CHAPTER THREE-FURY
Ron was still fuming when he woke up the next morning. All the other boys were still asleep and when Ron glanced at the clock on the wall he instantly knew why. The clock read 5:43 a.m! Their first class wasn't supposed to start for another two hours and 17 minutes exactly. Ron tried to get back to sleep but images of Harry and Hermione kissing kept entering his head. Giving up on the fact that he wasn't going to be able to get any sleep, he crept downstairs. The fire had already been started even though nobody was awake, and so he sat down in one of the chairs near the fire and began wallowing in self pity.
"I just can't believe that Harry would betray me like this. Wait, he would only be betraying me if I had told him that I liked Hermione. But, how was I supposed to know that Harry liked her also, or maybe he's just pretending to like her. I can't believe that he would do something like that. How could he do something like that to my Hermione? Oh what am I thinking she's not my Hermione, she's Harry's Hermione and I'm going to have to pretend that I don't care otherwise I'll have nobody. I've never been one to take things lying down. What am I going to do?" Ron said this to himself while bringing his hands up to face.
"Are you okay there buddy?" a voice said from behind him. Ron whipped his head around so fast that he got a crick in his neck. While rubbing his neck he recognized Neville.
What are you doing down here so early in the morning Neville, don't you ever sleep?" Ron asked. He was still mad but he didn't mean to sound so irritable in front of people that weren't Harry or Hermione.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing! And yes, I do sleep I just came down here because class is going to start soon and I have to finish my homework." Neville said.
"It's not time for class to start. When I got down here it was about 5:45, and it couldn't possibly have been more than an hour since I got down here." Ron said looking confused.
"Why the hell did you get up that early? If you've been down here since then, then you've definitely been down here for more than an hour. It's almost 7:30. To tell you the truth I can't believe that there is nobody else in here with us. I mean everybody has class first hour so unless everybody's going to skive off then I wonder where they are. I'm surprised at Hermione the most though because she never misses a class." Neville said this without thinking about what he was saying. At the mention of Hermione though Ron got out of his chair and began to leave the room.
"Hey, where are you going?" Neville asked as he saw Ron leaving.
"To the library, and don't ever to talk about Hermione in front of me again, I don't even want to hear her name anymore." Ron said this and then headed out of the room and had no choice but to go to the library. "Well, at least I can get some work done. Since I couldn't get much of Snape's essay done yesterday I might as well do it now when I have books to tell me all of the answers." Ron thought about his and then realized that this was how Hermione always was the top of every class. She was in the library all the bloody time so she just read every damn book until she knew everything about everything. Ron resolved to study in the library more often so that his mom would know that he was working to keep his grades up. 'Maybe then she won't send those bloody owls every week.' He thought to himself. 'And', he thought, 'the library is a sort of quiet safe place where I can just be by myself and Hermione isn't going to be in here much because she's going to be to busy with Harry'. When Ron arrived at the library he tried to go in the door but Madame Pince shooed him out saying that the library was closed and if he really wanted to he could come back later on during second hour when the library actually opened. Thinking that it was better to go to his first class then go back to the common room and have to see Harry and Hermione he left for his first class.
"What's my first class again?" he asked himself, diving through his bag looking for his schedule.
"Don't have a good memory do you, eh? Isn't it already two months into the term and you still don't know your classes? In my day we all knew our places and classes and we weren't the reckless people that you youngsters are today." A portrait that had been watching him decided that it was time to say something to him.
"Shove off, will ya!" Ron said and then ran off towards the transfiguration room. Ron ran so fast that he got to the room 15 minutes before class was due to start. He was so early that Professor McGonagall wasn't even there. About a minute after he arrived though she walked into the room looking a little disheveled that there was a student in her classroom before she even got there.
"Mr. Weasley, what are you doing in my classroom so early? You and Mr. Potter usually arrive late and then goof off all the time that are actually in my classroom. Well, I guess I shouldn't yell at you if you are trying to make an extra effort in my classroom. That is what you were doing wasn't it?" She said this as if daring Ron to say something else.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I was doing. Actually my mum keeps sending me these owls every week telling me to do all my work and turn it in on time, so I'm starting to realize that it might be good to actually take her advice. That's why I arrived so early in here because I hoped that I would find you for some advice on what we're working on today. You did say that we were going to go over transfiguring flamingos into coat racks didn't you?" Ron waited for her to nod before beginning again. "Well, I've been working on it but I just can't get the hang of it."
