Chapter Text
Prologue
Ron and Harry felt their chest tighten even more as they quietly went around Wormtail's body. Quickly sneaking up the dungeon stairs they crept along the shadowy passageway towards the drawing room. Peering through the cracked door, their eyes wildly searching for Hermione, they spotted her at Bellatrix's feet. She was limp and bloody at her collar. Ron started for her, but Harry quickly held him in place, his eyes moving to Griphook holding Gryffindor's sword.
"No, it is a fake." The goblin said to the dark witch.
"Are you sure? " Her intense eyes staring down at him, wand in hand.
**"Yes." Said the goblin. Relief broke across her face, all tension drained from it.
"Good." she said. With a casual flick of her wand she slashed another deep cut into the goblin's face, who dropped with a yell at her feet. She kicked him aside.
"And now, we call The Dark Lord!" And she pushed back her sleeve and pressed her forefinger on the Dark Mark. At once, Harry's scar felt as though it had split open again. His true surroundings vanished: he was Voldemort. His barely controlled wrath shot through Harry, but he still caught Bellatrix's next words.
"And I think we can dispose of the mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her."
"NOOO!" Ron busted through the drawing room door, shocking Bellatrix. Turning her wand to face him, Ron beat her to it.
"Expelliarmus!" He roared, pointing Wormtail's wand at Bellatrix, and hers flew into the air and was caught by Harry, who had sprinted after Ron.
"Stupefy!" He yelled aiming at Lucius Malfoy who collapsed into the hearth. Harry then threw himself to the floor, rolling behind a sofa to dodge the jets of light from Draco's, Narcissa's and Greyback's wands.
"STOP OR SHE DIES!"
Panting, Harry peered around the edge of the sofa. Bellatrix was supporting Hermione, who was unconscious, and was holding her short silver knife to Hermione's throat.
"Drop your wands. Drop them, or we'll see how filthy her blood is!" She whispered ferociously. Ron stood rigid, clutching Wormtail's wand. Harry straightened up, still holding Bellatrix's.
"I said, drop them!" She screeched, pressing the blade into Hermione's throat: Harry saw beads of blood appear.
"All right!" He shouted, dropping Bellatrix's wand to the floor, Ron doing the same.
"Good," she leered "Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!"
He knew it too, his scar was bursting with pain, and he could sense Voldemort flying through the sky, no broom or thestral. Soon he would be close enough to apparate to them and Harry knew he was fucked, seeing no way out. Tuning out Bellatrix's smug words, Ron and Harry heard a peculiar noise from above. Everyone looked in time to see the crystal chandelier tremble, then with a creak and ominous jingling, it began to fall. Dropping Hermione, Bellatrix threw herself from directly under the chandelier screaming. In an explosion of crystal and chains, it fell right on top of Hermione and Griphook, who still clutched the sword of Gryffindor. As Ron ran to Hermione Harry took his chance and leaped over the armchair grabbing Draco. He wrestled the three wands from his grip and pointed them all at Greyback shooting a stunning spell that lifted the werewolf off his feet and into the ceiling.**
Ron, at Hermione's side panicking, panicked even more once he saw the strange purple hue coming from Hermione's badly injured body. "Harry!-" Ron started, but just then the glow shot from the young witch forcing everyone onto their backs. Falling from the ceiling, Dobby landed ontop of the shattered crystal. Harry and Ron felt their heads smack on the floor, stars shot behind Ron's eyes and his vision went red. Harry, however, felt his head injury overtaken by the white-hot pain of his scar splitting open. They didn't notice the warm sharp pricks as the purple light outlined their bodies along with Hermione's. The shock of the glow and Dobby the house elf appearance, stunned the two Malfoy's and Bellatrix. Shaking out of it, Bellatrix lunged for the group's bodies only to grasp at nothing, watching them disappear with a thunderous crack. Scathing and more afraid than ever, she turned to the goblin just in time to see the house elf disapparate, taking both the goblin and the sword with him.
For the second time, Ronald Weasley felt his head smack against the floor and saw stars brighter than before. Disoriented and head pounding, his vision stayed a blackish red despite trying desperately to gain his bearings. He knew he was in danger, but his mind was silent from the pain, and he felt stuck, unable to think or do anything. Time dragged as he tried to come back to himself; slowly he heard the voices, angry and shocked. They pierced his ears, but it was like he was underwater. Focusing on relaxing and finding his breath, he listened as the words slowly came into focus.
"I just tried apparition. It. Didn't. Work. The wards are still up, so how did they get in, Abraxas?" A male voice growled out.
'Why's that bloke talking to a horse?' Was Ron's first thought. Taking a long moment to finally open his eyes, he exhaled, staring up at the Malfoy ceiling with blurry vision. His relief was short-lived, though his sight was slowly coming back his pain doubled as he became aware of the rest of his body.
"That one just moved!" A scared cracking voice choked out.
