invisible string! → ron weasley

xvii. the world on fire

"'m fine. Cheers, Kates." He gave her a smile, but even disguised it was obvious there wasn't much feeling in it. Kates' own smile fell and she turned to face him, one elbow on the table.

"The future is going to happen whether you dwell on it or not," she told him quietly, hoping he would get the message hidden within her vague piece of wisdom. "You may as well enjoy yourself before your responsibilities take over." She could tell he understood, and he donned a ghost of a smile.

"You're a good friend, Kates," he told her, and she beamed at him.

"Cheers, Barney!" With that she stood again and trotted over to Ron, who was at present speaking to the two newlyweds. Either he was getting used to Fleur's Veela powers or they simply affected him less the more time he spent with Kates, but he seemed more comfortable talking to her than he used to. She was proud of him, do he had come so far in so many ways over the last couple years—hell, they all had.

It was a minute or so after Kates joined the conversation that the tent was met with the Patronus of Kingsley Shacklebolt. The lights went down and everyone went silent; Kates and Ron held onto each other as they held their breaths in anticipation—and fear.

The message was clear enough. The Ministry had been overtaken by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and it was only a matter of moments before the wedding would be as well. Once the Patronus disappeared, chaos ensued around them. Some started to run, others began to scream, and still others prepared themselves for the inevitable fight to come. Kates and Ron turned to each other, neither releasing the other. Ron's gaze was firm and resolute.

"You have friends here, Kates—you have family. Should you need anything, you come here, all right?" Needless to say, his words caught her off guard. It seemed as if he had been planning them for a while. "Promise me, please," he added, this time more desperately.

"Yes, all right," she stammered, "but what—" It was too late. The Death Eaters began to arrive and they didn't intend on playing nicely. Kates looked back to Ron and said the words she least wanted to say, but she, like him, knew what had to be done: "Go." He hesitated for but a moment then gave her a nod, pressed his lips to hers, and ran off.

Kate's was quick to join the fight, standing alongside Bill and Fleur as more and more Death Eaters entered the scene. For a moment it felt as if they were making progress, but soon it became quite clear that they were outnumbered. Minutes later, the same people who had been enjoying the reception earlier stood with their hands in the air and their wands on the floor.

Fortunately, the Death Eaters were there in an official capacity under the guise of arresting their new Undesirable Number One (which happened to be Harry, who at that point was long gone), so they treated everyone with as much respect as they were capable. The government may have been under Voldemort's control, but they could only be so cruel and unjust in that capacity. Unfortunately, now that the place was crawling with Death Eaters, Kates knew she would soon be sent back to Kinley Manor.

She sat with the Weasleys in their living room as Death Eaters searched the house once more, and it gave Kates the feeling of being a captive, though that wasn't too far off from the truth. No one said anything, but many looks were exchanged that told everyone everything they needed to know: they would be doing whatever it took to protect each other, Kates included. Still, she knew it would be in vain, at least in her case. She would be at the dark and gloomy Kinley Manor by the following night.

She silently berated herself for being so selfish. How could she think about her own plights when the Ministry was currently under the control of Voldemort himself? There were worse things to consider, like building the resistance and ending his reign of terror; she could worry about her own problems later.