The disadvantages of telling the truth

By Billybob

Rated: M, - just to be safeguarded from the prudish criticism of the overly sensitive. The rating is what it is for adult language and banter, some UK profanity / slang and- implied -sexual innuendo. I do not write blow-by-blow smut.

Category: AU, alternate universe … Post Deadly Hallows (book # 7) this tale is set in the interval between the end of the battle and the cannon epilog some nineteen year – Cannon does not apply here and for good reasons.

Warning (one): Unbridled butchery of the King's English is a common facet of this writer's modis operendi and I have also been rightfully accused of: - gross punctuation and grammar errors, obscene ramblings on tangents that distract from the main plot and repeating already stated facts and plot points over and over. (I warned them, 'BuckNC' – what more can you ask)

Basically - -I write the way I speak, as if it was script written for a stage play – inserting pauses in dialog for emphasis. It's not proper I know, but it is a-lot better English than what is seen now in 'text messages - on – Facebook or in a blog'.

**Authors customary opening Rant.* *

Those who don't want to read my rational for doing this, can scroll down to the caption – 'safe to start reading'

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The tale you are about to read-'attempts to undo' -the damage done by several revisions in the original storyline made by J.K. Rowling's her-self. In an interview on CNN on 02/02/2014 Rowling allegedly declared in its headline that the rbw/HJG relationship was a huge mistake and that Harry should have gotten the girl.

(Please a note of warning; CNN is not the most reliable source of news on this subject, as their banner headline did not- 'gel' -with the attached article)

Later… on the Eighth of February, 2014; she-'doubled down'-concerning the incorrectness of the epilog pairing of Ron and Hermione, by saying that the Ron Hermione pairing was based on- "a form of wish fulfillment" -while saying that quote: "Hermione and Harry are a better fit" – and - "Hermione will always be there for Harry". This casual announcement … cause the abrupt doom of the RW/HJG romantic pairing in Fan-fiction … due to the "fundamental incompatibility" –as stated by Rowling (the creator of cannon she has now discarded).

It was sad news to all of us Ron fans; but was embraced with joy and overwhelming happiness by the- Harmione –fan fiction shippers world-wide. (Boo – hiss) - - Still … she doesn't end-up with Draco either way. - - So 'take-that' all you- 'Dramoine' -shippers (insert here, a really loud 'Raspberry!).

Rowling's at first attempted to 'back track' from the damage she had done to her own 'cannon'– was by insisting that RBW/HJG marriage could be saved by counseling… and I Quote: – "Oh maybe Hermione and Ron would be alright with a bit of counseling … he needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being less critical".

To add on to this avalanche of dome and gloom, in February of 2016 - during a special event held at Harry Potter- 'universal theme park'-in Florida … actor Rupert Grint (who played Ron in all the movies) came to agree with Rowling, saying that his character and Hermione would have quote: "divorced by now" – (one year before the epilog was supposed to take place in 2017). Even JKR admitted recently that if she could redo her series, Harry would have ended-up with Hermione.

Author's commentary:

My point in bringing all this up - is that I firmly believe that Harry and Hermione would have been an even worse pairing. There have been several fanfic essays on their incompatibly in the (HP) lexicon. Besides; if I was to use Rowling's own words against her, didn't JKR say … quote: "Harry & Hermione are just- platonic-Friends" - (National press club 1999) and doesn't cannon (the way the books were written) provide multiple amounts of evidence against such a pairing?

Rowling by admitting (now) that Harry & Hermione should have ridden off into the sunset together – is also admitting to the entire world, that her pairing of Ginny/Harry is also dead wrong. - So the two main romantic pairing in all seven books are suddenly a colossal mistake. Making the entire series wrong. (Apparently: second guessing yourself - in this case … is highly self-destructive) In light of these blunders, can anyone still argue that JK Rowling has_ 'any skill at all' _in writing a believable - happily ever after - romance?

Finally: we come to her stage play (opening July 30th in London); featuring the adventures of Albus Potter … the son of Harry and Ginny Potter. But how can this be – (you ask) didn't Rowling state that if she could redo her series, Harry would have ended-up with Hermione. - - - Are you Confused? … Well, I sure am. - If this futuristic play has Harry and Ginny still married – does that mean that Hermione is a divorced witch and Ron free to find a girl that's doesn't have a stalker level obsession with Harry? … No (darn-it) - - Just think about the possibilities … Okay! - Ron, romantically connected to a girl that puts him first instead of Harry … Novel concept … yes?

