Hellooo readers hopefully looking for a decent story to read! Newest chapter here, more of a filler than anything but there is a lot of information that you (or, at least, Pandora) needed to know before I could move on and now that its out there, lets move on to bigger and better things! Hope you enjoy it!

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Three things had become a daily routine amidst the corridors of Hogwarts: Death Eaters assembling dark lesson plans for the professors, heavy mists seeping through the grounds every morning and every evening, and regular punishments given to students for their cheek or stupidity. Two weeks after their arrival, the Death Eaters had made it quite clear what they expect out of everyone in the school: obedience and respect, neither of which was given to them freely. How far could these intruders push the spirits of the young witches and wizards?

Pandora was studying from her Charms notes in her usual spot in the common room, reluctantly taking in as much of the disturbing information as possible for the imminent test in two days. The common room was uncharacteristically empty for a cold Saturday, although Pandora assumed the need to be away from the prison feeling of Hogwarts overtook the November weather. Sifting through another piece of note-scribbled parchment, she looked up as the portrait hole opened. Of course, she thought, he would walk in.

Pandora had tried to act as casual as she could around the redhead, but felt herself oddly confused at times, like she didn't know if she despised him, enjoyed his company or felt indifferent. She hated the feeling nonetheless, as she was used to simply despising everyone, but even she was sure she now enjoyed Hermione's company as she continued to tutor her. She grinned inwardly at Hermione's exasperated expression the other day during a particular lesson that Pandora found difficult to grasp as Ron settled into a chair, exhaling loudly.

"Long day?" Pandora questioned. Ron chuckled.

"It's eleven-thirty."

Pandora shrugged.

"No, I...I'm just not looking forward to the workload due next week."

Pandora returned to her notes. "What have you been doing until now?"

Ron grinned sheepishly. "Well, we were planning on a snowball fight but there isn't enough out there, so Hermione went off to the Library – big surprise – and Harry and I went to visit Hagrid."

"Ah. And the workload has not been troubling your carefree mind until this very moment, is that it?"

Ron grinned again but said nothing. Pandora continued to gaze at the parchment without actually reading her notes. She sighed and shuffled them together to place them in her bag.

"Ron, I need you to tell me something."

Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Anything."

"What-" She paused, thinking how to carefully word her question. "What's going on? With Harry, with these Death Eaters - whose orders do they follow anyways? Why are they here?"

Ron blinked at the seriousness of Pandora's inquiries.

"Err-"

"You do know, right?"

Ron nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the fire.

"Sixteen years ago, this evil wizard had complete control over the wizarding world. Every one lived in fear of him; no one even said his name. Just called him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He gathered followers everywhere...trolls, giants, Inferi, and Death Eaters. They're all something like second in command to him. So, he heard about a Prophecy that had something to do with Harry, how he would be the end of him." Ron gulped, but continued under Pandora's intense stare. "You-Know-Who broke into Harry's house when he was only a year old, killed his mum and dad and went for him next; only this really powerful magic left by his mum had shielded him somehow and reduced him to nothing. So he disappeared for thirteen years after that, looking for ways to become strong again, until three years ago when he came back in a body and everything. So he's started recruiting the same creatures and people as the last time and he's still bent on killing Harry. But Harry has to kill him too. So Harry's – err..."

Pandora sat up straighter in her seat.

"You...can't tell me what Harry's doing to kill him, can you?"

Ron shook his head as he met Pandora's eye.

"I'm sorry...it's his business. He'll tell you if he needs to, but he's my best mate."

Pandora nodded.

"I understand."

Ron blinked.

"Y-you do? Normally people press on and on about what's going on-"

"You can't tell me. I know you won't and so I know there's no point in continuing to ask you. So, this You-Know-Who...what's his name that no one ever speaks?"

Ron looked like he was struggling with himself.

"You...can't say it, either?" Ron sighed. "It's just simple letters, Ron. This wizard has been the one doing horrible things, not his name."

Ron shook his head. "You don't understand. You weren't here when he was attacking the school in subtle ways nearly every year, attacking muggles and teachers and students-"

He cut his sentence off as Pandora gently placed her hand on his arm. She widened her eyes and tore her hand away as if burned before returning her gaze towards him once more as if nothing happened.

"Voldemort." He whispered it as if he were in pain.

:::

Unable to sleep, Ron settled for staring at the top of his four-poster bed, allowing thoughts to race through his mind. He found himself quite comfortable explaining the past seventeen years to Pandora, felt compelled to tell her everything, even about the Horcruxes Harry must destroy. Talking about Voldemort and the inevitable war with one who didn't share his concern, but rather brought on an interest never seen included in this subject before seemed to clear his head of old thoughts and added new ones, thoughts about how it would happen, who would come out stronger, strategies they would need to figure out, how many of the students would participate. Always in the back of his mind was his family, including Harry and Hermione. He knew they would fight. There was nothing he could do to prevent it. There was nothing anyone could do to prevent him from fighting as well.