"Well," she looked at the clock, "we have 10 minutes before people are going to start arriving so let me see what you can do." She then walked over to the corner of the room grabbed one of the many coat racks cluttering it and changed it into a flamingo. Ron just stood gaping.
"How did you that?" he asked. Then remembering that she was the teacher knew that was a really stupid question.
"Years of practice Mr. Weasley. Now I want you to try to change this into a decent coat rack. I remember the last time you tried this it would run away every time somebody tried to hang a coat." She said with an amused look on her face.
"I'll try. Contes Vestites" Ron said with a flick of the wand. Apparently this wasn't the right spell because when it hit the bird, it squawked in fright and began running around the room.
"Mr. Weasley, do you ever listen to me in my classes? Now I know why the charm wasn't working for you. You're saying the wrong words. It's Contus Vestitus not Contes Vestites. Now try again and please say the words correctly or I shall have to let you suffer with my great displeasure."
"Well, can you catch the bird at least so that I can do the spell on it and not in something else?" Ron asked
"No, this should be a good time to practice you're charms work, let's see you summon the bird." Professor McGonagall said aware that she was now torturing Ron.
"Accio" Ron said and the bird came flying at him. Right as he caught it the bird began trying to run away again so he froze it with the 'Immobilize' charm.
"Very good Mr. Weasley, at least you pay attention in your charms class if not in my own."
"Can you just give it a rest and let me try?"
"Why of course, what's stopping you?" Professor McGonagall said as if she had not been disrupting him.
"Contus Vestitus" he said really hoping that the charm would work. He was about to say that he was stupid and sorry for disrupting her when the bird abruptly began to transform. Slowly but surely the flamingo changed in to bright pink coat rack.
"Well, that really is an improvement Mr. Weasley. This time you actually turned it successfully into a coat rack. You were doubting yourself though and because you didn't say the spell with enough enthusiasm the color didn't change. All the same you did well and I fee l that I have to reward you. So, I award Gryffindor ten points. Since you did so well, I'm going to write to your mother and tell her about this improvement in your study skills. This hopefully will take care of the owl problems; I know that they can be kind of messy." She said this last bit in an undertone because she didn't like discussing gross things. At this point many of the students had been filing into the room and were staring at Ron wondering why he was having a private chat with Professor McGonagall. 30 seconds after the bell rang Harry and Hermione ran into the classroom looking around wildly as people were laughing at them trying to find their seats.
"Mrs. Granger, I'm surprised at you. You have never been late to my class before and I expect better behavior from you in the future. And you Mr. Potter, since this is the first time that you have been under 5 minutes late to my class I guess I should be thanking you. Now kindly take your seats." She said this because the entire time that she had been talking to them they had still been standing.
"Well, as I said the last time we saw each other, we are going to be transfiguring flamingos into coat racks. Who would like to demonstrate this? Ah, Mr. Potter thank you for volunteering." Harry who had just been stretching looked around for something that could try and get him out of it.
"Mr. Potter, do you remember the incantation?"
"Well, not exactly, what is it again?" Harry said looking rather embarrassed.
"Who here knows it?" Hermione was raising her hand as usual but this time Professor McGonagall was blatantly ignoring it. "Mr. Weasley I know that you know how to do this as you demonstrated it for me not even five minutes ago."
"All right" he said, and then began looking around for the bird. As soon as it was in his sight he said the spell. "Cantus Vestitus". This time as soon as the words left his mouth the bird changed into a coat rack. This time the coat rack was the right color.
"So the Weaselbee can transfigure things, that's a big surprise seeing as is dad is the biggest loser I've met. And his mother, not very good genes he's got so how can he transfigure anything at all? If he could then why doesn't he change his house so that his family doesn't all have to sleep in what is it? One room!" Malfoy said this as he staggered into the room. As he approached his seat, he saw that Goyle had taken it. Looking around again he saw that the only seat that was open was the one right next to Ron.
