*dodges fruit* I know...I know...it's been awhile. Like I said, I had major writers block and although I know what I wanted to happen, I had no idea how to start the chapter or how to word some things SO here it is. Chapter...what are we on now? 14? Merlin...might want to read the last paragraph of the previous chapter so the beginning of this one makes more sense =P ANYWAYS I really hope you like it...it's not my favourite overall chapter, but there are some parts that I feel really proud of, and I hope you think so too! Some nice Ron and Pandora moments =) Let me know what you think!

:::

The cool, crisp December air pierced her face once more and her eyes travelled over the cloud-blanketed evening sky, taking in the vast acreage and the tall, looming structure of the Burrow. It looked as if it were fighting gravity, much in the same fashion as Hogwarts, with rooms and towers jutting out and away from the peak of the building. The base of the home was surrounded in what looked like bushes and flowerbeds and little odds and ends and did not look like they belonged around wizards, such as an antique vacuum hidden haphazardly behind a small tree, a small clothing iron set on top of the railing of the front porch, and a perfectly normal looking broom and dustbin strewn beside the steps. Pandora chuckled as she recalled Ron telling her about his father's slight obsession with Muggle things.

She frowned when a heavy sigh broke the still night and she rounded on Ron, her eyes narrowed into furious, poison-green slits. His hands rose defensively. Pandora delicately hiked the sleeves of her jumper up to her elbow. He flashed a quick 'forgive me' grin. She sneered, and her fists thundered against his chest, his arms, his back. "YOU – SONOFA – APPARATE – WITHOUT – ASKING – TRICKY LITTLE –" What Pandora mistook for grunting was actually a poor attempt at containing his laughter, which soon exploded into hysteria, which soon had him on his knees while she stood in front of him, fists poised in midair and slightly flabbergasted.

What the two of them failed to notice was the looks their odd behaviour received from the rest of the family reuniting on the front porch.

:::

"Right, now, you've met George...Fred, yes. Put that down, Bill! Dinner is nearly ready! My son, Bill, and daughter-in-law, Fleur." Pandora accepted the French woman's dainty hand and smiled nervously at the couple. "And Charlie, of course." Pandora nodded and smiled. "And I don't think you've met my husband, Arthur?" Ron's father extended his hand with a tired smile and Pandora did not feel threatened. She did not feel angry. She was not being degraded. Or insulted. Or hurt. She was being...accepted in the most ordinary way possible. And she felt thankful as she accepted his hand with a returning smile, knowing he'll never quite realize how much that small, insignificant moment meant to her.

Much to her relief, the attention was off of the new arrival and onto discussions of life at the school, the oncoming war, and what they would do for food and money if times became too hard. Pandora took this time to peruse the warm home. The whole place was filled with heirlooms, tiny 'Weasley' details, Muggle things attached to what could only be assumed as wizard things and the oddest clock that wasn't really a clock at all. Nine tiny little faces were shown on each hand of the 'clock' with nine places instead of numbers: Home, School, Work, Travelling, Lost, Hospital, Prison, Quidditch, and Mortal Peril. Grief struck her when she noticed every Weasley face was stuck under 'mortal peril'.

The furniture in the kitchen seemed to overtake the small space already full of people; the old wooden table obviously witness to thousands of meals and the chairs seen to just as many bottoms. The counter space was filled with various sizes of pots and pans, too many plates and food that looked like it could feed every student in Hogwarts. Utensils and pots flew about the kitchen in a mad hurry, water bubbling, vegetables chopping, and it took Pandora a moment to realize Mrs. Weasley was the cause of all this while simultaneously holding a conversation with Bill. She chuckled as her gaze swept across the kitchen to the living room. Pictures were hung and placed in nearly every corner and crevice of the room, each displaying a friend or family member of some sort, waving and smiling. The couches looked a little worse for wear and maybe too soft, but despite the cramped space and aging furniture, it felt cozy.

