All You Need Is Ron

by JamieParker

Inspired by the movie Edge of Tomorrow. Ron Weasley was brought up a Slytherin and so, believes that all Muggleborns are scum. But when Ron gets stuck in a time loop, he will be forced to work together with a certain, bushy-haired witch and her famous best friend. A story about love, heroism and choices. Mostly canon-compliant. AU.

2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews! I do enjoy reading each and every one of your comments so please if you could, just review if you can! I appreciate them all!

I'm pleased with all the feedback I received. I apologise for not updating sooner but I have been busy with exams and this chapter is really quite long for me. I'm glad that for all the interpretations of Ron and yes, I agree that Slytherin Ron can be quite unlikeable especially considering how he was brought up. You will see more of this as the story progresses, I'm afraid but don't worry, things will change soon enough.

With no disrespect to Dramione fans, I firmly believe that attraction is the foundation for love and romance and well, Draco and Hermione just wouldn't be attracted to each other even if Draco does redeem himself because, having been brought up with Pureblood ideals ever since he was young, Draco would not be able to see Hermione in that manner and Hermione isn't at all physically attracted to him. Ron, however, is an entirely different matter. But that's my opinion, not a fact.

Well, enough of me talking. Let's just get on to the next chapter, shall we?

P.S Apologies for the grammar mistakes but I had to rush this one!

CHAPTER 2: THE SIXTH YEAR

….

1991

"Master Weasley, Lady Malfoy wishes to speak to you."

Ron exchanged a look of puzzlement with Draco, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"She probably wants to ask you something about Hogwarts, mate," Draco said dismissively as he turned his attention to their books, chocolates, and items that he and Draco had purchased together with Aunt Narcissa at Diagon Alley earlier in the day. Ron nodded his head before staring longingly at the items laid out neatly on Draco's bed.

"Just go and see her!" Draco laughed as he admired his new set of Exploding Snap cards. "Go and see her and then come back. I want to totally kick your arse in this game!"

"Fat chance!" Ron cried as he flipped Draco off. Avoiding a pillow to his head, Ron left the room and walked down the hallway towards Aunt Narcissa's study. Knocking the door three times before announcing himself, Ron entered the room, surprised to see it almost empty, with nothing other than an L-shaped couch, a fireplace and a desk that his Aunt was seated behind.

"I'm having the room re-furnished." Aunt Narcissa spoke without looking up from her desk. Ron could see her scribbling down something with a quill. Taking a seat on the couch, Ron waited patiently for Aunt Narcissa to finish. One of the things he learnt about being a Malfoy was that a Malfoy should learn to be patient and know their place. His Uncle Lucius was king of this Manor which made his aunt queen by default. As soon as Narcissa finished writing, she looked up at Ron. Her blonde hair was neatly tied up in a bun and Ron always felt a connection to Narcissa, even more so than his adopted mother. The reason for that was quite superficial; Aunt Narcissa had the same blue eyes as Ron did.

Narcissa gave Ron a warm smile as she stood from her desk before walking over to the couch. Recalling his manners, Ron stood to his feet and shook his aunt's hand before waiting for her to take a seat across from him.

"I suppose you're wondering why I called for you," Narcissa spoke in her usual, smoothing, motherly voice.

"To be honest, Aunt, I have no clue," Ron said as Narcissa nodded before folding her arms.

"Well," Aunt Narcissa spoke as she narrowed those steely blue eyes towards him. "Apparently, according to Dobby, that last evening, he said he saw you sleeping in the den at between the hours of four to six and that you were sound asleep. So tell me, did you happen to wake up in the middle of your nap, break my vase and then go back to sleep?"

Ron swallowed a gulp as he worked hard not to drop his gaze. Averting one's eyes was often an admission of guilt or a lie, something Ron had picked up during Uncle Lucius's games of Wizard Poker. Yesterday, Uncle Lucius had called Draco into his office. Apparently, Draco had accidentally broken the Vase of the Wailing Woman, a priceless magical artefact that Lucius had kept inside his study along with an Ancient Black Quill and some battered, old books. Knowing his uncle's propensity to completely fly off the handle, Ron had stepped in to take the blame.

"Yes. I don't know what that miserable creature was telling you but I wasn't fast asleep. Just resting my head before I met Draco and we snuck in and I broke the vase."

"Oh!" Aunt Narcissa smiled as she raised her wand. "So Dobby was mistaken?"

"Yes, absolutely!" Ron said hastily, wanting the interrogation to be over.

"So I should punish him, no?"

"Yes…wait...No!" Ron called out in surprise. He hadn't expected that move from his aunt. Usually, Aunt Narcissa couldn't be bothered with disciplining the house-elves; she thought herself above such matters.

"Well, which is it?" Aunt Narcissa said as she raised her eyebrow. "Either Dobby is mistaken which means that he should be punished or Draco has been lying to Lucius, to which I must inform him."

"Can't we just let Dobby off? It was probably a genuine mistake." Ron said awkwardly, not knowing which side to pick. Though his mind was adamant in keeping to his original lie and stick with Draco, somehow the thought of punishment given to Dobby who told the truth seemed rather…unfair to him.

To his confusion, Aunt Narcissa gave a laugh as she strode in front of him to give Ron a huge hug.

"Ron, you certainly are quite a unique person, aren't you? Firstly, you protect Draco by lying to both Lucius and myself, taking the fall for him and then you refuse to let me punish the house elf even though it would benefit your cause. What am I going to do with you, Ronald Weasley?"

"Release me from my chores?" Ron said hopefully.

Aunt Narcissa gave a laugh as she pulled Ron in for another hug. Though he knew it was bad to think such things, Ron often felt that the hugs he got from Draco's mother were often more motherly and comforting than those from his own adopted mother. He could feel Aunt Narcissa whispering into his left ear while his left shoulder started to get wet.

"Can I tell you a secret, Ron?"

"Yes, Aunt Narcissa?" Ron stammered, his face bemused at what was happening.

"I don't want Draco to become like your Uncle Lucius. Promise me, Ron. Promise me you'll watch over my son just as you watch over your own sister."

"I promise, Aunt Narcissa," Ron said as Narcissa pulled away, her face now in front of Ron as she held him in her arms. "But Uncle Lucius is not that bad. And Draco isn't going to listen to me like how Ginny does…"

"Ahhh, Ronald, Draco will listen to you more than he listens to either me or Lucius. You're his family, Ron and trust me, he will tell and show you more of himself than anyone else. But I'm afraid, that Draco, he might have some…issues…when he's in school. And the last thing I want is for Draco to take the same path as my husband." Narcissa spoke as her expression turned slightly dark at the mention of her last words.

"What kind of issues?"

"The kind that a best friend and brother can fix." Aunt Narcissa said as she wiped the tears from her face. "So promise me, okay? That you'll always look out for him?"

"Of course, I will," Ron said as Aunt Narcissa beamed at him. "Draco's my brother and I'm a Malfoy, after all."

