In The Fight To Survive (Golden Trio Era) {4}

Ron VS Riddle

"C'mon, let's destroy this." Harry said before leading Ron over to a fallen sycamore tree, brushing off the snow on the most flat part of the trunk before taking the Horcrux off Ron and placing it on the tree. Ron offered Harry the sword once that was done, sure that Harry wanted to be the one to destroy it but Harry shook his head no, "it has to be you, you got the sword from the lake, not me." Dumbledore hadn't taught Harry much about how to successfully complete his mission, but he had made a big effort to teach Harry something about certain kinds of magic, of the incalculable power of certain acts, such as saving someone's life.

"I'll have to speak to it in order for it to open, and when it does don't hesitate to stab it. I don't know what's in there, but I know it will put up a fight. It just tried to kill me now to stop me from destroying it, just like the bit of Riddle in the Diary wanted to." Ron secured his grip on the sword before nodding at Harry, he understood his role in this plan and was glad to have the opportunity to prove that he was here to stay to Harry. "Alright, Harry." Ron swallowed, breathing out every ounce of fear that tried convince him that he wasn't strong enough for the task he had been given, getting in the perfect position, "tell me when."

Harry smiled at Ron's determination, "on three." Harry instructed before looking at the locket, narrowing his eyes in order to concentrate on imagining the letter 'S' as a serpent. Ron held the sword in both hands above his head, hovering a swings distance from the locket. "One... two... three... open." The last word came out as a hiss and a snarl before the golden doors of the locket swung wide open with a little click, revealing a moving eye like Tom Riddle's eyes had been before he turned them scarlet and slitted. Ron made a move to swing but the pair of them were sent flying away from the locket by a swirling black cloud, like a silent explosion making a high pitched ringing pierced their ears.

"I have seen your heart, and it is mine." Voldemort's voice sound from the black cloud pouring out of the open locket, the smoke began to menacing loom over Ron. "I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears." Voldemort rasped before the lower part of the smoke shifted into hundreds of spiders, crawling towards Ron who quickly to scuttle away from them, sword still firmly in hand. The locket recognised Ron as the threat of it's existence, deciding that it needed to play with his mind apart until he is incapable of destroying it. "Least loved by your mother, who craved a daughter... Least loved by the girl who prefers your friend..." Ron stopped in his tracks and watched as a light appeared in the centre of the black smoke.

Harry screamed at him to kill the Horcrux, but Ron watched on as a distorted version of Harry and Hermione became the focus of the locket's mind tricks. They walked towards the front, hand in hand, before the fake Harry spoke. "We were better off without you, happier without you." He sounded far away and muffled to Ron ears, and his words stung, but what really hurt Ron was what the fake Hermione's said. It was too airy to be the real her, "who could look at you compared to Harry Potter? What are you compared with the Chosen One?" The real Harry shouted at Ron that the source of the figmentation of him and Hermione was lying, begging him to kill it.

Ron did not move, his eyes were wide as the Riddle Harry and Hermione continued to taunt him. "Your mother confessed she would've preferred me as a son." Riddle Harry stated, pausing to let Riddle Hermione tell Ron that he was nothing and that there was no woman who would pick him. The Riddle made figures began to stretch out and wrap around each other, their clothes dissolving during the motion of contortion, leaving a naked distorted version of Harry and Hermione sharing a heated kiss. Ron's pale face shifted from uncomfortable disbelief into utter anguish as the unrealistic portrayal of his best friends continue to explore each other's bodies.

Ron jaw tightened, gritting his teeth as he got on his feet once again, rage bubbling within him as he shakingly raised the sword of Godric Gryffindor over his head. "Kill it, Ron!" Harry shouted while cradling his own head in his arms as if he feared it may explode from the pain emitting from his scar because of the piece of Voldemort's soul taunting them, "AH!" Ron screamed at the top of his lungs before lunging towards Harry, who watched on as the sword plunged downwards. There was a clang of metal, followed by a piercing drawn out scream that echoed through the night sky after the sword made contact with the locket, destroying the Horcrux.