Pandora glanced once more at the large family chatting animatedly around the table, her eyes lingering on Ron sharing a rather intense looking conversation with Charlie and Harry. He caught her eye and that short moment combined with her not paying attention to any of the conversations made her jump when she suddenly heard her name.

" – Pandora?"

She shook her head and looked for the person calling her.

"Dad, she's from...she was raised by Muggles, she wouldn't know."

Pandora raised an eyebrow at Mr. Weasley and Ginny standing by a door at the opposite corner of the entrance.

"Raised by Muggles? How fascinating! Tell me, when a toaster is –"

"Arthur!" Mr. Weasley snapped his jaw shut once his wife sent him a warning look and he jerked a nod. "Dinner's ready, everyone! Tuck in, now, we should all fit!"

Nearly ten minutes and three broken – and repaired – plates later, everyone squeezed into the table, jowl by jowl, and promptly dug into the magnificent meal. Pandora felt a little unease settle into her nerves; though her eating habits had improved magnificently, she still lacked the skill to eat like a Weasley and felt like a meek little porcelain doll amongst Vikings.

"Don' worry, we'll 'ave 'oo eatin' 'ike ush in no time." stated Ginny with a mouthful of chicken.

:::

Posters of Quidditch, singers, and wizards Pandora assumed to be models covered the walls of Ginny's small room, amongst various photos of her family and school friends. The room was caught between fairies and princesses to a rebelling teenager and nearly every phase in between, but Pandora found it endearing. You could almost see Ginny's life simply by glancing around. Hermione lounging on an old chair filled her vision along with Ginny sprawled out on her bed, looking entirely too relaxed.

"I missed my bed."

Hermione giggled. "You hide your yearning for the old feather cushions quite well."

"Oh, it's turning my stomach to knots just hiding it from you."

"That might be that last bit of meatloaf you shoved in your mouth –"

"'Course not, I'm used to –"

"- before you ate two slices of pie –"

"- that's nothing compared to –"

"- and a handful of truffles."

Pandora's shoulders were soon shaking with mirth and it didn't take long before the other two joined in, gripping their sides and rolling around until a soft knock at the door spoiled their fun. Through the aftershocks of laughter, Ginny spoke.

"Come – come in."

Timid as a rabbit in a wolf den, Harry opened the creaking door and flashed a quick grin before settling his eyes on Ginny, and Pandora instantly felt as if she no longer existed. "Could I speak with you?"

Without a word and a backwards glance, Ginny left the room with Harry, leaving Pandora and Hermione to share an amused look and imagine what the little meeting could be about.

"So, what do you think?"

Pandora shrugged. "I suppose I expected nothing less from a wizard's home."

"Well, not every wizard home looks quite like this, although none of them look anything like a Muggle house."

Pandora smirked. "You've been to many, have you?"

"I...I've read about them."

"Where on earth do you find these books on the most random things?"

Hermione flushed. "Where there's a will, there's a way."

Pandora nodded thoughtfully. "Where there's a will..."

They spoke of simple things, hardly bothered by the fact that they had not seen Ginny nor Harry for the rest of the evening, and Pandora bid Hermione a good night by the early morning of Sunday and quietly crept down the rather noisy staircase and creaked open the door to the kitchen. She nearly leaped a foot in the air when she noticed Mrs. Weasley sitting in the dark room, clutching a mug of tea and staring blankly into the living room.

"Mrs. Weasley, I – you didn't have to wait –"

"Oh no, dear, don't you worry about it. I couldn't sleep." Pandora nodded slowly, feeling suddenly awkward. "I'll help you with your bed." Suddenly cheery, Mrs. Weasley leaped from her spot and bustled over to the worn couch, holding one too many folded woollen blankets and about eight too many pillows, and went about spreading the several hand-made comforters. Pandora's heart raced in her chest for a second time that night once she noticed Ginny resting against Harry on the roomy chair adjacent to Pandora's new bed. "I'm sorry for such terrible accommodations, dear. I haven't got much room and everyone is here for the holidays..." She caught Pandora's curious gaze on the young couple. "Yes, they've been there awhile." She sighed softly. "I must wake them, I'm afraid."

