Chapter 6: Weasley Is Our King

Harry grimaced as he wiped his hand over his mouth and then spit again, trying to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth. Not that it mattered. The whole cell stank of the stuff; he'd be tasting it for as long as he was here. It must be some strange and unwritten rule that to be a death eater you had to have a dungeon in your home. Or at least if you were a rich death eater. He was fairly certain they were at the Goyle's.

They. Harry wasn't even sure if they were even all in the same place. He had been knocked out at a battle, and now he was here. His guess was that it had been two days, but he couldn't be sure. He really didn't know what the bloody hell they were waiting for. He was the death eater's number one target after all.

Harry squinted as the door to the cell room opened, creaking eerily and flooding light into the dim room.

"We have a guest for you today Potter!" came the excited voice of a death eater Harry didn't recognize.

Harry squinted again, having trouble making out who it was with the light and without his glasses. He didn't know what had happened to them.

"You might be needing these," an icy voice trickled into Harry's ears.

Harry instantly went cold and for a moment he thought he'd be sick again as Bellatrix Lestrange loomed at the wall of bars that imprisoned Harry. She extended her arm through the bars and held out Harry's glasses to him.

"Take them Potter," Bellatrix barked.

Harry complied out of sheer desire to see what was happening. He hastily snatched them out of Lestrange's hand and pressed them firmly on his nose. He looked around wearily and felt his stomach drop at what was before him.

Standing between Lestrange and the unfamiliar death eater was Ron, his head bowed low and his wrists and ankles shackled.

"Ron?" Harry managed, trying to get his best friend to look at him, "Ron!?"

Ron didn't look up. He simply kept his head bowed and it looked to Harry like he was shivering. Lestrange laughed, a strangled, shrill noise that worked its way out of her throat like a cackle—like she wasn't actually sure she knew how to laugh genuinely. Harry felt his chest tighten at the noise as he looked from Ron to Bellatrix, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Without a word, the female death eater flicked her wand and Harry was forced to the front of his cell, his neck craned towards where Ron was standing.

"Wouldn't want you to have a bad view," Lestrange told him, the coldness in her voice emanating throughout Harry's entire body.

Harry stared up at her in horror as Lestrange stepped back and turned to face Ron.

"Crucio!"

Harry gasped as Ron instantly hit the floor, his screams echoing throughout the dungeon and piecing through Harry as though his lungs were being punctured. Harry grit his teeth and waited for Lestrange to lift the curse. He waited… and waited.

Bellatrix wasn't relenting. She was smirking down her wand at Ron's writhing form, showing no signs of lifting the curse anytime soon. Harry was beginning to panic. He had never seen anyone hold the cruciatus this long.

"Stop! You foul creature; lift it! Lift the curse!"

Lestrange's smirk curled into a grin as she slowly turned her head towards Harry and calmly flicked her wand. Ron's screams died out and he curled into a fetal position, his body still convulsing.

"What's the matter Potter? You dragged him into this. If it wasn't for you, Weasley would be safe and warm in his bed."

Harry lunged at the bars of his cell, rage clouding all rational thoughts. It was useless—but he didn't care; he continued to strain at the bars.

Bellatrix let out a shrill laugh and took aim at Ron once again, bellowing the curse. Ron's screams instantly blended in with Harry's desperate and enraged attempts at breaking free.

Harry had no idea how long it went on, but eventually Ron was no longer screaming. Harry's voice was hoarse and he hadn't even noticed the tears that were streaking his face. His palms were bloody from his attempts to rip the bars out of the floor. It registered somewhere in the back of Harry's panicky mind that if he didn't do something now, he was going to watch Ron die.

"Take me! Kill me instead of him! Let Voldermort have me… just… just let him go!"

Bellatrix smirked at Harry, her pale grey eyes gleaming. Harry felt the words dry up in his already hoarse throat. He hadn't even realized how much he'd been screaming along with Ron.

