To those who are questioning Ron's character in this story, please refer to the author's note below. Thank you and happy readings!

'It's going to happen in a couple of minutes,' he said hoarsely, thinking about the vision he just had. 'The Dark Lord – You-Know-Who – he – he -' he stepped back slowly and spun around before taking a sprint. 'Got to find him -' he said between his pants. He went down to the dungeons, shouted the password and entered inside the common room. 'Nott! Where are you?' he asked as he banged the door of the dormitory open.

'And why are you looking for him?' sneered Blaise. He was the only one inside the dormitory and was halfway changing his shirt.

'None of your business Zabini,' snarled Ron before leaving. 'Come on, where are you,' he said angrily under his breath.

'Who are you looking for?' asked Astoria in curiosity, glancing up from the book she was reading. She was sitting comfortably in one of the high chairs in the common room.

'Nott,' he said hastily. 'Have you seen him?'

The younger Greengrass nodded once. 'He went out few minutes ago before you came in.'

'Do you have any idea where he went?' he asked in an almost desperate tone. I need to talk to him. There's not much time left.

'No, I'm sorry,' she shook her head.

Ron let out a frustrated sigh. Without saying anything to her, he ran out of the common room and the dungeons. 'Where are you?' he said as he took the left turn. He passed by Fred and George who were with Lee without a word, unable to hear what either twin said to him and looked around. 'Hey Ron, you're done with -?' asked Ginny pleasantly who appeared in one corner with Luna.

'Sorry – I'm busy -' he said shortly to her without glancing toward them.

Unluckily enough, he saw Daphne who was chatting amicably with Pansy and the other Slytherin girls. He gnashed his teeth but thought she might know. He marched over them and grabbed Daphne by the wrist, whisking her away from the rest of her friends. He tuned out Pansy's words as he dragged the older Greengrass all the way to the nearest empty classroom.

'What – are – you - doing?' she said until she managed to release herself from his grip.

Ron closed the door behind him and said, 'I need you to help me find Nott.'

'You find him yourself,' she said haughtily. 'It's not my problem -'

'It does,' he hissed. 'I got a vision from Potter and I think it's related to Pettigrew -' Daphne's eyes widened a bit, 'but I need Nott first to confirm my suspicions.'

She responded, 'Even so, I'm not going to help you -'

'What the bloody hell's wrong with you?' he said angrily to her. 'This is serious! Don't tell me you're still holding a grudge against me for talking to Luna -'

'Of course I am!' she shouted back. 'She's an oddball! And outcast! Worse than you, obviously! And you hanging out with her and talking is putting me into a bad light! Have you got no gratitude for me? I'm working hard to make you at least presentable to the others -'

'I don't give a rat's arse about that!' he said, stomping his feet. 'You don't need to do it in the first place! I didn't ask you – I can be an outcast for all I care! I've always been one since I got sorted in Slytherin!'

'You're ungrateful! You really are!' she screamed at him, not caring that the others outside might hear her. 'I'm the one who's willing to talk to you even if the others don't want to and Theodore doesn't count because he only approached you because of schoolwork – I helped you with the Summoning Spell and being the bridge between you and Theodore during the summer – I told you about Lupin – I -'

Then it struck him. It occurred to him that Daphne wasn't really angry that he was talking to Luna. It was more than that. It was because he didn't treat her well throughout the whole year despite her contributions and yet he gave more to Luna whom he just met and began talking since the start of the year (end of the year, he thought, but it wasn't considered since they hadn't been introduced to each other properly).

He watched her screaming at him and it made him see more about her. Ron wanted to stop her from screaming but it seemed it was impossible with the temper she unleashed. So he only thought of the action he knew: he hugged her. To his surprise, it effectively stopped her (Ron thought it was because his action shocked her) but she tried to struggle to release herself right after a couple of seconds.

'What do you think you're doing -?' she demanded.

'I didn't mean to treat you badly,' he blurted out, holding his grip around her. 'You deserve more than I have given you.' He didn't know what to say anything else and he felt as if his mind got muddled up so quickly. 'I'm sorry. I really do,' he said and he meant every word.

Daphne stopped moving and fell silent. None of them spoke, hearing the deafening silence weighing on them and their heartbeats. 'You -' she began but the door swung open and she and Ron backed away from each other immediately.

'You're both here,' said Theodore as he strode inside, his hands in his pockets and watching the two with little interest. 'Made up with each other, I suppose?'

