Happy Tuesday, everyone!
I'm very pleased with all the reviews and feedback I've been getting from you all as of late, so I'd like to thank you for that! It's really quite helpful. :)
This chapter takes place directly after the previous on. I know that some of you were a little conflicted with what's going on between Harry and Ron recently, but this chapter should clear a lot of things up. Either that or it will make you crazy with confusion. There's a whole mess of anger, emotions, and angst in this one, and it's quite lengthy, so be prepared for that. This is strictly a Ron/Harry chapter. Hopefully you will agree with how I have written them. I'm especially interested on how people will react with my take on Harry in this chapter.
This was a very difficult chapter to write, so please go easy on me! And I'd appreciate any feedback and reviews. Hopefully you guys are anxious to see what I have planned for the next chapter, which will be up next Tuesday as per usual.
Thanks!
PS: All Harry Potter characters etc. are J.K. Rowling's, not mine, unfortunately.
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Chapter 10:
Suddenly Ron felt very pressured. Harry and Hermione were both waiting for his answer. He could simply ignore Harry and walk off to his dorm like he had been doing for the past few days, or he could hear him out and see where that goes. He looked at Hermione, who was still staring at him with sad eyes, waiting to hear his response. He already knew what she would want. She would want him to forgive Harry and have everything back to the way it was. He wanted that as well, but he wasn't sure he could do it. How could he be friends with someone who couldn't trust him?
He looked up at Harry, careful to keep a stern face so not to give Harry the impression that he had any interest in being his friend again, despite the fact that it was true. He stood up, and looked between Hermione and Harry's pleading eyes. He had to make his decision now: walk away and forget about Harry for good, or listen to what he had to say.
He could feel his throat drying and his thoughts swirling as he tried to make a quick decision. Did Harry really deserve his friendship after what he had done? He had accused him of murder, as far as he was concerned. And if he truly thought that Ron would be so cold and so atrocious to be able to kill, then Harry definitely did not know him as well as Ron had thought.
He could feel the pain and heartache of it all filling him up once more, and found himself wanting to run. Taking one last look at both Harry and Hermione, giving the latter a sad, apologetic look for what he was about to, he began to walk towards the stairs, not being able to bring himself to say anything to either of them. He mounted the stairs, hearing Harry call after him but continuing to ignore him.
"Ron! Please! I just want to talk to you, that's all!" he pleaded, desperation now overtaking the friendliness that had been in his voice seconds ago. But Ron kept walking, keeping his face pointed down, not willing Harry or Hermione to see the sadness he felt.
He hurriedly walked to his dorm and entered the empty room, closing the door behind him. Dropping onto his bed, he quickly pulled the curtains around him and stared up at the ceiling to be alone for a while.
This was his decision. He couldn't be friends with someone who had mistrusted him so, and he couldn't be near Harry right now. The sight of him was too painful as he thought about how many years of friendship they had spent together that were now going to be wasted. As much as he wanted to forgive Harry, he didn't think he could. So this is how it would have to be. He would have to avoid Harry until the pain had subdued, and then he would move on with his life as per usual. Well, probably with much less danger and excitement, which was something Ron would probably not miss from his friendship with Harry.
His eyes then widened slightly at the sound of the door to their dorm opening slowly, someone evidently entering the room and sitting down in the bed beside Ron's. Harry's bed…
Ron cringed at the intrusion of his privacy. He just wanted to be alone, and Harry was the last person he wanted to see. He was trying to let Harry go, for Merlin's sake. How could Harry expect him to do that if he was just going to keep following him everywhere?
"Ron. I know you're in there," a solemn voice suddenly came from Harry's bed. "Please, can we just talk?"
Ron remained silent. He had already made his decision. He wasn't going to let Harry walk all over him and act like he had done nothing wrong. He wasn't going to let Harry's charm or whatever inevitable mushiness that was bound to come out of his mouth change his mind. This was too important. He considered running again, but for some reason felt like he should stay put.
"Alright, listen," he continued, sounding exasperated at Ron's silence, which he had become quite familiar with over the past week. "You don't even need to say anything. You don't need to forgive me. I just need you to hear me out. Just listen, okay?"