"Did you know, Potter," Bellatrix said softly, "that the cruciatus won't kill someone? No, no. However, more than 30 minutes under the most powerful torture curse in the world will usually drive you to insanity, and there's no telling what you'll do to escape the pain when all rational thought leaves your mind."

Harry stared in horror as Bellatrix flicked her wand once again. Ron didn't scream. His body simply shuddered and writhed with the waves of pain. Harry sank to the floor of his cell, his eyes wide and full of tears as his best friend was tortured to insanity before his very eyes. The helplessness was overwhelming.

When Bellatrix finally released the curse, she glided determinedly towards Harry. Harry numbly starred up at her, feeling utterly shattered.

"You will never forget this day Potter," Lestrange whispered icily, "You will always remember the sight of your best friend, dead before your very eyes. And you will always know that you did nothing to stop it."

Lestrange kept her eyes on Harry and without even a glance towards Ron, flicked her wand at the red head's cowering body and hissed the killing curse in Harry's ear.

"Avada Kadavra."

Ron's body instantly went rigid, and Harry's eyes went out of focus as he tried to turn his emotions off—tried to make himself numb.

The two death eaters left the room without another word, leaving Harry in silent heap on the cell floor, staring at the body of his best friend.

Harry didn't move. Even when Ron's body began to change and morph into Wormtail's features, Harry remained firmly grounded to the cell floor. He didn't know how long he sat there. It could have been years for all he knew.

When Hermione and Ron appeared later on to rescue their friend, they found Harry in silent tears, transfixed by the body of Peter Petigrew. Hermione instantly put two and two together and rushed forward, hissing the word polyjuice in Ron's ear. Ron furrowed his brow and ran a hand through his hair, trying to work out what Hermione meant, when his hand grazed the dried blood surrounding the bald spot at the back of his head. The death eaters had ripped out a chunk of his hair at some point during the battle. Comprehension dawned on Ron and he slowly made his way towards Harry.

"Harry mate, I'm still alive. It's me, I promise. Here… I rescued you from the Dursley's second year in a flying car. I drank a love potion from Romilda Vane in sixth year. It's me Harry, I'm right here. It was a trick Harry—polyjuice."

Harry looked up at Ron, still having trouble feeling. He was shaking at the sight of Ron, and wanted so desperately to believe it was him.

"Come on Harry," Hermione said gently, "Let's get you out of here. We haven't got much time."

111111111111111111111111111111

"Oi! Get on up you two. What are you lot doing in the hallway anyway?"

Ron groaned and blinked blearily at the sound of Ginny's voice. He rolled over stubbornly, only to wind up face to face with an equally bleary eyed Harry. Both boys jumped up, startled, and scrambled to their feet.

Ginny rolled her eyes as her brother and her friend shifted awkwardly in the center of the hall. She really had no desire to know why the entire trio was asleep in the hallway. Hermione was already awake and pacing the living room anxiously.

Harry had come back out of his room only minutes after Ron and Hermione had fallen asleep. He wasn't about to let Ron stay up yakking to Hermione for the brief hour or so of sleeping time he got in a night. When he had found the pair of them asleep in the hall, he'd just collapsed right next to them, too tired to care where he slept and much preferring the floor anyhow.

"Anyway," Ginny said determinedly, "Sorry to wake you, but there's a rather large crowd of owls at the breakfast table for one; two: I wanted to give Ron his birthday present before I had to leave for work."

Ron blinked at his sister and tried to register everything she had just said. He was still shaken up from his abrupt wake up call and hadn't quite started thinking clearly yet.

"Oh yeah, happy birthday mate," Harry said, stifling a yawn. "Your present is in my room."

"Oh," Ron said, earning another eye roll from his sister.

"You didn't seriously forget it was your birthday did you? That's so unlike you I don't think I can stand it."

"No, I knew, trust me. I just wasn't even sure who I was for a minute there, never mind what day."

"Yeesh Ron, you really are a right mess when you first wake up."

"Your right about that," Harry laughed. "You should have seen him in the dormitories at school. He'd be in a complete state of confusion for a good 20 minutes."