Pandora lifted her gaze from the young couple and considered Mrs. Weasley for a moment, took in her tired eyes and the vivid lines creasing her forehead from stress and worry. Just barely coming to surface was the gentle wrinkles surrounding her mouth that suggested to Pandora her relief and happiness, and she tenderly placed her hand on Mrs. Weasley's arm and smiled. "I'll do it, Mrs. Weasley. Go to sleep, all right? Everyone is here, they're all fine." She flashed a tight smile and jerked a nod before patting Pandora's cheek.

"It's lovely to have you, dear."

Pandora did not move a muscle until she heard the quiet creak of the bedroom door closing upstairs. Without pause, she tossed one of her many pillows at the two sleeping beauties and stifled a snicker as Harry twitched so violently he caused Ginny to plummet to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"What the buggering –"

"Amour veut tout sans nombre, amour n'a point de loi." Blank looks filled with weariness stared back at Pandora and she returned to English with a bored tone."You're in my room. I don't remember inviting you, oddly enough."

Ginny looked up from her new spot on the floor and scowled while Harry refused to meet Pandora's eye and tried unsuccessfully to disguise his burning red cheeks. Wicked as a witch, the redhead grinned and rose to her full height. "Remember this exact moment, Witte. It will happen to you." With a final glance, she swept past Pandora and creaked up the steps to her bedroom, leaving a clearly flustered Harry alone with her. Just when Pandora thought she couldn't take any more surprises, a deep voice spoken from behind her caused her heart to leap into her throat.

"...the bloody hell you doin' in here, mate?" Ron's voice, though muffled by sleep, rang through the small room and Harry seemed awakened from his stupor as he passed Pandora and made his way towards Ron.

"Tea...getting tea."

"In the living room?"

"He was cuddling." smirked Pandora. Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Cuddling? What the bloody hell were you cuddling Pandora for?"

Pandora snorted and grinned apologetically at Harry, who was now glaring furiously at her. "Ginny. I was down here with Ginny."

Ron raised an eyebrow; the smallest of movements, yet suddenly the room felt cooler. "With my sister, eh? Don't suppose you were talking about something important?"

Harry remained cool and collected despite his crimson face. "We were."

Pandora decided to break the tense atmosphere. "Look, why don't you two go upstairs and settle this with a pillow fight or something. I don't possess the skill to slumber while men are spitting in each other's eyes."

Though neither cracked a grin of any sort, they stiffly retreated to their room up the noisy stairs and that was good enough for Pandora as she all but collapsed onto the couch. She was right. It was a little too soft.

:::

"She's a grown woman, you know! She can make her own decisions!"

"Well, if that same decision is gonna keep hurting her then I don't want you near my sister! If you keep playing around with –"

"I'm not playing around with her, and you know it!"

Ron slammed his fist down on his dresser, causing it to shudder dangerously from the force. "Damn it, Harry! You break it off with her for what I'll agree is a good reason, and now I hear you two are off all by yourself in a cosy little corner for Merlin knows how long! Were you ever gonna tell me, or was I supposed to find out from Pandora?"

Harry's jaw clenched and he angled his head slightly as he glared at Ron from beneath his glasses. "Since we're on that topic...mind telling me why I had no right acting pissed about you and Pandora while you stand there and call me out on barely anything at all?"

Ron's face paled slightly and his voice lost the edge it once held. "Me and...but you're still pissed about that."

"I was. I didn't trust her then."

Ron raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You do now?"

Harry shrugged. "Look, if she wanted to hurt you, or any one of us, she would have done it by now."

"What...what do you mean?"

