(A/N) Re-uploaded fiction from 2005. Takes place during HBP.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not even Ron! Wish I did though.
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"Well, a very happy birthday, Ralph-"
"Ron!" Harry whispered.
But Ron wasn't listening to his birthday toast. As soon as he had drunk his mead a strange sensation seemed to come over him. A sort of swirling mist entered his brain and plummeted him into darkness…
But not for long.
Ron awoke, standing, surrounded by fog. He did not feel as though his mind was becoming clouded with mist, or the slight sickly sensation he has previously felt only moments before.
Ron looked around, but could see nothing, just thick white fog. He had no idea where he was.
"Hello?" He called out.
Nothing.
"Uh…hello?" Ron called out a little louder.
"Hello." Said a female voice from behind him.
Ron jumped, whirled around and pulled his wand from his pocket, pointing it at the person who had addressed him.
"That won't be much good here," she said, nodding to the wand. She didn't say it unkindly, just wore a slightly amused expression on her face.
"Who…who are you?" asked Ron suspiciously, frowning. He lowered his wand, but only slightly.
The person who addressed him was a girl, she looked no more older then the average sixteen year old female. She had long, blondish hair and a pale complexion. She was wearing not wizarding robes, but normal muggle attire of faded blue jeans (ripped on the left knee), a dark pink t-shirt and white trainers.
She stood with her hands behind her back, looking quite innocent. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Ron," she said apologetically. She looked sorry too.
Ron frowned even more. "How do you know my name?"
"I know lot's of things about you," She smiled. "You have to know lots of things about your charge, in my profession,"
Ron eyed her suspiciously. He was in a strange place and he had no idea of his surroundings. A strange girl, who apparently knew lots of things about him in addition to his name was chatting to him like it was a normal occurrence, but had declined to give him something as simple as her own name when he had asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She said, suddenly alarmed. "Whatever must you think of me?" She shook her head, as if scolding herself. "My name is Cassandra. You can call me Cassie," she beamed, as if this cleared everything up.
Ron still looked blank. "What am I doing here?" he asked her, never lowering his wand, of which she was taking no notice.
"Yes, I was just about to get to that," Cassie said cheerfully. "If you want to take a seat, I'll tell you why I'm here."
As she spoke a chair appeared from the mist on Ron's left. He looked doubtfully down at the chair. When he turned back to Cassie she was already seated in a chair of her own.
"They don't bite," she said, that amused but not unkind expression back on her features.
Ron cast another doubtful look on the chair, before cautiously sitting, just on the very edge in case he needed to jump out of it quickly.
"Now," said Cassie, curling her legs up underneath her. "Ron, don't take this the wrong way, but you've been poisoned." She said it so calmly, as if she was saying 'Isn't the weather lovely today?'
Ron's eyes bulged. "A-am I d-dead?" he croaked.
"Good gracious, no! Be more then my life's worth if you'd died over a little drop of poison! No, no, you're not dead." Cassie burst out, a smile on her lips.
"Then…I don't get it. Why am I here?" Ron said, sitting back a little in the rather comfortable chair.
"Well, I can only really talk to you in dire emergencies, and only when you're unconscious. Not really supposed to talk to you at all, just keep an eye on you," Cassie explained. "But, Ron, this is serious. Very, very serious." She said, her amused expression suddenly becoming grave.
"Is it…is it about You-Know-Who?" Ron asked, his voice barely a whisper, forgetting the fact that Cassie had just told him he had been poisoned, but was not dead.
Cassie looked taken aback. This clearly was not the answer she had been expecting. "No, sweetheart, it's about Hermione." She said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the entire universe.
Ron was startled for more then one reason. First off, a complete stranger who seemed to know Ron but who Ron had never met had just casually called him 'sweetheart' as if this was nothing out of the ordinary, and secondly she was here to talk to him apparently about Hermione.
Ron, ignoring the 'sweetheart' bit, frowned. "What about Hermione?"
