Damned Without Redemption

Damned Without Redemption

Chapter One: Let us call thee devil

"Unkindness may do much;

And his unkindness may defeat my life,

But never taint my love." - Shakespeare, 'Othello'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It has been ten years since I, Harry Potter, graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am an Auror for the Ministry of Magic now and am still fighting the ceaseless war with the Dark Lord, Voldemort. My friends are scattered, lost or dead, but I am not completely alone. I live with the Weasleys now, and my life is far from perfect.

I was engaged to Hermione Granger for three years. We had everything mapped out before us, but we never even got the chance to begin our lives together. Five years ago, she was abducted and taken from me forever. A month before she was abducted, my best friend, Ron Weasley, was sent along with a group of Dumbledore's finest to fight an uprising of Death Eaters in Spain. I have not seen him since and have heard only rumors of his death.

My arch-rival from Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy, was a big success after school. He took up a position in the ministry, becoming an ambassador in France. He was a favorite of Fudge's, and of half the girls in the Wizard World, to whom he was an international heart-throb, but five years ago, he mysteriously disappeared. His disappearance was in the headlines of every newspaper from here to Timbuktu. Strangely, there was no attempt to search for him and he was immediately assumed dead.

Fred and George started up Weasley Wizard Wheezes shortly after they graduated from Hogwarts along with their friend, Lee Jordon. The store was a major hit for its first four years, but the twins and Lee abandoned it, temporarily, to join the fight against Voldemort's uprising. They never made it back to the business. Lee Jordon swears, though, that after the war has ended, he will re-open the shop in memory of the twins.

Percy quickly moved up the ranks of the Ministry of Magic and a year after Crouch's death, he took the position of Head Secretary to the Minister of Magic. Unfortunately, three years later, he and Cornelius Fudge were killed in a terrorist attack. Arthur Weasley was named the New Minister of Magic shortly afterward; being as he was the only person brave enough to accept the challenge of leadership in such harsh times. He is still there today, after ten arduous years, and with his new salary, he and Mrs. Weasley have completely redone the Burrow, which is now two stories, plus an attic, six beds, five baths and an enormous kitchen for Mrs. Weasley.

As for Mrs. Weasley, she is in good health and still quite a joy to be around. Charley is still in Romania, but visits home frequently and Bill has temporally quit his position at Gringotts and now fights along with me. I believe that is all. Oh, yes, and of course, there's Ginny. She has grown to be quite a lovely woman; her fiery-red hair is now waist-length and her dazzling brown eyes catch everyone's attention as they seem to gaze into your very soul. Yes, she is a dazzling and enchanting woman now, though she jumps from job to job, is single and still lives with her parents.

Now, I believe that wraps up everything. Onto my story. As I have said, for the last ten years now, I have dedicated most of my time and thought to the war against Voldemort. I receive word from Dumbledore via owl post or personal encounters about new Death Eater uprisings and I am almost constantly rushing here and there to battle. I don't have much time to sit and think or just relax anymore. But, thankfully, Death Eater sightings had been on the low for the last week or so and I hadn't been called for duty. I was hoping it would stay that way. But, unfortunately, as I have found over the years, peace is a rare sensation that never lasts long enough to truly enjoy.

You see, this story all began on an ordinary day at the Burrow. Bill was home and running to and fro looking for his pants, Mr. Weasley was late for work and was rushing in order to make it on time to a very important war meeting, Mrs. Weasley was humming while making breakfast for the rest of us, Ginny was not yet home from whatever job she was doing now and wasn't expected back for an hour or so, and I was sitting silently at the table, reading the latest news on the Death Eater rumors and sipping a cup of hot herbal tea, which I have grown quite fond of. Then, only a few moments after Mr. Weasley shouted good-bye from the other room and Apparated, and owl flew into the kitchen and dropped a letter on the table in front of me and soared off. Bill, who had found his pants and had put them on, stopped next to my chair and picked up the letter. "It's for you," he said softly, handing the letter to me. I took it, nodding in thanks, and opened it carefully. I jumped back and dropped then parchment as something small and silver fell out of the envelope and landed on the table. It looked like a Muggle paperclip. I thought nothing of it, as it was probably there to hold a page to the main parchment and was just lodged out of place. I turned my attention to the parchment. It was a letter from Dumbledore, and it read:

My dear Harry Potter,

I send this to inform you of the recent information that my sources have gathered. The Death Eaters are planning an attack in Australia. I cannot tell you exactly where, but I have sent a Portkey along with this message. It will take you to the site. Go alone.