Choosing to ignore the dumb horse and the man, Ron closed his eyes and went back to calming himself, his pain slowly sinking in. Suddenly his nose was sharply pinched between long fingers and his mouth was wretched opened, fingernails were biting into his chin harshly pulling him foward to sit up. The taste of potion surprised him into sputtering, letting go of his nose a hand clamped his mouth shut forcing him to swallow. The hands let him go and Ron turned on his side and started coughing. Propping himself onto his hands and knees now, his sight became clear and focused.
"There, that should do it. Go check the other two Abraxas." The first voice said.
'Hermione' Ron's head snapped up. Looking around frantically, he saw Hermione just a few feet away from him, unconscious and looking terrible. Harry was the furthest away, completely knocked out. The reassurance from knowing they were all still together was overpowered by the realization they were still in the Malfoy's drawing room. His wrist was snatched from under him and pulled, so that his body was turned towards a young man.
'Where did this guy come from?' Ron thought as he looked around the room. He had never seen him before. Did he come into the room after the chandelier fell? Then, Ron realized, there were no crystals or chains on the floor and he looked up at the ceiling where the chandelier hung, undisturbed and pristine. The grip on his wrist became so tight that Ron was forced to focus on the one holding him.
"Do not make me repeat myself. How did you get past the wards? Where are you coming from?" Staring stupidly at him, Ron drank in this newcomer. He was tall, angular and wearing such dark and outdated looking robes.
'Ginny's' type surely.' He thought, taking in the others' dark hair and good looks. 'Kinda looks like Harry.'
"What?" The questions didn't make any sense, didn't he just see them get dragged in by those wannabe deranged deatheaters? Where has he been for the last half hour?
"Don't ask me stupid questions mate." Ron said pulling his wrist from the other, but the stranger wouldn't let go. His arm was jerked so roughly he was forced to stumble closer on his knees. A white hand wrapped around Ron's throat so fast it was snake-like. Forced to look into the others' dark eyes, Ron felt waves of powerful magic pouring out of the stranger. "How did you get past the wards?" Every word was punctuated and tense, matching the intense fire in the man's eyes.
"Por-portkey." Ron gasped out.
'If this man doesn't know why they are here, then it should stay that way.' Ron reasoned to himself, instinct telling him to lie.
"Liar." The hand tightened so much that Ron started to pull at it frantically. Forcing himself from his knees, he shot up, causing the man to stumble and his grip to slack. Taking his chance, Ron shoved and ran past him, heading straight for Harry. Sliding back down on his knees and coming to a stop at Harry's shoulders, Ron grabbed him and started to shake him.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Ron looked down at Harry's hands and saw the three wands clutched in them. Without thinking, he took Harry's hand, pointed it towards Harry's face and shouted.
"Rennervate!" A jet of light smashed into Harry, who gasped awake looking wide-eyed. Ron quickly stood them both up.
"Focus right now, we need to go!" He said, spinning Harry, so he could see the two strangers. Taking a wand from Harry, Ron used one to shoot stunners at the men and ran for Hermione.
"Harry!" He called. Harry, without thinking too much, started to run towards them, crashing through the chaos with blurry vision. Ron saw the brunette and a white blond head make to curse Harry when he lifted his wand and threw several confringos their way. Finally, Harry reached Ron and they both hoisted Hermione up, Harry casted a shield charm around them. Thinking fast, Ron cast a feather light charm on Hermione. With a quick glance at each other, the two moved as a team. Harry, holding a shield charm and casting back at the two figures and Ron, who kept an arm around Hermione, sending curses when he could. They made for the door and once finally through, threw as many curses behind them as they could.
"Deluminator!" Harry called to Ron, who then fumbled for it in his pocket. With a last bang, Harry dropped the shield charm just as Ron opened the deluminator, stealing all the light in the hall. Quickly, Harry grabbed a hold of Hermione and ran with Ron down the straight dark passage. Once far away enough, Ron released the light from the deluminator and took the lead, following the path the snatchers dragged their earlier group through. Both boys didn't bother turning around, just focusing on their grip on their unconscious friend and running as fast as they could. Vision clearing as they ran, Harry was grateful to still have his glasses. Through the door and across the grounds they finally reached the gates, Harry shot at them with a reducto. The gates, not wanting to get blasted, jumped out the way of its own accord. Out on the street, Harry and Ron paused, looking at each other. Stealing a look behind him Ron saw the intense dark haired man running towards the gate with the blond close behind.
"Apparate us away mate, hurry up!" Seeing Ron's panicked face, Harry looked over at the two running men, at last he got a look at their pursuers. Confusion and fear, unlike any other, made Harry freeze. Then spurring into action, Harry gripped Ron and Hermione tighter to him, forced a group spin and disappeared with a pop. Harry prayed he didn't just see who he thought he did, feeling safe in the tight rubber tube sensation of apparation. Leaving behind an enraged young Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr and a Draco Malfoy look-alike.