Ron limped across the corridor, wincing as he took each step. He wasn't able to sleep well with his face and body throbbing in pain. Before the sun had risen, he already left the Slytherin dungeons to go to the Hospital Wing. He had a feeling he would be going there a lot of times in the next six years at Hogwarts.

He didn't bother sending a letter to his parents or inform any of this older brothers or professors about what happened. Ron knew it was futile to blame on Draco whose father was one of the school governors and most influential figures in the Wizarding community, especially at the Ministry despite not working there. As sad and painful it was to accept it, his own father wouldn't stand a chance against Draco's father and it would risk his job, causing more problems to the family. Ron wouldn't want that to happen.

Stopping his tracks, he knocked on the door and entered inside, hoping Madam Pomfrey was awake and that she wouldn't question him where he earned the injuries. To his relief, she didn't ask much other than who did to him, to which he answered he fell down the stairs. Luckily enough, he was allowed to sleep in the Hospital Wing for a couple of hours and he took the offer the moment she said it. As promised by Madam Pomfrey, he was woken up around eight in the morning, prompting him to head down to breakfast at the Great Hall. Ron was greeted with sneers from his fellow Housemates and he returned the same gesture.

Ron stayed silent throughout the whole day, speaking only when necessary. He wasn't in the mood to practice any spells and brooded by himself. This went by for the next two weeks, making him almost unnoticed by everyone else. He was already done with the second detention he had from Snape who assigned Filch the caretaker to oversee the detention.

But during those two weeks, he took a lot of time thinking of what he was supposed to do; he knew what his goal was and that was to save his family. He had no idea how to save them in his honest opinion (he was only eleven years old), but he would do anything to keep them safe from harm. Ron knew at some point that in a few years' time, a war would commence and a lot of lives would be taken away. All of this was due to his ability of seeing the future of others. It was hard enough that he was only by himself to do this but he couldn't tell anyone what he knew because it would cause more problems.

When it was already December, the whole castle was filled in joyous spirits. Every corner of the castle was adorned with Christmas decors, creating a warm atmosphere among the students. Ron received a letter from his parents that they planned to visit Charlie at Romania and spend Christmas there. They asked if they would like to come, Ron read. His older brothers already decided to spend the holidays at Hogwarts, having their own reasons. In his decision, he sent a letter to his parents, telling them that he wanted to go with them.

On the first day of the third week, most of the student population were at the Hogsmeade station with their belongings. Ron was one already in one of the compartments, hoping he wouldn't have to deal with his Housemates or anyone at the moment (which he doubted at some point). During the train ride, Ron sat beside the window, reading his journal on his lap. He decided, after much thought, that he would still prioritize his family above else and if it was still possible, others if the opportunity arise.

As he read, the door slid open and much to his shock and anger, Theodore Nott entered without excusing himself. "What are you doing here?" he snarled at him.

"What do you think?" he asked back nonchalantly, taking the opposite side. He shot a glance at the opened journal that Ron hastily shut and hid it from him. "Never thought you're a diary person," he commented.

"It's not a diary, it's a journal," said Ron defensively. "And stop changing the subject – what are you doing here?"

"I need a quiet place to stay in for a while," he answered while shrugging. "There's no empty compartment and this one is the closest thing I can get," he told him.

"Well, I don't like you here so get out," said Ron harshly.

"You're not the boss of me," said the weedy boy smoothly. He took out a thin book from his robes and began to read, much to Ron's chagrin. "I'm not going to bother you Weasley so drop the glare," he added without looking up.

Ron opened his mouth to say something mean to him but thought otherwise. Out of all of his Housemates, Theodore Nott didn't do anything bad to him. In fact, he was quiet and inconspicuous most of the time. But that didn't make him any less mean because he didn't take any actions whenever Draco and his cronies did something wrong. The two didn't say anything to each other, silence weighing heavily between them. But after sometime, Ron couldn't help but blurt out, "Why did you choose me as a Potions partner?"

Theodore glanced toward his direction and watched him. "I believe it's obvious why I chose you," he said shortly.

"Why? Because I'm a pureblood and you wouldn't want to associate yourself with half-bloods and Muggleborns?" he said sarcastically.