Clearly there has been loads of negative feedback (two years worth) to Rowling revised ending to her book series and movies. And; let's assume that- JK Rowling- actually wanted to fix this and justify the pairings in the original epilog. The question then becomes how?- - Here's what I think happened; JKR must have change her mind concerning not writing any more Harry centric books … a promise that was clearly broken, with her deep involvement and co-authorship of the stage play; 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'. –

From what I have been able to glean from news accounts … the plot line of the play takes up the HP story right after the original ending scenario (some twenty odd years later) for all three main characters … Harry is with Ginny … everyone is middle aged and Ron is in a politically correct interracial marriage (I wonder if any of the old characters will now be gay -Dean dating Seamus - and we have to include someone Transgender … Neville, in a dress ... perhaps?) - Anyway; putting political correctness aside; Ron is still married to Hermione and they have a twelve year old daughter named Rose. The big mystery of the play is where is ten year old Hugo? (Was workaholic Hermione to busy at the ministry to bother having a second child?)

The new play intrigues me; in the fact that a different actress (other than Watson) has taken on the role, the question then becomes will she (most-likely) give a different interpretation to the role? - - The same question applies to all of the stage actors as a play (even one five hours long) can't possibly be as good as a book. We won't know about the twenty years worth of 'personality changes' has done to the characters, until we have the script of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' – in our grimy little hands

Two problems remain: Reconcile Rowling's statement (of 2014) that Harry should have ended up with Hermione instead of Ron with her new play. And secondarily) what happened during the gap between the Hogwarts battle and the play … what is the solution? - - Well first off; scrap the entire thing and do a major rewrite starting at book one… (Throw the baby out with the bathwater)

… NO … you don't like that idea?

How about this then; JK Rowling should - 'lose all the Kissing in book seven' - Hp/ GMW at wedding and stairway and HJG/RBW in room of requirement (right in front of Harry) and of course … lose the epilog' – to the point of deleting it from future copies of book seven and all future copies of the Deadly Hallows movies – (movie 7 & 8) - therefore; leaving the future of all the main characters … wide-open.

Don't like that idea either?

Still the original question lingers … will this do-it? … Will a limited run stage play in two parts, (totaling more than five hours) correct Rowling's 2014 interview blunder? Only time will tell. - But even selling the rehearsal script of the play (as a 320 page book) will not undue (in my opinion) all the damage Rowing has done with her and Ms Watson's public pronouncements on the subject. I firmly believe that more is required

I believe that Rowling must acquire the help of a talented ghost-writer (specializing in romance) to co-author and publish two more books (not rehearsal scripts … actual books) concerning the problems of post war England and our Heroes - - who drift apart after the war (as canon already suggests) - only to reunite somewhere in their mid-to late twenties– say around 1997 … some five-plus years after the conflict ended. – the goal is to explain-away what Rowing thought wrong about the original RBW/HJG pairing and see these flaws fixed.

I have nothing but praise for the play 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' as a means to undo Rowling's blunder (although it will be years before I actually see it … if at all) - However, as I don't have a script in my hands … and all I have to go on are news accounts of the plot-line, in which Rowling still – time-line jumps - ahead almost two decades.

My tale will try to fill in this gap between the battle for Hogwarts and - 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' … taking care to explain how during a unplanned separation, (after the war) necessary changes in all the main characters personalities have taken place … which would hopefully fix the primary flaws which were in Ron's case, quote:"his fame envy and self-esteem issues."

I'm sure that when J.K. Rowling finishes reading this story, she'll- rush out -and do what I suggest.

(Alright-alright; … so she doesn't do anything I suggested - - get off the floor and stop laughing so hard - - you'll hurt yourself)

Okay then in this scenario; JKRowling doesn't do anything beyond just sitting back, spending her royalties, while writing a five hour play – which can't possibly be seen by all the hp fan base … in which case … it then falls on us RON fans … like me (heaven help-us) - to try to fix this on our own – I often have to remind myself, that JKR wasn't a professional writer either when she started - - of course her spelling and grammar are- loads better -than mine.

