Chapter 13
Ron's mind was racing. Everything around him seemed to be going downhill fast. He had lost both of his best friends and now he had pushed himself onto Neville without knowing why. Neville was the only person that didn't think he was a freak, and he had almost jeopardized that confidence. He skipped steps as he raced down the stairs. He needed some fresh air. He felt restricted and closed in inside. He passed the great hall and made toward the castle's front doors. He pulled the hood of his green jacket over his head, and zipped up the front. He could feel the cold before he reached the castle doors. He pushed them open and stepped outside and descended the stairs. When he reached the bottom he paused. Maybe he should go visit Hagrid, he thought. No, he didn't want to do that. Hagrid had a way of making you feel even worse about yourself, and he was sure that he would bring up the split between Harry, Hermione and him. He shook his head and walked instead toward the lake. Maybe a quick walk would ease his mind.
He looked up to the sky as his mind was once again entrapped in thought. Maybe he should forgive Hermione. This morning in the great hall when her group had glared at him, she had looked really sorry. His stomach twisted into knots as he imagined the look on her face. He couldn't get past the fact that all this wouldn't have happened if she'd kept her mouth shut about him. He crossed his arms and tucked his hands under his arms. Damn it was cold. He saw a bush ahead; maybe he could stifle the wind there. He rushed ahead when he heard the school bell ring. He turned to see what time it was when he ran into…
"Malfoy?" he yelled as he slipped on the icy ground. He gripped Malfoy's robe to stop him when Malfoy placed his arms around him to catch him; almost falling himself. Ron found his footing again, and waited for Malfoy to let him ago; which he did in a hurry.
"Weasel, you need to watch where you're going!" shouted Malfoy as he rearranged his robes to block the fierce wind.
"You came out of nowhere Malfoy. What were you doing down here anyway?" Ron shouted back.
"Now, now Weasley mind your temper," said Malfoy. Ron shot him a bird and tried to push past him but Malfoy grabbed his jacket sleeve.
"I was playing," murmured Malfoy. He didn't know why he was trying to ease Ron's anger, but he saw that Ron looked distraught and again he wanted to protect him; and he didn't want to join the list of people that irritated him; well at least not until this year was over.
Ron pulled his arm away from him glaring. Why in the hell was Malfoy being nice to him?
"What the hell are you getting at Malfoy," he asked. Malfoy pushed aside the cruel language and looked down at the water. Damn Weasley was so dumb he couldn't tell when he was trying to be nice.
"I just figured that you would want someone to talk to since you don't have any friends," he confessed this hurriedly without looking at Ron. "And seeing as I don't either at the moment…"
Ron stared at him. "What do you mean I don't have any friends? What do you know?" he retorted.
"Well you don't. I've seen how Potter and Granger look at you!" he shot back. Ron frowned at him, but couldn't think of a come back for that. He was right. But why did he care?
"Why don't you have friends then?" asked Ron. Malfoy's heart stopped. He doesn't know, he thought. How couldn't he know, the whole damn school was talking about it.
"Let's just say that people don't take lightly to people that are different," he smirked.
"Just noticing are you?" laughed Ron. Malfoy balled up his fist in frustration. Here he was trying against his will to be civil to the damn Weasley and he was cracking jokes. He cursed under his breath and looked off across the tree tops.
Ron noticed that a vessel protruded in Malfoy's temple. This made him laugh again, he loved making him angry. Malfoy turned his head and looked at him.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" he bellowed. Ron continued to laugh, but stopped at the hurt look on Malfoy's face. Something was up with him?
"What's up with you?" he asked as he stepped closer to him reaching out a hand to lie on his arm.
Malfoy stepped back completely pissed now.
"Fuck off Weasley," he grumbled as he turned and walked away. Ron watched him leave. This was odd. Malfoy actually looked hurt. He ran and caught up with him.
"Malfoy, I'm sorry." He murmured. He didn't respond but just stared at him. Ron walked over to the steps leading up to the castle and sat down bundling his jacket around him, Malfoy followed and sat a couple of feet away.
Ron looked in his direction but didn't say anything, just waited.
"So, you're gay?" asked Malfoy. Ron raised his eyebrow and frowned at Malfoy and he opened his mouth to retort, but he didn't see amusement on Malfoy's face, but concern and understanding. He closed his mouth and looked away, then nodded. Malfoy crossed his arms over his knees and closed his eyes as the chilling wind blew into his face. He noticed that when Ron had nodded he had looked depressed, as if his being gay was something awful. Malfoy understood this fully and again he felt like he wanted to protect him. He was only being accused of being gay, and already his friends were shying away.
"I guess you have some songs you want to recite to me or something," bellowed Ron.
"No, actually. Well, I did at one time, but that's not the point." He smirked.
"Then what?" asked Ron.
"Why don't we hangout until this blows over?" asked Malfoy completely blind sighting Ron.
"Why," asked Ron skeptically?
Why not?" he answered.
Ron thought this through for a bit. He knew that nothing good could come out of this but he'd might as well. It wasn't as if anything else bad could happen to him that hadn't already.; and he did need someone to talk to. He never figured it would be Malfoy though. He smiled to himself as they looked out over the lake in silence. Malfoy hoped that he was doing the right thing!
Lavender paced the common room back and forth. She knew she had missed something very important. Katie along with the others watched her; their eyes darted along with her.