Aunt Narcissa's face fell as Ron realised what he just said. "No…I mean…I'm not a true Malfoy, but I can…"

"Ron." Aunt Narcissa spoke, her face brightening up as she took a look outside. "Would you like to accompany me for a walk?"

…

1996

For the umpteenth time that night, Ron Weasley tossed and turned in his bed, unable to get his brain to fall asleep. His conversation with Draco was still fresh in his mind as Ron sat up on his four-poster bed. Wrenching the curtains open, Ron could see that Draco's were closed but a dim light, from Draco's wand no doubt, told him that the wizard was still very much awake. Ron had half a mind to get up, walk over and confront his best friend but just like all the times he wanted to do it over the course of the night, Ron stopped himself at the last second. It wasn't entirely Draco's fault, him being put into this position. Ron heaved a sigh as he dropped his head back onto his pillow, his mind wandering back again to the discussion in the compartment of the Hogwarts Express.

Several hours ago

"Hey!"

The door to the compartment flew open as Blaise Zabini walked in. Draco had pulled his arm back just in time as Ron gave a start.

"What do you want, Zabini?" Draco asked as both he and Ron glared at the wizard.

"Just wondering where the two of you have gone to?" Blaise said.

"Just leave us the fuck alone!" Ron snapped as he glared at the wizard. Blaise glowered for a moment, before giving both occupants a sneer.

"Whatever. I'm off anyways."

"Where are you heading to?"

"Got a party with Professor Slughorn down the train. Special invitation." Blaise said as Draco gave a scoff. "Shame the two of you weren't invited. Guess he only wants the elites." Blaise spoke icily before turning around and leaving the two behind.

"Half-blood prick," Draco muttered before turning to Ron who had narrowed his eyes at him. "What?"

"Don't give me what!" Ron said, raising his voice slightly. "You're a bloody Death Eater!"

"Yeah, so?"

"So?!" Ron cried incredulously. "What the hell, Draco?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? You already know about our family, Ron."

Ron noted Draco's use of the term our and gave a shudder. Though he knew of the Malfoys' past, even having met Aunt Bella when she sought a temporary home at the Manor last summer, Ron had always tried to distance himself from it. Aunt Narcissa, as well as his mother, had both done their best to placate Ron's fears, telling him stories of how the Death Eaters were a revolutionary group and no revolution ever took place without bloodshed yet his brief encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange still left Ron feeling uneasy. There was another reason for Ron to feel uneasy, having recalled his promise to Aunt Narcissa years ago just before he entered Hogwarts.

"Look Draco," Ron said gently, having to compose his emotions. "I do know what our family does and all that but I would never have thought you would be a Death Eater, considering what happened to your father."

"Father's the reason I'm in this, Ron," Draco replied, his voiced laced with sadness. Throughout their discussion, Ron had been noticing cracks in his otherwise confident demeanour. The façade would be good enough to fool Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and Blaise but for Ron, he knew Draco was wrestling with some demons inside. Trying another tactic, Ron spoke again.

"Aren't you a bit young to become a Death Eater?" Ron asked as Draco shook his head.

"Uncle Regulus became one when he was only sixteen. Same age as us."

"So the Dark Lord just decided you were worthy, did he? No questions asked? Just decide to appoint you?"

"No, of course not!" Draco snapped as he glared at Ron. "Becoming a Death Eater doesn't come with a price."

"So what's the price?" Ron scowled as he glared back. "Don't tell me. The Dark Lord asked you for something in return."

At the sound of Ron's words, Draco looked thunderstruck. He collapsed onto his seat, his head hitting the window as Draco stared outside with a blank expression on his face.

"Draco?" Ron asked with concern as he stared at the wizard. "Draco! Say something!"

"My father is in Azkaban, Ron," Draco said, surprising Ron as the redhead wizard sat across from him. "They have my father in Azkaban."

"Draco, I'm sorry about Uncle Lucius." Ron sighed as he recalled reading the papers of Lucius Malfoy's arrest at the Ministry

"Do you know what happened?" Draco said as he turned to look at Ron. "What happened at the Ministry?"

Ron shook his head in response. He had tried, of course, to pry the story from Ginny but his sister had remained tight-lipped. In the end, Ron decided to just let it go, thankful that his sister remained unharmed.

"My dad was sent on a task by the Dark Lord." Draco trembled a little as he said those words. "Apparently, my dad was supposed to collect a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries and together with my aunt Bellatrix as well as the other Death Eaters, they had laid out a trap for Potter and his friends."

"Wait, hold on!" Ron said, aghast at what he was hearing. "Your dad set a trap for Potter? Why couldn't he just take the prophecy himself?"

"Prophecies can only be retrieved by whom the prophecy is about," Draco replied. "I don't know much about the details but I do know that Potter had to be the one to take it. Luckily for Potter, the Order of the Phoenix, you know that group I told you about last year, and Dumbledore managed to rescue him and his friends. But my dad and all the other Death Eaters, except Aunt Bella, were caught and sent to Azkaban."

Ron gripped the side of his head as he stared at Draco. On one hand, he was awfully glad that Dumbledore had stepped in, considering his sister had been part of Potter's group. Yet, Uncle Lucius was in Azkaban.

"So what does this have to do with you becoming a Death Eater?" Ron asked.

Draco gave Ron a bittersweet smile. "In many ways, I always thought I would be one of them someday. But not under these circumstances, of course. My father, I think, prefers Azkaban to the wrath of the Dark Lord. And He is angry, Ron, very angry. He made me a Death Eater because of my father."

"Wait, so He Who Must Not Be Named is punishing you for Uncle's failures?" Ron said as Draco nodded.

"Aunt Bella doesn't see it that way, of course." Draco sighed. "But Mother does. And if I'm being honest, so am I although I have to admit getting to be a Death Eater is an incredible honour for me. That's why I want you to have the prefect's badge, Ron. I can't be distracted by anything happening at Hogwarts once more. You're right, Ron. Becoming a Death Eater isn't a gift, it's a rite of passage. And the Dark Lord has given me a task to do."

"What task?" Ron asked cautiously.

"I can't tell you," Draco said sadly as he looked away. "But it's not easy. It's something no wizard has ever succeeded in doing. All I can tell you is that the task would be done at Hogwarts and let's just say that if I were to complete the task, it would have profound consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" Ron asked as Draco stared at him, his head tilted to one side.

"I can't say," Draco spoke after a momentary pause.

"If this task is so difficult, why would the Dark Lord assign it to you?!" Ron said bitterly as Draco raised his eyebrow at his cousin. It took only a moment for it to dawn on Ron.

"Because you're not supposed to succeed!" Ron gasped as the realisation started to set in. "You-know-Who gave you this task because He knows that you would most likely fail. And when you fail, he would…this isn't a rite of passage or a gift…this is a punishment!"

