Misunderstood
Chapter Eight
Ron's RelocationDisclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot to this story. All characters that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling and Scholastic and all them people.
Author's Note: I've rewritten this chapter six times, I swear… sorry for the delay in posting, I just can't be satisfied. I hope you all enjoy. ~*Carey*~
Ginny entered the Gryffindor Common Room a little more than a week after she had her break down after Madam Pomfrey would finally let her leave. The whole ten days, Ginny had insisted she was fine and could leave, but Madam Pomfrey said she was nowhere near fine and needed rest before giving her a potion to take. Madam Pomfrey had been hesitant about letting Ginny leave, but Ginny insisted she was fine after ten days of rest, though it was for relaxation too, Ginny couldn't relax knowing her brother was terribly sick, cold, hungry, haunted, and on the verge of losing his mind if he hadn't lost it already.
George, Fred, Angelina, Lee, Katie, and Alicia were sitting at a corner table in the Gryffindor Common Room working on homework assignments. Only George looked up from his homework that he was working on as he heard the portrait hole open. George was always easily distracted, and would do anything to get out of doing his homework, and seeing Ginny was the perfect distraction as he was terribly worried about her. George stood up and raced over to his sister's dormitory door, before she got there.
"George, leave me alone already, won't you?" Ginny asked annoyed.
An idea popped into George's head and he turned serious. "I will leave you alone, but I just wanted to apologize for not leaving you alone the other day, when you really wanted space. I was just extremely worried about you, and you probably just thought I was going to tease you, but that wasn't my intention at all, and I'm sorry if I made things worse for you. Mum's told me about everything and I'd probably be upset with everything and everyone too if I had gone where you did. I just wanted to make sure that you don't hate me, because with everything going on, I don't need or want to be hated." George said quietly.
"Mum told you?" Ginny asked.
"Yea, but she didn't tell Fred, so it's been kind of hard to deal with on my own, I've always had somebody to talk about stuff like this with, and Fred's gone and found Angelina and more happiness, and mum thinks at least one person should be able to be happy, and Fred's too distracted to notice that his family is hiding stuff from him, so I know and Fred doesn't. That's the way it stays." George said.
"Well, since you know, can we talk?" Ginny asked hopefully. "I mean you said you always had Fred to talk to about everything, and it is really difficult to handle by yourself, and I wasn't allowed to tell anybody else, and I really need to get some of it off of my mind. There are parts even mum don't know about, and if mum told you, I'm sure she gave you her opinion."
"Yea, but I knew she was wrong." George lied sadly.
In all honesty, George knew nothing besides the fact that Ginny had been upset, and he also happened to see his mother at the castle the other day, so the lie was working out for him.
"Up for a walk? Or we could talk somewhere with less people, as you don't look up for a walk." George said.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine. I'm up for a walk." Ginny said.
Ginny and George left the castle, without answering any questions from Fred or Lee.
They were strolling around the perimeter of the castle in silence at first. Then Ginny started speaking.
"I've been feeling really guilty… I was so worried about Ron that I haven't even mourned for dad. I mean I flipped out when Charlie told me, but I was more upset that they weren't going to tell me the rest. Isn't that horrible? Dad is probably looking down on me with disappointment. I've been worried about everything else, but dad… and none of it would've happened, if he wouldn't have died." Ginny cried, not afraid to let tears fall down her face.
George looked at her with terror. Ginny didn't notice as she looked at the grass she walked on.
"Can you believe how thick mum has been? How could she believe that Ron would murder anybody? She says it's because he's capable of doing anything after this summer, but I know that's not true. Only I'd know that. Ron didn't do any of the things Grandfather said. The muggles attacked him, because he was new to the area! Grandfather knew they'd harm him, so he told him about a Wizard's village just beyond that one, and Ron went and he got attacked. He only did what he had to, to get away. Ron never hit me, Grandfather didn't mean to, but he was drunk and I guess I scared him. Ron didn't hit me though. He'd die rather than hit me. Grandfather made us lie, and he said that if I told the truth he'd hurt Ron, and Ron was getting whipped every night there. He said if Ron told the truth he'd come after me again. We had nowhere else to go, so we had to lie. Ron sent me off, he was afraid for me, when if I hadn't gone, Grandfather would've ignored him during the days at least. Dad saved him, dad didn't care anymore about the warning on the burrow, and Grandfather was going to kill Ron before You-know-who could. Dad saved Ron, and Ron wouldn't kill anybody, especially not the person who saved him. Now he's in Azkaban, and the worst part is mum doesn't believe him." Ginny cried.
