Misunderstood
Chapter Thirteen
The Yule Ball
Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot to this story. Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and all them people.
Author's Note: Ending the story here didn't work for me, so I decided to give myself a break and think about more ideas, while not promising anybody a quick update. I have a few more ideas and I will end this story right, though not now. I hope you enjoy. Sorry about before. ~*Carey*~
Ron, with Harry and Hermione at his side, followed Sirius up to the Headmaster's office. His head was pounding and he was trying to calm himself, but the thought of having to defend himself kept riling him up. He didn't understand what the point was anymore. He was in deep trouble. He knew what was going to be said. He'd be thrown out and possibly thrown back into Azkaban. But then again Dumbledore might still have some power, if Fudge didn't know. Dumbledore would probably have him suspended and he'd be given a warning when he'd return to not fight again, but that was pointless, because that would just give Malfoy one up on him, and he'd be expelled for sure when he returned.
The spiral staircase brought them to an office door, and Sirius opened it letting the three students and himself enter Professor Dumbledore's office.
Professor Snape was there already and looking dangerously at Ron, who looked down quickly. The side of Professor Snape's face was bruised and his lip was swollen. Ron winced thinking about how much trouble he was in now. This definitely wasn't his day.
"As I was saying Headmaster, he should be thrown out of this school… permanently." Professor Snape said looking daggers at Ron.
"Mr. Weasley?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"I can't disagree. I deserve to be expelled, but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell Fudge. I don't want to be thrown back in Azkaban." Ron said, shaking.
"The Minister already knows." Professor Snape said with his eyes flashing malevolently.
Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"But Ron can't go back to Azkaban!" Harry cried taking Ron by surprise. "He shouldn't have been there in the first place! Fudge can't throw him in Azkaban because he flipped out, even if it was on a teacher… Suspend him if you have to, but don't let Fudge send him to Azkaban. He can't do it! Fudge was waiting for something like this to throw him back in there. Something that would make him look like a bad person, but he proved already that he was innocent, and that should be taken off his record, therefore Fudge wouldn't be able to throw him in Azkaban for throwing a cauldron at a Professor!"
"Harry!" Professor Dumbledore said rather loudly.
Harry fell silent allowing the Headmaster to speak.
"Ron, you won't be sent to Azkaban. Nor will you be expelled." Professor Dumbledore said.
"Headmaster…" Professor Snape started.
Professor Dumbledore held up a hand to silence Professor Snape.
"And you won't be suspended." Professor Dumbledore said causing Ron to look up with surprise. "However, you will serve as many detentions as Professor Snape asks you to and at any given time, even on the weekends."
"I really deserve to be suspended." Ron said quickly.
Detentions for Snape were the worst kind of detentions. He would have to clean everything in the castle without magic, and Professor Snape could hand out as many detentions as he wanted. Ron knew that he'd be serving at least one detention a day for everyday of his fifth year, and if Snape had it his way, he'd be serving detentions everyday of his sixth and seventh years as well. He'd never make any of his assignments up with detentions.
"Mr. Weasley, you can't afford to miss anymore lessons with your O.W.L.'S being this year. Therefore, you will be serving any detentions Professor Snape asks of you." Professor Dumbledore said.
Professor Snape smirked at Ron. If Ron weren't out of his sight; the next best thing would be having the ability to torture him at any minute he wanted.
"And…" Professor Dumbledore said, and Ron heard a tone of sympathy in Dumbledore's voice as he dreaded what else was coming. "And I'm afraid that I can not allow you to visit Hogsmeade for the rest of this school year."
"That's fair." Ron said miserably. The truth was that it was more than fair; he should've been suspended, expelled, or worse sent back to Azkaban, but he wouldn't even be getting a Howler. He'd be cleaning the castles when everybody else was having fun in Hogsmeade, but that was all right, because Ron didn't have any money anyway. His mum hated him, so she wouldn't send him any, and his dad was… dead.
"Headmaster, what about the Yule Ball?" Professor Snape asked. "He shouldn't be able to attend that either."
"As it will be Christmas, I'll allow him to attend it." Professor Dumbledore said giving Ron a smile.
"Isn't there a Hogsmeade visit on Christmas too?" Ron asked.
"Nice try, Mr. Weasley, but with the exception of attending the Yule Ball, all of your privileges have been taken away." Professor Dumbledore said.
Ron laughed. "It was worth a shot."
"Attending the Yule Ball is more of a punishment than a privilege. I think I'll catch up on my assignments." Ron said later that evening to Harry.
"You have to go." Harry said.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"Because I'm going." Harry said.
"A few hours ago you hated me." Ron reminded him.