"For Father's failures." Draco sighed before forcing a smile back on his face. "But I can't think that way. All summer, I've been devising a plan to get the task done but I will need your help, Ron."

"My help? But you said you couldn't tell me about the task!"

"But I will still require your help, mate!"

"What's the task?" Ron demanded once more as Draco shook his head immediately.

"I can't say."

"Draco!" Ron insisted as his nostrils began to flare.

"No, Ron!" Draco snapped as he shook his head. "Look, if I tell you about the task, it'll just make things worse. The only reason I'm telling you and not anyone else is because I'm going to need your help alright. Like to cover me when I skip classes or when I don't turn up for training or…"

"Don't turn up for training?!" Ron repeated in anger. Throughout the entire summer, both he and Draco had spent most of it discussing tactics, especially how to throw Potter off his game. "How the fuck am I supposed to talk to Urquhart? Are you even going to show up for Quidditch?!"

"For Quidditch?!" Draco repeated incredulously as he glared back at Ron. "I'm a Death Eater now, Ron! I don't give two fucks about Quidditch, or Prefect Duties or anything even remotely Hogwarts-related! What do you think is happening now, you prat?! You think you're going to just finish school, graduate and go end up in some cushy Ministry position?! The Dark Lord is back and newsflash, our family is not on the side of the Aurors, in case you didn't know that!"

"Course I know that!" Ron cried as he clenched his fists. "And I'm all for it but I don't understand why you can't just tell me what the task is? If it's something that ends with you or Aunt Narcissa or Mother getting hurt, I want to be part of it!"

"No, you don't!" Draco said as he grabbed Ron's shoulders. Ron could see on Draco's face that his eyes were beginning to water. "Listen, mate. If there was any way I could tell you about it, I would. But the Dark Lord has forbidden me or anyone else to speak of it and if anything were to happen to you, like if they were to question you under Veritaserum, you can at least tell them you know nothing about it. You have to trust me, Ron. Please. I'm begging you. He has Aunt Morgana and my mother with him. You're all I have now."

Ron turned away from at his cousin, the sight of Draco making him more worried by the second. Gone was the smug, confident façade, now being replaced by a desperate and tired look as Draco trembled all over. At the back of his mind, Ron could hear the words of Aunt Narcissa, the promise he made to her all those years ago. After a long period and with a growl of frustration, Ron turned to face Draco.

"If I do help you in…supporting you for this task, there's just one thing I need to know."

"I can't tell you about the task," Draco said as Ron shook his head.

"You said there would be consequences if you succeed. Profound consequences." Ron quoted. "Can you at least tell me something about it?"

Draco bit his lip, his head considering Ron's request. "If I do succeed, then the wizarding world will be changed forever."

"How? What kind of change?"

"The kind that starts a war," Draco replied in resignation as Ron's eyes widened considerably.

"You want my help in starting a war?!"

"No, Ron," Draco replied as he placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. " Of course I don't want you to help me start a war. Merlin, I don't even want to be part of a war! But if I don't succeed in my task, the Dark Lord is going to kill everyone I love! I want…no…I need… your help in saving our family. If I fail, the Dark Lord will not only kill me but my parents and anyone related to me. Which includes you…as well as Ginny."

Ron stared at Draco in disbelief. Yet the more he stared at his cousin's face, the plainer the truth was in his eyes. Ron's worst fears would indeed be a possibility, considering that this was Lord Voldemort they were talking about. Perhaps for anyone else, the choice might have posed an issue but not for Ron. This wasn't a movie where the hero faces a moral dilemma in deciding between the world and his family. This was real life and for Ron, as dark as it may seem, the choice was simple. Family always came first and there was nothing, absolutely nothing, Ron wouldn't do to save his family.

"Okay, I'll help." Ron sighed as he extended his hand out to Draco. Draco looked temporarily stunned as he stared at the gesture before a large smirk broke onto his face and he pulled Ron into a hug.

"Geroff me!" Ron complained as Draco laughed while trying to squeeze the life out of his cousin. It was strange, having such a comical moment in times of crisis but then again, that was the relationship between the two. No matter what, Draco and Ron could always put a positive spin on things or find humour even in the darkest of situations.

"Let's just go back to our compartment, alright. Pansy's probably worried sick." Ron said as he placed an arm around Draco's shoulders. As they walked back in silence towards their compartment, Draco gave a sudden laugh.

"What?" Ron said as Draco shook his head slightly.

"You remember when we were kids? How we talked about changing the world and all that? I wanted to be Minister For Magic and you were going to be my Head at the Auror Office. Remember the games we used to play?"

"Yeah, those were some good times." Ron chuckled as Draco reached for the door. Turning around, Draco gave Ron a sad smile.

"I missed those times, Ron. When things were easier. When we're just kids." Draco said before entering and immediately being embraced by Pansy's arms. As Ron entered to see Tracey Davis running towards him to do the same, he watched as Draco pushed himself off Pansy before taking a seat next to Crabbe.

"We're still are." Ron muttered before Tracey threw herself into his arms.

….

Over the course of his first week at Hogwarts, Ron had shifted back into the worst parts of himself. Draco's task weighed heavily on his head and for the most part, Ron did his best to ignore it, particularly when he couldn't do anything to help Draco. Yet that didn't stop him from turning into an easily agitated monster or as Tracey put it bluntly when she and Ron got into another shouting match, an arsehole.

To Draco's credit, he defended Ron's actions as being upset over his uncle's imprisonment. It helped that Ron, for most of it, took out most of his anger on the other houses with a bunch of second-year Hufflepuffs crying as Ron yelled at them down a corridor being the pinnacle of his expression of anger. Almost inevitably, Ron had come up against those who tried to stand against him, particularly the Golden Trio, his sister Ginny and Professor McGonagall. The first two didn't bother Ron as much as he could handle criticism from Potter, Longbottom, Granger and his sister but unfortunately, eliciting the ire of Professor McGonagall landed him into detention which was had been, for some reason, changed to a meeting with the Headmaster instead.

Thus, Ron found himself being seated in front of Dumbledore as well as Professor Snape. Ron avoided the intimidating glare of Professor Snape, who despite showing favouritism to his students over and over again, was also very strict on his views of his students' conduct, particularly when they gave him no room to leverage on.

"Well, Weasley, what do you have to say for yourself?" Snape asked curtly as he narrowed his eyes at Ron. For a moment, Ron glanced at Snape's sleeves before staring back at Dumbledore. He wondered if Snape knew about Draco being a Death Eater? He had known of Snape's true identity as a Death Eater for a while as well as the news, according to Draco, about some agreement between Aunt Narcissa and Snape about watching over Draco.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Snape said, clearly growing impatient with Ron's silence.

"No, Sir," Ron said hastily as he composed himself. "I apologise for what I said to Justin Finch-Fletchey and Colin Creevey but it was not unwarranted."

"No?" Dumbledore spoke at least as he continued to stare unnervingly long at Ron.

