Author's Note: I've updated chapter 3 with a scene that details a bit of the Weasley's homelife. You may want to read it before this chapter, on the other hand it may be more fun to read this chapter first and let the backstory come as a surprise. And with that, I hope you enjoy:
Chapter 7 - Laid Bare
XOXOXOX
"Everyone, please remain calm," said Headmaster Dumbledore serenely, interrupting the Halloween Feast. "According to my wards, there is a troll in the dungeons."
The Great Hall erupted in excitement. All at once, every average student was asking the same question: How could a troll have gotten into the dungeons? But Clever Hermione was focused on a far more pressing question: How could a troll have gotten into the dungeons? Yes, yes, it sounded like the same question, but Hermione's was really quite different.
Hogwarts was supposed to be sealed to keep Madam Pom… Err… The nurse's evil murderer (probably Scabbers- Hermione would put twenty pounds on it if she were the sort to gamble, which of course she wasn't) from escaping. Had the seal been broken? Did that mean Headmaster Dumbledore had apprehended Scabbers? Hermione hadn't seen Ron in quite a while, so it was possible, although she doubted it. Why wouldn't Headmaster Dumbledore make a public announcement when he caught Scabbers? She suspected he would- and since he hadn't it meant that Scabbers was still at large.
Perhaps the evil professor (probably Quirrell who Hermione strongly suspected was somehow Voldemort in disguise) had broken the seal. In which case Scabbers would be gone. Hermione's lip wobbled. Well that was just great, there went her award! It wasn't fair that her cleverness would go unrecognized, in fact it was really rather horrible, terrible actually- why she suspected that it was the most horrid thing to have ever happened to anyone ever! Although on the bright side it would at least mean that she wouldn't have to worry about being murdered anymore. Hermione rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness, as if her safety was any consolation for not winning an award!
The third explanation was that the troll had been in the school all along. Which led to another question: why was there a troll in Hogwarts in the first place? Was it supposed to fight Voldemort? Was it perhaps protecting something? Maybe it was there for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Marcus Flint had said Professor Quirrell had a way with trolls (another sign the professor was actually Voldemort).
"You are to remain in the Great Hall, while the professors and I handle the situation," said Headmaster Dumbledore as the staff huddled together. Hermione didn't understand why they didn't just split their forces, with most of them smoking out the troll while a few remained to watch over the students. It seemed simple enough. Unless…
Yes, the evil professor problem. That certainly made the situation more complicated. And who seemed to be missing but Professor Quirrell (aka Lord Voldemort)? Ahh, but he was hardly the only professor suspiciously absent. Where was Professor Snape, where was Professor Kettleburn, where was Madam Hooch? Hermione frowned, it always had to be complicated didn't it? She was never gonna be able to turn in Scabbers was she? Which meant… Which meant no award! She truly suffered the most terrible of all possible fates!
"What was that farce you pulled in Charms?" Malfoy spat angrily, cutting short Hermione's dark mutterings. "Jealous, I'm taking away your attention Granger? Well message received. I've realized you must be lying about Peter Pettigrew being your father- only a mudblood would be foolish enough to challenge a family with the class of mine."
Hermione rolled her eyes. As if an oaf like Malfoy could do anything.
"Heya Hermione," said Harry Potter, running to the Slytherin Common Table. "Have you seen Ginny anywhere? Ron's looked everywhere, but he can't find her."
"Oh lookie here, an opportunity," Malfoy drawled, smirking. "For your information Potter, Granger made the little Weasley girl cry in Charms this afternoon. I heard from Pansy that she was down in the bathroom, sobbing. Oh where was the girl's bathroom again- oh yes, it's coming to me. Why, they're in the dungeons of course. Hmm…" Malfoy tapped his forehead thoughtfully. "I feel like I'm forgetting something- why, whatever could it be?"
Harry paled and sprinted away.
"Fool," Malfoy muttered, chortling like a prat.
"Is Ginny really in the bathrooms?" Hermione asked, feeling more than a little guilty which was completely silly- Ginny shouldn't have shown her up in the flying lessons, turn about was only fair after all.
