Always the Sidekick

Chapter 13

When Ron woke up, he was in a dark, cold room. He was lying in a bed. Maybe it was a dream, he thought. He looked around the room. He had never been to this room before. It was no dream. He remembered why he'd left Hogwarts and shot up. "Mum!" he cried. Then he realized he couldn't get out of the bed. There was an enchantment all round it, and every time he went to put a foot out it was flung back into the bed. Something was horribly wrong.

A voice came from the shadows. A voice he hadn't heard in years. A squeaky cold voice that sent shivers down his voice. "Stay where you are," the voice said.

"Wormtail," Ron sneered.

Peter Pettigrew stepped out of the shadows and Ron saw him. His small watery eyes, the shiny silver that replaced his right arm. He wanted to vomit. "Yes. Who better to portray your brother then someone who lived with him for so many years? It was a stretch, but I could remember his mannerisms and I hoped they were enough to convince you."

Trying to wrap his brain around this he said softly, "Polyjuice?"

Wormtail smiled. "Very good, Ron."

Then a terrible thought hit him. They couldn't have gotten part of Bill without actually getting Bill. "How?" Was all that came out of his mouth.

"How?" Wormtail asked. It didn't seem he understood the question.

"How did you get part of my brother?" Ron yelled.

Wormtail didn't say anything for a moment. He had an eerie smile on his face, clearly loving the look of torture on Ron's face. "He wouldn't come with us willingly. I felt I knew him well enough to portray him for a few minutes, that was all it would take. But he was stubborn and fought hard. So we had to kill him."

"No, you're lying," Ron said. He knew Wormtail wasn't lying though. He could feel it. His brother was gone. He felt confused in his rage. It was then another voice filled the room.

"Welcome Weasley," the drawling voice called.

It was Lucius Malfoy. Ron had to be strong. He knew now what was going on. They wanted him to get to Harry. But Ron wasn't going to let that happen. He stirred up his confidence and said, "What do you want with me?" though he already knew the answer.

"I would have thought that even someone as dull as you could have figured that out, Weasley. We want Potter. Plain and simple." Malfoy drew closer to Ron, blocking Wormtail from his view.

"How do you know Harry will even notice I'm gone? What if it takes him days?" Ron asked, knowing full well this would not be the case.

"We left him enough clues." Malfoy said. "It would have been too obvious to say, 'hey Potter, we have the Weasleys at Malfoy Manor,' but I think he'll figure it out."

"Lucius," came the squeaky voice of Wormtail. He leaned in close to Malfoy and whispered something Ron couldn't hear.

Malfoy looked at him sneeringly. "We will do it in a second," he hissed. He looked at Ron again. He wasn't done tormenting him, Ron could tell.

His sneering voice came back. "I would love to just kill you know. We could take the Weasleys down one at a time. That could be fun."

Ron's heart pounded with fury. He wished he could get his wand. He could see it sitting neatly on a side table.

"But the Dark Lord isn't finished with you. It's fair to say though, when he is you'll wish I had killed you." Malfoy was now walking closer to Ron. He stretched out his hand and put his wand next to the barrier that kept Ron in the bed.

Ron knew that any moment the Crutacius Curse would be put on him. He braced himself for it. But the word that left Lucius Malfoy's lips wasn't Crucio, it was "Permittere", said in such a soothing voice Ron imagined it was the same voice he used to sing to Draco when he was a baby. And instead of the incredible pain he was expecting he felt a light cheerful sensation. And a moment later he was sleepier then he'd been in ages. He put his head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

A loud pounding woke Ron up to an incredible sight. Someone was outside the window, her bushy brown hair pulled back. Hermione was flying upward and downward, peering into the window as she passed. It was then that Ron realized she was on a Hippogriff. Buckbeak. Then she drifted upward and was out of sight.

Ron reached for his wand as he realized the pounding coming from far away was getting closer and sounded like footsteps.

Ron put his hand in front of him and said, "Accio wand," but his wand hit the barrier around his bed and fell to the floor. A moment later a jubilant looking Wormtail was in the room.

"Your hero is here, and it appears he followed orders and is alone."

Ron swallowed. Hermione was outside. God, let her be safe.

