Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and I don't intend to earn any profit out of this story.
Author's Note: This happens in 5th year and is from Ron's point of view.
Warnings: 1) Ron centric fiction, and, Pairing of Ron and Slytherin OFC
2) AU story.
3) Ginny Weasley bashing
4) Eventually Dark, Intelligent, Powerful, OOC Ron
5) Intelligent, Supportive OFC
Ronald Weasley was sitting inebriated beside the Lake on the Hogwarts grounds contemplating on the loss that his Gryffindor Quidditch team faced yesterday to the Hufflepuffs, all thanks to his abysmal keeper skills. The "Weasley is our King" chant by the Slytherins kept running inside his head. He was feeling utterly miserable and dejected. He couldn't bear to see his friends Harry & Hermione, and his twin brothers and Ginny look at him with Sympathy. Thinking about the ridicule that he had been facing this year, he took a large swig of butterbeer
"Please don't drink any more Weasley" came a soft voice from behind.
Ron looked behind him to see an unfamiliar girl in Slytherin uniform, who was looking at him with sadness. She had jet black hair, deep blue eyes and a very beautiful aristocratic face. But none of that mattered to Ron now.
"What do you want Slimy Snake?" said Ron harshly.
The girl didn't seem to be offended. She took three steps towards Ron and extended her hand.
"See Mr Roaring Lion, you can touch my hand. You will see that I am not slimy" she said smiling. "Anyway, I am not here to mock or insult you Weasley. I have been observing you for quite some time. You are not doing any justice to yourself by drowning yourself in butterbeer. Too much of it is not good for your health" said the girl as a matter of fact.
"Why the hell would you care? All of you Slytherins are just rotten to the core. You enjoy making fun of others, look down upon muggleborns or even anyone who is not a pureblood. All of you are just disgusting people who are waiting to be deatheaters. And, I am sick of your disgusting 'Weasley is our King' badges and singing" ranted Ron fiercely.
The girl just stood silent while Ron was ranting.
As soon as she finished, she replied "Weasley, do you see me wearing that stupid badge?" asked the girl looking at him intently.
"No" said Ron uncertainly.
"I just hate those badges Weasley. Nobody deserves to be mocked in such a cruel fashion. I just hate the bigotry that many of my housemates spew from their dirty mouths. I have no problem against muggleborns or the so-called blood traitors. I have no problem against even those who have creature blood in them. Everyone has their own importance. And, I will never ever join that idiotic dark tosser who calls himself as 'Voldemort'" declared the girl boldly.
Ron was dumbfounded at her words and flinched on hearing Voldemort's name.
"Oh ho, Mr Roaring Lion Weasley, why is the Lion so afraid of hearing the Dork Tosser's name. I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave" said the girl smirking at him.
Ron grew irritated and was about to respond angrily when she sang, "Voldie Voldie Voldemort! Voldemort Voldemort Voldie" making him flinch thrice.
She laughed without reservation making Ron gape at her. Ron would never dare admit it, but her smile was so beautiful and infectious.
"Who are you?" asked Ron feeling quite confused
"Zarina Shafiq, 6 th year Extraordinary half-blood Slytherin at your service" said Zarina giving an exaggerated bow, which made Ron's lips twitch.
"But I thought Slytherins were supposed to be evil, nasty, bigoted and hate us Gryffindors but you're…. Anyway, why are you even talking to me?" asked Ron
"Weasley, I don't care for this stupid house rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Every Hogwarts house has had wonderful magic practitioners over the centuries. I admit that Slytherin house has got many bigots, bullies and blood purists, but not everyone is like that. And, there are bullies in other houses too, even in Gryffindor. Don't feel bad Weasley, but your elder Twin brothers badly bully the 1st year Slytherin girls and so many others in the name of pranking. I found one of the girls crying in girl's toilet. When I asked her why she was crying, she told me that your twin brothers had ripped off her skirt in the middle of the entrance hall and made her bald for a few minutes. I had to soothe her down and comfort her for a few minutes before she became all right" said Zarina emotionally.
Ron was about to deny that his brothers could never do anything of such sort, but he was not certain. After all, he knew his twin brothers quite well and had some idea of till what extent they would go to commit mischief. So, he kept silent.
"And Weasley, I am talking to you now because frankly, I am worried about you. All those people wearing those stupid badges have succeeded in the fact that they have sapped out your will power and energy. They have succeeded in doing so because you have allowed their cruel words to seep into your mind and demotivate you" said Zarina kindly.
"But, I am a hopeless keeper Shafiq. In Yesterday's match, I couldn't even block a single goal. It will be better if I resign from the team" said Ron dejectedly.
"Ron, if you resign from the team, Gryffindor's chances of winning the Quidditch cup will become even more lesser. You are an amazing and wonderful keeper Ron. Quidditch is there in your blood. I have noticed in your matches that once you let a Quaffle in, you lose all the motivation and become dejected, and because of that, let in further Quaffles when you could have easily blocked them" said Zarina.
