CHAPTER FOUR

Ron, Ruler of the World

Ron decided to keep Harry company in the hospital wing. Yes, he had gotten himself hurt again. Three broken ribs, from Malfoy shoving him. Madam Pomfrey insisted that Harry stay overnight. To pass the time, they played wizards chess, and Harry actually won. They did their homework, talked about Quidditch and muggle games.

It was nearly 10 o'clock before Madam Pomfrey ordered Ron to leave. "See you tomorrow, Harry."

"Ok. Bye." Ron headed up to the Gryffindor common room quietly, after waking up the very grumpy Fat Lady. He decided to stay up and study what he had gotten from Hogsmeade earlier that day, after the game was finished.. It was a small book, with many blank white pages, not unlike Riddle's diary they found in the second year. This small blank book cost all the Galleons he had won from playing poker with Harry.

The book had two uses: It could be used to control the brain, or could be used as sort of a mind reader. But, as Ron read, "Not for illegal, sexual, or otherwise inappropriate uses. If used for such a purpose, the ministry will automatically be notified and the book will cease to work."

"Darn," Ron muttered under his breath. "I could have made Professor Snape walk off a mountain and make it look as if he had committed suicide." Ron read the directions for the "brain controlling" use and took out a quill. He wrote the words

"Hermione Granger" in the top left-hand corner of the first page of the book. Then, just below her name, he wrote,

"You're thirsty. Go to the common room for a drink of water." Ron doubted it would work; but it was worth a shot. A couple minutes later, Hermione walked down the staircase from the girl's dormitories leading to the common room.

"R -Ron? W - what are you doing here?" Hermione asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, nothing much. I couldn't sleep in the boy's dormitories because Neville's snores were louder than usual tonight," Ron lied. " What are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Just getting a -" she yawned, " - drink of water."

So the book did work, Ron thought happily. "Hermione - did you know what Harry was going to ask earlier?" Hermione blushed very deeply, but did not reply.

"Come on, admit it Mione, you know you love him back! He was going to ask you out!"

Hermione still didn't say a word, but poured herself water out of a silver pitcher, and headed back up to the girl's dormitories.

"Girls," Ron muttered to himself, shaking his head. He turned back toward the book. "Now for the mind-reading part," Ron said to himself. He read the directions, and then began to write. He wrote "Draco Malfoy" in the top right hand corner of a new page.

Then he scribbled right below the name, "What is your deepest, darkest secret?" Then, right below where Ron had written the question, words started to flow onto the page, which read this:

"I love Ginny Weasley." Ron turned paler than a ghost usually was. GINNY? His own little sister? What the - His thoughts were cut off by Crookshanks crawling down the stairs and purring loudly. He hopped onto Ron's lap, looking up at him expectantly as though wanting to be petted. Ron stroked his glistening golden coat a few times before sighing deeply.

"I will kill that bloody ferret," he said, too tired to kill Draco right now. "I don't know about you," he said, scratching behind Crookshanks's ears, "But I really am beat. If I could find out a way to get Harry and Hermione together, strangle Malfoy for being taken to my little sister, and on top of all have a good time, I'm happy." Ron looked into Crookshank's big yellow eyes.

Then, seeing snow beginning to fall outside the common room window, he had a grand idea. The only thing was, he wasn't sure if it would work.

The next morning, while the others were at breakfast, Ron went searching for Dumbledore: he was going to put his idea into action.

When he had made his way over to where Professor Dumbledore was, he knocked on the great oak door very loudly, not knowing what the password was to get inside. The door opened swiftly and revealed the old and feeble Professor, his half-moon spectacles glinting in the morning sunshine.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley, do come in," he said warmly, stepping aside to make a space in which Ron could walk through. Dumbledore sat down, and motioned for Ron to do the same.

"I see you haven't brought the usual gang along with you," he announced, a slight sound of curiosity mingled in his kind voice.

"Yeah Professor," Ron replied, looking away and scratching the back of his neck. "You see, I had and - er - idea. And I think it might accomplish some things that I've been trying to do, as well as entertain other people," Ron broke off, not knowing how to explain what his idea was.

"Understandable," Dumbledore said coolly. "Go on."

"Well - Many people enjoyed the last time we hosted a ball here. And I was thinking - maybe we could do something similar, perhaps a Christmas ball or something like that. It could be great fun," Ron said hurriedly.

Dumbledore stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It is definitely an idea the staff and I could think over. Sounds nice, in light of the holiday spirits and everything else," Dumbledore said, standing up and pacing around.

"Yes, definitely something to think about. Good idea, I say. Spirits aren't so high with the War, what we need now is a Christmas ball to liven Hogwarts up a bit… In the meantime, Mr. Weasley, what, may I ask, will you accomplish by our school throwing a Christmas ball?"

Ron smiled, his ears reddening slightly. "Oh, nothing much, it just so happens that I was -er-trying to get a couple people together, and-"

"Mr. Potter and Mrs. Granger, I daresay?" Dumbledore asked. Ron blushed even deeper, and Professor Dumbledore seemed to use that as the answer to his own question. "Yes - in my time, I was the old matchmaker. I even helped get your mum and dad together," he added smartly, nodding to Ron, an obvious look of amusement on his face.

"Best be off," Ron said hastily. He really didn't want to here about how his parents got together. "Don't want to end up late for Charms." And with that, he bid Dumbledore a good-bye and rushed back to the Great Hall, in a slightly better mood then he was before.