I'll Take Care of You (I'll Never Let You Down)

Because Harry's dreams were nothing more than horrifying visions of reality, these realities soon became known to the rest of the wizarding world. Fudge, who was surely on his way out the door due to decline in popularity, tried desperately to reassure everyone, via the Daily Prophet, not to panic.

The students of Hogwarts simply shook their heads at his stupidity, snickered, rolled their eyes, or any combination of the three. While their elders might not think much of their intelligence level, a majority of them read the paper (and in between the lines, too). And if they didn't, their friends surely told them what was going on.

Classmates came and went with alarming regularity, as they were told of deaths, or in the cases of some, dementor attacks on family members. The saddest part of these tragedies was that it wasn't long before the student body became used to these announcements, and no longer flinched when they continued to hear about them. Between schoolwork, Quidditch, and other daily activities, the students seemed to cope as only the innocent, or innocent at heart can; a great deal of being naïve for some, or a strong belief that might, and right, would win.

Just before school let out for Christmas, they heard of yet another tragic set of attacks; the Creevy family. Poor Colin and Dennis! It was a bitter pill to swallow, for not only did they lose their parents, but a ten year old brother, as well as a six year old sister. And although the brothers had Muggle relations, Dumbledore felt it was in their best interest that they remain sequestered in the magical world. Of course, a message had to be sent in the guise of an old family friend saying that the boys had been given over into their care. Dumbledore, of course, had the unfortunate designation of having to tell them of their loss. Although they were angry at being told that they could not be allowed to attend the funerals, with the help of their friends, they came to terms with everything that befell them. They found solace in their Housemates, comfort in the never-ending support, and true endurance in the days that followed.

And because everything was tricky at best, it was deemed that the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Neville (who insisted), and a few others would remain at the castle for the holidays. The Creevys were therefore not allowed to be alone, thus insuring a sort of healing balm for them.

The loving relationships formed, sweet in their youth, was also a protection, a balm in itself. For Ron and Ginny, those to whom they clung became lifelines; for the feelings of betrayal, of disbelief, and a further shattering of innocence happened just before the new term started.

Bill Weasley, wanting to spare his parents the pain of having to inform Ron and Ginny, informed them himself; Percy Weasley had joined the ranks of the Death Eaters. Since Neville and Luna had become an integral part of the "group", they were therefore present when this new, horrifying knowledge was made known. It had been so heartbreaking; Ron's quick explosion of denial, accompanied by tears from Ginny. The others had been in the Common Room of Gryffindor when Ron came bursting down the stairs from the boys' dorm yelling. The tips of his ears were red, and his bellowing quite startled the four sitting in the chairs near the fireplace. Bill came after him quickly, followed by a slower, crying Ginny.

"Ron, wait!"

"It's bullshit! Do you hear me, Bill? BULLSHIT! How?! How can he turn on us?!" The last sentence was uttered in complete anguish. Everyone who had not already been standing, were now doing so, having jumped up in alarm when Ron had blasted into the room. Everyone was in shock as to his outburst, for they had NEVER seen him this angry.

Other than the crackling of the flames in the fireplace, the only sound to be heard was Ginny's soft sniffling, and Ron's heavy breathing. Looking weary, and feeling older than all of his twenty-six years, Bill sadly looked at the faces around him. Sighing deeply, he said quietly, "The facts are indisputable. There have been wit......"

He was quite suddenly, and rudely cut off by Ron. With scathing contempt he said, "Who?! Snape?! Like I'd truly believe that bloody bat! Some witness! Why the hell should he care about hurting mum and dad?! Maybe protecting his own damned......"

"Ron!" With his patience coming quickly to an end, Bill glared at his youngest brother. "No, he's not the only one! In our last skirmish, I was there! I saw Percy's mask when it was knocked off! I saw his lying, traitorous face! The evil! My God, Ron! The evil was oozing off him in waves. He just laughed. LAUGHED! He had just cast two of the Unforgivables! I know EXACTLY how you're feeling! Because I was there, and I SAW what he did! At least you were spared that! I even saw him slit a man's throat Muggle-style! And when he realized he had been recognized, he proudly showed me that damned "tatoo" they're supposed to have on their arms! Ron! Ron?" With tears flowing down his own face at this point, Bill tentatively reached for his brother.

With a bellow of animal-like pain, Ron ran from the room through the portrait hole. By now, Hermione and Luna were also crying, and Neville and Harry, while worried for Ron, were too shocked at what they had heard to make any movements. With a half-sob, Hermione ran from the room to find Ron.