Okay … let's consider the problem rationally - for an amateur like me to fix the Ron/Hermione ship so it actually works long-term. I will have to break cannon (a-lot) - - oh the horrors! - (Imaginary panic attack – begins here). And forget about the epilog time line (it never happened). - -

I'll wait a second or two for you to get over the pain of my terrible heresy (against the Rowling cannon)

Breathe in

Breathe out

Repeat several times.

All better … then let's continue.

With the clear mental images of burning me at the stake for going against cannon - firmly in mind; … I press on by setting this tale … in the black void that exists between the end of the battle of Hogwarts and the original cannon epilog - meaning – no cannon events to deal with. - I will also be alternating certain time line events, starting way back at book four.

Okay … do you understand? - - this will be; at its end - a Ron/herm story – it is pure alternate universe stuff, because if I stay strictly in the revised cannon (2014) – Ron and Hermione would be divorced by now with Ron having physical custody of their one child (or is it two) as Hermione's career ambitions keeps her far too busy, to be even a part-time mother (on alternating weekends)

Not at all a happy ending – do you agree?

To bring about a very different outcome … I will, pick and choose –certain events from JKR last four books and- radically change them, while disregarding other bits entirely. - - Once again I need to point out my justification for committing this terrible - 'heresy' – against- established JK Rowling cannon; with the excuse that she changed the outcome first … back in February 2014 (insert the image of me sticking out my tongue and acting childish) and if she can change the outcome (in in numerous public pronouncements) throwing under the bus, her own story-line … why can't I?

For this to work – both principles (Ron/Herm) has to undergo a fundamental change in their personality. Those among you who think that Hermione-does not need to change -or – to develop as a person and is therefore -'prefect'- just the way she was at eighteen – stop reading this and I mean: RIGHT NOW – - - and go back instead, to reading 'Dramione'. Wherein the character of Draco has not changed at all, from how he is depicted in the books … especially in the great 'loving esteem' that he holds, for all Mudbloods (extra-thick Sarcasm heavily implied)

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Standardized disclaimer: This story is based in the world created by J. K. Rowling, she owns all legal rights to the characters, setting, etc. - I am merely borrowing the contents of the JKR world for my own amusement and that of my few readers. In other words…her characters…my plot…savvy?

Once more into the breach my friends

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***** 'safe to start reading' ****

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Hermione POV

It was graduation day at Hogwarts, the year was 1999. I was on the honors platform for having the most outstanding marks in all of Hogwarts History. - - Naturally … I felt justifiably proud of this achievement and yet sadden (at the same time) by the thought of 'how few' there were to rejoice in my accomplishments. The survivors of the classes of 98 and 99 had been combined for this ceremony and if you take into account the casualties from the war among the student body – the small turn out became downheartedly understandable.

The magical newspapers had made a huge fuss, over my return to Hogwarts to finish my seventh year – I was, (they declared); 'a living symbol to all Muggleborn's everywhere' –which of course is a load of political rubbish. The media ruckus over my repeat of a missed school year, was nothing more than a year-long public relations stunt; to encourage the return from exile – of all those who had managed to escape the pure-blood attempted genocide of those with-'tainted blood'-under Delores Umbridge and Pius Thicknesse… the two most public faces of this Death Eater inspired - ethnic cleansing.

Of course … that my parents weren't here to see any of this … was not my fault at all. - It was the utterly -logical– thing to do really … to safeguard my parents from the Death Eaters before going into hiding with Harry, for what could potentially be … years. I realized right from the off, that my parents could be used as leverage to make me betray Harry and that was (of course) unthinkable.

When I told my two best friends what I planned to do – Harry didn't say anything either way (as usual) – while Ron violently disagreed with the entire concept of sending my parents off to another country with no memory of me… especially if this was done without discussing any of it with them first. I felt that Ron wasn't being rational (as usual) and I thought he was dead wrong when he predicted that what I contemplated, was going to backfire on me and would end-up being in his words; - ruddy -unforgiveable.

As it turned out on this very rare occasion … Ron's prediction had been right, because when I finally found my parent and arrange to have their memories returned …in their home, just outside of Sidney Australia. After a rather heated argument, they promptly disowned me … and sent me packing back to the U.K. They simply refused to understand how a mere child, noticeably-under the age of twenty, could take the right to make life altering decisions away, from two adults in their mid-forties.

So I came back to England to finish my schooling- alone -with my parents remaining in Australia – insisting that I had somehow- permanently ruined -their lives back here in England. They just couldn't understand on any level, the concept of personal sacrifice for the greater good.