Great. Now if he didn't say anything, he would be complying to Harry's request, but if he did say something, he would be implying there was something to talk about. He wished he could tune Harry out and just go to sleep, but a part of him, the same part that wanted to forgive Harry so badly, was desperate to hear what he had to say. And he really didn't have a choice now. He would have to just listen.
"I know I've been a terrible friend," he started, causing Ron to roll his eyes at the enormous understatement. "But you have to know that I never would have doubted you unless I had a really good reason for it."
Ron didn't care what his reason had been. 6 years of friendship should have trumped whatever it was he was going to use as an excuse for his behaviour.
"You remember how I've had my suspicions of Malfoy being a Death Eater,"
How could he not. He had been on about it so many bloody times since the beginning of the school year that Ron had literally considered lopping his ears off a few times after having to listen to him. He decided it wouldn't hurt to hear it one more time though as he wondered where it was Harry was going with this.
"Well, I was walking down the hall and I ran into him," he continued, casually talking as though Ron was actively participating in this conversation and he wasn't just talking to a closed curtain. "I made some stupid comment about him going off to do more dark tasks or something, and instead of denying it, he said I was acting like he was the biggest threat to the school right now."
Ron's eyes furrowed at the last sentence. He felt his curiosity peaking as he waited for Harry to continue after pausing, probably hoping to hear some sort of input from Ron. But he continued to stare up at the ceiling in complete silence, counting Harry lucky that he was even taking the time to listen to him when he could still run again.
Seeming to understand that Ron wasn't going to be saying anything, Harry continued. "So then I asked him if there were more of him around, and he said it's possible… with that stupid smirk of his. I told him to tell me who it was, but he just kept smirking and said he wouldn't sell out his own kind." His voice was now full of annoyance as he talked, rather than the more casual tone he had taken before.
Ron felt his eyes widen again at hearing about Draco's admission. He hadn't directly said he was a Death Eater, but he might as well have. He referred to them as his own kind. What else could that possibly mean? He felt his hatred for Draco burn hotter than ever before, and he also felt somewhat relieved to know that Harry hadn't just been going crazy, his sanity being something Ron had occasionally questioned while being forced to listen to him talk about it over the past months.
"So now I'm certain he is a Death Eater, Ron. And then he kept talking. He said it could be someone 'right under my nose'. Someone who 'I thought I could trust'.
Ron's brow furrowed some more, trying to detect where it was that Harry was going with this and what this had to do with him. Suddenly, thinking he knew the answer to his own question, he felt his heart sink as simultaneous hurt and anger started pumping through him.
"I didn't know who he was talking about at first… I had no idea. I certainly never even thought it might be you," he said quietly, sadness prominent in his voice once more. "I was going crazy trying to figure out who it was though. And then that night when I found those papers in your trunk, the same curse that had been used on Katie Bell a few months ago and that poison that had clearly been intended for Slughorn on your birthday… I even started to question whether Draco had been talking about you." Ron's face twitched with anger as his fear was confirmed. This was even worse than what Harry had originally said to him.
"You're the closest friend I have," Harry continued, sounding guiltier with every word. "And he said it was someone close to me. And you were under a love potion when you accidentally drank that poison yourself... I even considered that you have family working for the Ministry, and they spent all of last year slandering my name. I started wondering if your family had ever really even liked me… if they had ever been on my side or if it was all en elaborate scheme of some sort. And we already know there has been Death Eaters working under the Ministry before. Everything in my bloody, paranoid head was pointing to you."
A helpless anger simmered inside of Ron as he lay there, still staring at the ceiling, his teeth clenching as he tried to hold back from breaking his silence and shouting full-on at Harry. Not only had he suspected Ron of being a Death Eater, but he had also even suggested his entire family was in on it. Still, he bit his tongue as a symbol of defiance while Harry continued on.
"I know that hearing this is probably only making things worse between us, but I had to tell you the truth. You deserve my full honesty after what I've done."