Bill, having watched sadly as Hermione ran from the room, sighed, wiped the tears from his face, and turned to see Ginny and Luna being soothed and cosseted by their boyfriends. Walking over quietly, he gently placed an arm around his little sister's shoulder. He spoke quietly to the four remaining people in the room. "He won't listen to me right now; that's understandable. But I want the four of you to understand, and maybe, with you four, and Hermione, he can come to terms with this." Bill paused here, not certain if he should tell them that Severus Snape had known about Percy since September. Snape had been told by Dumbledore, however, that unless Percy, so recently welcomed back into the family fold, put his family deliberately at risk, then there was no need to tell them right away. Naturally, Arthur and Molly had been very upset with Dumbledore for having kept this from them, but came to understand when he explained that it had been best for everyone that way. Not knowing, no one would be tempted to strangle, or otherwise maim Percy. Or worst of all, slip up and allow Percy to know that his family knew of his involvement. No matter which way you sliced it, it was a bitter pill to swallow all the way around.

Coming out of his musings, Bill looked up to see Harry's eyes on him. And although at first he was surprised by the very adult understanding he saw shining from the boy's eyes, he was only surprised for a moment. For this "boy", had seen more terror in his short lifetime than most adults. They looked at each other for a few minutes, and understood each other completely. Bill knew somehow, just knew that while not right away, everything would someday be right again. Maybe not the way they envisioned it, but there would one day be peace; and this time it would last a lot longer than ten years. Seeing these adult eyes on a boy of seventeen, THE BOY, he knew things would one day be right; even if they all didn't make it through.

Squeezing his sister's shoulder, he smiled sadly at the others, and said, "Well, I promised Mum and Dad that I would come by headquarters and let them know how it went, so I guess I'm off." Looking at Ginny, who had turned to face him, he pulled her into a tight hug as they both started to tear up. He whispered brokenly into her ear, "Don't worry baby sister. Everything's gonna be all right! You stick to Harry, and make sure our brother does nothing foolish. With our family temperment, it's not too hard to be foolish." This last being said in a half joking voice. Ginny choked on a tearful laugh.

"I promise Bill! I'll owl you and let you know how things are from this side of the war zone." Pulling back, she smiled at him.

Quickly wiping his eyes, he sniffed and replied, "Well, I'd best get going.....Fleur's meeting me at seven for dinner, and I wanna get fancied up before then!" He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. This brought some laughter out of the others. And then with his brisk strides, he was gone.

The wind had a bite to it, and Hermione realized the foolishness of not having brought at least a scarf, as she followed Ron's tracks to the lake. Even if she hadn't had footprints to follow, she still would have known where to find him. She slowed as she neared the very large weeping willow planted near the edge of the frozen water. It was theirs; their special place. They had discovered it right away upon coming back to school. It was so big, so massive, the long drooping branches so thick and numerous, that no one ever thought to look under THERE for trysting lovers. For it was there one night after coming back, when a brief warm spell had hit for week, that Hermione and Ron had lovingly given to one another the ultimate gift of their purity. She smiled softly at the memory. Because it had been the first time for both of them, there had been a lot of fumbling and awkwardness. But once they had started, a whole new world was opened to them. He was gentle, not wanting to hurt her, and she was in innocent awe of the strengths she had underestimated. Since then, they were always sneaking off to be alone and explore this new side to their budding love. For the both of them, it was a combination of sweetness and unparalelled joy. He had given her a promise ring at Christmas, pledging himself to her always, telling her that one day, when they had the money, he would replace it with a wedding ring. She had wept happily, declaring she would be proud and honored to be his wife.

Looking at the man she loved, she felt the tears slip down her face. He was hurting horribly, and it broke her heart. Facing the lake, his back to her, Ron's shoulders shook as the sobs racked his body. She approached him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning slightly, he looked at her with the eyes of a boy forced to become a man too quickly. He pulled her roughly into his arms, breathing deeply of her hair, trying to control his emotions. She whispered, "I love you. I love you, Ronald Jeremiah Weasley! And I am here for you! No matter what!" They stood quietly for a few minutes, he taking comfort in this beautiful woman, she, giving gladly of her love of this handsome man.

"Why? Why, 'Mione?! How can this have happened? I know he was always one of the world's biggest prats, but Merlin! That it should come to this! Things seemed to just be falling into place in our family! With Percy back.......the family felt complete for the first time in a long time! He even seemed genuinely excited about Fred and Angelina's marriage! Excited that they're going to be parents! It hurts knowing it's all been a farce. A BLOODY FARCE!! And what will he do to Harry's and Ginny's happiness to gain his own ends?!" He looked down at her with a mixture of anger, fear, and confusion. They were both scared about this thought. For who knew how far Percy would be willing to go to further his own ambitions. He might not care that Ginny could be used as a dangerous pawn against Harry, even be killed to get the results that Voldemort wanted.

"I don't know my love. It's just as frightening to think who else might join the dark side. It could be anyone! I mean, think about it! Just as we would never predicted this outcome, imagine how Remus and Sirius felt when realizing Wormtail betrayed Harry's parents. Not knowing who to trust is very frightening! But I believe that as long as the six of us are together in this, nothing can stop us!"

Holding one another tightly, they clung to the few beliefs they had; and hoped it would be enough.