Ron scowled at him but relieved that he didn't need to find the weedy boy anymore. 'I've been looking all over for you, git,' he said to him, ignoring his remark. 'Where have you been loitering -?'

'I'm flattered that you need me that much,' he drawled.

'Your ego is getting bigger, Theodore,' Daphne rolled her eyes. 'So how did you find us here?'

'Parkinson,' he answered simply. 'She was raving about you being abducted by Weasley -' Ron snorted, '- and she told me where you two went. It was easy to locate you two since you're screaming at the top of your lungs -' he added, directing his words to the blonde Slytherin girl.

'Oh shove it, Theodore,' she huffed at him, crossing her arms across her chest. 'Anyway, now that we're all here, you have to tell us what you've mentioned earlier about You-Know-Who -'

'The Dark Lord?' asked Theodore, watching Ron intently with more interest now.

'Yes, him,' he hissed. 'Now close that door and listen to me carefully, you two -' As the three huddled together, Ron began telling them what he had foreseen and the two was very much shocked to hear all of it. 'Now that I've told you, I need all of us to decide -'

'Well, isn't it obvious?' said Daphne incredulously. 'We're going to hand Pettigrew over to the Ministry before that happens! Trelawney - that professor – made a prophecy and we're not going to let it come true! I've heard countless stories during the first war and it's definitely a huge no on my part to let that wizard – I don't care how powerful he is – get resurrected! I enjoy my life as it is right now, thank you!'

'I'm surprised you're against it,' said Ron to her.

'Honestly Ronald, my family doesn't take sides,' she said matter-of-factly. 'We're better than that.'

'So,' began Thedore, earning the attention of Ron and Daphne once again, 'Pettigrew will be the one who will help the Dark Lord return -'

'Yeah, that's it,' nodded Ron.

'And you have earlier visions about some sort of battle at Hogwarts,' he continued. 'which may lead that it may be the incoming second wizarding war -'

'- and more people will die,' interjected Daphne. 'There might be some potential business partners who'll die! That's not going to bode well with my family's business -'

'That's not the point, Greengrass,' scowled Ron exasperatedly.

Theodore cleared his throat and the two fell silent. 'Now we're going to decide whether we should let Pettigrew escape and fulfill the prophecy or we hand over Pettigrew.' When none of them spoke, he continued. 'There's going to be a huge impact either choice we make and obviously you're disagreeing about releasing him –' he said, directing her words to Daphne who nodded firmly, 'and you Weasley, what do you want to happen?'

'If we're going to hand over Pettigrew now, the prophecy won't happen,' said Ron thoughtfully. 'Also, the most likely consequence that will happen right after is that Black will be cleared and Potter will live with him. But,' he said, 'if he let him escape, the prophecy will be fulfilled and You-Know-Who will rise again.' More people will die and –'

'One of your family members will die because of it,' reminded Daphne bluntly, not caring if she was being too harsh to point it out.

'What do you want to happen?' questioned Ron to Theodore, hoping his answer would help him decide.

'I don't mind either way,' he shrugged. 'Handing Pettigrew over will delay the Dark Lord's resurrection at some point but there might be other people who will take the role of making it happen. The other choice will definitely follow its original course. However, you did not get any vision about which side will win.'

'Then,' said Ron slowly. Both options have pros and cons…I have the choice to change the event and create the consequence for that. If we let Pettigrew get away, then he might tell everything to You-Know-Who and I'll get in trouble for that. My family will get dragged from what I've done, but…He thought of Harry who he heard was currently living to his Muggle relatives who didn't like him due to him being a wizard. He thought it was sad that they didn't care for each other. Then his thoughts landed on Sirius who was innocent since the very beginning. But handing Pettigrew won't guarantee that You-Know-Who won't be resurrected. There's a possibility someone else will take his place at a much later date. Which is better? Finish it quickly or delay it? After much thought, he said finally, 'We're going to have to make both choices meet.'

Both Daphne and Theodore stared at him. 'What are you thinking?' questioned Theodore.

'Something drastic,' he said shortly. This isn't drastic. It's mad thinking on my part. 'I'll be right back – I'll meet you guys at the entrance to the grounds –'

'Where are you going?' demanded Daphne before Ron could step out of the classroom.

'I'll tell you both later,' he said shortly. 'Just go now -' He ran out of the room and passed by numerous students who were happy that exams were finally over. Ron knew where he wanted to go but he wasn't sure if he had any time left.

