Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ron Weasely or any of the
characters or place names by J.K. Rowling. (However Lydia Fronzeway IS my
creation! Thank you!)
Harry cleared his throat when Ron didn't answer right away.
"So, hey is everything all right?" Ron swallowed his last bite, turned and smiled at his friend, feeling strangely happy. But not just any happy. He felt... Bubbly.
"Oh, hi, Harry!" Ron said brightly. "I'm just great! Sorry, I haven't been too talkative. I'm feeling all right now. Tip top in fact!" Ron got up and walked over to his friend. Clapping Harry on the shoulder he said, "I've been meaning to ask you, let's get up early tomorrow for some Quidditch practice! What do you say, mate?" Harry stared blankly at his friend. What was wrong with Ron?
"Uh. Yeah, sure, Ron. Um. How early were you thinking?"
"Oh, how about five-thirty?" Ron smiled brightly. Harry's blank stare continued.
"Five-THIRTY?? As in the morning?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, uh..." Harry scratched his rough-shaven cheek. He wanted to make peace with Ron, whatever the problem was, but he was acting funny. "Sure."
"Great! Well, I'm going down to the lounge. See you later, mate!" Ron floated out of the room. He felt light and happy. How strange. He didn't know what was going on, but he really didn't care. He'd never felt so happy in his life. When he got downstairs the room was filled with Gryffindors including Hermione and Ginny who were sitting with the new girl on the overstuffed couch in front of the roaring fireplace. Ron walked easily up to the group of girls.
"Hi!" He smiled widely with a wink at the brown haired girl who blushed and ducked her head. Ginny and Hermione took one look at Ron and started giggling. "What?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face. Hermione just clapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head. "Well, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Ginny smiled sweetly at her brother.
"This is Lydia Fronzeway. She was a student at a small school in the Bahamas. What was it, the Island School of Witchcraft and Wizadry?" Lydia nodded her head. Ron plopped down on the couch, squeezing between Hermione and Lydia. By this time Ron's boldness had gotten the attention of quite a few people in the lounge. As they watched him they were forced to smother their laughs.
"So, Lydia, do you like Quidditch?" Ron asked smiling openly. Lydia grinned, her face lighting up.
"Oh, yes!" she breathed. "I love Quidditch! We have a small team on the islands, but they're good! You should see them play in a hurricane!" Ron's eyes widened.
"A hurricane? You're joking! Even the Chudley Cannons can't play in a strong wind. What's the team's name? Have they played at the Quidditch Cup?"
"They're the Bermuda Blazers. They just organized a few years ago and have been practicing to be able to go next year. Do you play, Ron?" she batted her eyes. He stuck his chest out proudly.
"Yeah, I do! I'm goal keeper for the Gryffindor team."
"Wow! I bet you're good!"
At this point Ginny and Hermione got up and snuck away to leave the two alone. As soon as they were far enough away Ginny started giggling uncontrollably.
"Just look at him! He's a new Ron!" Hermione surveyed her friend with an odd smile on her face.
"Yes. I didn't think the Confidence Potion would work THAT well. Maybe adding the Elixir of Happiness was a little much. How many of the meat pies did he eat?"
"Well, knowing Ron he ate all of them."
"What?!" Hermione groaned. "Oh, no. I hadn't counted on that. It explains why he's a little over the top. Just look at him. It's almost sick watching them."
"Well, it worked didn't it? Maybe this will be the boost he needs." Hermione frowned slightly, a little worried.
"It wears off in a few hours, you know.. He'll probably have slept most of it off by the morning. I'm just worried he'll go back to being depressed. Has Harry talked to him yet?" Ginny shrugged.
"I don't know. He was supposed to." At that moment Ron suddenly threw back his head and laughed loudly. Lydia giggled next to him, covering her mouth delicately. Hermione smiled.
"They do make a cute match, though, don't they? I hope everything works out."
"Me, too. I'm really getting tired of his whining." The girls went up to their room and as the night wore on the Gryffindor lounge slowly emptied until it was just Lydia and Ron.
"I'm sure you'll like our school, Lydia. Most everyone is friendly. You'll just need to watch out for a few of the Slytherins." Lydia smiled up at him.
"I really like you, Ron. I'm glad my father moved here. I was really worried about making friends." Her eyes sparkled beautifully in the firelight and Ron smiled.
"I'm really glad you moved here, too. I -" Ron stopped talking for a moment. For a second his head felt funny. He shook his head slightly.
"Are you alright, Ron?" Lydia asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe I should head to bed. I have some early morning Quidditch practice."
"Oh, okay." She sounded a little disappointed.
"What do you say we have breakfast together tomorrow morning?" Ron asked, not wanting to leave on a bad note. Her face brightened instantly.
"Oh, all right! Sure." She got up and waved to Ron shyly. "Goodnight!" After she left Ron slowly got up. His head felt slightly fuzzy and his stomach felt a little queezy. He rubbed his stomach uncomfortably.
"Maybe I ate too fast," he mumbled and wandered upstairs. By that time Dean, Seamus, and Harry were fast asleep. Ron quickly changed into his p.j.'s and fell into bed. The moment his head hit the pillow he was out.
*** Stay tuned for the next installment of Ronald the Great... the ominously mysterious miracle is hovering in Ron's future! What will become of him?? (suspensful music plays) All right! Now's the time to REVIEW! Review Review!
