Hagrid whistled for Fang, and headed for the door of the small house. Time to start another day.

His eyes went back to the guest he still had with him, and his usual cheer felt a little lacking.

He actually didn't know Ron Weasley very well. He knew him enough to know that how he was acting now was strange.

He also knew that the poor lad hadn't slept through the night, and hadn't touched any of the breakfast Hagrid gave him.

He just sat there, looking like he was drowning in his own mind.

Not a good thing. But Professor Dumbledore said to let him be, and Hagrid certainly wasn't one to go against Professor Dumbledore.

Still. He wondered if maybe Harry shouldn't be brought around to help out.

But. Ron had asked the night before for Hagrid not to tell Harry where he was. And Hagrid wasn't one to go breaking a promise.

***

"I mean, for him not to be in the dorms to sleep is one thing, but when he's gone from a whole day of class and none of the professors even say anything? Something's definitely going on."

Harry looked around the grounds as they walked, hmming thoughtfully to Hermione's comment.

It was true -- all day, in all their classes, Ron had been absent. And no one said anything, except the other Gryffindors at lunch when Ron wasn't there either. As if the professors all knew what was going on and knew Ron wouldn't be there.

Something just didn't make sense.

It had only been one day, but he as ready to storm Dumbledore's office and find out what as happening.

"Hullo there, Hermione! Harry!"

They turned, and Harry didn't even brighten at the friendly face. "Hullo, Hagrid."

"'ere now, what are yeh all down in the dumps about?"

"It's Ron, Hagrid."

"Ron? Really?" Hagrid sounded concerned, but his eyes wandered away from them, darting around the grounds.

And Harry knew, sure as he knew that Ron wasn't there -- Hagrid knew something. He was always the most horrible liar.

So he went right to Hagrid and grabbed his arm. "Where is he?"

"Er. Yes, well. Um. Who?"

Harry shook the great arm earnestly. "Come on, Hagrid! We're worried to death about him!"

"Well. I can't be sayin' nothin' abou that. Sworn ter secrecy, I was. And now I've got ter be off ter tend the grounds in front o' the school. I expect I'll be there a good two hours at the least. So if anyone was ter find out anything, it wouldn' be from my mouth. Even if that thing they might want was in my own little 'ouse."

Ron was at Hagrid's?

Harry grinned and let him go. "Thanks, Hagrid."

"Don' know what yer thankin' me for, Harry. I didn't tell yeh anything." Hagrid winked at him and Hermione, then kept lumbering on his way towards the school.

"Come on!" Harry started off fast for Hagrid's place.

Hermione had to run to keep up. "What could he be doing at Hagrid's?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

***

"Did you hear, Malfoy? Your pet Gryffindor's gone missing."

Draco raised his eyebrows and turned a cool gaze to Marcus Flint.

Flint was the head of their house, practically, the captain of the Quidditch team…yet he was constantly trying to undermine Draco lately. As if he had just realized the threat Draco was to his spot in charge of Slytherin.

Stupid, Draco knew. Flint should have realized that months ago.

His voice was cold when he answered. "What makes you think I have any interest in anyone in Gryffindor?"

Flint puffed up and glared at him. "You gonna try and act like the last few weeks just didn't happen? Everyone saw you two getting all cozy. You and the little Weasel. We all know about it. And now he's up and got himself lost or something, and Potter's asking all kinds of questions."

"Really?" Draco smiled to himself. Weasley wouldn't go so far as to leave school, would he?

It would just figure.

Still, depriving Potter of his best friend altogether wouldn't be a bad ending to his little joke.

His hand went inside his robe, and he absently fingered the cool marble figure he had stashed in his pocket. "Tell me, Flint, does it bother you that Potter is upset about something? Or did you come to congratulate me."

In front of Draco, slouched in their usual spots, Crabbe and Goyle snickered.

Draco paid them no attention. Not like they had the first clue what was going on.

Flint just folded his arms and stared down at Draco. "Are you saying you're what caused Weasley to go missing?"

Draco smiled with pure malice. "I'm saying if other people don't watch themselves, the same might happen to them."

Flint glared right back at him before turning on his heel and marching away.

Draco turned a grin to Crabbe and Goyle.

They grinned back, heads as empty as ever.

Draco held onto the figurine in his robe so tightly the carved edges bit into his skin.

***

Ron didn't look too surprised to see them. "Hullo, Harry. Hermione."

Hermione breathed in quietly beside Harry.

He didn't say anything right off.