Ron's teeth clenched harder as a fever of rage scorched through his body. He had almost wished Harry hadn't been so honest about it. Accusing him of having those curses in his trunk was one thing, but to actually suspect that he was working for Death Eaters, for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, for the most ruthless, damnable, heinous wizard to have ever come into being…
"Anyways, I just wanted you to hear my reason for why I needed to double check that everything was fine with you. I don't expect you to forgive me or even understand my thought process, but after what Malfoy said and everything I've been learning about Voldemort and Death Eaters, and then the curses and everything else, it was just… a moment of weakness. I shouldn't ha-"
"A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS?", Ron suddenly roared, violently pulling back his curtain and swinging his legs over the side of the bed to face Harry. He had snapped. His face was red with fury and he was seething at the mouth as he watched Harry recoil slightly at the sudden outburst. He could hear his blood pumping loudly through his ears and he no longer cared about his vow of silence against Harry.
Harry's eyes were wide with shock, but he quickly caught his composure again before stammering "W-well, yeah. Nobody's, err, perfect… right?" His voice had gone back to pleading as he watched Ron's face contort with frustration.
Ron continued to pierce Harry's eyes with his own as he breathed out heavily and shook his head. "No, nobody's perfect, Harry. But this is beyond imperfection," he seethed. "This was so much more than a 'moment of weakness.' This was you proving to me that you don't trust me. You don't trust me after all these years!"
Harry shook his head at Ron's accusation. "No, Ron, you're wrong," he said, his voice full of emotion and guilt. "I do trust you. I do! It was just a moment of weakness. We've all had them. Even you!"
Ron snorted in anger and shook his head just like Harry had. "No. Don't you dare turn this on me, Harry!" he fumed, standing up and walking to the other side of the room out of fear of what he may do being that close to Harry in this moment. Stopping once he reached the other side and turning on his heel, he pointed at him and shouted "I have never, ever done anything like this to you! And I never would have dreamed that you'd accuse me of this." Spinning back to face the wall, he had had just about enough of this and was ready to flee again.
"Ron, I'm not accusing you of anything!" retorted Harry, standing up and walking halfway to Ron. "I was stupid for even having contemplated the idea, I know! But I never accused you of it. I wouldn't unless I had all the facts. I just had to be sure. It's the only reason I ever asked! And I know I shouldn't have even needed to ask, but I thought you might understand, even a little. You've had doubts in me before!"
Ron turned back to face him with a completely astonished and angry look. "REALLY. And when exactly did I ever do that, Harry?" he snapped back, cocking his head to the side and taking a few steps closer to Harry. He could feel the rage bubbling up inside of him as he stared Harry in the face. He couldn't even fathom why Harry would think any of this was going to get him back on Ron's good side. Turning the tables on him like this? Not that it mattered, because as far as he was concerned he had never done anything like this to Harry. He had no case.
"Oh, come on, Ron!" snapped Harry, becoming more and more irritated, the sympathy draining from his face. "Don't you remember back in fourth year? Everyone thought I put my name in the Goblet of Fire myself, and nobody believed me. Including you. You were right on that bandwagon, no matter how many times I said it hadn't been me. You didn't trust me then, because you had a MOMENT OF WEAKNESS, Ron. How is this any different?"
Ron continued to stare at him with an angry face, but he inwardly cursed himself for having forgotten about that incident.
"Well, this is completely different!" he finally stammered out, trying to cover for his own actions from a couple years ago, but yet not even sure that he himself believed his own words. He watched as Harry gave him an exasperated, knowing look, perhaps seeing through his façade.
The look on Harry's face and the sudden turn of guilt onto him made him more frustrated as he rolled his eyes and pushed past Harry to slam back onto his bed. "Well it is, okay? Completely different… That was a stupid wizarding tournament, and we were younger then. This is Death Eaters, we're talking about!"
He watched as Harry walked back to his own bed and mirrored him, sitting on the edge of it to face him. He remained quiet, which made Ron feel very uncomfortable. He was looking at Ron with such a sad and tired look, evidently not knowing what else to say.
