A/N: First of all, I am really sorry for the previous chapter. I see a lot many of you were greatly disheartened by how downhill that went. But as I have said before, this story runs parallel to the sixth and the seventh book, and so far we are somewhere in the middle of February in their sixth year. It is not going to be a mushy story and as said before, there will definitely be lots of ups and downs in their lives. Unlike the series where Ron and Hermione had five years before it became a hormonal mess in their sixth year, here all that tension will be taking place in these two years, so you know how much of a roller-coaster emotional ride that will be. I will definitely not give you a horrid ending because, after all it is a love story so please don't worry about that.

But yes, please be prepared for dark stuff, angst and lots of drama.

This is a Christmas (maybe belated because I am not sure when it will be ready to post) present for all my lovely readers.

All Characters and places mentioned here belong to JKR.

Chapter 20: A Midnight Rendezvous

Ron sat alone on the final steps, high up in the Astronomy Tower. The silence of the night did nothing to calm his insides that seem to be on fire like it had been for the past two days and two nights. He took in a deep, ragged breath, the chill of the air pricking his nostrils and lungs but it was still better than the way she had hurt him, again.

He had not seen her since that fateful night when he had overheard the Headmistress and if he had any say in the matter, he would never set eyes on her as long as he lived. It was a hard thing, to be betrayed over and over by that one person his heart had chosen to fall irrevocably in love with and maybe that was what made the pain all the more unbearable.

Sitting alone in the highest point in the school, he felt a strange mix of pity and hatred for himself. They were amidst a war, Harry was still struggling to retrieve that one memory from Slughorn as the threat of the Dark forces loomed stronger than ever and here he was stuck in a pathetic maze of love, betrayal and anger. He felt lonely and although it had looked appealing when he had broken up with Lavender some hours ago and specifically asked Harry to let him be, now he was not so sure he was cherishing the solitude. It wasn't like he wanted Lavender back, no that part was clear and surprisingly less messy than he had thought it would be. That was one baggage off his shoulder although he did feel a tad guilty. The way Lavender had taken it made things easy but all the more worse.

"I always knew it was coming Ron." She had said with a sad little smile when he had told her that they were not really going anywhere with this 'relationship' of theirs.

"You knew?" he asked a little taken aback.

"Of course I did. It wasn't that hard to miss, the way you seemed to search for someone else when you opened your eyes after we snogged. The way you looked a little surprised and maybe a little disappointed that it was me..."

"Lav-"

"No Ron really... Why do you think I was so clingy? I knew I'd lose you, I didn't think it would be so soon though." She added wiping a tear off.

"Then why did you put up with me?" he asked despite himself.

"Because I like you, more than you know. There was also the factor that I didn't know who I was competing against. I don't know who has captured your heart, but whoever has done it has done a great job."

"Lavender" he stopped her because what she said hurt. "I am sorry."

She smiled and then kissed him softly on the lips. "Bye Ron..."

He hated that he had hurt her and hated that she had been right. And above all he hated Hermione Granger for everything else in between.

He could have taken her charges as the first thing that came to his memory was the way he forced her at Grimmauld Place but then McGonagall had mentioned about the charm, the one that was apparently put up by the Headmaster himself.

"If it was not for the charm that you placed Albus to keep anyone from touching her without her verbal or nonverbal consent, this would have been a serious case against Ronald for the rest of his life! We would never have proof that she was lying!"

It was clear that the kiss was less forced than he had originally thought. She has simply played his guilt against him and she had done it again. What hurt was not that she could have potentially ruined his life but that she had gone so low, pretending to be friends and then backstabbed so brutally. And to think that he had not gone ahead for her silent offer the day at the infirmary because she had been grief-riddled. Hah!

He wanted to focus on other things, to forget her but only if it was as easy. At least he had convinced Harry to cover for him about getting her assignments. He knew he would be questioned about it too. He was already waiting for an admonishment for not turning up at the Headmaster's office that fateful night. But he couldn't really have stayed, could he? They would never believe that he was not eavesdropping but merely waiting for the deputy Headmistress to leave before he knocked. In fact his ears had only picked up the conversation when he had heard her name and his own- there definitely was no intention to overhear what he had. And yet he had. It was a blur from there really as he had stood thunderstruck for a moment before rushing down the spiral staircase and back to the Gryffindor Tower right into her Chamber.