Harry sighed. "Well, you're clearly..." He hesitated. The words that he wouldn't say hung in the air between them like a flying little elephant and Ron burned red to his ears. "It's just...it'd be easy for her now."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, all right. Just...don't hurt her again, Harry."

A silent understanding and moment of kinship was interrupted once a few loud bangs sounded beneath their feet, followed by, "Will you two gits end your bloody lovers spat and get to sleep!"

:::

Bright lights burned her eyelids red once she heard quiet footsteps creak along the wooden floor and Pandora groaned as the final stages of sleep evaded her. A tired voice muttering something about eggs and Muggles caused her to peek open an eye and glance around the general vicinity of the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley popped into view, already bustling around the kitchen at...whatever time it happened to be. Try as she could to resume her mindless state, Pandora was awake and she may as well get ready for the long day ahead. The creaking of the old springs in the burgundy-floral printed couch that Pandora had laid on jolted Mrs. Weasley out of her morning routine and she clutched her chest with one hand, her wand with the other. Pandora froze, hardly breathing, eyeing the lightly coloured wand that was pointed directly at her chest. It seemed to take the experienced witch a moment before she collected herself and instantly stowed her wand away in her morning robes.

"I'm so sorry, dear! Oh, you gave me quite a fright." She laughed nervously.

Pandora flashed a cheeky grin. "Don't tell me you'd forgotten I was here."

"No, of course not! No, it's been a busy couple of days and –"

Pandora's cheeks flushed red as she considered the woman before her. "Oh, Mrs. Weasley, I was...I was only kidding! I'm sorry; I shouldn't joke about that..."

Mrs. Weasley seemed relieved as a warm smile graced her face. "Merlin...don't worry about it, now. I've lost my sense of humour, it seems."

Pandora grinned wryly. "No one ever loses their sense of humour. It simply enjoys going on a vacation or two." Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "It'll find you at the oddest, most inappropriate time, though."

The older woman returned to the kitchen and resumed her fussing over breakfast, summoning too many pots and pans for the stove while eyeing ingredients and food to use. "Happened to you before, has it?"

"My mum's –" Pandora's sentence took a screeching halt and her breath seemed to catch in her throat. Dare she finish the sentence? The last thing Pandora needed to do was to press further grief upon Ron's mother. So she pushed 'eulogy' out of her mind and started her sentence over. "Uhm...it happened to my mum all the time."

Mrs. Weasley halted her routine once more and measured Pandora with her bright eyes, and her heart pounding in her ears told her that she feared she would be called out on her lie. Mothers always knew, and it didn't matter whose mother it was. To Pandora's immense relief, the most she received was a gentle smile before the woman resumed her work.

"Do you need any help?"

Mrs. Weasley spoke over her shoulder as she prepared something in a bowl. "Oh, no, dear, I'm quite all right. Thank you."

Footsteps and creaking floorboards were heard overhead and Pandora smirked. "So you're going to feed...eleven hungry people all by yourself?" The busy witch turned to face Pandora, her fists planted on her hips, a mixture of deep thought and amusement lining her face. "I used to cook all the time at home. I won't ruin anything, I promise." she finished with a convincing grin. The sounds of water and sibling rivalry were soon heard and Mrs. Weasley sighed in resignation.

"All right, then. Come here...let's see, now...you can work on the meats and table while I start the potatoes, eggs, and pancakes. You can season them any way you like, but if no one likes them, I'm denying having anything to do with it." They shared a cheeky grin and Pandora started on the ham. "Well, that didn't seem so inappropriate."

Pandora chuckled. "It hasn't come back full force yet. Seems to be slightly jet-lagged."

"Sorry, dear?"

Pandora had to think about what she had said before it occurred to her that witches and wizards had no idea about airplanes. "It's tired. That sense of humour of yours needs some rest after that exhausting vacation."