"It wasn't," Ron replied defensively. "Both of them were making remarks about my Uncle and we had a disagreement, that's all."

"According to witnesses, you intended to use the Stupefy spell on them before Professor McGonagall caught you," Dumbledore replied.

"I wasn't using the Stupefy spell, Headmaster," Ron said, carefully recalling his rehearsed words in his head. "I was simply calling both students stupid before Professor McGonagall interrupted me. It's not my fault that she misheard and assumed the worst for me, given who I am."

"Mister Weasley," Dumbledore spoke gently. "I highly doubt that Professor McGonagall would accuse you of something so serious just because you are a Slytherin."

"Not a Slytherin, Sir!" Ron spoke before Snape could chime in. "It's because I'm a Malfoy."

Both Dumbledore and Snape gave looks of surprise before exchanging a look with one another. At the nod of Dumbledore's head, the latter simply stood stiff before exiting the office, leaving Dumbledore alone with Ron.

"Ronald, may I call you Ronald?" Dumbledore asked as he stood up.

"Of course, Sir. Ron is also okay."

"Good, very good!" Dumbledore said with a smile as he reached under his desk to pull out two cups and a teapot. As he did so, Ron could see that one of his hands looked to be a frightful state, blackened and dark, as if someone had burnt it many times over.

"Sir?" Ron said as he pointed to the hand. Dumbledore stared at his hand before giving a chuckle.

"Oh, how my mind wanders. Ronald, if you would be so kind, there is a large bowl with a potion on that cabinet behind you. Would you mind bringing it over to me?"

Ron nodded his head as he walked to the cabinet where a large, crystal bowl laid on top. Inside, Ron could see a large, silvery liquid floating about two thirds from the brim. Bringing it over to their table, Dumbledore thanked Ron before placing his hand into the bowl. Dumbledore then reached into his desk to pull out a strange jar. The jar was large and transparent but what made it strange was the thing within the jar itself. Inside, floating about the jar was a creature that Ron had only seen during a visit to a fair in Paris, together with Draco.

"Sir, is that a…jellyfish?" Ron said warily as he eyed the translucent tentacles of the creature floating about.

"Very perceptive, Ronald," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now, I pray you don't mind but the next part of this procedure is very important and I must do so with the utmost concentration." Ron watched in fascination as Dumbledore removed a small bottle from his robes and poured the transparent liquid into the bowl which glowed a bright gold at the mixture of both liquids. Dumbledore then carefully unscrewed the jar before throwing the jellyfish inside. Before Ron could say anything, Dumbledore raised his wand at the bowl and whispered a charm causing the jellyfish, which had gripped Dumbledore's blackened hand at the moment it entered to start bobbing up and down furiously before a bright, golden light blinded Ron momentarily. When sight returned to his eyes, Ron was shocked to see that the jellyfish was gone, the bowl containing only the silvery liquid with Dumbledore's hand still blackened as it was.

"Headmaster, what was that?!" Ron asked. Dumbledore only gave Ron a smile as with a wave of his wand, the bowl floated back to its place on the cabinet as Dumbledore poured two cups of tea, handing one over to Ron, who thanked him.

"Tell me, Ronald, have you ever heard of Turritopsis dohrnii?"

"Turry top what?" Ron replied, fumbling at the words as Dumbledore gave another chuckle.

"I swear, the Muggles can come up with some unusual names for the creatures we find on this earth. Turritopsis dohrnii or Meduzas, as what my good friend Newt Scamander has classified them, are a type of jellyfish with a very interesting feature. Apparently, when it is wounded, sick or old, the jellyfish can revert its entire body into a younger version of itself, making it seem immortal. Think about it, Ronald. Both Muggle and wizard have spent years in trying to attain immortality only to be beaten by a jellyfish." Dumbledore said with a laugh.

"Wicked!" Ron replied excitedly as he recalled the creature just moments before. "But where has it gone? And what were you using it for?"

"Well, the truth is, Ronald," Dumbledore said as he raised his hand. "I am the unfortunate victim of a very Powerful Dark Curse and Professor Snape has helped me to contain it for the time being but I fear the curse would spread faster than one would expect. I have resorted to such desperate measures to keep the use of my hand. Unfortunately, the poor jellyfish had to be used for this very purpose but I can say, given its unusually long lifespan, death may indeed be a welcome adventure."

"So this potion thingy cures it?" Ron said as he continued to stare at the hand.

"In a matter of speaking. The potion merely allows the blood and other parts of my hand to revert itself back in time to an earlier state although this is a very Powerful Curse and as such, my hand will never fully heal. I've sacrificed the liquid of a time-turner to ensure its success but as to whether I will unduly be affected, only time can tell."

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered before giving Dumbledore a sheepish look. "Apologies for swearing, Headmaster."

"Think nothing of it," Dumbledore said as his blue eyes started to twinkle. "Ronald, you are the only other person who knows about this potion. I was planning to do it later tonight but this seemed like a good a time as any. Please do me a favour and keep this secret of mine between us."

"No problem, Headmaster," Ron said. "I hope the potion does work."

"I hope so too." Dumbledore sighed. "The nature of the potion is a little complex, to say the least when I first read about it and tried to improvise it further. As it draws upon my essence, creating the potion did lead to a few snags, particularly with regards to a certain element that I'm lacking but it does seem that I'm getting closer to the mark each day."

"That's good," Ron said as he leaned against his chair. Reaching for the cup of tea, Ron raised the cup to his lips. Before he could drink it, however, Ron spied something on the desk with his name written at the top.

"Sir, what's that?" Ron said as he pointed to the piece of parchment that had been lodged between two books. Dumbledore stared at the parchment before taking it off the desk, removing it from sight.

"Let us forget that at the moment. Now, Ronald, the reason you're here right now and not serving detention with Professor McGonagall is that I've chosen to take over. And I want to offer you a choice, Ron. You may listen to what I have to say and the detention and issue will be forgotten or you may choose not to and proceed with the detention that Professor McGonagall has arranged for you. So what will it be, Ronald?"

Ron stared blankly at Dumbledore as he considered his options. For one thing, the sight of the parchment had made him uneasy but the thought of having to clean out trophies with nothing but a brush and no magic was not one Ron wanted to pick.

"As long as we're just having a conversation, Sir, I rather stay."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore cried as he clapped his hands. "Now on to business. Would you like to sip your tea first, Ronald?"

"With all due respect, Headmaster, I rather know what's going on," Ron replied as Dumbledore nodded.

"Well, Ronald, as you know, you've missed this year's meeting with your family. Your mother, Morgana, wrote me a letter telling me that she had not given permission for you to go, citing illness on your part and that you were confined to your summer home."