Harry cleared his throat when Ron didn't answer right away.
"So, hey is everything all right?" Ron swallowed his last bite, turned and smiled at his friend, feeling strangely happy. But not just any happy. He felt... Bubbly.
"Oh, hi, Harry!" Ron said brightly. "I'm just great! Sorry, I haven't been too talkative. I'm feeling all right now. Tip top in fact!" Ron got up and walked over to his friend. Clapping Harry on the shoulder he said, "I've been meaning to ask you, let's get up early tomorrow for some Quidditch practice! What do you say, mate?" Harry stared blankly at his friend. What was wrong with Ron?
"Uh. Yeah, sure, Ron. Um. How early were you thinking?"
"Oh, how about five-thirty?" Ron smiled brightly. Harry's blank stare continued.
"Five-THIRTY?? As in the morning?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, uh..." Harry scratched his rough-shaven cheek. He wanted to make peace with Ron, whatever the problem was, but he was acting funny. "Sure."
"Great! Well, I'm going down to the lounge. See you later, mate!" Ron floated out of the room. He felt light and happy. How strange. He didn't know what was going on, but he really didn't care. He'd never felt so happy in his life. When he got downstairs the room was filled with Gryffindors including Hermione and Ginny who were sitting with the new girl on the overstuffed couch in front of the roaring fireplace. Ron walked easily up to the group of girls.
"Hi!" He smiled widely with a wink at the brown haired girl who blushed and ducked her head. Ginny and Hermione took one look at Ron and started giggling. "What?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face. Hermione just clapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head. "Well, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Ginny smiled sweetly at her brother.
"This is Lydia Fronzeway. She was a student at a small school in the Bahamas. What was it, the Island School of Witchcraft and Wizadry?" Lydia nodded her head. Ron plopped down on the couch, squeezing between Hermione and Lydia. By this time Ron's boldness had gotten the attention of quite a few people in the lounge. As they watched him they were forced to smother their laughs.
"So, Lydia, do you like Quidditch?" Ron asked smiling openly. Lydia grinned, her face lighting up.
"Oh, yes!" she breathed. "I love Quidditch! We have a small team on the islands, but they're good! You should see them play in a hurricane!" Ron's eyes widened.
"A hurricane? You're joking! Even the Chudley Cannons can't play in a strong wind. What's the team's name? Have they played at the Quidditch Cup?"
"They're the Bermuda Blazers. They just organized a few years ago and have been practicing to be able to go next year. Do you play, Ron?" she batted her eyes. He stuck his chest out proudly.
"Yeah, I do! I'm goal keeper for the Gryffindor team."
"Wow! I bet you're good!"
At this point Ginny and Hermione got up and snuck away to leave the two alone. As soon as they were far enough away Ginny started giggling uncontrollably.
"Just look at him! He's a new Ron!" Hermione surveyed her friend with an odd smile on her face.
"Yes. I didn't think the Confidence Potion would work THAT well. Maybe adding the Elixir of Happiness was a little much. How many of the meat pies did he eat?"
"Well, knowing Ron he ate all of them."
"What?!" Hermione groaned. "Oh, no. I hadn't counted on that. It explains why he's a little over the top. Just look at him. It's almost sick watching them."
"Well, it worked didn't it? Maybe this will be the boost he needs." Hermione frowned slightly, a little worried.
"It wears off in a few hours, you know.. He'll probably have slept most of it off by the morning. I'm just worried he'll go back to being depressed. Has Harry talked to him yet?" Ginny shrugged.
"I don't know. He was supposed to." At that moment Ron suddenly threw back his head and laughed loudly. Lydia giggled next to him, covering her mouth delicately. Hermione smiled.
"They do make a cute match, though, don't they? I hope everything works out."
"Me, too. I'm really getting tired of his whining." The girls went up to their room and as the night wore on the Gryffindor lounge slowly emptied until it was just Lydia and Ron.
"I'm sure you'll like our school, Lydia. Most everyone is friendly. You'll just need to watch out for a few of the Slytherins." Lydia smiled up at him.
"I really like you, Ron. I'm glad my father moved here. I was really worried about making friends." Her eyes sparkled beautifully in the firelight and Ron smiled.
"I'm really glad you moved here, too. I -" Ron stopped talking for a moment. For a second his head felt funny. He shook his head slightly.
"Are you alright, Ron?" Lydia asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe I should head to bed. I have some early morning Quidditch practice."
"Oh, okay." She sounded a little disappointed.
"What do you say we have breakfast together tomorrow morning?" Ron asked, not wanting to leave on a bad note. Her face brightened instantly.
"Oh, all right! Sure." She got up and waved to Ron shyly. "Goodnight!" After she left Ron slowly got up. His head felt slightly fuzzy and his stomach felt a little queezy. He rubbed his stomach uncomfortably.
"Maybe I ate too fast," he mumbled and wandered upstairs. By that time Dean, Seamus, and Harry were fast asleep. Ron quickly changed into his p.j.'s and fell into bed. The moment his head hit the pillow he was out.
*** Stay tuned for the next installment of Ronald the Great... the ominously mysterious miracle is hovering in Ron's future! What will become of him?? (suspensful music plays) All right! Now's the time to REVIEW! Review Review!