"That's one reason," said Theodore, earning a scowl from the redhead. "Other reason is that you're a better partner than Crabbe or Goyle and I don't like to fail in any of my subjects." He finished. "Is that a sufficient answer for you?"

Ron glared at him but turned away. "Typical Slytherin," he muttered mutinously. "Shouldn't you go back to Malfoy and his stupid cronies?"

"They'll do fine without me," he said casually. "I'm not like Crabbe or Goyle who can't think for themselves."

The young redhead couldn't help but snort at this. "That's what you like to think," he said snidely before ignoring the weedy boy again. The rest of the ride went somewhat awkward and tense but thankfully for Ron, Theodore decided to leave and return with the other Slytherins without a word. The sky darkened and snow began to fall from the sky once again, creating a mystifying feel outside the window. As the train finally arrived at King's Cross station, Ron clambered down the train without wearing any scarf or mittens to protect him from the cold.

The feel of the snow on his skin shivered him but he shrugged it off as his eyes casted over the crowd, looking for his parents. When he saw a glimpse of fiery red hair few feet away, he strode toward the direction while dragging his trunk. His parents greeted him with a smile, causing for the young boy to smile in return.

"Oh I've missed you so much," said Mrs. Weasley, embracing him tightly. "Why aren't you wearing your scarf? You're going to catch a cold –"

"I don't like green," said Ron simply, earning wry looks from his parents. "How are you Gin?"

"I'm good," said Ginny. "You're going to tell me all about Hogwarts, right?"

Ron grinned widely. "Of course I will," he said. He wouldn't tell them the bad things that happened because he didn't want them to worry too much. The four left the platform and arrived home after a few minutes. Ron entered inside the Burrow and looked around, missing the place very much. "I'm hungry," he said. "Is there something to eat?"

As promised, Ron told Ginny all of the things he could tell and remember about Hogwarts from the ghosts to the subjects. Ginny, after hearing them, declared that she liked Charms very much as a subject, followed by Transfiguration. He told her the Quidditch games that he watched with the most notable story about Gryffindor winning against Slytherin. For the following days, the two played together – Exploding Snap, Gobstones, Wizarding Chess, and among other things. Ron missed everything at the Burrow and even playing with his younger sister was a lot better than playing Wizarding Chess alone at Hogwarts.

Three days after staying at the Burrow, the family set off to Romania using an international Portkey issued from the Department of Magical Transportation of the Ministry of Magic. The Weasley family appeared in front of a vast castle up in the mountains with their trunks. Ron landed on the cold stone floor with his bottom, letting out a groan. "You'll get the hang of it," said Mr. Weasley to him with a smile as he helped his son stand up. "Are you two all right?"

"We're fine," said Mrs. Weasley who stood tall with Ginny by her side, their hands clasped together.

Mr. Weasley took a step forward and knocked on the wooden door twice. A sound of footsteps was heard from the inside, getting louder by the second until it stopped. The door swung open and standing from the inside was another redhead like them. He was stocky-built with broad shoulders and strong arms, but despite that, he had a good-natured look on his face. "You're on time," he said with a grin. "Come on in."

The four entered inside and Ron looked around, gazing at everything he could see. Ginny seemed to be doing the same thing, her eyes filled with curiosity and interest. "Where are the dragons, Charlie?" he asked.

The older brother named Charlie turned to him and said with a laugh, "You won't be seeing the grown ones. But if you behave well, I might show you the infants and the eggs," he told the two.

Ron and Ginny both pouted but agreed.

Charlie gave them a small tour of the building that was in fact a dragon reservation center for a while after showing them their rooms that were located in a nearby building. Ron got to stay with Charlie's room much to his delight and hoped to hear any good stories from him. They spent the rest of the day catching up, telling each other of what happened to them in their lives. Charlie gave an indication of surprise when he was told that Ron ended up in Slytherin but his attitude toward him didn't change.

They had dinner at the dining area and Charlie introduced them to his fellow colleagues who were quite friendly in Ron's opinion. When the clock struck to nine-thirty, Mrs. Weasley ushered the two young children to sleep. Ron wanted to stay up but his eyelids were heavy. He nodded sleepily, going up the stairs to Charlie's room.

He had already changed to his pyjamas but before he could lie in, he heard his parents and Charlie's distant voices from his right. Curious, he went over in front of the room and listened in. "- did that happen?" Charlie's voice questioned to his parents.