Ron let out a groan. The annual Weasley meeting was one which took place each year during the summer months ever since Bill first entered Hogwarts. It was, by all accounts, a compulsory meeting put forth by Dumbledore and the Head of Magical Law Enforcement that the Weasleys must be allowed to mingle in order to forge their familial ties. Ron had not looked forward to each much, with exception of his meetings with Ginny, and Percy had excused himself from going for such meetings due to his coming of age as well as his Ministry position. For Ron, the meetings were often a time for one to hurl insults at each other and the mediator that the Ministry had brought in was nothing more than a figurehead.

"Yes, I was sick. Besides, I don't see why I have to do such meetings anymore." Ron grumbled. "Ginny is still here in Hogwarts with me and she's all I care about. Once I come of age, I'm going to ask for exclusion as well."

"What about emancipation, Ronald?" Dumbledore asked grimly.

"Emancipation?"

"The process in which one chooses to free himself from the control of a group, in this case, the Weasleys. I hope that you wouldn't resort to such drastic measures?"

"No, of course not," Ron replied hastily although he felt a little guilty lying to Dumbledore. He had thought of it, of course, especially with his mother speaking to Ron nearly every summer about invoking such a cause and yet, despite his desire to do so, he would refuse in the end simply because of Ginny. Ron couldn't even begin to imagine Ginny's reaction to something like that.

"Good, Ron," Dumbledore said as he smiled at him before heaving a sigh. "Unfortunately, there is something that I will need to talk to you about but first, I want to know, how are you doing?"

"How am I doing?"

"Tell me, are you suffering from any issues? Any stress? Anything that you might want to talk about?"

"No, Sir," Ron replied hastily once more, pushing Draco Malfoy from his thoughts. "I'm just stressed about normal, sixth-year issues," Ron said as he eyed the door, desperate to get out of this meeting as soon as possible.

"You mean, like relationships? Perhaps with a young, Slytherin girl in your year?" Dumbledore said with a smile as Ron's eyes widened considerably.

"Errr… Tracey and I are just friends!" Ron replied, his face flushed red as Dumbledore chuckled at the sight.

"Forgive me, Ronald, it's not in my position to pry and embarrass you in such a way. I just want to know if you are holding up well. Considering your behaviour this first week in school, I had to be sure."

"Believe me, Professor." Ron croaked as he tried to compose himself. "I'm okay. I just need time to adjust."

"Very well, Ronald! Very well. Shall we drink?" Dumbledore said as he raised his cup.

"Headmaster," Ron said with a gulp. "What is parchment with my name on it about?"

Dumbledore heaved a sigh before reaching down and placing the parchment on his desk. Ron stared at the parchment as he started to read. As he processed each statement, Ron could feel his unpredictable anger rising to the surface once more.

"What is this?" Ron snarled, forgetting whom he was speaking to. "What's all this about?!"

"Ronald," Dumbledore replied gently as he gave the wizard an apologetic look. "Believe me, I had my reservations about showing you this parchment myself. Believe me when I say, your brothers William and Charlie had your best interests at heart when they made this."

"They want me to leave the Malfoys?!" Ron cried, his voice rising louder. "Why?!"

"Considering that Lucius is behind bars for being a Death Eater, and with connections to your family, your brothers have come up with quite a large amount of evidence to show that your guardians are unfit to take care of you. Rufus, however, has left that decision to me."

"Unfit?!" Ron growled as he stood up, his hands balled into fists. "Those two prats have no idea what they're talking about! The Malfoys have been nothing but kind to me and those two bloody idiots wouldn't know a thing about it! Just because Uncle Lucius was accused of something –"

"There were witnesses, Ronald."

"ACCUSED of something!" Ron barked. "It doesn't make my mother or Aunt Narcissa unfit to raise me! How dare they?! Just because they have a thing against Slytherins doesn't make it okay to just ship me off whenever they feel like it! This is my life and the Malfoys ARE MY FAMILY!"

"Ronald, please calm yourself down," Dumbledore spoke gently as he stood up as well. "I've already refused to allow anyone to take you away from the Malfoys."

"What?" Ron said, his anger forgotten for a moment, as he looked back at Dumbledore in confusion. Albus walked around his desk before placing a hand on Ron's shoulder to placate them.

"Ron, you've already made it clear to both myself and Professor Snape that you want to stay with the Malfoys and frankly, removing you from one family is too much pain for me to bear."

"You should know." Ron cried bitterly as he jerked his shoulder away. "It's your fault, after all."

Dumbledore said nothing as his eyes no longer twinkled, instead, they fell with a poignant look behind them. Dumbledore's silence gave Ron the courage he needed as he took two steps away from the Headmaster.

"Aunt Narcissa told me the truth, Headmaster. Everything. I know how they died. How they really died."

"That was not for her to say," Dumbledore whispered as Ron shook his head.

"No, it was for you to tell me. You owe it to me! Because of you, I had to live apart from my sister for years! Because of you, I lost my parents. Everything, everything that has happened to me, everything bad and all those times I felt angry and upset and lost were all because of you!" Ron spat. He could feel his face getting wet but Ron ignored it. The thought of Draco reared its ugly head once more as Ron slammed his fist onto Dumbledore's desk. Strangely, Dumbledore said nothing as he continued to stare sadly at the young wizard.

"Why did they have to die? Why couldn't you have done something?" Ron cried. "Why didn't ANYONE TELL ME THE FUCKING TRUTH?! Why?!"

"Ron, please –"

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!" Ron roared as he glared back at Dumbledore with as much contempt and anger as he could muster. Dumbledore said nothing as he dropped his head, instead choosing to walk back towards his chair to take a seat. After a while, Ron felt his anger starting to disappear, only to be replaced by a feeling of pure emptiness. Taking his numb state back to his chair, Ron collapsed onto his seat as Dumbledore offered Ron a handkerchief to which Ron gratefully accepted.

"I'm sorry…"Ron whispered, though in his heart the words were as meaningless as his anger had been. Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, I deserved that. I do." Dumbledore said as he raised his blackened hand. "I'm not perfect, Ronald and I have made many mistakes, some of which I have paid much for and will continue to pay for it. Ron, listen to me…" Dumbledore said as he leaned in, trying to get Ron to look at him. Dumbledore reached out his hand, only for Ron to flinch away slightly. Saddened, Dumbledore retreated back into his seat.

"Ronald, believe me, if I could give my life up to save your family, I would. Alas, no one is above making mistakes, least of all someone like me. I know you do not believe me, but I was preparing myself to tell you, all of your brothers and sisters, once Ginny came of age. I wanted you to be prepared but I guess, the truth always has its own way of coming out. I've made mistakes, Ron, and believe me, I am paying dearly for it." Dumbledore said as he raised his blackened hand.

"Is that why you told me about the potion?" Ron scoffed. "You want me to feel sorry for you?"

"No, Ronald." Dumbledore sighed. "I wanted to tell you about the potion and show you my hand because I wanted you to understand that even the best of us can make stupid mistakes. Mistakes that cost me even my own life as you've seen by my hand. But I learn from my mistakes, Ronald and far be it for me to judge others, I will always, always have your best interests at heart."

