Sometimes It's Good to be Bad

Chapter 33 What Happens in Hogsmeade Stays in Hogsmeade


The Dark Lord did not call her that night. By the next day Ginny had been brought back to the psychiatric wards at St. Mungo's. Before breakfast Professor Davis had told Gryffindor House that Ginny had suffered a mental breakdown and was now in the hospital. Most of the students were in shock, but a few took to crying, and they were excused from classes that day.

The attack on Diagon Alley was all but forgot except for those who lose family and friends in the wake of the newest round of gossip to hit Hogwarts. Now there was no chance that anyone would believe that Harry and Hermione were not together. It especially did not help the matter that the two now seemed practically inseparable.

After lunch during their free period the two went up to the Head common room and wrote out a letter to the Minister of Magic, accepting his proposal for Harry to look as though he were supporting the Ministry. When it was fiished they went up to the owlry and sent it out straight away.

The situation they had found themselves in didn't change much over the next two weeks. The Dark Lord had not yet given Hermione a new project, though she was updating Professor Davis on the dynamics between the not-so-golden trio every few days. Ron, while still not talking to either of his friends, had taken to trying to start fights with Harry. The Minister had been ecstatic at Harry's acceptance and his first scheduled "drop in" was in two days on Saturday morning. The Headmistress had thrown a fit, but there was nothing she could do to stop Harry from going.

At breakfast, Harry recieved an owl from Lupin wanting to know what had been going through his head recently, and had arranged with McGonagall to have a meeting with him that evening. When he leaned in to Hermione and they started whispering about what he should say, neither noticed the look of pure hatred that flickered across Ron's face further along the table.

When the time for Harry's meeting with Lupin came he was worried because he knew that there was nothing he would be able to say to the man that would make him feel better about the secrets Harry was keeping. It went exactly as Harry expected, with pressure put on him to spill his guts, people telling him all the horrible things that have come from him keeping his secrets, and him getting belligerant and in their faces about them keeping information from him. All in all, not a productive time for anyone.

Just after Harry left Hermione's common room, where he had gone to tell her of all the events that had transpired, she felt the twinge on her breast. Quickly, she went to her room and changed into her robes, covering her face with the hood. When she arrived at her master's throne room and kissed his hem, for the first time she was sent to join the group of three other Death Eaters off to the side.

Soon after they were told that they were to see a treat tonight, the two who had brought Hermione to the Dark Lord on her first meeting apparated in the room, with Ron between them. Hermione held in a gasp as he crawled to the Dark Lord and kissed his hem.

"Why have you requested this meeting, blood traitor?"

"I....I want to join your forces against Harry Potter," came the timid answer.

"And what caused this decision?"

"He's ruined my life... he made my sister go crazy, and now he's fucking the girl that I love."

Hermione was in shock. Ron loved her? That was news. She had known he had a crush, but that was as far as she had thought it went.

"What is it you think you can do for me that will stop me from killing you, blood traitor?"

"I can be a spy for you. I can tell you Potter's weaknesses and what he does and what he thinks."

"Is that all you can do for me?"

Ron hesitated for a moment. "No. I can also fight alongside you at the final battle and help to be sure that Potter doesn't get an edge over your forces."

Hermione noticed that he had said nothing of the horcruxes, or even alluded to his knowledge of their existance.

"If that is the case, I think now will be the time to Mark you. Whenever you are called, you will come to me right away."

Ron was trembling, and could not find his voice, so he just nodded. Soon, the Marking Ceremony had begun. Hermione was to hold him up as she did not know the incantation that was to be chanted. It was hard to hold his large struggling figure up for the entire ten minutes. Not only did he move a lot, but tears were streaming down his face the entire time, and his moans became louder and louder as the time progressed.

When he had been Marked, Hermione went back to the small group she had been standing in previously. The Dark Lord then turned back to Ron. "You have already withheld information from me. Do you really think that I do not already have people who give me the information you have offered? There is nothing that you can offer me that I do not already have."

By now Ron was shaking violently and had thrown himself at the Dark Lord's feet, begging to be allowed to prove himself.

"Granger! Davis!" The two stepped forward, lowering their hoods. Ron stared at the two, transfixed.

"Hermione? Professor Davis?" he asked increduously.

"Granger. He must be eliminated. You know what to do."

She looked Ron in the eyes, summoned up all of her hate while giving him a genuine smile that lit up her face, pointed her wand at his heart, and said the magic words. "AVADA KADAVRA!" He feel to the ground in a slump.

"All of you. Go to Hogsmeade, attack the Braiden residence. Leave no survivors and dump the body."

The group apparated to to wizarding community, and entered the house they were sent to. After a quick fight in which a Ministry official, his wife and two children were all killed. Ron's body was left in the same room, and the remaining Death Eaters apparated away, Davis sending the Dark Mark into the sky.

Three hours later Professor Davis came to the Head room to get Hermione, Harry trailing behind him. She gave Harry a questioning look and he shrugged his shoulders in response. When they arrived at the Headmistresses office, there were tears in her eyes. All of the portraits were paying attention to the room, Dumbledore's looking extremely sad and disappointed.

"Mister Potter, Miss Granger. I have some terrible news for you." Her tears started to spill down her face. "There was an attack on a Ministry official who lived in Hogsmeade tonight. When the aurors arrived they found Mister Weasley on the scene."

"WHAT!" Harry interrupted her, jumping off his chair. The Headmistress put her hand up, signifying that she was not done speaking, and Hermione pulled Harry back down, her eyes filled with worry.

"I am sorry to say that Mister Weasley was found dead, and that he had taken the Dark Mark."

Hermione broke down crying. "How could he do such a thing?" she sobbed.

Meanwhile, Harry was shaking. His feelings were mixing with each other and he didn't know if he should be raging because his best friend had betrayed him, or crying because he was dead. He decided to compromise, pulling Hermione onto his lap and petting her hair. "Do his parents and the Order know yet?"

McGonagall nodded her head, looking away.