Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Hermione would have had Harry wrapped around her finger by the end of the third book.
Enjoy, ~Kit.
Lesson 10 ~ The Days to Come
It had been a week of clandestine silence. The Weasley twins had spread the tale of Peter Pettigrew to all of their family, and many were tense. A letter from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley urged their children to keep things silent in hopes that when Dumbledore was ready, he would announce his findings.
On the other side of things, McGonagall was fighting to release the information of Pettigrew. She had felt horrible after she ran through the conversation about the wards and Black, and nothing elevated the unease and tension inside of her more than doing nothing. So McGonagall did what she thought best, confront Dumbledore.
"Albus, I just don't see how you can't release this information about Pettigrew being found at Hogwarts. What does it matter if we –"
"Minerva," Dumbledore cut her off in a simple tone. "How many years has Percy Weasley been at Hogwarts?"
"Seven, well, six really, as this would be his last. But I don't see –"
"And throughout all those years, where has Pettigrew been?"
McGonagall blushed, "Here, at Hogwarts. But surely," she stopped hesitantly expecting him to interrupt her yet again, "we can just tell them all the truth. You and I can't possibly check every pet to see if they are Animagi. And when those new wards are erected, we can assure it will never happen again."
"Minerva, about that..."
"Albus! Do not tell me you won't put up new wards! At the very least there should be an alert ward to detect when an Animagus is near the castle," McGonagall chided.
Dumbledore sighed. "Would you like some tea?" he asked tiredly. He chuckled slightly at McGonagall's sharp frown. "Minerva, this will be a long chat. Are you sure you wouldn't like any tea?"
"Alright, but I'm not letting you off the hook. Explain everything."
Dumbledore called a house elf and ordered some tea, a hint of calming draught later, and he was ready to tell his story. McGonagall, who believed calming draughts were too addictive, was still very anxious.
"Tell me Minerva, what do you know of Warding?" he asked in a pleasant manner.
Minerva frowned, and spoke tersely, "Not much."
Dumbledore nodded. "I see," he seemed to unfocused for a second, but continued, "I shall start with the basics then –"
"Do. Not. Stall." McGonagall's voice was bristling with anxiety and frustration.
"If you're sure. However, I am at a loss; how should I start? Ah, yes," Dumbledore said with a nod. "The older a ward is, the stronger it is. This is because they have settled down and begin drawing strength from the magic around them. Occasionally a well-placed ward can be added to the outer structure of these wards, but the older the wards are, the harder it is to accomplish it.
"Hogwarts has one of the oldest set of wards that can still be altered. However, they have been around too long that if I wanted to add a new ward, I would have to search for each ward-stone buried around the perimeter of Hogsmeade Valley and spell the new wards hoping they attach to the current ones. At best, I can ward individual rooms in Hogwarts, and I plan on placing them in each of the houses."
McGonagall's face showed a fine amount of dissatisfaction. "That is only acceptable for now. I expect every room to be properly warded before the start of the next year, Albus. Every room," She spoke evenly, but the force behind her words was scant from scolding. "Back to the original matter. Why can't we let Amelia release the fact that we caught that rat? Surely his confession is enough to satisfy the Wizengamot of Black's innocence."
"Alas, a confession, even if influenced by Veritaserum, can be false," Dumbledore spoke surely. "It can only be used to proved innocence, not guilt. Although we are positive Pettigrew has not been tampered with, there are some who would claim Black had modified Pettigrew's memory. I'm sure Amelia realized this after she had calmed down, as she has yet to push for the release of our information."
"So you're telling me the best we can do is nothing? Albus, I simply can't believe that." McGonagall rose from her seat and left.
Dumbledore simply sighed; this was going to be a long year. He took a sip of his tea, and much to his frustration, it was cold. 'Those twins always cause too much trouble,' he thought. 'Wait...I'm sure the Arthur and Molly explained everything to their children. I should call the Weasleys to my office, perhaps a few more people as well...'
An hour later, one Ronald Weasley of Gryffindor received a surprising letter. Most of the letter was expected, but the part that had him most confused was the note at the end. It read, And Mr. Weasley, please inform any friends who have been informed of this matter to attend as well.
But even though he knew Fred and George had already informed Harry and Hermione, and, by default, Luna and Neville, Ron didn't know how to tell them. 'Friends,' it was a nice thought, but Ron already realized, he no longer had any friends. It was his fault too, all his fault...
The first time Ron realized he wasn't needed, he almost snapped.