Dragging my mind off of my estranged parents wasn't easy, but I managed it by looking for Harry in the crowd, hoping to catch sight of him, while at the same time knowing full well, that it was most likely hopeless. He was undoubtedly, hiding under a sophisticated glamour-spell. As one of only two magical national heroes, Harry could only attend this event in disguise; as the Shacklebolt administration was staging this occasion (my graduation) for a clearly political reasons.

The uncooperative Harry, couldn't be allowed to steal any attention of the media circus, surrounding yet another futile attempt by the Ministry to induce the return of all those who had fled Magical England during our little civil war and settled in other countries.

Taking into account casualties on both sides; Tom Riddle's second attempt at usurping magical Britain, had cost over a third of its total Wizarding population … with the death toll among magical Muggleborn's downright staggering … with over 90 percent either … now living in exile, outside of the country - - still in hiding somewhere in-country _ or _ having been outright- 'murdered' -under Thicknesses and his Death Eaters.

The effect of a diminished population on the economy of the magical UK had been devastating, with a crippling recession only kept at bay; by massive- foreign aid -poured into the UK by other magical governments. - The I.C.W (international Confederation of Wizards) had stepped in almost directly after the fighting had ended and the I.C. W was happy to help in the recovery of magical Great Britain. - - Naturally; no foreign aid has even been given to another country (by unanimous vote) without some kind of crippling terms and conditions.

For example; The I.C.W demanded to send-in Canadian and commonwealth Judges and Aurors … as so many of their English counterparts had taken an active role in the genocide atrocities. So I understood completely the new Minister's desperate efforts to resort trust in the magical government as I understood the genuine fear of the common folk that pure blood bigots were- still –'as thick as fleas' -on a homeless dogs back - - in all levels of the Ministry and these villains were still committed to finishing off all Muggleborn's.

While attending Hogwarts, I had read numerous newspaper accounts over the last nine months of the ongoing purge of the Ministry and the evil and corruption the I.C.W. found there. - - Just yesterday; I read of yet another raid on a home of a D.E. sympathizer in London and the fugitive Death-eater's that were captured there. There were (of course) a few pure blood families that had nothing to do with anti-Muggleborn purges – just like not all of the Muggle Germans had any part of what the Nazis did. However the reality was; that all Germans, like all pure-bloods of the UK … had to carry the burden of shame and blame for the evils done by a violent minority.

However; with the Death Eaters defeated; the repercussions surrounding what had happen had been equally disturbing to me … according to the- Daily Prophet, many of the returning Muggleborn's who had lost relatives to the Death Eaters, had come back to the U.K. looking for revenge. The number of vigilante attacks on known pure-blood Death Eater supporters had still not yet peaked, an entire twelfth-month after the fall of Riddle. - - Theses ongoing reprisals are starting to have an serious effect on the losing side … (meaning the D.E. sympathizers) as the murderous attacks on these families, has forced many of those closely associated with Voldemort, to resettle in different countries.

Kingsley Shacklebolt (the Minister) was desperate to show the world that it had been a half-blood (Harry) and a Muggleborn (me) that had brought an end to the Death eater insurrection. For a pure-blood champion the Ministry had turned the-'spot light'-on Neville (at my suggestion) … for his standing up to Voldemort in the court-yard. His defiance when everyone thought Harry was dead … was in my view beyond fantastic – a far better example of pure-blood courage, than the dolt who abandoned - me … I mean US … Harry and I, that is – during the hunt.

Everyone was supposed to do their bit to return England to normalcy … Neville did … I did …but Harry and Ron wanted no part of it. Ron had seemed to have completely disappeared, directly after the battle and I couldn't find him (using all of my resources) while I was attending Hogwarts - with his family even refusing to tell the new headmistress (Minerva McGonagall) where he was.

As for Harry the-'always reluctant hero' –he had repeatedly and forcefully demanded to be- left alone - now that the war was over – In fact; the Chosen-One had been no help at all since the fighting stopped; for he had refused from day one to be the public face of a post-war England. So when I approached him asking for help with finding Ronald or in assisting the survivors return to normalcy, he turned me down flat. - - Which meant; that after I came back 'empty-handed' from Australia … I became by default the sole 'role model' for everyone magical and not just the Muggleborn's.