"The Sorting Hat believed that putting Ron in Slytherin will be good for him," came the voice of Mr. Weasley.

"How will putting him there make it good? We're blood-traitors Dad and that won't be good to Ron's standing in Slytherin," refuted Charlie. Ron had a grim look on his face; what Charlie said was spot on. He was having a more than a harder time being in Slytherin.

"I know that," said Mr. Weasley exasperatedly, hearing the weariness in his voice. "But we can't do anything else – we can't pull him out."

"Of course you can," insisted Charlie. "We can home-school him, or we can transfer him to another school –"

"But Charlie dear, the next closest school is in Norway," cut across Mrs. Weasley. "I don't want him to be far away –"

"Well, I'd rather if he was away, instead of associating with any students directly connected to alleged Death Eaters and pureblood supremacy supporters," said Charlie darkly. Ron felt his throat had gone dry; didn't his own older brother have any faith in him? That he won't become anyone of his Housemates? Thoughts filled his mind and he saw himself being pushed away by his own siblings and his parents, disowned and unloved.

His eyes began to sting when he heard his father's response. "Have faith in Ron, he's not going to be like them. You and I know both well that he is raised to know what is right and wrong. Yes, I admit, I'm worried but I trust he'll make the right decisions –"

Ron withdrew and walked away, entering Charlie's room and slipping under the covers of the makeshift bed. He closed his eyes, trying and failing to sleep.

The visit at Romania lasted until four more days. Ron acted as if he hadn't heard of anything. He played with his sister, ate the food with gusto, listened to his older brother's recent happenings, and everything else. The words of Charlie repeated in his mind; Ron knew his older brother only said that merely because he was worried for him and not because he would become a dark wizard by staying at Slytherin too long. Even so, it hurt him to say the least that he had little confidence in him.

Despite what he heard, he didn't want that to ruin his stay at Romania. He learned a lot about dragons from Charlie and his colleagues' knowledge. On the last day shortly before they leave, Ron got an extra gift from Charlie; a small bottle filled with sea blue liquid. "What's this?" asked Ron curiously.

Charlie smiled slightly. 'It's quite rare, mind you, so you have to use it only when necessary,' leaning to his ear, he whispered, "The liquid you see is actually dragon blood –" Ron's eyes widened, "- from a rare breed so I'm sure its properties are more enhanced than most dragon blood."

"Why -?"

"Just to let you know, I trust you," interrupted Charlie. "You're tougher than our other siblings give you credit and," he paused for a moment and said finally, "take care of yourself, alright? Send me an owl if you need anything."

Ron watched his brother intently, trying to see if he was being sincere or otherwise. Then he smiled gratefully. "Sure, I'll do that," he said to him, pocketing the bottle in his front pockets.

Charlie reached out his hand and ruffled Ron's hair. Ron was a bit taken aback when a vision occurred.

He watched Charlie walking briskly inside the reservation center until he arrived inside the lobby where his colleagues were at the moment and said, "Guess who owled me? Nah, I'll tell you. It's Harry Potter!"

"The Harry Potter?" repeated a brunette whom Ron recognized as Clarabelle. "You serious?"

"Definitely," grinned Charlie. "Apparently, Hagrid – he's the gamekeeper I've mentioned before – managed to own a Norwegian Ridgeback –" the others raised eyebrows "- and Potter asked if we can take the dragon from them and take care of it here."

"You already know the answer, Charles," said an old man who just entered inside the lobby. Ron distinctively remembered him as the head of the Dragon Reservation Center. "Reply to Mr. Potter and tell him that we'll take the dragon here."

After that, the vision faded out until Ron was back in his surroundings. "You alright?" asked Charlie in concern. "Do you feel dizzy?"

"I'm fine," said Ron convincingly. He watched him for a moment and added, "You really like your job, don't you?"

Charlie grinned widely. "Of course I do. Never trade it for anything else."

"That's nice," he nodded. "Good things to happen to those who did well. In your case, you might be able to take of a new dragon if that were to happen," he said in a joking sort of way.

"I hope so," his older brother said, his eyes now misty.