"Ron," Cassie leaned forward a little in her chair. "Over the past few months I've noticed that you and this Lavender Brown girl have been seeing a lot of each other, and I know that your heart isn't in it at all."
Ron gaped at her. "How the hell do you know-"
Cassie ploughed on, ignoring the interruption. "Actually, for a fact I know your heart belongs entirely to someone else, even if she doesn't know it. One Miss Hermione Granger. I'm very fond of her Ron, this Lavender girl-" A look of dislike passed over her pretty features, as if she had just tasted a particularly foul Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean. "-is no good for you."
Ron sat back in his chair fully. "Hermione and I aren't really talking at the moment." He informed Cassie stiffly.
"I noticed." She said, leaning back into her chair. "Care to tell me why?" Cassie asked, leaning on her propped up arm. She looked as if she already knew, but wanted Ron to put it into words.
"Well…she kissed Krum." Ron said defiantly, as if this settled everything.
"And?" Cassie asked.
"And what?"
"This is a reason for you to argue with Hermione?"
"He was the enemy!" Ron retaliated.
"Mmmm…" Cassie mumbled thoughtfully. "I see. So you thought you'd get your own back at Hermione, and your sweet sister Ginny too, for her hurtful words after you walked in on her and her…boyfriend…Dean…" That same look of dislike passed over Cassie's face again.
Ron momentarily forgot their conversation topic of Hermione, and asked Cassie about Dean and Ginny. "You think Ginny's sweet?!" He said, a fair amount of surprise in his voice.
"Very. She's…to coin a phrase…an angel." Cassie smiled.
"And you know what angels are like, do you?" Ron asked, sarcasm flooding his voice.
A smirk that twitched into a surprised smile in a seconds notice danced across Cassie's face. "I've an idea," She said quietly.
"And what have you got against Dean?" Ron asked, not in outrage, but curiosity.
"Oh, well, for starters he's as good for Ginny as Lavender is for you. I think somebody else, a little closer to home, would suit her much more…" Cassie proclaimed. "And while we're on the subject, what is all the 'Won-Won' business about?" she spat, the first sign of outrage Ron had known of this stranger.
Ron blushed. "Uh… I don't know. It's stupid-"
"Got that right," Cassie muttered. "Anyway," she said, realising they were going off course. "About Hermione. You miss her, don't you?" Cassie asked, her friendly tone returning once more.
"No," Ron said automatically, but unable to look her in the eye.
"Right." Cassie said calmly, inspecting her fingernails. "And when you aren't lying through your teeth, your answer would be the opposite, correct?" That amused smile was back on her face.
Ron, who had not only lowered his wand, but placed it back in his pocket, looked up at Cassie. Really, the girl had some nerve. It was his birthday (his birthday!) and she was giving him a lecture about missing Hermione! But, if he forced himself to be honest, he really couldn't say he didn't miss Hermione.
"Yeah…" Ron grumbled.
"Mmmm, I thought so." She said quietly. "Just what she said too."
"What who said?" Ron asked, quickly looking up.
"Hermione, of course." Cassie looked excited, as if they were about to make a great revelation.
"You spoke to her too?" Ron said anxiously.
"No, not myself personally. She doesn't belong to me, you do. Caitlin spoke to her. She belongs to Caitlin. But Hermione misses you too, you know, Ron. Took a while for Caitlin to get her to admit it, what with all your childish behaviour upsetting her more and more by the day, but she did. Admit it, I mean. Eventually." Cassie finished her little speech, a smug smile on her face.
"She misses me?" Ron said, his tone hopeful.
"Very much." Cassie retorted. "Almost as much as you miss her, I would hazard a guess."
Ron sat back in his chair, a smile on his face. "She misses me…" He said quietly to himself. But the smile slowly faded.
"But then, there's the problem of Lavender. And you flaunting your…affection…all over the place," Cassie said darkly. "No, it just won't do. You have to make up with Hermione, break up with Lavender, tell Hermione you love her, maybe propose in a few years time, then of course the children-" Cassie was counting these options off on her hand, one by one, getting a little carried away in Ron's opinion.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Ron said, holding his hand up.