He remembered her eyes precisely. Did not really need a confirmation from her, the truth was etched on her face. He shut his eyes tight and pressed his palms to them till her vision faded and all he could see was black. His eyes hurt and yet he held on.

"You are taking it harder than I thought you would."

He opened his eyes abruptly at the voice, his vision all blurry with the pain before the pristine white beard and spectacled blue eyes came into a rough focus.

"Professor?" he called surprised, his voice sounded hoarse and nothing like himself.

"This is my favourite place in the castle too. I often come here to clear my head." Said the old man as if it was a simple chat over tea and not a surprise midnight rendezvous between a student and the headmaster.

It surprised Ron to see him there. There had been no noise, not even the flapping of the long robes and yet Albus Dumbledore was indeed sitting next to him on the staircase.

"I understand you prefer some privacy but alas, not all our problems can be solved if we keep thinking it over and over, especially not when we have only partial information."

Ron wouldn't have bothered to hear the old man although a previous version of him would have been elated at the privilege of having his idol right next to him in a one to one conversation. Not tonight though. But as always the old man's words perked his curiosity.

"I don't really understand Sir." He replied.

"Well as I said, I don't really expect you to." Said the old man kindly but Ron looked away annoyed. If the professor thought that he would sit and listen to how big a fool he was, he was wrong. He had heard that enough, been made to feel idiotic enough.

"Well, I'm sorry but I think I'll leave." He replied and held on the railing to pick himself up.

"Oh! I didn't mean to insult your intelligence Ron, I am sorry if you felt that way."

He sat back. He was tired enough and could barely pull out energy to try and make sense of the verbal riddles. He looked back silently instead.

"I understand you have not been meeting Miss Granger for the past couple of days?"

So this was it, a different approach but a reprimand none the less.

"I am afraid Sir, I don't wish to do that duty anymore." He replied in a cold voice.

"May I know the reason?"

Ron contemplated his answer and then decided to put his cards on the table.

"I think you already know the reason Professor."

"Ah well, I would still like to hear it from you."

Alright so he was specifically required to admit that he was eavesdropping. He was already fucked up, how worse could it get?

"That night when I came down to see you as you had asked, I overheard Professor McGonagall telling you about the letter she had sent, the one that accuses me of—of molesting her. I don't even know why you still want me to go back. I told you right in the beginning I couldn't do it. What have we achieved? Apart from her manipulating me to her heart's content and hurt-... Oh forget it!" He scowled and looked away from those piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore into his soul.

"Do you really feel that we have achieved nothing?"

He huffed knowing well that he was crossing the line; this was his headmaster after all. But he had long past the point of caring.

"You remember Pettigrew, Ron?" asked the headmaster suddenly and he turned back against himself.

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

"What do you think was his worst act of evil?" Ron had no clue where this was going.

"He betrayed his friends, Harry's parents."

"I believe you knew him as your pet."

"That's before I knew who he really was."

"And how did you feel when he turned into a man?"

"Betrayed and repulsed, especially to think I was caring for him all this time when he was the reason Harry has lost his parents."

"And you know he was the one who nursed Voldemort and performed the rituals that brought him back to his present form?"

He flinched at the name. "Yes."

"And you still consider the betrayal against James and Lily as his worst."

"That's because he was their friend at the time. What he did with You-Know–Who is evil and terrifying but he is a Death Eater anyway, I don't expect anything better of him."

"Exactly my boy, exactly." Beamed the old man and Ron looked on confused.

"Tell me Ron, how has this year been for you?" Dumbledore was back to his riddles. Ron decided with a sigh that he would indulge the old man. It was a respite to have crazy conversation even though they seemed to go nowhere just to forget his thoughts for a while.

"Crazy."

The old man smiled softly. "You have been busy."

"Yes I guess so."

"And what will you consider to be the best achievement this year so far?"

Best? He could easily think of the worst. He wracked his brains pushing aside the image of one particular face.

"It hasn't really been a great year but I guess winning that match for Gryffindor was good." He recalled.

"Ah! Yes, you played well. Anything special that happened just before or after that?"

Ron knew where this was going now. This was a clever way of making him admit that he was taking out Granger from her chamber against the set rules. But if they were not wrong, Dumbledore knew it already.

