The four individuals continued walking the halls, keeping their ears open for whispers of Hagrid's dragon or of Malfoy sending news of the dragon to a teacher. None of them wanted Hagrid to get in trouble. And according to Neville, having a dragon was a very serious crime. Neville didn't go into what the punishment would or could be, just that it wasn't good.

However, much to their surprise, they heard nothing. No whispers, tumors or comments, just a dour looking Malfoy. Ron was truly and utterly bored. Granted, occasionally his hackles would be raised by a smirk from the platinum blond boy.

But more concerning, was the fact of the matter of Hermione freaking out over the end of the school year exams, and the rapidly growing dragon in Hagrid's hut. It didn't look as though the dragon would fit in the hut for very long. Not even a week and it was rivaling Ron's own lanky stature. A leathery and fierce creature that Hagrid babied to no end.

All that in mind, and his approaching birthday. Strange had already told him not worry about lessons that day, to just celebrate with his friends.

But how could he even think of relaxing with Hermione going over the class notes, color coding and getting the three boys to focus on their papers, and rereading books.

In short, it was exhausting. But with each and everyday, each letter that arrived be it from his father, his Aunt or his Uncle Nick, he was filled with renewed excitement and joy for the upcoming summer. Promises of finally being allowed onto the newly built archery range and learning how to fire an arrow, eating varieties of food, and showing his dad what he had learned both in school and from Strange.

But for now, he was next to help Hagrid take care of his dragon, recently named Norbert, with the feeding late at night while he wasn't going to be noticed missing. Well, he'd be less likely missed. Fred and George had been acting odd lately, actively both getting close and keeping their distance. Usually, one of them would talk to him while the other would move on the outer most wall of the room. Ron noted the odd behavior but thought it better not to ask. If it was a prank, he wanted to be able to deny it without any connection to the inevitable disaster. Percy was oddly uncaring about the odd behavior but perhaps he was just tired of dealing with the two and decided that once they had done... whatever it was they were planning, then he would act.

"Alright Ron, I've got some more Brandy," Hagrid said proudly, a bottle in one hand, a sack full of rats in the other. Ron felt his nose wrinkle in disgust.

"He's eating rats now?" he questioned.

"Yup. He's growing big and strong he is."

As it was, he was just hoping that he, nor his friends or Hagrid would get into trouble for what Neville had already mentioned, caring for an incredibly illegal and dangerous creature.

"Something has got to be done about that dragon," Ron muttered, sliding off Harry's invisibility cloak and handing it back to Harry. Harry, Hermione and Neville all looked tired, as they had been kind enough to wait up for him. He yawned and collapsed on one of the overly plush chairs in the common room, his eyes growing heavy.

"You can't sleep here Ron. We've got to go to our beds."

"Mione, the dragon. The thing is eating rats now. I almost threw up my dinner hearing the bones crunching."

The room was quiet as no one knew how to respond. Then, in the light candle light, Harry's face seemed to light up slightly.

"Charlie," he said softly, looking at Ron. Ron opened one tired blue eye in confusion at Harry.

"No. I'm Ron."

It was Neville who realized what Harry meant mere seconds later.

"No wait, Harry's right-"

"I think I know my own name Neville." Ron responded sounding a bit cranky.

"Not that Ron. Charlie works at a dragon reserve. You can send him a letter."

"Why should I send him a letter? Why can't you Neville?"

"He'll read a letter from you, faster than he'll read one from me. You're his brother."

Ron opened his other tired eye and stared at Neville. His eyes then trailed over to Harry, then Hermione. Each one looking at Ron with hopeful eyes. Ron couldn't really deny it. Despite not knowing Charlie all that well, he was technically his brother.

"Fine. I'll go write the letter. Can I borrow the cloak Harry?"

"Sure. Why though?" Harry asked.

"Might as well do it now. Nobody's up but us. And the owlery isn't too far."

"You just want to get this done don't you?" Hermione asked. Ron merely gave a thumbs up in afirmative.