"You think I am an amazing keeper Shafiq?" asked Ron disbelievingly.
"I know that you are an excellent keeper Ron. If you perform to the best of your ability, there is nothing that can stop you from winning. Your weakness is that you are allowing your emotions to dictate yourself. My suggestion is that you do meditation early in the morning everyday. Meditation is the most basic form of the mind arts. I am willing to help you out if you wish" said Zarina.
Ron's first instinct was to decline this offer of help from a Slytherin. But sheer curiosity overrode his instincts. Who was this Slytherin girl who was completely different from the other Slytherins that he knew? Who was this girl who dared to insult You Know Who?
Finally, he replied, "Yes, your help would be welcome" said Ron neutrally.
"Great. So, please meet me tomorrow 5:30 AM at the 7th floor near the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy" said Zarina smiling.
"Wait, you know about the Room of Requirement?" asked Ron wide-eyed.
"Yes, I found it in my first year. I am surprised that you know about it. Very few people know. Anyway, see you tomorrow Ron. Take care" said Zarina beaming at him before starting to walk away.
"Hey Wait, but why are you really helping me? Will it not be bad for your house if I perform better as a keeper?" asked Ron confused.
Zarina turned back and replied "I don't care about which house wins Ron. Moreever, it would be priceless to see the expression of the people wearing those stupid badges when you indeed show them how mighty King a Weasley can be" said Zarina before walking away.
As soon as Zarina walked away, Ron's expression cleared and he felt much happier and confident than before. He vanished his butterbeer bottle and walked confidently towards the Gryffindor tower in high spirits.
As soon as he reached the Gryffindor tower, he was accosted by Harry, Hermione, the twins and Ginny, all of whom seemed to be worried about him.
"Where were you Ron? I hoped you weren't drinking again " said Hermione.
"Nah Mione, I was just having a great and wonderful time near the lake, looking at a beautiful sight. After all, the sunset is so beautiful nowadays. And, I won't drink ever again" said Ron quite cheerfully.
The others were perplexed on seeing this sudden shift in Ron's demeanour.
"What happened to you Ronniekins? Till today afternoon, you were wallowing in depression and now you are quite happy all of a sudden. Has somebody hit you with a cheering charm?" asked George.
Ron just laughed and replied "Not just a cheering charm George, but I just got a bucket of motivation from the least expected source. I will kick the arses of the opponent team in the next Quidditch match. No more depression or wallowing in self pity. See you later guys. I wish to sleep early today" said Ron happily before bouncing off to his dorms, leaving the others dumbfounded or stunned in his wake.
"What is wrong with him? Ron seems too cheerful for someone who has been badly ridiculed for letting in 14 Quaffles. And, he didn't even have Dinner with us today, when he usually gorges everything in his mouth" said Ginny.
"Well, I don't really mind. I am just happy that he is free from Depression. I was honestly quite worried about him when he was drinking butterbeer till midnight yesterday" said Harry
"That is all fine Harry, but this sudden shift in his attitude seems a bit suspicious" said Hermione.
"Whatever it is, let's hope it is for the good. We can't have ickle Ronniekins wallowing in self pity again. Can we?" asked Fred, to which the others nodded before going back to their dorms
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For the next few weeks , everyone in Gryffindor noted a sudden shift in Ron Weasley's demeanour. He would wake up quite early in the morning, go to who knows where and come back after an hour or so in high spirits while the others were beginning to just wake up. When Hermione nagged him about this, Ron had something to say.
"Hermione, where I go early in the morning is a private matter, something that I am unwilling to share with you at the moment" said Ron firmly.
"But Ron, we are your friends and we have been quite worried about you as of late. You seem to be behaving too maturely, which is quite unlike you. You don't argue with me anymore. You are more slower in chewing your food. And yesterday, I was shocked to see you reading on your own, without me forcing you to do so. What is happening with you Ron?" asked Hermione suspiciously.
"Hermione, I know that you and Harry are among my best friends. But I have my own reasons for not sharing this with you just as you didn't tell me and Harry in our 3rd year that you were having a time turner with you. Please respect my privacy Hermione" said Ron firmly.
"But that is different…" started Hermione but Harry interrupted her.
"Let him tell us when he feels comfortable Hermione. And Ron, we won't just force you to tell us anything that you don't wish to tell. But anytime, if you feel any problem, please don't hesitate to approach us. Anyway, I am happy that you are now completely focused and dedicated in your Quidditch practices. Angelina was practically bouncing with joy when she was telling me how much sudden improvement that you have shown over the last few days. Even Fred and George not getting any good reasons to complain about your performance" said Harry grinning at him.
"Well, I have got nothing to lose. Have I? So, I have no reason not to perform to the best of my abilities. I will show Malfoy and his cronies that a Weasley can really become a King if he is pushed too far" said Ron before walking towards his dorms
Author's Note: The first meeting between Ron and Zarina in the room of requirement will be shown in the next chapter.