"Explains why you were always trying to do your tie in the halls," Ginny smirked.

"Guys!" Ron sighed exasperatedly, "It's my birthday!"

"Sorry. Go get your breakfast and open some of your cards so those bleedin birds will get out of here."

Ginny turned around and headed into the kitchen. She stopped at the doorway and spun back around, a huge grin on her face.

"By the way, we're going out tonight. Seamus is throwing you a shin-dig at his pub."

Ron and Harry both dropped their jaws and Ginny grinned triumphantly at them before disappearing into the kitchen.

"I should've guessed," Ron sighed.

"Never mind that now," Hermione said sharply, coming back into the hall. "I believe you two have some things you need to discuss with Ginny."

Harry sighed and looked over at Ron.

"Come on mate; maybe she'll go easy on you since it's your birthday."

Ron just snorted and shook his head. "Yeah… right."

11111111111111111111111

Ginny's reaction to Ron's news that he had been suffering some sort of dark curse night after night had gone over as well as they'd expected—meaning not well at all. Ginny had been livid. After at least a half hour of yelling, supplemented by Hermione whenever Ginny ran out of breath, they'd finally been able to discuss and work out what they were going to do next. They would take it in turns staying up at night with Ron (which both Harry and Ron were skeptical about considering what worked at the moment was Harry wrestling Ron down every night. They doubted Hermione and Ginny would be able to pull this off but they said they would come up with something, and Ron and Harry had no desire to argue).

Hermione was going to use the ministry library to see what she could find out about the curse, as well as do some fact finding at St. Mungo's. The truth of the matter was that Ron would eventually get sick, and when that happened, there wasn't going to be much he could do to function. Harry could have kicked himself for not realizing this sooner.

By the time Ron's birthday breakfast was over however, the angry mood lifted slightly in an effort not to spoil the entire day. Ron wasn't sick yet, and no good was going to come from worrying themselves mad.

After breakfast, Ron asked Hermione to join him while he visited his parents for a couple hours. Both Harry and Ginny caught the muttered whisper Ron gave Hermione about also being able to discuss things a bit more properly—whatever that meant, though both thought they had a pretty good idea.

At long last, it was Harry and Ginny alone in the flat. It had been days since they had been in a room alone together. They both sort of tried to avoid being alone. It was just less complicated that way.

Harry would have liked to say that he had been thinking about his relationship with Ginny, and had come up with a conclusion. The sad truth was that although he had indeed done a lot of thinking about… well about Ginny at least, maybe not his relationship with her… and he had come up with absolutely nothing.

Ginny sat quietly on the couch, gauging whether or not it was going to be awkward if she stayed. She turned to look at Harry, who immediately looked away, not wanting to be caught staring at her… again.

"Ginny," Harry said suddenly, still not looking at her, "Can I ask you something?"

Ginny had to force herself not to sigh. She knew that tone in Harry better than anyone, and she knew it meant she was probably going to have to argue with him about his self worth. It wasn't uncommon with Harry. She had learned that even with the prophecy, and Voldermort, and the truth about who and what Harry was, Harry's upbringing and life before he turned 11 had scarred him, and all the fame and praise of the world wasn't going to heal him. Harry had missed out on love from parents and family at a time when it was the most crucial, and there was nothing that could help him overcome that overnight. Harry being as 'normal' as he was actually baffled Ginny to some extent. Trouble was, she didn't really think that Harry knew all of this.

"Of course you can Harry," she said honestly.

Harry stayed quiet for a moment and Ginny wondered if he was going to backpedal, and if she was going to let him if he tried.

"I was… I was wondering how you felt… about me I mean. A lot changes in 2 years and I just... I mean I realize time doesn't just stop."

Ginny blinked in surprise. She had expected a vulnerable question, but not one quite that direct. On top of that, the question focused more on her than she really would have liked. Part of her wanted to pour the truth about the last 2 years to Harry, but she knew that wasn't the best option at a moment like this.

"I'm not sure how to answer that Harry."