"Mr. Malfoy kindly take your seat. If you are going to arrive late without an excuse then do not talk as you are entering my classroom. Also, I'm going to have to take five points away from Slytherin for blatantly harassing one of my students." Professor McGonagall's look quickly changed from appraisal from Ron's successful transfiguration to grim as she told Malfoy off. Malfoy looking around once more saw that he had no choice but to sit next to Ron.
"What's going on Weaselbee? Why aren't you sitting with your freaky friends, the potty and the mudblood? Are you not good enough for them anymore?" Malfoy being deprived out of his usual seat decided that with his new seat he could make Ron's life more miserable.
"I am too still friends with them; there just isn't a seat next to them that I can sit in. And why aren't you sitting with your friends, are you not good enough for them?" Ron said to Malfoy. 'Why did I just tell Malfoy that I am still friends with Harry and Hermione? I don't want to have anything to do with them. Yeah, well I don't want Malfoy to know that because then he'll make my life more of a living hell than usual. I just have to be extra careful whenever I'm around him'. Ron thought this in his head while Malfoy continued to talk to him.
"So Weaselbee, how do you think you're going to do in the Quidditch match tomorrow? You should have your bed booked in the hospital because Goyle has sworn to knock you off your broom! Although maybe if you're lucky then the Potty can save you like he usually does when you're about to suffer humiliating defeat." Malfoy whispered this in Ron's ear so as to torment him more.
"Mr. Malfoy, I told you once already do not talk in my classroom. I am going to dock 5 more points from Slytherin. If I see you talking again I will dock 50 points and give you a week's detention. Now be quiet and pay attention." She spoke directly to Malfoy then faced the class again and began to address them. "Sorry for that interruption" she looked at Malfoy again, "now, as I said we are going to practice transfiguring flamingos into coat racks. You have now seen what is supposed to happen and you've heard the incantation so you should be able to produce the proper effects. I do not have enough flamingos for everyone so we will be pairing up with the people sitting directly next to you." She then proceeded to pass out the flamingos to people. "Interesting choice for a partner, Mr. Weasley." She said as she passed Malfoy and him their flamingo. She then tilted her glasses down to look Ron right in the eye.
"I didn't really have choice in having him as a partner as you very well know."
"Yeah, do you thing I would've sat next to Weaselbee if I didn't have to?" Malfoy said agreeing with him. "Now go on back to teaching, you're wasting our parents tax dollars." Professor McGonagall looked much agitated at the way that Malfoy was speaking to her but she went on doing her work pretending that Malfoy hadn't said anything to her. As soon as she had finished giving every pair in the class a flamingo she said, "Begin". Immediately the words "Cantus Vestitus" began to fill the room. Neville who as usual wasn't very good at anything was paired up with the unfortunate Dean. It was Neville's turn to try and transfigure it and he mistakenly changed Dean's arms into coat poles.
"Ahhhh, what's happening to me?" Dean screamed as he watched his body begin to transform.
"Stop screaming Mr. Thomas or I may just leave you permanently like that." Dean stopped screaming and quieted so that his teacher could sort him out. While Dean had calmed down, Malfoy had broken out in laughter. Through fits of giggles he spoke to Dean.
"You scream…like…a girl…You should…be used to it…by now…don't you think? I mean…every time…you pair up with him…and every time…he screws up…" he then stopped laughing and became serious. "But then again with parents like he's got, with their brains addled and all, you can't expect much more can you?" Malfoy said this to a silenced crowd. He didn't notice and turned around to high five his friends.
"How dare you Mr. Malfoy, get out of my classroom right now. I will be talking to Professor Snape about this. You now will have to serve a detention with me and 50 points are now gone from Slytherin. If anybody asks about it tell them that it's your fault for not being able to control your never-ceasing tongue." There was even more silence as Malfoy walked out of the room.
"Mr. Longbottom you will stay after class with to have a chat with me. Class is now dismissed." The class filed out of the classroom quietly wondering why they were being dismissed 45 before class was supposed to end.
"That was an easy class. I mean I only had to try it once so I didn't feel too much like a fool." Harry said to Hermione as they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room.