"How should I know what Weasley is up to?" Malfoy asked carelessly, shrugging. "But I hope so. The world is a better place with one less blood traitor. Not that it should matter to you- look Potter is telling your little boyfriend all about what you've done."
Malfoy was right. Harry was whispering to Ron, and the two of them muttered something to the twins. They weren't going to go after the troll were they? That would be stupid, irresponsible, idiotic, foolish-
Hermione sighed. She'd better go with them.
She hurried over to Ron and Harry as Malfoy chortled at her admittedly dunderheaded behavior.
"I'm coming with you," Hermione said breathlessly.
Ron blushed, and looked away. Scabbers watched her curiously. "You shouldn't," said Ron. "I know you're friends with Ginny and all, but facing down a troll is too much. You're not obligated to come with us, and you shouldn't. We'll probably be killed for our troubles."
Harry was shaking his head at her furiously. Why was he doing that?
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. "Not obligated? I'm the one who made her cry in the first place, I'm the whole reason she's in the dungeons at all."
Harry groaned. Ron eyebrows knitted together as he worked out what Hermione had just said (oh he looked so cute when he was thinking), uh-oh looked like he'd finally processed it.
"What!" Ron roared, and took a swing at her. Fred Weasley pulled her out of the way, and slugged Lee Jordan, who slugged his twin George.
"Why'd you do that, Perce?" George asked angrily, shoving a smartly dressed prefect.
Soon all of Gryffindor had devolved into a giant, punching, kicking mass. Professors screamed at them to break it up.
Fred pushed her out of the swarm. "You'd better save my sister, Granger, or you're dead."
Hermione nodded, and followed after Ron and Harry as they escaped down the stairs, hurrying to the dungeons.
"Why are we letting her come with us?" Ron demanded angrily. "She's the whole reason Gin's in trouble in the first place!"
"I'm sure this is a misunderstanding," Harry said desperately. "Right Hermione?"
Hermione bit her lip, hesitated, and nodded. She wasn't lying! Yes she'd wanted to pay Ginny back for the flying lessons- and yes, maybe even make her cry a little, but it had hardly been her intention to trap her friend in a dungeon with a ghastly troll!
"She's lying," Ron said cuttingly. "You just don't know what she's like. You try to do something nice for somebody, and she eavesdrops like a rat, and then she threatens to tell everybody on you!"
"I'm sure you're just misun- wait what? What's so bad about that?" Harry asked.
"What's wrong with it?" Ron bellowed. "Harry, think of my reputation!"
Harry still looked confused. "What's wrong with people knowing you're nice? You are- and I think it's bloody cool."
"Nothing's wrong with it," Hermione said triumphantly. "It's just that Ron's been talking to that awful Neville Longbottom. I'm sure Neville's been mixing him up with all his fancy words and clever arguments- trying to poison my dear Ron against me, what a terrible, no-good, awful b-"
"Oy, what's that smell?" Ron interrupted suddenly. "You pass gas Harry? I know it wasn't me- I bet it was Granger, bet she's gonna try and blame it on somebody else again."
Harry glanced at Hermione maturely. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone does it."
Ron nodded knowingly.
Hermione blushed. "It wasn't me. I bet- yes it must be, follow the scent! Troll's are known to smell, I read all about it in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander." She rushed after the terrible stench, and felt the ground shake, heard the giant reverberating impacts of the troll's footsteps. She turned a corner and was greeted with the sight of a hulking twenty-foot-tall troll, so broad its shoulders spanned the entire width of the hallway. It carried a giant wooden club covered in bent nails and a nasty grimace twice as deadly. Fresh cuts dotted the troll's bluish-gray skin, oozing purple blood, and healing with hisses of steam. The troll glared at the smirking red-head on the opposite side of the hall and sprinted at Ginny with a furious roar, each of its powerful strides shaking the ground like an earthquake.
"Diffindo!" Ginny drawled, slashing her wand in a mirrored-N. A pale green light erupted from her wand, but the troll caught the spell with its club. The severing charm put a gash in the club, but didn't do any real damage. The troll brought its club back, and swung wildly at Ginny, tearing through the brick wall like it was made of sand.
