Light and Shadow

Light and Shadow

Chapter 3 - Ronald Weasley

Luxembourg. No, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Situated between France, Germany and Belgium, it's a small and independent territory. It was created by the big nations, attending to some political and geographic conveniences in a certain moment of the Europe History. Austria, Spain, France, Dutch land and Germany had all invaded it. A country of mineral riches, which are now gone. Currently, what makes the money in that place are the banks, a fiscal paradise. A rich place, it's necessary to walk far to find a poor neighborhood or an old car.

But it wasn't because of any of this that Ronald Weasley chose to live in Luxembourg. It was because it was a small country, so there wouldn't be many wizards. And he was right. The existing ones were very old people, and had practically lost all contact with the magic world. One reason was that there wasn't a local magic commerce. If somebody wanted something, it would be necessary to go to Germany or France.

After he'd left England as a fugitive, he'd been through many countries: Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, until he reached Luxembourg. He thought the place was perfect. Living among muggles wasn't exactly what Ron wanted, he'd always thought his father's mania for muggle things was foolish, but it was thanks to these foolish things he managed to survive among them. His father... How was he now? And his mother? His brothers... Ginny... He missed them a lot.

While in Ireland, he had worked as a waiter in a very fancy restaurant. With the money he earned, plus the tips, he could pay for a small business course. After all, he needed to have a better profession. Thank to that course, he now worked at a Medieval Castle in Viaden, a tourist spot on the border with Germany. He lived in the capital of the country, and the trip to Viaden wasn't long. After all, the Grand-Duchy wasn't that big. Ron was the administrative manager of the place.

One day Marie, a journalist working for the Television Luxembourg radio, went to the Castle to make a report about some event that would be happening there. They started as so many couples do. They went out sometimes, dated, became engaged and now they were married. Ron loved Marie with all his heart, and just the thought of losing her made him depressed. After two years, little Aimeé was born, and now she was five years old. The two of them were the passion of his life. None of them ever knew he was a wizard, and more, a Death Eater.

A family... He never thought he would ever have one when he left England as a fugitive. Now he had, and there he would get a lot of love and tenderness. He didn't think he deserved it at all, after all, he was a betrayer. He had betrayed his family, and principally his friends... Harry... Mione... He regretted so much his choice to go to the other side.

The truth was he had become tired. He was always the second choice. First, at home, where he had a lot of brothers, he was always excluded. At least he thought he was. Then, at school, where the 'famous' Harry Potter was always the center of attentions. Harry even got Hermione, his 'teenage love'. Ron was his 'little pet', and always a reason for a joke because of it. Not only to Draco Malfoy, but deep inside, everybody thought that way. The lack of money, one thing adding to another, and Ron decided that, as soon as possible, he would join the other side. He wanted to prove he was more then that, that they underestimated him.

So one day, at Diagon Alley, he was buying the materials for his last year in Hogwarts when he passed in front of the Knockturn Alley and saw Mr. Malfoy. He thought it was his opportunity to join the other side. He went into the forbidden alley and waited beside a stair for Lucius to pass. But Malfoy Senior stopped and started a dialog with an old man, which lasted quite a long time. Ron was almost giving up when he saw Lucius Malfoy walking towards him.

"Well, well, well... What is a Weasley doing at a place like this?" The man showed some superiority in his voice.

"I'd like to talk to you, Mr. Malfoy," Ron tried to keep his voice strong.

"Talk to me? Stupid kid, you have no right to talk to me," he said in the same tone of voice and kept walking.

Ron grew very angry at being ignored. He said, with a determined voice:

"I'm sure it will interest you very much."

Lucius had never heard one of the Weasley's kids talk to him.

"Be brief," he said with disdain in his voice.

"I know you are a Death Eater, and I want to become one."

Mr. Malfoy just looked at the human being in front of him and started to laugh. A Weasley a Death Eater? Must be a joke.

"You? A Death Eater? Don't be ridiculous, boy," Lucius said, still walking.

"Are you sure I'm being ridiculous?" Now Ron's voice was threatening. "I'm a friend of Harry Potter.. I'm the last person in the world somebody would suspect. What do you think Voldemort would think when he hears you underestimated someone like me to be a Death Eater?"

By the tone of his voice, and because he said the name of his Lord, Lucius Malfoy stopped and decided to listen to what the young man in front of him had to say.

"Why do you want to become a Death Eater?" Lucius asked, intrigued.

"Because I'm tired of being the "idiot" Ron. I want to prove I have nothing of idiot. I want to prove I'm more that everybody thinks." His voice was so determined that Lucius started to consider the idea.

"Very well... I'll get in touch." With that he turned and continued on his way.

At first, Ron had thought he had been presumptuous, and regretted for a moment what he had done. But when he got back to Hogwarts, Hermione broke up with him, and Ron knew it was because of Harry. His rage against his 'friend' came back. He knew they weren't dating again, and as soon as they broke up, Harry was the same again. But every time he saw them together, every time he saw them laughing, and chatting (after all they were friends and had the right to), doing things he thought only he had the right to, the rage increased, and he became very sure of his decision to go to the dark side.