"Well that's good for you but I didn't even get to try once. You insisted on going first so now I don't get practice at all. If only Professor McGonagall didn't ask Neville to stay after class then I would have gone to her and asked if I could have tried it at least once. God that stupid Malfoy, I can't believe him. He knows that Neville's parents are…like they are…and he doesn't have any consideration at all."
"Hermione did you actually think that Malfoy would care about that. He's just pissed at the world right now because his dad is in Azkaban. And anyway, the last time we did this spell you got it on the first try so what are you worrying about?" He said and then in a mock hurt tone he said. "Would you really rather hang out with Professor McGonagall and do more work than hang out with me?"
"Of course not Harry, I would much rather hang out with you. I can do much more fun things with you than with our teacher and by last night you should now what I mean."
"What did you guys do last night?" Lavender who had been listening to their conversation couldn't help but butting in.
"Nothing, I mean we only kissed, but Harry here is a fabulous kisser." She said and then patted Harry on the chest.
"Can you keep a secret Lavender?" She said in an undertone so that nobody could hear her.
"Oh, yes what is it?" she said in an excited voice.
"Me and Harry have decided to go out!" Hermione said blushingly.
"You're going out already!" Lavender said this rather loudly and then looked around as people were staring at her. "I can't believe that Samantha and Tom have already decided to go out I mean they've only just gotten to know each other really well, these past few weeks." Lavender said trying to cover up for what she just did. People apparently seemed to buy her story and began walking again talking about the new couple that Lavender had just made up.
"Thanks Lavender, now people will know that we're going out. But thanks for trying to cover up for us anyway. We were going to take it slow so that people could get used to the idea of us going out but now I guess we don't have to do that." Hermione then proceeded to grab Harry's hand and walk away again. Just as they were walking away Malfoy came up.
"Did I really hear what I think I heard? Samantha is really going with Tom? That took forever. Make sure that you don't say that around Crabbe though or he will be pissed off; he's liked her for so long. But then again I would have lost all respect for her if she had went out with him, I mean look at him. But anyway good day, tell Longbottom I said hi." Malfoy said this with a smirk on his face.
"So there really are people named Tom and Samantha that like each other? Wow, I totally thought you made that up." Hermione said laughing.
"I did make that up though!" Lavender said looking slightly confused.
"Well than you must be physic or something." Harry said to Lavender.
"Yeah, maybe to you, but not to Firenze. He keeps telling us that we can never see into the future like they the centaurs can. I don't why I am still taking that class; I mean I haven't learned anything in it. I mean although Firenze thinks that Professor Trelawney was teaching badly and that she couldn't really see into the future, I actually thought I was learning things. With Firenze he tells us that we aren't learning anything and that he knows we won't because we are humans and we don't posses the right type of mind for Divination. It's a load of crap." Looking disgusted she started walking away.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked. "I thought she fancied Firenze. Remember how last year she said that I should have kept Divination as one of subjects because the teacher was gorgeous? Wasn't that her or am I just imagining things because my head is swimming with thoughts of you?" Hermione said this and then began blushing. She was not used to being able to express her feelings to Harry. I mean they only just started going out. Just then she spotted Ron glancing at her with a very saddened look in his eye. She smiled at him and waved him over. As soon as he noticed that she had seen him looking at her his look changed from longing to fury and he started running in the opposite direction.
"What was that about?" Hermione asked with a confused look on her face. She was talking about Ron's behavior, but Harry was thinking otherwise.
"Yeah, I most definitely remember her being in love with Firenze, oh well I guess girls are weird like that. With the exception of you of course, you are just perfect." Hermione just waved this last bit off with a small wave of her hand.
"I was just talking about… oh never mind, it doesn't really matter."
"Hey, do you know where Ron has got to? I know that he arrived early to class and then sat with Malfoy, I never knew that he would do that willingly. I've been thinking about this for a while and I was wondering whether we should tell Ron, I mean I don't want him to feel like a third wheel, but then again I don't want to leave him completely in the dark, after all he is our best friend and he has a right to know."
"For a while, you mean since yesterday?" Hermione said with a smile.
"You know what I mean." Harry said feeling stupid. "I was just using a figure of speech.
