Half-Truths
A/N: Ok I really am going to get them off the train this time! Promise!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships
"Ron…RON! Wake up! Hey man you're scaring me!" shouts the boy who lived as he smacks his best friend across the face trying to get him to open his eyes. Hermione is bawling again while I just sit there, ashen face staring at my possibly dying brother. This is my fault. What did I do? Even if I didn't mean to…even if I was tricked into this…he is still dying from wounds my hands made!
"Please Ron don't die on me. I can't live with the guilt," I whisper in my brother's ear, beseeching him to listen and come back to us.
"He isn't going to die," states a calm even voice from the corner of the compartment. For a moment I think it is Sydney speaking, having somehow squeezed past us. Then I realize that the speaker is Luna. I had completely forgotten she was even here. What has she been doing during all this mess?
"What do you mean? How the hell do you know that? And by the way WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? Have you just been sitting there watching our trials and tribulations for the past hours? Why didn't you help us when we all got stuck together when the train jerked? Why didn't you say anything when we were putting Ginny on trial right in front of you? Better yet WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU STOP GINNY IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN SHE ATTACKED RON? YOU WERE SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO HER!" bellows Harry as he completely loses his temper for the fifth time that day much less that month. His anger doesn't even phase Luna as she continues to sit there placidly, a dreamy smile across her face. Slowly she rises gracefully from her seat and comes to kneel next to Ron's head.
"I know he is alive because his pulse is still strong, he is still reactive to the pain, and his breathing is not shallow yet. Also we are going to get him out of here and to Madam Pomfrey before his condition worsens. And as for the rest of your question…those will have to wait till another time. Right now Ron takes precedent. Now lets pick him up. Harry you take his upper back, Hermione you take his lower back, Ginny take his head, and Neville get his feet. I'll guide y'all out of here," breezed Luna with a slight harshness now adding edge to her dreamy tone. We all looked at her stunned by her certainty and sudden boldness, unmoving.
"FOR MERLINS GET THE LEAD OUT!" yells Luna sternly, now seemingly exasperated at our lack of action. Hurriedly, we take up our positions along Ron and on Luna's count lift him up off the floor. As we walk as one out the compartment and down the hall I dimly register the fact that Sydney had vanished during the commotion. Well this whole thing just keeps getting weirder and weirder. First she goes all Xena on what I thought was her BFF, however poorly chosen, then she has this cryptic conversation with him and sends him running off into the night, and now she herself has run off without so much as a 'see ya later alligator'! Honestly the nerve of some people!
"Ok I'm going to go ahead and warn them that we're coming, ok? See y'all in a bit," shouted Luna over her shoulder as she ran up the lamp lit gravel path that led away from the train and toward the glowing silhouette of Hogwarts Castle. As the cold August air strikes Ron's exposed upper body, he begins to stir in our cradled arms the chill seeming to reawaken him to consciousness.
"Oy ouch. What happened? Why am I floating? Am I dead or something? Am I some white robed poof of an angel?" groans my idiotic big brother as his brain slowly adjusts to his changed surroundings. I roll my eyes at his usual fantastical and extreme conclusions.
"No you balmy twit you're still very much alive. You think we'd let you go that easily? I still need to beat your ass at wizards' chess," I joke lightly with him, trying to take his and my mind off the pain I'm sure is flooding back through him at the moment.
"Never gonna happen Gin. I'm the master! Don't you remember, I was the one who got Harry past that giant chessboard first year," Ron grinned proudly at the memory of his great triumph in the fight for good. Yes Ronny…its not like you ever let us forget it! Went on about it for months didn't you? And you still bring it up every whenever company's around. Despite my annoyance I still smile fondly at him though. He really has been though a lot all these years beside Harry. And with Voldemort coming back its only going to get worse for the three of them. Hell it's about to get damn worse for the rest of us. We've only experienced a brush of the danger they face every year. I wish I could be of more help…course not maiming one of them might me a hell of a good start… As if on cue, we reached the top of the hill and a small throng of nervous and agitated teachers milling about or crowded around a Luna, who appeared to calmly be explaining the situation to them. At the appearance of our little human stretcher, the crowd immediately came rushing over to us. Professor McGonagall, looking extremely perturbed and angered by grand and tardy appearance, reached us first along with Madam Pomfrey. Thank god!
"Dear lord! Mr. Weasley what happened to you? Your face is a mess and these scratches reach almost down do the bone! And these bruises, well even with the best bruising crèmes these will take days to fade," exclaims Madam Pomfrey thoroughly shocked and outraged to see her student in such a state. While the others help her set him gently on the ground to begin examining them, I try to process what she just said. Oh my god! 'To the bone' 'a mess' 'take days to fade'! She's right what have I done. How the hell will he ever forgive me for this? And even if he can…how can I forgive myself. I am suddenly shaken out of my reverie by the flooding in of the rest of the on-site teachers, Professors Sprout, Flitwick, and Snape (why does Snape always show up at the scenes of disaster and bad tidings), as well as Luna, looking red-cheeked and extremely flustered but confident.
"M-M-Miss Weasley explain yourself! What in heavens name happened! How did your brother end up in this dire state?" huffs Professor McGonagall by now worked up to the point she resembles a puffed up tabby. What do I do? What do I do? We have no proof of foul play against me and it all points to a malicious fratricidal attack by me! I'm going to Azkaban for this! Mum is going to be SO pissed!