The sad look in Harry's eyes was stirring up some unwanted feelings inside of Ron again. He wanted to be angry with Harry. He wanted Harry to feel bad for what he had done. He wanted to be able to convince himself that Harry wasn't worth his time and he would be better off without him. But now that he was looking at him again, he couldn't. He could feel his defenses coming down once more as he and Harry sat in silence, both still staring at each other.
He supposed it wasn't entirely fair to say he hadn't ever mistrusted Harry. After all, back in fourth year he had truly believed Harry had been lying to him for a while. It was partly jealousy that Harry would be getting all the attention again, but he had suspected Harry of putting his own name in nonetheless, something he now knew Harry had not done and would not ever do. But it had taken him a while to come around and admit that he had been wrong, unlike Harry who had admitted he was wrong within seconds of having asked Ron about the papers in his trunk.
He could at least admit that Harry was much less stubborn than him and that he himself had had a 'moment of weakness', as Harry put it, back in fourth year, but he still could hardly compare the two situations. No matter how jealous he was of Harry, he would have never accused him of the things Harry had accused him of.
The more he thought about their past together and the friendship he would be losing out on in the future, the sadder he began to feel. The anguish had now completely overtaken the anger he had previously felt.
"You were like a brother to me, you know," he finally said quietly, his voice raw with emotion as it penetrated the silence. "You were like family. And not just to me, but to everyone back at The Burrow." Harry looked down at his lap, unable to say anything. "How could you ever think such horrible things about us, Harry? About me? You should have known I would have never done anything to hurt you in any way." The conflicting emotions he was feeling all at once were getting too much to handle. Minutes ago he had been completely livid with Harry, now all he wanted to do was sit in the dark, alone with his thoughts, and be sad.
Harry remained silent, his head still down at his lap, unable to meet Ron's eyes. Ron almost felt bad for him in that moment, but the guilt Harry was feeling was well-deserved. He would have to learn to live with his actions.
Deciding he couldn't handle the emotions running ramped through him anymore, he said in a half-whisper "I think we're done here now… and for good" and closed the curtain around his bed and laid back down, hoping Harry would take the hint to leave him alone. He had stood his ground like he had promised himself he would, and Harry had nothing more to say.
He turned over on his side, facing his back to Harry's bed on the other side of the curtain, and closed his eyes. He just wanted this night to end forever. Harry's attempt at an apology had only made things worse. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up tomorrow, completely Harry-free.
He laid there for a while with his eyes closed, almost ready to fall asleep, until a sudden, faint noise stirred him out of it. He peeled open his eyes, not sure if he had heard it correctly or not, then closed them again. A second later, he opened his eyes as he heard the noise again. A tiny, barely-audible sniffle that had come from behind him.
He then realized that he hadn't heard Harry leave yet, and that he must have still been in the room with him. A third sniffle came from behind him, breaking Ron's heart into a million different pieces. Either he was all of a sudden ill with a cold, or Harry Potter was crying. He could honestly say he had never considered that Harry was even capable of tears. After all the years they had spent together, Harry had never really been interested in opening up about his life. He had been through a lot, but still he remained strong and avoided most chances of showing any kind of sadness, always willing to listen to other people's problems instead of talking about his own. He had always preferred keeping things bottled up inside, which in all honesty had been fine with Ron, because he had no advice to give for any of Harry's problems. And now he was sitting on the other side of this curtain, evidently crying over Ron.
Ron slowly sat up in his bed, the anger he had been feeling completely wiped from his mind. The thought of Harry being that upset about losing him made him start to understand that maybe Harry had just had a moment of insecurity. He slowly opened his curtain enough for his head to pop out and saw Harry sitting on the other side of his bed, his back facing Ron.
"Harry?" he said quietly, not really sure what else he should do. "Harry, are you… crying?"
Harry's back suddenly straitened and Ron saw him bring his sleeve up to quickly wipe away all evidence of it being true. "N-no," he stammered out, his voice shaky with emotion. The horrible attempt at a cover-up might have almost been comical if his heart hadn't been aching so badly. He watched as Harry finished wiping his face and sniffled once more.
"Yes, you are," said Ron sadly, getting out of his bed and walking around to the other side of Harry's, sitting beside him. Harry shook his head and turned in his seat in the opposite direction of where Ron was now sitting, clearly trying to hide his face.