Sincerely yours,

Professor Albus Dumbledore

I stared at the paperclip on the table and allowed Bill to take the letter from me and quickly scan it. After a few moments, I was on my feet and scurrying around the house to get everything ready to go. I grabbed my wand, traveling cloak and a little silver ring with a symbol of two hands holding a crowned heart, a Claddagh ring, on a silver chain, which I fastened around my neck and dropped down the front of my shirt. I hurried back down stairs and said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, hugging her and promising I'd be ok, and then I reached for the paperclip to leave.

Bill grabbed my hand to stop me. "I won't let you go alone, my friend," he said sternly. I shook my head. "Dumbledore said 'go alone'-"I tried to say, but Bill cut me off. "No, I'll not let you go alone." Knowing that there was no way to talk him out of it, I nodded, taking the letter and sticking in my inside pocket. "Let's go." Mrs. Weasley hugged her son and watched as we both pinched an edge of the paperclip and were off. I felt that now familiar jerk behind my navel and watched the onslaught of blurred colors.

After the swirl of colors ended, Bill and I found ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We gave each other a worried glance; we obviously must have stepping into a trap. We pulled out our wands and started to walk forward slowly. Many a plateau and boulders surrounded us. It was the perfect place for an ambush. And that's what I was expecting, an ambush. I was shocked at what came next.

As an Auror, I was trained to expect the unexpected. I was ready for just about anything; a horde of Death Eaters, an angry dragon protecting her nest, a herd of stampeding elephants, even Voldemort himself. What I was not ready for soon stepped out from behind the foot of a plateau only ten feet to the right of Bill and me.

I gasped and dropped my wand, stumbling back, and Bill fell to his knees, shaking from shock. It was Ron Weasley.

I had never expected to see him again, let alone out in the middle of a desert in Australia, yet there he was. Flaming red hair, freckled face, shockingly blue eyes, and that tall gangly body that was so unmistakably Ronald Weasley. I stood there, my feet glued to the ground from the shock. Bill, on the other hand, was quickly back on his feet and running to the man before us, tears cascading down his cheeks.

"Ron! My brother? Is it really you?" Bill cried, embracing the man. I finally was able to move and I stumbled forward like a drunken man and feeling as if I was so. Maybe this wasn't a trap after all! Maybe Dumbledore had found Ron and just wanted it to be a surprise! But, then, why would Dumbledore ask me to come alone when he knew the Weasleys would want to see Ron as well?

Bill pulled out of the hug and Ron turned his attention to me. "Harry, my dear friend!" he said, holding out his hand for me to take. With tears in my eyes, I pushed his hand aside and embraced my long lost companion. After a moment or two, I pulled away, wiping the tears from my eyes. Ron smiled, but it wasn't a Ron smile, the smile that had always lit up his face when he laughed. For a moment, I was taken aback. Had he really been lost for so long that I had forgotten his smile?

But this was only the first sign that something was afoot.

I stared at Ron for a moment, but the strange smile was gone and replaced with a questioning look far too quickly for me to get a good enough look at it. "Are you not happy to see me, Harry?"

I shook my head. "No, I- I'm overjoyed, to say the least!" I stammered. "But, wha- what happened? If you were alive all this time, why didn't you come home, or send us message? Why did you- did you make us think that you were... dead? Were you captured? Imprisoned? What? Tell me, Ron."

Ron laughed, a strange laugh with no mirth, and shook his head. "I was not imprisoned. No, no. I was merely... taken in."

This confused me. I was not the only one confused, either. Bill looked as though he thought he heard his brother wrong. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

The strange smile returned, and this time, I saw what was so strange about it. The smile did not reach his eyes. Not to mention, there was something strange about his eyes, as well. They looked as if they shined with a thirst. For what, I did not know. But, all in all, it was like the Ron that stood before me was not Ron at all.

Oh, and please note, I hate being right all the time.

