A trip around the castle

There was no getting around it, Ron was bored. Not only had he finished all of his homework but he had started on the next weeks reading. All of this on a Friday night, it was in his opinion revolting.

Hermione is having a bad influence on me.

Just then Lavender and Parvati came down the stairs from their dorm.

"I can't believe you two don't have dates tonight." Ron called out.

"We decided to do some Divination tonight with some of the other girls. We are going to meet up in the great hall in a few minutes." Lavender replied.

"What medium are you working on?"

"Tarot reading at first and maybe a little trance meditation if we have the time."

"You should come with us Ron, I know you don't think too much of Divination but you did get an O in the OWL for it so you must have some ability." Parvati added.

Ron shrugged "What the hell, I'm not doing anything here but growing older."

Parvati and Lavender smiled "Good not only will it not just be girls but having you there might keep Malfoy from bugging us."

"Malfoy has been giving you two a hard time?"

They both frowned and Lavender replied "Just a little, I think he likes showing off in front of groups of girls."

Ron smiled for a moment "Well that would make my night. I get to work on my lessons with lovely ladies and kick Malfoy in the arse at the same time. Do you think I should send him a note saying where we are studying?" he smirked.

Ron stood up and the three of them headed out of the portrait door and towards the great hall with Lavender gone on about a new Tarot theory she had been reading about. As they walked that way Ron started to realize that Lavender might not be the brightest witch in Hogwarts but she did have a strong interest in Divination. Real Divination too not just the kind of palm reading bollocks that she read about in Witch Weekly. Maybe he had underestimated her.

After a few hours had passed Ron had to admit he was having a good time. Sure there was a bit too much giggling and a few times he had to stop them from saying something about a particular boy he had no right to or interest in hearing about but still all in all it was fun. He had also learned two things, first both Lavender and Parvati had at least some slight skill in Tarot reading and secondly he had absolutely none in it. He had also discovered that a lot of girls were starting to take a good long look at Neville and he wondered how Luna felt about it. As he pondered that he noticed that they were all looking at him and he thought he had heard Harry's named mentioned.

"Ummm sorry did I miss something?" he stammered.

"Not really we were just wondering what it was like to hang around with Harry so much?"

"Well most of time it's great, he's a hell of a bloke. It can get annoying though when everything he does end up in the Daily Prophet."

'Well well that's quiet the harem you have there Weasley. I guess they don't know you can't afford to feed them do they?"

Ron turned to see Malfoy standing with Crabbe and Goyle.

"What's the matter Malfoy, Daddy not buy you a date tonight?"

Draco's face darkened at that and his two flunkies took a step forward and cracked their knuckles.

"You think you're such a big man Weasley. You and that sad excuse for a family are going to get what's coming to them mark my words."

Ron stood up and took a step towards them. "I'll tell you what Malfoy why don't we have this out right now. We can just end all of this rubbish right here. You can even have those two knuckle draggers to help you."

"You'll fight the three of us? Alone?"

"Yep"

"What's the catch Weasel?"

"No catch and only two conditions. First we do it right here so your family can't cry that you were attacked unfairly."

Malfoy nodded "Whats the second condition?"

"Only one of us walks away. We put an end to this for good, right here and right now."

Malfoy went white as a ghost 'We can't do that; the winner will end up in Azkahban."

"You know Malfoy, for such a proponent of that pureblood crap you spout off all the time, you don't know much about wizarding laws. All we have to do is agree to a Blood Feud and our duel is perfectly legal."

Ron looked over at the table "Susan will you be my second?" Susan Bones looked him in the eye for a moment and then nodded her head. At that Ron pointed his wand at the floor and a long thin white line appeared on it. Ron put the point of his left foot on it and looked up at Draco. "I Ronald Weasley, do call forth the right of the Blood Feud on the House of Malfoy and here do I await its champion."

All the eyes in the Great hall turned to Draco Malfoy and he seemed to have started sweating.

"I'm waiting for some of your awesome pureblood magic Malfoy." Ron taunted.

Malfoy took a step forward and then took one backwards just as quickly.

"I should warn you Malfoy, my challenge was deemed worthy by the spell. If you refuse you will pay a price."

Malfoy looked stricken by this knowledge "What sort of price?"

"It varies however normally it is some sort of obvious blemish such as a giant boil or horrible scar. The only way to get rid of it would be for me to agree to its lifting and we both know how likely that is. Now I am going to ask you one last time, will you stand the challenge or will you wear the mantle of coward?"

Draco stood there a moment longer and then with a strangled cry turned and ran from the Great Hall with Crabbe and Goyle right behind him.

Ron lowered his wand and looked around '"Well I should have known that ruddy git wouldn't have the bollocks to fight."

Lavender's voice broke through his thoughts 'Well honestly Ron I wouldn't fight you either."

Ron laughed "Ok but you wouldn't treat people like Malfoy does either."

She smiled at him "No I wouldn't especially if I knew there were people around like you and Harry looking to hex my arse into oblivion."

Parvati giggled "I think lot's of blokes would like to hex your arse Lavender but you don't have that much free time."

Ron rolled his eyes at Parvati's horrible joke.

"Ron where did you learn that spell you cast to fight Draco?"

"All I can really say Susan is I have some friends who are really interested in the way things were done a long time ago."

She nodded at that and then smiled a bit. "The three of you are pretty interesting people, I'm glad I'm around to see what all happens."

Ron's smile disappeared "Maybe you should rethink that, people around us tend to die."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry had long passed simple boredom. He had left tedium behind two hours ago, now he was out of his bloody mind with boredom. He looked over the book he was supposed to be reading and saw that Hermione was still searching like mad through every book she could get her hands on. The worst part was that he knew for certain that Ginny was waiting for him. Nice soft warm Ginny who always smelled nice and whose lips tasted like heaven.

Snap out of it Potter, if Hermione notices you daydreaming she will kill you.

Suddenly Hermione slammed her book down on the table "Finally, now we're getting some where."

Harry looked up hopefully "I take it you found something?"

With a huge smile on her face she started explaining it to Harry. "According to this book, at the very founding of Hogwarts, Rowena Ravenclaw left the Cauldron of Medea in the care of the foundation of the school."

Harry looked puzzled "So it's under the school?"

"Well that's what it sounds like but I think it's more of an allusion rather than literal. Now all we have to do is figure out what it really means."

Harry groaned "Do we have to do that tonight?"

Hermione looked up at him and then grinned a bit "Go on Harry, I'm sure Ginny will be more than glad to help you with whatever your problem is."

"You're not coming too?"

"I am going to just look up a few things and then I will be right behind you."

"Hermione I think you're pushing it a bit." Harry said softly.

"Oh Harry I'm not even tired, I normally stay up a lot later studying than this."

"That's not what I mean Hermione."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile Ron and his "harem" were headed to the kitchens for a snack.