Harry finally looked over at Ginny, who met his eyes without fear or embarrassment. He was always impressed with how completely unashamed she was of how she felt or sounded most of the time. When she was ready to say something, she meant it and didn't seem to care what anyone thought of her for it. Maybe that was one of the things Harry found so appealing about her. He hadn't known much about being passionate before Hogwarts, and every one of the Weasley's seemed to be stocked full of the stuff.

"Why not?" Harry asked, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

"Harry," Ginny said slowly, "I don't want how I feel about you to influence how you feel about me. I don't want a response that you only give me out of obligation. I know better than anyone else how hard it is for you to really be honest with people, and I don't want to manipulate that knowledge."

Harry swallowed hard. Ginny did indeed know how he worked emotionally better than most people. She was insightful that way, and even though Ron and Hermione had inklings and insights into his world as well, it was Ginny who he had actually been able to openly discuss them with, and it was Ginny who had him pegged. He had come a long way due to Ron and Hermione doing their best to assure him they wouldn't abandon him just for how he felt, but at the end of the day it was still Ginny who could see through him in a way that was so different from Ron and Hermione. Harry hated and loved it.

"Ginny, there's still something here, between us I mean, and there's this huge part of me that wants to do something about it. But I don't know if I'll ever be able to… to love you… to love anyone for that matter! And that's what you deserve. You don't deserve some mixed up bloke who can't even figure out if he's capable of loving a girl… woman. I can't help it."

Ginny's eyes narrowed and she stood up from the couch, snapping her face towards Harry sharply. Harry suddenly felt very small as she gazed down at him, her expression unreadable and controlled.

"Yes Harry, you bloody well can help it. I refuse to let you get away with that cowardly, half assed, response. You're a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake! Grow some balls already! Your moping habits and 'woe is me' attitude may fly with everyone else Harry, but you should know by now that it has never, and will never, fly with me."

Harry looked up at her, startled. Had it not been for the foul language, he could swear it was Mrs. Weasley standing in front of him. Ginny's posture and voice certainly resembled her mother more at this moment than Harry had ever really noticed before. And where is Merlin's name had she ever learned the expression, 'grow some balls'?

Ginny bent down so that she was inches from Harry's face. He shuddered involuntarily, whether it was because he hadn't been this close to a female in so long (with the exception of Hermione, which didn't count in his mind), or because he was actually a little frightened, he couldn't be sure.

"Harry Potter, I am not a patient woman. I never have been. So when you went off to save the world, no one expected me to sit around and wait for you. You didn't expect me to sit around and wait for you. I didn't expect to sit around and wait for you. But here I am, more than two damn years later, still waiting!"

Ginny paused and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, calming herself. She would not allow herself to feel guilty for telling Harry any of this. She didn't want his self hatred to win, and if that meant slamming him with the truth, so be it. This was it as far as she was concerned. It was time she revealed some things to Mr. Angst. She knelt down in front of an utterly stupefied Harry, and took his hands in her own and rested them on Harry's knees, doing her best to keep calm.

"I can't make your past go away Harry. I can't take away all of that pain you have buried away in that crazy head of yours. No one can do that for you Harry, no matter how much we want to be able to. The only thing any of us can do, the thing we've all been trying to do for years now, is stand by your side and prove to you that the past is the past. You just can't seem to make it easy on us can you? We can't possibly do anything else to prove to you we won't abandon you. We are not the Dursleys Harry."

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. The Dursleys? What did they have to do with any of this? Harry sat there, wracking his brain to understand what had made Ginny bring them up.

"Ron and Hermione would have died for you Harry. Not for the wizarding world Harry; for you. I would have gone with you if you'd only have let me! It was never about Voldermort for us you great prat. It was about saving you."

Harry starred at Ginny, thunderstruck to his absolute core. It had hit him. He'd always recognized that he was one of those angsty kids with a truly horrid self image. He'd been that kid for years and essentially had just gotten used to it. He'd just blamed it on his parents' death— on Voldermort.

But he had to wonder, for the first time, what if he'd been taken in by Sirius who would have loved him like a son? Or by Remus? Or even Hagrid?

