When we last left everyone oh so long ago (so I'm lazy, sheesh…) everyone
in Gryffindor house was nominally happy. Quite a few were overjoyed, but
one was on the verge of tears. Not tears of joy, mind you, but of sadness.
By the time Harry and Colin had made their way back to the tower, all the searchers had returned as if called by an inaudible wail. Dennis stood by Hermione as usual and was beaming at her quite often. Seamus and Neville were sitting in a chair nearby and Ron was seated by himself behind the rest.
When the door opened and Harry and Colin stepped into the common room they were rushed by Hermione and Dennis. Dennis ran up to his brother and embraced him tightly. He was nearly crying as he buried his face in his older brother's chest. "What were you doing, Colin?" he asked very lightly.
"I don't know, Dennis. I was very upset and confused I guess."
"Next time come and find me and I'll straighten you out." Dennis stopped talking and looked at his brother with a mortified expression once he thought of another way his sentence could be taken. "Oh! I didn't mean it like that, Colin, honest. I don't care who you like. I'll um, I'll help you figure out--"
"Don't worry about it, Dennis, I know you didn't mean anything by it. And I will talk to you if there is a next time, I promise." He hugged his little brother back and smiled at Harry and Hermione.
Hermione was hugging him just as fiercely and was talking in his ear. "I'm so happy for you, Harry. I knew you'd get him back."
"I'm glad one of us knew for certain, Hermione. I thought he'd chosen Malfoy over me and I had turned to leave."
"It doesn't matter anymore Harry, so don't worry about it anymore. He chose you, not Malfoy. End of story."
"Thanks, Hermione."
"No problem." she released Harry and stepped back at about the same time as Dennis. Neville and Seamus gave their congratulations next once Hermione and Dennis gave them room.
"I wish you all the best, Harry, and you too Colin," Seamus said, "you two are perfect for each other."
"Yeah, I'm so glad for you two," Neville added. Seamus saw Ron approaching behind them and gently pulled Neville off to the side.
Ron came to Harry and said "Harry, I'm glad everything worked out. You two really are great together."
"Thanks, Ron. That really means a lot." Ron hugged Harry and moved over to Colin. He bent over and dropped to one knee, so that he and Colin were almost on the same level since Ron was over two heads taller and quite a bit bigger.
"I'm sorry I've been such an ass, Colin. As long as you two are happy so am I."
"Thanks Ron, we appreciate that." Ron hugged Colin and picked him up without even thinking about it. "Be good to him, Colin," he whispered in Colin's ear.
"I will, Ron. Promise," Colin whispered back.
"Now. Kill him!" something in Ron's head screamed. "NO!!" he yelled back in his mind. " I won't!" A bolt of white pain shot through him and felt as if it were about to split his head. "Do it now!" the voice yelled again. "no." Ron barely said back. He sat Colin down and fell to the ground clutching his head.
Cries of alarm erupted from around the room and Hermione and Harry raced to his side. "We've got to get him to the nurse," Hermione said.
"No," Ron croaked out. "I'll be fine." he sat down on his rear and looked at the group gathered around him. "I'm a bit better already. Really," he added as he saw their expressions, worried and skeptical.
"Ron, you really should go to see the nurse, you know," Harry told him.
"You might be right, but I just need to take a walk, I think. I'll be back in a while."
The gathered group looked at him with concern. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I promise I'll be fine." Ron walked to the portrait hole and disappeared, rapidly making his way toward the Astronomy Tower.
Inside the room, the group was taken aback by Ron's hasty and unexpected exit.
"Whatever is wrong with Ron?" Colin asked.
"I have no idea, Colin, but if whatever it is happens again, he's going to the nurse if he likes it or not," Harry replied.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ In the Astronomy tower ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ron entered the room out of breath and just in time to see the last of the sun slip below the horizon. "Surtain?" he whispered. "Surtain?" he called a bit louder this time.
"Yes, Ron Weasley, I felt you coming."
Ron turned around and saw a grey circle pulsing in time to the spoken words on the floor in front of him. Harry would have thought it looked something like the green and red bars on uncle Vernon's stereo, but since Ron had never seen a Muggle stereo before, that didn't occur to him.