"Protego," Ginny spat, and the club and the debris bounced off an invisible shield. The troll roared, and slammed its club into the shield again and again. Thud! Thud! Thud! How much longer could the shield last? And what then?
Hermione trembled. She should… Should… Do what exactly? She absently wondered why she hadn't just told a professor that Ginny was in the dungeons. Had she really thought she could fight such a beast? Had she gone completely mad?
"Help! Troll!" Ron cried desperately, as loudly as he could. "Help! Troll! Help!" It wasn't magic, it wasn't some clever plot, but it was common-sense which was better than Hermione could manage.
Harry dashed forward.
Ginny's shield shattered and the athletic girl danced backwards, the nails on the troll's club catching and ripping a few strands of Ginny's beautiful red hair.
"Reducto!" Ginny hissed, and a blue light smashed into the club, exploding it into three giant chunks. The troll dismissively tossed aside the wooden handle of its club, grabbed Ginny, and squeezed. Ginny's bones popped and she let out the ear-splitting, horrible scream of a cornered animal. The tiled floor cracked from a wave of desperate, accidental magic, but the troll's grip just tightened. It slowly, theatrically, opened its mouth and Ginny gasped and bit its hands desperately. The troll just chuckled and brought her head to its gaping maw.
Harry slammed his wand against the troll's left eye. He'd climbed onto the thing's neck while Hermione had been crying. "Flipendo!" Harry shouted, and the troll's eye exploded in bits of grayish pulp.
The troll screamed, dropping Ginny, who didn't rise. Ron sprinted to her and pulled her away as the troll ripped Harry off its back, and slammed him into the floor like he was a ragdoll. Harry went limp in its grasp, his nose smashed halfway into his skull. The troll smiled nastily, and lifted Harry again.
"DO SOMETHING!" Ron screamed.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Hermione cried, and guided the remains of the broken club through the troll's wrist with as much force as she could muster. They tore right through, and Harry and the troll's severed hand smashed into the floor with a sickening crunch. Coldness threatened to overtake her, just as when she'd blasted open Madam Pomfrey's door. She'd run out of magic. Panic and fear and sweet, sweet adrenaline kept her moving.
"Help me," Ron gasped, as he tried to drag Ginny to safety. Hermione hefted Ginny with the energy she had left, and together they managed to pull Ginny along slightly faster. But not fast enough. "Oh bloody hell."
The troll locked eyes with her, purplish blood spurting out of the stump that was left of the troll's arm. It smirked, and sprinted at the three of them. Ginny and Harry were unconscious, Hermione was out of magic, so unless Ron became the second coming of Merlin in the next few moments they were all dead. It wasn't fair for Hermione to expect something like that from him, but… but…
He was Ron.
"Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of green and the troll dropped lifelessly to the ground. Professor Snape lowered his wand, ran to Harry, and forced a vial down his throat. Hermione and Ron panted. The troll wasn't moving. It was over. Hermione collapsed in relief.
Draco Malfoy looked down his nose at her wearing a satisfied smirk.
"You lot are in so much trouble," Malfoy drawled delightedly. "Expelled, I expect."
What? Why in the world was Malfoy here? Had he… But that would be ridiculous, it was Malfoy!
"Was it you?" Ron asked, shaking as he delicately held Ginny's mangled body. "Was it you? You were the one who told us Ginny was down here so... Were you… Were you the one who told Snape we were going after the troll?"
"That's right," said Malfoy smugly, running his hand through his slicked-back hair, extremely pleased with himself. "I noticed Ginny was missing. I knew you dolts would chase after her if I pointed it out. Once you left I went right to Severus and told him that you'd gone after the troll. Of course, it did help that you were screaming like a little girl Weasley, your whinging brought us right to you," Malfoy's voice became high and mocking. "Help! Troll! Help!" Then he leveled a nasty glare at Hermione. "I told you I'd pay you back for Char- Ack!"
Ron had suddenly hugged Draco, and Hermione was right behind him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Get off!" Helpful Draco spat lividly, shoving the two of them away. He brushed off his cloak like it had gotten dirty just by touching them. "What is wrong with you two? Don't you realize I've just gotten you expelled?"
