Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers

Chapter 4 The Slytherin Keeper

Draco's eyes grew at Ron's news. Tryouts for the new Slytherin Keeper had taken place earlier in the day. Draco watched as Ron stopped most of the Quaffles that were thrown at him.

"You're Keeper?" Draco asked excitedly.

Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Team captain, hadn't told them after tryouts who had actually made it.

Ron nodded and smiled. Draco looked down and saw that Ron had his broom in his hand. He was heading back out for practice.

"Yeah, and practice's right now. Come and watch," Ron said.

They were far away from being best friends again, but Ron thought that this was a start.

"Welcome to the team, Weasley," one of the Chasers said to Ron.

Ron smiled and replied, "Thanks." The team seemed to be nice enough to him, though this was only because he was with them and not in another House.

Flint then walked up to them and put an arm around Ron and asked, "So, do you think you could get Potter to tell you some of the Gryffindor team's secrets?"

Ron's heart sank. He knew this had all been too good to be true. They just wanted him on the team because they knew he talked to Harry and thought they would able to use him to get inside information for the team.

"Is that the real reason I made the team?" Ron asked, his head falling forward.

He looked back up when one of the other members of the team, a Beater, started to laugh. This made him feel even worse until the person said, "No, he got the idea afterwards believe it or not."

Ron had been busy eyes Draco after this comment that they hadn't notice another House team approaching them until they heard say, "Well, what do we have here?"

Ron and Draco turned and saw the Gryffindor Team walking towards them, their captain, Oliver Wood, looking furious.

"Gryffindor has the pitch reserved," Wood said.

Flint gave a smirk and pulled a piece a parchment from inside his robes.

"I have a note. We need to train our new Keeper," he said.

Giving a laugh, Wood said, "Really? Who is it?"

It didn't take long for Harry in spot Ron. Hermione, who Ron hadn't noticed was standing to the side, had her mouth open in shock.

"Ron?" Harry asked.

Hermione took a step closer, looked Ron straight in the eyes, and said, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Ron didn't have time to stop Draco what he said next.

Taking a step closer, Draco said, "He doesn't have to answer to you, you filthy, little Mudblood."

Harry took out his wand, but before he could anything, Ron had his out, yelled something, and fell to the ground, totally forgetting his wand wasn't working properly.

"Ron," he heard people shouting. Everything was dark. When Ron finally came to, the first thing he saw was Hermione and Ron's faces.

"Ron, are you all right?" Hermione asked as she helped Harry pick him up.

"He needs to be taken to the hospital wing," Harry said.

"I…" Ron began, but he couldn't finish his sentence because a slug had suddenly come up, and everyone back away. Hermione and Harry only looked away because they were still holding Ron upright, therefore, unable to move without moving Ron as well.

Madam Pomfrey immediately took Ron when she saw Harry and Hermione walking into the hospital wing. She laid him in the nearest bed and handed him a bucket.

"What happened?" she asked Harry and Hermione, but they couldn't answer her because they didn't know. Ron hadn't told them that his wand wasn't working.

"Wand… backfired," Ron said weakly.

The three turned to Ron as he slowly sat up.

"I don't know what spell he used, but he was trying to hex Draco Malfoy," Harry started to explain to Madam Pomfrey.

Ron looked down as Madam Pomfrey looked at him heatedly and said, "What on Earth were you trying to do that for?"

"He called… Hermione… a…" Ron began, but couldn't say the words, and they knew it wasn't just because of the slugs that continued to come out of his mouth.

"Yes?" Madam Pomfrey urged.

"He called me a Mudblood," Hermione finally said when Ron shook his head, obviously not going to say it.

"He did not," Madam Pomfrey gasped, and then she covered her mouth.

Hermione and Harry looked confused, and Ron knew they had no clue what the meaning of the meant.

"What's a… Mud…" Harry and Hermione began to ask, but Ron cut them off.

"It's a foul name," Ron snapped.

Madam Pomfrey, who had seemed to regain herself, looked confusingly at Ron and saud, "Yes, but you're… oh, never mind." It was clear to Ron that he assumed that since he was a Slytherin, he would have no problem with the name. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for the slugs to stop coming out, Mr. Weasley."

With that, she left the three alone.

"I can't believe you need that, Ron," Hermione said admiringly to Ron.

Ron shrugged his shoulders and replied, "He insulted you." He was trying to act causally, but he felt his cheeks get warmer. "He should know that he insults one of my friends, he's insulting me."

Harry was smiling when Ron looked at him. Ron was then caught off guard when Hermione gave a squeal he wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh, Ron," she cried, his words obviously having an affect on her.

Ron was released the next day.

xxx

The first night back in his dormitory hadn't been a good one for Ron.

"I can't believe you…" Draco began.

Ron turned angrily at Draco and yelled, "Shut up!"

Why did Draco have to keep giving him a hard time about being friends Hermione and Harry?

Draco eyebrows leveled and asked Ron, "Have they brainwashed you or something?"

Ron rolled his eyes and got in bed, wanting to sleep.

"I said, shut it," he said before pulling the covers over him

"Fine, but whatever you're going through right now… I hope it ends soon," Draco retorted.

So much for being friends again, Ron thought, as he closed his eyes a drifted to sleep.

AN:

I'm trying to make these chapters longer, I really am.