Dumbledore pushed Ron's cup of tea towards him.

"So if there's anything that's ever bothering you, anything you want to talk about, anything you want to ask, I'm always going to be here to help and listen," Dumbledore said with a smile as Ron took the cup. His brain urged him to think about other things as his thoughts travelled back to Draco and his predicament. Surely, Dumbledore could help? Ron thought as he placed the cup on his lips. Though he didn't trust the wizard, Dumbledore was, by his reasoning, someone who owed him a favour. I could ever swear him to secrecy Ron thought as he poised himself to tell Dumbledore the truth about Malfoy.

Before he could speak, however, Ron felt warm tea enter his mouth. Suddenly, Ron felt himself shaking as he dropped the cup. Before the darkness took him, the last image Ron Weasley saw was that of Dumbledore looking alarmed at the state of him.

…..

"Wake up, you lazy oaf!"

Ron blinked his eyes open as a tired groan escaped his lips. As his eyes adjusted themselves, Ron could see Draco Malfoy smiling at him. Behind him, he could see the usual confused looks of Crabbe and Goyle while behind them, a disinterested Blaise played around with curtains surrounding his bed as Ron realised he was lying on a bed inside the hospital wing. Before he could say anything, however, Ron felt his body being crushed by a figure next to him

"Oh, Ron!" Tracey cried out as she nearly suffocated him with the strength of her hug. "I thought you were a goner!" Tracey spoke as behind her, a giggling Daphne and Pansy were unable to contain their laughter.

"Miss Davis, if you were to be so kind as to remove yourself off Mr. Weasley, I think he would rather much appreciate it."

Ron turned to see a disapproving Snape staring at the group.

"Leave us, all of you," Snape said. With a smile from Draco and Tracey reluctantly letting her arms off from Ron, the group dispersed from the bed behind the curtains. Ron locked his eyes with Snape, who stared at him curiously for a moment, before turning his heels and walking away as well. As soon as he disappeared, the curtains parted again and in walked Albus Dumbledore.

"Headmaster?" Ron croaked as Dumbledore gave him a smile. "What happened to me?"

"I'm glad to see that you're okay, Ronald," Dumbledore said, ignoring Ron's question. With a wave of his wand, Ron recognised Dumbledore placing a Silencing Charm on the curtains.

"You had a reaction, I'm afraid to the tea."

"The tea?!" Ron repeated as he stared at Dumbledore. For one crazy moment, Ron wondered if the Headmaster had intentionally tried to poison him. Seeing the look on Ron's face, Dumbledore gave a chuckle as he shook his head.

"No, Ronald, I did not add anything to the tea," Dumbledore spoke. "It seemed that during my potion and spell for my hand, some of the potion seemed to have flown into your cup, no doubt from the jellyfish moving about so. An unfortunate accident though one, thankfully, without any issues. Madam Pomfrey and I have checked you over and other than a need for a night's rest, you are perfectly fine."

"That's good to hear." Ron groaned as he lifted his head off the pillow. "So I'm okay, really okay?"

"Nothing a good night's sleep couldn't cure," Dumbledore said.

"Good, that's good," Ron replied. His mind travelled back to his incident at Dumbledore's office. Staring into Dumbledore's twinkling eyes, Ron felt a temporary wave of guilt rush over him. He wanted to apologise, say he was sorry about what he had said. But then the anger came back in and Ron found himself wanting to be as far away from Dumbledore as possible.

"Ronald," Dumbledore spoke as Ron turned to face him, his head reasoning that the sooner he entertained the old man, the sooner he could be rid of him.

"How long?"

"Sorry?"

"How long have you known?"

Ron stared at Dumbledore as he heaved a sigh before he replied. "Just before I came into Hogwarts."

"Six years?!" Dumbledore cried, astonished at what he was hearing. He had assumed that Narcissa spoke to Ron recently, the rise of the Dark Lord having allowed her to speak her mind and yet, it seemed that Ronald Weasley had surprised him once more. Dumbledore felt a lump in his throat. To hold on to something as horrible as that, for six years, Dumbledore shuddered at the thought. This explains his behaviour Dumbledore thought as he looked down upon the wizard with pity.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Dumbledore stared at the redhead who had just asked him the question that he dreaded asking. Composing himself, Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"I made an emotional decision that day, Ronald. Arthur and Molly, besides being dear friends to me, were also important people in the fight against the Dark Arts. I feared that by revealing the truth, it would have impacted negatively on the pair. Your parents died as heroes."

"No, they didn't," Ron said softly as he closed his eyes.

"Yes, they did, Ronald. And I was also concerned that by revealing the truth, that others would take advantage of it and try to influence all of you, especially you and Percival. The other Pureblood families would have done so and so I did what I did to protect you. Sometimes, it's better to believe a beautiful fantasy than to be scarred by the truth."

Ron held an incredulous expression as he stared back at Dumbledore. "So what you're saying is that…you lied to protect me?" Ron said as Dumbledore sighed.

"I know how it must sound but –"

"It's okay, Headmaster," Ron said, cutting in. "I rather not hear anymore of it."

"Ronald…"

"I need to rest, Sir."

"Of course," Dumbledore spoke in resignation as he reached for the curtains. A thought occurred to him as Dumbledore turned.

"No one knows but me and Aunt Narcissa. Not my siblings, not even Draco." Ron said, seemingly having read Dumbledore's mind. A look into his eyes told Dumbledore that Ron was telling the truth

"I'm sorry, Ronald," Dumbledore whispered as he walked away from Ron's bed. With a heavy heart, Dumbledore entered into his office. He walked towards a set of drawers and with a wave of his wand, the last drawer slid out open as Dumbledore stared at its contents. With a tear on his face, Dumbledore pulled out the photograph of a tall and skinny green-eyed man with red hair and glasses waving frantically next to a short, slightly plump and kindly looking red-haired woman who seemed to be frustrated with her husband's comical antics. As Dumbledore admired the photograph, his eyes caught sight of another item in the drawer, a necklace with a triangle and circle split in the middle. Though he had long distanced himself from his much younger days, it seemed that some habits were hard to break. Dumbledore thought of Ron Weasley as he looked from the photograph to the necklace, four familiar words suddenly coming into his head.

For the Greater Good.

…..

"Damn Professor McGonagall!" Draco cried as he entered the Slytherin common room, only to be with a bunch of eyes glaring at him. Over in the corner, Ron was slumped on his seat as Urquhart took a step towards Malfoy.

"What the fuck do you lot want?!" Draco said, clearly agitated by the eyes around him. Urquhart gave a grunt and at that moment, most of the Slytherin Quidditch team, as well as all the years around the dungeon common room, decided to go back to doing their own things.

"Where have you been?" Urquhart said icily as Draco glanced at Ron before glaring back at the larger wizard.