Ron began to laugh. No, it was not a laugh; it was more like a cackle. This was not Ron, it couldn't be. Five years could not have possibly changed him so much, could it? Just then, as these thoughts ran wildly through my mind, Ron thrust his right hand high above his head and shouted out, "Brothers, come to me! Complete our father's will!" A flash of green light erupted from the man's hand and wizards in black cloaks and masks soon surrounded us. I gasped and stared at Ron. "How could you?" I shouted. But Ron paid me no attention. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at me. Reflexively, I shoved my hand into my pocket to retrieve my wand, only to find it not there. I silently cursed myself as I remembered it was lying on the ground behind me. Bill raised his wand to attack, but Ron was faster. "Avada Kedavra!" Ron shouted. I shouted out to Bill to look out, but it was too late. There was a flash of green light, the roar of air rushing past me and a scream, and then Bill laying on the ground, dead, his eyes wide and staring at the heavens. I turned to Ron, my eyes wide, and then I spun around and dove for my wand. "Accio Wand!" I heard Ron cry. My wand flew from the ground and over my head. I was soon up on my feet again and facing Ron, who was grinning and waving my wand in his hand. "No, no, mate, we don't want that," he sneered.

Frustrated, I dove at him. He easily sidestepped my attack and the next moment, I was on the ground and bound in tight cords. I was turned over and Ron knelt down over me. The Death Eaters closed in around me. Ron tilted his head, a grin dancing on his features as he watched me struggle in my restraints, and then he stood up. He was silent for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed and he kicked me hard in the side. I groaned and rolled over, curling as much as the cords would allow. I watched as Ron motioned for the Death Eaters to part to allow him to exit their tightly packed circle, and then I heard him say, "Go ahead, boys."

I didn't have much time to wonder why he had said this before I found out. The Death Eaters proceeded to kick and hit me with various objects. This abuse seemed to go on for ages, but it finally ended after I don't know how long. The Death Eaters parted and allowed Ron back trough. He kicked me again in the side of the head and all I felt was the sharp pain of the hit and Ron's betrayal before the world around me went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I found myself in the strangest place. Everything was black. I tried to look around, but I couldn't see an inch in front of my face. I stumbled forward, my hands out so I would not bump into anything. It was cold and I thought I could hear someone calling to me in the distance. I kept walking and the voice calling me grew louder and began to sound familiar. Finally, I could hear the voice clearly. "Harry," it called, ringing like a silver bell in my ears. The place I was in gradually grew lighter until everything was lit brightly and I could see. I nearly burst into tears when I saw who had been calling me.

It was Hermione. My Hermione. She was a beautiful as the last day I saw her, her brown hair, bushy as it had been in childhood, was silky and wavy, smelling like a summer's rain, her eyes like those of a fawn's, her skin just slightly tan and her smile still radiant. She stepped closer to me and embraced me, and the coldness of the room disappeared and was replaced with loving warmth. I was happy, yet sad at the same time. I knew this couldn't be real, but, even so, I wanted it to never end. Hermione tilted her head upward and looked into my eyes. "Ron... he's not gone forever, Harry," she said softly.

I shook my head. "No, he is. He'll never come back. He's lost to us now." Hermione shook her head and continued to tell me that Ron was still alive. It was almost like the conversation that we had had only days before her abduction and death. And it pained me to talk to her. I pressed a finger lightly to her lips to shush her. "Don't speak. It hurts," I said. Hermione simply nodded. I could tell she was convinced in what she was saying to me, but I still did not believe. Ron was lost to us now. He would never be the same.

Hermione laid her head on my shoulder. "I know it's hard, but you need to forget all that's happened. Deep inside this monster you've found resides our old friend, Ron. I know you can reach him," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "And, Harry, there is one more thing that you must do."

"Mmm? What is that?" I asked, stroking her hair. She pulled away and looked me in the eyes. "You must," she started, hesitating only for a moment before continuing, "forget about me. Move on with your life and stop wallowing in the past. Find someone else to share your love with, for you have so much of it. I will still wait for you, forever." I tried to say something else to her, though I'm not sure what I would have said, but she started to fade away. "Hermione, no!" I shouted, reaching out my hand to grasp her, but she was already gone and the place had gone completely black again.

Just then, a sharp pain in my chest awakened me. I looked up, trying in vain to move my arm to rub the stinging wound on my chest; I could feel the blood trickling down my front. Ron stood before, coiling up a whip. I looked down at myself. I was still bound in the tight cords that I had been earlier and every time I moved they dug into my skin. I growled at Ron as he set the whip at his feet and walked forward towards me. "You're awake," he said with that strange grin on his face.