"Yeah, yeah," said Ron, grinning brightly. "This is the second time you've saved my sister's life. And this time you also saved mine, my best mate, and Hermione too. Say whatever you like Draco, but I know deep down you're really a great guy! Put 'er here." Ron held out his hand.
"Have you gone mad, Weasley? I did no such…" Helpful Draco glanced at Ginny, wheezing and coughing up blood, then at Harry, who was still being healed by Professor Snape. Then at the dead troll, who'd been charging them. He paled. "I… I… I'll get you back for this Weasley, Granger, for tricking me so! Father will hear of-" Draco cut off abruptly, looking very furious. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you!" He huffed, and strutted back towards the Great Hall.
Hermione and Ron shared a look.
"That Draco Malfoy," said Hermione approvingly. "Like a hero from the stories. Saving our lives, not wanting anyone to know of his deeds. I must admit, I thought he was awful- always acting like he believed in that blood purity nonsense- but he's probably forced to say things by his family."
"I reckon you're right," said Ron, nodding. "Did you see how he acted- like he hadn't realized what he'd done? I bought it the first time, when he saved Ginny in flying lessons, but now I reckon he just can't let how great he is be known. Bloody weird though- wanting to keep it a secret- not that I'm complaining," Ron said carelessly. "It's just that if it were me I'd tell everybody."
Hermione snorted. She would have been angry, but she understood now, from Helpful Draco's example, that a true hero didn't hero for reward- that would taint the heroism- but just for the goodness of the act. So Ronald couldn't be blamed for his ignorance of his own heroic nature.
Professor Snape finished with Harry, slithered over to Ginny, and whispered incantations. Bones cracked into place, and Ginny took a gasping breath. Professor Snape stood. "Weasley. Granger. I'd ask you to explain, but I know what happened. Potter talked you all into it, didn't he? Four first years, chasing after a troll, only Potter could possibly be so arrogant. As much as it pains me to admit, not even his father would be so fooli-"
"It wasn't Harry's idea," Ron protested, standing up straight. Professor Snape looked furious. "It was mine. I wanted to go after-"
"Me," interrupted Hermione, glancing down at Ginny. This whole thing was truly her fault anyways. What had she been thinking, being so horrible to the poor girl? "I went looking for the troll because I- I thought I could deal with it on my own- you know, because I've read all about them."
"I see." Professor Snape glanced at the two of them. His lips curled. "Potter has tricked you into protecting him. What has he offered you I wonder? Wealth? Love?" He asked, staring at Ron and Hermione in turn. "I have seen his type before. I know his tricks. But I have prepared veritaseum for just such an occurrence. Potter won't be able to talk himself out of this one. He's sneered at the rules one time too many, at last he'll be expelled as he so rightly deserves."
"Severus," said Headmaster Dumbledore, sounding a little amused. He was flanked by Professor McGonagall and Professor Quirrell. He met Hermione's gaze, blue eyes twinkling, and winked. "Now is not the appropriate time to be speaking of such things. These children have had quite the afternoon, I think. Mister Weasley, Miss Granger, could you please escort Miss Weasley and Mister Potter to the Hospital Wing?"
Hermione nodded, relieved. It was the first time she'd ever really talked to Headmaster Dumbledore, and wait- couldn't she tell him about-
"I want your word Dumbledore," Professor Snape hissed. "There is no werewolf to protect this time. Potter's recklessness has put student's lives in danger once again, even one of your precious Gryffindors. Surely you can see that he must be expell-"
"Nobody is getting expelled," said Headmaster Dumbledore, chuckling. He glanced back at Professor Quirrell, his eyes twinkling madly. "As terribly dangerous as this entire ordeal was, no student has been harmed in any way that can not be undone. I am willing to forgive and forget. Indeed I believe this ordeal brought out the best of several students. I award ten points to Gryffindor for Mister Potter's resourceful use of the push-back jinx and Mister Weasley's wise requests for help. And I award five points to Slytherin for Miss Granger's incredible mastery of the levitation charm, not seen in a first year since- perhaps an unfair comparison to make on such a young student- but one Tom Marvolo Riddle. I'll have to keep a close eye on you Miss Granger."
