Absolutum Dominium

[Ssunstorm]

Absolutum Dominium
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The Writers
Eazy
Ssunstorm

The Fandom
Harry Potter AU

The Main Characters
Harry Potter
Ginny Weasley
Bellatrix LeStrange

The Supporting Characters
Ron Weasley

The Background
or what you need to know
After Harry, Ron, and Hermione were taken to Malfoy Manor, the boys listened in Horror as their dear friend was tortured to death by a crazed Bellatrix. Convincing an enraged Ron to escape had been near impossible for the Boy Who Lived. But he had lost one friend. He was determined to not lose another. Without their dear friend, events as we know them did not come to pass. The final battle at Hogwarts was not fought. The war rages on. The Dark Lord's reign of terror continues...

And there are those who still stand against him.

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[Ssunstorm]

Prelude
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Dawn spilled over the land in a silent wave. Trees, hills, grass, and The Burrow condensed out of the short lived golden light. Two blankets of clouds moved together, closing the gap in which the light had managed to sneak through, leaving the sky gray, and the world a little less cheerful than it had been a few seconds ago.

This caused a lone red haired girl to sigh, lamenting over the missing sunshine. She stood in jeans and a dark home made sweater with only a cup of tea held between her hands for warmth. Her eyes were focused on the distance, but were unseeing, as if she were imagining her own landscape - a dream painted over the dull, brisk autumn scene.

As though summoned by daybreak, a long wind stirred. Clean, cold air curled around Ginny like a lover, ruffling her firey hair and caressing her face. The air was scented with time and loss, emptiness and fear. Long gone were the cheerful days in which she and her brothers ran around the yard, causing a great deal of noise which would annoy Percy... Or the lazy mornings where Ron slept in and refused to leave his bed until their mother threatened him with no meals for a weak.

It was a solemn day for her, as well as Harry and Ron. They were going to visit the stone grave that rested only a short distance from the home. Hermione's grave. Though the Muggle born witch had died nearly a year before, her body had only recently been retrieved for burial.

Ginny tried hard not to imagine what that 'rescue' mission had been like. At first she had worked hard at convincing Harry, Ron, her father and brothers to allow her to go, but they had denied her at every turn. It had angered her because Hermione had been her friends too, and caused a row between Harry and herself for nearly a week. A chance to think about it a little later had changed her mind. The danger hadn't worried her, but finding a partially decayed corpse had. She didn't want her final memories of Hermione to be so grotesque. Later she had wondered why Ron and Harry would want to carry that burden. It must have been terrible for them. She knew it had to be, but they couldn't live with having failed her so terribly, and then leaving her behind. Had it been her, Ginny would not have liked to have her body left with the enemy - but she'd be dead. It wouldn't really matter. She'd only be meat attached to bones once her spirit was gone.

As she swallowed the last of the tea in her cup, a warm hand moved to rest on her shoulder. She turned to see Harry standing there, his hair as messy as it always was.

"Morning," He said quietly.

She smiled gently and looked into his green eyes. "Morning," she replied with a tiny smile.

Normally the pair could find happiness in one another's company, but the weight of the knowledge for their early morning trip sucked any joy out of the moment. But just knowing they had one another to depend on kept them going. Either of them could die at any time. The fear of dying had been burnt from her long ago because of the war. So many people she had cared for were gone now, victims to Death Eaters and Lord Voldermort. She could die... that did not frighten her. But Harry dying... that frightened her. Not because she loved him and didn't want to lose him, no... But because without him, there was little hope of winning against the Dark Lord. She still believed in Harry and knew he would finish Voldermort off.

Were he to die... she would lose more than the one she loved. She liked to imagine she would be strong and carry on if somehow Harry wouldn't survive to the end. She could not be sure that is how it would go. At night, before she slept, she sometimes feared that without Harry, she might shrivel into a ball and die.

"Ron will be down soon," He told her as he moved his arms about her slender frame and pulled her into his body for a hug. She allowed herself to be enveloped by his embrace, her face against his chest and her arms locked tight about his back. Her lips curled into a happy smile as the heat of his body sank into her. His hands made a familiar circle against her back and his lips were tender as they pressed to her temple.

The pair separated, however, when they could hear sounds coming from The Burrow, announcing Ron's arrival. They weren't embarrassed to be affectionate in front of anyone anymore, in fact they probably weren't careful enough with their displays, but for Ron's sake, they wanted to be respectful.

It had been clear to them both that Ron had loved Hermione for a long time and her loss had hit him the hardest. He had always been prone to moodiness, but after her death, he had become surlier than ever. You never knew what could send him into a fit, or make him burst out with a shout. He always apologized later, but it was still unnerving. Harry and Ginny felt that acting like a couple in front of Ron wasn't fair to him, so they did their best to hide their romantic moments from his eyes.

By the time Ron's tall frame had left the kitchen and met them in the yard, they were only holding hands. Even that small gesture of togetherness made him wince and cause his eyes to grow darker, but he said nothing. He merely shared a nod with Harry and they made their way past the gate.