"What's even worse than that is Fudge won't let anybody who believes Ron's innocence visit him! Bill and Charlie can't see him. I had to lie to Fudge to get a pass to Azkaban. Ron didn't do it. I know he didn't. Fudge is just too bloody thick to see that You-know-who and the death eaters are back and accuses anybody he can to make everybody believe him. Oh the son was the murderer, see no dark lord." Ginny cried.
Ginny wiped her tears and looked up at her brother, and gasped with dread.
"You didn't know?" Ginny breathed with a whisper as tears streamed down her face. Ginny cried and ran back into the castle running up to Gryffindor tower, giving the fat lady the password and running to her dorm.
George ran just behind her, and he followed her to her dorm, though Ginny had shut the door.
"Ginny, you want to know why I didn't know?" George shouted angrily to Ginny on the outside of her door.
"George, what's wrong?" Fred asked concernedly. Fred had never seen his brother this angry and upset. Neither had any of the other Gryffindors and they all stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfolding in front of them and they all grew quiet to listen to the brother and sister argue. Though, had they'd been talking, they'd still have caught every word exchanged.
Tears had fallen down his face, but he was too angry at the moment to care.
Ginny opened the door. "Because you're a manipulative jerk!" Ginny shrieked.
"No, it's because everybody left in our family has gone behind my back to make sure I didn't know!" George yelled.
"There was a reason for not telling you, you half-wit! It's because you'd act like this!" Ginny screamed.
"That explains it all right there!" George yelled cruelly.
Ginny stared at him angrily and slammed her dormitory door in his face. George kicked it hard and it opened with Ginny staring angrily and disbelievingly at her older brother.
"You aren't done yet! You owe me an explanation! Where the hell is Ron now?" George asked.
"In the same place as I told you! Now get out! I hate you!" Ginny screamed.
"That's just fine, because I'm not especially pleased with you right now either!" George yelled.
Ginny slapped George hard across the face.
George turned around and threw her against the wall. "Who in the bloody hell do you think you are? You were keeping this from me as well as the rest of them! I have the right to be mad at you. You weren't too bloody calm when you found out that they were keeping everything from you, were you?" George yelled. "You're the one who was wrong! You're as bad as everybody else!"
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TRICKED ME!" Ginny yelled angrily shoving her brother away.
Fred and Lee pulled on George's robes to keep him from pushing Ginny again. They had never seen George so angry and dangerous. Had they not stopped him, George might've pushed Ginny into her room through the wall. He was that upset.
"What on earth is all the screaming about?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Professor McGonagall, I'm glad you're here. I need you to speak to Professor Dumbledore about me going home immediately." George said seething.
"And why do you want to go home?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
George hadn't noticed either Professor enter.
"So I can find out first the news about Ron. Ginny told me what happened-"
"He tricked me!" Ginny cried stepping out of her dorm glaring at George.
"I had to trick her into telling me about the current situation with my family, and I want to know first what's happening. They're not going to owl us news, with them not being able to trust Ginny anymore, because of me, and they weren't going to tell me anything… I'm sure they probably know more already but they don't want Ginny to know, because of how upset she's been, and even if they were to tell Ginny anything more, she wouldn't tell me, and they certainly wouldn't tell me, because I'm not supposed to know. Because of the situation, I'm allowed to go home." George said meaningfully.
"What if there's a Quidditch match during the time you're gone?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"It's only a game, and I'm replaceable." George said reassuringly. "I want to go home."
"You'll miss too many lessons, and this year you take your N.E.W.T.'S." Professor Dumbledore said.
"I'll catch up. I'm entitled to miss a certain amount of days due to certain events." George said.
"I can't allow you to leave." Professor Dumbledore said. "I'm afraid that your home is still not safe."
"Well I don't care! You arrange for me to go home, or I'll have to go to Fudge, who's so thick, he doesn't believe there's any danger, and he'll make sure that you arrange for me to go home." George said dangerously.
"You don't have permission from your mother to go home." Professor Dumbledore said.