"I never hated you. I was mad at you, but I was being stupid." Harry said. "But I'm going, so you have to come."
"Why are you going?" Ron asked rolling his eyes.
"Because Cho's going with me." Harry said unable to suppress his grin.
"Congratulations, but you'll be with her the whole time. I'm not exactly wanted around everybody, so I think I'll pass." Ron said. "I'm going to go to the library to catch up on my assignments. Hermione letting me cheat off of her work only happens once."
"I do not let you cheat off me!" Hermione said from behind him.
"Of course not. I just borrow your notes and assignments and copy them down on my parchment." Ron said grinning.
"You don't copy it word for word, you summarize it, and therefore it's not cheating." Hermione said.
"Again, it's a once in a lifetime chance." Ron said.
Ron grabbed his bag and headed down for the library. Hermione promised to meet him in a few minutes.
As Ron was walking down the stairs he ran into several girls, three of whom had asked him to the Yule Ball. He would've gone with any of them, but he apologized and told them that he wasn't going.
Once in the library, he had just sat down when yet another girl approached him. He didn't understand why everybody wanted to go to the ball with him, after everybody feared him, he figured they must be desperate to go with somebody. He looked up and saw Padma Patil, the girl he had brought last year, a Ravenclaw fifth year standing next to his table.
"I heard what happened." Padma said.
Who hasn't? Ron thought bitterly, but he didn't say anything.
"And I'm really sorry about your dad." Padma said, taking him by surprise.
Ron looked up. "Thank you." Ron said.
"Look if you ever need a friend, I'm here for you." Padma said.
"Thanks." Ron said smiling at her.
"You know I missed you, when you didn't come back. Last year, we only talked for a bit, but you made me smile and laugh. I was looking forward to seeing you this year, so I could get to know you better. I thought I'd never get that chance with you're being away, but now that you're back, I was kind of hoping that we could be friends." Padma said.
"That's great, because I'd like to know you better too." Ron said unsure of what to say to that. Ron knew Padma was asking for something behind her words, but he wasn't getting the message.
"So when's a better time to get to know each other than the Yule Ball?" Padma asked. "I could find out how you dance, what music you like, and-"
"I'm not going." Ron interrupted her.
"Why not?" Padma asked.
"I'd ruin everybody's night. Everybody thinks I did it, and they're either terrified of me or they look at me with disgust. Nobody wants me there." Ron said.
"I want you there. I want you to come with me. Think about it, who matters more? Friends or a bunch of Slytherins?" Padma asked.
"Friends, but I can't dance." Ron said.
"Fine, but if for some reason you change your mind, save me a dance." Padma said. She smiled before walking away.
Hermione sat down next to Ron, not even ten seconds after Padma had left. She opened a book to a page that had a quill holding their place. She handed Ron her book and took out her own Arithmancy homework.
They worked silently for about ten minutes, when Hermione spoke up.
"I can teach you how to dance. It's not hard." Hermione said.
"I know how to dance." Ron said rolling his eyes.
"That's not what you told Padma." Hermione said.
"You were listening?" Ron asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes." Hermione said. "So why don't you want to go with her?"
Hermione and Ron hadn't spoken of their friendship or relationship or whatever it was, since that kiss in the library.
"I never said I didn't want to go with her. I'm just not going." Ron said.
"Why not?" Hermione asked.
"I have a lot of work to catch up on." Ron said.
Hermione looked at him with her eyebrows raised. She sighed.
"Fred and George bought you dress robes and you're not even going to wear them?" Hermione asked.
"They bought me dress robes?" Ron asked.
"Yes, over the summer. And I imagine they'd fit you nice, and they don't have lace." Hermione said.
"But why would they-"
"I don't know. You could ask them. I imagine they'll ask why you aren't going. It kind of made it pointless for them to buy them." Hermione said.
"If I were still in Azkaban I wouldn't be wearing them either." Ron reminded.
"But you're not in Azkaban." Hermione countered.
"Look, I just don't dance." Ron said.
"So come down to have fun, you know we can just talk and listen to music." Hermione said.
"I'm not going to make an appearance, when I scare everybody in sight." Ron said.
"Am I nobody then?" Hermione asked. "Because contrary to what you believe, I'm not afraid of you."
"That's because you know me." Ron said.
"So you're going to satisfy the majority of people, who don't know you, rather than satisfy the few people who matter?" Hermione asked raising her eyebrow.
"Don't look at me like that. This isn't about satisfying anybody. This has nothing to do with you or the majority of the school. It's just… I won't enjoy myself, and I have more than enough work to keep me busy." Ron said.