"Is that you?" was all he could think of to ask.
"Yes. It is a limited manifestation that I have very recently been able to produce. It seems, Ron Weasley, that I am slowly regaining power."
"Well, that's good, I guess." Ron looked a bit of unsure of how to approach Surtain about his problem. His worry was unnecessary because Surtain spoke again.
"I felt your turmoil, Ron Weasley. You seek my counsel, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then have a seat and begin at the beginning." Ron pulled a chair near to the pulsing lights and sat down. He told Surtain about the entire day's events, leaving nothing out. When he was finally done he was nearly in tears.
"That is an extremely heavy burden for a young man as yourself to carry. Especially, Ron Weasley, since you feel so much more strongly than any around you and any I've felt in a millennia. It seems obvious that Colin still causes you much friction."
"I honestly don't dislike him at all, Surtain."
"At the surface, maybe not. But on a deeper level, I believe that you may. This will hopefully change in time, but perhaps not."
They chatted for hours until Ron looked out the window and saw the moon had fully risen in the sky.
"Oh bloody hell! I'd better get back. Hopefully Filch and Mrs. Norris aren't around here."
"Show no worry over those two, Ron Weasley. I can guide them safely away from you."
"You can?"
"I can exercise a few of my old abilities for short times. So go and worry not."
"Alright. Thanks, Surtain." Ron looked back once and headed out the door.
"Soon, soon I will have form again. After so long." had Ron poked his head back in the door again, he'd have seen a grey form standing in the middle of the pulsing ring. It seemed to be out of focus, hazy, but it was there and wasn't there before Ron's visit. "But I must be careful…"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ On the back to Gryffindor tower ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ron left the Astronomy tower feeling new again, just like before. It seemed that Surtain could channel all the evil feelings in him and draw them out and leaving him cleansed, like after a great massage.
Well, now that I have my car back and along with it my notebook of writing, I can put more things up. Things aren't looking too good for ol' Ron, are they? Stay tuned. There will next be a little branching as I do a few POV's from the important characters. Who knows, maybe that S/N fluff I've been promising forever….
By the time Harry and Colin had made their way back to the tower, all the searchers had returned as if called by an inaudible wail. Dennis stood by Hermione as usual and was beaming at her quite often. Seamus and Neville were sitting in a chair nearby and Ron was seated by himself behind the rest.
When the door opened and Harry and Colin stepped into the common room they were rushed by Hermione and Dennis. Dennis ran up to his brother and embraced him tightly. He was nearly crying as he buried his face in his older brother's chest. "What were you doing, Colin?" he asked very lightly.
"I don't know, Dennis. I was very upset and confused I guess."
"Next time come and find me and I'll straighten you out." Dennis stopped talking and looked at his brother with a mortified expression once he thought of another way his sentence could be taken. "Oh! I didn't mean it like that, Colin, honest. I don't care who you like. I'll um, I'll help you figure out--"
"Don't worry about it, Dennis, I know you didn't mean anything by it. And I will talk to you if there is a next time, I promise." He hugged his little brother back and smiled at Harry and Hermione.
Hermione was hugging him just as fiercely and was talking in his ear. "I'm so happy for you, Harry. I knew you'd get him back."
"I'm glad one of us knew for certain, Hermione. I thought he'd chosen Malfoy over me and I had turned to leave."
"It doesn't matter anymore Harry, so don't worry about it anymore. He chose you, not Malfoy. End of story."
"Thanks, Hermione."
"No problem." she released Harry and stepped back at about the same time as Dennis. Neville and Seamus gave their congratulations next once Hermione and Dennis gave them room.
"I wish you all the best, Harry, and you too Colin," Seamus said, "you two are perfect for each other."
"Yeah, I'm so glad for you two," Neville added. Seamus saw Ron approaching behind them and gently pulled Neville off to the side.
Ron came to Harry and said "Harry, I'm glad everything worked out. You two really are great together."