"What do you want?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to be released from my restraints so that I could strangle to coward before me.

Ron's grin broadened and leaned over me. Ron reached up to my neck and pulled out the Claddagh ring out of my shirt, grabbed it firmly by the chain and yanked it off, cutting the nape of my neck. He held it up to the light by its chain and let it dangle in front of his face. "You still have this? You are still brooding on the past, aren't you? Are you still saddened by her death? By your loss?" he asked, sounding as if he really didn't care. He pocketed the ring. "Why don't I tell you, before I execute you, about the truth behind Hermione's death?" This caught my interest and I tilted my head to one side, wanting but not wanting to hear what he had to say. "You see," he continued, "I was the one that abducted her." I jerked towards him when he said this, shocked at this and wanting to grab him. "And I was the one that killed her." This made me lunge at him, but I didn't get very far. Ron quickly straitened himself and kicked me back into the wall. I groaned as he continued, laughing. "She was the most enjoyable assignment that I have ever had. And I think you'd like to know that she was crying for you the entire time, even while I raped her."

"You- you son of a bitch!" I screamed, angry tears streaming down my face. "You ruthless bastard! How could you? She was your friend!"

Ron was still grinning. I wanted to smack him, to wipe that grin off his face, but I was still bound and could not move. "Oh, it was very easy to kill her. Listening to her cries and pleas for mercy alone were enough to make me want to tear her head off. Besides, she was always annoying enough to kill, if you think about it." I glared up at him through tears and spat at his feet. He only laughed.

I stared up at him. "Why did-"I croaked.

"Why did I cross over?" Ron finished in a dull voice. "I knew you would ask that. It is quite simple. It made so much more sense to work with the Dark Lord and be rewarded with a permanent position in his brave new world than fight against him and ultimately be killed. Don't you agree? Besides, there was no longer any reason to continue fighting against him."

The anger that had welled up in me now pounded painfully against my chest as it tried frantically to escape. "No REASON!" I shouted, my face growing hot with anger. "You filthy coward! Is protecting your family and friends from Voldemort's evil not a reason? Is fighting for the freedom of our children and our children's children not a reason? Is fighting for innocent lives not a REASON?" I was enraged! How could he be so stupid and foolish?

Ron stepped forward, throwing daggers at me with his eyes. I ignored his gaze and continued to yell. "You ignorant fool! Have you any idea what your old friends went through? How Hermione could talk of nothing but the hope that you might be alive before she was abducted? How Seamus and Dean fought Death Eaters to protect their wives and children?"

Ron said nothing, just continued to glare at me. "You would throw the honor of both your family and yourself away to work for Voldemort? You would rather die a coward than honorably and nobly fighting against him? Even Neville was braver than you! He was tortured to death by your damned master! But, even as his screams filled the night, he still cursed Voldemort's name until his last breath, and he refused to succumb to evil! You betrayed me, Ron, and every person who has ever had an ounce of respect for you! Every one who ever believed in you!" I was so angry now that I was beyond tears. I could hear tormented screams in the distance and my memory brought forth the sounds of deaths that I had witnessed. Ron showed not the slightest bit of emotion.

"And I should care, because...?" Ron asked, gesturing for me to answer him.

"You monster!" I screeched.

"Well, if you're finished, I think it's time you go now. You are beginning to annoy me," he said, the grin creeping back onto his features. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at me, but paused. "No, wait. I've a better idea. Crucio!" The blinding pain coursed through my body and I couldn't even hear myself scream as the blood pounded in my ears. I felt like someone had thrown me into a blazing hellhole. It felt as if it was never going to end, and then, finally, it did. I lay on the floor, breathing heavily and still twitching in pain. I could just barely make out Ron's face in the blur caused by my tears. He looked bored as he gazed lazily at me and twirled his wand in one hand. "That wasn't as fun as I thought. Maybe I should have left the death story for after the torture. Oh well, I think I'll just kill you now. I have so much to do."