"Thank you Headmaster! I'll do my best to live up to your comparison," Hermione said happily, smiling from his approval and the points he'd given her. She hoped Headmaster Dumbledore didn't realize that she hadn't the faintest clue who this Tom Riddle character was. "I know Tom did great things," Hermione added vaguely, to ensure that Headmaster Dumbledore didn't think she was some kind of dunderhead.
Ron muttered darkly to himself as the two of them helped Ginny and Harry to the Hospital Wing. Both of them were finally conscious, but both were too groggy to walk on their own.
Hermione whistled the tune to Thriller, and could just barely keep herself from dancing. Headmaster Dumbledore thought she was clever! Five points to Slytherin! The best witch since Tom Riddle!
"Oh would you come off it?" Ron finally snapped. "Don't you get it? Dumbledore saw what was going on with the troll, and he didn't bloody do anything! Snape's a git, but he's the only reason we're not troll food."
"Oh Ron, he's headmaster, there's no way he could possibly be so irresponsible."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Then how did he know what we all did?"
Hermione laughed. "He probably just read our minds of course." She spun, and tried to moonwalk down the hall.
"Don't be silly, wizards can't do that."
Was it not common knowledge? Hermione hadn't been able to find anything about it in the library. Excellent- another opportunity to display her cleverness to dear Ronald. "Yes they can, it's called Legilimency."
"Oh," Ron said, suddenly looking sick. "Great. That's so much better."
"Isn't it," Hermione agreed happily.
Ron stopped. "Listen, I'm grateful for all the help you gave me, but I need to know- what did you do to my sister? What's going on between the two of you?"
Harry and Ginny started at the question, seeming to startle back into alertness. Ginny glared daggers at her, but she needn't have worried, Hermione certainly wasn't going to tell Ronald they had been fighting over him- that would be far too direct which would make the entire exercise rather droll.
Hermione blushed. It was ever so embarrassing, especially when it was Ron asking the question, she'd no choice but to bend the truth, but only ever so slightly of course. "The truth is, and I'm ashamed to admit this, but I tried to help her learn the Wingardium Leviosa spell in Charms to get back at her for trying to teach me to ride a broomstick in flying class."
Huh? Was that really what they'd been fighting over? The whole thing sounded quite silly when she put it like that.
"Err… You're sure you were having a row?" Asked Harry, scratching his head.
Ginny shrunk.
"This true?" Ron asked.
"Yes," Ginny admitted.
"I see," Ron said loftily, nodding like he understood perfectly. He shot a knowing glance at Ginny, who shrunk even more. "That is pretty bad Hermione, but I s'pose I can forgive you cuz you manned up and took on that troll with us like a man. But you've learned your lesson, and you won't try and help Ginny with spells ever again, right Hermione?"
"Yes Ronald," said Hermione sweetly.
"And Ginny," said Ron wisely. "You won't try and help Hermione with flying ever again?"
"But she's so bad at it," Ginny weasled. "It's for her own good!"
"Ginny…" Ron said sternly.
"Fine," Ginny huffed.
"Good, glad that's settled," said Ron. "You two go on ahead, I need to talk to my dearest sister about something private." He pulled Ginny into a classroom before they could respond.
Ever so interesting! Hermione eagerly pressed her ear against the door, but froze when she saw Harry's green-eyes droop in disappointment. "Don't you want to know what they're talking about?" Hermione squeaked.
"It's wrong," said Holier-Than-Thou Harry.
"Oh fine," Hermione huffed indignantly, and followed after Harry to the Hospital Wing, not quite able to believe that anyone could possibly be so interfering.
"Nice hair by the way," Harry said. "It smells really cool- like motorcycles!"
"Thank you," said Hermione happily. She really did need to stop being so pleased with compliments, it made her rubbish at keeping grudges.
XOXOXOX
Ron always had to choose the most annoying times to be a genius.
"What were you thinking?" Ron asked, shaking her. "Letting a troll into Hogwarts? Not even Fred and George would do that! That's mental, what's wrong with you?"
"You're not gonna go tattling to Mum are you?" Asked Ginny.