'You've been gone for almost an hour,' said Theodore with a frown as he saw Ron making his way toward them. 'The sun is going to set soon in a couple of minutes.'

'It's not like I did it on purpose, and I haven't been gone for that long,' he scowled. 'I had a hard time convincing the person -'

'And who might that person be, Ronald?' questioned Daphne with a raised eyebrow. 'You did say you'll tell us.'

'Not now,' he said. 'Anyway, just wait for a bit longer – I'll go get Pettigrew -'

'Hurry now, you did say we're almost wasting time,' drawled Theodore as Ron rushed over to Hagrid's. He caught a glimpse of the soon-to-be executed Hippogriff by the pumpkin patch and stopped by in front of the hut before knocking.

The door swung open and Dumbledore stood before him with a grim expression on his face. 'Ah Mr. Weasley, you're here,' he noted. 'Come inside.'

'Albus, no student shouldn't be here -' said a portly man Ron recognized immediately as Cornelius Fudge.

Ron cleared his throat to interrupt him, 'I'm just here to get my pet rat,' he glanced over Hagrid and saw how terribly nervous he was. 'Where is Scabbers?'

'R-right over behin' teh crate -' responded Hagrid, his voice hoarse and shaky.

Ron couldn't help but be sympathetic to the gamekeeper. Stupid Malfoy, he thought irritably as he grabbed Peter the rat from the cage, thinking it wouldn't be much use to him anymore. 'I'm sorry to keep you waiting -'

'Just leave now,' growled the other huge man with an axe.

The redhead shot a glowering look at the executioner. 'I'm sorry for your loss, Hagrid,' he piped up honestly before nodding to the headmaster and the minister. As he stepped out, he hid Peter inside his pocket and met up with Theodore and Daphne. 'Here,' he said, showing Peter to them. 'Greengrass, modify his memory but I have to tell you two something first -'

'What is it?' she asked as she took out her wand.

'You have to watch guard somewhere near the Whomping Willow – don't let anyone else see you -' said Ron quickly.

'Why there?' questioned Theodore with a frown. 'What are you planning, Weasley?'

'Don't ask too much questions right now, just do what I say – knock out anyone whoever tries to interfere Pettigrew from getting away or might not help make Black innocent – you have to decide. This is crucial.' He continued.

'What?' said Daphne, her voice rising. 'Ronald -'

'Don't argue with me,' he growled at her, effectively silencing her. 'and don't question with my decision until it's all over.'

Both Daphne and Theodore glanced with each other. 'All right,' said Theodore.

Ron sighed in relief. 'Good. Nott, I trust you to do it -'

'That's huge of you to say that, but fine,' he shrugged. 'Just tell us later what's going on in your mind.'

Daphne glanced between the two before letting out a frustrated sigh. 'Fine, I'll agree too,' she said huffily, crossing her arms.

'Now that settles,' he nodded. 'Now Greengrass, do it. Modify his memories.'

'How much?' she questioned, raising her wand and pointing it directly at Peter's unconscious rat form.

'Everything we've done to him,' he told her. 'Even the times I stunned him to keep him quiet.'

Theodore let out a small snort and earned a scathing look from Ron.

'I'm ready,' said Daphne. Without waiting for a cue, she said, 'Obliviate.'

Ron and the others waited, watching Peter the rat react but nothing seemed to have happened. 'Did it work?' he asked, still watching over Peter closely.

'Yes, I'm sure,' she nodded. 'Theodore, remove the Imperius Curse from him.'

'All right,' he said, taking out his wand this time. With a concentrated look on his face, he removed the Unforgivable Curse on the rat Animagus. Ron held him more securely, expecting what a traitor would do the moment he woke up. And his guess was right; the moment Peter woke up, he tried to scamper away but failed as the redhead tightened his grip around him with his hand. 'Knew that you'd try and escape -' he grunted.

'You should've brought the cage,' said Daphne. 'You're making it harder for yourself, but -'

Ron didn't fire back with what she said when Peter bit him hard. With that, Ron involuntarily let go of him. 'Ow! You bloody rat!' he yelped before chasing him. He rushed over to the grounds, away from Daphne and Theodore who didn't move from their spot as instructed, and dived with his hands outstretched, catching Peter once again. 'Ha! I got you!' he said triumphantly as he slowly stood up. But before he stood firmly on the ground, a streak of orange fur jumped over him, scratching him. 'Get – off – me!' he snarled, moving Peter away from the feline and grabbing his wand.