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for him to shout 'Avada Kedavra, but instead I heard the door swing open and a crack as if someone had broken a piece of wood on something and then a thud. I opened my eyes to see Ron unconscious on the floor in front of me and two Death Eaters standing above him. One was holding a broken 2x4, black robes handing loosely on a small frame, and the other was carefully closing the door, making sure no one was around outside. The first one dropped the broken piece of wood and gestured to the other to come over to where the first one was standing. The other did so and the first lowered its mask and hood. I nearly screamed. Ginny Weasley stood before me, looking as if her dressed as a Death Eater were the most natural thing in the world.

"Gi- Ginny?" I stammered my eyes wide. "What- what are you- what do you think you are- what have you done?" I cried.

She snickered and shook her head. "I'm not a Death Eater, Harry. It's called a 'disguise'," she said lightly. She nodded toward me, signaling the other to do something, and the other stepped forward and knelt down, pulling a dagger out of its boot. This time I did scream. The second person slapped me and sliced off my ropes, which fell to the ground. Ginny helped me to my feet as the other stood up and slipped the dagger back into its boot. "Here," she held her hand out towards her companion, who pulled out a bundle and a Death Eater mask out of its robes and placed them in Ginny's waiting hand, and she then gave them to me. "Put those on. We're getting you out of here."

I scoffed. "And like we're really gonna be able to just waltz on out of here."

"Precisely," Ginny said. I gave her a questioning look. "They don't pay attention to how many Death Eaters come and go," she replied. "We do this all the time." She gestured to her partner, who nodded. "Now come on!" She replaced her mask and hood and I slipped on the robes and put on my own mask. They were a bit big on me and I felt as though I was wearing a tent and the mask lowered my visibility, which made me feel a bit vulnerable, and I didn't like that feeling. I stooped down beside the unconscious form of Ron Weasley, narrowed my eyes and searched his pockets until I found the Claddagh ring that he had taken from me, tied the chain into a knot to fasten it around my neck, and then I stood up and followed Ginny out of the cell. Ginny, her companion and I did exactly as Ginny had said we would do. We walked right past the guards, who didn't even question us, and started off through the fields.

We walked for an hour or so, still in our Death Eater outfits, which I thought was a bit risky but said nothing, until we made it to a cave. The cave was dark and I could just barely see a foot in front of me before Ginny pulled out her wand, whispered something under her breath and illuminated the cave with a lantern. I gasped as my eyes fell upon a full-grown Chinese Fireball, he head resting upon a large rock and her tail curled around about five speckled-red eggs. I glanced worriedly at Ginny, who was removing her disguise and didn't seem at all surprised that we had walked into a cave that a mother dragon resided in. She gestured for me to remove my disguise, and I did and so did the Ginny's partner, though I could only barely see him through the corner of my eye, but I could not fully make him out as I was soon distracted. I turned to Ginny and saw her smiling in the direction of the dragon. "Beautiful, isn't she?" came a voice from behind me. I spun around as Charley Weasley walked into the cave.

I smiled at the sight of him and nodded. "She is," I said. Charley smiled at me, and then he passed me and went over where Ginny's partner had been. I turned to see who else had rescued me from the clutches of death and felt the blood drain from my face as I saw Draco Malfoy sitting cross-legged on the ground only ten feet from the dragon. I turned to Ginny, who was shaking from silent laughter, most likely from the shocked look that had no doubtable flooded my features.

"G-Ginny..." I stuttered. "What- what is... he doing here?" I asked, pointing at Draco, who was leaning his head against the wall and had his eyes closed.

"That is my partner," Ginny said, standing next to me. "We've been working together for eight years."

"I- I thought he was... dead..." I said softly. Charley shook his head as he passed me and sat down on a rock. "I know that the headlines all read 'Draco Malfoy, Heir to the Malfoy Fortune, Missing. Assumed Dead.' eight years ago, I still have the papers, but it was only because Dumbledore wanted it to seem that way. Voldemort was after him and Dumbledore thought it best if he were presumed dead," Charley explained. I sat down on the ground and stared at Draco. Ginny sat down next to me. "Why was I never told?" I asked.

"Because, I was the only one to know. I only told Charley recently," she said, glancing over at Draco, who seemed to be asleep. "We should get some sleep, by the way. We're up early tomorrow. Good-night." With that, Ginny stood and walked to the other end of the cave and lay down, using her arm as a pillow. Charley soon followed suit, putting out Ginny's light and draping the cave in darkness once more. I leaned against the wall and soon fell asleep myself.