"Fine." Hermione said annoyingly. She picked up her quill and returned to her work.
"Why does it bother you that I'm not going?" Ron asked.
"It doesn't." Hermione said.
Ron thought of the argument they had the year before. She had wanted him to ask her first, and not as a last resort. Was she mad that he hadn't asked her? Did she want to go with him? Ron thought of their kiss and sighed.
"Hermione, if I were to go, I'd have asked you to go with me. It's just… I have so much work and not enough hours. In Azkaban the hours seemed like days, but here they tick by like seconds." Ron said.
"Ron, I don't care. And if you need to catch up so quickly, you'd stop talking to me and get busy writing." Hermione said snappishly.
And Ron did just that. He began to copy Hermione's notes.
The night of the Yule Ball came. Ron watched as everybody who hadn't gone home, and who was of age left the portrait hole wearing colorful dress robes, everybody looking their best.
Fred, who was wearing robes of sea green, and George wearing teal robes, were waiting for Angelina and Alicia to join them at the entrance to the portrait hole. They seemed to be the only ones lingering.
Finally Angelina wearing rose colored robes, and Alicia wearing lavender colored robes accompanied the twins out of the Gryffindor Common Room.
After an hour of trying to concentrate and failing miserably, Ron put away his books and dressed in his navy blue dress robes, which Fred and George had bought him.
The first person that he noticed as he entered the Great Hall was Ginny in robes of baby blue dancing with Colin Creevey. His first instinct was to beat the crap out of Colin for going near his little sister, but she was happy, and Colin was better than Draco, Colin was a wimp, and he had let Ginny stay with his family when she needed too. He also didn't kill Colin, because he was already in enough trouble.
Ron finally took his eyes off his little sister. One of these days he was going to have to realize that she wasn't five years old.
Ron spotted Harry dancing with Cho Chang. He was dancing well enough, but he looked as if he were uncomfortable talking to Cho, and Ron couldn't help but laugh as his friend's eyes would keep darting everywhere from Cho to everywhere and back to Cho again. Ron then spotted Hermione looking strikingly beautiful in her robes of periwinkle, as she danced with Dean Thomas.
Neville was dancing with some pretty Hufflepuff girl, and Seamus was dancing with Parvati. Ron looked around, and to his surprise, he was tapped on the shoulder by the one person he was looking for.
"I thought you said you weren't coming." Padma said.
"I changed my mind." Ron said.
"Care to dance?" Padma asked. "Or are we going to sit the whole time, like last year?"
"You didn't sit the whole time last year, you went off with those boys from Beauxbatons, as I recall." Ron said.
"You watched me?" Padma asked surprised. She seemed almost flattered.
"Yea." Ron lied. He had been too busy watching Hermione when Padma went off. "So, let's dance, shall we?"
Ron and Padma danced, and to Padma's surprise, Ron could dance without stepping on her toes.
"So I heard you're responsible for Professor Snape's face." Padma said.
"His parents are the one who gave him that face. I'm not responsible for that." Ron said.
"So you didn't give him that bruise?" Padma asked.
"My cauldron slipped when he was helping Crabbe and Goyle up." Ron lied, unable to suppress his grin.
Ron watched as Padma danced with Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. He had taken a break from dancing to get a drink. Ron was drinking punch and looking around the floor. Everybody was dancing around Fred and Angelina, and George and Alicia, as they were dancing quite crazily. Ginny was talking in a corner with Colin Creevey. Harry and Cho were drinking punch while catching their breaths and talking.
A tap on his shoulder interrupted him from looking for somebody. To his surprise, the one person he was looking for was the one who tapped his shoulder.
"Hey, you came." Hermione said happily.
"So I did." Ron said suddenly feeling a bit awkward.
A slow song started up, and everybody moved back on to the dance floor with their partners. Fred, Angelina, Alicia, and George were dancing a bit less exuberantly.
Ron looked around. "Do you want to dance?" Ron asked.
"Sure." Hermione said.
"With me?" Ron asked.
"No, I was thinking Harry." Hermione said rolling her eyes as she took his hand pulling him on the dance floor.
Ron put his hands lightly on Hermione's waist and she put her hands on his shoulders. Ron looked down at his feet for the first few steps before looking up at Hermione who was smiling uneasily at him.
"You look er… nice." Ron said awkwardly.
"You do too." Hermione said blushing and looking down. "This is a bit awkward isn't it?"
"Just a little." Ron said. "But can you imagine what everybody else is going through? Being so close to somebody they just met or saw and asked to the dance? We're lucky we're friends."
"I agree." Hermione said. "But I think it's more awkward for us, friends, being so close to each other."