Maybe that's why none of his baggage had disappeared when Voldermort had been destroyed. Maybe that's why he still lived with a paralyzing fear, an expectation almost, that his friends were going to back out at the last minute.

Maybe it had never had anything to do with Voldermort at all.

Harry wanted to tell all of this to Ginny. He wanted her to know just how much truth was in everything she had just told him—that he understood now, that he could try to figure things out now that he had this new insight. He opened his mouth to tell Ginny, but his voice caught in his throat and he didn't trust himself to speak. He suddenly felt completely overwhelmed.

It suddenly dawned on him that Ginny probably already knew that it had never been about Voldermort with Harry. She would never tell him that out right. What would be the point? He never would have believed a statement like that unless he had come to figure it out for himself.

Ginny released Harry's hands and stood up, sweeping her lips across his forehead as she did. Smiling softly at him, she turned to leave the room. She figured he probably wouldn't want her to be in the room at the moment. She could not possibly have known all that had just happened inside Harry's head in the last few moments. It seemed every time they were in a room alone together, they managed to pull up all kinds of emotional dregs and she couldn't say she blamed Harry for avoiding being one on one with her.

She was halfway to the doorway when Harry's voice softly called her name. She paused but didn't turn around.

"Yes?"

"Would you maybe want to go with me to Seamus' pub tonight? I mean, I know we're apparating there together and all, but, maybe we could go together? Nothing serious or anything like that. Just a boy and a girl, going to a party together?"

Ginny felt like her heart was trying to make its way out of her throat. That was the last thing she expected to come out of Harry Potter's mouth. She wished she hadn't walked away so quickly— wished she had waited for him to find his voice so they could talk about things some more—but it would have to wait for another time. Perhaps the next time they were alone in a room, they could discuss things further, but for now, the wizarding world's savior had just asked her on a date.

"I think that would be nice actually," she said, twisting around to look at him. "Shockingly normal of us."

Harry smiled and Ginny smirked playfully back at him before continuing out of the flat and downstairs to her own.

111111111111111111111111

"I can't believe this," Ron muttered, shaking his head as he strolled through Hogmeade, his fingers interlaced with Hermione's.

"Oh pipe down, it's going to be fun," Hermione responded, surprising Ron slightly.

Ron looked down at his new girlfriend and raised an eyebrow. Fred had been dead on. "When you know what you want, it'll hit you in the head so hard, and it'll be so obvious, that you won't be able to figure out why you were so confused about it before."

For once, Ron was glad that Fred was right about something.

"What?" Hermione asked innocently, a huge false grin on her face. "I'm practicing positive thinking."

Ginny snorted and looked over at Harry who was shaking his head.

"You guys," Ginny said exasperatedly, "it's a party for goodness sakes! It really isn't going to kill you!"

"We know!" Ron, Hermione, and Harry all said in unison.

Ginny just rolled her eyes again and quickened her pace so that she was ahead of her friends. They arrived in front of what used to be the Hog's Head and, with the exception of Ginny, let out a gasp of surprise. It looked nothing like it once had. It was now as bright and welcoming as the Three Broomsticks. Seamus Finnigan had bought the old pub and renovated it after he left Hogwarts and had been rather successful in running the place.

Ginny waited for Harry to catch up with her, and strode confidently into the pub, Harry in her wake.

The noise that greeted them was heard halfway down the road as dozens of familiar faces called out to Ginny and Harry in greeting, and then again when Hermione and Ron entered. Ginny, it seemed, had kept up correspondence with half of Hogwarts. Harry had forgotten just how popular she was.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" Seamus came bounding towards them from behind the bar, dropping two shot glasses down in front of Dean and a girl Harry didn't recognize as he went.

The trio exchanged their hellos with Seamus who was already chattering on about the pub and its first year of business.

"Been booming since Christmas, after you did away with you-know-who, but let's leave him out of this shall we? I'm sick of hearing about him so I can only imagine how you three feel about it."