"I knew they went outside. Why did I listen to you," she said as she pouted at Angelina. Angelina opened her mouth to tell her that she had been the one to tell Lavender that they should look outside but Lavender held a hand in her face to silence her so she rolled her eyes instead and crossed her legs and looked away.
"We have to find out what's going on." She added. She sat down beside Katie and pulled out her journal to start her plans. They all gathered around her.
"Where's Hermione," she asked as her eyes skimmed the common room.
"No clue. I think she may be in the library again," answered Parvati. Lavender shrugged and bent her head back over her parchment.
"So, who said they saw Ron enter the castle with Malfoy?" she asked Parvati.
"Seamus told me he was leaving the great hall when they entered together."
Lavender wrote this down and then paused. This was weird she thought. Ron couldn't stand Malfoy. Maybe Malfoy told him about his dream and now they're dating or something. She wrote this down as well.
They were deep in concentration when Hermione came through the door. She looked in their direction but walked to her room without a word.
"What's her problem," asked Katie as she watched Hermione's back.
"No clue," said Lavender who continued to write.
"Aren't we going to go and see what's wrong with her, asked Angelina?
"Why should we? It's not like she tried so hard to say hi to us," confessed Lavender. Confusedly, they all looked at her in amazement.
"But…" came Angelina.
"But, nothing. If she wants to ignore us, than let her; for now we have to find out what's up with Ron and Malfoy. With this she snapped her fingers and pointed to the journal.
Hermione closed the door to her room and crossed over to her bed and sat down. Today had to be the worst day of her life. Ron had actually decided to be friends with Malfoy rather than forgive her. Harry was talking to her again though. They had come to the conclusion that they didn't have a reason to fight. Other than that, she still felt utterly depressed. She pulled off her shoes and lay down. Her head was killing her from all this stress. When they first arrived at this school, she would have never imagined that she wouldn't be friends with Ron. She also would have never thought that he would choose Malfoy over her. What was wrong with this world? Was she dreaming this all? She pinched herself to make sure that she wasn't. No, she was definitely awake and but was still in a horrible nightmare. She turned over onto her side and closed her eyes. Maybe she could talk to Ron tomorrow and try to get him to understand that she wasn't trying to hurt him when she accused him of being gay. She just wanted him to be happy. She pulled the covers over her and tried to submit to sleep.
Ron sat at the dinner table; his fork hanging loosely in his fingers. He leaned his head on his empty hand and pushed his food side to side on his plate. He could hear the rude ridicules coming from Seamus and Dean again. But for once Harry hadn't joined in. Actually, Harry was looking his way as he yelled at Seamus and Dean to leave Ron along, but this just made them badger him more. Ron knew that Harry was trying to make up for what he had done and truthfully; if Harry would have come over to apologize, he would have accepted. He needed his friends. There was Hermione. She tried so hard to apologize to him. Even though she had been wrong, he also was wrong. If he had told her the truth they could have avoided all of this. And now he was suppose to befriend Malfoy. What in the world was wrong with him? He felt sorry that Malfoy was going through what he was going through, but he couldn't see himself hanging out with him. Every time that he looked at Malfoy's face before dinner, he saw sadness there. He didn't want Malfoy to feel sorry for him. That was weirder than Malfoy telling him that he had dreams about him. God, what was the world coming to when he went to Malfoy for support. He flipped a pea across his plate in frustration. And then there was Hermione. He really felt guilty when it came to her. He knew know that he had been wrong. He reached to pullover a bowl of rolls but turned around when someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was Malfoy.
Under the eyes of everyone around them, Malfoy sat down beside Ron and helped himself to a bowl of noodles. There was whispering from behind him, but he ignored it with that air of confidence that he carried so lightly. Ron looked at him in amazement. Malfoy had actually come over and sat at the Gryffindor table. Malfoy turned and smiled at him and he grinned back. Seamus and Dean stopped picking on Ron at the arrival of Malfoy. Harry even had his mouth partially open. They couldn't believe their eyes.
"Found yourself a boyfriend, eh Ron?" Seamus sniggered. Ron opened his mouth to retort; he was finally tired of these stupid accusations, but Malfoy stood up and walked over to Seamus instead.
"What was that Finnagan?" he yelled. Seamus stood up as well, but standing a foot shorter than Malfoy, it didn't have quite the same affect. Dean cowered behind him, and Harry just stared at Ron.
"What's it to you Malfoy," said Seamus as he gripped his wand. Malfoy's eyes followed his hand and he reached for his wand as well. Seamus raised his wand and stopped when it came level with chest. Malfoy looked down at it and smirked. He stepped closer, bringing the wand with inches of him.
"You need to learn to keep your damn mouth shut?" sneered Malfoy.
"I'll curse you Malfoy," hollered Seamus. Malfoy looked amused.
"More than not you'll set your self on fire," she laughed. Seamus opened his mouth to curse him when Professor McGonagall came forward.
"What's this boys?" she said as she looked at Seamus' wand pointed at Malfoy's chest. "Were you going to curse Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Finnagan? That's ten points from Gryffindor, now take your seats the both of you," she yelled. Seamus turned and sat down. Malfoy looked at him from above with distaste then returned to his seat. Ron stared at him as he sat, and then smiled. He looked down the table at Harry and saw that he was grinning to himself. This just made him happier. Malfoy looked his way and gave him a self-satisfied smirk. Maybe this friendship wasn't so bad after all Ron thought.