i'm trying to decide if there's anything i want to say before you read this chapter . . . . i'd feel with it just starting right away . . . . nothing i can think of, though . . . . hope you enjoy it! . . . . i guess that was something . . .
Ron woke up feeling nauseas. He had a headache and his left eye was throbbing.
When he got up and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall of the boys' dormitory, he saw that he had a split lip, and his left eye had a big purple bruise around it.
"Bloody hell . . ." he muttered.
He could barely remember the fight; he had been in such a rage. It was almost like he had been possessed by his anger.
Although, he decided, even if he were given time to think and calm down, he still would have lashed out as he did.
"Whoa . . ."
Ron turned around. Dean and Seamus were both up, and looking at Ron's face.
"Nice black eye," Dean said laughed, "That from the fight?"
"I guess," Ron answered, turning back to the mirror. He lifted his hand up to touch the purple bruise, then winced. It was extremely sore.
"Have fun explaining that to McGonagall," Seamus said.
Ron swallowed. There was no doubt in his mind that Professor McGonagall would hear about this. And he could foresee himself and Cormac sitting in her office, as she demanded an explanation. What would he tell her? What would Hermione do if he told McGonagall the truth?
Maybe he shouldn't have attacked Cormac. It probably ruined everything. Hermione didn't want anyone to know what happened, and after what happened last night, people were sure to go asking around.
Hopefully they would just conclude, as Ginny had, that he was jealous about Cormac's date with her.
Even though that theory did make him out to be the jerk.
But if it's what Hermione wanted . . .
No. Of course Hermione didn't want him to seem like a jerk. It Ron's own fault anyway for losing control around Cormac.
For the first time since he had done it, he suddenly felt bad for starting the fight. Yes, Cormac had deserved it, but Hermione had trusted him. Hermione had also trusted Cormac. It seemed unfair that two people should betray her in one night. And Ron was supposed to be the good one, the one she could always trust. Perhaps not in reality, but he at least wanted to be that one for Hermione. He was definitely not off to a great start.
Remembering it was a Sunday, Ron crawled back into his bed. He felt sick enough to stay there all day.
"Ron, you can't stay there all day,"
Ron opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized he had fallen back to sleep. Harry was standing at the end of his bed, and fully dressed.
"We have quidditch practice today," he said.
Ron looked up at him, "Of everything that's happened, how can you think of Quidditch?"
Harry sighed, "Look, I know you're worried about Hermione-I am too- but there's really nothing we can do to help her now. I think we need to go about our day normally."
When Ron just turned his head back into the pillow, Harry continued, "Come on, quidditch will get your mind off things."
Ron sighed and sat up, "Fine," he groaned.
"Meet you down at the pitch," Harry said, then left the dorm.
Ron took his time getting dressed, not feeling at all like going down to the quidditch pitch with everyone else on the team.
Right as he was about to open the door, and go downstairs, Neville entered the dorm.
"Ron," he said, "McGonagall's down stairs. She . . . wants to speak with you. I think she heard about the fight . . ."
Ron sighed, "Great . . ."
When he got down the stairs, he saw Professor McGonagall standing in the common room, waiting for him, Cormac by her side.
When Cormac saw him, he glared at Ron. Ron glared back, and walked up to them trying to keep himself calm.
"Well!"
Ron snapped his head up. He was sitting in Professor McGonagall's office. Cormac was in the chair next to him.
"Can one of you please give me an answer!" McGonagall asked fiercely, "Tell me why two of my brightest students are beating each other up in the middle of their common room!"
Brightest Students? Ron knew that he himself wasn't exactly highest marks in the class, but Cormac? He was as dumb as a troll.
"What am I supposed to think when a first year student comes into my office, telling me there's been a fight in the common room, and later I find that one of my students has a black eye, and the other a broken nose!"
Ron covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smirk. He had been pretty proud of himself when he found out he had broke Cormac's nose. Cormac, apparently, had one of his friends try to fix it, but it still made him look pretty stupid.