Ron looked terrible, but…but it was odd. He looked the same as when Harry had last seen him at practice the day before, but different. A little pale, maybe, and there were circles under his eyes. But…something about him told Harry that something was wrong.

He was slouched there in Hagrid's massive chair, and his voice had been dull. And his face was odd.

Harry moved in to him slowly. "Hullo, Ron. Sort of scared us today."

"Sorry."

Hermione looked back and forth between them, her brow creased.

"You…uh." Harry glanced back at her, frowning.

She shrugged and nodded back at Ron.

"Um. You want to come back to the dorm and…do some homework?"

Behind him, Hermione sighed as if he was completely stupid.

Harry just grimaced back at her. If she was so smart, she could talk to this weird version of their friend.

But she didn't even try.

Ron looked from her to him, then shook his head and gazed off at the walls. "Maybe after tomorrow."

"Ron. What's going on? Are you alright?"

He didn't answer.

***

"Hagrid!"

Hagrid looked up from his work. He wiped some dirt off his face and sat back on his haunches. Even down on the ground he was as tall as they were standing up. "Still up ter yer mischief, you two?"

"What's wrong with Ron?" Hermione demanded without bothering to answer.

Hagrid frowned. "I don't right know. Found 'im last night, cold and shiverin' down by the trees there," he nodded towards the back of the school. "He didn' say much all night. Wouldn' eat when I tried ter feed him. And I don't think he got no sleep." His tone was disapproving and worried at the same time. "He's acting downright strange if yeh ask me."

Harry recognized the tone -- Hagrid tended to get very paternal very fast to any creature or person or anything else he took in, no matter how short a time he had them. He was already tutting at Ron's behavior as if Ron was a wayward son.

"Still, the strangest thing." Hagrid leaned in and lowered his voice, though there wasn't a single other person in sight. "I went to Professor Dumbledore last night, to tell 'im Ron was there. And 'e didn't act surprised at all. Just told me to take good care of 'im. Which I'll try ter do, you know that. But if 'e isn' gonna eat and 'e isn' gonna say what's eatin' 'im, then there isn' much I can do." He sighed a great gust of air.

Harry glowered.

***

He wasn't sure if it was the humiliation of actually facing Draco Malfoy again, or the humiliation of having to face anyone else, that kept him there in Hagrid's little house.

His thoughts were very confused, and he'd never been the best at thinking things through to begin with.

He could tell he was humiliated. He could feel that on his skin, could feel himself flushing red every time he thought about Draco. He knew he wanted nothing more than to sit there for the rest of his life and just hide.

But why? What was so bad, really? Draco already said he wasn't going to tell anyone else about them, about what he thought about Ron. He couldn't – disgusted though he was, he was still part of those kisses, and he would never want his own Slytherin friends to find that out.

So…if he got up and went right back into that school what would be different? Nothing. He had weathered over a year of Draco's hatred and hostility, and he could weather more.

Harry was back in that school. Hermione, his brothers, all his friends. And none of them knew any different.

Still. He sat there.

Maybe a part of him thought Draco was right. Maybe there really was nothing to him, nothing but other people's shadows coming together and creating a solid form. Maybe if he went back, if he stayed with his friends…maybe they would figure that out.

Maybe Harry would figure it out.

That thought hurt him, so he knew that had to be part of it.

He was just confused. He wasn't sure at all how he should act now. He had been going on instinct with Draco, and now he knew his instincts led him wrong. He couldn't trust himself.

He wished he was a little bit smarter. A little bit better at seeing what everyone else obviously saw.

He was afraid that Draco was right. He was afraid he really was in love a little.

And if he was…what did that mean? Anything?

He just wanted to know what to do.

***

"What did you do to him?"

Draco turned slowly, his usual smirk firmly in place. "Well. Potter. Granger. Imagine my delight." His voice was a lazy drawl.

Harry marched straight up to him and shoved him back furiously. "What did you do?"

Crabbe and Goyle were there in a snap. They jumped in front of Malfoy and practically growled.

"Get back," Malfoy's voice barked at his self-appointed bodyguards.

They obeyed, glaring at Harry.

Malfoy picked himself up off the wall he hit and glanced down at himself, as if Harry's touch had dirtied him. "I don't know what you mean, Potter."

"You know exactly what I mean. What did you do to Ron?"

Malfoy's eyes glinted with amusement. "Weasley? Then he didn't go running away from school? That's the story I heard."

"He isn't going anywhere." Harry's eyes shot back at Hermione, though, in a flash of worry. Was Ron thinking of leaving? Was that why he was with Hagrid?

