BECOMING A HERO
Sixth year. Voldemort: low power. Harry: a new scar.
Harry sat in the common room examining the crescent-shaped scar behind his left ear.
"Oh, please," Ron said, coming out of the bathroom, "Will you stop with that stupid thing? It's barely noticeable."
"Lavender said I should start using make-up on it."
Ron turned to face Harry, "Please tell me you don't take her seriously."
"I don't." Harry said, frowning, "Hermione already told me not to listen to Lavender."
Ron eyes narrowed.
"Oh, sorry." Harry said, seeing the hateful look on Ron's face, "I-I forgot." Ron and Hermione had been mad at each other since the second day of school when Hermione received a letter from Krum.
"It's-it's okay." Ron said after a minute.
"Ron, how can you like her and hate her at the same time?" Harry said, not taking his eyes away from the mirror.
"I don't know. I mean, she pretty and smart and amazing...but then she's in love with wonderful, older, more sophisticated Vicky."
"She's not in love with him, I've told you a hundred times, he's just her friend, like you and me. And it's going to stay that way with you and her if you don't take your head out of the clouds and-"
"Alright, Harry, alright. But, she's sends him letters!"
"She sends you letters."
Ron crossed his arms over his chest, "Don't you have some sort of practice or something?"
"No. But I know what I do have to do."
"What's that?"
"Find a date for the Yule Ball."
"Harry, the stupid ball isn't for three weeks!"
"I don't care. I'm going to take someone worth while and not some flirty little airhead."
Ron rolled his eyes, "I suppose you're right. Dinner?"
"Dinner." Harry said, finally forgetting the scar.
"Let's see...a bear could eat you."
"A bear? Harry, you know how lame that sounds."
"Okay...a unicorn?"
"Haha. Hippogriff?"
"Saucy. Let's both use that one." Harry said, turning to his Divination homework he and Ron had been working on.
"Oh, great. Guess who's here." Ron said.
"Who?" Harry said, looking up.
"Hermione." They said together.
"Harry, news," she said, coming over, "I just ran into Ginny. She wants to know if you have Quidditch practice tomorrow."
"Sure we are. Right Team Captain?"
Ron blushed at the comment, "Of course we are."
"That's strange how every Weasley was on the team." Hermione said timidly.
"Yeah, I might just be better that Vicky." Ron snapped.
Hermione stepped back as if he had struck her, "You needn't be rude."
"Oh, needn't I?" Ron said, standing up.
"Yes." Hermione said, pointing her nose up.
"You guys, please don't start-" Harry tried.
"I wouldn't have to if she didn't constantly bring up her precious Vicky!"
"Don't call him that! It's Victor! And he's just my friend!"
"Oh please! Why don't you ever talk about anything else then?"
"I didn't even bring him up, Harry did!"
"Oh, now you're going to start blaming Harry! What, you like him, too?"
"What do you think?"
"I not sure what I think...Mudblood!"
Hermione gasped, "Ron!" and slapped him.
Ron let his head stay where she had slapped it to, his cheek turning red.
"DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT! I WISH I HAD NEVER EVEN LAID EYES ON KRUM! IF I HAD KNOWN IT WAS GOING TO MAKE YOU ACT CHILDISH, SELFISH AND LIKE A HUGE JERK, I NEVER WOULD HAVE!!!" she burst into tears and ran up the steps to her dorm.
Ron moved his head when she was gone, and rubbed his cheek.
"Ron?" Harry said.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to apologize?"
"APOLOGIZE! ME?"
"You called her a Mudblood!"
"She deserved it!"
"No she didn't!"
"Yes she did!"
"Didn't!"
"Did!"
"Didn- now you've got me started!" Harry said.
"Sorry. I guess I should apologize."
"Yes, yes you should."
"Al-alright. Will you help?"
"No, Ron, this is something you should do by yourself."
Ron looked up the stairs and said, "I can't! I just can't!"
"You have to."
"Well, I'm not!" Ron banged his fist on the table, "So just back off!"
"Hey, hey, Ron. Come on, now. I didn't mean anything by it!"
"Just shutup, Harry, shutup!"
"If you weren't such a pain in the-" Harry paused to calm himself, "In the- the neck, maybe I wouldn't have to be this way. Maybe Hermione wouldn't be this way. You blame everything on everyone else, but the truth is, it's you, Ron, it's you."
Ron jumped up, "You're as bad as Malfoy! Go on, call me poor, you know you want to! Go on, Harry, we all know I'm as poor as dirt! We all know I'm the youngest male in my family! WE all know I have SO much to live up to and-" Ron set down, his head in his hands and whispered, "But we all know the truth, too. Which is I can't. I can't live up to everything. I'll never live up to anything. You might as well be the captain of the stupid team. Malfoy's right, I'm just a redhead on welfare."