At one time, the silence the trio shared would have been unbearable, especially if Hermione were still with them. However silence was becoming more of a custom for them. It was easier for Ron to keep his mouth shut than to say something that would come off as hurtful or irritated. No words could bring them comfort, nor fill the void left by Hermione's loss. Mrs. Weasley looked over them so often with a worried gaze that they found ways to project a sense of healing, of happiness returning. The pity was too much for them to take. It was simply easier to pretend all was well.

They tried to find things to say as they walked, but nothing felt right until they mentioned Hermione. Ginny held her breath, awaiting Ron to grow cross, but he didn't. He smiled wistfully and began to share memories with his friend and sister. Ginny listened as the boys told stories, and laughed about how she'd accidentally become part cat in second year. Instead of cheering her up, the stories made her feel worse. She had considered Hermione her friend, but in reality, she was suddenly realizing, they hadn't been as close as she'd thought. She even remembered a time or two when they'd quarreled and not spoken for weeks at a time until their pride had faded.

She hurt more for Harry and Ron, who had been more deeply affected, than she hurt for herself. What made her happy was that Hermione hadn't had to suffer for long. Unless Harry was keeping things from her. She hoped he wouldn't lie to spare her of gory details. She wasn't a wimpy priss who couldn't take the thought of violence - unless, she pondered, he was hoping it for himself?

The guilt he must have felt by not being able to save or protect her must be unimaginable, she thought.

She looked aside at Harry and her brother as they walked through the trees, shoes crunching on fallen leaves. They had chosen a small clearing off of the Burrow in a clump of trees. She remembered having played their as a child. The spot held a lot of sentimental value for her family. It was the perfect place for Hermine to be, in Ginny's opinion. Hermione had been like another daughter to the Weasley family. It made her happy to have her close by... even if it meant she wasn't near her parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered her thoughts as they arrived at the grave site. The pair of dentists had been killed months ago. Her father had learned of it through information sharing channels and shared the sad news with them. Hermione's plan to protect them hadn't worked. Though the memory spell had lasted, and the Muggles had no idea they'd even had a daughter, Voldermort had still decided to end their lives. It made her shiver. The Grangers had not remembered they had a daughter, and would never know she had died. And then to have been tortured and confused by the information, denying it and being killed anyway...

It made Ginny feel a little ill on her stomach.

She watched Ron walk up to a small statue carved into the shape of a lovely angel. He knelt down, touching it with a hand. She could hear him speaking quietly, but she distanced her attention just enough so she couldn't understand the sounds. She stayed by Harry, holding his hand and stroking his back, aching over the sadness she saw in his eyes.

For her, it was a little easier. She had not heard Hermione's screams and the horrifying silence following her death... silence - save a high, cold cackle. When she looked into Harry's eyes, she saw so much suffering... and when he thought of his friend, he appeared numb, his startling green eyes would seem dead. They became so empty that there were times she feared he would never return from the haunted reverie.

She was unsure exactly just how long they could survive... how long he could survive. He was strong and brave. They all were. But with losses so deep, a soul could only carry so many scars before healing was no longer possible.

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[Eazy]

The lengthy walk had been deceptively painful for Harry, whose moments of shared laughter were genuine, yet constantly tainted with a sense of sadness which would forever accompany those cherished memories of their departed friend. As he gazed over at his best friend during their trek, the young wizard could only imagine how deeply the loss of Hermione had affected Ron. Harry had lost many dear friends and family throughout the course of his young life. Far more death and heartache then any person his age should be forced to experience. But one thing he learned was how no two passings affected you the same way, and, while he bared witness to the slayings of many people he loved, there wasn't one whom the brunette could relate to the budding relationship of his two childhood friends.

This last thought caused the green-eyed teen to briefly glance over at Ginny; the beautiful young woman with whom his feelings steadily came to grow from ones of simple affection until they materialized into full blown love. In spite of those losses in the past, there was a time where Harry could allow long stretches of time to flow without concerns of losing a loved one entering his mind. Now, rarely a day could go by without the nightmarish idea of having her taken away in a similar fashion slipping itself into his conscious thoughts. The pair were rather blessed, however, in that they were allowed enough time to take their relationship further then her brother and their mutual friend. Still, while it offered them the good fortune of beginning a chapter in their life together as a couple, with feelings admitted between them which his two friends would forever be unable to share, he realized from the start how it would only make his possibly losing her all the harder.

Upon reaching their desired location, it was an unspoken agreement amongst the trio for Ron to approach her grave before anyone else; allowing the teen a moment between them as he knelt down by her burial. Squeezing Ginny's hand as they stood by, Harry couldn't hear what his friend was saying, nor would he ever think of eavesdropping upon such an exchange. Yet, while they weren't meant for their ears, he could fathom a guess at the nature of the words being uttered toward the headstone of their fallen friend. They were both wrecked with guilt after it happened; for not being able to act fast enough to save her, over the questions of how easily they could have avoided being at the mercy of the death eaters. The boy who lived had tried dealing with and moving beyond such demoralizing thoughts, like he had been forced in attempting many times previous and since the incident at Malfoy Manor, but it was proving exceedingly difficult with every new day that the power struggle with Voldemort and his followers had continued.