:::

Pandora glanced around the table in pride as the Weasley men grunted their approval at the large breakfast meal. Ron was picking at the last bits of sausage when he spoke. "Mum, 'dis taste' a li'le di'rent 'den normal...new recipe? I like it..."

Pandora found it possible to smirk and blush at the same time. "Pandora helped me with breakfast; cooked up the meats while I tended to the rest."

Ron stopped chewing his overly large mouthful of sausage and all but gaped at Pandora. "You made 'dis?" She nodded. "Blimey..."

George attempted to silent a burp behind his hand and sighed in contentment. "Ah, the way to a man's heart..."

Pandora and Hermione helped clear the table once every bite and morsel was cleaned off of every plate and Mrs. Weasley set the dishes to wash themselves while she headed upstairs to get ready for the day. Pandora turned to Hermione then. "Has everyone showered yet?"

Hermione swiped the last of the crumbs off of the table and hung the towel over the back of a chair, amusement etching her face. "Soon, you will understand that in a large family, no one is polite." Pandora raised an eyebrow. "If you want a shower, go and have one and if one of those pushy Weasley boys tries to talk you out of it, just slam the door in their face." She giggled at Pandora's expression and continued before making her way into the living room. "They'd do the same, trust me." And so Pandora did as she was instructed and clambered up the staircase towards the washroom, fresh clothes and hair supplies in tow. The last few steps before the landing saw George descending the final steps before the very same floor and their eyes met. A silent challenge was accepted and they raced towards the innocent door that barred their destination, tossing aside their personal needs. Two sets of hands clamped onto the tiny door handle and they struggled, one trying to scratch away at the others hands, the other attempting to bite. Pandora finally had enough leverage to shove her shoulder into his ribs and away from the wooden door. Without pause, she snapped it open and slammed it closed behind her, fits of giggles threatening to erupt in her chest. She knew George was still out there, and felt accomplishment spread through her body until he spoke.

"Forgetting these, are we?"

Pandora slapped her hand to her forehead in frustration. "Damn it all...any chance at all you could just pass those through?"

She could practically see the evil grin plastered upon his face as he spoke. "There's a chance that I could. Give up the shower, and maybe we'll talk."

Pandora rolled her eyes. "Are you actually keeping my clothes and shampoo hostage?"

"Unless you're planning on us taking the shower together, which I don't think ickle Ronnikins would like very much, I suggest you give. up. the. shower."

"George, what on earth are you doing with those clothes?"

Pandora instantly recognized Mrs. Weasley's voice and thanked the heavens.

"Mum, I – she's completely hogging the –"

"Who is?"

"The new one!"

"Hey! The 'new one' has a name, you git!"

"George, really. Give the poor girl back her things and you can wait! She's our guest."

Pandora waited with bated breath before the door creaked open and her things popped into view on top of the counter. Mrs. Weasley must have glared him into submission.

:::

Pandora had been staring at her plain reflection in Ginny's mirror for the past half an hour, remarkably undecided about her usual makeup routine. Her faithful eye liner remained poised, waiting for an order from her hand that would simply not come. It was frustrating. Since the day after she turned thirteen, this ritual had become second nature to her, and suddenly she could not bring herself to mask her face anymore. If she thought about it, there was really no reason to. She was not trying to cover up a bruise, or red, puffy eyes from crying; she was not trying to impress anyone by showcasing her intense irises. So what was the point?

With a resigned sigh, Pandora slammed the innocent little black pencil on top of Ginny's dresser and turned away from her reflection. She hadn't looked at her blank pallet of a face for this long in nearly five years. She knew she had changed, hopefully for the better, and so she decided to cleanse herself entirely of her past. Packing away her makeup bag with shaking hands, she stowed it away deep in her luggage case and exited the room. Everyone seemed to be downstairs, either in deep conversation or concentrating on a game of some sort, and so Pandora took this opportunity to help herself to a tour of the Burrow. There wasn't much to see past the loo, but there were names etched into each door she passed on the way up the stairs. It seemed as if rooms were added onto the house the more children were added to the family, and the final room she came across had 'Ron' written near the bottom. Pandora assumed he has done it himself when he was younger and a smile crept across her face.

