Ron was abruptly seized from his seat by the old oak tree by the Black Lake by a pair of cold, clammy hands. Before he could utter a sound, or even look up to see this mysterious person, all went black.
He woke up a few minutes later in a rather large room. The walls and floor were made of gray stone, and portraits of rather dark-looking wizards aligned the walls, as did green tapestries with a single snake etched into them. The couch he was sitted on was black leather with a forest green throw blanked atop it. In the arm chair beside his own, a single head with platinum blond hair sat, staring intently at him with piercing silver eyes.
"'Morning Weaslebee." The cold voice snarled.
"Malfoy..." Ron sneered, "Where are we? What do you want?"
"We, my ginger-haired friend are in the Slytherin Common room." Malfoy said, making a hand gesture to one of the green tapestries. Sure enough, the tapestry he glanced at earlier had the name SLYTHERIN engraved into it. "And you are here because I m going to offer you a deal."
Ron looked at Malfoy with annoyance, "What type of deal?"
"A deal to get rid of Potter." Malfoy said, smirking menacingly.
"No." Ron firmly stated, "I will never help you or anyone associated with You-Know-Who."
"Oh, I think I could change your mind," Malfoy said, his clam, collected demeanor remaining.
"There is nothing you could say to make me change my mind." Ron said, attempting to get off of his position on the couch. He couldn't move an inch. "What have you done to me?"
"Oh, just a little body-locking charm I picked up." Malfoy answered, "Who knew that oaf Flitwick could be so useful?"
"Let. Me. Go." Ron said through gritted teeth, "I already said that you couldn't make me do anything to Harry."
"And I already said that I could change you mind." Malfoy retorted.
"Never."
"Oh, you will change your mind." Malfoy said knowingly.
"What makes you say that?" Ron questioned.
"I happen to know a dirty little secret that Potter and Granger are keeping from you." Malfoy said, leaning more comfortably in his chair and placing his hands behind his head.
Ron laughed, "They would never
keep a secret from me, they told me themselves."
As soon as
Malfoy started to laugh a cold, hard laugh, Ron stopped. "What's
so funny?"
"Are you so sure about that?" Malfoy asked, leaning forward. Ron nodded. "Well...you shouldn't be."
"And why not?" Ron asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Because, Weaslebee, they are doing some very risqué things behind closed doors." Malfoy said with a hint of disgust in his cool voice.
"What makes you say-"
"I saw them myself." Malfoy stated, "That day on the Hogwarts Express. I walked in on them. Full. On. Snogging."
"They would never-" Ron stopped in his tracks at the look Malfoy was giving him. His head was tilted down in a 'You think so' look and his eyebrows were covered by his platinum bangs. "B-but-"
"Don't be so thick, Weasley." Malfoy said, "From what I heard...and saw...they are in L. O. V. E. Love."
Ron visibly shuttered when Malfoy clearly spelled it out for him. When 'love' rolled off of Malfoy's tongue, Ron's heart shattered in two. They couldn't...they wouldn't... Ron kept trying to tell himself, but the signs were there the whole time. The glances, the blushes, the notes, the handholding under the table, and the glow emitted off of them that previous morning.
"Figured it out at last, have you?" Malfoy's voice sounded, ceasing Ron's thoughts abruptly.
"They wouldn't...couldn't..." Ron said aloud.
"Or could they?" Malfoy said, getting out of his position on the armchair. "Its so obvious isn't it?" He went over to Ron's position on the couch, and knelt before him.
"I...they...but-" Ron stuttered.
"Don't be so shocked." Malfoy snapped, "Now the only question is...how do you feel?"
"I-I feel...angry, hurt, depressed, heart-broken-"
"Angry?" Malfoy questioned, "What about?"
"That my best friends would betray me like that." Ron stated, looking down at the leather stitching of the couch.
"How?" Malfoy questioned further.
"Harry...my best mate...the Boy-Who-Fucking-Lived gets the one girl I truly thought I would end up with in the end. He always has to get what he wants...no one cares about Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's stupid friend...no...I am always that sidekick...the lackey-"
"How does that make you feel?"
"Angry...frustrated...murderous..."
"There we go, my point is proven." Malfoy said, getting up off of the floor and towering off of the floor. "Finite." he pointed his wand at Ron as a white light covered him. Ron got off of the couch.
"Now-" Malfoy said, "What are you going to do about it." When Ron didn't answer, Malfoy answered for him, "You can join me and finally destroy the great Harry Potter...and get the girl of your dreams." Malfoy stuck out his hand to Ron.
Ron eyed his hand reproachfully. Should he really do this? Is this what he really wanted? Then pictures of Hermione and Harry snogging popped into his mind, followed by Ron shooting a spell at Harry and continuing where Harry left off. Ron smirked and grasped Malfoy's hand with a smirk.
"Excellent."
Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all returned to the Gryffindor Common Room after their thorough search of the grounds and kitchens of Hogwarts for Ron. They, of course, came up empty handed and were very worried by the time they entered the scarlet and gold covered tower.
"Maybe he just-" Ginny started to say, until she spotted a mass of ginger har behind one of the overstuffed scarlet couches, "RON!"
