Ambush

Outside Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Ron was closing the shop for the day. He had considered staying home with Hermione, but she was still sleeping, and he needed something to distract him. So, he had come to work, but hadn't really been able to focus on that either. Luckily, it had been a slow day, so George had managed the business mostly alone.

He heard a noise behind him and turned around, wand at the ready. He was a lot more careful after what had happened to Hermione. If they had gotten to her, then he had to be extra careful as well. But it was Albus standing there, wand pointed at him, and a grim expression on his face. The look was menacing. Ron took a step back in surprise.

"Albus! What are you doing here? This is dangerous. What game are you playing?"

Albus didn't answer right away. He made a small quiet sign, then held up one finger, indicating it behind him. Ron understood and nodded quickly.

"I wasn't sure if you would attack me," Albus said, lowering his wand. "I suppose my father has told you what has happened?"

"He has," Ron said, playing along. "He says you have joined Voldemo…"

"Don't use that name! You of all people should know not to use that name! And you shouldn't believe everything my father says. Believe it or not, I am working on a way to get Rose away from that place. Malfoy tricked me, I had to go along. Now I pretend to be one of them. Didn't he tell you about Hermione? Or did he say he found out where we were going to kill her all on his own? When has he ever done anything on his own?"

"He didn't say how he found the location. Did you tell him? Why would he lie about that?" Ron tried to discreetly look around him, to see if there were other people nearby. Where was the Death Eater hiding? There were too many shadows for him to be sure. His best hope for now was to keep going along with whatever Albus was doing. He also lowered his wand but kept it ready if needed. He hoped he would not end up captured as well. Hermione needed him. He really shouldn't have come to work today.

"Yes, I told him. Though he didn't seem very pleased after the fact. He tried to restrain me, to prevent having to admit that I had ever been there. For now, all I want is to get Rose away from Malfoy. I will see what happens after that.

Will you come with me Uncle Ron? Do you trust me enough to do that? Together, we may be enough to overcome Malfoy. He plans to take her away. I know where. Will you come? Trust me and save your daughter?"

"Rose? Can we save Rose?"

"Yes. If you come with me now. Will you come? I can't do it alone," Albus pleaded. He hoped this would work. If Ron didn't come with him, Crabbe would probably try to kill him right there.

"I'll come," Ron walked over and touched Albus. They both Disapparated.

Crabbe smiled and straightened. The boy had actually done it. The next moment, he was Stunned.

***

Albus and Ron landed on a deserted moor. Albus quickly grabbed Ron and put him flat on his back.

"Stay low," Albus hissed. "Crabbe will appear here any moment to kill you. Though he thinks we are a bit further down there."

"Coming to kill me?" Ron said, incredulous.

"Yes. I thought he would just take you hostage like we did with Aunt Hermione, but he wants to make a statement."

"So why would you go along?"

"By the time the conversation got that far I was already committed. Now, please, stay low and quiet. I need to catch Crabbe the moment he Apparate here, if you don't want to risk being killed. I was to get you to stand in a specific spot over there, then he would Apparate here and kill you straight away. I can't give him time to think. He is a lot smarter than his son was."

"That wouldn't take much. But I'll be quiet," Ron said.

They waited for several long minutes. What was taking Crabbe so long? At last, a figure appeared. Albus Stunned him. Only after he had sent the spell did he realise that the figure was not Crabbe.

"What was that? Did you get him?" asked Ron, still flat on the ground.

"I got someone. Don't know who. I'll risk going over to see who it is. Stay low. If Crabbe does appear, I'll say you ran off because he took so long."

Albus ran over to the clearing. He found the figure on the ground. It was George Weasley. Albus quickly revived him.

"Hey there Albus," George said with a grin. "What did you Stun me for?"

"I thought you were Crabbe," Albus replied, a little ashamed. "Why are you here? How did you find us?"

"Your Tracker," George explained as Albus helped him to his feet. "Mum had me make the physical parts for it, so I have a spare locator. I saw the whole display from inside the shop. You really do look menacing when you want to. I took the long way around and Stunned Crabbe the moment you left, deposited him in the shop, still Stunned, and then used the locator. I was worried there might be more of them here."

"Thank you. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get out of this." Albus shouted back to Ron, "Uncle Ron, it's okay. It's Uncle George. Crabbe is out."

"Good. I didn't really want to die today," Ron replied from behind the trees. He came over to them. "I suppose this means that Rose isn't really here?"

"No, sorry," Albus admitted. "But she is as safe as she can be. She isn't tortured anymore. Let's move away from this exact spot in case Voldemort decides to send backup."

"Good idea," Ron said. "You can explain back at the Burrow."

