Ronald Weasley was up to something.
Any half-wit could tell-he looked no one in the eye, he walked way too quickly (so he kept tripping over his own cloak), and his ears were as red as his carroty mop-top. However, no one really cared. Ron wasn't the one in his family to be reckoned with- that was Fred and George. Or so they thought.
He flew around the corner and breathlessly muttered the password. The Fat Lady peered reproachfully at the small bulge in his cloak. Then she got her face smashed into the wall as Ron swung her open and scrambled inside the hole, growling, "Don't look at me like that!" He moved very slowly after that, inches at a time, and he jumped at the slightest noise. Finally, he got close enough to slump down into a squashy chair by the fire, and felt safe enough to take a peep at his stolen prize.
It was a pendant.
A measly pendant.
Ron was outraged-and a little ashamed. He had gone through all bloody THAT- sneaking up on Hermione Granger (it was almost impossible-he tried several times), practicing for weeks to perfect a Hovering spell quiet enough to get something out of her bag, managing to grab it before she noticed it, and writing several excuses for any occasion to use for an escape-to lift a tiny piece of JEWELERY!?!?!?!?!? Fred and George-not to mention Lee, who had made him take the dare-were gonna take the mickey out on him for weeks! Then he took a closer look.
It was actually rather a fascinating little thing. The thin silver chain led to a single hourglass-shaped bauble at the end, with no visible clasp or loops anywhere. The trinket dangled quite freely with golden settings holding the glass. The sand inside was rather odd-it never stayed the same color-yellow, then green, orange, blue, red, and every other color under the sun. It made him a little nervous, like the tiny charm was alive and knew who he was. "Hey, this is pretty cool," he muttered under his breath. "Why would Hermione have something like this in her bag-she's not one for jewelry.hey, maybe it's magic. Yeah, magic! It could be what helps her be so smart!" He nervously glanced around, then slipped the chain over his freckled face and down on his neck.
"Well, maybe she won't notice it's gone. It's so small," he reasoned. "I'll not keep it forever-she'll get it back soon. It's not like I'm keeping it forever, and I'll need it for my exams so much more than she does. You can't really study on a broken leg." his voice died. Yep, that would be a good excuse. So why am I still so nervous? Maybe I'm not nervous- the funny feeling in my stomach is probably just gas.
Once again, the hourglass caught his eye. He started to finger it curiously- what does an hourglass have to do with being smart anyway? He figured that if he turned it on, he'd be smart enough to know, but there was no button or spell on it. He examined every inch, just to be sure, then even tried tapping it wit his wand. No good. Frustrated, he gave up for now and leaned back, pouting. When he had gotten THAT out of his system, he pulled the necklace level with his eyes to admire it some more. To catch the light, he slid off the chair, lay in front of the fire, and spun it with his fingers. The hourglass spun and spun and spun, and Ron kept staring at the gleaming gold and the wildly shifting colors, until he couldn't help it-his eyes closed, and Ron Weasley was snoring on the carpet.
Any half-wit could tell-he looked no one in the eye, he walked way too quickly (so he kept tripping over his own cloak), and his ears were as red as his carroty mop-top. However, no one really cared. Ron wasn't the one in his family to be reckoned with- that was Fred and George. Or so they thought.
He flew around the corner and breathlessly muttered the password. The Fat Lady peered reproachfully at the small bulge in his cloak. Then she got her face smashed into the wall as Ron swung her open and scrambled inside the hole, growling, "Don't look at me like that!" He moved very slowly after that, inches at a time, and he jumped at the slightest noise. Finally, he got close enough to slump down into a squashy chair by the fire, and felt safe enough to take a peep at his stolen prize.
It was a pendant.
A measly pendant.
Ron was outraged-and a little ashamed. He had gone through all bloody THAT- sneaking up on Hermione Granger (it was almost impossible-he tried several times), practicing for weeks to perfect a Hovering spell quiet enough to get something out of her bag, managing to grab it before she noticed it, and writing several excuses for any occasion to use for an escape-to lift a tiny piece of JEWELERY!?!?!?!?!? Fred and George-not to mention Lee, who had made him take the dare-were gonna take the mickey out on him for weeks! Then he took a closer look.
It was actually rather a fascinating little thing. The thin silver chain led to a single hourglass-shaped bauble at the end, with no visible clasp or loops anywhere. The trinket dangled quite freely with golden settings holding the glass. The sand inside was rather odd-it never stayed the same color-yellow, then green, orange, blue, red, and every other color under the sun. It made him a little nervous, like the tiny charm was alive and knew who he was. "Hey, this is pretty cool," he muttered under his breath. "Why would Hermione have something like this in her bag-she's not one for jewelry.hey, maybe it's magic. Yeah, magic! It could be what helps her be so smart!" He nervously glanced around, then slipped the chain over his freckled face and down on his neck.
"Well, maybe she won't notice it's gone. It's so small," he reasoned. "I'll not keep it forever-she'll get it back soon. It's not like I'm keeping it forever, and I'll need it for my exams so much more than she does. You can't really study on a broken leg." his voice died. Yep, that would be a good excuse. So why am I still so nervous? Maybe I'm not nervous- the funny feeling in my stomach is probably just gas.
Once again, the hourglass caught his eye. He started to finger it curiously- what does an hourglass have to do with being smart anyway? He figured that if he turned it on, he'd be smart enough to know, but there was no button or spell on it. He examined every inch, just to be sure, then even tried tapping it wit his wand. No good. Frustrated, he gave up for now and leaned back, pouting. When he had gotten THAT out of his system, he pulled the necklace level with his eyes to admire it some more. To catch the light, he slid off the chair, lay in front of the fire, and spun it with his fingers. The hourglass spun and spun and spun, and Ron kept staring at the gleaming gold and the wildly shifting colors, until he couldn't help it-his eyes closed, and Ron Weasley was snoring on the carpet.