He waited for Harry to say something, but he remained silent, his body still facing away from Ron's. "Harry, why are you crying?" he asked, willing him to say something despite the fact that his reason for crying was fairly obvious. A part of him wanted to hear it come from Harry's mouth though.
Harry remained silent, shaking his head again and looking down at his lap. After another minute of silence, Ron egged him on once more. "Harry," he said quietly, putting his hand on Harry's left shoulder and gently turning him to face him. "Tell me why you're crying."
Harry finally raised his head up from his lap, and Ron could feel his heart break again at the sight of his slightly red, strained eyes. He felt extremely uncomfortable seeing him in this state. Harry was still avoiding making direct eye contact, looking thoroughly embarrassed to be crying in front of Ron. "I-I don't know," he finally answered, his voice still thick with emotion as he shook his head again.
That wasn't what Ron wanted to hear. "Harry, there has to be a reason. I've never seen you cry in my entire life. Now why are you crying?" he asked firmly, still trying to remain calm.
Harry finally met his stare, his eyes glassy with un-fallen tears. "I just can't believe I could have ever considered you'd be anything but on my side," he said, trying to keep an even tone to his voice, though not being successful.
"Yeah, well neither can I," replied Ron sadly. "But you did. And I don't think I can get over it." Harry winced slightly at his words, looking like he might start crying again, and Ron felt badly for having to be so bitter. Feeling like he should explain a bit better, he continued "I just feel like if you truly knew me as well as I thought you did, you wouldn't have needed to ask. Even with all the signs pointing towards it."
"Ron, surely you can remember how you felt back in fourth year," he pleaded. "I don't blame you for thinking I had put my own name in there. Everyone was saying it was so, and it seemed unlikely that my name would just appear like that. I was upset at first, but I forgave you eventually because you made a mistake and it wasn't completely unreasonable to have thought that. Why can't you do the same for me?"
"I wish I could, Harry" Ron said sadly, shaking his head wildly. "But this is too much. I think about how you just assumed I would have anything to do with Death Eaters and the Killing curse, and everything else… You didn't even consider any other options. It's almost like you didn't care enough about me or our friendship to be able to take the time and really think about things. You just jumped to the easiest conclusion."
Harry looked even more shattered than before. "Ron, you can't possibly believe that I don't care about you," he said, complete disbelief hanging off every word. Ron remained silent and looked away from him.
"Ron," he said after a moment, placing his hand on Ron's shoulder as a sign for Ron to look at him again. "I can't believe you think I don't care about you or our friendship. It's because I care about it that I needed to ask you about those curses I found in your trunk. I couldn't bear to have you against me. I was freaking out when I found those things in your trunk. I could only think about how much worse off my life would be if you had been a Death Eater and we were no longer friends." He paused for a moment as the emotion started pouring back into his voice, evidently trying to keep his composure.
Ron felt his heart sinking further as he listened to Harry's words. Who was he kidding? Thinking he could stay mad at Harry for something he himself had done before? It was clear that Harry felt horribly for what he had done. Listening to him talk about his emotions and seeing him on the verge of tears was a very surreal experience, and he felt his own eyes stinging as he realized how much Harry must have cared to be crying about losing Ron as a friend. He almost never cried, certainly not in the presence of anyone else.
Harry was trying to hold back his tears, but he couldn't help but sniffle once more before speaking again. "Ron, who was it that tricked you into thinking you were drinking Felix Felicis so that you'd be confident enough to do well in our first Quidditch match this year?" he asked, waiting for Ron's answer. Ron simply looked at him. "Right," he said, ignoring the fact that Ron hadn't said anything. "It was me. Because I can't stand seeing you so unhappy. And who was it who saved you a few weeks ago on your birthday when you were poisoned?"
"You," Ron said solemnly, this time feeling he should respond.
"Right," said Harry, sniffling again. "Because I couldn't stand it if you died. Would I have done that if I didn't care about you?" he asked.
"You would have done that for anyone, Harry," Ron responded, certain that Harry would have saved anyone who had needed it in that moment.
