Hey! Ugh, I'm sooo tired. But I managed this chapter. Also, yes I am actually pretty old. 20 years. You may be wondering why I started this fan fiction if I'm already 20. Well, I've always liked writing. I'm not saying what I'm studying for but writing is something I like to keep apart from my normal studies. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Ron's POV
Ron felt bad. Harry forgave him so easily. But... Ron was also glad it was that easy to talk to him again.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to the Owlery that evening to find Pigwidgeon, so that Harry could send Sirius a letter telling him that he had managed to get past his dragon unscathed. On the way, Harry filled Ron in on everything Sirius had told him about Karkaroff. Though shocked at first to hear that Karkaroff had been a Death Eater, by the time they entered the Owlery Ron was saying that they ought to have suspected it all along.
Pigwidgeon was so overexcited at the idea of a delivery he was flying around and around their heads, hooting incessantly. Ron snatched Pigwidgeon out of the air and held him still while Harry attached the letter to his leg.
By the way, Ron NEVER choose that name.
Of course Ginny had to choose a stupid name like Pigwidgeon...
Ron decided not to think of his sister but instead on Harry.
"There's no way any of the other tasks are going to be that dangerous, how could they be?" Ron went on as he carried Pigwidgeon to the window. "You know what? I reckon you could win this tournament, Harry, I'm serious".
Ron couldn't tell if Harry thought he was being serious or not. Ron truly believed that Harry can have a chance. Hermione, however, leaned against the Owlery wall, folded her arms, and frowned at Ron.
"Harry's got a long way to go before he finishes this tournament," she said seriously. "If that was the first task, I hate to think what's coming next".
"Right little ray of sunshine, aren't you?" said Ron. "You and Professor Trelawney should met up sometime. Maybe both of you can predict Harry's death together. She does that enough as it is... "
Ron threw Pigwidgeon out of the window. Pigwidgeon plummeted twelve feet before managing to pull himself back up again.
They watched Pigwidgeon disappear into the darkness, and then Ron said, "Well, we'd better get downstairs for your surprise party, Harry - Fred and George should have nicked enough food from the kitchens by now".
Ron knew that Fred and George would throw some type of celebration for Harry. And Ron was happy with that.
Sure enough, when they entered the Gryffindor common room it exploded with cheers and yells again. There were mountains of cakes and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer on every surface; Lee Jordan had let off some Filibuster's Fireworks, so that the air was thick with stars and sparks; and Dean Thomas, who was very good at drawing, had put up some impressive new banners, most of which depicted Harry zooming around the Horntail's head on his Firebolt, though a couple showed Cedric with his head on fire.
I know a few people who wouldn't be so happy with that one...
Ron helped himself to food (as usual) and sat down with Harry and Hermione.
"Blimey, this is heavy," said Lee Jordan, picking up the golden egg, which Harry had left on a table, and weighing it in his hands. "Open it, Harry, go on! Let's just see what's inside it!"
"He's supposed to work out the clue on his own," Hermione said swiftly. "It's in the tournament rules... "
"I was supposed to work out how to get past the dragon on my own too," Harry muttered, so only Ron and Hermione could hear him, and Hermione grinned rather guiltily.
Hermione is always so amazing and helpful with people... Wait. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM-
Ron shook his head and hid it in his hands. Hermione looked at him strangely but then turned back to everyone.
"Yeah, go on, Harry, open it!" several people echoed.
Lee passed Harry the egg, and Harry dug his fingernails into the groove that ran all the way around it and prised it open.
The moment Harry opened it was a moment Ron didn't want to remember. The most horrible noise he's heard, a loud and screechy wailing, filled the room. The nearest thing to it Ron had ever heard was the ghost orchestra at Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party, who had all been playing the musical Saw.
"Shut it!" Fred bellowed, his hands over his ears. Ron agreed with his brother and covered up his own ears.
"What was that?" said Seamus Finnigan, staring at the egg as Harry slammed it shut again. "Sounded like a banshee... Maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"
"It was someone being tortured!" said Neville, who had gone very white and spilled sausage rolls all over the floor. "You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!"
"Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal," said George. "They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions. I thought it sounded a bit like our brother Percy singing... maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower, Harry".
Ron had to cover his mouth to prevent him from bursting out laughing. It was true that Percy Weasley singing was one of the world's greatest mysteries -the mystery on how he could sound so bad.
"Want a jam tart, Hermione?" said Fred.
Hermione looked doubtfully at the plate he was offering her. Fred grinned.