Ron, Hermione, and Harry nodded appreciatively and made their way to the bar to greet Dean.

"Drinks?" Seamus asked from behind the bar.

"Just a butterbeer for me thanks," Harry answered, "And whatever Ginny's having is on me. Not that she seems to be interested in ordering anything," he added, noting that Ginny was already enthralled in conversation with a booth of old Hogwarts students that Harry recognized only vaguely.

"Yeah, butterbeer for Hermione, and I'll take a firewhiskey, both on mine Seamus. Cheers."

"Shandy for me actually Seamus. Muggle style," Hermione corrected her order, grinning at Ron's puzzled expression.

Dean raised his eyebrows at Ron and glanced back and forth between him and Hermione.

"You two finally get your act together then?" He asked, smirking.

Before Ron or Hermione could answer, Harry started to laugh and leaned forward so that he could see Dean properly.

"Only as of yesterday! I was beginning to think I'd have to do it for them… write one of those 'check yes or no' letters or something."

"Oh shut up Harry," Ron said, but laughed along with Dean and Seamus anyway.

"You're sure you don't want anything stronger than a butterbeer Harry? My water to rum charm has improved considerably since first year," Seamus asked.

Harry just shook his head and grinned at the memory of Seamus blowing up goblet after goblet in an attempt to turn its contents to rum.

"I'd certainly hope it's improved since then. I'll have one for the sake of your ego but that'll be it. I really can't stand alcohol to be honest."

"Don't tell him that Harry, he might think you've lost your mind."

Harry spun around on his bar stool to find Neville grinning behind him.

"Honestly, I said I could only stand to knock back one firewhiskey in a lifetime and he about went through the roof," Neville went on, taking a seat at the bar with his fellow Gryffindors, "Thinks the stuff is wizardkind's greatest creation."

"Sounds about right for Seamus I'd say," Ron stated.

"I'll never understand why men get so defensive about ridiculous things like alcohol and quiditch," the brunette Dean had been sitting with told Hermione under her breath.

Hermione laughed and put out her hand to the girl while wondering where Dean had met her.

"Hermione Granger," she introduced herself, "It's nice to meet someone else who has a healthy misunderstanding of the male mind."

The brunette laughed and took Hermione's hand. "Jenine Aruel. Let's go join some of the other girls shall we?"

Hermione nodded and followed Jenine to the booth where Ginny and several other girls, including the Patil twins, were seated.

The old friends continued to catch up for over an hour, rotating tables and exchanging updates with the trio, who many of the guests hadn't seen in ages other than on the front page of the Prophet. Ron caught Harry's eye and the two of them knew instinctively that they should have done this ages ago. Ginny had been right; this was actually fun. No one seemed at all interested in discussing Voldermort or death eaters or anything of the sort. They were regarded just as they always had been back at school, and it was blissful.

"I absolutely can't believe you're going to be playing for Puddlemere Harry, that's bloody brilliant mate."

Harry shrugged at Dean and began to glance around the room. "That reminds me," he said, still searching the pub, "I need to find Luna and tell her the Quibbler can have the exclusive. Pisses the hell out of the Prophet when we do that."

"She's not here unfortunately," Seamus told him amidst the laughter, "You know she's dating Collin Creevey? His brother is at St. Mungo's waiting on some test results. Luna's with him there."

"Still?" Ron asked. He and Hermione had told Harry about their run in with Luna and Collin, but they hadn't thought to check up with them regarding Dennis.

"Yeah. It's a bit weird. They didn't think it was any big deal, but now he's had to go through all these tests and what not. I don't know many details; apparently it's a bit of a personal matter. Maybe you can tell us all about it once you start the Healer program, eh Ron?"

"Oh shove off," Ron smirked, pushing Seamus' arm off of him. "I haven't…"

"Shaaaay-Moooose!"

Ron stopped mid-sentence and stared at Seamus, as did everyone else at the bar. His face was a priceless look of exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something to himself.

"Seamus, was that… is that…" Ron began, but didn't need to finish as Lavender Brown came bounding towards the bar.

