Jealousy

Ron, now lying in his four poster at school, listening to Neville's low snores, wondered how the day could have taken such a plunge.

The day had started out well, getting Yugi and himself to the train and saying goodbye to parents, looking forward to seeing Hermione for the first time in weeks. But things had soon changed. Hermione had had another boy with her, some bloke name Ryou, yet another person of Yugi's acquaintance. The boy stood fairly tall, with white hair and mint green eyes. Ron viewed himself as much better looking. After a few minutes talking he had found out Hermione had spent much of the last few weeks of summer with Ryou and they were now fast friends.

All this slowly sent Ron deeper and deeper into the depths of despair. He liked Hermione; he had practically always liked Hermione, so who did this guy think he was anyway? He had become moodier and moodier as the train ride progressed. Then he had gotten into a fight with Hermione about something and left the compartment and spent the rest of the trip in another compartment with Ginny and Luna. It didn't truly matter any more what the fight had been about, just the look she had given him, the look that seemed to be her questioning why she ever put up with him. This look he hated to see above all else.

Some day he reasoned she would finally come to a conclusion to that question. 'Why do I put up with him?' and he suspected her results would not be a good conclusion – for him at least- and she would leave him. He had after all always been the smallest, youngest, and stupidest one, the one that would never amount to anything. It came from being the youngest of six boys he surmised, five brothers who had done everything first it seemed.

Now he was just left with his thoughts in the darkness. The darkness that kept creeping closer and closer and the darkness that contained all his nightmares. Inevitably though the shadows consumed him and the next thing he knew it was the next morning, another morning to face Hermione. Why couldn't the day just stop and leave him here?

"Wake up sleepy head! We all slept in late and that means you get up now!" well apparently Harry was in a good mood.

Ron simply groaned.

"Now!" a pillow landed on his head as his hangings got pulled apart letting in a painful amount of sunlight.

Ron groaned again rolling over and pulling his covers over his head. "Coming." It was more a moan then anything else but apparently Harry got the message.

"Well maybe if you could string two coherent sentences I would!" Hermione replied, not yelling but her voice was harsh against his ears all the same. "He offers intelligent conversation, something you lack very much in Ronald Weasley!" he was in trouble she had called him by his full name, Ron cringed. "See you later Harry, when this idiot gets some brains." And she stormed off.

He had only asked her why she liked Ryou so much! In the most polite matter possible..... Well ok he hadn't been very polite, and the oatmeal dripping off his spoon probably did not add to the attractiveness of the situation and the dumb look that he normally had in the morning. Man it sucked to be him!

"She'll be ok by our first class." Harry commented, no doubt trying to be reassuring, but no doubt taking her side deep down as usual.

"I don't care." Ron replied in a mutter, glaring up at Harry over his spoon. Harry only gave him a skeptical 'yeah right' glance. "I really don't!"

"Did I say anything?" Harry asked, seeming to play off innocent.

Ron gave him a humph and turned back to his cereal, wishing half heartedly that Harry would leave.

Later on his way to his first class 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' –this should be interesting- he hung back from the other three. 'None of them cared anyway right!' he thought defiantly. Who should show up to 'brighten' his mood then the one and only Draco Malfoy! Well it seemed he wasn't an only any longer, some strange boy with sandy blond hair –another spiky haired dude- and strikingly lavender eyes walked confidently beside him.