The four bade Charlie and his fellow colleagues before taking the portkey. Ron finally opened his eyes and found himself inside the office of the Department of Magical Transportation. He and the others left the Ministry and returned home by Floo. Ron picked up his things and went straight to his room before locking the door.

"I wonder what will happen next to Potter," mused Ron as he opened his journal and began writing. "He gets into a lot of trouble."

The remaining two days of Christmas holidays made Ron gloomy and withdrawn. It wasn't the idea of coming back to Hogwarts that disheartened him, but the thought of staying at the Slytherin dungeons with his dorm mates once again made him become like that. But repeating the words of Charlie gave him strength at some point. He promised himself that he won't get pushed around any of them and that he won't be influenced greatly either. To keep his mind off things, he decided to search for some old family books on the last day. He had almost forgotten about it and it was good that he remembered it on the last minute.

He had found the two books he needed after shuffling things inside the shed for almost two hours. He stealthily brought it up to his room without being caught by his parents, especially Ginny, who was very curious in nature, and began reading it.

Apparently, there weren't any seers in the Weasley bloodline after reading the whole book (Ron got annoyed because it felt as though he wasted a lot of time) and surprisingly found one in the Prewett bloodline from his mother's side. As he read, he learned that a seer would emerge once in every seven generations. There wasn't much information but it was still better than nothing. He made a mental note to locate a book about seers at the Hogwarts library. Though it seemed like more work, it was important to find out.

The following day was almost as hectic as the starting school year; Ron and his father arrived at King's Cross fifteen minutes before eleven and he was given bacon and ham sandwich (the one he liked) this time from his mother. Before Ron could get inside the train, his father placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Ron, this may come a bit late but –"

"Dad," interrupted Ron. "I'm going to fine," he said as he determinedly gazed into his father's eyes without showing any fear or hesitation. "Don't worry too much."

"You don't –"

"I'm a Weasley," he continued. "I can take care of myself." He put on a grin on his face before entering the train. The whistle blew loudly across the platform and remaining students on the platform began clambering inside the Hogwarts Express. He poked his head out the window to see his father one more time and waved at him furiously as. the figure of Mr. Weasley grew smaller until he was out of sight. Ron pulled his head back inside the compartment and drew a deep sigh, knowing that in a couple of hours, he'd be back and sleep along with the rest of the Slytherins.

The door slid open suddenly, causing Ron to jump in his seat, and saw Neville and Hermione standing in front of the entrance. "What?" he asked in reaction.

"We're – er – we're hoping –" began Neville with his usual stammer but Hermione beat him to it.

"The other compartments are full so we're hoping we can stay here," said Hermione promptly with a hint of bossiness in her voice.

"Where did you two sit on the last train ride?" questioned Ron, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"With the rest of our Housemates," replied Hermione stiffly.

"Then why don't you two go there?" he suggested, earning an irritated look from her.

"They're too noisy and –" she stopped for a moment and finished abruptly, "- we just need some peace and quiet."

Ron stared at her. That was the very same reason Theodore Nott had given him. Suppressing the urge of telling them off, he said slowly, "Fine, you can stay."

Neville sighed in relief and went to sit at the opposite side with Hermione. Ron couldn't help but twitch at the sight of the two; though it was sort of nice that he had company inside the compartment, it had to be the two best mates of Harry Potter and he knew enough it would not bode well in his case. The three didn't say anything with each other at all that it was becoming awkward and tense, and each one didn't know how to act. After what seemed to be an hour, Neville blurted out, "Do you want to play something?"

Hermione, whose attention was focused on a thick book she was currently reading, said, "No thank you."

Neville slumped a bit before casting a short glance toward Ron. "Do you?"

"Er," Ron paused, unsure what to respond. "You play chess?"

"Yeah, I'm an okay player I think," said Neville, flushing slightly.

"We'll see about that," Ron took out his battered wizarding chess set from his trunk and he and Neville began to play, with Ron taking the black pieces while Neville chose the white ones. Ron expected that the game would last around ten to fifteen minutes most but Neville proved to him otherwise. He had to admit to himself, Neville was a good chess player despite his timid nature. After almost thirty-one minutes, Ron won the game. "You're pretty good," he said as he watched his black bishop knocking out the white king.

"Thanks," Neville smiled shyly.