"Sorry." Cassie apologised, looking sheepish. "Got a little over-excited. But…you know…one step at a time."
"All that's easier said then done, you know," Ron grumbled at her.
"Yes, I imagine it would be. Although, with a little helpful push here and there, we should get the stone rolling." Cassie said cheerfully.
Ron ignored her. "What do you mean, I 'belong' to you? And whose Caitlin? And why does Hermione belong to her?"
"I should have explained this better." Cassie muttered to herself. "Look…don't be too shocked, ok? Just…take it in your stride, yeah?"
Ron gave a little nod, signalling for her to carry on.
"I'm a kind of…guardian angel, if you will," Cassie picked her words carefully. "Yours, to be precise. And Caitlin is Hermione's. Everyone's got one."
"But…but you're just a teenager!" Said Ron, his eyes once more bulging out of their sockets.
"I look like one, yes, but I've been around a lot longer then that." Cassie said calmly. "And I'm supposed to help you Ron. And you're so unhappy without Hermione, I can see that. That's why it's like this here!" She threw her hands in the air, motioning to the swirling mist.
"Because I miss Hermione?" Ron croaked.
"Precisely." Cassie said, a pleased expression now crossing her features.
"Look, we haven't got much more time before you wake up in the hospital wing. Like I mentioned, you're not dead. But really, Ron, think about what I've said. I know you love Hermione, not Lavender-"
"How do you know that?" Ron asked quietly.
"Know what?" Cassie asked, her amused face lighting up.
"About Hermione. That I…that I…"
"Love her?" Cassie dropped in helpfully.
Ron gave a silent nod.
"Well, it's my job to know these things. Looking out for you and everything, you notice these little things." She was smirking now.
"Does…Does Hermione…" Ron asked, his tone hopeful once more.
"Love you?" Cassie asked, her face a complete picture of glee. "Classified information." She said, while nodding furiously. "Caitlin would have my head if I told you!" She was nodding furiously all the while.
"But…you…I-" Ron stuttered, confused.
Cassie leaned completely forward. "Not supposed to tell you in case anyone can hear, but I think you got the message from all the nodding," she winked.
"So…she does?" Ron grinned.
"She does. And you do too. So let's cut Miss Brown out of the picture and be done with it!" Cassie laughed.
Ron's smile faded.
"You can do it Ron, just…think of something. If you spend more time with Hermione then you'll piss Lavender right off- I mean… You'll offend Lavender greatly…" Cassie blushed, obviously thinking this wasn't suitable language for an angel.
Ron smirked. "You like Hermione, don't you?" He asked.
"After watching the two of you for the past six years, I've become rather attached to your little group." Cassie said simply. "I don't like it when you and Hermione fight. You belong together." She added.
Ron blushed. "Uh…any idea when I'm getting out of here exactly?" He changed the subject.
"Any time you want to." Cassie said.
"And how do I do that?" Ron asked, standing up.
Cassie, who was already standing, walked over to him. "Like this." she said, and pushed his shoulders so he stumbled back slightly. "Good luck!" She waved, and Ron felt as though he was falling through the mist that surrounded him.
-
The next thing he knew, he was waking up in the hospital wing, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, his parents Madam Pomfrey around his bed.
"About time, Mr Weasley," Madam Pomfrey said. "Drink this-" She was holding a spoon with some sickly pale yellow contents in it.
Amidst all the "Ron, you're ok!"'s from his family and friends, Ron could only think of the very strange dream he had just had about a girl who was apparently called Cassie who told him she was his guardian angel and that he was to tell Hermione he loved her, and get rid of Lavender.
He looked over at Hermione, and saw that she was paper-white but smiling.
"Friends?" she asked.
"Friends." He smiled.
Maybe if he listened to that strange girl from his dream, they'd be something more.
Hermione frowned slightly. "Are you sure you're alright, Ron?"
"Fine," He grinned. "Just…getting a helping hand from someone."
-
FIN.