Title: True Serpent

Summary: Shortly after sixth year, Ron changes. Trust will turn out to be fatal. How will people around him cope with his actions? And how will he?

Disclaimer: I own the plot, which makes me very happy. I just wish I'd own a lot of reviews too...

A/N: The song is called "Collide" by Howie Day

A/N: I would love it so much if you could point other readers in the direction of this story! I need more reviewers :P

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A light shining through…

When I was thrown back into my prison cell I could not help but hope that perhaps something would finally change. I tried to keep telling myself that hope was foolish, that I should face the truth, that they had thrown me back in Azkaban without so much as a promise; but I couldn't help it. I needed something to hold on to. I needed to believe that someone, someday, would see the truth. How can they all think that I wanted to murder Harry? How could they be so stupid? Harry was my mate, my best friend. Sure, we had a couple of fights, but nothing serious. He's had my back and I've always had his.

It takes me a few minutes to notice that he is standing in front of my cell. I jump up, immediately cursing my body. He walks closer to the bars as I remain firmly in place, my eyes watching the uneven floor that is layered with years of filth and tears. More filth than tears, because you learn to stop feeling sorry for yourself within a few days. I cried too, when I came here, but after a while I realised that it was a waste of energy or effort. Nobody cares. When I first caught his eye I hoped that he'd care, but he is as bad as the others. Worse, because he knows me. He knows that I would never do something like that. Or at least, he should.

"Ron…"

I look up in surprise. All those months, all those days, and he has never, not once, called me by my name. I see that he is shaking, his hands grapping his wand firmly. I register his movements without realising their meaning, without even trying to understand why he's acting the way he is. I am so numb now, so broken by what happened yesterday...how could they throw me back? I wanted to scream, to fight, to do something. I wanted to wake up from this horrible dream.

"Percy..."

I nod at him. He's fidgeting with his robes now. It amuses me in a strange way. It's like he's on trial. Well that makes for a nice change, doesn't it? I fight down the urge to say something about it, instead settling down for a not entirely unnoticeable grin.

"I came by to tell you...to say..."

I shake my head, walking over to him so I can look him straight in the eye.

"Save it for someone who cares Percy. I know how this is going to go. Either you'll say that you believe me, or you'll say that you don't. I don't need to hear it, because either way, it'll hurt. You haven't been at my side when I got convicted, don't start now. It might get you fired from your lovely job."

I spat at him, turning my head towards the wall, because for some stupid reason my eyes started watering. They had all turned on me. Mum. Dad. They tried to believe in me, in my innocence, but I could see the hurt in their eyes. Right then, I knew, I understood. I wasn't half the man Harry had been. I was nothing but a failure. They could be proud of him...he was more their son than I'll ever be. I remember looking at Ginny, whose eyes were empty. She didn't hate me. She didn't love me. She just didn't care. And then I remember looking at Hermione.

Hermione. I thought once that she knew me like nobody else. I thought that she would see that this wasn't me. I thought that she would see through my façade, that she would see the qualities I kept hidden. She used to. She used to see through my bragging, through my indifference, right down to the core. It was scary, but now I want her to see through me more than ever.

"The Ministry is signing the documents right now. I'm technically not supposed to tell you, really. I guess I just wanted to tell you, because...well..."

He looked more serious than ever and I regretted turning my head to him, because how could I hate my own brother? Yes he was a prat and yes he had done things that I didn't agree with, but at the end of the day he was still my brother.

"Because what, Perce?"

"Because I am sorry."

He bit his lip the exact moment I bit mine. We shared a moment, a smile. As he was starting to walk away, I remembered something.

"What documents?"

Percy turned back, a half-smile on his face.

"Your prisoner release forms."

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