"Where is Harry?" Ron asked.

"Don't worry he'll be here shortly. Lucius is making sure he won't harm any of us." Something about the way Wormtail said this made shivers climb up Ron's spine.

The room was quiet as Ron tried to think of a way to get out of here. The only sounds were the wheezing snickers that would come out of Wormtail.

The next time the door opened it was Lucius Malfoy and Harry. Harry was bound, and his wand was in Malfoy's hand. He looked very peculiar, Ron thought.

"He wanted to see that Weasley was all right," Malfoy said to Wormtail. Then, turning to Harry, he said, "There, are you satisfied now?"

Harry spoke. "What do you want from me?" And Ron thought his voice too was very odd.

"Just to die, Potter. Why do you make it so difficult."

"Has Voldemort listened to the whole prophecy? Do you think that if you kill me it will do anything?" Ron was sure now that Harry's voice had a different tone to it. He realized this wasn't Harry. Then who was it?

The banter between Harry and Lucius Malfoy continued and Ron finally figured it out. Hermione was outside on Buckbeak. This had to be Lupin. There was no way Lupin would let Harry go on any kind of mission without him. Ron had heard Lupin tell Arthur that he'd lost Sirius, now all he had was Harry, and he wouldn't lose him too. Then Ron realized the tone in Harry's voice was close to Lupin's. It was remarkable, now that he thought about it, how close to Harry's voice that was, but he could still hear Lupin in it. But if Ron, who hadn't known Lupin all that well, could tell it was he, surely someone who had been Lupin's best mate for years could tell as well. Ron stared at Wormtail, but Wormtail's expression gave nothing away.

A voice, sounding as if it were in the room with him, interrupted his thoughts.

"Lucius, we've got Potter here. Come quick. We're in the drawing room."

Malfoy eyed Harry questionably. "How can they have Potter there if we've got Potter here?" The next word was drowned out by immediate screams. "Crucio," Malfoy shouted; he then left the room after taking his wand off Harry. "Don't let this one out of your sight, nor that one either," he said, nodding toward Ron.

When Malfoy had left the room, Ron's question was answered. Wormtail rounded on the still-bound Harry. "I knew I recognized that voice. Very good disguise, I may say, Moony, but you can't hide from me."

Lupin put up a good fight. "I don't know what you're talking about, Wormtail. I was told to come alone, I have."

"You were never good at lying, Remus," Wormtail looked at him deeply, as if he could see Lupin in this Harry.

"Wormtail." It was Malfoy's voice, again sounding as if it were right there in the room. "Bring those two down here." Wormtail took the enchantments off the bed and immediately placed a curse on the two, binding them. Ron felt a sinking sensation in his chest when he saw his wand lying on the floor. They were in trouble now.

Ron, the Harry Imposter, and Wormtail entered a large room on the first floor of the Malfoy Manor. Lucius Malfoy stood with an evil grin on his face next to another Harry. The room was also taken by four other Death Eaters.

"Well, Potter has multiplied himself, I see," Malfoy sneered. He walked in circles around Ron and the Imposter Harry. Then he put a binding charm on them before walking to one of the other Death Eaters and whispering something in his ear. The man in the dark cape Apparated out of the room and reappeared a moment later with a vile of yellow liquid.

It appeared both Harrys knew what this was. They looked nervously at each other. "You are familiar with the Revealing Potion?" Malfoy continued to walk circles around them, as if he were a tiger protecting his turf. "I suppose we could wait for the Polyjuice to wear off, but I just don't have that sort of time." He stopped circling and walked to the first Harry. Malfoy tilted the vile to his mouth and muttered, "Absorbeo," in an all too satisfied way. The first Harry swallowed involuntarily.

Ron felt the Harry Imposter next to him shift nervously. It only took a minute before Ron was staring into the frightened face of Nymphodora Tonks. She began to raise her wand when Malfoy said, "Gelo," and she froze in thin air.

Next Malfoy walked over to the Harry Imposter Ron was next to. He followed the same pattern, forced the person to drink the potion and stood satisfied staring at him. And, as no surprise to Ron, Professor Lupin appeared, but he was ready and shouted, "Stupefy," before Malfoy could do much else. Ron was amazed that it worked. Lupin didn't have a wand. But he thought someone as talented a wizard as Lupin must know wandless magic.

