A/N: Ahhhh reviews, they feel good. But I'm not getting enough! I can, however, always trust my inspiring cousin to review the day I post the chapter. My internet is back, so now there isn't a delay in when I finish the chapter and when I post it.

I didn't realise, but chapter 10 marked a milestone; 20, 000 words! Congrats to me! We will soon be at 30, but my aim is 100.

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Wretched Ron Ruins The Day

"Harry, are you absolutely positive that Voldemort said Lucius? Are you sure it wasn't some other name?" a worried looking Dumbledore asked, his half-moon spectacles sliding halfway down his nose.

"Yes, yes it was definitely Lucius."

"In that case, Harry, I think it is time I told you something. Lucius is the father of somebody at this school. Somebody you know and trust. That somebody is your friend, Draco Malfoy."

"What?! Draco's father is a Death Eater?! How come he didn't tell me? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't anybody tell me?!!"

"Harry, you must understand that Draco isn't and doesn't like his father. If he did, he would most likely be in Slytherin. I didn't tell you, because I didn't see the need to. He doesn't plan on joining Voldemort, so why should it bother you? And I put a secrecy charm on all of the students so that nobody could tell you, because I feared it would end your friendship that I discovered you have. And there is an advantage to having Draco on our side; he doesn't live with his father. He and his mother live in the castle. His mother was also a Death Eater, but now she helps us, so we have the ability to know how a Death Eater and even Voldemort thinks."

Harry, far calmer now, said, "Fine, I understand all of that, but you didn't think to tell me? I mean I would have reacted no differently, if any change it would have been better."

"I am deeply sorry for that, Harry. You see, even an old man such as myself makes mistakes sometimes. I might also say that Narcissa Malfoy will also be living with you. I will also remove the silencing charm from the students, now that you already know."

"Ok. Professor, when are we going to be moving into our private quarters?"

"Ahh, yes, thank-you for prompting my aged memory, Harry. You and your friends shall be moving in as soon as possible, this afternoon if you can."

"Well none of us have any plans to do anything else, so I'll go and tell the others to do it now," and at that, the-boy-who-lived was making his way out of a very old mans office.

"Dumbledore wants us to move in to the quarters now," Harry notified the trio as he came to a stop in a corner of the Common Room.

"Oh yes!" Hermione said gleefully, "I had completely for got about that!"

"And also, Draco," he said, turning to the blonde, "I have just discovered that your father is a Death Eater," Harry said in a disgusted voice.

The little colour that was left in his face disappeared as he said, "I, I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how you would re-act."

"A Death Eater?!" Ron and Hermione said at once.

"How could you?" the red head continued, "Harry is the one that has to kill the man your own father worships! You little sneak! I can't believe you! Your father is out to kill Harry and you don't tell us?!"

"I don't talk to him or see him!" Draco shouted back, but Ron had stepped out of the portrait and didn't hear the reply.

"Don't worry about him," Harry told Draco, "He doesn't know what he is talking about."

"But imagine how he is going to re-act when he discovers he is living with my mother, who was a Death Eater as well."

"Your mother was a Death Eater?"

"Yes, was. She ran away from my father, took some money and me, and ended up here. That was a few years ago now. My mother wasn't punished by the ministry because she agreed to help when she could, but only a few people know, so you can't tell anyone. Everyone thinks that I'm living with some relatives that are half-bloods that we never talk to and that my mother is dead."

"Well, change the subject," Harry said, "We should gather our things and get moving."

Harry was in his dormitory with Draco, packing his things, when his owl, Hedwig, came through the window. He took the letter from its leg and it read;

"Harry,

Merlin was a truly great wizard.

At school, his favourite subject was Transfiguration,

And his favourite animal was a white owl. He would love to see one again."

"What does it say?" Draco asked.

"It's from Dumbledore, the quarters are near the transfiguration classrooms and I have to bring Hedwig."

Draco just stared at him for a while, and then kept packing. And a few minutes later, they had all packed everything, and were walking together (minus Ron) towards the Transfiguration classrooms. They were about twenty metres away when a portrait of Merlin himself wolf whistled at them.

Harry turned around and said to Hermione and Draco, "This is it, but I don't know what the password is."

"Well maybe it doesn't have one," Hermione said. "I've read about rooms in Hogwarts that you don't need a password for. But to get in," she continued as she walked up to the portrait, "The person in charge has to allow you to," she finished, placing her hand on the portrait, causing it to swing open.

"Oh, a white owl!" Merlin said as Harry walked through, ignoring the long dead wizard.

They stepped in to their quarters and what they found was amazing. They each had a room looking over the Quidditch pitch, and in each one, the found a bed larger than a king size, a large, six drawer hardwood chest of drawers and a rosewood desk sitting in a corner to study at.

Harry went over to the desk and found that it was fully equipped with plenty of parchment, ink and quills. Harry took a quill, and then another appeared in its place. He opened the drawers to his desk, and found that one couldn't be opened by hand, or by any magic that he knew of. He made a mental note to try again later, with Hermione's help, of course.