***

In the living room at the Burrow, Albus once again had to explain himself. Ron, George, Harry, and Ginny were all there. Ron had called for Harry to return from the Ministry as soon as they had returned to the Burrow. Albus told them of Voldemort's latest plan.

"…I am very glad that George was there and saw everything. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't seen us, and Crabbe had arrived. I'm not confident I would have been able to overpower him in a duel, even if he had been taken by surprise. Now I just need to figure out how to explain this mess to Voldemort and avoid being punished for it,"

"We could pretend I am dead?" Ron suggested. "That the plan succeeded."

"But what about Crabbe? He will remember that he didn't do it. And he is now captured. We shouldn't let him back there, even if we modify his memory. And I can't do it yet, I haven't trained enough."

"And I very much hope that you never will!" Ginny shot in.

"And wouldn't Voldemort demand to see the corpse? He wanted to make sure that you found it…"

"Not if Crabbe jumped the gun and killed Ron right there in Diagon Alley," Harry suggested. "He was seen and Stunned. And you escaped… Somehow…"

"And how would I escape, when Crabbe was caught? I was the one that was most exposed. And it has taken too long for that, why would I delay returning if it went wrong at once?"

"Why do you have to return at all? Won't he just believe that you were both captured? Especially if we circulate that there was an attempt on Ron's life, but the people have been arrested…" Ginny added in the brainstorming.

"I can't do that! I can't leave Rose and Scorpius there alone!" Albus wouldn't have minded using this as an excuse to not go back to the Death Eaters, but he couldn't leave Scorpius like that. He needed to see this through to the end.

"You could have been captured, then escaped. Like Scorpius did," Ron suggested.

"Yes, that works. That way, I also saw everything that happened, and you don't have to pretend to be dead. And I'll blame it all on Crabbe. But of course, I wasn't taken to jail as he was. I was taken home. But restrained…" Albus said excitedly.

"But I wouldn't be able to keep you restrained. I may even follow you and beg you not to go back, to listen and return with me," Ginny suggested.

"You don't have to do that! You risk being captured too! Or killed!"

"I highly doubt they will attack me. Not straight away anyway. It will help sell your story though. I'll be very far back. You'll hold your wand on me, which you took back in your escape, and maybe you even send a Stunner towards me to prove your point. I'll Disapparate if the others come running for you."

"I don't like this idea," Harry said. "Shouldn't I be the one who he escapes from?"

"No, you would never let your guard down. You should hit me though," Albus suggested.

"Hit you?!" Harry shouted.

"Because you are angry with me,"

"I won't hit you. And I am not angry with you."

"You don't need to actually hit him. We can use a Boxing Telescope from the shop. I may even have a few here still," George ran upstairs to check.

"Where is Aunt Hermione? How is she?" Albus asked, while they waited for George to return.

"Still sleeping," Ron said sadly. "She is not well. But she is more worried about Rose than herself. I had to hold her back from trying to storm the place all on her own when she woke up the first time. Please try to get Rose away from there soon."

"That may be difficult. The new plan is for us to mostly stay inside the Manor boundary to rebuild strength and make new plans. Our only chance is for either Scorpius or I to get a chance to open the barrier on the gate to let you in. But that will be very dangerous for the other two, and especially for Rose," Albus said "And I think you are right, Father. I think this is an impostor. He was back in less than an hour after I killed him. Not even a Horcrux could explain that." He managed to say that last part without trembling. It had been necessary, and whoever the person he killed had been, he had not been a good person. But it would still haunt him forever.

"I agree," Harry said. "It is the only thing that makes sense. Well, if we are going to do this thing, let's get on with it."

George came back down, carrying what looked like a small binocular and chains. He made the Boxing Telescope punch Albus in the eye and again on the cheek, while Ron started attaching chains.

"We need to make the chain end seem ripped off or torn. I tore them off the wall after all." Albus said

"Not the hands. You were only fastened to the wall with your feet. Until I opened them to let you use the bathroom," Ginny said. "You knocked me over, ran to the kitchen where your wand was, and was out the door. That way, you'll still have hands bound, and minimal damage to the foot chain."

"Yes, that sounds plausible,"

"I am going to hate this. I don't like to see you in chains, and I don't want you to go back there at all."

"It was your idea that you should follow me. You don't have to do that. The chains can be proof enough."

"I don't like that idea either, Ginny. Maybe it should be me who chases him?" Ron suggested.

"No, they definitely want to kill you," Ginny said. "That's why we are here after all."

"They probably want to kill you too," Harry said.

"Yes, but the guards at the gate probably won't have specific orders to kill me on sight."

"But how would you be able to follow me?" Albus asked. "Would you just guess where I was going, or do you need to travel with me?"

"It is an open secret that you are all at Malfoy Manor. Besides, Hermione could have told me."