Curiosity, as always, got the better of her, and without much convincing on her part, Pandora's hand found the small, brass handle and turned it ever so gently. The only warning she received before the door was pushed completely open was a cry of surprise and rustling of clothes.

"Bloody Hell!"

Ron, one foot stuck in a pair of trousers, lost his balance and landed on his bottom with a strained 'oof'. Pandora leaned against the door frame and amusedly took in the bright red pants that hung around his waist. Ron's scarlet ears started at his bare chest, which heaved from the shock of Pandora's unannounced visit. Hasty and graceful as a three legged cat with an inner ear infection, he shoved his long legs through the short trousers and stood, looking rather awkward as his gaze shifted from Pandora's eyes to her feet.

"Lovely knickers you have there."

"You've no shame, do you?"

Pandora grinned. "Absolutely none."

Pandora's smug expression faded once she noticed Ron staring a little too intently at her face, and she experienced that stupid sensation of feeling naked, stripped of her walls, that she sensed every time he looked at her this way. Her whole body stiffened as he took a careful step towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. Another step. Another. Pandora briefly pondered the fact that she hadn't blinked in nearly a minute before Ron's warm breath whispering across her face blew all thoughts from her mind. She was acutely aware of how close he was; how his bare chest rose and fell as his lungs filled with precious air; how his deep blue eyes, so full of emotion, were fixed on hers; how his lips were parted just slightly...

Pandora blinked. Mentally shook her head. Forced her crumbling walls to form themselves once again. Just like that, the moment had gone. "You...you're not wearing any...make up."

Pandora cleared her throat before replying, in case her throat had gone dry. "No. No, I...I thought I'd go for a change. Was it a bad idea?"

Ron shook his head a little too vigorously. "No! You look better without it, actually."

She couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at her lips. "Well, thank you."

He returned her smile. "Would you, err...like to play Wizards Chess? Downstairs, I mean."

"Is it similar to...normal chess?"

Ron shrugged. "Dunno. Never played normal chess."

Pandora chuckled. "Right. Well, you just teach me, then."

She made to leave the small room but paused as she realized Ron had one hand on the door and was prepared to depart as well.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

Sighing, Pandora patted his bare chest and continued out the door and down the staircase, grinning when she heard, "Oh. Right." and the sound of a closing door.

:::

Sweat threatened to bead upon her forehead from sheer concentration. They were in trouble. She had put her men in trouble, and now she was taking the heat herself. One brave soldier stood on trembling knees, awaiting her command, but she could not find it in herself to give it. Her opponent smirked, so confident in his victory of the battle that he could have leaned back into the couch and folded his arms behind his head.

"You're only delaying the inevitable, Witte."

Pandora peeked at Ron from beneath her drawn eyebrows and sighed in resignation as she moved her brave King in the warpath of Ron's greedy Knight. She flinched as her soldier crumbled to pieces under a furious checkmate. Groaning, Pandora ran her fingers through her hair and rested her head in her hands. "'ve never lost a bloody game before."

Ron reset the board and chuckled to himself. "Neither have I." Pandora shot him a dirty look. "In all fairness to you, you held your own really well."

Pandora rose from her spot of nearly four hours on the floor and stalked off to the kitchen. "Bloody Weasley...noble bloody Chess git..." Pandora lowered her voice in mock imitation of Ron. "'Held your own really well!'"

Ron spoke up from the couch. "You did!"

"Oh, blow it out your arse!"

"I don't really want anyone's arse blowing anything, actually."

The sound of Ginny's voice almost made Pandora jump. Almost.

"What are you still doing up, Gin?"

"I could ask you the same thing, dear brother. Don't tell me you two just finished that Chess game?"