"Go to bed Hermione. We'll wait up for Ron. We do share a dorm so..."

"Right. Night boys."

"Night Mione," Ron yawned as he grabbed a quill and a bit of parchment and an envelope from his dwindling pile of self addressing envelopes. He wrote his message quickly, not thinking much about what the letter said word for wors, but knew the gist of the message was asking Charlie if he could take Hagrid's illegal baby dragon.

Letting the ink dry, he addressed the envelope like needed. Once dry, he slipped the cloak over his body, disappearing from sight. He sighed but left the Gryffindor common room and entered the dark halls of the castle. Walking as lightly as he could, he moved with as little sound as possible and made his way to the school owls. No doubt the midnight hour had already passed and only the staff would be wandering the halls with the ghosts if anyone.

His blood turned to ice as he saw a particularly mischievous spirit hiding using chalk to write crude words on the wall. He seemed to pause in his work, perhaps sensing something amiss. He turned his head around to stare at what appeared to be an empty hall. Against what Ron felt, he continued to quietly keep moving forward toward the owlery.

"Well, well. Who's out of bed? A wee firstie beastie? A little rondevous between the houses?" said the spirit with a wicked grin widening. Ron couldn't help but feel goosebumps on his arms from the smile. He had never seen him without his smile. Even when he was mad, there was always a slight upturn of his mouth. Something about it felt both unnatural, yet, incredibly familiar. He swore he heard Percy's voice echo in his head, not quite as playful or light as the Poltergiest.

Only the Bloody Baron can keep him in check.

The Bloody Baron. His voice... painfully. A bit scratchy. But could he risk it?

It wasn't like he was sure Peeves would leave him alone. Nor that he could make his voice work correctly with being as nervous as he was. Instead, he slowled his pace slightly, like he had seen his dad do when he attempted to sneak up on his Aunt Tasha. That didn't deter the Poltergiest.

"Perhaps you want to play a game? It is rather late though isn't it? I should call Filch. That would be the responsible thing to do," he spat the last part out slightly bitterly. Ron didn't answer. Saying a word would mean being revealed, though, it could also call Peeves off...

"Peeves. What are you doing?" a new voice interrupted. Ron could swear that even though he was already dead, he grew a shade or so paler.

"Y-You're Bloodiness. I-I was just-"

"Leave Peeves. Myrtle is having a tantrum in her bathroom."

"Right," Peeves said in a slightly annoyed tone, "I'll see to her. You would think she would just-"

"I don't want to hear about it. Deal with it," Baron growled. Peeves lifted his arms and darted through the wall. Ron didn't know who Myrtle was, but he could assume that she was probably another ghost. It was then the Baron stared where Ron was staring. He let out a small snort.

"Just because a ghost can become invisble, doesn't mean they do so often. But I doubt you're even dead. Back to your room. Before I change my mind."

Ron quickly and still as quietly as he could darted towards the owlery.

Could ghosts sense things beneath the invisibility cloak? Or could they hear him? Why did the Bloody Baron, ghost of Slytherin just tell him to go? All these questions echoed about in his head as he entered the owlery. He pulled the cloak off his head, no doubt scaring a few owls. He let it open, revealing his front to them, his back and shoulders still invisible.

One owl was not afraid. Harry's own snowy owl Hedwig, which Ron approached. She seemed to glare at Ron until he handed her a dead mouse, a spoil from Norbert, he was going to give to Harry to give to her. She accepted the treat and allowed Ron to tie the leter to her leg.

"Please be quick," Ron said as she took off. He watched her disappear into the night, her white body being enveloped into the darkness of the night. With a soft sigh, he lifted the hood back over his head, and pulled the front of the cloak closed.

He was thankful the journey back to the common room held no surprises of dead spirits or Filch and his cat. In fact, he returned to the room where Neville and Harry were dosing. He shook them both awake, long enough to give Harry back his cloak and for the four of them to go to bed.