I really don't like being forced onto a pedestal and followed everywhere by the paparazzi. I hated Living in a media fish bowl during the last year and being treated as if I was a spoiled cinema starlet. - Since Riddles' defeat I have been hounded by the media night and day … even after I returned to Hogwarts. Things came to a point, however - after a photo-spread of me (in the seventh year girl's showers) which appeared in a check-out lane magazine – photos taken by one of my so-called classmates – a fellow Gryffindor. Luckily, the steam from the hot water - blurred the pictures to the point so that my 'modest charms' were fully concealed.

As a result of this incident … I felt compelled to ask the headmistress for a private bedroom and bath just to give me a place of refuge … a-bit of privacy. Yes …yes, it had been an especially hard year for me at Hogwarts during my repeat of seventh year. I also felt very lonely – because Harry had said no to completing his education. With no other real friends to speak-of, my last year was all but totally devoid of social interaction.

But I wasn't completely out of touch with the outside world. I wrote to Harry every other day and he had occasionally, written me back. I still had my subscription to the- Daily Prophet -and paid close attention to any- 'ghostly rumors'- I happen to overhear - - and luckily for me, the 'magical portraits' turned out to be notorious gossips. But even the worst of the ghostly tattletales refuse to tell me what happened to Ron … or George after losing Fred.

It was though my various information sources (living and dead) that I learned that Minister Shacklebolt's political advisors had bluntly informed Kingsley, that the common mob (the public) could not wrap their minds around the concept of three national heroes.

When I told Harry about, what Kingsley's was contemplating … the idea to downplaying Ron's role in the war… he became furious an irrational about the entire issue and wrote to me repeatedly on the subject … telling me in no uncertain terms - to stop Kingsley. - - - But on this issue Harry and I strongly disagreed. - I felt that Neville was a far better role model in comparison to Ron- 'the deserter'. My reasoning on Ron's role historically speaking - was based at that time (naturally) on the tent incident and partially due to my sudden estrangement from Ron and his entire family after the war. Still felling deeply hurt over Ron's kinfolk's immaturity, I foolishly supported the idea.

Because of my lack of support of a once close friend, Harry stopped writing to me for a-couple of months while the Ministry, by calculated design … began diminishing Ron's role in the war and encouraged the magical media in their near total focus on Harry and me … it soon got to the point that Ron was soon being outright ignored by the entire Wizarding media. I then began to wondered about Ron's temper and his reaction to being abruptly written out of history. However I didn't have to wonder for long, for I learned by other means (eavesdropping on Ginny while in the girl's loo) that Ron himself did not object to what was happening to him. I was; of-course, gob-smacked by this news and after thinking it over - I theorized that Ron accepted being historically overlooked … due to the overwhelming guilt I suspected that he felt, over abandoning Harry and- me -in the tent, conveniently forgetting (for a time) … that I had practically driven him to it.

I also bit my tongue on this subject for selfish reasons … because I felt that nothing could even happen between Harry and me … as along as Harry had any physical reminders of the red-haired girl he had broken up with at the end of sixth year. I sincerely felt (at the time) that would be easier for Ron to move on with his life … (without me) if he and I were no longer thrust into each other's company on a daily bases. - - Oddly enough; the fates seemed to want to encourage my solution to the Ron problem - for Harry went straight from the ruins of Hogwarts to the Auror Academy while I traveled to Australia (a few days later) to find my parents. With the hunt for the 'Horcruxes' ended and Tom Riddle dead; … the golden trio by an 'odd set of circumstances', seemed destined to go our separate ways.

A mere twelfth-month later; after nearly indurable bouts of loneliness - from a position of prominence on the dignitary platform I caught sight of the Weasley's… all gathered in a tight little group, their eyes fixated on Ginny. I felt no 'hurt-feelings' at being ignored by them … for Ginny and I hadn't exchanged 10 words during the year we spent at Hogwarts … following the little chat I had with her at the beginning of term, wherein I explained in great detail, my incompatibility issues with her immature brother. - - I'm sure what I said to Ginevra made its way back to the- Burrow- - because shortly thereafter … by unspoken agreement; all contact between me and the rest of the Weasley's ended abruptly … and I have remained cut-off from them, since my totally reasonable explanation reached the- Burrow.