With a slash in the air, Crookshanks the cat was thrown few feet away from him. 'Crookshanks!' the sudden cry of Hermione echoed in the air. She was running toward his direction, behind her were Neville and Harry. Ron didn't notice where they came from but stopped when she pushed him aside roughly and knelt over her cat, checking frantically whether he was still alive or not. 'How dare you hurt him -!' she shouted at him.

'How dare me? Your cat attacked me first!' he snarled, completely forgetting his plan.

'Er – Hermione, we shouldn't be here -' said Harry hesitantly, lowering his voice so that Ron wouldn't hear him.

But Hermione didn't listen to him. 'It's not his fault!' she retaliated. 'He's a cat for Merlin's sake! Cats hunt rats! That's common knowledge! You -' her words stopped abruptly as if witnessing something that frightened her.

'That's a Grim!' gasped Neville, his eyes wide in fear.

Ron turned around and saw Shade bounding toward their direction, his fangs bared. He jumped and landed in the middle, effectively disrupting the commotion. The redhead fell back once again but still held onto Peter, who was still trying his best to get away.

Suddenly, Shade turned to Ron and bit him hard on his left leg; Ron didn't expect he would do this to him and cried out in pain as he felt the bone in his lower leg broke into half. 'Argh Shade -!' he said but the dog, whose mouth still clamped around his broken leg, began dragging him. He tried to ignore iy, gritting his teeth, but it was still too painful. His hands shook violently with Peter the rat in the middle and dared to open his eyes to see where the dog was dragging him to. Then he saw the Whomping Willow, the dangerous plant that would hurt anyone or anything that was close to it.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Crookshanks, who was surprisingly still conscious, avoiding the lashes of the Willow's branches effortlessly and seemed to have pressed a knot. Suddenly, the tree froze and the Shade dragged Ron rougher than earlier. Where are you taking me -? His thoughts were answered when he and Shade went under the tree where there was a tunnel. The pain of his leg greatly distracted him from looking around. The dog dragged him all the way until they reached the topmost landing. Ron decided to put Peter back inside his pocket and hid him from anyone's view although it wasn't helpful enough because he knew that Black already had him.

They entered a room stationed at the end of the corridor and Shade pulled him to the edge of a bed before finally letting go of him and walking away. Ron let out a hiss, feeling his left leg throbbing more painfully as he tried to make it move.

'I suggest you stop that,' said a rough voice not far away from him. 'You'll be in more pain.' He approached him and knelt down to grab his wand.

Ron moved his head, blinking a couple of times and saw the man he had seen in visions standing before him. He still wore the shabby robes he had seen in the vision and his hair was long and messy. However, the Sirius Black standing in front of him wasn't as skeletal-looking or hollow as he had imagined; he had more muscle and seemed to gain a bit more weight. His eyes were dark yet alive, glinting maliciously as he gazed on Ron's bulging pocket where Peter was placed by him.

Then Crookshanks appeared, jumping over the bed and letting out a low purr. He settled comfortably on it, and his amber eyes rested on Ron as if testing him.

He was about to say when he heard footsteps outside the room. He fell silent and watched as Sirius stepped back behind the door to conceal himself. In a few moments, Harry, Hermione and Neville burst into the room with their wands alight. Crookshanks let out a purr like a greeting to them.

'Weasley!' said Harry, dashing across to him. 'Are you okay?'

'Do I look like I'm okay?' scowled Ron before wincing.

'W-where's the dog?' asked Neville nervously, glancing around.

'Not a – a dog,' he grunted as his leg shook violently in agony once again. 'He's an Animagus – urgh -' Bloody hell, why did he have to bite my leg that hard?

The door closed with a small click and Black shouted the Disarming spell at the three Gryffindors, their wands knocked off from their hands and in the air. Black caught all three wands with his left hand and took a step closer. His eyes, Ron noticed, were fixed on Harry. Harry, on the other hand, had his eyes filled with hatred, something he didn't see from the bespectacled Gryffindor.