"Took about four hours to finish it, actually." Ron nodded his head in Pandora's direction. "Sore loser, she is."

He dodged a sponge aimed by the 'sore loser' and stood up to stretch, his joints cracking from the lack of movement. Ginny hid her humour behind her hand and attempted to change the subject.

"Right, how 'bout we play a game that is actually quite fun to lose?"

Pandora scoffed, but her scepticism melted away once she saw a few choice bottles of unusual looking liquor and Hermione Granger.

:::

"Can you speci – specificic – speci...fy the question?" A drunk Hermione was concentrating perhaps a little too hard to finish her question, despite the barely finished bottle of Butterbeer set neatly beside her.

Ginny sighed, clutching her third shot of Firewhiskey. "You're first one ever, Hermione, not tonight."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! I have had...Butterbeer before. So I don't drink?"

"You don't drink."

Pandora stifled a chuckle with the back of her hand before asking her question. "Take a shot if you've...hmm...broken a bone."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Pandora took a swig of their drinks. The smooth, burning sensation of the Firewhiskey as it coursed down her throat made Pandora feel...nothing. Nothing at all. And she liked it.

"Take a shot if you've..." Ron pondered his question as he tapped the brim of his bottle against his chin. "...driven a Muggle...thing."

Pandora sighed and threw back her head as she felt the now familiar burning sensation again. As she refilled her empty glass, she noticed everyone looking at Ron expectantly.

"What?"

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and adjusted his glasses. "Second year."

Ron's eyebrows rose in understanding and he swigged his beverage. "Can't believe I forgot that one."

Pandora leaned back on her elbows and glanced to her right at the tall redhead. "You'll have to explain that one later." Ron flashed a grin and nodded. "Harry?"

"Take a shot if...you've punched somebody in the face."

Hermione burst into a fit of giggles, making it even more difficult than usual to sip her Butterbeer. Harry, along with Ginny, Ron and Pandora, knocked back their drinks as well and shared a knowing grin between the five of them.

"All right, take a shot if...you've...ever wanted to kill someone."

The shots were hesitant, but Harry and Pandora tipped their glasses to their mouths. The room was silent for a moment before Ginny's question completely changed the mood of the place.

"Take a shot if you've had sex."

Hermione nearly toppled over. Harry choked on his final gulp of Firewhiskey. Ron's leg began twitching violently. Ginny smirked. Pandora swigged.

The room went silent once more. The air was thick with tension and although no one moved, everyone's eyes shifted towards Ron, whose jaw seemed to be stuck agape. His teeth clicked shut, his mouth opened to speak, and closed again, before he finally spoke.

"H-how...um..."

Pandora reached over and grasped the long, dark bottle to measure a shot in her glass and swung her head back. Six times. "Right, then. Next question?"

The timing couldn't have been more perfect for the sound of creaking floorboards heard from above. Without a word, Ginny, Hermione and Harry took off towards the kitchen and up the steps to the first room, bottles in tow, while Pandora made to hide the glasses. She paused only when she noticed Ron had not moved at all.

"Ron? You need to move, mate." She knelt in front of him and peered into his hazy eyes. "Ron! Someone's coming, you fool!"

Once she realized a few swift slaps to his cheek proved futile, Pandora took a firm hold of his arm and dragged him onto the couch, all too aware of his expressionless face and the increasing volume of the groaning stairs. Ron was promptly thrown onto the soft cushions and barely had time to process the situation before Pandora all but leaped on top of him, ignoring the sudden gust of air that escaped his lungs from her weight, and tossed several thick blankets over their stiff forms. For added measure, she clamped her hand over his mouth and touched a finger to her fingers in case the current situation hadn't quite sunken into his thick skull. Pandora's breath caught in her throat once she heard the door creak open and she daren't move a muscle. Ron's eyes finally widened in comprehension and she felt his muscles tense beneath her as he waited until the door creaked close once more. Both witch and wizard sighed in relief and Pandora hastily lifted herself up and settled on the floor before the situation became too awkward.