Harry and Hermione turned their attention the where Ginny was looking, they too saw Ron lying on the couch, visibly napping. All four of them made their way to him and hugged him fiercely.
"Wha?" Ron awoke when he felt six pairs of arms wrap around him.
"Ron, you're alive!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Of course I'm alive."
"Oh. Well in that case...RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY WHERE WERE YOU, WE WERE WORRIED SICK!" Ginny shouted, causing Harry and Hermione to jump out of their position of hugging Ron and cover their ears, which were now currently ringing.
"I was in here." Ron firmly stated.
"YOU WERE IN HERE?!"
"Yes..." Ron reproachfully answered.
"WHY?!"
"Because I was tired and wanted a nap."
"BUT YOU WERE WITH US AN HOUR AGO!" Ginny interrogated.
"I wanted to take a nap here instead of on the grass...is that a crime?" Ron asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"YES!"
"Really?" Ron asked.
"Well…in my book it is!" Ginny retorted, lowering her voice to a shout instead of a scream.
"Your book..."
"Yes! My book!" Ginny shouted. She was about to pounce on Ron, but a pair of arms pulled her back. Ginny looked up to find Harry glaring down at her. When she dared another look at Ron, she saw that Hermione was holding Ron back as well. Apparently, Ron was losing his temper.
Ron's face was red and it looked as though his next move was steam coming out of his ears, that's when Harry and Hermione intervened. Ron visibly relaxed at the feel of Hermione's hands wrapping around his stomach.
"You two need to calm down or you'll bring McGonagle will come up here and give you both detention." Harry said, tightening his grip on Ginny when she tried to pounce on Ron again. Hinny was not reacting to Harry's touch as Ron was, so all she wanted was out.
"Exactly, you two just need to take some Ritalin." Hermione commented, earning confused looks from Ginny and Ron.
"Rita-what?" Ron asked, looking down at Hermione.
"Rita-lin, it's a muggle drug to make you calm down...a chill pill." Hermione replied, looking from Ron to Ginny. Harry chuckled, making Hermione clam down a bit.
"Okay then..." Ron said.
"Can you please let go of me, Harry?" Ginny looked up at Harry, giving him another one of her famous puppy-dog pouts.
"Only if you promise not to kill Ron." Harry answered, visibly smirking.
Ginny looked reproachful for a moment, "I promise."
Harry let Ginny go and watched her sit down on the couch. Hermione looked at Ron, silently asking him the same question. Ron rolled his eyes, "I promise too." Hermione let go of Ron.
"Now...if you two don't mind, I would like to get a bite to eat." Hermione announced.
"Me too," Harry said, "would you like to join us?"
"Yeah." Ron said eagerly.
"Sure." Ginny shrugged.
Lunch, and the rest of the day went by without any more dramatic events. Harry and Hermione went up to the Heads Common Room directly after dinner and sat down on the couch. Harry placed his hand around Hermione and she leaned into him and rested her head in the crook of his neck.
"That was certainly a very eventful morning." Hermione said.
"Very." Harry said, "did you notice anything different about Ron today, though?"
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, looking up at him.
"He was acting very...odd...very...smug." Harry explained.
"Now that you mention it…yeah. He was acting very different today."
"What do you think he was actually doing when we were looking for him?" Harry asked her.
"He said he was sleeping in the common room."
"Yeah...but he didn't sound very convincing." Harry said.
"Well...I don't know...what do you think he was doing?" Hermione questioned.
"I don't know...you're the smart one." Harry smugly replied.
"Hey." Hermione said, slapping him playfully.
"Ouch, that hurt." Harry said, rubbing the place on his arm where her hand slapped him.
"Well you deserve it." Hermione said with a smirk. "I'm tired, I'm off to bed." She yawned and shook off Harry's arm, and got off of the couch.
"Me too." Harry said, also getting up and getting off of the couch.
"Well, goodnight, love." Hermione said.
"Goodnight." Harry said, kissing her tenderly on the lips.
Hermione and Harry made their way up to their rooms and fell into a dreamless slumber. Unaware of what was going on a few floors down.
Ron got out of bed at promptly eleven o'clock, just like the note had said. He slipped on a pair off tennis shoes and a jumper before quietly leaving the boy's dorm room. His wand was firmly gripped in his hand as he descended the stairs of the third floor corridor. When the darkness became to much to bear, he flicked his wand and muttered a faint Lumos, illuminating the deserted hallways.
As he reached dungeons, he became a bit nervous. Why had Draco insisted on meeting him in the Slytherin Common room at so late of an hour? He pondered his thoughts as he made his way through the maze of long hallways. Finally reaching the portrait of Salazar Slytherin and whispering the password, "Pureblood."
How appropriate, Ron thought to himself as he stepped up to the common room. The room was dimly lit by green light, making the room very creepy and unwelcome. Before he could turn back, the portrait slammed shut, leaving a soundless common room before him.
The lights slowly dimmed up and revealed about twenty dark figures in front of him. They all had skull-shaped masks and long, shadow-like cloaks covering them.
"Welcome, young Weasley." A snake-like voice called from behind the group of Death Eaters. As Ron moved forward, the Death Eaters moved aside to reveal a single man sitting on a plush, green velvet chair. Ron gasped.
