Chapter One:
Ron sat in one of the empty train compartment. Sighing deeply, he was not sure if he and his siblings had actually arrived early for once, or if perfect Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were actually late. That was unfair, Ron thought quickly. To think of his two best friends so negatively was unlike him.
Soon enough, the thought was forgotten. The train's whistle had blown announcing the final boarding call when loud, talking, and familiar voices filled the train's thin hallway. Ron stood excitedly to greet Harry and Hermione when he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be upset with them. After reseating himself, Ron looked back out his window and plastered on a smug look.
"Ron!" Hermione Granger's ecstatic voice filled his ears as she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. The smell of morning musk filled his nose as he continued to force himself not to seem happy to see them.
"Oy!" he muttered as he turned towards his other friend, Harry.
"What's wrong?" Hermione was still smiling. "We missed you this summer! Didn't you miss us?"
Ron shrugged. He still hadn't looked at her, afraid that if he did she'd make him feel as if he hadn't been wronged. Still looking at Harry, he watched his expression change to a less excited one.
"Yeah!" Harry announced loudly. "What could have been more important than us over the holiday?" he joked.
Ron, however, rolled his eyes. What was more important than both of you or just you Harry? Ron thought viciously, flashing back to the many times Harry had bullied Hermione and him last year.
"You two don't have to play this stupid game!" Ron hissed suddenly.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione inquired as Ron looked back out the window.
Even though he knew he was the one starting the commotion, Ron didn't want to argue. He was mad enough with the fact they had abandoned him during the holiday, but now they were acting as if he was going mad.
"The prefect's meeting starts in five minutes," Ron blurted as he rose from his seat and stomped out of the cart.
How could the two of them pretend like they hadn't decided to spend the whole summer without him? Did they really think he was that stupid? Storming through the train, Ron was on a warpath. Commanding first years, and all other years younger than himself, he struggled to get through the mass of students. Pushing the door open to the prefect compartment, Ron sat in the chair closest to the front of the room.
There was only two other people in the room, obviously fifth year Ravenclaws. However, as it drew nearer to the time of the meeting, Hermione entered and sat in a seat opposite from him. He still wouldn't look up at her. At least, he tried not to, but he could still feel her worried gaze upon him. This perked him up a little because it meant that Harry wasn't getting all of her attention.
Yet, as the meeting droned on, Ron couldn't see how this was any more important than any of the classes he had to sit through during school. His undivided attention was, obviously, somewhere else.
"Prefects, we're counting on you to get your passwords situated with you house's head boy and girl. Is that clear? Excellent! You're all dismissed!" was pretty much all Ron heard as he quickly stood up and hurried straight past Hermione to find Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas.
All through the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts, Ron avoided contact with Harry and Hermione. It wasn't until everyone was in the Great Hall and the sorting was over with did Ron realize that a confrontation with Harry and Hermione was now unavoidable.
"First years, welcome to Hogwarts. We are most delighted to find so many eager faces amongst this new addition of students. We wish you well through your beginnings of school and throughout your life here at Hogwarts. As for those of you who are returning to us, welcome back! It is most pleasant to see you all so happy and well. Ergo, lets cut my chattering short and enjoy the feast!" Dumbledore announced the beginning of the feast as food materialized in front of all of the students.
Delicious smelling food appeared immediately in front of all the students. While the first years all looked as if they'd never seen anything more remarkable, the older students mirrored Ron's actions, shoveling great mountains of yams and other food within their reach onto plates.
"Ron?" Hermione called from across the thick wooden table between them.
"Yeah?" Ron mumbled as he buttered his corn on the cob.
"Why are you so angry with us?" Hermione asked rather boldly.
"Why didn't you invite me for the holiday?- I wouldn't have minded so much if you'd at least written to me!" Ron snapped, cutting straight to the chase as he looked at both of them. Actually, Ron wasn't sure if letters from them would have made him happier, but he did know it would have made him feel less forgotten.
"We did invite you!" Harry spat snappishly.
"Yeah?" Ron rolled his eyes, returning his full attention to his corn.