"Fair enough," he sniffed. "But who was it that they took, back in fourth year, and put down in the river for me to save during the second task of the tournament? The thing I would miss the most?"
Ron looked at him for a minute before answering. "It was me," he finally pushed out, his voice now just as emotional as Harry's.
"Right," Harry said matter-of-factly. "It was you. And it still would be you today. Hell, it's only been a week since you stopped talking to me and I already miss you like crazy," he admitted bashfully. "And now hearing you say that you'll never be able to forgive me… that we're 'done for good'… I don't think I can handle that, Ron. Well… clearly I can't," he said, referencing the small tear he was now wiping from the corner of his eye as he bowed his head a little. "I need you in my corner, Ron. I need you there for me like you've always been. There's too much to handle on my own, and I need to know that there's still someone in my life who I can trust with everything."
Ron wasn't sure what it was - whether it was seeing his best friend crying, or hearing him admit to missing him and not being able to handle not having him in his life, or realizing that Harry seemed to be genuinely sorry for what he had done, or if it was combination of it all – but he suddenly felt like he might be willing to forgive Harry, or at least consider being his friend again. But he had to make sure of something first.
"Can you trust me with everything?" he asked, his face now stony and void of emotion.
Harry nodded sadly. "Yes. I can now. I should have all along. But I know for sure that I can now," a small sense of eagerness in his voice, almost as if he could feel Ron giving in. He stared at Ron with his teary eyes in anticipation of what he would say next, a small glimmer of hope behind them as he waited patiently.
He was then thrust backwards from the force of Ron pouncing on him, wrapping his arms around Harry in a forceful embrace. Harry was clearly startled at first, but Ron could feel him quickly reciprocate the hug as he tightly wrapped his arms around him and buried his chin into the crook of Ron's neck. Ron was pleased to feel Harry return the hug with such enthusiasm, as they had only experienced so many hugs together over the years, usually after having spent summers apart and never lasting more than a couple seconds.
"You know, I promised myself I wouldn't let you and your sappy girl-talk change my mind about this, so you better not let me down again," Ron said half-jokingly after a while had passed. He could feel Harry smile slightly into his neck at the much needed mood-lightener.
"I know," he responded quietly. "I'm really sorry, Ron," his voice full of emotion again to the point where he almost sounded like he might cry again.
"You really need to stop crying, mate," Ron said, his voice shaky from the tears that were stinging his own eyes now. "Seriously, you're making yourself look like a complete tosser."
"I'm not crying," responded Harry, sniffling back his tears again.
Ron chuckled lightly into Harry's shoulder. "Good. Then I'm not either," he said, gripping Harry tighter and wiping the small tear that had escaped one of his own eyes onto Harry's shirt. He was quite happy to know that they were alone right now, because if anyone could see them now they'd probably be labelled two of the most pathetic boys in sixth year by their peers. They both appeared to have a clear, dependent need for the other in their lives. But for now he didn't care. He felt a great comfort in hugging Harry after having been so angry with him. He honestly didn't like being upset with him.
"I think maybe we need to start trusting each other better," he said. "The both of us."
"I think so too. It'd probably save us a lot of awkward encounters like this one," Harry said in a joking tone. "We should just accept that we're going to be best mates for a long time and learn to trust each other."
Ron laughed and nodded his head in agreement, still clutching to Harry. "Promise?"
"Promise," Harry responded.
Another minute went by before Harry said "So when you said I was, like a brother to you…"
"You still are, you git," said Ron, secretly delighted to know that it meant that much to Harry to be considered his brother.
"Just checking," replied Harry. Ron could feel him smiling again as he said it.
Deciding he had gotten everything out and was ready to move on, Ron asked "So are we all sorted now? Because my back is getting a bit sore from hugging like this for so long."
Harry laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah, we're sorted."
"Brilliant," Ron said, releasing him from the hug but keeping his hands on both of Harry's shoulders. "Then let's never talk about this to anyone. Agreed?"
"Agreed," said Harry, a grin stretching across his face.