Ron was almost surprised Cormac didn't try to blame him, telling McGonagall that he had started the fight, but Ron supposed Cormac figured that if he told her Ron had started it, Ron would tell her why he had started it. Cormac didn't know that Ron was hesitant on telling McGonagall. He wanted to, he really did. But Hermione didn't want him too, and that's all he really cared about.
Perhaps the teacher's would figure it out, though. Hermione needing to go to St. Mungo's, Ron starting a fight with Cormac, Cormac not ratting Ron out. If the teachers were thick enough to let this all slip past them, Ron was afraid to be at the school.
After a long pause, where neither of them would say anything, Professor McGonagall stood up and sighed, "Well, perhaps Professor Dumbledore will convince you. Wait here while I get him. Maybe you two could talk amongst yourselves, and decide who will tell me why, exactly, this happened."
As soon as the door closed, Cormac spoke. His voice was bitter, "This is stupid. I'm just going to tell her came up and attacked me, and I was just trying to defend myself."
Ron whipped his head toward Cormac. Then said, "Fine. Then I'll just tell her why I attacked you in the first place."
Cormac glared him, "You have no proof of that. She won't believe you."
"No proof!" Ron almost yelled, "How about the fact that Hermione is in St. Mungo's right now, because of . . . what you did to her!"
"It could've been anyone!" he said defensively, though there was a trace of fear in his eyes, "You have no proof that it was me!"
"Oh yeah? What about the fact that you left with her, and were alone with her, right before it happened! And there were many witnesses!"
Cormac's eyes narrowed and his nose flared, but he spoke in calm, yet menacing voice, "Then why didn't you already tell her?"
Ron turned away from Cormac, and answered without thinking, ". . . she didn't want me to . . ."
There was a long pause before Cormac spoke, "Didn't want you to tell anyone, huh? Hmm . . . maybe she liked it . . ."
Ron whipped his head back to face Cormac. He had the same evil smirk on his face that he had right before Ron attacked him.
"Maybe she'd want me to do it again . . ."
"YOU SHUT UP ABOUT HER!" Ron bellowed.
Anger flooded his insides. He grabbed the first thing he could see, which was an ink bottle on McGonagall's desk, and hurled it at Cormac, leaving a red mark on his forehead, then crashing to the floor, making a big black puddle.
"SHE ONLY DOESN'T WANT ME TO TELL ANYONE BECAUSE SHE'S AFRAID! SHE'S AFRAID OF YOU! YOU PROBABLY TRAUMATIZED HER FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE! WHAT YOU DID WAS SICK AND AWFUL AND YOU CAN ROT IN HELL FOR IT! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT! I'M NOT AFRIAD OF YOU! AND I WILL TELL MCGONAGALL WHAT YOU DID! RIGHT NOW!"
Before Cormac could say anything more, Ron stood up, and ran out of the office.
He ran from her office, along the shortest route he knew to Dumbledore's office. He got there just as McGonagall and Dumbledore were leaving it.
"Weasley!" McGonagall snapped when she saw him, "I thought I told you to stay in my office!"
"I know, Professor, and I'm sorry," Ron panted, "But the reason I started the fight with Cormac was . . . because . . ."
"Yes, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall said, impatiently.
Ron stared fixedly at a spot on the wall behind the two of them, "He . . . raped Hermione."
McGonagall became speechless. She stared at Ron, almost unwilling to believe what he had said. When one of them finally did speak, it was Dumbledore.
"This is a very serious accusation, Mr. Weasley," he said, "Perhaps you and I should talk in my office." Then he looked at McGonagall, who just nodded and headed back toward her office.
Dumbledore turned back to his own office, and Ron followed.
When they got inside, he sat at the chair behind his desk, and motioned for Ron to sit in the chair opposite him.
"Now, Mr. Weasley," he said, "what's this you say about Cormac McLaggen?"
Ron swallowed, "He . . . do I have to repeat it?"