It had been the day that many secrets were revealed, but most importantly, it was the day he learned that he never had a rat. Then, they entered the room.
Neville and Harry were not laughing, nor were they showing the slightest bit of joy. Instead, the two shared a sadness that permeated the room, and the silence that followed them was deafening.
'They know,' Ron thought somberly. 'They'll blame me.'
The thoughts confused Ron, and for once in his life, he seemed to realize that he cared. Usually he only cared about the reactions of his enemies. If they insulted him, he got angry and insulted them back. Nothing else was important, well nothing but food, Quidditch and chess.
Muffled laughter broke his thoughts; Dean and Seamus had entered the room. It was only him now, alone in a room filled with his dorm mates. 'Was this how Neville felt? Every day?' Ron thought suddenly before forcing himself to sleep...
The next time he was confronted with his self-alienation, he was glad Harry didn't hate him.
Ron sat in a chair near the fireplace. It was far enough away from his old seat to feel alone, but not far enough to block out the entire conversation Luna was having with Harry. He didn't know exactly what had set his former best-friend off, but even Ron could tell it was serious.
"He did WHAT?" Harry exclaimed in an angry snap. All of Gryffindor, well most really, turned to Harry. Ron both wanted to know and to run. He saw Luna call for Hermione, and saddened as her eyes pierced through him.
Even Ron could see the message, 'You're no longer of use to your friends.'
After that, he left, but the next day a seventh year Ravenclaw was found hanging from the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall.
Somehow, he knew the cause had been Harry...
He knew, or perhaps hoped, that if he apologized, they'd probably forgive him. He laughed bitterly, 'Why don't I want to be forgiven? Being alone, learning the whole reason I'm alone is a lie, thinking because I have nothing else to do. That's all I have.
'But...I deserve it. Maybe I don't want their forgiveness just yet, by they deserve my apology.'
With that decided, Ron stood and descended into the common room. It didn't take very long for him to find them sitting around the fire. Harry and Neville seemed to be flipping through a few books, while Hermione was allowing Luna to fix up her hair. Ron hesitated, knowing he was no longer needed had hurt, seeing it almost killed him.
A flash of Hermione's smile when Harry badgered her about Runes. A laugh shared between Neville and Harry. A knowing look thrown from Luna to Neville. He wanted to run, but the part of him that had turned up recently, the part that he never understood, steeled inside.
He stepped forward, and slowly neared the happy quartet. He only stopped when he stood between Hermione and the fire. Ron may have been a self-centered pig (mostly at meals), but it was like another knife plunged into him. Not one out of the four acknowledged his presence.
Still, this was something he had to do.
"Hermione," he began shakily, "for what it's worth, I'm sorry." She showed no acknowledgement, but even Ron noticed the quartet went silent. "I don't expect you to forgive me, I don't think I deserve it...but, I said some bad things...and, I'm sorry." He turned towards the fire, completely unaware of the four pairs of eyes now focused on him. "I don't know why I said those things, to you, to Harry, but I guess...well, I was just being an uncivilized, jealous prat.
"I know you didn't mean it, because I know it wasn't your fault...but, I've always wanted something of my own. The only thing that is mine is my wand, and I haven't even had time to appreciate it yet.
"But that's not it. I want you to know, that I really didn't mean it. I was angry, and I wanted to hurt you, but I never meant what I said..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Also, I wanted to thank you. Being friendless leaves a lot of room for thinking...wait, that sounds wrong...that's not what I'm thanking you for...Just, thanks for being there when I needed you. Thanks for helping me when I didn't appreciate it.
"I don't want you to forgive me, not yet. Just say it's okay to talk to you again," Ron turned around and looked at Harry, then Luna. "I'd like to apologize to you guys too, but I'm not sure I'm ready yet."
Silence reigned over the five gathered around the fire. Then, Hermione spoke up, "Ron, we've been friends for about two years. We've done a lot of silly things, and you boys have dragged me into the strangest situations. I don't want to throw away our friendship over a few words, but...it hurt. It hurt so much to be called that by my friend. I can't forgive you, at least not until you show me you've really grown up."
Harry braced himself for the explosion of Mt. Weasley, but it never came. Instead, Ron lowered his head, "Yeah, it probably wouldn't hurt to grow some more though, just to be safe."
"I'm glad the Wrackspurts are gone Ronald," Luna spoke with a smile. "I've heard that they like to return to former hosts every once and a while. I also heard it's best to occasionally spend time in solitude to prevent re-infestation. Perhaps it's worth a try."
