A/N: Aw, poor Ron. Also, more getting to know Charlie, the Weasley with a Difference. Rowling would keel over dead if she knew what I was having her innocent characters do.



Harry approached Potions with a fair amount of trepidation the next morning. He got there early and chose a seat opposite where he had always sat before, and pulled out one of the more innocous-looking books that he had purchased on the Dark Arts. He didn't look up as the rest of his classmates walked in, nor did he when the Gryffindors began to wander in. Then Ron must've walked in, because the words started flying, and Harry closed his book, knowing that hexes would be flying next.

Aw, look at the wittle Slytherin Haiwwy Potty. He's all pooped out from his summer entertainments.

There was a sudden explosion around the room, as at least six people drew their wands and hurled spells towards Ron Weasley. Harry made out Hermione's full-body bind, as well as his own disarming spell, and he was certain that he had heard Draco, Blaise, Greg, and Pansy at least, if not more of the Slytherins. Oddly, he also thought he had heard Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Maybe Hermione talked to them, Harry thought, shrugging mentally. Then he looked at Ron and couldn't help but laugh.

Ron was stiff as a board, his hand still curled where he had been grasping his wand – which was now in Harry's hand. He had boils once more, and his skin was a fetching shade of orange that would've matched his hair had it not been changed to green – what was left of it anyway. Someone must've used a severing charm, because Ron had a mohawk, the rest of his scalp shaved bare. The aftereffects of other curses weren't quite so prominent, but it was evident that he had had alot barrelled at him. As Severus approached, Draco cast a final silencio and Hermione removed the full-body bind. Severus stopped still when he entered the classroom, and then he began to laugh. Permission thus granted, the Slytherins joined their Head of House, and Harry noted even Hermione biting back a smile.

When Severus had calmed, he raised his eyebrows. Who would like to explain what exactly happened here?

Draco stood. It's like this, sir, he drawled, giving Ron the evil eye. Weasley here thought it would be funny to share personal information, told to him in confidence, with the rest of the classroom.

Ah. Mr. Weasley, 100 points from Gryffindor. I think you'll find it difficult to regain them without Harry to save your arse once more. You will also serve detention with me each night for a week, beginning tonight at 8. Now, let's begin.

As they were leaving the classroom, Harry flicked his wand once more, muttering a spell he had read about only the night before, that made the, er, improvements to Ron's appearance permanent, until Harry himself decided to remove the overspell. Chuckling to himself, he ran to catch his dormmates up, and tell them what he had just done.




That afternoon, directly after lunch, was the first Care of Magical Creatures class, and Harry and his Slytherin classmates raced to get their early, eager to see Weasley's face when he saw the new instructor. Racing to get there, Charlie wasn't ready for class yet, and Harry and Pansy got to help him set out little bowls full of what looked like raw meat, although Harry decided not to investigate too closely. While they were doing that, Harry overheard Draco laughing and telling Charlie about what had happened in Potions that morning. Charlie was definitely a different kind of Weasley, Harry mused.

The errand done, Harry and Pansy rejoined their classmates in leaning against the fence of Hagrid's garden, pleased to see the Gryffindors beginning to file out of the castle. They came closer and closer, Ron obviously walking apart from everyone except Neville and Dean. Even Seamus was avoiding Ron, Harry mused. What does Seamus know? When Ron finally got close enough for Charlie to see what exactly had been done, Charlie began to laugh hysterically. When Ron came close enough to see that it was his brother who was laughing, his scowl grew deeper, and he must've flushed, for the orange tone of his skin grew brighter, causing Harry and the others to start laughing once more, even as Charlie's laughter rose to new heights. It was a good five or ten minutes before Charlie even attempted to begin the lesson.

Hi, everyone. I'm Charlie Weasley, unfortunate brother to that boorish git with the green mohawk, and I'm going to be teaching Care of Magical Creatures this year. Call me Charlie; I'm not that much older than you. We're going to start out the term by studying Clabberts and Crups. Today we'll just be feeding them, out of the bowls already laid out, and I want each of you to write a two foot essay on each species for next week. Now, everyone get with a partner.

Harry looked around bemusedly. He still wasn't sure how the social order in Slytherin precisely worked when it came to choosing partners in class and those sort of assignments. His dilemna was solved, however, when Draco approached him. C'mon, I want to get a Clabbert, never got to see one up close before. Shrugging his acquiescence, Harry ambled along behind Draco, shooting a gleeful smirk in Ron's direction as he passed by him.



That night, Harry found himself accompanying the other fifth years to the library for an impromtu, or so he thought, study session. Once they got there, though, Vince and Greg explained that they generally went to the library every Tuesday and Thursday night to work on assignments, so that they were all free on other nights to partake in informal seminars on the Dark Arts that would be starting soon, as well as a new study on a Muggle book that Severus thought would be helpful. The book was called The Prince, and Harry was looking forward to starting it.

The group quickly raced through their Arithmancy homework, each student doing one problem and then copying the solutions from the others. Vector never notices, Blaise explained, and her exams are always the same, year after year, so all we have to do is memorize one of the copies floating around Slytherin.

From there, the group moved on to complete their Transfiguration essays for Friday, as well as starting on several other assignments. The one assignment that could not be done as a group was History of Magic. Binns had assigned a topic to each student, and their entire grade for the first half of the year was to be based on the report they would turn in on that topic. Curious, Harry only now opened up his topic for the first time. As he read it, he turned pale and gasped.

What's your topic, Harry? Pansy asked. She really has a nice ass, Harry noted clincally. He wondered when he could get in on some of this supposed action Draco had hinted at.

I think Binns had these done up custom. My topic's the Sorting Hat and its purpose, including thoughts and plans of the Founders.

I didn't think Binns had a sense of humor, Draco said, but I guess I was wrong.

Harry nodded. Still a little shaken, Harry made his way to the shelves and picked up a couple of books that he thought might help as well as, a bit reluctantly, Hogwarts, A History, knowing that Hermione would be having a field day if she knew.

Books selected, Harry decided to go on back to the dorm, and bid farewell to the others, who were still doing research. Harry hurried back and stowed the library books away before pulling out The Prince and settling down to read it. He was fully engrossed when Draco and Vince came back.

Hey, Harry, what'cha reading?

The Prince. It's bloody fantastic.

Draco raised an eyebrow. Is it? I wasn't sure when Severus said he'd picked out a Muggle book, but... Oh! We passed by the classroom on our way, and Severus has Weasley scrubbing out all the cauldrons – by hand! – for detention.

Harry grinned. Good. We'll have to be sure to inspect his work to be sure it's adequate then, won't we?

The other two laughed as they got ready for bed, and Harry drifted off to sleep before Blaise and Greg ever returned.