It was early morning, Charlie was about to leave to check on the nests of some expectant mothers when there was a tapping on his window. He turned his head in confusion. A snowy owl was sitting outside his window with a letter attached to its' leg looking a slight bit irritated. Curiously, he opened the window allowing the bird inside. The air was bitey but Charlie didn't complain. He didn't get a ton of mail. At least, not a lot from anyone besides his parents. He wondered who would send him a letter.

Carefully, he removed the letter from the bird's leg and offered it some water. He walked over to his desk and pulled out a small knife. He used it to cut the letter open. He pulled the parchment out and began to read.

Hello Charlie.

It's Ron-

Charlie paused. A warm sensation filled his chest. It was a letter from Ron. He hadn't been sending anyone letters. Not Bill, not their mum and dad, not Ginny, but he had one. He had sent him a letter. He couldn't help the slightly smug feeling he felt. He continued reading with great vigor.

It's Ron, your brother. Wait do you even know any other Ron's? Well even if you do, it's me. But I think you already now knew that.

Schools going fine. Finals are coming up and stuff. Mione's making us study. Harry, Neville and I are baffled by all we're studying. Do we really need to know all this stuff?

Wait, no that's not why I'm sending this. Charlie, we kind of have a situation at school and Neville and Harry reminded me that you work with dragons so we thought that you might be able to help-

Charlie didn't like the sound of that. Why did it sound like there was something potentially dangerous beyond what was exceptable? Like say... Hagrid somehow completing his lifelong goal of actually owning a dragon.

-you see, we're kind of helping Hagrid take care of a dragon-

"Shit!" Charlie spat out. He began pacing the room, taking in a few deep breaths. A dragon. There was an illegal dragon at Hogwarts. Right where four of his five brothers were. He forced himself to continue reading the letter to get as much information as he could.

-baby. We were with it when it hatched about a week ago, but it's growing pretty fast. Apparently, it's a Norwegian Ridgeback, just like the tooth you got me for Christmas.

Week old Norwegian Ridgeback. He had friends coming in a week who would be more than willing to be discreet. And the size would be just right for three riders. He'd have to send a letter tonight to them. But they could do it.

Better sooner than later, even at a young age, Norwegian Ridgeback's had highly venomous bites. And he was going to do what he could so no one got bitten. Speaking of which...

He whipped out a bit of parchment and quill, along with an inkwell to respond to Ron.

"So Steve, traveling the country?" Clint asked seeing the "old man" get on a motorcycle with a bag of supplies and clothes, and a credit card, curtousy of Tony.

"I have wanted to see how the country has changed since I've been gone. I can't think of a better way."

"Well, whatever you're into," Clint shrugged. It was no skin off his nose. He didn't really know Steve all that well. He didn't feel much with Thor's coming and goings or Bruce's reclusive behavior. Even Tony, who he had annoyed and competed with regularly now, wasn't much of a concern, hiding away in his lab and insulting people. They were more like awkward roommates he had to live with until his living quarters had been finalized elsewhere.

"Bored?"

"Nat. Glad to see you back. How was Egypt?" he asked.

"Decent. Got the job done. Although, I did run into a familiar face," she said pulling out a sheet of paper with a picture on it. It was part of the surveilance feed from her mission. In the lower corner, there was not a target, but a familiar face nonetheless.

"Isn't that Bill? Ron's oldest brother?" Clint questioned.

"It seems that he works in Egypt."

"Good to know."

"I heard you were talking about Ron learning archery."

"Yep. He's been asking for years, and since I can't see him all the time, I might as well teach him once he gets back," Clint explained with a smirk.

"As long as he wants to," Natasha commented.

So. It's a chapter. And I am sorry for the first post of the last one you guys. I should have known. But I did not. Anywho...

I figured why not? I had other plans for this chapter but reading over the plan, it seemed far too rushed and I didn't want to make it bad by rushing it. So, this chapter instead. Like always, let me know what you think of the chapter.