"Yeah!" Harry half glanced at Hermione with a confused expression. "You wrote back telling us you couldn't because you were busy helping your father all holiday. You said it was best not to write because you wouldn't have time to write back!"
"Like I'm supposed to bel-" but then Ron stopped. It was true. It was true and he should have realized it from the beginning. "Bollocks!" Ron hissed and threw down his butter knife. The usual group that surrounded the trio glanced toward them slightly annoyed at Ron's choice of language.
"What?" Harry and Hermione asked at the same time.
"How could I have been so stupid?" Ron looked up at his two friends, all anger draining toward them and building up toward his dear older brother, Percy. Ron wasn't even sure if he could, or wanted, to consider Percy a brother any more.
"What's wrong Ron?" Harry asked, slightly calmer but more confused.
"Percy!" Ron shouted unashamed to point all sudden blame to him. "This was all his fault! He came home for a week over the holidays to pick up some important papers from Dad. He had gotten a muggle illness by accident, so he couldn't get to the office. He must have intercepted my owls!" Ron explained heatedly.
"Why would Percy do that?" Hermione asked.
"Don't be stupid!" Harry said to her cockily. "Even though Fudge has admitted Voldemort's return, they're obviously still perturbed about being wrong! They're also probably still stuck on the idea that I'm a liar and attention hungry freak!" Harry said completely sure of himself.
Ron hated how Harry thought that he needed to pull himself into everything. However he looked past all that rather quickly. His ears began to burn and turn bright red. No longer hungry, he stood up from the bench he had been sitting on.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked suddenly. Trying to capture Ron's eyes with hers, she couldn't help feel as if she were being deprived of something she couldn't explain. Maybe it was just the longing to sit and talk to him again.
"To the dorms. I've got something I need to do!" Ron answered quickly.
Running through the empty halls, Ron took the stairs to the Gryffindor portrait hole three stairs at a time. Sure Harry had serious ego problems, publicly and personally, at the moment, but that had not given Percy the right to take his letters! He was the one who didn't want to be a part of their family any longer. It was his problem!
"Bubble and squeak!" Ron blurted breathlessly to the Fat Lady.
"How right you are!" she smiled and gingerly allowed the portrait to swing away from the entrance of the common room. As he leapt through, he heard her cheery voice behind him welcoming himback. Choosing to ignore her that moment, Ron rushed into the warm common room. Not wasting a moment, he burst into the dorm room that he shared with Harry, Seamus, Dean, and Neville Longbottom. Opening his trunk, he rummaged messily through his belongings. Finally, Ron settled with a bright red piece of parchment. Closing his trunk and setting the satin like piece of parchment on its beaten surface, Ron waved his wand over it as the parchment began floating in front of him and began his message.
"Who do you think you are?" he yelled at the parchment. "It was your decision not to be apart of the Weasley family any longer, Percy, so that didn't give you the right to steal my posts from Harry and Hermione over the holiday! You and your stupid Ministry just can't come to terms that you were wrong about Voldemort's return, you cowards! Well I'm not sorry for you! Stop thinking you can interfere with my family's life and stop acting as if you are above us! You were a Weasley once, and there is no shame in that but knowing you were apart of the family! So just do us all a favor and leave us the bloody hell alone!"
With another sudden wave of his wand, the red parchment folded and sealed itself as it floated neatly into Ron's grip.
Rushing back out of the Gryffindor tower and toward the owlery before his duties as sixth year prefect officially began, Ron found Pigwidgeon and gave him his instructions. He waved his arms urgently toward Pig as he sort of just sat there, letting Ron's order sink in.
"Go!" Ron muttered and kicked the perch on which his owl sat. It toppled over right away and Pigwidgeon's wings flapped wildly as he soared through the crevassed windows.
Watching the tiny owl flutter into the dark sky, it made it seem as if the darkness was a giant mouth swallowing all of Ron's uncertainties. A weight lifted off of his chest almost immediately. He felt much better, much happier. His friends hadn't forgotten about him after all.