"I believe I already explained the situation to you Professor," states Luna calmly, suddenly appearing at my side gripping my hand in a show of support. "Ginny had a minor tiff with her brother over some crude insensitive words he said to her. She responded with screeches and a few too well place punches to his face and chest while he responded with bellowing and general flailing and stomping about. The resulting chaos spooked Hermione's cat Crookshanks, who jumped upon Ron and began clawing at him in fear, trying to use him as a ladder to get away. His swatting at him and his eventual leap into the luggage rack above his head caused luggage within to become unbalanced and to fall upon Ron. You must remember that some of that luggage is quite heavy with some very blunt edges. Also I don't think Crookshanks has ever has a nail trim in his life and therefore has inordinately sharp nails. Plus he is quite big himself ma'am," lists Luna matter of factly, spouting the extravagant lie as if she were reciting the Declaration of Independence. We all just stand there stunned and gapping at her. Oh..my..God! The girl is a fucking genius. A complete and utter evil genius. I mean I know she is in Ravenclaw but still, to come up with a tale like that out of thin air. And I think it covers everything. My part was minor in the whole thing! "The cat and the luggage" did the major damage. In the eyes of anyone who wasn't in that compartment at least I am not to blame! I'm free! Right as that happy thought crosses my mind, down swoops Snape like the bat he is.
"While that clever little tale may indeed account for Mr. Weasley's injuries, I believe we are all interested in the chain of events that led to Miss Weasley appearing before us awash in her own blood, and bearing quite a few bruises of her own," inquires Snape sweetly inclining his head towards me and inviting me to answer. What the hell is he talking about? What injuries? I am about to ask just what the hell he means when apparently the adrenaline high I had been running on since Harry's epiphany finally runs out. I can suddenly feel my throbbing knuckles and back, the stinging perfect imprint of Hermione's hand across my face, and most poignantly the intense pain that shoots through my sinuses at the severe damage to my nose. Owww! Oh…THOSE injuries!
"Well you see professor.." begins Luna, ready to provided yet another reasonable explanation.
"I think you have explained quite enough Miss Lovegood. Perhaps you can allow Miss Weasley to enlighten us as to her own experience," states Snape forcefully, cutting Luna off before she can rescue me. He turns back to look at me waiting.
"Well you see sir.." I gulp visibly as I search for some satisfactory answer. Crap what a fine time for my imagination to crap out on me. Well Luna already provided me with some good stuff, let's use that. "You see sir, I obviously got these bruises on my fist from my fight with Ron. I'm afraid I hit him rather hard and bruised him and me both. As for my nose, well it's just my luck that a makeup bag fell past Ron, at me and stuck it. We women do tend to go a bit overboard when packing makeup, so the bag was rather heavy." I finish smiling, proud of myself for coming up with such a great fib off the top of my head.
"And the quite clear handprint across your cheek, young lady? How pray tell did you come by that?" pushes Snape with a sneer. Now I'm extremely caught off guard and completely clueless as to how to explain that one.
"That would be a personal matter I'd rather not discuss, sir," I stall hoping to get out of answering.
"After seeing the state of your brother, I think it's fairly safe to say that a FULL account of tonight's event are in order. INCLUDING personal matters!" snaps Snape clearly not about to be put off by a little thing like privacy. Crap what do I do. I can't tell them it was done by an angry Hermione since that would involve telling them why she was so angry which would involve taking the blame for ALL of Ron's injuries. Shit shit how to get out of this one. Wait a minute…who says Hermione can't be mad at me because I attacked someone she cared about. It just doesn't have to be Ron that I attacked.
"Well you see sir, once Crookshanks began making string cheese out of my brother, I began trying to beat him off of him. It only served to anger the cat more I think and when it finally did reach the luggage rack it knocked that makeup bag right into my face. Needless to say I was less then thrilled with him and told Hermione that she would be better off selling him for glue. She did not take kindly to that and therefore slapped me. Happy sir?" I speak directly at Snape, letting as much venom as possible fill my voice without risking more trouble for myself then I am already in.
"Deliriously Miss Weasley. Now that we have the full story..TEN POINTS FROM GRIFFENDOOR for fighting on school property…for each Weasley as well as Miss Granger," sneered Snape, delighting in his favorite past time of deducting points from his rival house. Wh-wha-WHAT! HE CAN'T BE SERIOUS!
"I say Severus, you can't be serious! I am fairly certain that both parties have learned their lessonhere and dolled out enough punishment on each other to make sure that it is not soon forgotten. Be reasonable!" pleads Professor McGonagall outraged. That's certainly right. I doubt I will have any desire to do so much as give a noogie after this episode is over. Fists are almost as dangerous as wands.
"Be that as it may Minerva..I feel we need make an example of them for the rest of the school to assure that such madness does not happen again." Though he sounds so very noble and reasonable I can still hear joy in Snape's voice.
"Very well..come children the feast has most likely already begun. Let's get you up to the castle," sighs McGonagall, defaulting to her firm matronly persona and ushering us up the hillside like little chicks.
"Professor, what about Ron? What is going to happen to him?" questions Neville nervously.
Sighing once again McGonagall simply states, "He is badly injured. He will most likely have to spend the night at the hospital wing. He should be good as new by tomorrow. Though I don't doubt that his absence and you all's thus far will cause quite a stir tonight as well as the many stories that are sure to surround it." I simply place my head in my hands as I walk, imagining the third degree I am about to get from Fred and George. Ironic considering I was imagining their reaction to me having to walk in late earlier. Shit…
I FINALLY GOT THEM OFF THAT DAMN TRAIN! Hehe now the GOOD part starts! *grins wickedly*
