A/N: Based on the idea - what if Harry had the balls to say something to Ron after his name came out of the goblet?
Disclaimer: Everything, everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing the characters for short while.
- Do You Know Me At All? -
Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
"You're doing a really good impression of it," Harry snapped.
"Yeah?" said Ron, and there was no trace of a grin, forced or otherwise, on his face now. "You want to get to bed, Harry. I expect you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo-call or something."
But Harry was not going to get away without an argument.
He jerked open the bed's hangings that Ron had forcibly shut, and staring back at him was a surprised and angry red-head.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" yelled Ron, scrambling up from his position.
"Ron," said Harry quietly, standing at the edge of the bed. "Do you honestly think I entered my name?"
"Why does it matter what I think?" spat Ron, yanking the hangings shut again. "Apparently, I'm not a good enough friend to you!"
Harry stood stock-still, gazing at the curtains in disbelief and mounting anger. However, his fury eventually settled into a cool disdain.
"Ron," began Harry again, clutching the railing of the cot. He knew the red-head was listening to him, whether he wanted to or not. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Did you know, that after Hagrid, you were my first friend, ever? At King's Cross, your mother was the second person to show me kindness, after Hagrid. When you entered my compartment, you were the first person my age that took an interest in talking to me. My opinions have never mattered; not to the Dursleys, not to the teachers at my Muggle school, and certainly not to the rest of the kids," said Harry, speaking softly.
He turned and leaned his back against the cool rod, continuing in the same low tone, "When I was at the Dursleys, there were a number of times Dudley got me in trouble. All he had to do was create mayhem and cry to his Mum. And they would punish me instead," stated Harry, emitting a humorless chuckle. "At times, I was beaten up at school when the other children told Dudley and his gang where I was," said Harry in a bitter tone. "I then decided that if and when I ever have friends of my own, I'm never going to betray them and break their trust."
He fell quiet now, hearing Ron's shaky breaths from the four-poster bed. It was unclear if the ginger boy was even listening to him, or just asleep, but he still went on, "But what about us, Ron? Our three years in this castle haven't been exactly normal, have they? Hermione and you have been my anchors, my pillars of strength. Only you being there for me has gotten me through all of that."
Shaking his head, Harry spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "After the Philosopher's Stone, visiting the Burrow, and the Chamber, saving Ginny, the whole entire year with Sirius and the Dementors, if you think I have any more secrets from you, then you don't know me. After everything we've been through, if you still think I went behind my best friend's back and put my name in the Goblet, then you don't know me at all, Ron Weasley."
Harry became silent again, listening to Ron. The boy's breathing had become even more erratic, but he never uttered a word.
Feeling like someone had punched him in the gut, he staggered to his own bed. Quickly changing to his shaggy night clothes, he fell on the mattress and closed the curtains.
Resting his head on the soft pillow, Harry finally released a muffled sob. He had never imagined that Ron's betrayal would hit him so hard.
Angrily rubbing his eyes, he turned on his belly and fell into a restless sleep, not even stirring when the other boys came up.
When Harry woke up the next morning, he wished he hadn't. As he lay in bed, he felt a terrible sense of betrayal, and for the first time in a long time he felt alone.
Sitting up, he opened his bed hangings, expecting the dorm to be empty.
To his sheer astonishment, Ron was standing by his own bedside, putting on a shirt and discreetly glancing at Harry's bed. When he saw Harry looking at him, he quickly averted his eyes.
Harry stared at Ron for a moment, wondering if the red-head was waiting for him. When had things become so awkward so quickly between them?
Sighing heavily, he got up and proceeded towards the bathroom with his toothbrush. As he crossed Ron, the boy looked up again and quickly looked down. Sighing again, Harry proceeded to get ready in fifteen minutes.
When Harry came out of the bathroom, Ron was waiting for him again. As Harry struggled to put on casual clothes, Ron spoke up in a muted tone, "Harry, mate…"
Harry stiffened and slowly turned towards Ron. The red-head was staring at his feet, twiddling his thumbs. Taking a breath, he said, "I-I reckon someone's up to no good, putting your name in the Goblet like that…"
Harry felt a profound sense of relief, as if someone had taken a load off his shoulders. Shaking himself, he grinned widely and reaching over to Ron, thumped him happily on shoulder.
"About damn time, mate. About damn time…"
Ron returned his grin. Together, they left their dorm to go to breakfast.
As long as his two best friends stuck with him, everything was going to be fine.
~Fin~