"Not if you don't feel comfortable doing so. But if you don't mind, could you please tell me why you believe he did this?"
"Hermione told me," he answered immediately, "She left the common room with him, and later on I found her crying in the library. That's why I started the fight with Cormac, and that's why Hermione's in St. Mungo's right now. She didn't want me to tell anyone, though . . ."
"Well, Mr. Weasley, I'm glad you did. This is a very serious crime to commit, and it is always important to tell someone. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"
"Will Cormac be expelled?" Ron blurted.
"That, I'm afraid, I can't answer. We will look into the proper punishment. If there is nothing else, you may go back to your dormitory. Thank you Mr. Weasley."
Ron didn't want to argue further on the subject of Cormac being expelled, afraid to push his luck, so instead he just nodded, got up, and left.
Rather than going back up to the dormitories, Ron decided to head to the hospital wing.
He tried not to get his hopes up, but when he got there, he was still disappointed to see every single bed empty. He knocked on Madam Pomfrey's office door.
She opened it, "Yes? Can I help you?"
Ron swallowed, "I-I . . . was just wondering, if you . . . knew when Hermione would be back?"
"I believe I told you last night," she answered, "she should be back in a day or two. And it hasn't even been a day!"
He sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm just really worried about her."
"Well, she's in the best hands right now, so don't you worry. Besides, trust me, when she gets back, you'll be the first to know."
Ron hesitated for a moment, standing in the doorway, hoping she would say something else, but eventually gave up, mumbled, "Thanks," and left.
He headed down to the quidditch pitch. He was hoping that practice would have ended before he got down there, since he had to go speak with McGonagall, but he knew it would probably be for a few a hours.
When he got down there, he saw the whole team, except himself, flying around in the air. Ron sighed, if other people had not shown up, Harry might've made this one short, but no, everyone was here.
He got into the changing room, and tried to be quick, but while he was in there, Harry came in.
"Where, the hell, have you been?" he asked.
"McGonagall found out about the fight," Ron said, "I had to go talk with her, in her office, with McLaggen."
Harry raised his eyebrows, "What'd you tell her?"
Ron paused, then looked Harry directly in the eye, "The truth."
"The . . . truth?" Harry asked, "You mean . . . everything?"
Ron nodded.
"What'd she say? Did she believe you? Is Cormac going to be expelled?" Harry asked, hopefully.
"She didn't say anything. Dumbledore wanted to talk to me. I think he believed me, or at least he knew I wouldn't lie about something like that. He wouldn't tell me if Cormac would be expelled or not. I also went to the hospital wing," he added, "Madam Pomfrey doesn't know when Hermione will be back, but it might be later today."
Harry didn't look surprised that Hermione wasn't back yet. "We could go check again later, after practice," he said.
"Right," Ron agreed.
Then they both left the changing room, and out onto the quidditch pitch.
When quidditch practice was over, both Ron and Harry changed as quickly as they possibly could.
When they got up to the hospital wing, though, they both extremely disappointed to hear that Hermione would not be back for at least a week.
"A week!" Ron's jaw dropped, "Why! Is she alright! Is something wrong!"
"Nothing's wrong," Madam Pomfrey assured him, "And she's fine. She's just going to be staying with her parents for week, for personal reasons."
Ron's stomach dropped.
He had conflicting feelings. He understood why she'd want to be away from school for a while, and that her parents would want to be with her, but at the same time, he wanted to see her, hear from herself that she was alright, be with her himself.
But, he figured at that moment there was really nothing he could do to convince her parents to let her go back to school, so he would just stick with writing to her, as soon as he got back up to his dorm.
sorry this chapter took so long, i've had a lot of homework to do before winter break. literally had 3 papers to write, one had to be in spanish...wasnt fun...
anyway, hope you liked, please review and:
MERRY CHRISTMAS/HAPPY HANUKKAH/HAPPY KWANZAA/GENERIC WINTER GREETING!