"I should, I really should," Ron bellowed, his knickers in a complete twist. "If it hadn't been for Draco you'd be dead. I'd be dead. Harry'd be dead. Hermione'd be-" Ron paled. "You weren't trying to-"
"I wasn't trying to kill Hermione." Ginny rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to remind everyone that real skill isn't about how you perform in the classroom, it's how you do when it's life-and-death. I had things under control. If you lot hadn't distracted me everything would have gone as planned."
"That's a good point," Ron said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "A very, very good point. You were using magic I've not seen before against the troll. Advanced magic. Where'd you learn it from? From who?"
Bugger! She'd made the stupid mistake of forgetting how clever Ron could be when he wanted. Ginny looked away.
"Who is it?" Ron asked, pleading. "C'mon Gin, I'm on your side. We're the babies, all we get is hand-me-downs, and if we ever do anything special it won't even matter cuz somebody else's done it first. I understand what it's like to want to stand out. To have to stand out. I understand. You can tell me."
He'd take it away from her! If he took away Tom's diary she'd be nothing.
She'd be nothing.
"No you don't understand!" Ginny shoved Ron as hard as she could. "You're the only one who gets hand-me-downs because you've always been the worst Weasley! The one everyone is embarrassed by, that's picked on, that needs protecting, that's rubbish at everything." Ginny hesitated. "The one th-that Mum and Dad have given up on!"
Ron's eyes were wet, his voice quivered. "That's not true. That's not true Ginny. That's not-"
"Percy's old rat, Bill's old robes, and the Twins' old textbooks. We're poor, not broke. If they thought you were worth anything they'd have at least bought you a wand, like they did for me- like they did for everyone else! You wanna know why I'm so competitive Ron? Because you're not. And maybe if I'm like you, Mum'll look at me like she looks at you- like she wishes I was somebody else! I've always told myself it couldn't happen, she didn't take one look at me as a baby and try to give it another go straight off after all. But now- ever since I've been sorted into Slytherin, everyone's been treating me like they treat you! You've no idea what it's like to be ripped to the bottom, to become some hopeless loser, because that's all you've ever known! That's why you latched onto Harry Potter, because you know that being a sidekick of somebody special is the best you could ever hope for!"
Ginny couldn't bear to look at him. To see his hurt.
"I'm Harry's friend because I like him." Ron said stiffly, coldly- like he was talking to a stranger. He walked to the door. "Dumbledore knows what you did Ginny," he said in that same distant, barely-quivering voice. "That's why he didn't give you any points. Try something like this again and you'll be expelled."
And at long last, Ron left. When everyone else had turned on her, he'd been the only one to stick by her side, to act like she was still the same old Ginny. He'd always acted like her dumb older brother, her favorite brother. She wanted to run after him, to say she was sorry and beg for forgiveness. But that wasn't an option- not after what she'd said. She knew Ron better than she knew anybody, and she'd used that knowledge to hurt him as much as she could. She scratched Scabbers absent-mindedly, and wondered how she'd ever be able to return him to Ron. She'd probably just have Hermione do it. Ginny's secret was safe, she still had Tom's diary, but it had cost her.
It had cost her a lot.
And a few days later, the Chamber of Secrets was opened once again.
Author's Note: And with that, Ron starts dating Lavender Brown. I kid, I kid. That last bit was painful to write. Thanks for reading! And now onto the reviews:
ViviTheFolle - Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you like Ron so much! I kinda agree with the characterization flips of Ron in GoF and OOTP and I think Hermione got one too. Hermione was the girl in PoA who, after Lavender's bunny died, used the moment to talk about how logically it didn't prove Trelawney's predictions, and refused to apologize to Ron about Crookshanks eating Scabbers. And then in OOTP she's explaining Cho's emotional states to Harry and Ron. I liked the version of Hermione who was clueless when it came to people. In defense of this version of Ron, while he'll say some sexist and anti-Slytherin stuff, it's always to Ginny, and he never acts on it.
Iwik - Ron's patheticness is actually an important part of his character to me. And Neville will continue to thwart Hermione's plans. I've got something big planned for Ginny. Thanks for the review!
Gja03 - They've both got significant character flaws that will doom any relationship between them until those flaws are overcome.