"I don't want her permission, nor do I need it. Fudge will have somebody bring me home personally just to make her mad if I say that she believes that there's some kind of danger at the burrow. Just arrange for me to go home. I won't be able to concentrate on anything if I've got other problems on my mind. I won't do as well and I won't be able to learn. Let me make it up when things are better, but in the meantime, please send me home. I don't want to go through Fudge, but I really need to go home, so if you won't arrange for me to leave, I'll make sure he does. It's either that or I'll do something for you to suspend me." George said seriously.
"Mr. Weasley, I do understand your position, and I will speak to your mother… You can be sure that the Hogwarts Express will be taking you home this evening, so I'd recommend that you'd pack. And I'm going to ask that you pack quietly." Professor Dumbledore said.
"Thank you." George said.
"I didn't do it… I didn't do it… I didn't do it… I didn't do it… I didn't do it… I didn't do it… I-" Ron lifted his head cautiously up to look around his cell. Breakfast time, time for cold oatmeal with spiders swimming through the meal.
Ron couldn't be distracted now. He only had a few minutes before the dementors would return. He covered his ears to block out Fudge's accusation.
"I'm innocent." Ron told himself shaking Fudge's words out of his head.
Ron stood up weakly, grabbing the bars on the window for support. Wow, was he ever dizzy! He stood up on his bed taking off his belt and fastening it tightly to the top of his cell door. He knotted the other end around his neck, securing it by tying it to the top of his robes. The only thing left to do was jump off the bed.
"I'm innocent. I know I am." Ron said.
With one last breath he jumped, and he swung and hit the cell door hard. He changed his mind! He might have a chance after all! He didn't want to die!
Ron couldn't breathe, and the belt was cutting into his neck. He was struggling with the belt at his neck, but it was only getting tighter! He tried kicking against the bars to pull him up so he could loosen the belt, but it was only making it tighter!
Finally, Ron stopped kicking, and his arms fell dead to his sides.
"George," Mrs. Weasley snapped when seeing her son enter. Percy had arranged for a Ministry car to pick him up at King's Cross Station and drop him off at the burrow. "I can't believe you! Do you know how many lessons you'll be missing?"
"If worse comes to worse, I'll repeat my seventh year, next year, but I can't believe everybody would hide this from me. Fred and I were entitled to know! We're family too! What were you all thinking? Were you planning on springing it on us next summer? When we came home and didn't notice dad around, you'd think we wouldn't ask? And when we did, what would you say? Oh yea, he died at the start of last term? Does everybody think we're that stupid? Or is it because you don't think we know how to feel any emotion besides happiness?" George asked.
"It's because we didn't want you to be upset, because you're one of the two happiest people alive, and to upset you or Fred is a crime." Charlie said.
"We should've been crying this whole month, but instead we were smiling and laughing and-"
"And not feeling the pain that we all had to feel and know. We wanted to spare you from that as long as possible." Mrs. Weasley said leaving the room.
"I noticed that Fred's not with you… are you going to be owling him with news, or did you think it was a crime to kill his happiness too?" Bill asked.
"I would've told him, but I'm too angry, and I'm not even sure of all the details. All I really know is that dad's been murdered and everybody thinks Ron's responsible." George said.
"The only thing more that we know is that Fudge is being a real git." Charlie said.
"Ginny mentioned that too… I just thought that was already out there. Hell, I think even Fred knows what an idiot Fudge is without knowing about recent events." George said.
"So do you think Ron killed dad?" Charlie asked.
"From what Ginny tells me, and from knowing Ron all his life, I know he couldn't have. I just hope he's all right. We already lost dad… Percy's being an ass… Mum's wrong… and he's in Azkaban. Our family is falling apart. Family's the one thing I could ever really depend on, it's the only thing I ever had, and now I'm losing it. Life's just not fair anymore." George cried. He turned around and looked up to keep his tears from falling.
Bill walked over to George and hugged him reassuringly.
A week had passed. Ron was in a highly secured psyche ward in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Ron had somehow survived, even though the dementors didn't find him for a couple of minutes, and took even more to get him down. The very long ferry ride didn't help Ron's recovery any either. Though somehow he had woken in the hospital, magically strapped down to a bed. For the first three days, he had been unconscious, but on the seventh day, the twenty-fifth of September, Ron had regained all the strength and sanity he would be able to.