Ron soon discovered that he didn't have time to revel in the thought as now spells were being shot across the room at everyone. One broke the binding charm holding Ron and Lupin and they were free, but wandless, Ron was of no help.

Lupin had gotten a wand from Malfoy and unfroze Tonks. "Go," Lupin shouted, sending orange rays of light to a Death Eater in the corner. "To the top tower. You can get there by taking the fireplace on the third floor..." but Lupin was interrupted.

"You appear to know my house well," Malfoy had been revived and was now gaining on them. He walked to a long table in the center of the room and pulled out another wand. Then raised it and began to form the words when he was interrupted.

"If I go with you, will you not hurt them?" To Ron's horror Harry stood in the doorway. It was the real Harry, either that or a very good impersonator.

Malfoy seemed to sense this as well and walked cautiously toward him, the yellow potion in his hand. "Potter?" He asked, then poured the potion down Harry's throat. Harry wasn't forced to swallow, he did it of his own free will. It was no surprise when nothing happened. Harry heaved his chest forward. Lupin sighed in resignation.

"If you take me to Voldemort, will you let my friends go?" Harry asked again.

"Of course," Malfoy said in a suspicious voice. Harry knew he wasn't telling the truth. "I won't go until I've performed the Tutela Charm. That way if anything happens to them, our agreement will be void. I'll immediately Disspaparate."

"How do you know of such sophisticated spells?" Malfoy asked.

"I'm not the little boy everyone thinks I am," Harry said back. He looked directly at Lupin, "I can fight my own battles."

Lupin looked furious at Harry. He was about to speak when again a voice called from somewhere else. "Lucius, we've found another one on the roof."

Malfoy chuckled. "Bring him down."

"This one's a girl," the voice said again. Ron's heart stopped. It was Hermione, he knew.

His fear was confirmed a second later when out of thin air a stalky Death Eater appeared with Hemione in tow. Malfoy looked happier then Ron had ever seen him. "Granger."

Hermione's face gave nothing away. She stood tall. "I had the pleasure of meeting your mother last summer."

That did it, Hermione's nostrils flared and she looked like she was angry enough to perform the Killing Curse.

Malfoy seemed all too interested in Hermione; he didn't notice Harry moving slowly toward Ron and Lupin. "Tutela," Harry said loudly causing Malfoy to spin around.

Harry had a satisfied look on his face. "Now, if you hurt them you lose me."

"There is a counter spell to that, Potter," Malfoy sneered. He was so focused on Harry he didn't see the eye contact Hermione and Tonks were giving and before he could raise his wand once more they shouted in unison, "Depono."

The room started to shake and in mere seconds the ceiling collapsed on Malfoy and Wormtail, who stood silent in the middle of the room. The other Death Eaters started shouting incantations at the group.

"I want you three out of here," Lupin shouted. There was a cloud of white smoke rising over his shoulder. Ron looked at Harry and Hermione and nodded. They started toward a door when they were met by one of the most powerful wizards in the world. His long white hair falling over his shoulders and his face full of fury. Dumbldore.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione stood, mesmerized, as Dumbledore said an incantation that made the Death Eaters stop as if they were frozen.

"Where are you, Tom?" Dumbledore said to the air. Ron looked out the corner of his eye at Harry.

Harry seemed to move involuntarily toward Dumbledore. He had fear on his face. But Dumbledore seemed to know what was going on.

"Ah, Tom. You keep using Harry as if you think I will destroy him to get to you. I would have thought you knew me better then that."

"You will have to kill the boy to get to me, Dumbledore." The voice that came out of Harry's mouth was not Harry's. It was a snakelike voice. Ron knew who it belonged to, he'd heard it in his dreams.

"You always hide from me. I'm starting to think you're fearful of me," Dumbledore said, sounding amused.

The voice in Harry's body was not amused, however. He lifted Harry's wand. There was a look of expectation on Dumbledore's face. Then the snakelike voice said, "Avada Kadavra."