"Thanks, Ron. That really means a lot." Ron hugged Harry and moved over to Colin. He bent over and dropped to one knee, so that he and Colin were almost on the same level since Ron was over two heads taller and quite a bit bigger.
"I'm sorry I've been such an ass, Colin. As long as you two are happy so am I."
"Thanks Ron, we appreciate that." Ron hugged Colin and picked him up without even thinking about it. "Be good to him, Colin," he whispered in Colin's ear.
"I will, Ron. Promise," Colin whispered back.
"Now. Kill him!" something in Ron's head screamed. "NO!!" he yelled back in his mind. " I won't!" A bolt of white pain shot through him and felt as if it were about to split his head. "Do it now!" the voice yelled again. "no." Ron barely said back. He sat Colin down and fell to the ground clutching his head.
Cries of alarm erupted from around the room and Hermione and Harry raced to his side. "We've got to get him to the nurse," Hermione said.
"No," Ron croaked out. "I'll be fine." he sat down on his rear and looked at the group gathered around him. "I'm a bit better already. Really," he added as he saw their expressions, worried and skeptical.
"Ron, you really should go to see the nurse, you know," Harry told him.
"You might be right, but I just need to take a walk, I think. I'll be back in a while."
The gathered group looked at him with concern. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I promise I'll be fine." Ron walked to the portrait hole and disappeared, rapidly making his way toward the Astronomy Tower.
Inside the room, the group was taken aback by Ron's hasty and unexpected exit.
"Whatever is wrong with Ron?" Colin asked.
"I have no idea, Colin, but if whatever it is happens again, he's going to the nurse if he likes it or not," Harry replied.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ In the Astronomy tower ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ron entered the room out of breath and just in time to see the last of the sun slip below the horizon. "Surtain?" he whispered. "Surtain?" he called a bit louder this time.
"Yes, Ron Weasley, I felt you coming."
Ron turned around and saw a grey circle pulsing in time to the spoken words on the floor in front of him. Harry would have thought it looked something like the green and red bars on uncle Vernon's stereo, but since Ron had never seen a Muggle stereo before, that didn't occur to him.
"Is that you?" was all he could think of to ask.
"Yes. It is a limited manifestation that I have very recently been able to produce. It seems, Ron Weasley, that I am slowly regaining power."
"Well, that's good, I guess." Ron looked a bit of unsure of how to approach Surtain about his problem. His worry was unnecessary because Surtain spoke again.
"I felt your turmoil, Ron Weasley. You seek my counsel, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then have a seat and begin at the beginning." Ron pulled a chair near to the pulsing lights and sat down. He told Surtain about the entire day's events, leaving nothing out. When he was finally done he was nearly in tears.
"That is an extremely heavy burden for a young man as yourself to carry. Especially, Ron Weasley, since you feel so much more strongly than any around you and any I've felt in a millennia. It seems obvious that Colin still causes you much friction."
"I honestly don't dislike him at all, Surtain."
"At the surface, maybe not. But on a deeper level, I believe that you may. This will hopefully change in time, but perhaps not."
They chatted for hours until Ron looked out the window and saw the moon had fully risen in the sky.
"Oh bloody hell! I'd better get back. Hopefully Filch and Mrs. Norris aren't around here."
"Show no worry over those two, Ron Weasley. I can guide them safely away from you."
"You can?"
"I can exercise a few of my old abilities for short times. So go and worry not."
"Alright. Thanks, Surtain." Ron looked back once and headed out the door.
"Soon, soon I will have form again. After so long." had Ron poked his head back in the door again, he'd have seen a grey form standing in the middle of the pulsing ring. It seemed to be out of focus, hazy, but it was there and wasn't there before Ron's visit. "But I must be careful…"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ On the back to Gryffindor tower ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ron left the Astronomy tower feeling new again, just like before. It seemed that Surtain could channel all the evil feelings in him and draw them out and leaving him cleansed, like after a great massage.
Well, now that I have my car back and along with it my notebook of writing, I can put more things up. Things aren't looking too good for ol' Ron, are they? Stay tuned. There will next be a little branching as I do a few POV's from the important characters. Who knows, maybe that S/N fluff I've been promising forever….