A new worry threatened to eat away at him recently, try as he might to stuff it down: Pandora. If he knew her like he thought he did, she would fight too. And he really didn't want her to.

The door creaked open to reveal Harry attempting to sneak in late again that night, his wand in one hand and Invisibility Cloak in the other, out studying You-Know-Who and his Horcruxes again. Without looking at him, Harry strode towards his bed and hid his cloak in his travel case under his bed. Making sure everyone in the room was asleep, Ron made Harry aware of his consciousness.

"Looking for you-know-what again, mate?"

Harry jumped and dropped his pyjamas, wand in front of him, before his eyes focussed on Ron and he relaxed noticeably.

"You need help, Harry." Ron whispered. "You can't keep doing this alone. It'd go a lot faster if you let-"

"You two already do enough for me. If I need your help, you'll know."

Ron sighed and waited until Harry was settled in his bed before speaking again.

"You won't ask us, Harry. But you'd better get used to us helping, 'cause we're not leaving you alone to do this, no matter what you say."

Harry was silent for a few more moments.

"I know you and Hermione will. But, I can't ask you...knowing the risks, I can't. Too much to lose..."

Ron understood what Harry was talking about.

"You don't have to ask us." Harry sighed in exasperation. "Just put yourself in our shoes, Harry. You know you'd insist on helping either one of us."

He finally turned over on his side and let sleep take him as he let his friend turn his words over in his head.

:::

Pandora jumped from her deep concentration on her Potions notes as heavy footsteps sounded down the staircase to the dormitories.

"Pandora?" Ron ran towards the couch in front of the fireplace. "Pandora?" He glanced towards the portrait hole. "Pandora!" He ran back up the staircase but paused after the first few steps. Pandora smirked as she heard him descend the steps once more and looked to the left of the landing at Pandora's usual table, face flushed with embarrassment.

"Were you looking for me?" Ron chuckled and ran his hand through his shaggy red hair.

"Yeah, I...I was, actually."

"Ah. Lucky guess, I suppose. So, what was so important that made you run around like a headless chicken looking for me?"

Ron's face turned, if possible, a deeper shade of red.

"Well, I...err...I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a walk? With me, you know...just...around the grounds..."

Pandora grinned as Ron stumbled through his request. She shook her head in amusement and rose from her seat, but froze as she noticed his dejected form; clearly, he took her head movement as a 'no'.

"I wouldn't mind having a break from studying, but I really should keep working. I'm afraid Hermione might further yell at me for allowing myself to be punished once again by our lovely guests if I fail to pass the coming test."

Ron seemed to relax as he grinned along with Pandora.

"You studied all bloody day yesterday. You only came out for dinner, otherwise you never left. Come on...stretch out your legs for an hour. I'm sure you'll do fine tomorrow."

Pandora eyed Ron as he tried to convince her to leave the confines of the room in which she's studied in for twenty-two hours. But he looked entirely too hopeful and she couldn't bring herself to turn his appealing offer down.

"Alright, alright, I'll go walk with you, you silly boy." He beamed at her and she couldn't help but grin. "Just let me get some proper clothes on, it looks volatile out there."

Ron waited as patiently as he could while Pandora gathered proper trainers, a warm plaid jacket and a thick scarf. Gliding easily down the stairs, she met up with an over-excited Ron who appeared to be bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Calm down there, Weasley. I`m not taking you to the park."

Ron flushed red once more and ceased his actions but the bright look on his face never left as they exited the common room. "What's got you suddenly all up and bouncy? I thought you were outside yesterday?"

Ron shrugged and scouted the grounds of Hogwarts as they strode out onto the wet grass, squinting against the feisty autumn winds.

"I dunno, actually. I just..."

Pandora eyed her companion oddly as his sentence trailed off. She sighed and returned to paying attention to their path.

"What would you like to know?"

Ron stopped in his tracks and gaped at Pandora as she strode by him, oblivious to his shock. She raised her eyebrow in question once she realized she was walking alone.

"You're uncannily easy to read sometimes, Weasley."

Ron shock melted into a smirk. "Sometimes."

They resumed their path towards the Black Lake in thoughtful silence before Pandora resumed speaking once more.

"What did you want to know?"

"Where did you...where were you born?"

Pandora faltered. This was not what she was expecting to be asked, but found no reason not to answer truthfully.

"Tonbridge." She shook her head when she noted the confusion flash in Ron's eyes. "Small town in Kent."

Ron nodded thoughtfully and asker his next question. "Is that where you grew up?" Pandora nodded, already unsure of where this was going. "Did you...have anything brothers or sisters?"

Pandora narrowed her eyes. She knew he was very well aware of her sister and thought this a rather useless question. "Sister."

"What's her name?"

Pandora struggled with herself to keep calm, to show no emotion the way she trained herself to. She found that control slowly proving futile around Ron. "Saphira."

Ron nodded once and seemed to catch the hint her biting tone offered. "What's your favourite colour?"

