Warning- this chapter has a song in it, but none of the characters hear it, or say it or anything. It is just a portrayal of Ron's thoughts.
Chapter 3
"So how exactly did you get stuck in a tree?" Fred asked the next day. He said it in a sneer, as if only a complete idiot could get stuck in a tree.
"I was flying on my broomstick ("It's ours, and you completely smashed it" chorused the twins"), yes, well, anyway, and the wind started to pick up, and it started to rain. I thought I could handle it, so I decided to stay outside. Then a big gust of wind threw me into the tree and crushed the broomstick."
"Ron! How could you be so stupid? You endangered your life just so you could ride on a broomstick. And why weren't you with your friends? They come to spend time with you, so you just decide to leave without telling anyone? You could have been killed," Mrs. Weasley yelled so loud it could compete with a Howler.
"But Mum, he didn't die! Don't be upset. He's okay now, so just let him be," said George putting in his two cents.
"Don't undermine me, George! I have every right to be upset, my youngest son nearly died last night!" his mother screamed.
Ron coughed, and Mrs. Weasley looked at him. She abandoned George and started yelling at Ron again. George took this as his cue to leave. Harry, Hermione, Fred and Ginny followed him. They ended up in what used to be Percy's room. Fred and George didn't know what to do. Should they tell Ginny? They were giving each other weird looks, and Harry was wondering if they were telepathic. If they were, it wouldn't surprise him. Finally agreed to tell her. Well, Harry thought they did, because they were both nodding.
"Ginny, we have something to tell you, but you can't tell Ron, okay?" George said.
"If you are about to tell me about the secret passage way to the Study Room, don't bother. I already know about it," she replied with a smug look on her face.
"WHAT?!?!?!?! YOU DO?!?!?! How?" Fred exclaimed, he was surprised. 'How could she know about that?' he asked himself.
"Yup, I've probably known about it before you two did. I've known about it for years."
"But, but, how? How'd you find out about it before us? We always find stuff out first. That's the way it is," George asked, his pride hurt that his twin and himself had not found it.
"Percy showed me," Ginny said simply. She, unlike the twins, didn't care about being the first to find something.
"Percy knew??? And what did you call it, the Study Room? I bet George's life that Percy named it, am I right?" Fred declared.
"Nope, when Mum and Dad were adding more rooms to the house they decided to make a secret passage to a secret room in Percy's room. They called it the Study Room because that's what Percy has been using to study in for the past five years. He's the only one who's ever truly cared about studying, and he was always complaining that you two," she looked at the twins, "made so much noise. They wanted him to do great on his OWLS and NEWTS so he could get a job in the ministry, so they made the room."
"You just killed me Fred, thanks! Great twin I have here, bet my life, and then loses it. Hmmph," George grumbled, "I can't believe YOU knew and we didn't, why didn't he tell us? Why did he tell you?"
"Oh get over it, it's not that big of a deal. He told me because it was a place to hide. You and Fred used to make fun of me a lot, oh wait you still do, but anyway, Percy felt bad for me, so he told me about it. He said that I could use it whenever I wanted. Okay with you?" Ginny snapped, upset with George's tone of voice. As if it was so horrible that Percy told her and not them. "Let's just go, okay, you had some important to say, or you wouldn't have risked telling me, so why don't we get it over with?"
"Fred, George, she's right, let go. We don't know how much time we have," said Harry, the voice of reason.
They walked down the passage and into the room. They all took seats. Ginny sat on the floor, but Harry didn't want her to have to sit on the floor, so he pushed over on the couch, and patted the seat. Reluctantly she got up and sat next to Harry.
"We all know that Ron's been really mean to Hermione, and Harry suggested that we get even. I have an idea," Fred said, and he described the rest of the plan to them.
* * *
At the end of the week they finally got to try out their plan. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gone away for the weekend to visit their relatives and left Fred and George in charge.
It was a relatively boring Friday, until… "Ron, RON!!! We need your help! Something's wrong with Hermione!" yelled George.
Ron came running down into the kitchen and saw George with Fred, Ginny, and Harry with him. They were all leaning over Hermione. "What happened to her?" Ron demanded. He checked Hermione's wrist for a pulse, but got nothing.
"This isn't what we wanted, not at all," said Ginny, who was crying, as she rushed on, "we were trying to get back at you. We made a potion to make her dizzy, so you could get over whatever has been bugging you, and take care of her. We wanted you to prove to her that you really did care. But something went wrong, and it poisoned her. At first we thought it had worked, and she was just to dizzy or respond to us, but that's not it. SHE'S DYING! Oh Ron!"
All Ron could do was watch, there was nothing he could do, there was nothing any of them could do. He had never felt more helpless in his life. The second he saw her on the ground he knew that he loved her. He saw everything in a new light. He didn't like her, he loved her. And he wanted to tell her. No, he needed to tell her.
I'll be your dream,
I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy.
I'll be your hope,
I'll be your love be everything that you need.
I love you more with every breath truly madly deeply do..
I will be strong I will be faithful
'Cause I'm counting on
A new beginning.
A reason for living.
A deeper meaning.
But it was too late. It was too late and there was nothing he could do. He leaned down and picked up her head. He kissed her forehead and cradled her head in his arms. It was all he could do. Ron really wished he had told her.
