With Darkness There Comes Light

Chapter 7

By: PaintedDragon

A/N: Ok, guys, couple of mistakes on my part

1) Its not the Decapitation Curse, It's Mutilation Curse. I got my nouns or whatever mixed up

2) Orla is really supposed to be a 3rd year, but I thought she was in the first book. Oh well, for the sake of the story, we'll keep it at that

 Major Props to my beta, for pointing out my mistakes. Thanks, Loves!

            "What have you found out?" Patricia looked nervously over her shoulder. Her partner, Severus Snape rolled his eyes.

            "Nothing. You know how he is, always giving information in cryptic riddles," he answered back. Two seventh year Ravenclaws walked past them, giving the pair a critical look. Snape glared at them and gave them a curt nod to imply that they should be on their way.

            "Severus, do you think he'll ever figure out…?" the woman's eyes darted around, paranoid of anyone who may be spying and could turn either of them into the proper authorities.

            "Well, if you keep acting like this, he will. But I must ask you, Ms. McCarthy, where exactly do your loyalties lie?" the man now switched his language to Latin.

            "You know where they lay, Severus," Patricia hissed back in German. They often did this, just in case someone understood either Latin or German. If anyone knew at least one of the languages, then they could understand only half of the conversation. And they knew enough to keep their dialogue general enough. When it came to speaking in code, the pair could not be beat.

            "I am aware of your standing with Voldemort, Patricia, and I am also painfully aware of that engagement to that insufferable dolt, Charlie Weasley. If you ask me, girl, you are just screaming to be killed!" he gave her a dubious glance.

            "Don't look at me like that, Severus. You look more like your actual age instead of someone in his late thirties," Patricia smirked. Snape glared at her.

            "You better watch your tongue, girl! One day, it will get you killed," he hissed.

            "That is of no matter to me right now. At this moment, all I care about is what he sent you," the girl said impatiently. Snape handed her the paper written in a rare form of ancient runes. At that moment, the bell rang.

            "If you will excuse me, Ms. McCarthy, I have a class to teach. And if I'm not mistaken, you do as well?" Severus sneered at her, and whisked into his classroom. Having read the parchment, she crumpled it up out of frustration, tucked it into her pocket, and stalked angrily to her class.

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            Ron sat in the back of his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, with his feet up on the desk, and the rest of his body leaning his chair backwards. He studied the room with great interest, just as an artist would. Neville was sitting in the farthest corner on the eastside of the room. Lavender and Pavarti sat in the middle of the row, right in the middle of the room, with one next to the other. This was dumb, considering they always passed notes in this class. To Ron's left, sat Harry, and to his right, Hermione. It always seemed like that, though. He was always Harry's right hand man, ready to die for him if he was injured. And yet, Harry never realized how much Ron sacrificed for him. Why, just last year, Ron nearly died during Harry's big encounter with You-Know-Who.

            Ron shuddered at the thought of the torture that was inflicted upon him. Harry noticed this movement and gave him a strange look. Ron smiled sheepishly.

            "You know Ron, I don't really care much that you do…you know, but would you please refrain from doing it in class?" Harry asked, with hints of pity and disdain laced through his voice.

            "What the bloody hell are you talking about?" the red head leaned forward in his chair.

            "Ron, if resorting to using that stuff during class, then I'll have to tell Dumbledore," Hermione piped up. Ah, yes, the only other person in this world who is oblivious as Harry. I swear they are perfect for each other! He thought angrily.  

            "What in the blue bloody blazes are you on about?" Ron was now getting very irritated.

            "Well, Ron, we're just concerned about your…drug addiction," Hermione stammered. Ron looked at the both of them, stunned at the words they had just used to describe him.

            "Where in the Queen's name do you get the idea that I am a drug addict?" were these two for real?

            "Well, Harry told me about what you two did over the summer..." Hermione trailed off. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Harry cut him off.

            "And you always seem so spacey and mellow, not the same old Ron. And the fact that you…you know, are an artist…well, that kind of just says things right there," Harry began to turn red around the tips of his ears.

            "Oh, sweet loving Jesus! You two are blowing this completely out of proportion! I am not a drug addict! Ok, so Harry and I get a little high with Bill over the summer, big deal. It was one time! And just because I like to draw doesn't mean it's a big red sign that I like to sniff cocaine or whatever the bloody hell it is you two think I do!" Ron jumped out of his seat, not heading the looks Harry and Hermione were giving him, "And further more Harry, I am maturing, most unlike you! My quietness and so-called mellowness is a sign of my MATURING! Do you understand? I AM MATURE!" He slammed his fist down on the desk.