To Ron's horror Dumbledore went rigid. His body looked like it was about to fall when it suddenly disappeared, and a wisp of milky white smoke floated in the air, and disintegrated over Harry. There was a heart-shattering scream, and then a puddle of robes lay on the ground.

Harry looked at it horrified, then looked at Ron, Hermione and Lupin, all who seemed unsure of what happened.

"Harry?" Lupin asked, gently. The Death Eaters had all disappeared, but they were certain to come back. Ron knew it.

Harry's nostrils flared and his chest heaved. "I didn't kill..." he walked over to the robes and stared at them. He seemed convinced that if he looked at them long enough Dumbledore would sprout out of the ground, like a tree. The robes remained motionless.

"No, Harry," Lupin said, moving closer to him. "It was Voldemort. Don't you blame..."

"I did it. My wand. My hand..." He was shaking visibly.

"No, it wasn't your words. It wasn't your emotion behind it." Lupin put his arm around Harry's shoulder and looked at Ron and Hermione.

"You two need to leave here as soon as possible. Buckbeak is outside. I'll take Harry back to Hogwarts." Lupin nodded to Ron and Hermione who exited the room.

Nobody said anything. There seemed to be no words for what they'd just seen. It didn't seem possible that Dumbledore could be gone. Ron looked at Hermione, who had tears in her eyes. He reached for her hand. Before he was able to take it, there was another crash. Terrified, Ron tried to pull Hermione to him, but the ceiling was collapsing. Some part of it struck Ron. And, in immense pain, he passed out.

The next thing Ron remembered, he was warm and comfortable. More comfortable then he could ever remember being. His mind seemed blank. It was a wonderful feeling. He heard a voice echoing in the distance. He could hardly hear it at first, then it grew louder.

"I can't believe they would say that," the voice said. It was familiar. Who was this? He knew, he just couldn't think right now. And why couldn't he see the person?

"They think I can study with you in here. Honestly. I haven't missed a single day of classes since first year, don't I deserve some time off?"

Ron didn't know. He couldn't think what she would be talking about. Why was this familiar voice talking to him anyway? Didn't she know he was comfortable and wanted to stay in this place he was? Warm and undisturbed.

"Ron, you have to wake up. I can't tell you what it's doing to your family. Your Mum has to practically be dragged out of here every night by Charlie. She couldn't bear to lose another one of you."

Ron didn't care. If his mother knew how wonderful it was where he was, she wouldn't want him to wake up either.

"And Harry. He's out of his mind. Almost left school. And me." She said the last part so softly he almost didn't hear it. "We have things yet to say. We can't leave it like this."

He felt her reach for his hand. She was disturbing his peace. Didn't she realize that?

"I should have told you the other day in the library. It just didn't seem the right time. Viktor sent me an owl a while back. He could tell I was distant. He was respectful and caring, but he knew I had someone else in my mind. I told him there was. I told him it was you."

Ron was taking this in. His mind was now filling with another thought. There was a girl. Not incredibly beautiful, but still there was something about her Ron liked. She had bushy brown hair. But in this memory her hair was up, pulled into a twist. She was wearing a powder blue robe. It was amazing. She was amazing. It even took him a moment to realize this girl who he thought at first was on of the prettiest he'd seen was the same girl he'd known for three years.

"Why did it take us so long?" Her voice sounded.

Another memory. This same girl, but they were years younger. Twelve, it seemed. They were in a stall in a lavatory brewing a potion. He remembered her telling him after breakfast to come with her to check on this potion. They were standing very close in this stall. He could smell her. Her hair was getting in his face. It was annoying him. He brushed it behind her ear at the exact moment her hand reached up to do the same thing. He remembered a shot of fire shot through him. They were close. He remembered thinking this was absurd. She was his friend. He shouldn't be feeling this. Quickly he pulled his hand down. To his luck another person entered the bathroom at that moment. "It's me," the voice said, startling them. The girl dropped a vile into the cauldron then opened the stall.

"Do you remember when we first started writing?" The girl's voice asked again. Now it wasn't so agitating to him. He was kind of liking remembering these things. He heard a crumple of paper. "I still have the first letter you sent me. The summer before second year. I was so worried about Harry. You told me to calm down and you would be going to get him soon. I was worried about what you would do, as I should have been, I see." He heard amusement in her voice. He now wished he could see her. He tried to open his eyes, but they didn't seem want to open. Maybe if he lifted his head? But he couldn't move. It was like his brain had forgotten how to do those things.