"I've been with Professor Snape if that's any of your business. Why, got something on your mind, then?" Draco replied acidly.

"Really?" Urquhart said nastily as the larger and bulkier Slytherin Captain glared down at Draco. "Because I just met up with Professor Snape to inform him of your absences in training. Care to explain where you've been?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you, Urquhart!" Malfoy replied defiantly although Ron could see that Draco was cowering slightly under the wizard's angry glare. Ron let out a groan of frustration before stepping in.

"I told you already, Urquhart. Professor Snape had Draco to complete his DADA assignment. It's compulsory, after all."

"Stop making excuses for him, Weasley!" Urquhart snapped as he turned his attention back to Draco. "Draco here couldn't be bothered to show up for training again. Do you have any idea what we are up against? It's Slytherin versus Gryffindor in the first match, in case you've forgotten!"

"Of course, I haven't forgotten!" Draco snapped. "What's the big deal? Potter's a pushover and not to mention, Longbottom is a poor excuse for a keeper! You guys have this in the bag!"

"Potter has winning matches for his team single-handedly!" Urquhart retorted, his hands balled into fists. "And Longbottom was their best player last year! He and Ginny Weasley won the Cup and now with Potter back to compete, as much as it pains me to admit, has made that team quite formidable! And you just can't be bothered to show up for training! Do I have to beat some sense into you before you decide to give us some of your precious effort?!"

"Now, wait a moment!" Ron said before feeling a painful strike to the side of his head. In front of him, Urquhart and Draco both looked shocked at the sight of Ron on the floor in between the pair of them.

"Ron!" Draco cried as he laid next to his cousin, before turning up to glare daggers at Urquhart. "How fucking dare you?! I'm going to tell…"

"Going to tell who?" Urquhart taunted, his composure restored. "Your father? Go ahead. Write a fucking letter to Azkaban for all I care. But you better show up on Friday for training or go find me a fucking replacement! I've already got Vaisey out and this is the last thing I need to deal with." Draco glared at the bulky wizard as he turned his back on Draco before storming away.

"What the fuck are you lot looking at?!" Draco said to the crowd in the common room. Pulling up a groaning Ron to his feet, Draco dragged Ron back outside onto the corridor.

"Fuck, are you okay, Ron?" Draco asked.

"Geroff me!" Ron yelled as he pushed Draco away. Ron Weasley had had enough. The past few months had taken quite a toll on him as Ron had to devise ways to explain away Draco's absence. Draco had even posted Ron along the corridor of the seventh floor, outside the Room of Requirement to keep on a lookout. Whatever it was that Draco was doing, he wasn't telling Ron and each day had only made Ron moodier and angrier than ever.

"What's the matter with you?" Draco cried indignantly as Ron stared at the wizard incredulously.

"What's the matter with me? With me? " Ron barked, incensed at Draco's words. "What about you, mate?! Do you know what I HAD to go through in training just now? Not only did I miss five shots in a row but Urquhart and the others were going at me extra hard just because I covered for you! And what's fucking worse is that I have no BLOODY CLUE as to what you're up to! Just because the Dark Lord made you his goddamn pet project doesn't mean you get a free pass at school, Draco! For Bloody Merlin sake, can you even just show up once in a while? Flint isn't Captain anymore and we have that half-blood oaf in charge of the lot of us!"

"I'm sorry, alright!" Draco replied angrily as he folded his arms. "It's just that…fuck…everything's not going according to plan."

"I should think so!" Ron shouted back. "For fuck's sake, Draco, at least tell me what this has been all about?"

"I can't…" Draco sighed. "Especially not after… what with Katie…and all?"

"Katie?! As in that attack on Katie Bell?! You swore to me you had nothing to do with that!"

Draco didn't say anything, his silence worrying Ron. Not wanting the argument to escalate, Ron gave Draco a weary look as he placed a hand on the wizard.

"Draco, look, mate, I don't know what you're up to and honestly, I'm done trying to convince you. But you need to do something if you're going to stay in Hogwarts. Show up once in a while, mate. At least so that no one asks that many questions."

"I'll try," Draco whispered as Ron gave his cousin a smile.

"Besides, I know what will cheer you up! Beating Potter at Quidditch! Merlin, can you imagine the look on his face when we do that trick with the – "

"I'm quitting the team, Ron," Draco replied sadly, cutting Ron off in mid-sentence. Ron stared at the wizard, his ears not believing what they heard.

"You're what?!"

"Quitting the team. As Urquhart said, I have to find a replacement. I'll bribe Harper, Merlin knows that prat has been wanting to come on the team since forever."

"Harper?!" Ron cried incredulously as he pulled his hand away. "Are you insane?!"

"Quidditch games are a distraction, Ron," Draco explained. "And frankly, with the matches being played, it would give a quiet castle and time alone to do…what needs to be done. I'm sorry, Ron."

"Don't fucking apologize!" Ron yelled, his anger returning. Ron couldn't believe it. After everything he had done, playing Quidditch with Draco was something Ron looked forward to. It had even been a pipe dream of his, both he and Malfoy becoming professional Quidditch players and trying out for the Chudley Cannons.

"I don't even know who you are, anymore." Ron spat. "Where's my cousin and what have you done with him?"

"Ron…"Draco pleaded as he leaned against the stone walls. "Look, just give me more time…Ron, please…I can't do this without you."

"Maybe you should think about that more often." Ron snapped. With his anger showing no signs of going away, Ron felt the side of his cheek where Urquhart had struck him. Although the pain was gone, Ron needed an excuse to be away from Draco, the sight of his cousin only causing his anger to rise.

"I'm going to go to Madam Pomfrey. The last thing I need is to get a concussion on the day of the match." Ron barked as he stormed away before Draco could reply.

As he made his way to the Hospital Wing, Ron found it difficult to get thoughts of Draco out of his head. Whatever it was that the Dark Lord wanted Draco to do, it seemed to be taking more time than necessary. The news of Katie's attack was still on Ron's mind as he recalled overhearing how Potter had been telling Granger and Longbottom of his suspicions on Draco.

What does Lord Voldemort want with Draco?! Ron thought angrily, not paying any attention to where he was going. The only thought that he could come up with was that if Draco was behind the attack on Katie, it would mean that the Dark Lord wanted to show that even Hogwarts wasn't safe. Yet with everything the school had gone through in the past few years, Ron doubted that was the case. Ron thought about Katie Bell. He couldn't recall if Bell was a half-blood or Muggleborn but the thought did strike Ron that from what he had heard on the grapevine, Katie was very lucky to be alive.

What if the Dark Lord instructed Malfoy to kill someone? What if the Dark Lord was targeting the Mudbloods and other students in the school? That thought did explain why Draco was acting all shifty about the task. A death of a student would most likely trigger a wave of panic. Already, students were being taken out of Hogwarts and Ron knew that the death of a witch or wizard would most likely be a cause for the school to shut down, just as it nearly was back in his second year. It would explain why Draco didn't care about school anymore.