That made his train of thought drift on to the subject of Hermione. It really was stupid what they were arguing about, or so Harry thought. Here education had just gotten the better of her, she didn't mean any harm.

Dumbledore rushed from his office in which he had had an emergency meeting with the minister and the school teachers, to the room that was guarded by Merlin. He quickly put his hand on the door, and opened it, to find Harry, Draco and Hermione all sitting around the fireplace.

"Have any of you seen Mr Weasly?" he asked.

"No, not since he got angry when he found out about Draco's father and ran away from us," Hermione answered on behalf of the others.

"I am sorry to inform you," Dumbledore said, "That your friend is missing. I have had the ghosts search the whole school and the school grounds, but he cannot be found."

Harry was taken aback by what Dumbledore had said. He immediately started thinking of where he could be, but came up with no answers.

Harry went into Hermione's room to apologise for yelling at her before. When he looked into the room, he couldn't see the bushy haired, brown eyed friend, and then he heard a page turn. He looked on the other side of her bed and found that she was reading in a corner.

"What are you reading about?"

She jolted backwards in fright and banged her head on the wall.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for you to hurt yourself," he said, suppressing a laugh. "I just came up to say sorry. I was just all wound up, and I've really been feeling the pressure lately."

"It's alright Harry. I guess I shouldn't have been so insensitive either," Hermione replied, jumping up and giving him a hug, making his cheeks turn pink.

"Anyway," he said, trying desperately to change the subject, "What are you reading up on?"

"It's 'Hogwarts, A History' and I'm hoping that it might give some clues to the whereabouts of Ron. Not only that, but it's rather interesting, you should read it sometime."

Harry rolled his eyes, "You can't help yourself, can you?"

"Nope," she said in a sarcastic voice.

At that moment, they heard Dumbledore enter the quarters, with James, Lilly, Remus, Sirius and Narcissa. They went downstairs, to find Draco already there.

"Ahh good you are all here. These are dangerous times, no. Well that is why I believe that you need extra protection."

"While you're talking about protection," Harry said, "I haven't seen the Aurours that are supposed to be following me lately."

"That is because they use invisibility cloaks and concealment charms. But now, you need more protection, which is why you are all going to go Diagon Alley, and buy pets. Those pets are then going to become your familiar's. Familiars can absorb pain and give you strength, so I find them valuable. When you walk into the pet store, just keep thinking, I'm looking for a familiar, and if there is one there that wishes to be with you, it will communicate with you. So go and get what you will need."

Draco felt horrible as he sat on his bed getting his things for Diagon Alley. One of his only three friends, Ron, wasn't talking to him, Harry was only just back to talking to Hermione and now Ron was missing.

But he thought that Ron had taken it way too far. He had been expecting them to be slightly angry, even to yell, but not to storm off and go missing, something more was bothering Ron, and Draco knew it. Didn't know what, but he planned to find out.

Ron trudged down the hallways of Hogwarts.

"You shouldn't be his friend, he nearly got Harry killed," somebody said.

"Who's there?" Ron asked, but when he looked behind nobody was there.

Don't listen to it, don't listen to it . . . Ron thought, knowing that he was probably hallucinating, something that often happened in the wizarding world.

"Think what you would have done without Harry . . . He is your best friend, he could have been gone. Gone forever, just like that. Then you would only have that filthy mudblood and deceiving son of a Death Eater as friends."

Ron, without realising, started listening to the voice, started believing it.

"You should run away, run away from all of them, and be happy for once in your life. It's not hard; you just have to walk away and never turn back. A few steps are all it takes."

Ron, not in his right mind, decided that the voice was right, and then walked right out the front of the castle doors, frustration infecting his body, his rage making him feel as hot as the colour of his hair.

He was starting to feel very good and confident with himself, when he tripped into a ditch, seemingly invisible. He suddenly felt a tug at his navel, and noticed that an old bobby pin was glowing and attached to his finger.

Yes! A portkey will get me far away from here, he was thinking to himself.

The portkey landed and he got up onto his feet, to be met by the eyes of Voldemort.

A/N: dun dun dun duuuunnnnnnn!

OMFG what on earth is going to happen to our dear little Ronnikins??

L123o123v123e123 you may know!

Ok, as promised this chapter is up by Monday, so you should be happy. I can't write tomorrow or Sunday, because we are selling our house, and tomorrow I am looking at open houses and Sunday I am going to a Bbq.

And then school is back for me on Tuesday, so I may not get more than 1 update a week if you are lucky. But we'll see how we go.

The story may soon get very confusing, so keep an eye on things.

Also, I'm finding it hard to write Sirius and Remus into the story, so excuse me if they aren't in it much, but they are in the background somewhere! I do have a plan, but we'll see if I can work it in!

I know the story is getting boring, but I do have a few ideas, so give me some time and stuff will happen!

"Review to Read and Read to Review!"

- Joe