Harry sighed, "Ron, Ron you're not a prat. And I know there's a lot of pressure on you, maybe right now, but it will go away."
"No! No, I'll always be second best. All my things are second, and so am I."
"I feel sorry for you. But Hermione's not a Mudblood, and no matter what you say or do. You can't take it back. Ever. It's like toothpaste. Once it comes out, it can't go back in, no matter how hard you try." Harry sighed and backed away.
Ron sat up, feeling like an idiot.
"Mrrrow."
Ron snapped his head up, "Hey, Crookshanks." The cat came over to Ron's lap.
"Yeah, at least you're not mad at me. Not anymore. You knew I had Wormtail in my pocket. Now I don't even have a stupid rat. At least Neville's got a toad. Pig, sure, I've got him, but Ginny takes care of him, I don't." He rubbed the cat, "Thanks for listening to me ramble."
"Drop the cat."
Ron looked swiftly up the staircase. Hermione stood there, looking extremely grumpy.
"You heard me. Get your- your welfare hands off my cat. Get a haircut. While you're at it, get a life."
Ron jumped up as the cat ran to Hermione, "Hermione...I didn't-"
"Didn't mean it? I'm sure. Why'd you say it then? Let me tell you something: I meant what I just said. I always will. You're low down scum and I'll never forget what you called me. Why don't you go be one of Malfoy's goons from now on. You're perfect for the job. Come on, Crookshanks, let's go." She picked the cat up and stalked up the stairs.
"She really said that?" Harry couldn't believe it.
"No, I made it all up. Of course she really she it!"
"Wow." Harry said, thinking of Hermione, "Wow. How could she say such a thing?"
"I deserved it. I did a lot of thinking last night. She's not a Mudblood and I guess I kind of...overreacted to the whole Krum ordeal. But you're right, It's all toothpaste out of the tube."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Huh?"
"Last night, she was listening in on us. I saw her, but I didn't say anything."
"What? Harry, how could you not say anything?"
"I'm sorry, Ron. I was hoping you would say what you just did."
"Harry-"
"Now, Ron, don't get upset. Everything will be fine. Hermione has to forget about all this sometime."
Sixth year. Voldemort: low power. Harry: a new scar.
Harry sat in the common room examining the crescent-shaped scar behind his left ear.
"Oh, please," Ron said, coming out of the bathroom, "Will you stop with that stupid thing? It's barely noticeable."
"Lavender said I should start using make-up on it."
Ron turned to face Harry, "Please tell me you don't take her seriously."
"I don't." Harry said, frowning, "Hermione already told me not to listen to Lavender."
Ron eyes narrowed.
"Oh, sorry." Harry said, seeing the hateful look on Ron's face, "I-I forgot." Ron and Hermione had been mad at each other since the second day of school when Hermione received a letter from Krum.
"It's-it's okay." Ron said after a minute.
"Ron, how can you like her and hate her at the same time?" Harry said, not taking his eyes away from the mirror.
"I don't know. I mean, she pretty and smart and amazing...but then she's in love with wonderful, older, more sophisticated Vicky."
"She's not in love with him, I've told you a hundred times, he's just her friend, like you and me. And it's going to stay that way with you and her if you don't take your head out of the clouds and-"
"Alright, Harry, alright. But, she's sends him letters!"
"She sends you letters."
Ron crossed his arms over his chest, "Don't you have some sort of practice or something?"
"No. But I know what I do have to do."
"What's that?"
"Find a date for the Yule Ball."
"Harry, the stupid ball isn't for three weeks!"
"I don't care. I'm going to take someone worth while and not some flirty little airhead."
Ron rolled his eyes, "I suppose you're right. Dinner?"
"Dinner." Harry said, finally forgetting the scar.
"Let's see...a bear could eat you."
"A bear? Harry, you know how lame that sounds."
"Okay...a unicorn?"
"Haha. Hippogriff?"
"Saucy. Let's both use that one." Harry said, turning to his Divination homework he and Ron had been working on.
"Oh, great. Guess who's here." Ron said.
"Who?" Harry said, looking up.
"Hermione." They said together.
"Harry, news," she said, coming over, "I just ran into Ginny. She wants to know if you have Quidditch practice tomorrow."
"Sure we are. Right Team Captain?"
Ron blushed at the comment, "Of course we are."
"That's strange how every Weasley was on the team." Hermione said timidly.
"Yeah, I might just be better that Vicky." Ron snapped.