"It's really not as awkward now that we're talking. My worst fear right now is stepping on your foot, because then you'd go on about it for an hour." Ron said.
"I would not!" Hermione laughed slapping his shoulder lightly.
"Fine you might not carry on about it, but you might hit me." Ron said.
"You are a big baby, do you know that?" Hermione asked rolling her eyes exasperatingly.
"And you love me, so stop complaining." Ron said sarcastically.
Hermione laughed and then gasped.
"When did this happen?" Hermione asked noticing that they were so close now they were almost touching each other.
"When you forgot about the awkwardness and hit me." Ron said looking down guiltily. "Are you uncomfortable, because I'll move back a bit."
"No, it's fine. It's just everybody else isn't as close. We'll look awkward." Hermione said.
"And you care because?" Ron asked. "You'd rather satisfy the majority of people who only know your name, rather than satisfy one of your closest friends? Isn't that what you said to me when you tried convincing me to come here? You know you can be quite the little hypocrite."
Hermione gave Ron a warning glare.
"Don't hurt me." Ron said quickly.
"Baby." Hermione muttered.
"What was that sweetie?" Ron asked.
Hermione smacked him.
"I called you a baby, I wasn't calling you baby!" Hermione said.
Ron laughed at this and pulled her even closer so that their bodies were now touching. Ron had his arms wrapped around Hermione's waist and Hermione had her arms stretched around Ron's neck. Hermione awkwardly leaned her head against Ron's chest.
"Oh George look at that!" Fred said loudly when the song had ended.
"Aww aren't they adorable?" Angelina asked.
"Oh my God." Ron whispered pulling away quickly.
Neither Ron nor Hermione had realized the song ended.
Ron walked over to get another glass of punch and he caught Harry looking surprised and very amused in his direction.
"How disgusting, dancing with a mudblood… you're truly a disgrace to the wizarding world Weasley!" Malfoy said.
"You say that word again and your face will be a huge disgrace to the human species." Ron said coolly. "If it isn't already."
"Which word? Granger or mudblood? Mudblood describes a dirty blooded excuse for a witch or a wizard. Granger's the example of one." Malfoy said with his eyes flashing maliciously.
BAM!
Malfoy hit the wall hard. There was the loud sound of glass hitting the floor and shattering into pieces. Girls unsure of what happened, screamed in fright. Everybody else went silent and looked to see the punch bowl shattered and Malfoy clutching his head as he leaned against the wall.
The closest, and only other person by the snack table was Ron who was too shocked at his own temper to say or do anything. He hadn't even taken out his wand. He hadn't even turned or blinked. He had just lost it.
Even if though he had wanted to, he'd never have done this had he had complete control of himself. He was already being given a huge break as it was. He didn't need another fight, not now, especially not now, in front of everybody including the Minister of Magic.
"Mr. Weasley, come with me please." Fudge said loudly over the silence as he got up and started walking towards him.
Ron finally regained the feelings in his legs and made them work as he walked toward the Minister who with a wave of his hand had indicated that Ron should go out into the entrance hall.
Ron heard the music start up again along with many of the students loud, excited voices as he waited for the Minister in the Entrance Hall.
The Minister soon met him.
"Mr. Weasley, Professor Dumbledore's given you more than enough chances, as have I. This is one fight too many, and therefore, you will grab a cloak and follow me to Hogsmeade." Fudge said.
"Why Hogsmeade?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"The Knight Bus can't come on to Hogwarts grounds." Fudge said.
Ron started shaking his head. "Why would I have to go on the Knight Bus?" Ron asked knowing the answer.
"Mr. Weasley, I let you out of Azkaban to give you a second chance." Fudge said.
"What the Hell? You let me out of Azkaban, because you had to! You can't put an innocent person in there!" Ron yelled angrily. "And you're not putting me back in there!"
"But your actions tonight were hardly innocent! You're a danger to this school and it's students, and you'll be taken to Azkaban until you learn your lesson!" Fudge said.
"You can't be serious! I lost my temper! I didn't even use my wand!" Ron said.
"Which means you're dangerous without your wand. I'd hate to think what would happen if you had taken out your wand." Fudge said.
"I'm not going to remember what lesson I'm supposed to be learning if you send me back there! And you can't send me back there! I didn't kill anybody, and I didn't curse anybody with unforgivable curses. All I did is lose my temper with somebody who insulted my friend. You can't send me to Azkaban! I didn't kill my father, I proved that, and you know it! You're using the fact that you don't believe me against me, and supporting it with my actions tonight and any other time Malfoy's started something. You can't send me back to Azkaban! Have Dumbledore expel me if you're worried about the school!" Ron yelled.