"Shay-Moose! Could you pretty please make me another drink?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at Seamus with a tipsy grin on her face.

"Alright Lavender, who let you have too many?" Seamus demanded, ignoring the snickering from his former roommates.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Lavender, I'm serious. You being drunk is positively horrendous, and you hung over is even worse. Now who let you have more drinks?"

Lavender smiled sweetly and pointed to the table of girls where Hermione was seated. Hermione looked over at them and waved, a triumphant grin across her face. She winked ever so slightly in Ron's direction and then turned her attention back to Jenine who she seemed to be rather deep in conversation with.

Every one of the young men at the bar had their jaws on the ground. They turned around slowly to look at Ron, whose eyes were about as large as dinner plates.

"I… I didn't know she had it in her!" he managed to exclaim.

Harry was finally able to close his mouth and turned his attention to the drunken Lavender, who had gone around the bar and was trying to tickle Seamus. He was trying in vain to get her to stop and to go sit down somewhere, but she merely responded by pouting and calling him Shay-Moose again. Harry looked back at Dean, Ron, and Neville, and the four of them broke into hysterics.

"This isn't funny! You guys have no idea what she's like when she's drunk! It's a nightmare!" Seamus yelled at them, now trying to stop Lavender from reaching for the beer tap.

"We can see what she's like drunk mate. Good luck with that." Dean offered, earning a glare from his friend.

Seamus finally managed to get Lavender settled down and relatively harmless to her social status and returned to his friends, who were still trying to smother their smirks.

"So," Ron said, "You and Lavender huh?"

"Yeah," Seamus answered, "She's only like that when she's drunk though I swear. When she's had enough, I tell her and she stops. Apparently Hermione is persuasive."

"Sure," Ron replied skeptically, grinning at Seamus' flushed expression.

"Anyway," Dean interjected, "As it's your birthday Ron… Oi! Can I have everyone's attention?!" he called, raising his glass in midair and waiting for the room to settle down. "I say we have a toast to Ron, the only Gryffindor prefect I know of who spent the evenings snogging on every available surface of the common room."

"Oh for goodness sakes," Ron muttered, putting his head in his hand and feeling his ears begin to burn.

"Here, here!" Neville called, "A toast to the man who provided us with unwanted homework distractions by screaming his head off at the girl he fancied all the time!"

The room filled with laughter and Ron shook his head at Neville in surprise.

"Nice to know he finally got a clue!" someone called.

"Aww, you mean you and Harry aren't involved after all? That's so disappointing." Dean pouted. "We've had a pool going on that one for years!"

Harry laughed and jumped up from his seat. "Whatever do you mean!? He's all mine!" The room was filled with catcalls and wolf whistles as Harry threw his arms around Ron, who faked a gag and shoved Harry off of him, laughing along with the rest of the room.

"To the loudest snoring Gryffindor!" Seamus yelled above the laughter.

"To the luckiest damn keeper Gryffindor ever had! Weasley is our king!"

"To the most appalling divination student in our year," called Parvati, glass raised high.

"Hey now!" Harry called back to her, "That award goes to me!"

"Alright, alright!" Seamus yelled over the laughter, "Seriously, to one of the best mates I know… although if your girlfriend gets my girlfriend drunk again I'll hurt you severely, savior of the wizarding world be damned, I'll still hex you…"

"Get on with it!"

"Right… to Ron Weasley! Weasley is our king!"


A/N: So seriously, I'm absolutely thrilled that chapter 5 recieved nearly 90 hits... I figure you must be reading the story if you get all the way to the most recent chapter... but I must say I'm a little disheartened to only have 5 people actually comment on it. Please let me know what you think. Responses and critiques help so much with encouragment, writing, ideas, structure ect ect ect. So pretty please review.

Up Next: Hermione heads off to court... err, or the trial anyway.

Anon Reviewers (aka my faithful Mel lol)

Mel- So very glad you enjoyed it. And yes, things are only going to get worse for dear Ron. He's got a couple more healthy(ish) chapters in him though...