A/N: I am not J.K. Rowling, and I don't own any of the characters.
2.
Ron slammed the door to the boys' dormitory shut and practically flew across the room to his bed. Panting, he closed the curtains around his bed, pulled out his wand, and muttered a quick silencing spell. That had been close. Far too close for comfort. He knew better than to trust Seamus. The bloody git couldn't keep his mouth shut, which is why he hadn't told Seamus a thing, or Dean for that matter. Best friends tended to tell one another things. Except he couldn't bring himself to tell Harry. He was still a bit upset with Harry. If Fred and George were to be believed, then Harry was keeping a rather large secret himself. Why would Harry tell the twins but not him? Hadn't he proved himself to Harry by now? Sure, Harry's secret was rather … well, shocking. But, Ron wouldn't abandon him for it, especially since Harry couldn't exactly take it back. It was a forever type of thing. Much like the reason Ron was now hiding. Ugh. Stupid friends keeping stupid secrets from one another. Could he really be mad at Harry for keeping such a large secret when he wasn't willing to trust Harry just yet with his own secret? Hermione would yell at him for being a hypocrite. The thought of Hermione knowing his secret made him want to run to the nearest Death Eater and beg for them to hide him. She would KILL him. Oh Merlin. He was dead. Those bloody idiots down in the common room had nearly let his secret out - a secret they shouldn't have known. So how in the hell had they found out? Maybe Fred and George could help him find a way to keep the idiots from telling anyone. Really this whole situation was the twins' fault anyway. They owed him. He'd send them an owl tomorrow. Right now he needed to pretend that his life hadn't taken a drastic turn. He'd go to sleep, and when he woke up everything would go back to normal. The power of positive thinking.
Ron woke up the next morning bright and early. He took a look at his arm and groaned. Nope. Still there. Fuck. Just fuck it all. He got out of bed and reached into his bag for some parchment and a quill. He jotted down a quick note to his brothers, grabbed his cloak and shoes, and ran up to the owlery. Pig was all too eager to be of use, and Ron had to physically restrain the bloody owl from fluttering away without the damn note. Stupid bird. Hopefully he actually delivered the request, otherwise Hermione would catch on to his secret and kill him. Death by Hermione was a far scarier prospect than death by just about anything (or anyone) else, even Bellatrix. Possibly even Voldemort. *shudder*
Ron made it back to his dorm without any incident and sighed with relief. And then he remembered that it was a bloody weekday. That meant he would be subject to The Hermione Inquisition all day long. He may as well just give up now. He pondered telling Harry his secret, as maybe Harry could distract Hermione long enough to run away and go into hiding somewhere far away. He'd always wanted to visit America. Maybe he could become an accountant like his Mom's cousin. He could change his name, wear a glamour, and live like a muggle. Harry had plenty of muggle clothes. And Harry owed him both for Harry's secret and for Ron's secret. Ron gagged briefly remembering what Fred and George had told him. He should have begged them to obliviate him. Then again, the twins lived to make his life miserable. Stupid gits.
Seamus' booming voice interrupted Ron's thoughts, and Ron turned to glare at the boy. Seamus, Dean and Neville were sitting in their night clothes on Dean's bed, talking. Seamus leaned in and whispered something in Neville's ear. Both Seamus and Neville turned to look at Ron, Neville with a look of shock on his face, and Ron realized that one more person in his dorm room was now aware of his secret. Fucking wanker. Ron stalked furiously over to the group and growled, warning all three in no uncertain terms to keep their bloody mouths closed or else he'd destroy them. Seamus looked undeterred, Dean nodded, and Neville quickly looked away. They all started getting ready for the day. Ron stomped back over to his bed, grabbed his things and headed out of the door. He looked back before the door closed and was grateful to note the curtains around Harry's bed were still closed. The room was now silent, which either meant Harry wasn't there or he had a silencing charm up. Hopefully that meant Harry still was unaware of Ron's secret. Even though it would be a relief in a sense for Harry to know, Ron was too ashamed to tell him. At least Ron was sure Harry didn't know that Ron knew about Harry's secret. THAT was a secret he'd rather take to the grave. *Gag*
As Ron got into the shower he was reminded of the problem at hand: Hermione. Shit. She'd been practically stalking him since they returned to school. Normally he'd be thrilled with all the attention a good looking girl like her was giving him. But, Hermione was more than just a good looking girl. She was relentless, all knowing, and scary as fuck. His only hope was his best friend. He'd have to throw Harry to the wolves, or rather, wolf. And Hermione was the wolf. He'd just have to distract her with hints of Harry's secret. Maybe that combined with Harry's new side project would be enough for him to create a credible alibi. Yes, that would work. Ron determined to pull Harry aside once he was ready for the day and tell him that yes, Malfoy was indeed a death eater. Ron breathed a sigh of relief and silently apologized to his best friend. But as the muggles apparently say, all is fair in love and war. And this was a bit of both.