Hermione stepped back as if he had struck her, "You needn't be rude."
"Oh, needn't I?" Ron said, standing up.
"Yes." Hermione said, pointing her nose up.
"You guys, please don't start-" Harry tried.
"I wouldn't have to if she didn't constantly bring up her precious Vicky!"
"Don't call him that! It's Victor! And he's just my friend!"
"Oh please! Why don't you ever talk about anything else then?"
"I didn't even bring him up, Harry did!"
"Oh, now you're going to start blaming Harry! What, you like him, too?"
"What do you think?"
"I not sure what I think...Mudblood!"
Hermione gasped, "Ron!" and slapped him.
Ron let his head stay where she had slapped it to, his cheek turning red.
"DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT! I WISH I HAD NEVER EVEN LAID EYES ON KRUM! IF I HAD KNOWN IT WAS GOING TO MAKE YOU ACT CHILDISH, SELFISH AND LIKE A HUGE JERK, I NEVER WOULD HAVE!!!" she burst into tears and ran up the steps to her dorm.
Ron moved his head when she was gone, and rubbed his cheek.
"Ron?" Harry said.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to apologize?"
"APOLOGIZE! ME?"
"You called her a Mudblood!"
"She deserved it!"
"No she didn't!"
"Yes she did!"
"Didn't!"
"Did!"
"Didn- now you've got me started!" Harry said.
"Sorry. I guess I should apologize."
"Yes, yes you should."
"Al-alright. Will you help?"
"No, Ron, this is something you should do by yourself."
Ron looked up the stairs and said, "I can't! I just can't!"
"You have to."
"Well, I'm not!" Ron banged his fist on the table, "So just back off!"
"Hey, hey, Ron. Come on, now. I didn't mean anything by it!"
"Just shutup, Harry, shutup!"
"If you weren't such a pain in the-" Harry paused to calm himself, "In the- the neck, maybe I wouldn't have to be this way. Maybe Hermione wouldn't be this way. You blame everything on everyone else, but the truth is, it's you, Ron, it's you."
Ron jumped up, "You're as bad as Malfoy! Go on, call me poor, you know you want to! Go on, Harry, we all know I'm as poor as dirt! We all know I'm the youngest male in my family! WE all know I have SO much to live up to and-" Ron set down, his head in his hands and whispered, "But we all know the truth, too. Which is I can't. I can't live up to everything. I'll never live up to anything. You might as well be the captain of the stupid team. Malfoy's right, I'm just a redhead on welfare."
Harry sighed, "Ron, Ron you're not a prat. And I know there's a lot of pressure on you, maybe right now, but it will go away."
"No! No, I'll always be second best. All my things are second, and so am I."
"I feel sorry for you. But Hermione's not a Mudblood, and no matter what you say or do. You can't take it back. Ever. It's like toothpaste. Once it comes out, it can't go back in, no matter how hard you try." Harry sighed and backed away.
Ron sat up, feeling like an idiot.
"Mrrrow."
Ron snapped his head up, "Hey, Crookshanks." The cat came over to Ron's lap.
"Yeah, at least you're not mad at me. Not anymore. You knew I had Wormtail in my pocket. Now I don't even have a stupid rat. At least Neville's got a toad. Pig, sure, I've got him, but Ginny takes care of him, I don't." He rubbed the cat, "Thanks for listening to me ramble."
"Drop the cat."
Ron looked swiftly up the staircase. Hermione stood there, looking extremely grumpy.
"You heard me. Get your- your welfare hands off my cat. Get a haircut. While you're at it, get a life."
Ron jumped up as the cat ran to Hermione, "Hermione...I didn't-"
"Didn't mean it? I'm sure. Why'd you say it then? Let me tell you something: I meant what I just said. I always will. You're low down scum and I'll never forget what you called me. Why don't you go be one of Malfoy's goons from now on. You're perfect for the job. Come on, Crookshanks, let's go." She picked the cat up and stalked up the stairs.
"She really said that?" Harry couldn't believe it.
"No, I made it all up. Of course she really she it!"
"Wow." Harry said, thinking of Hermione, "Wow. How could she say such a thing?"
"I deserved it. I did a lot of thinking last night. She's not a Mudblood and I guess I kind of...overreacted to the whole Krum ordeal. But you're right, It's all toothpaste out of the tube."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Huh?"
"Last night, she was listening in on us. I saw her, but I didn't say anything."
"What? Harry, how could you not say anything?"
"I'm sorry, Ron. I was hoping you would say what you just did."
"Harry-"
"Now, Ron, don't get upset. Everything will be fine. Hermione has to forget about all this sometime."