From the corner of his eyes, Ron saw Hermione giving the chess set a distasteful look "What's with that look?"

"Wizarding chess is barbaric," she said stiffly, her nose in the book she's reading.

"No, it isn't," Ron rolled his eyes. He waited until both black and white pieces pulled themselves together again before looking up to Neville. "Who taught you how to play chess?"

"My Uncle Algie," he answered. "I don't have cousins who are near my age – the closest is around twelve years, so it's hard to relate with them."

"Must be a boring life," mused Ron. "I'll take the white pieces this time, you'll take the black one."

Neville nodded and the two played again. After three rounds, Ron still won. "You're really good," he said to him. "Who taught you? He must be good."

"Or she," added Hermione without looking up.

Ron suppressed a snort. "My older brother Bill taught me how to play this game. He said it's good to have another hobby other than Quidditch. He said it's just as challenging because it's based in strategy." He put his chess set away and remarked, "It's almost lunch time."

The three ate inside the compartment, with Hermione only speaking to Neville in hushed tones that annoyed Ron to a certain point. Shortly after Ron was done eating his sandwiches, the door opened for the second time and much to Ron's aggravation, Draco Malfoy strutted inside the compartment with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. "Well you look at that," he mocked. "We're at the loser compartment." On cue, Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly. "I can't believe you'd stoop that low, Weasley, sitting with them."

"Yeah, if this is the loser compartment, why are you here?" said Ron sarcastically. "Do you want to join us? I'm sure you'll fit in as a loser just fine. You actually passed the requirements. And besides, what I did is called courtesy, letting them stay here. I thought you know that but I guess I was wrong."

Draco glowered at him before saying, "You better watch what you're saying Weasley, you don't want that to happen to you again, do you?"

It was Ron's turn to glare furiously at him. "I don't really care, Malfoy. At least I don't go screaming to Mummy or Daddy every time when something wrong happens. So who's the wimp? You or me?" Shaking his head, he said to him boringly, "Now that you've made your stupid entrance, get out of here or I'll make you leave."

Draco curled his lips, sneering at him. "You're disgracing the name of Salazar Slytherin, associating with filths like them." As he said this, he gestured without care toward Hermione and Neville who were tight-lipped and stiff.

"It's the other way around, Malfoy," growled Ron, standing up. "If you ask me, people like you are the ones disgracing the name of Slytherin. I'm not going to repeat myself, leave or I'll make you." He drew out his wand, earning a gasp from Neville, and pointed it threateningly under Draco's chin. "Now."

"You're going to regret this, I swear Weasley," he said menacingly before leaving the compartment with Crabbe and Goyle in tow.

Soon after the three left, Hermione faced Ron and said, "You shouldn't have bothered with them. It's pointless –"

"That's what you think," cut across Ron. "You don't know what goes on inside Slytherin so you better stay out and mind your own business, Granger. I mean it."

"If you –" began Hermione hotly.

"Hermione, stop it," said Neville suddenly, surprising Ron. "He's right. It's not our right."

The bushy-haired Gryffindor opened her mouth to speak but closed it. "You have a point," she said slowly, biting her lower lip. "We'll mind our own business." She sat down, opened her book again and read on where she stopped. Neville sent Ron an apologetic look, which Ron accepted it with a small nod in return.

The rest of the ride returned to its awkward and tense atmosphere. As the clock struck to six in the evening, the Hogwarts Express came to a full stop, signalling everyone inside that they reached their destination. Hermione stuffed the book inside her trunk and left the compartment without a word. "Er, thanks for letting us stay here," said Neville meekly to Ron.

"No problem," shrugged Ron. "Just next time, find a compartment before anyone else gets it." He let Neville leave first before going out himself. He took the last carriage on his own and watched the scenery with little interest until he arrived in front of the school grounds. He got off from the horseless carriage and entered inside the castle, feeling the warmth enveloping him.

The cold weather grew fainter as March arrived. Everyone was getting excited which House would win this school year's Quidditch season; both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were leaning on the Gryffindor team who had Harry Potter as their star Seeker, except for the Slytherins who believed that they would win it for the eighth time in the running. Ron didn't bother watching the Slytherin-Ravenclaw game because it was obvious which one won and he didn't like it one bit. He also didn't bother watching the Gryffindow-Hufflepuff game due to the same reason he thought on the first one.