Pandora laughed, high and contagious, and Ron found himself chuckling heartily along with her. She pinched the bridge of her nose in amusement and peeked up at Ron from under her hand.

"My favourite colour? I haven't been asked that question in nearly ten years...I'd have to say, incidentally, red."

A blush crept up Ron's neck to his cheeks at her words and he cleared his throat purposefully as she grinned.

"Right, err...what's your favourite season?"

Pandora glanced thoughtfully at the weather around her, her eyes flitting from fallen yellow leaf to fallen yellow leaf.

"Autumn."

"What are your parents' names?"

Pandora wished she could control the flinch that contorted her face as this question came to surface.

"Thom and Lyra Witte."

She fought to keep her voice steady.

"Why didn't they...why did they keep you from this place?"

Pandora focussed solely on her breathing for a few strides before answering one of the questions she had really hoped he wouldn't ask.

"I was doing really well in home schooling and I suppose my father replied and declined the invitation, as I assume you're allowed to do with good reason."

Not entirely true but not all false.

"So they never told you that you're a witch?"

Pandora shook her head slowly and waited for the next question.

"Do you know what you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?"

She chuckled then.

"Whatever Voldemort deems allowable out there, I suppose."

Ron blinked.

"You'd stay in the wizard world? I thought you'd go back."

Pandora's face hardened and she spoke through a clenched jaw.

"I don't plan on going back."

Pandora could almost hear the gears whirring in his mind as he sought his next question.

"What...what's happened that's made you feel this way?"

Pandora had to lie now. She knew it.

"I'm a very independent individual, as you may have noticed. They always said I could do whatever I wanted as long as I didn't expect them to help out, which I don't." Ron nodded apprehensively. "So, what about you, then?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What about me?"

"Where were you born, how many brothers and sisters do you have, your favourite colour, season, parents' names, what are your career goals...etcetera, etcetera."

Ron chuckled.

"Okay, okay...uhh...first one then...what was-"

"Where were you born?"

"Right, right. Ottery St. Catchpole. Wizard community, you wouldn't have heard of it. Err...right, my family. I have five brothers, Fred, George, Percy, Bill and Charlie, and one sister, Ginny. My parents are Arthur and Molly Weasley. Err...what were-"

"Colour and season?"

"I'd have to say blue. And summer. Career goals, right?" He sighed heavily. "I'd like to be an Auror. They catch dark wizards and such...I don't see how it's gonna happen now though."

Pandora nudged Ron's arm with her elbow. "There must be some sort of resistance out there, Ron. There has to be other witches and wizards other than us in the school who have the heart to resist. You can do it. Train privately; I'm sure they do that." Pandora caught Ron's doubtful expression. "You can do it. You have it in you. You're more intelligent than you give yourself credit for, you're quite brave, and you...I don't know, you think differently. Like...street smart."

She smirked as she noticed the blush creeping into his cheeks at her words.

"Err...thank you."

"What made you want to talk to me in the first place?"

Ron stumbled over his feet at her unexpected question, ungracefully attempting to regain his composure.

"Err – what?"

"You heard me."

Pandora took the momentary silence to acknowledge their surroundings; they were now on the other side of the Black Lake, circling back around towards the castle looming in the horizon.

"You're different. Different than anyone else in the school. I can't place it, but...I just really wanted to talk to you. You're strong, don't care what people think of you, strongly opinionated-" Pandora snorted in amusement at this. "- and you're a really good friend."

It was Pandora's turn to stumble, although her recovery was much more graceful.

"So...that's what we are, then? F-friends?"

Ron nodded slowly.

"Haven't you ever...had a friend?"

Pandora's eyes seemed distant as she remembered her short childhood.

"Yes...a long time ago. I mentioned I was home schooled. Didn't go out very often." Pandora cleared her throat and tried for a more uplifting tone. "So, friends, eh? Are you sure about that?"

Ron grinned. "I think I've endured the worst of you up to this point. I'm sure I can handle you now."

Pandora shook her head and glanced sideways at him as they neared the damp, grassy grounds of Hogwarts.

"You think so, do you? Oh, well, we'll just see."

Ron grinned at her and nudged her arm with his own elbow and they walked toward the doors in comfortable silence.

The comfortable silence ended when a blood curdling scream tore up and down the corridor. Ron took off towards the Great Hall while Pandora tore across the marble ground in the opposite direction to the other side of the castle. She ripped through the growing crowd and up three flights of stairs before the source of the sound reflected in Pandora's fiery eyes.

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Ah, I'm so evil. Mwhaha. So, can anyone guess what's going on with Pandora, what her past is about? Unless no one was suspicious and I just gave it away -_-'' And what about the cliffy? Eh? Who's screaming? Feel free to guess, I won't say if you're wrong =)

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed (weasleyobsessed, hotpocketbandit, Edwardluvv, MarthavanVires, thenewthingx, AmberBreath, YANIsweetness7, Jess-Tyson) I really do appreciate your feedback =)