            "I'm so very glad to hear that, Mr. Weasley, in fact, we all are. We can all sleep better tonight know that you are mature. Now, if you kindly take you seat Mr. Weasley, I would like to finish my lesson," professor McCarthy said. Ron slowly looked up at her in horror.  She was leaning against her desk, clad in a red and white polo shirt, a skirt with the Union Jack printed all over it, and her open black robe. She didn't look all too happy.

            Ron looked around the room as he slowly lowered himself into his seat. Malfoy was turned around in his seat, smirking like the slimy bugger that he is. Orla Quirke looked at him critically. Hannah Abbot was giggling. He finally sat down in defeat--right onto the floor. That did it; the entire class erupted into giggles. Harry was laughing way too hard to help him up onto his feet. Thank Merlin for Hermione he thought as the girl held out her hand. She was probably the only one not laughing. But when he took a hold of her hand, he felt a small shock.

            "Egad, Hermione, that hurt," he yelped, pulling back his hand. He glared at the girl while she too, howled with laughter. Ron summoned up all that was left of his pride and got up from the floor, and onto his chair. He crossed his arms and glared maliciously to anybody who may still be laughing.

            Eventually the laughter subsided. Professor McCarthy whipped the tears from her cheeks and took a few deep breaths before starting her lesson. Ron found this all very personally insulting. He made a mental note to himself to speak to neither Harry nor Hermione until they groveled.

            He listened to about two minutes of the teacher's lecture when his mind started wandering. Usually, he hung onto every word Professor McCarthy said, but today…well, today he was pissed at the world. She started saying something about enchanted books, and Ron gave a soft sigh. He really didn't need any professor of his to tell him that they were dangerous. He knew enough from when his sister found Tom Riddle's old diary that any thing that wrote back to you was dangerous. Hell, one of the family's rules was never to trust anything that you couldn't see its brain. But that never explained why they always had to be nice to Bill...

            "Are you with us today, Mr. Weasley?" asked his professor. Ron looked at her wearily and nodded.

            "Then would you mind telling us the story?" His professor crossed her arms and sat on the edge of her desk.

            "What story?" he asked. Again, the class laughed. What the hell is this 'Make Fun of Ron' day? Personally, he didn't find it all that funny. Professor McCarthy leaned against her desk and chuckled.

            "Mr. Weasley, are you entertaining us for a reason today?" The young professor asked.

            "No," he growled. Everyone was laughing at him! Today had to be the most awful day this year!

            "Never mind, Mr. Weasley, it really doesn't matter. But I at least want you to pay attention to your homework assignment. I want all of you to find a partner and the both of you need to research different ways books are used to control people. I want it at least two scrolls long but no more than four scrolls (Hermione groaned). It's due two weeks from today," Professor McCarthy finished up. Ron saw Harry trying to catch his eye but he blatantly ignored him. Just for the chair incident, he was going to make him work with Hermione.

            The bell rang, and Ron took his own sweet time, completely ignoring Harry's urgings to hurry up so they wouldn't be late to Divination. Ron didn't care; he was going to make them pay. As he walked out of the room, he saw a crumpled up piece of parchment. Ron looked around and picked it up. He began to smooth it out so he could read it, but a thick cockney accent broke his thoughts.

            "Oy, Ronald!" called Orla Quirke. She raced to where he was standing.

            "Yeah?" Ron tried to act casual. He would have been successful too, if it weren't for his damn leg that always twitched whenever he got nervous. Saint Jude, how did Malfoy keep his demeanor so cool?

            "Well, I was jus' wonderin' if youse got a partner yet for Defense?" her cheeks reddened slightly. Oh, saints of Ireland, she is adorable! He thought.

            "N-n-n-no!" he squeaked out. He sounded like he was going through puberty again! What the hell? When did it become so hard to talk?

            She grinned widely, showing off her metallic braces.

            "Really?" she asked. He nodded, not wanting risk another embarrassing moment where he couldn't talk.

            "Well, then, I was wonderin' if ya'd like to be mine?" Her accent mangled her words.

            "Uh, yeah, that'd be great," he said, miraculously not flubbing up his words. Her grin, if possible, got wider.

            "Brill! I guess I'll meet you in the library tonight after dinner?" she asked. He ran a hand trough his hair, just how he saw Malfoy doing it whenever he talked to girls. He supposed it made him look cool, but all it did was muss up his hair.

            "I guess so," he answered coolly, smirking at her. She giggled.

            "You're so funny! See ya later!" she called behind her back as she rushed to her next class.

            Ron stood there speechless for a moment, before letting out a mighty yawp. Then he too raced down the hallways to Divination class. Maybe today wasn't so bad after all!

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Phew! It's finally done! We are slowly, but surely, progressing! I hope you guys will REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!! Love ya lots if ya do! Again, Major props to my beta. Love ya'll

PD