Hermione met his eyes and nodded slightly, turning and speeding off down the corridor.

"Well, well. Looks like it's just us now, Potter."

Harry's hands knotted into fists. "Just you and me, and your babysitters."

Malfoy's eyes flashed fire. "Go."

Crabbe and Goyle glanced at him.

He didn't even look at them, just said it again. "Go."

They shot last threatening looks at Harry before obeying, heading slowly and reluctantly down the corridor after Hermione.

Malfoy folded his arms over his chest smugly. "Well?"

"Start talking, Malfoy. What happened?"

"Only what you've been wanting to happen, Potter."

"What?"

Malfoy smirked. "You heard me. You've been waiting for this since you first caught your Weasel and I making nice with each other. He's yours now, Potter. All yours again. You should be thanking me."

Harry was seething. His vision was almost clouded, he was so angry. "What. Did. You. Do?"

Draco suddenly stuck a hand into his robe and started pulling it out slowly.

"Oh no you don't." Harry jumped at him and grabbed his arm, twisting it hard and slamming it into the wall.

There was a crunch, and Malfoy shoved him back with a sharp cry. "Get off!"

Instead of his wand, he'd been holding…a statue? A little white statue that seemed to have cracked in two when Harry hit it into the wall.

Draco looked at the half in his hand, then ignored Harry completely, dropping to his knees to find the other half.

Harry stared down at him, baffled.

Malfoy found the other piece in a few moments and stood up, grasping them both. He turned his eyes back to Harry.

Harry was shocked to see that under the red-hot anger Malfoy shot at him, his eyes were bright with moisture. "You didn't have to do that!"

Harry remembered his own anger and glared. "Serves you right."

"No! This is mine! You didn't have to break it." Malfoy awkwardly fitted the two pieces together, his breathing stuttered.

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed his wand. Aiming it, he barked out a spell Hermione had taught him and Ron both when Ron's trunk broke for the third time in a month. "Reparo!"

His wand flashed a small light to the pieces Draco held, and they knit to each other again, good as new.

Draco looked down at it for a long moment.

Harry frowned at the fixed thing. It looked like a chess piece. Like one of Ron's, but newer. He tucked his wand back into his robe. "Are you done crying now, Malfoy?"

Draco's eyes shot up, furious. "Go to hell, Potter!" He took off fast, still clutching his chess piece tight in his hand.

Harry watched him go. Whatever satisfaction he should have felt from that didn't come.

***

"I don't know, Harry. He's being even more difficult than normal." Hermione just shook her head and headed to the girls' dorms. "Talk to him tomorrow. He'll probably tell you more than he told me."

Harry wasn't about to wait until tomorrow, though.

The grounds outside were cool and windy, wet with a light rain that had come and gone earlier that day. Harry moved carefully away from the school and towards Hagrid's little one-room house behind the grounds of the school.

The lights were on bright, and Harry could clearly hear Hagrid's powerful voice even as he spoke in what was probably supposed to be a soft, comforting tone. "Right then, Ron. Just fer you. I don't usually make these, see, but with a guest and all I thought somethin' special was in order."

Harry glanced through the window as he past, and saw Hagrid offering some sort of platter of food to Ron.

Ron sat there, looking exactly the same as when Harry saw him earlier that day. If anything he looked even paler.

Hagrid offered the platter hopefully. "You'll try jus' one? Fer me?"

Ron didn't even look at the plate.

Hagrid sighed.

Harry frowned and went to the door, knocking loudly.

"What…oh." Hagrid opened the door and smiled at Harry half-heartedly. "Treacle tart?"

"No thanks." Harry looked right past him to where Ron sat.

Hagrid understood at once. "Right. I'm goin' outside to check on…er, the things outside." He set the platter of tarts down and ducked down close to Harry as he passed him to leave. "Do somethin', eh? The lad's startin' ter get me worried."

Harry nodded and shut the door after Hagrid. "Hey, Ron."

Ron glanced over. "Harry."

"Are you leaving?" All of Harry's pre-thought-out opening lines vanished, and that one came out before he could stop it.

But whatever reaction he was hoping for from Ron, preferably a laugh and a don't-be-stupid or something of that sort, didn't come. Ron just frowned. "I don't know."

Harry went to him. Hagrid's chair as big enough that he could climb up on it and sit right there facing Ron. "But why? Why would you go?"

Ron just shrugged. "You were right. You know that? The whole time. I should have guessed, but…"

Harry frowned. Draco. He knew it. "I'm sorry."

