The Awful Truth
Ron got up with great difficulty. He gasped for breath as if he had just run across Europe. He couldn't bare being stared at like that. If the teachers were yelling at him or if his friends were asking him if he was all right, he wouldn't have known. All he could hear was a buzzing. A buzzing that wouldn't stop. A buzzing driving him crazy! He had to leave the hall- right now. He stepped backwards and then turned to the door. He could see Harry and everyone else who had entered the Great Hall just in time to see the knock-out. He didn't look back as he pulled the doors open.
"Weasley!"
"Ron!"
"Where is he going?"
Shouts followed him, but his only instinct was to get away- just get away from it all. Were people following him? He didn't turn to see. He didn't care. He just kept running. Running in no one direction, but just following where his feet took him. In five minutes he was completely lost. Ron put his hands on this knees as he tried to catch his breath. He looked around for the first time. He was in a corridor, though he didn't reconize which one. It was dark and gloomy with moving pictures of very sad-looking people on the vast walls. One was a woman crying into a hankercheif. Another was a dirty boy lost in the rain. The subjects were in such grief that none of them noticed Ron. Ron walked slowly down this hall, looking for a tiny nook to escape to. He opened a dark oak door. It creaked slighty as he pulled on the knob. Inside was nothing but a small window. A drizzle had started outside and the sun was currently covered by a dark cloud. Ron walked up to the window and stared at the blank sky. Tears were now pouring silently down his cheeks.
Nothing will ever be the same again, he thought. Everyone knows my deepest, darkest secret. I would never have told Hermione all by myself. Never. Even if I were on my deathbed, I wouldn't have told her. But now she knows. And the worst part is she finds it so ridiculous that she's denying the whole thing. She's dazed! She thinks it's a joke. She's thinks I'm a joke. That's all I am to people- a clown.
He sniffed and continued to look at the sky. Suddenly, he heard the door open slowly. Not bothering to turn around, he called "I'd rather be alone right now, if you please."
"Can I just give you something first?" a voice responded quietly.
Ron knew that voice all too well. Sure enough, he spun around and saw Hermione across the room with something in her hands.
"That sure was an awful fight, Ron," She said as she stepped forward. Ron could now see in her hands were a small bag of crushed ice and a cloth. "Your eye looks horrible! And your lip is swollen. Here," she handed him the cloth. "Pinch your nose hard- the bleeding will stop eventually."
As instructed, Ron held the cloth to his nose. He would have said something- anything- but he couldn't hink of anything to say.
"What did Malfoy say, anyway?" Hermione asked, now putting the cold ice on Ron's left eye.
"Well, isn't it obvious? The whole school is talking about it! What else could it have been?"
Instead of responding, she took the opportunity of Ron opening his mouth to comment about his teeth.
"He knocked out your teeth!" she shrieked. "Do you have them?"
Ron, angry at her for not responding, opened his clenched fist to reveal 2 broken teeth. Hermione told him to open his mouth. Then she muttered a few words and the incisors flew into place.
"Are they in tight?"
Ron wiggles them with his tongue. "They're fine." Then he waited for her to finally say something about his confession.
"Aren't you going to say something about last night? Or are you just to embarrassed to talk to me and would prefer never to have a real conversation again?" he burst out savagly.
Hermione took the ice off of Ron's eye. Then she looked at the floor and sighed. When she looked up, her eyes peered into him. "Was it a joke?" She asked slowly. "Or is it true?"
A very long silence followed.
"Because if it's not true," she opened her eyes wide as though giving him a hint. "Then we'll forget about this. It will never have happened. Is that what you want?"
Ron breathed deeply. "I could just say that and lie, and things would be the same. But they won't. Things will never be the same. You know one of my deepest secrets and nothing will make you- or everyone else- forget. And that's the truth."
"Oh," Hermione said and replaced the the bag of ice.
"Do you... like me too?" Ron quivered. He never thought he would be asking her this, but had wanted to know some how for a very long time.
"Ron, I can't lie. I like you very, very much," then she sighed. "As a friend."
Ron melted. Inside and out, he had just melted away; collapsed. As far as he knew, he was dead.
I hate to stop here, but I have no idea what to write next! One review- I think it was Squin, and sorry if it was someone different- said I should have a sappy hospital wing scene, but I just thought that a dark and gloomy corridor suited it better. I hope you liked it, anyway, and thanks for the suggestion! If anyone had another suggestion on what will happen next, I'd love to hear it! I swear, I'm all out of ideas! And don't worry some of you; this will NOT turn into a Harry/Hermione thing (sorry Draco's Princess). I think Ron fans would shoot me in my sleep if that's how things turned out. Anyway, thanks for the great reviews and read again!
