Chapter 8: In Which a Partnership is Made

"Is it true?" She asked me, her eyes round and begging me to answer 'no'. I was stumped for words and she took my silence as answer enough. I reached forward to grab her hand, not knowing what to say. "Get away from me Weasley!" I cringed at the harsh use of his surname.

"Hermione, you know I would never hurt you!"

"But you have hurt me! Many times" she ended with a whisper. Tears were welling in her eyes and it made my heart ache. Self-loathing was coursing through me at her words. I tried to explain; explain away the guilt but more importantly the tears that were now falling down her soft cheeks.

"All of that was because I couldn't admit how I…felt." I faltered at this but pressed on, "What I feel for you. Hermione, you are everything to me."

"How can you say that?! Why now?! All holidays you pushed me away; and then this!" Suddenly a bitter laugh escaped her mouth, "No one on earth can hurt me as much as you Ronald."

"Hermione don't you listen to a word she has to say. That woman is toxic!"

"If she is as toxic as you say Ronald, then you are the very reason for that." She stated bluntly.

"But Hermione I was a completely different person then I've – "

"What? Changed? I'm not so sure Ron. It's as if there is a whole side to you which I knew nothing about. And now…well it scares me knowing what you can do." She sighed, looking up at me with a mixture of anger and pain in her eyes.

"Hermione…I – "

"Don't Ron." She stared me down with defiance. My throat decided to comply and I was unable to finish what I had been able to do so easily just a day ago. Then her eyes drifted past me. I turned to see what had drawn her attention. It was Emma. I couldn't move; realisation had hit me. Emma had won. Hermione silently moved past me towards the Slytherin and with resolve stated, "I need time. Time to think. Just…stay away from me ok." My heart broke. Once the girls had left the room together I dropped down to my knees sobs shaking my entire being.

**************

It was official. The whole population of Hogwarts now despised him. Ginny was disgusted with him (the only reason she hadn't written to Mrs Weasley was because it would be too painful for a mother mourning the loss of a son), Harry could hardly look at him and often threw a protective arm around Hermione on the rare occasions that both were in his presence, and Hermione; when she wasn't busy ignoring him would shoot disappointed glances in his direction. Emma had done her job and just as Malfoy had predicted: he was ruined by it.

It was these thoughts that kept him tossing and turning through the night. Sleep, it seemed, was a distant memory to the youngest Weasley boy. He was a walking zombie between classes yet still not quite impervious to the whispers and angry comments that followed him through the corridors of Hogwarts. The only House not ignoring him was Slytherin but that was most definitely not a good thing. He was being hexed constantly by members of the House whilst prefects turned a blind eye, even the Gryffindor ones. The teachers who had no idea what was going on, often sent him curious looks but did not question him. In fact Ron had not spoken for over a week due to a lack of listeners.

It was Professor McGonagall who eventually asked him to stay behind after class in order to discover what was causing such disruption in the everyday lives of her Hogwarts students. Ron of course denied anything being amiss for the past week.

"Mr Weasley, I would be a poor headmistress indeed not to notice that the entirety of Hogwarts has turned on a single student."

Ron stared back into her concerned face and sighed his voice rough from a lack of use, "Professor, there is really nothing much you can do. I got myself into this."

The look on the battle-worn woman's face caused him make a confession he had been afraid to make all week, even to himself. "I just don't know how to get myself out."

The headmistress placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Ron," the familiar use of his name caught his attention, "the best part of a teacher's job is the privilege to watch his or her students grow and flourish into adults. I have watched you in particular of all my students because there has always been the shadow of another preventing you from reaching the heights I firmly believe are within your reach."

"Well any 'shadows' I had Professor are ignoring me now…" he interrupted.

"Well then, you must simply view this as an opportunity to learn who the real Ronald Weasley is. You were not placed in Gryffindor on a whim, Mr Weasley." And with those words she left him standing there alone in her classroom processing what had just happened.

* * * * * * * *

Draco found it hard to hide his surprise to discover that Ron was waiting for him when he stepped out of the castle that morning. Ron had not shown up for an early morning run for over a week and once they started running it began to show. His breaths were more ragged and harsh much earlier into the run than usual. Finally when they reached the lake Ron collapsed onto the cool grass gasping. Draco sat down next to the exhausted teenager, a word never passing his lips. He gazed out into the water and let his body relax as he listened to the constant lapping and watched the slight disturbances made on the surface by various bugs. He nearly jumped up in shock when Ron spoke up.

"So what's the plan then?"

"Plan?" replied Draco, still not sure whether he had heard correctly.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Keep up Malfoy! The plan to get Clarke back."

Annoyed that a Weasley should dare patronise him, he retorted, "Who says I'm still willing to help you."

"I thought you wanted the bitch dethroned." He drawled back.

"So you've finally got the balls to fight back then." Draco replied, one eyebrow raised.

Ron merely laughed at this, "Would I ever be asking for help from my enemy if I didn't think this was the only way."

He eyed him up and down, taking in his red face and sweat-soaked hair. "You sure you're up for this Weasley? 'Cause you can't do revenge half-arsed."

"Yes I'm bloody well sure! That girl ruined everything that was going well in my life in the space of a week! And I refuse to go down without a fight; not when everything I once had is still worth fighting for."

Draco grinned at this, "Then she still hasn't beaten you Weasley and that is the best revenge. Now, let's prove that and have a bit of fun while we're at it."

Ron raised his eyebrows at Draco's mention of fun but decided against questioning his only ally and instead offered his hand. "So it's decided then, operation: 'Beware a Weasley and Malfoy scorned' is in progress."

Draco laughed and shook Ron's hand; this was going to be the beginning of an interesting partnership.

* * * * * * * *

"So did you really do all that to Clarke?" Draco questioned as the two boys made their way to the Great Hall.

"Yeah, but I completely regretted it as soon as I had."

"Why did you do it?" Ron looked up at Draco's curious gaze; it was a question he had been trying to answer himself for the past two years.

"I had been hanging out with this group of Muggles the entire summer." He merely ignored the disgusted sound Draco made, "It was like for the first time I was the leader of something." The boys chose unspoken to sit at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast away from the ridiculing houses of each, and Ron continued, "For once I didn't have someone else's shadow to live up to; I was just Ron. Not the youngest of the Weasley brothers, not Harry Potter's side-kick and not the guy in love with a woman too good for him." Draco went to say something to this but Ron spoke over him, "And then Lachie, one of my mates in the group, had sex and just wouldn't let me forget it. And something just snapped in me; there was no way that I was going to let someone overshadow me again even with something like sex! Emma was the victim of that." Ron finally looked up at Draco, searching for any sign of the other boy understanding.

Draco sighed, "What you did was pretty fucked up but then it's not like you tried to kill her." His reference to Dumbledore did not go past Ron, and he continued, "We all make mistakes; you and I probably more than others" he smirked, pain just visible in his haunted grey eyes. "But, I still reckon that there is no reason why we shouldn't be given the chance to move on from them if we are willing to put the effort in."

"Yeah, that's what I decided before I came to you for this plan." Ron agreed. The boys gave each other a wary smile and returned to a comfortable silence; each was overcome by the nostalgia of their past mistakes.

I know it's a bit shorter than the others but there was a lot of information in there to get out! I hope you enjoyed it, and please review.