Dementors came to haunt him often, as Fudge made them guard the room in what he called the 'Criminal Wing,' though Ron was the only person who had come from Azkaban to the hospital, and he certainly wasn't a criminal, though Fudge didn't believe that.
However, the staff at St. Mungo's felt it did no good for Ron's health for them to be there, so Hit Wizards and Witches were hired to monitor him during the day. Fudge had to make sure Ron was alive for the trial, and sending Ron back to Azkaban wasn't going to guarantee that.
Ron's neck was scarred with bruises and scratches from the belt strangling him. Ron's knees were also bruised, but the cartilage that had been damaged, from being slammed against iron bars, had been magically healed.
Hit Witch Diane Watson was monitoring Ron on the morning of the twenty-fifth, while the mediwizards and witches were giving Ron potions and such. Though it was hard for Ron to drink anything when his whole body was confined to the bed.
When the Mediwizards and witches had left to let Ron rest, Ron had dared to talk.
"Ms. Watson?" Ron asked hoarsely.
Diane merely nodded.
"Will you do me a favor, please?" Ron asked.
Diane said nothing, but raised her eyebrow.
"Will you write to my sister for me? Will you let her know I'm all right and out of Azkaban temporarily? She was terribly worried about me, and I just want her to be able to sleep at night without worrying about me. So could you possibly send an owl for me?" Ron asked.
"I can send an owl, but you have to write it." Diane said.
Ron sighed with defeat.
"That won't work. I'm stuck to this bed." Ron said.
"I can make the bed into a seat, and you're hands would be free, but only your hands." Diane said.
"Am I only allowed to send one owl?" Ron asked.
"How many did you want to send?" Diane asked.
"Two. One to my mother and one to my sister." Ron said.
"That's reasonable." Diane said and she got Ron a quill, ink, and two scrolls of parchment.
Every Gryffindor seemed to watch Ginny with concern, especially Fred, Angelina, Harry, and Hermione. Though Ginny did nothing drastic, her depression concerned everybody, and the staff was worried about her too.
Ginny sighed as she looked at her breakfast. Another long day awaited her. She could see Ron in Azkaban not staring at his breakfast but out his window looking for a ferry. It was a new day; perhaps today Ron would be able to leave Azkaban for his trial.
Ginny was interrupted from her thoughts as a Ministry owl soared down to her and stretched his foot out for Ginny to remove the letter from it's leg. Ginny looked at the envelope as she untied it from the owl. She gave the owl her toast and bacon in gratitude for delivering the letter, though she wasn't sure she'd want to read it. It had been sent by the Ministry, perhaps it brought news of Ron's trial or perhaps Ron's escape. Perhaps the contents inside the envelope brought terrible news. Ginny dreaded opening it, but after a few minutes, she couldn't help but open it. She had to know, not knowing was worse than knowing, though recently that hadn't been the case, and she was sure it might be the same now, but she had to know. Ginny read the letter.
Ginny,
It's me Ron. Ginny's heart caught in her chest, Ron was free! How else could he have written her? I'm writing to let you know that I am not in Azkaban Fortress any longer, though I still am detained. I wanted you to know that you don't have to worry about me if you had been worrying. I lost my mind in Azkaban and did something very stupid. However, my actions set me free of Azkaban. I don't have to go back there, unless I am found guilty. I know I will be. Fudge hates me. He's believed me to be guilty since day one, but I haven't given up all hope yet. I can't tell you where I am, because I don't want you trying to find me again, and I don't want to upset you worse. I'm being fed well here (no spiders), and I'm receiving potions to regain some of my sanity and strength. I've forgotten a lot of happy memories, but I know you'll help me to remember them when I get out.
Just in case not everything goes the way it should, I wanted to thank you for everything. I want you to know that I wouldn't have lasted as long without your visit. You gave me hope Ginny, and as much as I hated how you risked the consequences, your happiness, and health, you saved me from making a terrible mistake. I think you might've said you thought me innocent out of guilt for seeing me looking so terrible, but I want to believe, and I'm going to believe that you really believe me to be innocent, because I know I am, and if you do believe me to be innocent, that's one more person who doesn't see me as guilty and hate me. That's all I can write. I love you, and I can't thank you enough for being the best sister in the world, and a best friend to me. My trial is on the first of October. I hope to see you there, but if you can't miss a lesson, or if anybody won't let you go, don't worry about it. I'll understand. Don't feel guilty.