Ron sat in one of the empty train compartment. Sighing deeply, he was not sure if he and his siblings had actually arrived early for once, or if perfect Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were actually late. That was unfair, Ron thought quickly. To think of his two best friends so negatively was unlike him.
Soon enough, the thought was forgotten. The train's whistle had blown announcing the final boarding call when loud, talking, and familiar voices filled the train's thin hallway. Ron stood excitedly to greet Harry and Hermione when he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be upset with them. After reseating himself, Ron looked back out his window and plastered on a smug look.
"Ron!" Hermione Granger's ecstatic voice filled his ears as she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. The smell of morning musk filled his nose as he continued to force himself not to seem happy to see them.
"Oy!" he muttered as he turned towards his other friend, Harry.
"What's wrong?" Hermione was still smiling. "We missed you this summer! Didn't you miss us?"
Ron shrugged. He still hadn't looked at her, afraid that if he did she'd make him feel as if he hadn't been wronged. Still looking at Harry, he watched his expression change to a less excited one.
"Yeah!" Harry announced loudly. "What could have been more important than us over the holiday?" he joked.
Ron, however, rolled his eyes. What was more important than both of you or just you Harry? Ron thought viciously, flashing back to the many times Harry had bullied Hermione and him last year.
"You two don't have to play this stupid game!" Ron hissed suddenly.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione inquired as Ron looked back out the window.
Even though he knew he was the one starting the commotion, Ron didn't want to argue. He was mad enough with the fact they had abandoned him during the holiday, but now they were acting as if he was going mad.
"The prefect's meeting starts in five minutes," Ron blurted as he rose from his seat and stomped out of the cart.
How could the two of them pretend like they hadn't decided to spend the whole summer without him? Did they really think he was that stupid? Storming through the train, Ron was on a warpath. Commanding first years, and all other years younger than himself, he struggled to get through the mass of students. Pushing the door open to the prefect compartment, Ron sat in the chair closest to the front of the room.
There was only two other people in the room, obviously fifth year Ravenclaws. However, as it drew nearer to the time of the meeting, Hermione entered and sat in a seat opposite from him. He still wouldn't look up at her. At least, he tried not to, but he could still feel her worried gaze upon him. This perked him up a little because it meant that Harry wasn't getting all of her attention.
Yet, as the meeting droned on, Ron couldn't see how this was any more important than any of the classes he had to sit through during school. His undivided attention was, obviously, somewhere else.
"Prefects, we're counting on you to get your passwords situated with you house's head boy and girl. Is that clear? Excellent! You're all dismissed!" was pretty much all Ron heard as he quickly stood up and hurried straight past Hermione to find Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas.
All through the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts, Ron avoided contact with Harry and Hermione. It wasn't until everyone was in the Great Hall and the sorting was over with did Ron realize that a confrontation with Harry and Hermione was now unavoidable.
"First years, welcome to Hogwarts. We are most delighted to find so many eager faces amongst this new addition of students. We wish you well through your beginnings of school and throughout your life here at Hogwarts. As for those of you who are returning to us, welcome back! It is most pleasant to see you all so happy and well. Ergo, lets cut my chattering short and enjoy the feast!" Dumbledore announced the beginning of the feast as food materialized in front of all of the students.
Delicious smelling food appeared immediately in front of all the students. While the first years all looked as if they'd never seen anything more remarkable, the older students mirrored Ron's actions, shoveling great mountains of yams and other food within their reach onto plates.
"Ron?" Hermione called from across the thick wooden table between them.
"Yeah?" Ron mumbled as he buttered his corn on the cob.
"Why are you so angry with us?" Hermione asked rather boldly.
"Why didn't you invite me for the holiday?- I wouldn't have minded so much if you'd at least written to me!" Ron snapped, cutting straight to the chase as he looked at both of them. Actually, Ron wasn't sure if letters from them would have made him happier, but he did know it would have made him feel less forgotten.
"We did invite you!" Harry spat snappishly.
"Yeah?" Ron rolled his eyes, returning his full attention to his corn.
