Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing you recognise.
Pansy opened her eyes to see Ron looking at her from his bed. She felt herself blushing.
"What?" Pansy asked self-consciously. Ron smiled.
"Nothing. I was thinking how cute you look when you're sleeping."
Pansy smiled. "What about when I'm awake?"
"Awake?" Ron repeated. "Why, then you're even cuter." Pansy grinned and made her way over to his bed. She sat down and was about to kiss him when raised voices were heard from the other room. Groaning, Pansy sat up.
"I'll see to it," she said.
"Thanks," Ron replied. "I'm going to the common room for a minute to grab some homework." He smirked. "I won't leave you with the little terrors for too long." Pansy grunted.
"You'd better not. See you soon."
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When Ron reached the common room he looked around for Hermione, but couldn't see her.
"Lavender," he called. "Where's Hermione?" Both Lavender and Parvati giggled.
"She's right over there," Lavender said, pointing at the couch.
Ron stared. It was no wonder he hadn't recognized his friend. She had straight hair, and instead of the normally loose and comfortable clothes she wore, Hermione was dressed in a short skirt which showed off her good legs and a tank top which flaunted her good figure. If Ron had still felt the same way about Hermione as he did a few days ago he would have guessed that now would be the time for a cold shower.
However, it was someone else who was looking as though he needed the shower – and quickly. The boy Ron had seen talking to Hermione yesterday was sitting with one arm around the girl and kept staring at Hermione's body before guiltily dragging his eyes back up to her face, which he did seem to find just as enthralling. Ron just shook his head and smiled, ignoring Lavender and Parvati, who were whispering and giggling as they watched the two on the couch.
Ron walked by them and up to the dormitory to get the work he'd left there the day before. He'd been hoping for someone to talk to about last night, but it seemed the other boys were all at breakfast. Feeling slightly disappointed, Ron left the common room to go back to the room he shared with Pansy.
While he was approaching the room, Ron heard the sound of the boys yelling and Pansy trying to control them. He walked in to find a full-scale tantrum going on.
"I hate it! I hate you! I hate all of you!" Draco screamed.
"Draco, just calm down," Pansy said in a voice that was trying to be controlled, but was betrayed by the angry look in her eyes.
"I won't! You always leave me out of things! I'm sick of it! Just leave me alone!"
Draco tried to run past Ron and out the door, but the older boy caught him as he went past.
"Draco," Ron warned.
"Get off! I hate you!" Draco screamed again and lashed out at Ron, hitting him on the cheek. Caught by surprise, Ron let go of the boy and he was off. The door slammed and Draco was gone.
Ron walked forward. "What happened?" he asked Pansy and a shell-shocked Harry. Pansy glanced down at the eight-year-old.
"Harry was teasing him, weren't you Harry? You were saying that you knew all of our secrets and that we didn't trust Draco with them. Weren't you Harry?"
"Yes," Harry murmured almost inaudibly.
"Harry." Ron looked at the boy in surprise. He hadn't thought Harry would be mean like that. "Why did you do that?" Harry said nothing. "Well?" Harry shrugged.
"I don't know," he said, still in the same soft voice. "I just did."
Ron and Pansy's eyes met and they both understood what to do.
"Harry, go to your room," Ron commanded. "You can come out later." Harry nodded and shuffled towards his room.
"I'm sorry," he said in a small voice. Ron and Pansy said nothing.
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Draco was down in the dungeons sitting on the lap of the potions master. Angry tears were spilling out of his eyes and Professor Snape was rubbing his back comfortingly.
"I hate them," Draco muttered in between sobs. "They always leave me out. Harry's more special to them than I am."
"Draco," Snape began soothingly. "You're very special to them. Just as they're special to you."
"They're not," Draco muttered rebelliously. Snape chose to ignore this comment, and concentrated on making Draco feel better.
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At around 11:30 that night, all four of them were fast asleep. In the boys' room Draco was sleeping peacefully, but Harry was tossing and turning, tormented once again by a dream.
The tall man stood in the middle of the floor. There was no one else in sight, though Harry could sense another person in the room.
"You will not fail me this time, will you Wormtail?" the man asked.
"No, my Lord," Harry heard the other squeak.
"Good." The tall man pulled out a wand and flicked it in a complicated pattern, saying words that Harry could not understand.
"Thank you my Lord." The voice saying this was a different one, a slightly familiar one, though it came from the same place as Wormtail's had.
"Go," commanded the tall man and a loud crack told Harry that the other man had apparated.
