ch 31

Hello everyone,

I'm glad there weren't too many people who disagreed with Ron becoming a Black. Originally, I was not planning on that happening, I was rolling with the Prewitt's, but alas, the story decided otherwise. A part of me is glad it happened this way.

We're getting into The Half-Blood Prince properly this chapter. I always felt like most of the events of this book happened in the latter half tbh. Believe it or not, I can see the end in sight for this fic. Things will speed up soon, not like this chapter soon, but soon.

I HAVE MADE AN INSTAGRAM FOR MY WRITING. It'll have posts about all of my Fanfic stories, and also little updates on my original fantasy novel. I might also do some book reviews on there, about some fantasy novels that I love, and some that I didn't. Might even do some about the fanfics that I have found on the site over the years. So give me a follow if you want, that'd be cool. The handle is wtmcdonaldauthor.

Anyway, enough rambling. On to the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Class dismissed."

Snape's condescending drawl caused a shuffle of everyone in the room. That sentence concluded the first week of my apprenticeship. I watched as the fifth year class of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students gathered their things to leave and enjoy the weekend.

I didn't move, determined to finish the weeks grading before I went to enjoy my own weekend. Of course, that meant a weekend full of learning and dueling, not gossiping in Hogsmeade as most people my age did.

Soon, Snape sauntered over to where I sat and picked up a few papers out of my already graded stack. I ignored him as I focused on a particularly thorough paper over defensive charms by a Ravenclaw girl whose name I never bothered to learn.

I really should take more time to interact with my students. I thought, feeling a bit ashamed.

"You are surprisingly harsh, Black." Snape said as he set the papers back down on the table. "Not to the extent I am, but more than I expected."

"I think an outstanding should be earned, professor. Good work will be an exceeds expectations, but if they really want the best grade, they better impress." I confirmed.

We had already been over Snape's grading standards, and he was right. He graded harsher, and I was certainly no slouch. The difference were the notes of insight that I left either beside their paragraphs or at the end of the assignment. I explained my reasoning behind the grade, hoping they would adapt in the future.

"Good. I feared you would be too soft." Snape said. "Sunday, find me in my office."

I looked up and caught his eyes. I nodded, confirming that it was ok. "Yes, sir."

Dueling. I thought to myself before I remembered a very important thing.

"Sir." I began.

Snape paused in his steps on the way to the door. "Yes?" He responded.

"I haven't seen Theodore Nott anywhere in the castle this year." I once again looked up from the paper under my hands.

Snape blinked, not expecting me to ask about him. Nobody knew of our agreement after all. Nott and I had agreed for absolutely zero contact after the fiasco at the Ministry. We were supposed to meet back up at the beginning of the school year, in secret. He never showed.

"Theodore's father had an accident." Snape said slowly with intent, I caught the meaning, he was dead. "And felt it necessary to start home-schooling." Snape finished.

So he's still alive, and deep in the ranks of the Death Eaters. I deduced, slightly worried for my informant.

"Thank you, sir. He owed me some money for a lost bet." I returned while smiling. My eyes told Snape everything.

We did nothing but stare at each other and I could see the wheels turning in his mind. His face showed nothing, neither did mine. But I could see in his eyes that he saw me differently than he did before. No doubt, Nott had been doing his job well and rising through the ranks. He probably looked and talked like the perfect Death Eater. Did none of them wonder where his skill came from?

The book gives a new perspective on casting. That combined with a motivation of a goal, can be dangerous. I pondered as I remembered Nott pouring over 'A Beginners Guide to Casting for the Learned' and damn near memorizing it's contents. Someone with enough determination could take that information and become a deadly duelist, even with a small spell arsenal.

With quick eyes, you could determine the nature of a spell by the opening sequence of the wand motions and prepare your counters accordingly. I quickly realized that, while great against normal wizards and witches, it would do next to nothing against the likes of Dumbledore or Voldemort.

Snape continued to stare at me for a moment, and the corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. He whirled around quickly, and his robes billowed around him in the unseen wind.

With him gone, my eyes softened. The knowledge that Nott was safe and most likely making a name for himself meant that he was killing, or at least maiming innocents. That was on me. A certain phrase from my mentor rang in my mind.

"I don't ask for forgiveness, only understanding."

Harry's wand swirled in the air and a bright white light shot from his wand.

Shit, the siege spell. I realized.

My wand whipped and I focused my concentration. A silver protego appeared in front of me, covered in a seven count runic cluster and absorbed the spell. The world around me shook from the power of the spell. I fell to a knee and was about to retaliate when I felt a magical construct hovering behind me.

I turned to see a silver spear pointed at my back, right where it would pierce my heart. I smirked at the ending of the duel.

