Chapter 2

~ Ron x Hermione ~

Alone.

'I'd feel colder when I walk alone, so I may as well ditch my dismay'

-Owl City


"Are you OK?" Ron asked Harry, voice shaking slightly.

"Yeah. What happened? Where's that – that thing? Who screamed?"

Harry was talking complete nonsense. Nobody had screamed. Everyone looked a bit pale, Ginny looked terrified and Neville seemed even more scared than her, but neither had made a sound whilst the creature had hovered menacingly by the door.

"No one screamed."

Harry tried to explain himself, but the professor from their compartment was handing out chocolate, distracting everyone. Never one to shy away from food, Ron ate his straight away. All at once warmth and happiness flooded through every inch of his body. Briefly, an image of Hermione came to mind. He was amazed at how much of a difference the chocolate made, considering he had thought that he had felt better after the Dementor had left. He shivered at the thought of how he had felt in its presence. Like I would never be cheerful again.

He caught Hermione's eye as he shivered again. She gave him a small smile, reminding him of the warm feeling the chocolate gave him.

Ron and Hermione then proceeded to tell Harry what had happened when the Dementor came into their compartment. They told him how he fell off his seat, how he appeared to be fitting, how Professor Lupin had forced it away with a silvery spell.

For the short remainder of the journey, everyone sat in silence, presumably wrapped up in their thoughts as Ron was. He felt jumbled up inside. When the dementor had sucked all of his happiness he had been left with only bitter resentment that he hadn't even realised he felt before. Now, it was all he could think about. He couldn't help himself looking at Harry thinking 'Why does everyone love you so much? Why do they all ignore me? I've helped you with your amazing achievements twice now, but no one notices me.' He saw Harry comfort Hermione by putting his arm around her. 'We're supposed to be friends. Why are you two getting so cosy together? You can't ruin our friendship like that. How could the two of you do this to me?'

Professor Lupin handed out a second batch of chocolate as the train slowed. Ron's bitterness soon dissolved away. He suddenly felt silly for his thoughts about Harry putting his arm around Hermione, he was just comforting her because she had been upset. He wasn't about to ruin what the three of them had together.

A short while later, the trio were being pushed and shoved from all directions on the platform, having to hold on to each other's cloaks to make sure they weren't separated. Over the sea of heads surrounding them, Hagrid waved in their direction before rounding up the first years. The three of them made their way towards the carriages that took the older students up to the school. Hermione had seen them before, but Ron and Harry were amazed at how they moved along as if being pulled by nothing and spent a few minutes circling one before finally climbing inside. Ron spent the entire journey up to the castle fantasizing about the food that would be served for the feast.

"I hope there is roast beef. And gravy, plenty of gravy…." He said to the others excitedly.

"Do you ever stop thinking about food?" the others replied in unison.

"No." They laughed as the carriage slowed to a stop outside Hogwarts.

They joined the crowd of students all heading towards the Great Hall. Because everyone was going the same way, they hardly had to move their feet, but rather just let themselves be carried along with the horde of people around them. Standing at the edge of the corridor in a doorway, Professor McGonagall was calling to them.

"Potter! Granger! To my office, please."

All three of them stopped, wondering why she wanted them. The people around them became annoyed at their lack of movement, holding quite a few people up.

"Now, please. Move along, Mr Weasley."

Harry turned to Ron.

"We'll see you later then." He shrugged.

Ron allowed himself to be swept off once more, as he left Harry and Hermione to fight their way through to their new destination, against the flow of the students. He joined Seamus and Dean, who had been in front of them, but didn't really join in with their conversation. As they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Ron was just thinking. The two special ones, wanted by the teacher, leaving me alone.

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