Ron's eyes flashed to him. They were still strangely dull and flat. "Why sorry? Because I don't know any better yet? I still think there's something I could get right that even you get wrong?"

Harry looked at him carefully, almost willing his friend to come back and fill up the blank spots that were suddenly all over him. "Ron. You won't leave. What would you do?"

"What will I do if I stay?" Ron breathed out heavily, his eyes on Harry but not quite meeting his gaze. "Another five years of hanging around, watching other people do better than me? Letting mum and dad down because I won't be anything like prefect Percy?"

"Where is this coming from? You don't want to be like Percy, Ron." And good thing, too. Percy was so busy being prefect and trying to become head boy that he hardly acted like a decent fun-loving Weasley at all.

"I do," Ron replied bitterly.

"You don't. I know you."

"I want to be…to be something, Harry. Anything at all. But it's not going to be any different than last year. I'm just going to be the Weasley that doesn't live up to expectations, and nothing else. Your friend, I guess."

Harry blinked at that, surprised. "You don't want to be my friend?"

"Oh, Harry, please. But it isn't all I want to be. Why stay here and suffer for another five years if that's all I ever am?"

Harry shook his head. "Why would you think that? Honestly, Ron, this isn't like you at all."

"Maybe I always thought it, Harry. But maybe I didn't realize I thought it, because in my head I thought I'd be important and…and spe…" He swallowed and looked away. "I thought I'd be different. But I'm not. I'm just cheap and second-hand."

"You are not!" Harry was hit by a burst of anger. "Listen to me, Ron. I don't know what Malfoy said to you to make you like this, but it's ridiculous. You're not second-hand or any of that other stuff. You're my best friend!"

Ron blinked wide eyes back to Harry. That strange look was back. "Harry. I think he was right. I think I might have been a little in love with him."

Harry drew back, stunned. "With…with Malfoy?"

Ron nodded. "Disgusting, huh?"

"Well…yes! Ron, I didn't…I never thought…" He shook his head, baffled. Draco Malfoy, of all people.

Ron's pale skin tinged with red. He dropped his eyes and nodded a little, almost to himself. "He's going to be waiting in there, watching. Laughing. For another five years. I can't handle that, Harry."

"He…he knows?"

Ron nodded with a grim little smile. "You see? If there was something that made it worth facing him every day, then…"

Harry frowned. "Am I worth it?" he asked quietly.

Ron looked at him, then looked away. He didn't answer.

"I guess…I guess you have to decide on your own." Harry swallowed down all the other things he wanted to say. He slid off the chair onto the floor and went slowly to the door.

He felt defeated. If this had been Draco's plan all along, than it had worked. And there really wasn't much Harry could do about it. No threats or spells or anything would change what Draco had done.

He turned back at the door and his eyes went to Ron, so small and sad-looking in that huge chair. "Ron?"

Ron blinked wet eyes at him.

Harry met his eyes steadily, though his voice wavered a bit. "You know when I first got here I didn't know anything about…anything. I didn't know I was famous or anything like that."

Ron just looked at him.

Harry swallowed. "If we were different…if you were the Boy Who Lived and I was just Harry Potter the nobody, and all I had to look forward to was being your friend…I wouldn't think of going anywhere."

Ron bit his lip and turned away.

Harry shut the door behind him and started his slow way back to the school.

He should never have sat back and let Draco get his claws into Ron.

***

Ron blinked out at the empty house after Harry left. His vision was cloudy, and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

Harry thought he was disgusting.

But Harry wanted him to stay.

It didn't make any sense to Ron. When Harry had agreed with him, with Draco, that Ron was disgusting for what he felt, Ron had expected he would just shrivel and die on the spot.

But things were never that easy for him. Instead, Harry had told him to stay anyway.

Ron didn't know why. Couldn't even imagine why Harry would still want him around. He still had Hermione. And if he wanted some red-haired kid to be friends with, Draco was right -- there were more than enough Weasleys there to choose from.

The door opened and Hagrid came in with his usual bustle, bringing Fang in behind him, murmuring to the dog, and trying not to stare at Ron which of course meant he stared very hard for a second at a time before turning his eyes away.

Ron spoke quietly after a minute of Hagrid's low mutters. "Does everyone know where I am?"

Hagrid turned to him. "Er. Well. 'arry, obviously. 'ermione. And, er, I might've said somethin' ter, uh, ter Professor Dumbledore."

Ron just nodded. "I wonder why they let me stay."