"Stop copying me." I whined.

My head whipped to the entrance of the Room as a mental knock sounded in my head. I heard Harry laugh and say something but I wasn't focused on him.

The Room responded to my desires and the walls near the door became transparent. There was someone standing on the other side of the wall, pacing and looking at it. Someone with blonde hair.

"What is Malfoy doing here?" Harry asked curiously.

A memory of him standing in front of the vanishing cabinet popped up in his mind. Then multiple Death Eaters poured out. Dumbledore falling to a killing curse from Snape. Then I snapped out of it and my eyes narrowed.

"Let's find out." I proposed, knowing I couldn't just blurt out my knowledge of why Malfoy was here. "Disillusionment, silenced, you know the drill." I commanded.

Harry obeyed and light bent around us as we became invisible. I mentally gave the command for the room to obey Malfoy but to let me have absolute control over it just in case. Everything in our own Room disappeared and suddenly we were surrounded by mountains of useless junk. Some of it stacked to the ceiling.

The door leading into the room opened. "About bloody time." Malfoy muttered as he entered the room.

Dark bags hung underneath his eyes and his clothes fell around his skinny form. He looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in days. The worst part was his eyes, they looked dead, even as they flitted about the room searching for enemies in the shadows.

His feet moved with purpose through the makeshift alleys in the maze of cluttered junk. I followed at an appropriate distance, I could only assume Harry did the same. I extended my magical senses, just in case Malfoy decided to start throwing spells at random.

I shut it off quickly as I felt a disturbing presence in the room. It felt like a magical black hole, like it wasn't supposed to exist. I put it in the back of my mind, to investigate later before focusing on the task at hand.

Malfoy finally reached his destination. There was a tall structure in front of him, covered by a linen cloth. He reached up and pulled it off, carefully. It looked just as it had in the movies, although this one was severely damaged.

Didn't peeves drop it a few years back? I wondered, trying to remember the object.

"Finally." Malfoy muttered as he observed the vanishing cabinet. Malfoy flicked his wrist and his wand shot into the open hand. It was fairly fast for a Hogwarts student, but had nothing on my own, or Harry's, draw.

"Harmonia Nectere Passus." Malfoy said while waving his wand in a pattern that resembled the 'reparo' charm.

Nothing happened.

I fought back a snicker at Malfoy's weak attempt. I already knew his problem. He had absolutely no idea what was required to repair the object. He had no clue what the original enchantment tried to achieve, and he had no idea how to get the mindset necessary to affect it.

Amateur. I thought, disappointed at my former classmate. Your best option is to run, I'll never allow you to accomplish your mission. You and Snape will both die before it happens.

"Fuck." Malfoy muttered and repeated the incantation.

He repeated the action several times before giving up and turning around and heading for the door, a failure. His face looked even worse now that he had failed.

A shame for Narcissa's looks to be wasted so. I couldn't help but remark.

It didn't take Malfoy long to leave the room, at which point I turned it back into our normal dueling room, but added windows to look out over the Hogwarts grounds.

"What was that about?" Harry asked as we cancelled our spells.

I didn't feel the need to hide the information, instead I called the object to the center of the room in front of me. It appeared with a flourish, still broken.

"This is a vanishing cabinet." I commented. "It was used in wars past to hide the owners while there was an attack. It has a twin somewhere in the world, and when repaired, can be used to transport between the two instantaneously. An attack would come, and they would simply walk into it, and wait for the attack to end." I finished my explanation and waited for the implication to hit Harry.

"So it can bypass Hogwarts wards?" Harry asked nervously.

"Precisely." I confirmed.

Harry's wand whipped out and I agreed with the sentiment whole heartedly. Then I had an idea and changed my mind.

"Wait." I said.

He stopped and looked at me with a confused look on his face. "Why? It's too dangerous to be left alone. What if Malfoy gets lucky and fixes it?"

I stared into his eyes. "I'm counting on it." I revealed.

Realization dawned on his face. "You want to set a trap?" Harry asked.

I nodded. "Think about it, it's his trump card right now and we know about it. He's planning an attack on the school soon. What if we take this option away? He'll find some other way to get people in." I explained. "This way we can set a trap, catch them off guard and maybe even take Voldemort himself out."

"We can end the war before it begins." I ended, excitement running through me.

Harry lowered his wand and sat down. A chair appeared out of nowhere and caught him before he hit the ground. I was secretly impressed.

"There are so many kids in the school Ron. Can we take the risk?" Harry asked.

I had thought about the same thing of course, but to me the benefits outweighed the risk. "We have to." I responded. "I'll begin working on the runic cluster required to trap them."