Love,
Ron
P.S. I can't receive owls, I'm only allowed to send them. Thanks for everything. You're the best little sister anybody could ever ask for.
Tears of happiness ran down Ginny's face, but she didn't notice. She only could see her brother's untidy scrawl, which was untidier than usual. He had been able to write, and he had written her. He was all right for now. She smiled the first smile that she had smiled in ages.
"Ginny, who is that letter from?" Fred asked.
"Ron." Ginny said smiling, wiping her tears away.
"Where is he?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. He wouldn't say in the letter. He's been moved, but that's good. He's going to be okay now." Ginny said happily.
"Can I see that letter?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know that I'm allowed to let you read it." Ginny said.
"Well, did he have anything to say about us?" Harry asked.
"Er… no, it was very short. He just wanted to let me know he was all right." Ginny said.
"He wasn't all right before?" Fred asked with concern.
"No." Ginny said sadly. She got up and left the Great Hall.
At the burrow Mrs. Weasley, Percy, Bill, Charlie, and George were all having tea around the kitchen table. George and Charlie weren't talking to Mrs. Weasley or Percy, and while Bill sided with Charlie and George, he still carried on conversation with Percy and his mother, though he wasn't pleased with either of them.
An owl flew into the burrow carrying to letters addressed to Mrs. Weasley. It left right after Mrs. Weasley detached the letters from its foot. She read the first letter.
Dear Mrs. Weasley,
My name is Diane Watson, and I am a Hit Witch from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at the Ministry of Magic. On the eighteenth day of September we had to move your son, Ronald Weasley to a tightly secured psyche wing at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries after a suicide attempt. I wanted to let you know that he is allowed a visitor, if you should ever want to come. Ronald will remain here until his trial, which is on the first of October. Enclosed is a letter from your son.
Sincerely,
Diane Watson
Mrs. Weasley put the letter down, forgetting about her four sons for the moment to read the other letter. Bill took advantage of this and slickly snatched the letter from his mother. Percy and Charlie read over his shoulders. George, not wanting to be conspicuous, remained where he was, he trusted his brothers to tell him later.
Dear mum,
Please don't hate me. I swear I didn't kill dad. I know you hate me for being the cause of your and dad's separation, and I'm sorry, but I didn't separate you and dad either. You could've come back to him so many times, yet you didn't. I prayed that you would come back every night. You don't know how unhappy dad was without you. I even offered to go back to Grandfather's if he'd just make up with you, but he knew that Grandfather hated me just as much as he hated him. You know he hated dad, mum. He hated dad, because you were his only daughter and he loved you more than life itself, and then you met dad and he felt that dad took you away from him. I'm the spitting image of dad. Dad was so exhausted and busy from work, he didn't have time to remember that or worry about me. It was always your job to worry about me, but you believed your father wouldn't hurt Ginny or me.
I didn't hurt Ginny. I would never, ever hurt Ginny. I've always felt it my job to protect her, from the twins and from you. You'd never hurt her, I know that, but she was terrified to disappoint you. I remember the times when Fred and George thought it would be funny for one reason or another to trick Ginny into doing something you'd disapprove of, or something actually dangerous. I remember the time that they told her that if she wanted to fly, the only way to do it was to jump off of the roof. I had come outside and found Fred and George laughing. Ginny had been on the roof. I ran upstairs and caught Ginny before she could jump. The twins had told you that I was encouraging her to do it, but I was persuading her to climb back through the window. You caught us on the roof and I took the blame for both Ginny and the twins. Then there was the time that she wouldn't get off of the roof, without me proving to her that nobody could fly by falling off their roofs. I had made her go back inside, and I jumped. Remember? That was the time I broke my leg.
It's hard for me to remember anything good anymore, but I remember those memories because you had always yelled at me, and I hated disappointing you. I always wanted to be noticed, but unless I was in trouble I never really got your attention.
Mum, do you remember the day you sent me to Grandfather's house? Do you remember how afraid I was, how reluctant I was about going? I remembered the last time I had been to Grandfather's house was when I was five, and he warned me to stay out of his sight. He told me that I was disgusting. I remembered so many hateful memories, a lot of them I felt guilty for. I felt guilty for breaking you and dad up. I felt guilty for being hateful toward Hermione, and I felt guilty for not believing Harry. I felt guilty for defending myself against muggles by only punching them twice, and not hard at that. If I had been guilty of hitting Ginny, it would've killed me, but ask Ginny. I swear I never harmed a hair on her head.