Chapter 3
"So how exactly did you get stuck in a tree?" Fred asked the next day. He said it in a sneer, as if only a complete idiot could get stuck in a tree.
"I was flying on my broomstick ("It's ours, and you completely smashed it" chorused the twins"), yes, well, anyway, and the wind started to pick up, and it started to rain. I thought I could handle it, so I decided to stay outside. Then a big gust of wind threw me into the tree and crushed the broomstick."
"Ron! How could you be so stupid? You endangered your life just so you could ride on a broomstick. And why weren't you with your friends? They come to spend time with you, so you just decide to leave without telling anyone? You could have been killed," Mrs. Weasley yelled so loud it could compete with a Howler.
"But Mum, he didn't die! Don't be upset. He's okay now, so just let him be," said George putting in his two cents.
"Don't undermine me, George! I have every right to be upset, my youngest son nearly died last night!" his mother screamed.
Ron coughed, and Mrs. Weasley looked at him. She abandoned George and started yelling at Ron again. George took this as his cue to leave. Harry, Hermione, Fred and Ginny followed him. They ended up in what used to be Percy's room. Fred and George didn't know what to do. Should they tell Ginny? They were giving each other weird looks, and Harry was wondering if they were telepathic. If they were, it wouldn't surprise him. Finally agreed to tell her. Well, Harry thought they did, because they were both nodding.
"Ginny, we have something to tell you, but you can't tell Ron, okay?" George said.
"If you are about to tell me about the secret passage way to the Study Room, don't bother. I already know about it," she replied with a smug look on her face.
"WHAT?!?!?!?! YOU DO?!?!?! How?" Fred exclaimed, he was surprised. 'How could she know about that?' he asked himself.
"Yup, I've probably known about it before you two did. I've known about it for years."
"But, but, how? How'd you find out about it before us? We always find stuff out first. That's the way it is," George asked, his pride hurt that his twin and himself had not found it.
"Percy showed me," Ginny said simply. She, unlike the twins, didn't care about being the first to find something.
"Percy knew??? And what did you call it, the Study Room? I bet George's life that Percy named it, am I right?" Fred declared.
"Nope, when Mum and Dad were adding more rooms to the house they decided to make a secret passage to a secret room in Percy's room. They called it the Study Room because that's what Percy has been using to study in for the past five years. He's the only one who's ever truly cared about studying, and he was always complaining that you two," she looked at the twins, "made so much noise. They wanted him to do great on his OWLS and NEWTS so he could get a job in the ministry, so they made the room."
"You just killed me Fred, thanks! Great twin I have here, bet my life, and then loses it. Hmmph," George grumbled, "I can't believe YOU knew and we didn't, why didn't he tell us? Why did he tell you?"
"Oh get over it, it's not that big of a deal. He told me because it was a place to hide. You and Fred used to make fun of me a lot, oh wait you still do, but anyway, Percy felt bad for me, so he told me about it. He said that I could use it whenever I wanted. Okay with you?" Ginny snapped, upset with George's tone of voice. As if it was so horrible that Percy told her and not them. "Let's just go, okay, you had some important to say, or you wouldn't have risked telling me, so why don't we get it over with?"
"Fred, George, she's right, let go. We don't know how much time we have," said Harry, the voice of reason.
They walked down the passage and into the room. They all took seats. Ginny sat on the floor, but Harry didn't want her to have to sit on the floor, so he pushed over on the couch, and patted the seat. Reluctantly she got up and sat next to Harry.
"We all know that Ron's been really mean to Hermione, and Harry suggested that we get even. I have an idea," Fred said, and he described the rest of the plan to them.
* * *
At the end of the week they finally got to try out their plan. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gone away for the weekend to visit their relatives and left Fred and George in charge.
It was a relatively boring Friday, until… "Ron, RON!!! We need your help! Something's wrong with Hermione!" yelled George.
Ron came running down into the kitchen and saw George with Fred, Ginny, and Harry with him. They were all leaning over Hermione. "What happened to her?" Ron demanded. He checked Hermione's wrist for a pulse, but got nothing.
"This isn't what we wanted, not at all," said Ginny, who was crying, as she rushed on, "we were trying to get back at you. We made a potion to make her dizzy, so you could get over whatever has been bugging you, and take care of her. We wanted you to prove to her that you really did care. But something went wrong, and it poisoned her. At first we thought it had worked, and she was just to dizzy or respond to us, but that's not it. SHE'S DYING! Oh Ron!"
All Ron could do was watch, there was nothing he could do, there was nothing any of them could do. He had never felt more helpless in his life. The second he saw her on the ground he knew that he loved her. He saw everything in a new light. He didn't like her, he loved her. And he wanted to tell her. No, he needed to tell her.
I'll be your dream,
I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy.
I'll be your hope,
I'll be your love be everything that you need.
I love you more with every breath truly madly deeply do..
I will be strong I will be faithful
'Cause I'm counting on
A new beginning.
A reason for living.
A deeper meaning.
But it was too late. It was too late and there was nothing he could do. He leaned down and picked up her head. He kissed her forehead and cradled her head in his arms. It was all he could do. Ron really wished he had told her.