I could tell that Harry still wasn't convinced, he had a frown on his face. I sat there, waiting for him to decide. The longer it went on, the more I wanted to destroy the cabinet myself and remove the risk. I held myself back, knowing how valuable this trap could be for us.

Fortune favors the bold. I thought and with it came a burst of motivation. This is the right move.

Finally Harry stood up. "The devil you know." He quoted before turning and addressing me. "We'll check on it every single day. We can't allow him to repair it before you have the cluster ready. If he finishes before you do, we destroy it."

"I completely agree."

"I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."

I shook my head as I stepped out of the memory.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk with his head in his hands. He looked much more lively than he had in the previous session. His face regained the color it had before the glove appeared. His eyes didn't twinkle tonight because of the subject of our meeting, but outside the office you couldn't tell anything was wrong with the old wizard.

"How could you not have known?" Harry accused once we regained out wits.

He's becoming more outspoken, confident. I observed.

"He was a child, Harry." I scolded almost immediately.

"A monster." Harry retorted.

I was about to respond when Dumbledore interrupted. "Could you condemn a child, Harry? A child who just reached his eleventh birthday? Truly?"

I stared at Harry, agreeing with Dumbledore. Harry met both of our eyes.

"Oh come on, this is Voldemort we're talking about." Harry defended himself.

"No!" I replied icily, the subject was not even thinkable for me. "This was Tom Riddle, Jr. An orphan." I emphasized the word orphan.

Harry recoiled as if struck. "With the correct guidance, Tom Riddle could have ushered in a new age of magic." Dumbledore said confidently. "His mind operated like no one elses. I suspect that if he had been put in Gryffindor, or maybe Ravenclaw, then he would have truly been good, great."

Neither Harry or I responded to that. I knew that we weren't sure if we agreed with him. Personally, I think the result could have been the same. But even the slimmest chance that I was wrong and Dumbledore could be right, was enough for me to believe in a child. Children are off limits.

"I have mentioned your similarities often Harry. Although I believe that you two differ just as much as you are alike." Dumbledore explained.

I nodded along, agreeing with Dumbledore. I have been doing that more and more lately.

"In fact, it is not you that I worry about anymore." Dumbledore and we were both thrown off by that comment. Dumbledore was staring at me, through me even.

Me? I wondered.

"Ron reminds me so much of an old friend I once knew." Dumbledore said. "Magically gifted, but with the drive to squeeze every ounce of talent out himself."

"Grindelwald." I commented, answering Harry's unasked question.

"Yes." Dumbledore confirmed. "I admit that I was not the same man, back then, as I am today."

I knew this story already, but I knew Harry had to hear it, so I stayed quiet.

"In my youth, I reveled in my magical ability. I knew I was more talented than those around me, but there was one other who could give me a challenge. He was handsome, charismatic, and insanely driven. I was drawn in immediately." Dumbledore explained. "He stirred something within me, made me want more. We began searching for power, and we found it. By the time we were in our twenties, I suspect we were already the most powerful wizards on the planet, save a select few. Our thirties, we outstripped everyone. In the beginning, I started teaching here, not because of my love for it, but rather instead the resources Hogwarts offered. The foremost location for magical knowledge."

I stood enraptured as Dumbledore went into more detail than the books did, actually revealing his motivation and experiences first hand.

"Gellert found it tiresome and mundane. 'Who wants to teach a bunch of entitled snivelling brats' he would say. However, he knew why I was here, and secretly he approved. He found another method. He abused his charismatic abilities to form connections with people in high places, learning of magics and techniques of casting long thought dead."

Neither Harry or I interrupted the legendary wizard.

"And then, I saw through it all. I learned of terrible deeds he committed in the name of the 'Greater Good'. As it turns out, some families didn't want to part with their secrets. He massacred them. When I confronted him about it, my brother Aberforth and sister Ariana were there, and pleaded with us to stop. It all happened so fast." Dumbledore slumped in his seat. A sole tear trailed down his face.

"I was the one who cast the first spell, intent on stopping him. I dominated the duel from the beginning. He didn't stand a chance, honestly." Dumbledore said. "Only, my spells couldn't hurt him. I got frustrated while he stood there and laughed. Then he produced a small vial of blood, on a chain. A blood pact, formed when we were younger. Immediately, I knew I couldn't be the one to stop him." Dumbledore continued.

I looked over to Harry and saw that he was concentrating on the wizard intently. I couldn't tell if he was judging the old man, or not.

"Then Ariana was on the ground, staring off into space, dead. Gellert fled once it was revealed. Aberforth never forgave me. She was standing closest to me, and I was using spells that can cause collateral damage. Initially, I denied that it was me who caused her death. Gellert didn't have the spine to tell me either way. Even now, I can only suspect that it was my spell that killed her. That was the day I changed Harry, for the better, if I do say so myself."