"And have me worrying about all of the Wizards in Britain? I'm not stupid!" Fudge said.
"You're doing a pretty good job of it. And underage wizards can't perform magic outside of school! Besides, if you kick me out, I live with my Grandfather who lives in Ireland. You aren't the Minister there! They'd be the ones in charge." Ron said.
"And if you get in trouble over there, they'll think that I'm a terrible Minister!" Fudge said.
"They already know that without me getting in trouble!" Ron said.
"Go get your cloak," Fudge said impatiently.
"I'm not going back there!" Ron said firmly.
"I'll show you how wrong you are." Fudge said. With a quick wave of his wand snakelike cords shot out of the end and wrapped themselves around Ron's wrist and the banister of the stairs.
Fudge left swiftly for the Great Hall as Ron struggled against his restraints.
It was less than five minutes before the doors to the Great Hall opened again and Fudge came back out, but this time he brought Hagrid, who was looking uncertain, with him. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape followed, though it appeared Fudge didn't want them to come.
"Let me loose!" Ron yelled to Fudge, then seeing Dumbledore his yells became desperate. "Professor Dumbledore, expel me! I don't care anymore. Don't let him bring me back to Azkaban! I messed up, so have me expelled! Don't let him send me back to Azkaban!"
"Yeh can't send Ron back jus' fer fightin'!" Hagrid boomed.
"I can and I am having him sent." Fudge said.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS! WHAT IN THE BLEEDING HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Ron cried angrily.
"Hagrid, please bring him up to his dormitory and have him grab his robes and a cloak." Fudge said.
"I can't do that sir." Hagrid said.
"Yes you can and you will, you have an order from the Minister of Magic!" Fudge cried.
"No offense sir, but I don't work for the Ministry, I work for Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid said.
"Dumbledore, have Hagrid bring this boy up to his dorm to retrieve his things." Fudge said.
"I don't work for the Ministry either, Cornelius, and Hagrid won't be retrieving Mr. Weasley's things." Professor Dumbledore said.
"Fine, then when the reporters from the Daily Prophet complain about his poor health conditions, you and Hagrid will be to blame." Fudge said waving his wand at the strings.
The snakelike cords unwove themselves from the banister andflew back to the end of Fudge's wand.
"Untie my hands!" Ron said angrily.
"No. Start walking." Fudge said sharply.
"I'm not walking anywhere that will bring me to Azkaban!" Ron cried angrily.
"Fine." Fudge said. "Mobilicorpus!" Ron was lifted off the floor. "Dumbledore, we'll talk about this later, I promise you that, and in the meantime it wouldn't be a terrible idea to start packing."
With that said Fudge left making Ron move magically with his wand.
Professor Dumbledore ran after him very quickly for an old man. Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Hagrid followed.
"You can't bring him to Azkaban!" Professor Dumbledore said.
"Don't argue with me Dumbledore." Fudge said sharply. "He's a danger to the school. You can't suspend him and you can't expel him because his mother doesn't want him, and his grandfather can only take him in during the summer. So what can you do? He can't roam the streets of Britain. He'd be a danger to any muggle or magical person! Therefore, to keep him out of trouble and to teach him a lesson he'll be spending a week in Azkaban. He'll be back on the second in time for the new term. And you leaving your school unattended will be mentioned in your trial."
"The school has been left supervised by the other Professors of the school, and if I should have to leave Hogwarts, I should have to aim for a new job, perhaps yours." Dumbledore said threateningly.
"Get back to the castle then!" Fudge snapped and left Hogwarts Grounds.
Hermione waited anxiously by the doors of the Entrance Hall. Professor Dumbledore certainly wouldn't let Fudge take Ron back there.
But Professor Dumbledore returned with the other Professors who were all looking disturbed.
"Professor Dumbledore, please tell me the Minister didn't take Ron to Azkaban. He can't, can he?" Hermione asked.
"He can't, but because he's the Minister he thinks he can, and unfortunately that's what he's doing." Professor Dumbledore said gravely.
Hermione kicked the bottom stair angrily and ran up to Gryffindor tower angrily, the entire time cursing Fudge's name under her breath.
"Merry Christmas Ron." Hermione sobbed as she hit her pillow. She cried herself to sleep.
Author's Note: I'm not trying to be repetitive, but I couldn't help it. In my mind during this story I feel that Fudge hates Ron and still believes him guilty and is trying to prove him guilty and punish him for making a fool of him. Another chapter is coming soon. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it so far, and if you haven't, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. ~*Carey*~