"Well." Hagrid turned his attention back to his work, straightening things here and there, setting out some food for Fang, who was already fast asleep. "Not my place ter ask. Professor Dumbledore knows what 'e's doing well enough. I guess 'e figures yeh ought ter be 'ere. I don't know nothing about what's going on, but it's obvious yer not fit ter be in class right now."

Ron smiled thinly.

"Now." Hagrid turned to him. "Yer aren't talking to me about things, and from 'ow 'arry looked when 'e left yeh aren't talking to 'im. But yeh sure look like yeh been in the middle of things, and I guess yeh need time ter get over it."

"It's nothing like that," Ron answered lowly. "I'm not Harry. Not like anyone wants to kill me or anything."

"Well now. I don't think tryin' ter kill someone's the only way ter hurt 'em. In fact I believe Professor Dumbledore 'imself once told me that some of the most important battles a wizard 'as ter face 'ave nothing ter do with life or death or even bein' a wizard."

Ron looked his way. "Do you think so?"

"Sure I do. Why do yeh think they do things the way they do at Hogwarts? Takin' yeh away from yer families for the whole year, puttin' yeh alone with all the other students, puttin' people like that Draco Malfoy in with people like Harry."

Ron only flinched a little at Draco's name. "Why?"

Hagrid shrugged. "So yeh can learn things they can't teach in no class. Learn how ter fight them battles that don't have anything t'do with magic or death or anythin'."

Ron thought about that. "It doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"Nothin' does if yeh think about it hard enough. But if yer the type ter just give up and go home, well then, yer don't need to be here. Least that's what I figure."

"Maybe I don't."

Hagrid straightened up, surprised. "Oh! Well, I wasn't talkin' about yer in particular, Ron. Course not. I figure you'll see it through no matter what happens."

Ron blinked. "You do?"

"Sure I do. I've got eyes, haven't I? Besides, if yeh left there'd be a lot o' folks worse off."

Ron smiled sadly. "Harry. I'm not so sure."

Hagrid laughed. "Well I am if yer not. He needs yeh, Ron. You two are about as close as I've seen. And yeh know, I don' think Harry's troubles are over. Not by a lot." His eyes narrowed sadly. "Poor boy's got no idea. He needs someone like yeh."

"He's got Hermione."

"Yes, and she's a good friend as well. But she's got 'er books and 'er learnin', and she has a hard enough time choosin' what's most important ter her now."

Ron understood. "She has her books, yes. And I've got nothing. Nothing but to follow him around and…"

Hagrid's brow furrowed darkly. "Now that's it, Ron. I wanna know who's been talking ter yeh, putting thoughts like that into yer 'ead."

"You think I'm wrong?"

"I know yer are. Shouldn't be talking down on yourself because yer think friendship is more important than books. That doesn't make much sense ter me. Now, if yer asked me, I'd say it's Hermione that's gonna need a little straightening before her time here's up. Never pays ter put more stock in books than what's going on around yer."

"At least she has something of her own."

Hagrid laughed. "Well, if you'd call it that. Yer think you've got nothing like that, Ron?"

Ron shrugged.

Hagrid settled down heavily into the only other chair that wasn't cluttered by things. "I seem ter remember a certain chess game last year gettin' talked about by all the professors."

Ron sighed. "I suppose it was the greatest thing I'll ever do."

"And if it is, no shame in that. Few people do any greater."

Ron looked at him in surprise.

"Yer the one that made the choice. Didn' know what would happen, neither. Could have been killed. Should have, really. But yeh made that choice, and yeh did it to save… probably the whole world, if yeh think about it. More important right then, Harry and Hermione and the school. You've got yer friendship, yeah, but if that's not enough than you've got more courage and loyalty than most any other student I've ever seen pass through this school."

Ron blinked and one of those tears he'd been holding back dropped, and he wiped at it distractedly. "You really believe that?"

"Don't matter what I believe," Hagrid retorted gruffly. "It's the truth. Now bein' brave and loyal to yer friends may not get yeh very far in school or anythin' -- may not make yeh the head boy or put yeh on the Quidditch team. But school isn't life, as yeh must know. There's a lot goes on outside that castle over there. And out there's the only place that matters, really." Hagrid flushed suddenly under his beard. "Listen to me. Goin' on like this when yeh need ter be gettin' some sleep."

Ron frowned at that, remembering the long hours of the sleepless night before.

"Well, let's get yeh settled down, and maybe tomorrow yeh can run back over ter the school and talk ter Dumbledore yourself, if you've got questions."

But Ron wasn't sure he did have any. Not anymore.