'I've never thought of you to save a Slytherin,' he said hoarsely. 'But then your mother would have. Very brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful…it will make everything much easier…'

Harry did something that surprised Ron; he charged at Black and tried to overpower him, pushing the older man against the wall. Both Neville and Hermione gasped, shocked at what their friend was doing to the alleged murderer. But Black didn't seem to be in a difficult position; he moved his hands and pushed Harry with little trouble. Ron suspected it was because of his care that Black managed to regain some of his strength along with being outside from Azkaban for a couple of months since the break-out. 'No,' he said raspily. 'I've waited too long for this -'

As he took a step forward, Hermione swung her leg and knocked off Black somehow. Both Harry and Neville took the chance and tackled him, trying to get their wands back. All four of them were on the floor, their bodies and robes tangled. Even Crookshanks joined in the fray. From Ron's point of view, he didn't think they would get out of it that quickly.

It's like I'm the audience here, he mused to himself, somehow managing to ignore the pain more successfully than earlier.

After much scuffling, Black was left wandless and Harry stood with his wand back in his hand, pointed and raised at the older man's face. 'Going to kill me, Harry?' he breathed, not showing an inch of fear and stared straight into Harry's eyes.

'You killed my parents,' growled Harry. Although his voice was almost inaudibly shaking, his grip on his wand was steady.

Ron was impressed with the Gryffindor. He's good under pressure, it seems, thought Ron mentally.

Black watched him. 'I don't deny it,' he said morosely. 'But if you knew the whole story -'

'The whole story?' repeated the raven-haired Gryffindor angrily. 'You sold them to Voldemort -' Ron, Neville and Hermione all winced. Even Peter the rat gave out a muffled squeak and a jolt after hearing the dark wizard's name. '- that's all I need to know.'

Ron tuned out and waited until Lupin entered the scene as he imagined it would happen before his vision. And his thoughts did come true; the door swung open and Lupin strode inside, disarming the three Gryffindors and shocking them. Then the words Lupin let out shocked everyone even more (but not so much from Ron). 'Where is he, Sirius?' he questioned urgently, glancing toward Black intently.

Black didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hand and extended his forefinger, pointing it directly to Ron's direction. Harry was bewildered, staring at Lupin to Black back and forth. Hermione and Neville, on the other hand, froze in confusion, unsure what were the two adults talking about.

'But then…' Lupin glanced down on Ron and back to Black, thinking, '…why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless -' Then his eyes widened as if stumbling upon a discovery he never realized until now. '- unless he was the one…unless you switched…without telling me?' he asked, his voice filled with a sense of knowing the answer. After he spoke, Black nodded once.

Harry spoke up, looking confused as ever. 'Professor, what's going on -?' He wasn't able to finish his question when Lupin did the unthinkable in front of them; he lowered his wand, approached Black and embraced him like a brother.

All of a sudden, Hermione shouted in utter disbelief. 'I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!' she screamed. Everyone jumped in surprise, staring at the bushy-haired Gryffindor in apprehension.

'Hermione -' said Neville, trying to calm her down.

'You – you – you and him!' said Hermione, her voice rising higher.

'Ms. Granger, please calm down,' said Lupin placatingly to her. 'Let me explain -'

'I didn't tell anyone!' she continued with her outburst and Ron knew what it was all about. 'I've been covering up for you -'

Then Harry joined in with the shouting. 'I trusted you,' he said, his voice shaking uncontrollably in fury. 'and all this time you've been his friend!'

But as Lupin tried to explain, Hermione didn't take heed and told them the secret. 'Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too – he's a werewolf!'

Everyone fell speechless, the silence ringing loudly in their ears. Lupin, although he looked calm, was pale. 'You only got one out of three correct, Hermione,' he said as if lecturing in class. 'Firstly, I haven't been helping Sirius get into the castle, and I definitely don't want Harry dead -' a pained look went across his face, '- but yes, I am a werewolf. So how long have you known about my secret?'

'Ages ago,' she said quietly, not meeting his gaze. 'Since I did Professor Snape's essay -'

Ron snorted and everyone turned their attention toward him. 'She's not the only one who knew about that,' he shrugged. 'I've known about that way before Snape volunteered to take over his class. Just saying, is all.'

Lupin looked amused between the two students. Black was expressionless. 'Now you three,' he began, trying to diffuse the tension weighing on them, 'I know what you're thinking but please, let me explain. Look -' to everyone's surprise, even Ron's, he gave them back their wands. 'There, you're armed. We're not. Now will you listen me?'

The Gryffindors, especially Harry, didn't respond. Ron decided he would. 'All right, we'll listen,' he said, voicing out the others' thoughts.

