ron avoided her piercing gaze, shrugging his shoulders again. 'We'll have to wait and see,' he said, forcing his voice to stay casual. 'What about you two?' he asked quickly, eager to change the topic. 'Any news?'

They shook their heads. 'The wards haven't been disturbed at either base,' Angelina said, folding her arms across her chest. 'If he knew where they were, he would've attacked by now. I think you may be right - he hasn't handed Hermione over to the interrogators. Not yet, at any rate,' she added, frowning darkly.

Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes. While he was elated at the prospect that Harry hadn't tortured Hermione, it chilled him to think of what he was doing with her instead. He remembered the look in Harry's eyes when Hermione had proposed her 'bargain' and shuddered, refusing to pursue that train of thought any further.

'What about the Hog's Head?' Lee asked, pulling the focus of the conversation away from Ron. 'Any news there?'

Maggie shook her head ruefully. 'No, just the same people circulating the same old gossip with slightly original twists.'

Ron, Lee and George groaned simultaneously, each very familiar with the well-worn rumours that were passed around the Wizarding World.

'Yeah,' Angelina agreed. 'Apparently, You-Know-Who was sighted simultaneously in Cardiff, Geneva, Budapest and Sydney.'

'Sydney, Australia?' George asked.

'Yeah,' Angelina said, raising her eyebrows, 'I know.' She smiled wryly as George shook his head in amazement.

'What, they think that not only he's alive, but before his imminent return, he's stopping to get nifty-looking tan?' George asked incredulously.

'I honestly don't know,' Maggie said. 'But wait, there's more. Now, not only is Ginny supposedly alive -'

'That's nothing new on the rumour-mill,' Ron cut in darkly.

'No,' Maggie agreed, 'but in this incarnation, she's Potter's favourite concubine.' She glanced sympathetically between Ron and George, who both looked horrified.

'They have no respect, not even for the dead,' Ron said sourly, folding his arms.

There was a faint popping sound in the next room

'Oh, it gets better,' Angelina continued, ignoring the noise, but gripping the arms of her chair rather tightly. 'Have you seen this week's Quibbler? Headline is that the Auror Underground is a Bowtruckle conspiracy to take over the world.' She slumped in her chair once more, shaking her head at the sheer ridiculousness of the idea.

'Where do they come up with this stuff?' Lee demanded. 'And why exactly would Bowtruckles want to rule the world?'

'No idea,' Maggie shrugged, sighing, 'but apparently, they do.'

'Then we might be allying ourselves to a conspiracy,' Hannah said as she entered the room, Fred in tow. Fred went to greet Angelina as Hannah tugged off George's cloak, pulling a letter from its pocket. Ron shot her a questioning look and she nodded tightly.

'It's addressed to you - it's Neville's reply,' Hannah said quietly, five pairs of eyes watching carefully as she handed the heavy parchment letter to Ron.

'How do you know?' Lee asked a little dubiously.

Hannah shot him a withering look. 'Because it's written on official Auror Underground stationary,' she replied sarcastically. 'You know, we should really manufacture our own line too - one with pretty phoenixes that fly around and occasionally burst into flame.'

Ron ignored the interchange and the subsequent tense laughter as he examined the letter, which was addressed to him in Neville's unmistakable, blocky handwriting. He looked around the room and nodded.

'It's from Neville,' he confirmed without preamble. Fred sat down heavily and Hannah slid quietly from the room, murmuring something about tending to Amelia. No one stopped her. Apprehensive glances darted between the letter and either the floor or the ceiling; no one dared to meet anyone else's eyes.

Ron breathed in deeply, knowing what he had to do. 'But before this goes any further, I have something to say.' He paused, biting his lip and looking at the bowed heads before continuing. 'I'm sorry,' he said plainly. With that simple statement, he suddenly had everyone's undivided attention. He took another deep breath.

'I'm sorry,' he repeated, 'I should have asked you, or at the very least, talked to you about it. I just wasn't thinking - not that it excuses what I did.' Ron looked around the room again, seeing the expressions around him soften slightly. 'I'm sorry,' he said for the third time in a soft voice, unsure of what else he could say.

There was an uneasy silence in which many looks were exchanged, each of them filled with uncertainty in the face of Ron's unexpected apology. Ron watched the silent communications and spoke again, gripping the envelope before him very tightly.

'I won't pretend I don't want to ally the Resistance with the Underground,' he said. 'And I won't deny that at least part of my motivation is to get Hermione back,' he continued evenly. 'But I won't tear the organisation apart over this. We can only do this if we're in it together.' His gaze lingered over both Fred and Angelina. 'So, I propose a proper vote,' he announced to the astonishment of the group. 'Anyone has the right to veto this proposal. There's no point going into this if some of us are half-hearted,' he added, shooting a quelling glance at George and Lee who were clearly ready to protest.

Ron walked over to Fred, who was regarding his brother somberly. 'All or nothing,' Ron said solemnly, looking Fred straight in the eye and proffering the letter. Fred's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, his gaze flickering between Ron's grave expression and the sealed envelope. Slowly, he reached out and took the letter from his brother's hand. Ron stepped back, unable to watch as Fred examined the envelope. After a few tense moments, Fred released a breath and turned to Lee, who was leaning against the wall next to him. Fred held the letter out to him.

'We're in this together,' he said in an expressionless tone as Lee took the letter. He in turn passed it onto George without hesitation.

'All for one and one for all, as they say.'

George handed the letter to Maggie, who glanced fleetingly at Ron before nodding slightly and offering the letter to Angelina.

'All or nothing.'

Angelina eyed the letter warily, taking it almost tentatively from Maggie's fingers. She turned it over in her hands twice, as if looking for a clue that would help to determine her final decision. Finally, she looked up, glancing into each of the grimly set faces around her, meeting Fred's eyes for a long moment before settling on Ron.

'Let's have it all then,' she said firmly, belying the anxiety in her eyes. She held the letter out to Ron.

Ron released a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding and found that his head was swimming with relief. They were going into this together, whatever this might be. Ron resisted the urge to sag against the wall, instead managing to walk over to Angelina and reclaim the letter. His heartbeat was ringing in his ears now, not only from the wash of relief but also from anxious anticipation. What was the Underground's response?

Ron stared uneasily at the letter for a moment. What if they had said no? What if this had all been in vain?

'Go on, Ron,' Maggie said quietly. 'We're all in this together.'

Ron nodded, ripping off the wax seal and opening the envelope. He withdrew a single, folded piece of parchment. Swallowing nervously, he unfolded the parchment and rapidly read the contents as the others watched on.

Ron felt his knees grow weak and he staggered against the wall for support. Fred leapt forward to help his brother but Ron waved him away, holding out the letter.

'Read it out,' Ron said in a ragged voice.

Taking the parchment, Fred read through it quickly, squeezing his eyes shut as he exhaled loudly once he had finished. The others, already on the edges of their seats, exchanged worried glances.

'Read it out,' Ron repeated more insistently.

Fred cleared his throat. 'Preliminary meeting,' he read out. 'This Friday. Six p.m. Same place. N.'

Ron barely heard the commotion as each person reacted to the news, slumping against the wall from relief and sheer exhaustion. The alliance was now a real possibility, and together, the Phoenix Resistance and the Auror Underground could make a genuine challenge against the regime of the Lightning Prince.

Ron felt his heart lighten at the thought that he was one step closer to rescuing Hermione from Harry's clutches. A slight shiver tracked down his back at the thought of what was, and always had been, the inevitable confrontation between the three of them; that would truly be a contest of all or nothing.