"She deserved a greater fate then this." Came the voice of the grieving redhead, speaking clearly enough where it became evident he was addressing his sister and best friend, though he maintained his mournful vigil over the grave site as he continued, "All of her studious reading, all of her smug cleverness -- for any ribbing we drew from it, I think we always knew she'd make a brilliant showing of herself after graduation."

There hadn't been anything in his statements which he could find fault in, but the pained inclination which Ron spoke with caused the brunette's expression to sour even more then it'd already been. Gazing over at Ginny to silently ask for a minute, the young man gave his love's hand a parting squeeze before releasing it and calmly walking over to her brother; standing at his side as Harry joined him in watching over the grave. Feeling a cool breeze faintly caress itself against his cheek, the teen reached out a hand until the tips of his fingers were touching upon the corner of the stone angels wings, his eyes showing hints of betrayal at his attempts of maintaining a strong demeanor for those around him.

"She truly was the most cleverest witch of her age." The young man noted as he kept his eyes focused upon the tiny stone figure, allowing the faintest hint of a smile to play at the corner of his lips, remembering better times ever so briefly as he admitted, "I often times wonder how we'd ever survive through those years at Hogwarts without her guidance."

Finally turning his watchful eyes toward his friend, Harry could see the hints of anger which marred the grieving expression which draped itself over the redhead's features; spurring the young man into speaking up on the subject, "Ron, I know more then many just how hard it can be, but you can't continue blaming yourself over the what ifs surrounding the past. It'll eat you up from the inside, and..."

"I know, Harry, we've had this talk before." The kneeling teen interjected with a bit of frustration in the tone of his voice, followed by a heavy sigh after having taken a short lived moment of silence; seemingly collecting his thoughts until he noted with an ever so slight smile, "Truth is, she'd probably be amongst the first to agree with you and try knocking some sense into my head about keeping yourself ever mindful of the present. It's just so very hard to keep yourself in good spirits during these dark times."

Of that Harry could find little room for offering much of a counter argument. Truly, hope was a harder concept to grasp now then any other time he could remember since the original discovery of this wizardry world. Even during his most dreary of times living under the Dursley's cruel guardianship, there was always the hope of a better life; whether through the many possibilities upon reaching adulthood or the occasional escape of attending Hogwart's and staying with the Weasely's. Now, here Harry stood, amongst those whom were more of a family to him then any blood relation he knew, at the early years of adulthood and with hope constantly in flux. Regardless, as he felt his fingers balling themselves into a fist while staring intently at the grave, the young man knew he wouldn't stop at doing his part in bringing about a better future.

The redheaded teen eventually pulled himself to his feet, glancing at the spectacles wearing male and pausing at his side for a few lingering seconds as he placed a reassuring hand upon his shoulder, "Thanks, Harry."

The young wizard gave an understanding smile as he placed a hand on Ron's own shoulder, then watching silently as the redhead stepped away to allow others a moment with their departed friend. Harry's gaze lingered at first, wishing he could do more to help his best friend get through his grief, before hesitantly returning his attention toward the grave site. A few dead leaves were blown past the grave, the wind sending a light chill up his spine which, added with the dreary atmosphere of the clouded sky, seemed rather fitting for his present mood. By now, after countless nights of hearing her screams in his dreams and within the depths of his mind during quiet nights, the teen recognized that the vivid memory of what happened that day was perhaps forever etched into his subconscious.

With others, tragic and traumatizing as their deaths may be for the young man, they were at least relatively quick. Hermione's had stretched on for what felt like hours until her suffering was finally silenced by the bitter sweet release of death. How those cries of pain had eaten away at the guilt in his subconscious, and yet, there were times in which they nearly came second to the cackling sounds made by her torturer as she delighted in the pain brought about by her forbidden spells. Bellatrix Lestrange. If there were one person Harry could fathom himself holding a greater disdain toward, it had to be that woman. How she took away her cousin, Sirius Black, whom (aside from the surrogate family which was the Weasely's) was the only family which actually felt like one for Potter during his short life. What she did to Hermione during her last painful moments on this world. Without realizing it, Harry's finger had balled into tightly wound fists on their own, though he promptly relinquished them upon noticing.

Stretching a hand up to straighten out his glasses, the young wizard took this chance to wipe away a lone tear which threatened to roll down his cheek; his voice coming out in a near whisper as he promised to his departed friend, "One day, we'll bring about the end of this war. I swear to you, we'll find a way to avenge what happened on that day."

Finishing with the brief wiping of the area under his eye, Harry tilted his head slightly as he heard the sound of dried up leaves crunching under several light foot steps. The young wizard gave his love a brave smile, letting her know he was fine despite any evidence in his eyes which may be cause for concern. Reaching down and taking her hand within his own, the spectacle wearing teen entwined their fingers together for the time being. Were it not for consideration of her brothers feelings, he'd have gone further to embrace the welcomed presence girl at his side. But this was more then enough, as simply having someone like Ginny in his life had a greater effect in helping him make it through the each day then anyone imagined.