'Thank you,' smiled Lupin. And so he began, telling them what happened and how he knew where they were. Ron already knew about the Marauder's Map because of his vision but he was surprised to know that Harry owned an Invisibility Cloak and it sounded rare and one of a kind. He continued until he reached to the point about Peter or what the others knew as Scabbers.

'What?' asked Ron, injecting his words with confusion to make himself sound believable. 'What's Scabber got to do with it?' Bloody well almost everything since I was in diapers.

'Everything,' said Lupin gravely as he held out his hand. 'Could I see him, please?'

Ron feigned hesitance before showing Peter the rat, who was thrashing desperately, by the tail so that he wouldn't go anywhere. The others watched curiously and Black's eyes darkened at the sight of the rat.

'So, what's Weasley's rat got to do with anything?' asked Neville after picking up the courage to ask.

'That's not a rat,' croaked Black suddenly, surprising the Gryffindors again.

The Gryffindors frowned. 'What do you mean – that's definitely a rat -' said Harry.

'No, he's not,' said Lupin quietly, his eyes fixed on Peter. Ron could tell he tried his best to calm himself down. 'He's a wizard.'

'An Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew,' finished Black, saying the supposed dead wizard's name in disgust and hatred.

The moment he said that, Ron knew what the three were thinking. It made sense why they would think like that because it seemed impossible. But Ron learned for the past two to three years that things that might be perceived as impossible were, in fact, possible and true. Then Black suddenly charged at him, surprising him with his actions but Lupin stood in front of him and blocked him off, struggling to keep him away from the redhead. 'They've – got – the – right – to – know – everything!' panted Lupin, still holding Black back to restrain him. 'Mr. Weasley kept him as a pet -' Ron managed not to snarl, '- there are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry – you owe him the truth, Sirius!'

Sirius stopped as he heard Lupin's words; he stepped back and turned around angrily. 'All right, then, but you better be quick, Remus.' he growled. 'I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for…'

Sighing, Lupin turned to face the students and began to tell their story, the Marauders. The story sounded adventurous and fun even if it lacked some details. Everyone was focused with Lupin's words and listened intently as he delved into their past lives. Ron could tell that the friendship between the four boys was astounding and it seemed unlikely that it would break, but it did in the end and it was tragic. But Ron felt something unseen shifted near him and he glanced around. 'Is this place haunted?' he asked Lupin.

'No,' he said. 'The Shrieking Shack was never haunted to begin with…the screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me.'

'Oh,' he said, realizing where they currently were located.

Heaving a sigh, he continued. 'And so I convinced myself that Sirius managed to get inside the school grounds using the Dark Arts he learned from Voldemort –' Ron, Hermione and Neville winced, 'that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it…so, in a way, Snape had been right all along about me.'

Black jerked his head upon hearing Snape's name. 'Snape?' he spat. 'What's Snape got to do with it?'

'He's here,' said Lupin tiringly. 'He's a professor teaching Potions.'

For some reason, Ron didn't like the tone Sirius used while saying Snape's name. 'What's your problem with him?' he questioned tactlessly.

Black bared his teeth and sneered. 'Of course you would defend your dear old professor. Typical Slytherin,' he snarled. Ron felt anger rising inside him; if his leg wasn't broken, he would've jumped at him and punched him until he couldn't move anymore.

Lupin shot a warning look and looked at Ron. 'Professor Snape attended school the same time with us. He was very adamant about appointing me to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, thinking that I shouldn't be trusted. He has his reasons,' he glanced over Sirius who scoffed. '…you see, Sirius played a trick on him that nearly cost his life, a trick which involved me -'

'It served him right,' interjected Black. 'Sneaking around, trying to find out what we're up to…hoping to get us expelled -'

'Your Potions professor was very interested where I went to every month,' said Lupin, trying to ignore what Black said. 'He – er – doesn't like us very much -'

'Understatement,' snorted Black. 'He despised us. I wouldn't be surprised if he feels the same until now.'

'Sirius,' said Lupin wearily. 'He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent of the Quidditch field -'

'I doubt that,' argued Ron, feeling that he had to defend the Head of Slytherin. 'Why would he be jealous of someone because of Quidditch talent? That's stupid and shallow,' he said. 'And Snape's already talented enough in Potions, someone you obviously need to brew you that Wolfsbane potion which I'm sure I'm correct -'

'Because your professor is a pitiful outcast,' said Black harshly. 'He's an oddball, and pathetic.'

