The Seventh Visitor: Green

Hermione cringed, waiting for the door to slam shut, but the sound never came. She opened the curtains and saw a shining green Ron holding the door open. He must have caught it since he had been waiting for the yellow Ron outside.

He noticed Hermione looking at him and smiled. "I guess he'll not need me to walk him back to the tower, then!" Hermione laughed. So far so good.

The green specter, as bright as any other, sat down by her bedside. He looked around the hospital wing, noticed with indifference the flowers and candy friends had left by her beside. His brow became politely furrowed and the corners of his mouth turned down: a look of slight resentment.

Finally he said, "Hermione, tell me now, how many times have you been to the hospital wing?"

"What?" she asked.

"It's been a lot hasn't it? First year when you got half-turned into a cat, second year when you got petrified, fourth year when Malfoy hit you with a Densaugeo spell, and… now."

He then stared at her deeply. Slightly uncomfortable, she replied to his stare, "I guess I'm pretty unlucky…"

"Unlucky? Get off it, Hermione. You know what it really is Hermione? You love attention."

"What! I do not!"

"Of course you do! It's obvious! Ever since day one of Hogwarts you wave your hand in the air every five seconds to show off how smart you are! Little-miss-know-it-all to the core."

"Ron!"

"And how about when you dated ol' Vicky, huh? Think snogging a celebrity would make you look like alllll that?"

"Ron! That's NOT why I dated Viktor Krum!"

"Then what was it? His LOOKS? Fine, if you think Neanderthals are attractive…"

"Ron, what is wrong with you?" Hermione demanded, although she was beginning to understand very clearly what part of Ron this specter was. To test her theory, she changed the subject."Oh – think of poor Harry! He's been to the hospital wing loads of times more than me!"

"Of course he has, of course he has…." Ron's voice trailed off as he shook his head and grimaced slightly. "Quidditch accidents, dementors, nearly dying every other month… Yep. Harry's always trying to get attention, isn't he?"

"You know very well that Harry hates the attention he gets all the time! Remember that horrible Rita Skeeter? And all the hate mail? He would probably give anything to trade lives with anyone!"

"And what a fool he'd be if he did! That kid's got everything going for him! He's the star of the Quidditch team. He's Dumbledore's favorite. He's got loads of money. He's been more famous than anyone since he was a baby. He always saves the world from certain peril, always the hero. He has this bad-ass image with dark wild hair… supposedly all the girls think that's hot." As Hermione gaped at him, he added sarcastically, "Oh yes, 'poor Harry' indeed! Lucky bastard!"

"How could you, Ron? You're Harry's best friend!"

"Best friend? I'm his freaking SIDEKICK! No one ever notices me! I'm the afterthought. I'm the gangly guy with red hair who follows Harry around! I bet hardly anyone even knows my name."

"What are you talking about? Your name is obvious. Everyone knows you're a Weasley!"

"Oh, great! So I'm just 'one of the Weasleys.'" Ron was spinning into a vortex of raging self-pity. "Now there's a bunch I love being up against. Bill was head boy. Charly was the Quidditch captain. Freakin' Percy was a prefect."

"Helloooo? Ron? You're a prefect."

"So?" He dismissed her enlightening argument. "No one ever minds me anyway." Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron continued venting.

"Fred and George are millionaire business men. Ginny's the life of the party. I CAN'T COMPETE!"

"It's not about competition - "

"It doesn't have to be! It's just that compared to everyone else, I SUCK! I'm not as clever as you. I'm not as heroic as Harry. I'm not as famous as Krum. I'm not as good at Quidditch as – well anyone pretty much."

"Ron - "

"All those things I saw in the Mirror of Erised… they will never be real. It's not fair."

He snorted and pursed his lips in bitterness, staring emptily across the room, deep in frustration.

Finally he said, "Well, I better go. Three more for you to meet."

Casting a final dark look at the flowers and candy, he got up and left.

Despite all the shocking things he had said, Hermione understood how big a role jealousy played in his life. There were so many people who outshined him. He was hardly ever the best at anything, and the few times he had a moment of glory it faded away before he could enjoy it.

Ron loves his friends and family, but his resentment is always there. Most the times he controlled it pretty well. Of course it slipped out from time to time, sometimes more than others – like when he lost it during the Tri-wizard tournament. The ensuing fight between him and Harry kept them from speaking to each other for months.

Turning these thoughts in her mind, she said to herself, "Talk about being 'green with envy…'"