"I took her out." He said simply.

"Would you please explain?"

He let out a deep sigh. "She is really cunning, you know that Professor? And manipulative. She was spending a lot of time in that Pensive and when I told her that, she pretended to be all grief stricken. I knew she was up to something, especially when she showed the desire to be let out." He paused.

"Please carry on." asked the old man with a smile.

"I reckoned it would be safe to take her to the Room of Requirements, I knew she had a hidden agenda, had to know what it was. Days before the match, I took her out for the first time modifying the Room as the library."

"Did you find out what she wanted?" Not a question on the open defying of order. It surprised Ron giving him a strange feeling that these moves were Dumbledore's; the old man knew this would happen.

"Yes, I mean till recently I thought I did. She never believed that the Order told her the truth about her parents' death. She wanted to see the Mansion for herself, the Room fit her requirements perfectly. That morning, the day after Christmas when you came between Malfoy and Harry, the two of us were there having just seen the destroyed place for ourselves."

"Hmm." Sighed the old man. "I don't suppose it was a pretty sight for her or for you, for that matter. Please continue."

"I thought that would have changed her perception about right and wrong, seems it hasn't. To be honest, I am not so sure that it was her true agenda, I don't really know her, do I?" The conversation had gone back to her again. He rubbed his palms on his cold, unshaved face.

The old man remained quiet before once again taking a path out of nowhere.

"Did anything happen after the match?" he asked and Ron had to wrack his brains for a while to realise what the headmaster was referring to.

"I don't remember Sir."

"Anything? A fight between the two of you perhaps?"

He thought hard. His memories were all a blur with the recent happenings. Wait! Memories! He had shown her the memory with Lavender.

"Yes." He answered not willing to disclose any further.

"And was she upset, with this fight?"

"Pretended to be I am sure, yes."

"Do you think there was a possibility that she did not pretend but was actually hurt with whatever happened?"

"And what if she was?"

"Do you know when she sent the letter Ron?"

"No."

"You left my office before you heard the whole conversation. I had called you to discuss my plans about making her captivity rules a little less stringent. And Minerva was, let us say apprehensive, because of that same letter Ms. Granger had written to her in October. Yes my dear boy, you left before hearing that I was of the opinion that a lot would have changed after that, especially after Christmas between you three. "

"How do you know?" he asked like a curious child who had been caught being naughty.

"Being the Headmaster of a school full of teenagers is no easy job my dear boy. I need to have eyes all around the castle!" he replied with a twinkle of his eyes before they softened and filled with pride.

"It is a good development and the credit goes to you. You have truly proved that I was right about choosing you for this assignment. I do have a few tests to see if she has totally changed sides. But certain instances tell me that we are there already."

He let the words sink in before asking the question that was bothering him.

"How does it matter when she had sent the letter Professor, it was still a false allegation."

"I don't deny that it was very wrong and had the situations been different she would have served detentions all week for the whole of the year for defaming your name. But I am guessing what she is suffering now is a whole lot worse. We all need families and friends and Ms Granger seems to have lost both, again."

"If you expect me to forgive her, I am sorry I can't."

"I can't push you to forgive her, it's a personal thing after all but Harry won't be able to continue covering your duty forever. He really needs to focus on other things."

"I can't go back, not now, please."

"Take your time, but prepare yourself Ron. You can't run away. This friendship you three have formed is crucial for many things that are to come."

"You intend for us to continue doing this the next year as well?!"

"Next year? Well it's hard to say what next year will bring, but whatever it is will be tough and we will need as many friends as we can find."

They stayed quiet for some time as Ron digested all the new information as Dumbledore looked at the stars.

"It's time you go back to your dormitory and catch some sleep." Said the old man and rising up, left as soundlessly as he had come.

A/N: So there you are. I really feel that Dumbledore would use his strange, riddling ways to talk no matter if it is Harry or Ron. He would talk in clues and riddles and let the other person work out the answers for themselves. Please do let me know what you think of this chapter. I had initially planned to include some other things here but then I have dropped that idea. The next chapter will be something special. You can consider that part 2 of the Christmas present.

Oh and I always imagined that Dumbledore would have 'spies' all around the school, the portraits perhaps? After all they do see and answer questions, don't they? They would be familiar will all the sneaking around the students do, what do you think?

Merry Christmas everyone!