He was at the library with three books surrounding him. He almost forgot to do his Potions homework and he didn't want to feel the wrath of Snape despite knowing perfectly that he wouldn't get much trouble. He was halfway done with the essay when he saw a huge figure from the corner of his eyes. He glanced up and saw Hagrid the gamekeeper talking quietly to Harry, Neville and Hermione. A strange feeling stirred inside him and he couldn't help but get curious.

Ron watched carefully and saw the three's expressions changed from surprise to worry. When they left, Ron stood from his seat and went over to the section where they stood. "I guess it's going to happen soon," he muttered to himself, looking around the books with the same topic: Dragons. "Hope they won't get caught."

Throughout three whole weeks, Ron watched the three Gryffindors as if it were a play. He decided not to meddle with them because of two reasons: firstly, it was their problem and secondly, he had to follow his own words or he would be considered a hypocrite. He also noted that Draco was smug during the days, throwing occasional knowing smirks at Harry, Hermione and Neville who tensed in return. Putting two and two together, Ron concluded that Draco had managed to find out about the dragon.

One Thursday afternoon, Ron headed his way toward Transfiguration class when he heard someone called out his name. Ron raised his eyebrows as Harry approached him with Neville and Hermione behind him. He had a feeling why they approached him which turned out to be true when they asked about his brother Charlie. He answered them in feign innocence before leaving them, thinking how amusing it was.

He expected that they would pull off what they were planning to do. But a week later, rumours floated that Gryffindor lost a hundred-twenty points because of Harry and Hermione who were caught out of bed by their own head of house, McGonagall. As much as Ron felt bad for the two, he was delighted to know that Draco was also caught during that time and Slytherin lost sixty points, earning scowls and grumpy looks from the older Slytherins for two to three days. Draco also received a letter from his father and from what Ron could tell, he was being scolded for his foolishness and this made Ron happier.

On Monday night, around nine in the evening, Draco complained and whined more than usual. "- I don't deserve this," he grumbled.

"Where is the detention taking place?" asked Blaise who sat in one of the high chairs near Draco who sat in a sofa beside Pansy.

"I don't know," scowled Draco. "All I know is that I'm supposed to go to the Great Hall to meet with the stupid caretaker along with the Gryffindorks." He shot a glare toward Ron's direction and growled, "What are you smirking at?"

"Nothing," said Ron, smirking more and irritating Draco. "Shame you got caught. You're exemplifying Slytherin's very qualities." Turning away, he walked up to the dormitory and shut the door before he had to hear anything from the pale boy. He walked over to his trunk and opened it, looking for his smaller journal to review the spells he wrote down when he realized something. He rummaged through his trunk, frantically turning up his clothes and other things.

After a couple of minutes, he stopped as he clenched his fists and shaking. His face was now pale and he could almost hear his heart hammering fast against his chest. His journal was gone.

And he was in high spirits. Such a shame.

Who took his journal? Ehh it's pretty obvious. It's glaring point blank to be honest. I'll be pretty surprised if no one realized it. Oh just so you know, the timeline at the end of the chapter is around mid or late April. From what I could tell from the book, Quidditch final happen on early June or late May before examinations. Hm, to those who have a better idea on the schedules at Hogwarts, send me a PM. I'll be really grateful!

I believe I should apologize to you guys. Why? Because nothing much changed. Okay, I've had Neville become a good chess player, only because of the obstacle of McGonagall's. Things will happen gradually, sad to say, and Ron will meddle at some time. I can't say which book will have a significant change because that'll be a spoiler, but I hope you'll wait patiently until I reached that point.

The Weasleys' family bond will be challenged in the upcoming chapters and books. Let's see if 'blood is thicker than water' or Houses, rather. Next chapter will be the last of Ron's first year. Wow. How fast, huh? It's only fast because I wanted to go to the next book.

JK Rowling didn't state the twelve uses of dragon blood – okay she stated two of the twelve which were 1. A Spot remover and 2. An Oven cleaner. Weird, eh? Considering that Dumbledore published a book about its uses, I'm sure Ron will find out. Oh and to those who like to make up what are the remaining ten uses of dragon blood, tell me! I'd like to hear/read it from you!