The dream changed into something else and Harry slept on for half an hour before he felt himself being shaken awake.
Ron stood over him. He put a finger to his lips and motioned for Harry to follow him out of their room and into the corridor. They didn't notice another pair of eyes watching them from the other bed.
Draco was furious. After what had happened this afternoon, everyone had apologized for making him feel that he was left out; yet here Ron and Harry were doing it again! Draco quietly got out of bed and followed them, peering into the corridor where Ron was leading Harry away. Draco turned back quickly to make sure Pansy was still asleep and then did a double take. Not one bed, but two were occupied. Ron was still in bed.
Draco looked out the corridor again, clearly seeing Ron taking away Harry. 'It's a trick,' Draco thought numbly. 'It must be.' However, a sense of uneasiness was growing. Giving into it, he woke his two caretakers and explained what was happening.
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Meanwhile, Harry was being lead down the passageway.
"Where are we going?" he asked the red head, but he said nothing except: "Shh. I need to tell you something, but not here."
They walked on for a while and Harry was growing increasingly impatient. He started to whine.
"Ron, where are we going? Why are we going there? What's happening?" Ron took no notice except to tell him to be quiet. At last he turned and grabbed Harry's arm, tight enough to hurt.
"Shut the hell up," he hissed. I'll tell you when I'm ready." Shocked, Harry followed silently, not daring to complain anymore.
At last Ron stopped before an old portrait. He tapped it with his wand and whispered something that made the portrait swing forward.
"Is this a -,"
"Secret passageway, yes," Ron said. "Quickly, go in."
"But why are we -,"
"Just go!" Ron started shoving him in, when they were interrupted by a yell.
Three people raced towards them – Draco, Pansy and Ron, who was holding the Marauder's map. Harry stared at them, looking from one Ron to the other.
"Harry," Pansy cried. "Quickly, get over here."
"Harry," the Ron who had led him there was speaking. "This is what I was going to tell you. Pansy and Draco – they're evil, Harry. They're Slytherins. They're trying to kill you – they've even got a double of me to make you trust them!"
Harry looked doubtfully from one to the other. He didn't know who to trust.
"Harry, c'mere," Draco yelled. "He's going to kill you."
The Ron with Pansy and Draco had pulled out his wand and shot a stunning spell at the other Ron. Pansy and Draco followed suit but the other Ron was dodging all of them. He pulled out his wand and bellowed, "Sectumsempra!"
Pansy dodged the curse, but it hit her on the shoulder. She gasped and fell to the floor, clutching her shoulder which was bleeding frantically. His mind made up, Harry ran towards Pansy, realizing that the real Ron would never use this spell. Seeing this, the fake Ron turned and ran down the passageway, closing it as he ran.
"Follow him," Ron yelled, running after him, but the portrait refused to open.
"You need a password," Harry explained. "I don't know it."
Ron nodded. "We should get Pansy to the hospital wing straightaway," he said, helping her up and supporting her. She had gone alarmingly white and Ron hurried to get her to Madame Pomfry.
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Ron made his way up to Professor Dumbledore's office after leaving the boys with Pansy in the hospital wing. Madame Pomfry had assured them that Pansy would be alright in a few hours, but Ron was still going to return as soon as he had spoken to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked very serious when Ron had finished relating his tale.
"I assume there was a portkey waiting outside, or perhaps Peter had planned to apparate both of them." He was silent for a minute. "I'll put a charm on your rooms," he told Ron. "No one will be able to enter other than the four of you."
"Thank you Sir," Ron stood up. "Goodnight."
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Ron returned to the hospital wing to find Pansy sitting up in bed. Madame Pomfry was insisting that she stay overnight to make sure she was alright so Ron took a seat next to the boys.
Locking eyes with Pansy, they silently agreed that it was time to tell them about Voldemort. Haltingly, Ron explained who Voldemort was, how and why he'd killed Harry's parents, and how Harry was the sole survivor of the attack.
Then he told them about Harvey Grotter who had gone through Hogwarts, facing Voldemort every year and defeating him with the Philosopher's stone, the Chamber of Secrets and many other ways ending with finding a prophecy. Harry and Draco listened with wide eyes and when at last Ron finished there was an awed silence.
"Wow," Draco breathed.
"What happened to Harvey?" Harry asked. Pansy and Ron exchanged glances.
"He… disappeared," Ron told them. The two boys nodded, still staring at Ron.
"Alright," Ron said, feeling uncomfortable. "Time to let Pansy go to sleep." He led the boys back to their rooms, and within moments they were fast asleep.