"Yeah!" Harry half glanced at Hermione with a confused expression. "You wrote back telling us you couldn't because you were busy helping your father all holiday. You said it was best not to write because you wouldn't have time to write back!"
"Like I'm supposed to bel-" but then Ron stopped. It was true. It was true and he should have realized it from the beginning. "Bollocks!" Ron hissed and threw down his butter knife. The usual group that surrounded the trio glanced toward them slightly annoyed at Ron's choice of language.
"What?" Harry and Hermione asked at the same time.
"How could I have been so stupid?" Ron looked up at his two friends, all anger draining toward them and building up toward his dear older brother, Percy. Ron wasn't even sure if he could, or wanted, to consider Percy a brother any more.
"What's wrong Ron?" Harry asked, slightly calmer but more confused.
"Percy!" Ron shouted unashamed to point all sudden blame to him. "This was all his fault! He came home for a week over the holidays to pick up some important papers from Dad. He had gotten a muggle illness by accident, so he couldn't get to the office. He must have intercepted my owls!" Ron explained heatedly.
"Why would Percy do that?" Hermione asked.
"Don't be stupid!" Harry said to her cockily. "Even though Fudge has admitted Voldemort's return, they're obviously still perturbed about being wrong! They're also probably still stuck on the idea that I'm a liar and attention hungry freak!" Harry said completely sure of himself.
Ron hated how Harry thought that he needed to pull himself into everything. However he looked past all that rather quickly. His ears began to burn and turn bright red. No longer hungry, he stood up from the bench he had been sitting on.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked suddenly. Trying to capture Ron's eyes with hers, she couldn't help feel as if she were being deprived of something she couldn't explain. Maybe it was just the longing to sit and talk to him again.
"To the dorms. I've got something I need to do!" Ron answered quickly.
Running through the empty halls, Ron took the stairs to the Gryffindor portrait hole three stairs at a time. Sure Harry had serious ego problems, publicly and personally, at the moment, but that had not given Percy the right to take his letters! He was the one who didn't want to be a part of their family any longer. It was his problem!
"Bubble and squeak!" Ron blurted breathlessly to the Fat Lady.
"How right you are!" she smiled and gingerly allowed the portrait to swing away from the entrance of the common room. As he leapt through, he heard her cheery voice behind him welcoming himback. Choosing to ignore her that moment, Ron rushed into the warm common room. Not wasting a moment, he burst into the dorm room that he shared with Harry, Seamus, Dean, and Neville Longbottom. Opening his trunk, he rummaged messily through his belongings. Finally, Ron settled with a bright red piece of parchment. Closing his trunk and setting the satin like piece of parchment on its beaten surface, Ron waved his wand over it as the parchment began floating in front of him and began his message.
"Who do you think you are?" he yelled at the parchment. "It was your decision not to be apart of the Weasley family any longer, Percy, so that didn't give you the right to steal my posts from Harry and Hermione over the holiday! You and your stupid Ministry just can't come to terms that you were wrong about Voldemort's return, you cowards! Well I'm not sorry for you! Stop thinking you can interfere with my family's life and stop acting as if you are above us! You were a Weasley once, and there is no shame in that but knowing you were apart of the family! So just do us all a favor and leave us the bloody hell alone!"
With another sudden wave of his wand, the red parchment folded and sealed itself as it floated neatly into Ron's grip.
Rushing back out of the Gryffindor tower and toward the owlery before his duties as sixth year prefect officially began, Ron found Pigwidgeon and gave him his instructions. He waved his arms urgently toward Pig as he sort of just sat there, letting Ron's order sink in.
"Go!" Ron muttered and kicked the perch on which his owl sat. It toppled over right away and Pigwidgeon's wings flapped wildly as he soared through the crevassed windows.
Watching the tiny owl flutter into the dark sky, it made it seem as if the darkness was a giant mouth swallowing all of Ron's uncertainties. A weight lifted off of his chest almost immediately. He felt much better, much happier. His friends hadn't forgotten about him after all.