"I agree though, I think that we should begin acting friendly with each other in public and then in a week or so we'll announce to everybody that we are going out and Ron will know and he will have had time to mull things over and get used to the idea that we are going out."
"What do you mean getting used to the idea, why wouldn't he act like Lavendar was when she figured it out." Hermione asked perplexed.
"Hermione, Lavender didn't 'figure it out' you told her. And I thought you knew that Ron has had a thing for you for like ever. Maybe I was just imagining it but I thought that he did. That's why I thought that maybe we shouldn't tell Ron until later and we knew that he wouldn't freak out on us."
"We'll figure it out later. But if I recall right then I believe that we have an essay to write and there is a small deserted corner of the library that we can use to our advantage of 'private studying'.
"I rather like that I idea a lot. Let's go."
Hermione and Harry then proceeded on to the library much to the dismay of Lavender who was really enjoying listening to all the gossip. When they had left Lavender just shrugged and went off to find Parvati and tell her all the new juicy secrets that she had just been told.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Ron was sitting in the library silently poring over work. 'Malfoy just pisses me off. I mean how could he say stuff like to Neville? And I can't believe that Harry didn't even say anything to him-I mean I thought that he was also the man of the people. He's always trying to show off for everybody especially Hermione now. Never mind I want to get off the subject of Harry and Hermione otherwise I might get sick.' Ron was thinking this to himself when he finally found the book that he was looking. The book was for potions as Snape had given them another essay. He began working diligently until he spotted Harry and Hermione walking towards him (but to his distress they were holding hands). As soon as they saw him watching him, they let go of their hands and walked a little farther apart from each other, but they were still relatively close to each other. Hermione was the first to say something.
"Hi Ron, how are you?" Ron didn't even look up from his work when he answered. And when he answered it was more of a grunt than anything else.
"Fine." Hermione looked at Harry; they were both taken aback by the fact that Ron was actually doing work.
"Watcha doing there mate?" This time Harry had decided to say something. Ron decided that he wasn't even going to talk to Harry and so he just ignored the last question.
"Are you okay Ron, you look kind of pale. Do you want to go to the infirmary? I can walk you there if you want me to." Hermione said this in a sincere voice. Ron did look kind of pale and Hermione wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she was sitting next to Malfoy during Transfiguration.
"NO THANKS!" Ron yelled this at Hermione and then took off running. Ron kept running until he was out of sight of the library and then he slowed down to a sort of fast walk. He was still fuming as he walked to the Gryffindor common room. He didn't even know why he was so worked up, and without even realizing it he began yelling.
"Why in the Hell would they do this to me? I bloody hate them, I mean she's practically a whore for just kissing him on the first night and he's a wanker for not telling me anything." Ron only noticed that he was yelling when he realized that people were looking at him weirdly. Professor Snape was also eyeing him and began walking towards him. Ron then turned in the opposite and began to run. As he rounded the corner he could hear Snape breathing heavily somewhere close behind him. 'Wow, he's pretty out of shape.' Ron thought to himself. 'I might as well save myself the trouble of causing him a heart attack and getting into more trouble than I already am.
"Mr. Weasley slow down or I shall give you more detention's than you can dream of." Snape said in between breaths.
"Of course, sir." Ron said and he obligingly slowed down to a complete stop.
"Mr. Weasley, why on earth were you running?"
"Because I was afraid of what you were going to do to me." Ron said this quite honestly.
"I have no idea why you would find me frightening." Snape sneered at Ron.
"As if you don't." Ron snorted under his breath.
"Did you say something Mr.Weasley?"
"No, I did not, Professor."
"Well then, now that that is settled, we must speak of your punishment." Snape glowed with evilness as Ron's jaw dropped. "First off you ran from a teacher, you were running in the hallways in general and you were yelling profanities quite loudly near many main classrooms. I feel that 50 points subtracted from Gryffindor and a detention for you, Mr. Weasley will be quite fitting."
"But Professor…I wasn't…." Ron began.
"No buts or I shall give you more detentions than you can dream of. Now hurry along to class, if I recall correctly you have my class next. At the end of the lesson I will tell you when you will serve the detention. Now you better go prepare for my class." And with that said Snape briskly turned away and began walking towards the dungeons.