A sudden knocking on the door had them both shooting up from their spots on Harry's bed with wide eyes and quickly wiping away any excess tears that might have still been visible.
"Ron? You haven't killed Harry in there, have you?" A familiar voice floated through the door. "Is everything alright between you two? You've been up here a while and it's almost time for Ron's detention with Professor Snape."
"Bloody hell…" said Ron, suddenly remembering the torturous evening he was about to endure after finally making up with Harry. "Well, leave it to Hermione to be the one to remind me of my detention," he said with a small laugh. He knew though that she only reminded him of things like that because she didn't want him to get into any more trouble.
He gave Harry a slap on the back as they walked over to the door. He pulled open the door and saw a worried looking Hermione standing on the other side, nearly toppling over from having the door yanked open from under her curious ear that had been pressed up against it. He and Harry both laughed, and Ron rolled his eyes as they pushed past her, closing the door behind them.
"So I take it you boys made up then?" she asked excitedly as she followed them down the stairs back to the common room.
"I don't know what you're talking about, 'Mione," said Ron, a teasing tone to his voice. "We were never in a fight to begin with. That would be quite immature and girly of us, wouldn't it be, Harry?"
"But of course," said Harry, playing along to Ron's little game as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "We've always gotten along, haven't we, Ron?"
"I would say so!" replied Ron, loving the humongous eye roll Hermione was giving them as she tried to supress her smirk.
"Well, good to know things are back to normal," she beamed, unable to contain her happiness despite their teasing.
Ron couldn't help but smile at her happiness. He knew she was pulling through for him and Harry to have patched things up, and she had gotten her wish. "Anyways, I gotta' get down to my detention with that slick-haired nightmare. I'll see you guys when I get back, yeah?"
"Sure, well meet you here" said Harry, sounding extra happy to have been able to say that.
He swung his book bag over his shoulder and made his way for the portrait hole, turning to face them one more time and giving them another wave before stepping out. He pulled the portrait closed behind him and began making his way down to the dungeons, feeling much happier than he should be considering why he was going there.
He was just so happy from his talk with Harry that he couldn't help smiling all the way down to the dungeons. He was willing to put everything behind them now that he was certain that Harry felt bad about it all and that he trusted Ron again. They had made a promise to always trust each other from now on. Hopefully they would both be able to keep that promise, no matter what the world would throw at them.
His mind then wandered to those papers Harry had found in his trunk. He hadn't thought about it much over the past week because he had been trying to think of anything but that whole situation, but now he was curious as to who had put them there. His thoughts were stirring as he rounded the next corner, bumping into someone whilst doing so.
He looked up to see Seamus Finnigan staring at him with wide eyes. "Oh, sorry mate," he said. Seamus just stood there with his eyes wide, and moved to walk around him without any more eye contact.
Ron furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Seamus walk around him and stare at the floor, looking nervous about something. "Oi, you alright there, Seamus?" he called after him. He received no response though as he watched Seamus walk down the halls, and he wondered why Seamus was even down in the dungeons to begin with. He had certainly been acting weird lately.
Shrugging it off and deciding that Seamus probably just had an earlier detention for something tonight, he made his way for the classroom that Snape was waiting for him in and gulped before opening the door and entering the room.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
And again with the Seamus thing. Alright, so that was Chapter 10! Big, long, Ron/Harry session they had there. Sorry to all who aren't a fan of a good bromance, but I happen to be a HUGE fan of it. Especially Harry/Ron's! So, sorry for all the sappiness. It's not something you see a whole lot of in the books and especially not in the movies, so I thought I'd add some of my own.
I know some of you may be a little disappointed in Ron for not standing his ground better, but I think we can all agree that Harry was genuinely sorry and hurting for having put Ron through that, and that Ron and Harry will always be able to work things out, no matter how rough things have gotten. Or at least, so you think… :) Just kidding. Or maybe I'm not… WHO KNOWS. You will have to tune in for the next few chapters to find out.
Next chapter will be up next week, and there will be more focus on Hermione/Ron and then Hermione/Harry. Should be an exciting one!
Don't forget to leave your feedback in the form of a review! :)
-ArticulateFiction