"It's all right," he said. "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch -"
Neville, who had just bitten into a custard cream, choked and spat it out. Fred laughed.
"Just my little joke, Neville... "
Hermione took a jam tart. Then she said, "Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?"
"Yep," said Fred, grinning at her. He put on a high-pitched squeak and imitated a house-elf. "'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!' They're dead helpful... get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish".
"How do you get in there?" Hermione said in an innocently casual sort of voice.
Ron already knew what Hermione was thinking.
"Easy," said Fred, "Concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and -" He stopped and looked suspiciously at her. "Why?"
"Nothing," said Hermione quickly.
"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?" said George. "Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?"
Several people chortled. Hermione didn't answer.
"Don't you go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries!" said Fred warningly. "You'll put them off their cooking!"
Just then, Neville caused a slight diversion by turning into a large canary.
"Oh - sorry, Neville!" Fred shouted over all the laughter. "I forgot - it was the custard creams we hexed -"
Within a minute, however, Neville had molted, and once his feathers had fallen off, he reappeared looking entirely normal. He even joined in laughing.
"Canary Creams!" Fred shouted to the excitable crowd. "George and I invented them - seven Sickles each, a bargain!"
About an hour had flown by and Ron, Harry, and Hermione were sitting on a few chairs in the corner of the room where no one could hear them.
Ron, who was currently eating a pumpkin pastry, said "By the looks of it Harry, apparently everyone's opinions changed after you showed them how well you can beat the dragons!"
"Ron chew with your mouth closed!" Hermione said after Ron spit a bit of the pastry on her robes.
"Sorry... " He replied, mouth still filled.
"Hey, isn't that Thalia?" Harry pointed to the black-haired girl weaving through the crowd.
Ron turned around. He saw as she passed by Seamus and Dean. She walked up to the fire place and leaned her forehead against it. She said something that Ron couldn't hear and a hallway appeared. She quickly opened the door and walked in it; the wall swallowed up the entrance about five seconds afterwards.
"Why did she lean onto the wall?" Ron asked.
"Probably so that no one could hear what the password to the place is," Hermione said in a heartbeat.
The Gryffindors already knew how the passage looked like so no one really paid any attention to the Americans everytime they passed.
"Speaking about the Americans... We have to think about a plan don't we?" Ron said, "It took me a while to realize how much sense it would make if the Olympus students were the ones who put your name in the cup. After all, they each have the ability to put their name in even though only Percy and Annabeth seem to be of age".
"What have I been saying?" Harry said, looking at Ron directly in the eye.
Ron looked down.
"It doesn't matter what each of us thought," Hermione said, "But now we all agree that the Olympians are hiding something".
"Maybe they are Death Eaters... Have you even seen their forearm? Any of them?" Harry said.
"Maybe they could be hiding something else... I think we need more evidence about his. Annabeth and the others seem to be very nice- " Hermione said.
" -So did Lockhart" Ron said, "Remember you fantasized about him. Or Professor Quirell. You know who was right on the back of his head! Without us even knowing!!"
"Yes, but what about Padfoot!" Hermione retorted, "We all believed he was a mass murderer! But only a few of us now know he framed".
Harry and Ron stood quiet for a minute. Ron could hear the shouts and laughter from the raging party in front of them.
Hermione straightened her back, "Now then, I believe we need a few more pieces of evidence. We heard their conversation about you know who".
"So we have to keep our distance and not tell them a single thing" Ron said.
Hermione shook her head slowly, "On the contrary... We have to be even closer to them. Let them think that we trust them completely. I have the parchment that has everything I wrote on their conversation in a drawer. They said something about having 'marks'. I guess that is their way of referring to the Dark Mark. And like Harry said, they've never shown their arms".
"So all we have to do is expose any of the American's forearms. Then we can truly see if they have any tattoos".
"Maybe we can convince Fred and George to play a prank on them. One that would require them to take off their jackets or something," Ron suggested, "They usually wear long sleeves and hoodies".
Harry said, "So we have to do this on a day where they are allowed to wear whatever they want. That- "
" -means Saturday or Sunday. We have to do this as quick as possible. If there is any chance that they are working for you know who, then we need to have evidence and tell Dumbledore".
Harry and Ron nodded.
The plan was all set. Use Fred and George to prank the Americans. Then see if any of them have the Dark Mark.
...
So that's it! I was originally going to make it longer but I didn't want it to drag on. Hopefully this was a explanatory chapter! See ya on the next one! Next update 3/8/20
-E.V