Breaking Ron's heart … like any messy divorce, forces people we both knew, to choose sides and naturally; almost everyone, chose the far more popular Ron. Many of my former peers came to see Ginny's big day, while only one (hopefully) came to see mine.

The last twelfth-month had been an eye-opener for me, concerning how much my lack of tact (people skills) had cost me. (I've been aware since the age of six; that I tended to be hyper critical of others) Strangely enough, my tendency to overly criticize, made me look even harder at this pack of happy red-heads … trying to catch sight of the only boy, who could easily take my non-stop criticisms in stride. He would be a young-man now; a man who I had not seen or heard from, since the final battle - (As all of my letters to him had been returned unopened).

He was being so immature about all this. I fancied Harry … and his childishness over whom I had chosen romantically had to be put aside … because it's the way things are now and he just had to deal with it. - - But after five minutes of visually searching the Weasley clan … the familiar face of the scruffy looking – long haired –funny and genuinely kindhearted buffoon in hand-me-down robes … a boy I had known so well … was nowhere to be seen. This I couldn't understand … would Ron miss his only sister'sgraduation just to avoid me – like a spoiled little brat?

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I don't remember the details of that conversation – not really. I was half starved and beyond exhausted at the time. It took place in-between the two battles of Hogwarts - In May of 1998. Ron … my dearest Ron, had been trying to tell me how he felt after our first kiss … and I would have none of it. I didn't want him to tell me he fancied me, because I didn't fancy him. So when the cease fire took effect and the death eaters withdrew (temporarily) I felt I had finally found the proper opportunity to tell the raw truth and bring to an end Ron's unrequited feelings for me … and so I told him, in blunt terms–that it had always been Harry for me from day one.

I told him frankly, that he was (in my view): lazy, unkempt with appalling table manners and absolutely zero ambition to do anything useful with his life. The very fact that he had never applied himself to his classwork … indicated to me a lack of desire to do something noteworthy and this conclusion was entirely based on his reluctance to do homework.

What is it with boys and not doing homework? Harry too had to be forced to do Homework but he did it. - Ron on the other hand had to be dragged - kicking and screaming - and even then, I had to waste loads of my precious time … just to keep Ron from failing (in every single class).

I always thought that academically, Ron was a bad influence on Harry. … always encouraging him to neglect his studies and have fun – right in the middle of a war - - BOYS - - argh! … Who needs them - they're ruddy worthless.

I on the other hand - had worked too hard … for too long, to end-up as nothing more than a little- 'Mrs. Homemaker'… barefoot and always pregnant. - - I had plans – complicated – well thought out plans… for a long and successful career. - - As I remember it, I was admittedly - rather blunt and a-tad cold-hearted … in expressing these very self-evident conclusions to Ron. In fact; it was far harder to tell him the truth than I would have ever imagined. I had known for years how he had felt about me – my dorm mates: Brown and Patil - had pointed out the obvious, often enough.

In my own defense however; I had never done anything to encourage his feelings toward me. Ron was hardly my intellectual equal and deep down I think he knew it. I studied and he goofed off – and as a result of his half-hearted efforts, only Harry and I had gone on to- N.E.W.T's -level classes, after our-O.W. L's - (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) exams – whereas Ron had not. Now- after loads of hard work … I was the only one of the trio … which had actually completed my - N.E.W.T's – and was about to graduate with top honors – as the undisputed brightest witch of my generation.

On the other hand … (she said to herself while mentally sneering) Ron's low marks in-all-his classes and his appalling lack of effort, had doomed him to an early departure from Hogwarts … a fate he so richly deserved. – In fact; I still don't understand how he got to undergo trades training for an additional year and I greatly doubt, even with a lorry load of blind luck – that Ron would … or should I say … 'might' - land a posting as an apprentice in any worthwhile skilled trade.

In fact; – I pictured him some nineteen years from now – unemployed and still living with his parents. After five long years of wasted homework help for me - the lazy clod - was (damn lucky) to spend his sixth year learning any trade. I considered trying to teach Ron anything … a horrible waste of limited resources.

There was no future for us (Ron and I) … that much was crystal clear - - whatever would we talk about, now that the war was over and Harry was off at the Auror academy for two years? - While I was moving up the ladder of the Ministry and solving important problems … Ron day would consist of what? - - working as a magical plumber?

So he could beat me at wizarding chess – who cared? That stupid game (like playing Quidditch) was of no real use in the working world.

To be continued