Now I understood the point of him telling us this intimate story. It was also revealing his motivation behind letting people see the error of their own ways, and giving them a second chance. It was because he could have been the worst of all the dark lords, instead of the best of us all.

Harry hung his head, learning the lesson. The story was moving, but it didn't change how I approached my enemies. I would show mercy to those I believed deserved it, and I would give the others my wrath.

"Yes, you see now Harry, right?" Dumbledore told him.

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Now look at Ron." Dumbledore instructed. Harry obeyed him and I kept my face passive, not changing. "Even now, after my past. Ron is not moved, not convinced. That is why I do not worry you Harry, no, you will always be a force for good. Ronald here, everything he does is for the ones he loves, not because of his moral obligations."

I clamped down on my occlumency as he continued his explanation. That's not entirely true. I disagreed. Although there is no deed in this world I could not see myself committing for Fleur, Harry, Sirius, or even Dumbledore.

Maybe he is right. I concluded.

"Is that why you have hidden the book from us, Headmaster?" I asked, deciding it was as good a time as any.

Dumbledore nodded. "It's not that I don't trust you Ron. I just need to see ...more."

More? What more should I give? I raged before getting a hold of my emotions.

"My control has improved, I promise." I tried to reassure him.

"Occlumency is a tricky thing." Dumbledore said. "It can trick us into believing we are right, that we are in control and a force for good. Yet it will also allow us to kill in cold blood, or to ruin a family in the name of the 'Greater Good'."

Both were deeds that either Grindelwald, or I had done, the comment was for me. Finally, my actions were catching up to me.

"I'll need it. We both know you are dying, Headmaster." I pleaded, trying to convince.

"And my last deed, will be to make sure you are ready." Dumbledore answered, unwavering in his decision.

"I won't let Malfoy or Snape kill you." I told him, not caring if he knew of the information.

Dumbledore didn't even act surprised that I knew the information as I thought. Nor would he ask how I received the information, as I thought he would.

"Would you be so cruel, Ron?" Dumbledore asked, pleading back towards me. "Would you deny me the death I choose?"

That startled me, and shut me up at once. My mouth opened to retort, and the words died in my throat.

"I may be old, but I will not be remembered as someone who ran from death. I am not afraid of him, and I will meet him proud of the legacy I have left behind and eager for my next adventure." The last part he said, he said pointing at us.

"I …" Once again the words died but I forced them out. "I need you. We need you."

"No, my boy." Dumbledore answered knowingly. "You may not be as ready as we want. But when my time comes, you will be."

Dumbledore stood up from his seat and moved with grace and purpose around the desk, stopping in front of us.

I tried another tactic, unwilling to concede. "You still owe us a favor! Remember? From the basilisk!"

Dumbledore actually chuckled, and his eyes twinkled with mirth.

"I have paid that debt more than once already."

I stormed down the hallways. Once, not so long ago, my emotions would have been destroying the castle around me. Now I moved a calm storm, contained.

I heard footsteps following behind me and I knew it would be Harry.

I need a release. I thought as I felt my magic swirling beneath my skin, it demanded to do my bidding to the world.

I made a quick turn and raced down the hallways to outside Hogwarts. The black lake will feel my wrath. I decided, knowing that no one would get hurt there. No one but the

I already prepared the spells I knew would cause destruction. My feet hit dirt and I picked up the pace. It took me seconds and I drew my wand from my holster. I turned a corner to where I knew I could see the lake.

I stopped, dead in my tracks.

I was not standing at the base of the Black Lake. Instead, one of the biggest trees I had ever seen loomed over me. It stood, branches like arms, reaching out to the night sky, touching the heavens. Long leaves drooped from it, like the river's tears carved down our face. It was the weeping willow I planted not too long ago. Tiny lights were hung on the bottommost branches to give light to the seats and benches underneath it.

Percy. I realized.

A memory flashed in my mind. A night from when Arthur was hospitalized.

"The next thing I knew, my hand was on Percy's throat. Percy was flush against the wall next to Arthur's bed, held there by magic. The wall had cracks in it that were spreading slowly.

My hand was yanked from his throat but my magic held him on the wall as someone pried me off of him and dragged me backwards. Percy's face was red and his mouth was open as if he couldn't breath."

When I opened my eyes, I was on my knees. The leaves on the weeping willow blew in the wind.

A hand touched my shoulder and I turned to see that it was Dumbledore, not Harry who followed me. He seemed a bit out of breath.

I hate that you're right. I thought about the old man and what he told me earlier. His next sentence made me come to terms with his impending death, made me accept it.

"Don't you see? There is beauty in death."

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