'You're a hypocrite,' snarled Ron as he tried to get up but he shook badly and ended up sitting on the bed and clutching his leg. 'You think you're above than the others? You're just the same as the other Slytherins – you're narrow-minded, cruel, and heartless. That's a no-brainer since you're from the Black family – you're all the same -'

Black turned pale at Ron's words and growled. 'Don't – you – dare – compare me with those filths!' He shouted as he marched toward him.

Ron couldn't do anything; he was stuck on the bed as the others widened in shock. Lupin tried to block him but Black pushed him aside roughly.

But before it could get worse, someone appeared before Ron. 'Take one more step, Black, and I'll make sure you won't be able to walk again,' Snape's voice spoke deadly. He stood tall and menacing as ever between Ron, Lupin and Black, his wand raised at the two men and tossing a cloak that Ron assumed as Harry's Invisibility cloak aside.

And this is where I end this chapter.

I realized this chapter covered some parts of Trelawney's Prediction, the full Cat, Rat and Dog, and a summarization of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

EDIT: It seems that some (or most) readers don't like the attitude Ron in this story is showing. So it's my duty as the author to explain some things. And here we go!

First and foremost, Ron Weasley, in my honest opinion and view, has the same thinking as Draco Malfoy. They are biased. Both of them think they are right for what they believed in. Of course we all know Ron's side is more right than Draco's because as readers in this modern generation, we value rights and equality. Anyway, they are biased and they hate anyone who's against their beliefs. Secondly, they are narrow-minded. This is related to the first one; they will never listen to anyone and is still in insistent on what they knew. Thus they become ignorant. Ron is ignorant in his own way, and so is Draco. Yes, they believe in two completely different things but the way they think is the same. This is what I've noticed in Canon while reading HP stories. Now think about it, if Draco made friends with Harry first than Ron, then Draco is in the right more than Ron and we'll be seeing a different perspective.

Therefore, Ron in this story is a hypocrite. And in denial. Daphne already pointed it out once or twice, and so did Theodore but he generalized it as what most Slytherin pureblood families think. Possibly someone will slap him awake in the later chapters.

Secondly, let's tackle the his treatment towards Hermione, Daphne and the rest of the female characters. Ron is coming off as rude to Hermione and I realized that his comment to Hermione about being "better-looking if she cleaned up a bit" is rather offending to some. Well, throughout my experience interacting with boys (which I'm sure most of you are), there are some boys who are tactless. That's Ron. He speaks before he thinks. And I wrote that bit based on one part of GOF's the Unexpected Task. Canon!Ron was being picky to ask out female dates and made a mean remark about Eloise Midgen with her nose "off-center". On the other hand, Ron didn't mean what he said to Hermione. And in all honesty, he's not good at articulating his words. I don't know what's worse, Canon!Ron telling Hermione that she's a "girl" or that he said that she'll be better-looking if she fixed herself a bit more. To dissect the words in its actual sentence, he's trying to say "You look fine but I honestly believe you will look better if you take care of yourself more." As far as I understand Hermione throughout the books, she's not the type who's into looks and doesn't consider herself attractive.

As for Daphne, Ron doesn't like her (obviously and with a couple of reasons). She didn't make a good impression to Ron but as I've said earlier, Ron is biased and ignorant so it's his own fault. Daphne is pushy and orders Ron around in the form of favors and Ron doesn't like being pushed. I mean, who doesn't? But his treatment with her will change but it's not going to happen immediately. He still doesn't trust Slytherins in general (he's a Slytherin but he's in denial). I can't explain much but Ron is someone who needs a good shove in order to see the bigger picture of a person.

And he's going to open up. But it's not going to happen overnight. I don't think any sane person's going to open himself/herself to anyone he doesn't trust much immediately. It takes time and he and the rest must take one step at a time. And he's becoming less selfish. Even if he and Harry aren't friends, Ron thought of him and was willing enough to help Sirius prove his innocence in his own Slytherin way without them knowing. That's the first step.

If you guys have any more questions, just ask away. I'll try to answer. Oh, I almost forgot, about Neville being a replacement to Ron in the Golden Trio, he will improve. I know Neville seems sidekick material in some aspects and of course, I'm not going to turn him to Canon!Ron. I just wanted him to grow up faster since he's friends with Harry and Hermione. Harry inspires him and Hermione encourages him which are good but Neville has yet to be in equal footing with the two. But I believe in him.