He was starting to think Mr. Malfoy didn't take seriously what he said, when, in the end of the seventh year, he got an owl. In it was written that if he didn't regret his choice, he should start to prepare himself, because he would meet the Lord soon.

While most of his friends were getting prepared to get into the Aurors Academy, Ron just managed to get a job at the Ministry. Everybody thought it was because he didn't want to fight in the front line, but Ron knew the true reason behind his decision: Why become an Auror, when he could become a Death Eater?

The 'meeting' between Ron and Voldemort didn't take too long. He received another note stating the place and at what time he should be there. Ron gave the excuse of 'having to travel due to the work at the Ministry', and went to meet the destiny he would regret so much later.

He had never felt such fear in his life as when he stood face to face with Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord wasn't sure why Ron wanted to be a Death Eater, but when he heard the determination in the boy's voice he ended up accepting him. Ron got a mark on his arm, just like the others had, and the Lord said that, for that moment, he would be working just as a "double agent". Ron would get inside the Order and bring Him some information.

And so he did. But he started to get tired of it, because it seemed like no one there trusted him, and they were always asking for a vote of trust. Voldemort gave him this vote. Ron was so thankful the Lord didn't ask him to bring Harry Potter to him. Yes he was mad at his "friend", but he didn't want to see him dead. The mission was quite different. He would attack Hogsmead together with the others, and so everybody saw that he had changed to the other side.

Since he attacked the small magic village, he had ended up in the "front line", and attacked many other places, killed lots of people. It was in one of those battles that he ended up hurting Ginny, his sister. He was so shocked, after all, she was his sister, his younger sister, the person he loved the most, and he almost killed her. That was when he really first regretted his choice. He disappeared and started to run away. Voldemort didn't mind. The dark Lord thought that Ron was dead, or had been caught. He was worried about other things: The attack on Hogwarts. The final battle.

Now Ronald Weasley was walking along Boulevard F. Roosevelt carrying his daughter in his arms. He was going to bring her to school, and then go to Vianden. He didn't like much to work in that castle, it reminded him too much of Hogwarts, but the salary was good. Now that he had a family, he should worry about it.

"Bye, dad," Aimeé said with her sweet voice.

"Bye, honey. Behave yourself, ok? Mom will pick you up later," Ron said kindly.

He waited until the girl went inside the school, then he turned his back and continued on his way.

Later, on that same day, he received an urgent phone call saying his wife was waiting for him at home. He left is work in a hurry, and when he got there he saw his wife sitting in the sofa crying. The house was all messed up. It seemed like a hurricane had passed through it. Cops were walking through and asking questions, but Ron didn't hear any of them. He was just looking at the wall, where there was a Dark Mark. He asked his wife:

"What happened? " he asked, hugging her.

"Oh, Ronald... They took our daughter..." The woman cried as he held her in his arms. "I tried to fight, but I couldn't..."

Ron closed his eyes. He knew exactly who had taken his daughter. Voldemort was dead, but the Death Eaters were trying to get back some power. They had found him in Luxembourg, but Ron said he was out of the plan, and didn't want to know about them anymore. Of course, they didn't accept the answer and said he would have to cooperate, in a good or bad way. As a revenge, they had taken his child.

After the cops had left, Ron turned to his wife and said, seriously:

"Marie... I think we need to talk. There are some things about my past you should know..."

And Ron told her everything: Since Hogwarts, until he had come to this country. She didn't believe one damn word, so he went to their bedroom and brought his wand out. He did a little magic, and Marie looked at him, shocked.

"Haven't you seen this mark in the wall before?" he asked.

"No... I mean, it's not strange to me..." she answered, still shocked.

Ronald just took off his blazer, then his shirt, and showed the woman in front of him the mark on his arm.

Marie was furious.

"You bastard... I thought that thing on your arm was just a tattoo... They took my daughter because of you! Just because you are a wizard, because you fought for the wrong side, they took my daughter... They took my baby..." she said, crying desperately.

He said nothing, just held his wife tight.

"I'm sorry... Marie... I'm sorry..." Ron was saying, desperately, "How could I know I would meet you... I love you." Now he was making his wife look at him. "I love our daughter, I never thought I deserved a family, and once I had one... I couldn't be part of their plans. You two are the most important thing I have..."

Marie got rid of him and, looking at him as if he was a stranger, said with disgust:

"I don't know you. I don't know who you are..." But Ron interrupted her.

"Marie... My love, please..." He tried to get closer, but the woman started to shrink away from him. "Don't say such a thing... I'll bring her back." This last phrase was said fiercely.

"Ah! And you think you'll face all those nuts alone? You're only one, and... and... they're a bunch of... A bunch of them came here today and took my daughter!" Marie was now hysterical.

He looked at her and said, with a strong voice:

"I'll bring her back. Even if I have to die for it."

"You had better do that, Weasley! And when you bring her, please forget you have a family!" she finished with a lethal voice, turned her back to him, and went out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Ron just sat on the sofa and started to cry, desperately. He had lost everything. All he loved the most, because of a mistake he made in the past. But he would try to fix it. He would bring his daughter back.