My first night at Grandfather's, he made me wait up for him to come home very late at night. He was drunk, and he threw me down the stairs. I told Ginny I had fallen down the stairs, because I was clumsy. I thought or rather hoped that it was an accident, but he encouraged me to go to a wizarding village, but on my way there, I got beat up by muggles, and when I came home, I was locked out. He whipped me that night, and I knew this wasn't just another accident. Mum it's what happened every night! I couldn't tell anybody. Ginny loved Grandfather, he gave her everything she ever wanted and deserved.
One night he was yelling a bit loudly and she had woken up to go to the bathroom, and she'd come down the stairs and tried to stop Grandfather. He turned around and hit her. I know it was by accident, but it was done, and there was nothing he could do to take it back. He wanted Ginny to forgive him, but Ginny was scared of him. When you and dad came over, we were made to lie or else he'd hurt us. I didn't care about my back, but I did care about Ginny. I wanted to tell the truth to get Ginny out of there, but the warning was still placed heavily on the burrow, and you were still to overprotective of her to let her go to some friend's house. I arranged for her to go to a muggle born friend's house, and I ran away, but somehow I got caught.
When I ran away the last time, I had no intentions of fighting. I walked on to the wrong road, and kids looking for trouble were waiting there for me. They were beating me up, and I had to get away so I ran. The only trouble was the muggle authorities were around, and they believed I associated with that muggle gang. When Grandfather found me I thought I'd never be able to walk again.
Dad believed in me. He saved me. There was no way I was going to kill the only person who could save me. He would've believed me if it had been anybody else. Did you forget that Fudge doesn't believe that You-know-who is a threat? Did you forget that it was Dumbledore who placed the warning on the burrow and not Fudge?
Mum, dad and I got along great. He took me to work with him daily to make sure I was safe. The only time he was ever upset with me was the time you owled him to remind him when to bring me to King's Cross Station. I said that maybe the reason that you didn't write anything else was because Grandfather had monitored your letters or something logical. Dad was heartbroken without you mum. He knew you weren't coming back to him, and it wasn't because of me anymore, but because of your father.
Mum, I don't know how the killing curse got on my wand. All I know is that I went to bed early that night to catch the Hogwarts' Express early the next morning, and when I woke up, I had overslept. I was rushing around the house, trying to find dad to ask him why he hadn't woken me up, and he was dead.
Despite what Fudge and Percy believe, I was not crying over dad out of guilt. I was crying because the only person, who cared about me and believed me and could save me, was dead. I couldn't write for help. You hated me, or at least I thought you did, since you hadn't written to me all summer.
Mum, I swear I didn't kill dad! I wanted you to know that, and I hope you believe me. I love you mum, and I always will, no matter whom you believe. My trial is on the first of October. Please be there. You don't have to believe that I'm innocent. Just please be there, and if not for me, be there for dad. I am on trial for his murder, so I pray you'll be there for one of us. I love you.
Love your son,
Ron
P.S. If Fudge finds me guilty, which I fear he will… please tell Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George that I love them and please ask them, especially Percy not to hate me. Tell Ginny I love her and that there's not a better sister in the world you and dad could've given me. Thank her for me, for always putting up with me, for always being there for me, and for always making me feel cool. Thank Harry for me, for always being there for me no matter how stubborn I was. Thank him for being there for me. Thank him for everything for me. And finally, please thank Hermione for me. Thank her for putting up with me when I was so unreasonable. Tell her that I never meant to hurt her, ever. Tell her that I wish her great luck with her future, and that she won't need it, as she's so bright. Tell her that she's the smartest person I know. Tell her that I'm sorry for every time I hurt her. Tell her that I was just jealous of Krum. Tell her that my stubbornness and pride got the best of me, and that I had feelings for her, but I wasn't good about being direct about them. Just tell her that I was glad to have her as my friend. ONLY TELL HER THIS IF I'M FOUND GUILTY! Mum if I'm found guilty, know I love you, and I'm sorry I wasn't as smart as Percy or Bill or as talented as Charlie or as creative as the twins or as nice as Ginny. I'm sorry for everything, but I love you and I am innocent.