"Ron, how can you possibly be eating all of that?"
Ron ignored Hermione and continued to stuff his face with bread pudding. Before eating the pudding, he'd picked clean an entire chicken, devoured two dozen sausages, wolfed down three legs of lamb, downed several flagons of pumpkin juice and goblets of butter beer, taken all of the treacle tart that Harry had loaded onto his own plate, and consumed a rather large chocolate cake. Harry, Hermione, Neville, Dean, Seamus and a few other Gryffindors who dined nearby all sat in shocked silence, staring at the apparently starving boy. Any comment or complaint made to him about his appetite he ignored. He was far too busy chewing and swallowing to concern himself with the others.
"Stop this at once, Ron," Hermione begged. "You'll be sick. I'm surprised you're not already."
"She's right, mate," Harry agreed. "You've had enough."
Ron ignored this too. Although they were his best friends, they meant nothing to him in comparison to the food. The taste of the different foods on his tongue, the satisfaction of a full mouth; those things meant more to him than any person ever could. They made him happier than anyone could. Unless they were giving me food, he thought. Then I suppose they'd be making me happy. Or if they were food… No, people don't taste good. Never tried though, have I?
Suddenly the food disappeared. Ron dropped his spoon in surprise. That was empty too. The pies, the cakes, the chocolate covered strawberries, and his unfinished dish of pudding that had all begged him to be eaten were gone. On the table there was nothing but empty plates, forks, knives, and spoons. Ron stared expectantly at the golden plates but they did not refill with more food as they had done after the dinner had disappeared.
"Oi! Bring back the food!" Ron shouted angrily in the direction of the staff table.
"Ron!" exclaimed both Harry and Hermione, appalled at his behavior.
Dumbledore stopped in his preparation to say his last words of the feast. He shook his head in amusement at Ron's bothered state.
"I'm sure if you were to go to the kitchens and ask the house elves for more, they would be happy to help you, Mr. Weasley," he said.
Ron crossed his arms and waited impatiently for Dumbledore to stop talking so he could do as he'd suggested. Ron was still hungry. He would always be hungry. As long as there was food on this planet, he would be eating it. Whatever Dumbledore was saying Ron did not hear it, but it certainly felt, to Ron at least, as if it were taking a rather long time. When finally he did finish, Ron was able to take off.
Ron sprinted off from his spot on the bench to the kitchens leaving Harry and Hermione even more confused than they had been before.
"He wasn't kidding when he said he was hungry," Harry said as Ron pushed his way a pack of Ravenclaws that were in his way.
"No. No, I suppose not," replied Hermione.