Slowly and quietly, Ron settled beside the raven haired woman and settled his gaze on the window set in the opposite wall. "Six."

Pandora stole a glance at the ginger beside her before responding. "Yes. Six." Ron looked highly conflicted. "Is that a problem?"

He shook his head and that was when the anger spread across his face as he glared at the wall. "No. Not at all. Why would it be a problem?"

Pandora's natural defensiveness reared up and she retorted with a little more acid then she had intended. "Why don't you tell me?"

Ron's head snapped towards Pandora, a mixture of anger and hurt in his intense blue eyes. "It's not bloody right –"

"I'm gonna stop you right there. If you're gonna pick a fight with me, Ron, at least don't hold back on me."

He took a moment, breathing a little too deeply, looking a little too calm. "It's not fucking right for someone like you to just...fucking give away your damn body like that, Pandora! You deserved so much better than that..."

Pandora glared long and hard at Ron, considering her words before she spoke them. "How do you know what I deserved? What makes you think I just 'gave it away', just like that?" She blinked back betraying tears. "Why do you even care? You didn't know me then! I don't belong to you!"

"But I respect you, Pandora! I fucking respect – did they respect you? I mean, did they even –"

"Before you go any further...my..." Pandora cleared her throat and found great interest in the carpet by her feet. "My first time, I thought...I thought I was in love, all right? And I thought...I thought he felt the same. But he really didn't. I learned too much from that experience. I treated the others the same way I was treated."

She couldn't bring herself to look into Ron's eyes, too afraid to see the disgust she knew she would find.

"So, you didn't respect them." Pandora shook her head. "Did it make you feel any better?"

"Oh, I felt brilliant...for about an hour afterwards. By then, I felt like I had after my first time. I kept figuring it would get better, but...by the sixth time, I was beginning to feel numb."

She could feel the hesitation rolling off of Ron and continued to expect the worst. "When...when was the last time?"

Pandora turned her head towards him yet she avoided his eyes. "Last summer."

She could feel his gaze burning into her skin, but, still, she refused to look into his face. Surprise took over every emotion the moment his rough fingers slid across her cheek and forced her eyes on his. There was no disgust. There was no hatred, no repulsion, no anger. Nothing to make her feel ashamed or guilty. All she felt was...fire. Fire in her veins, burning her muscles, heating her cheeks, and it did not make any sense to Pandora how such simple acts could cause such extreme sensations, but the last thing on her mind was trying to stop them.

"When I look at you...all I see is you. I don't see an abusive father. I don't see a lost mother. I don't see one night stands. I don't see this mask you've been hiding behind. I just see...Pandora. Nothing you say or do will change that. I just...it won't change that."

Pandora nodded slowly, taking in the feel of his bold hand grazing her cheek, caressing her thick, silky hair, stroking her smooth neck with now timid fingers. But one thought roamed her mind, one very dangerous thought.

"You don't touch me like a silly little boy anymore."

Ron gulped as he searched her careful poison-green eyes. "Don't feel like a silly little boy."

Pandora's heart pounded against her ribcage so ferociously that it must be heard in the evening air and try as she might to calm it down, it refused to listen.

"Harry? What on earth are you doing in Ginny's room? Out, out, off to Ron's room! Go on!"

:::

DONE! Bloody hell, that's a lot. I'm just wondering if you've noticed the names of my chapters and how they match a completely random line in the chapter. Do you like the idea? Should I keep doing it in future stories? Anywho, again it's 1 am (I do that a lot), and I'm gonna update this now. Let me know what you think of it =) And THANK YOU FOR READING!

PS: Amour veut tout sans nombre, amour n'a point de loi is Love wants everything without condition, love has no law in French, by Pierre de Ronsard. Just don't wanna get sued o.O