"The letter I wrote you last summer. Do you remember that? I never mentioned it again, like if I didn't bring it up it wouldn't have been said. But it stayed with me. When I went to see Viktor all I could think of was that letter. What was said. And it frightened you since I'm your best friend. Your friendship means more to me then anything." Her voice quivered. Ron wanted to hug her, to make her feel better. "Ron, you can't leave me. Harry is having such a hard time and he needs you too, and I can't help him alone. You can't leave me." She sobbed into her hands.

It seemed like a few moments he listened to her cry. Then she was silent. The room was quiet. He was now filling his mind with all these things she'd said. He could picture her clearly now. He knew who she was. "Hermione," he whispered into an empty room. His mind went blank again.

How would you like all the Galleons in the world? It was a cold empty voice this time that brought him out of his blank state. This voice didn't sound like it was in the room though. It sounded like it was in his head with him. Close. Too close. I can give it to you, boy. I can give you all the popularity in the world. You want that don't you? The voice seemed to warm up a bit. It would be nice to have all the Galleons in the world. Maybe if he were more popular Hermione would like him. She liked Krum after all, and he was famous. You're tired of being the sidekick aren't you? You don't have to be. Yes, Ron thought, yes, I don't have to be. I can be just as famous as bloody Harry Potter. Soon people will say there goes Weasley and his faithful sidekick Potter. Yes, that's what he wanted. Good boy. All you have to do is let me in your mind. Let me in and together we will be more powerful then Harry Potter ever imagined. How though? How could he open his mind? He couldn't even open his eyes. When he strained his mind to think of some way to let this voice in it was opened to another memory. This time it was of a boy. A young boy with tousled hair and glasses. The first person who befriended Ron. And he didn't care if Ron was poor, or not popular or any of that. No, the voice echoed. He took your best moments. He doesn't want you to be more powerful then him. But he didn't care, really, Ron thought. The other boy always seemed a bit miffed by his popularity. And he had saved Ron on lots of occasions. Ron, open your mind. Let me in. The voice said more forcibly. Let me in. It said again, getting more vicious and frightening. Ron didn't want the voice in his mind anymore. How could he get it out? Ron. The voice said again. He felt cold shiver into his very soul. No, get out! Ron. Ron tried to shut his mind. He tried to gain control of it again. He knew now who the voice belonged to . He knew now he didn't want Voldemort in his body. He was wrestling with his mind. He was thrashing inside it. Thrashing so much he hadn't realized his body was now following his mind. Ron. This time the voice was more gentle. More sincere. No, Ron wouldn't be tricked. It was the same person. He wanted Voldemort gone from his mind. He took all the strength he had in his body and his eyes flung open.

Sitting at his bedside looking sad and worried, was Mina. When he turned his head to her she beamed at him.

"Thank God you're awake," she said, bringing her face closer to his. Then she touched his arm and some sort of electricity went through Ron. Something he'd never felt before. She was beautiful. Her eyes sparkled, and Ron brought her mouth down on his. Mina was there when he woke. Mina cared. Mina was who he wanted.

.

Ron was released from St. Mungos the next day, with concern from all the Medi-witches and wizards with the way he seemed to have mood swings, and his apperance seemed to change at times. But he was in excellent health, so there was no reason to keep him.

He was anxious to get back to Hogwarts. To see Harry and Hermione. They would be meeting him at Hogsmeade Station. He had been wanting to tell Harry everything was fine. As the station came into view, he started to become excited. Then that familiar cold fell over him and the excitement left. The train stopped and Ron reached for his trunk and filled with fury at the sight that he saw out the window. Harry had an arm around Hermione's waist. He was supposed to be with his sister, he knew Ron liked Hermione. See, he can't stand for you to be happy. He wants to drain you of anything that could make him better then you. Ron snarled and walked out of the train and past Harry and Hermione, ignoring them. Lucky, he thought, he'd wanted to curse Harry into next week.

"Ron," Hermione said. But he kept walking.