Ron nodded, "Thanks Luna. Um, there is something else. Dumbledore wants us in his office tomorrow, after the game I think... Anyway, I think I'll spend some time with Ginny. She finally got caught up with her work you know?"
As Ron left, Harry realized that he had forgotten about the other witch who had spent her first year in solitude. Standing, he called out, "Hey Ron, drag Ginny over when you get there, will you?"
Ron did as told, and returned with his sister. She was just as shy as Harry remembered her, but this time, he realized that it wasn't because of the Boy-Who-Lived; Ginny was scared of the world. After a few words and knowing looks, Hermione decided that Ginny needed therapy, and if the school didn't realize this, she would have to act on her own.
She dragged Luna and Ginny up to her room, stopping only to yell at the protesting Ron, "Just play some chess, we're having girl time."
The newly perceptive Ron saw the look in her eyes, and gave her a melancholy smile.
Neville motioned the red-head over, and awkwardly, Ron complied. The crackling of the fire was only accompanied by the low buzz of the common room. No one knew what to say, or even what to do. "This is all very strange," Neville voiced finally. "You guys were, are friends. You should be able to talk about something!"
Ron and Harry smiled. "When did you get so Gryffindor Neville?" Harry asked with a laugh. "It suits you."
"I think it's a part of being your friend Harry," Ron spoke. "I mean, look at what you did to Hermione."
Harry's smile turned red. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Eh? Something wrong?" Ron asked.
Neville grinned, "I don't think so Ron, look."
Harry had begun fidgeting, something that had grown increasingly common since he had claimed to always choose Hermione. "I-it's nothing!"
"Quit being such a girl Harry," Ron laughed. "You like her."
Neville nodded sagely, "I do believe it is about time you realized it."
Harry sputtered indignantly and threw a near-by pillow at them. This inspired a short pillow fight that was broken up by a loud sob. Long red hair streaked across the common room and crashed into Neville.
Ginny, who had been aiming for Harry's spot on the couch, looked up in confusion. Deciding it didn't really matter who held her, she cried. Seconds later, a mildly wet Hermione and Luna appeared.
"What happened?" Harry asked, sneaking a glance at Ron. The older Weasley looked angry and helpless, but kept his mouth shut until he calmed.
"She had a breakdown. I don't know why. Ron, did this ever happen at home?" Hermione asked.
Ron shrugged, "Not the right person to ask. What were you talking about?"
"The Chamber."
It took all of his self control not to shout, but he still managed to ask, "Why?"
"She brought it up," Luna informed the boys. "Then she started crying and when Lavender and Parvati came into the room, she ran out."
Neville, who was patting Ginny's back carefully, was startled as she began to hiccup. He heard her mumbling, but barely caught the words "monster," "chamber," and "my fault." He gave Luna a pleading look, but was only given a small smile in return.
Things calmed down after a while, and the night soon turned into a bonding session. Everyone had their own horror stories to share. They ranged from Harry's rotten cousin to Neville's Squib-hating uncle, Hermione's lonely school days to Ginny's tale of solitude, and Ron's insecurities to Luna's 'strangeness.' They found similarities in each other that they never knew they had, and it was clear that even Ron had his problems.
Later that night, Ron asked Harry, "Would you mind if I was on my own for a while? I like being with you guys, but I think I should figure out a few things first."
"So you want to be on your own for a while?"
"Yeah," Ron said with a smile. "Maybe I'll plan the takeover of the chess club."
Harry laughed, "I want to be there for that one."
"You can count on it mate."
Hi everyone, thanks again for reading!
Sorry it's late, I am still trying to do everything before it's time for finals. November was so stressful, but hopefully this chapter has appeased you. I know this is short, but consider it a teaser. Next chapter we go in depth, and finally we will see if I can write a good Quidditch match.
Tell me what you think! I want to know. How do you feel about Ron's change? Is it too fast?
Also, what should the other pairings be? I was thinking about Neville/Luna, but I'm also fond of Neville/Ginny. Ron doesn't need a pairing, but if you guys prefer Nev and Gin, I'd like Luna to be paired with someone. I'm not too fond of Luna/Ron, so don't suggest that, but if you care, tell me preferred parings. I may put up a vote later...
And finally, do you want more "training time?" Or should I just keep going?
Again, thanks for reading! And to all my reviewers, you have my love.
See you soon, ~ Kit.