Ron was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't realise just how far away from the Hospital Wing he had walked. Turning around the corner, Ron was met with a most unpleasant sight. At the staircase near the end of the corridor, Ron could see a couple snogging relentlessly in a corner. Upon a closer look, Ron was shocked to see that the couple were none other than Dean Thomas, his lips fully locked onto a familiar redheaded witch.

What the fuck is she doing?! Ron thought as he made a beeline for the unsuspecting pair. On any other day, Ron would have simply ignored the sight, instead of waiting for Ginny to be free before dragging her into a classroom and berating her for such indiscretions. Today, however, with his anger already at an all-time high, Ron found himself unable to control his emotions as he grabbed the back of Dean's collar and pulling the shocked wizard off his sister.

"OI!" Dean cried before being shoved into the wall with a wand pointed at him.

"Ron!" Ginny shrieked. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU HEAR ME?!" Ron yelled as he jabbed his wand against Dean's chest.

"RON!" Ginny cried, trying to pry Ron's wand-holding hand away.

"What's going on, here?"

Dean, Ron, and Ginny turned to the side to see Harry approaching along with Neville and Hermione. Ron noted how all three had their wands out and yet Ron didn't care. He turned his attention back to Dean whose expression was a mixture of anger and fear.

"Let him go, Ron," Harry said warningly.

"Fuck off, Potter," Ron growled. "This doesn't concern you."

"Oh yes, it does!" Hermione cried sharply. "I'm a Prefect, Ron and it's against the rules to threaten a student at Hogwarts!"

"Oh give it a rest, you Mudblood!" Ron snarled as he pulled his wand away to aim at the Golden Trio.

"Don't call her that!" Neville cried angrily as he aimed his wand at Ron.

"Harry, Neville, put down your wands!" Ginny said as she pulled Dean towards her.

"Ginny, he has his wand aimed at us!"

"Do you really want Professor Snape to give you detention just before the big game?" Ginny snapped as Harry's face turned red before he angrily stashed his wand away with Neville following suit. Ginny turned her attention to Ron, her face contorted in anger.

"You, too."

"No," Ron said as he aimed at the wand towards Dean.

"Ron, you and I are about to have a word and unless you're planning on Hermione reporting you to McGonagall and having you banned for the game, I suggest you put away your wand this instant!" Ginny cried. Ron gave Dean a dark look before reluctantly lowering his wand.

"All of you, leave me alone with my brother," Ginny replied grimly as protests broke out among the group.

"Ginny, you can't –"

"He's armed and –"

"I can take care of myself, dear, you don't –"

"GO!" Ginny bellowed. Dean, Harry, Neville, and Hermione exchanged looks before the quartet decided to walk away. Ron could see Hermione pulling Harry away as the latter glared daggers at Ron. The sight of Granger holding Potter's hand struck a chord inside Ron though the wizard couldn't fathom the reason for it. Nonetheless, all such thoughts disappeared as soon as the group left, leaving Ron with a fuming Ginny.

"Now, let's get one thing straight, dear brother." Ginny spat as she glared at Ron. "Whom I date and who I go out with is none of your business."

"It is my business because you're my sister! I don't want Thomas to think he can just feel you up whenever he feels like it!"

"Dean doesn't concern you, Ron!" Ginny snapped. "And for your information, I was the one who initiated it, not him!"

"You want to date Thomas?!" Ron cried in disbelief.

"We bonded during our visits to see Finnigan after what happened in the Ministry," Ginny said icily. "He's actually a nice person if you give him the chance."

"Not bloody likely!" Ron roared. "If you think I give that wanker the time of day with my sister, then you –"

"What's your problem with Dean, huh?" Ginny demanded, cutting Ron off. "Why are you so upset that I have a boyfriend? You never had any problems when I went out with Longbottom to the ball? Or when I went out with Michael Corner?"

"Oh, please." Ron cried with a derisive laugh. " You were younger then and let's face it, you and Corner were never going to last. Not to mention, Longbottom was never really into you given how much he's been making it obvious his feelings for Granger. Talk about a waste of a Pureblood, considering Granger is going to end up with Potter…"

"Hermione loves Harry?" Ginny said with a frown, surprising Ron slightly.

"She's into him, that's for sure," Ron said dismissively. "But at your age now, Ginny, people are going to talk and the last thing I want is for a rumour to break out that my sister is some kind of…scarlet woman."

"Scarlet woman?" Ginny giggled for a moment before composing herself with a look of defiance. "Well, if anyone wishes to talk, they can do so. I don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks."

"You should!" Ron insisted as he shook his head. "Don't forget that you're a Weasley, Ginny!"

"I haven't forgotten but it seems that you have forgotten about being my brother!" Ginny hissed. "What kind of brother would attack his sister's boyfriend?"

"One that cares about you and does not want you associating yourself with the likes of him!" Ron retorted as Ginny took a step forward, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"What do you mean, the likes of him? Ron, please, please don't tell me this is because Dean is Muggle-born."

Ron said nothing but his silence might as well been a resounding yes for all that Ginny could care about. Narrowing her eyes at Ron, Ginny stood inches away from her brother, her brown eyes penetrating into him.

"Five years, Ron."

"What –" Ron began to speak before Ginny placed a finger to his lips.

"Five years of me protecting you, trying to defend you." Ginny continued in her soft, angry voice. "Every time someone asks me why I associate myself with you, I tell them that my brother, despite all the insensitive, racial and bigoted remarks, is actually a good man deep in his heart. Tell me, Ron, have I been lying to them? Is this all there is to you?"

"What's with all the philosophical gibberish?!"Ron fired back. "All I'm saying is that I don't want you to date Dean Thomas! Date Michael Corner, date Longbottom, hell date Potter for all I care –"

Ginny's face turned a bright red.

"But don't date Dean! Anyone but Dean!" Ron said with a scowl at the thought of the wizard.

"Because he's Muggleborn, isn't it?" Ginny said as she prodded Ron's chest with her finger. "Don't be a fucking coward! Say it! Say the words!"

"FINE!" Ron yelled, no longer caring about anything else. "IT'S BECAUSE HE'S A FUCKING MUDBLOOD, THAT'S WHY! Does that satisfy you, Ginny? Does that make it all better? If you don't want to listen to me, that's fine! Go ahead then, go back to your House and tell Dean you want to be his girlfriend or better yet, why stop there? Go ahead and shag him for all I care! Then you can grow up to be nothing more than a Mudblood lover making stupid, Mudblood babi -"

SLAP!

Ron staggered upon the impact of Ginny's hand across his cheek. Reaching out to support himself on the stone wall, Ron felt the sharp pain on his cheek which now had a bright red bruise. He stared back in shock at Ginny, who looked to be in shock herself for what she'd done.

"Ginny…" Ron said as Ginny, who was on the verge of tears before, now had them trailing down her cheeks. With a squeak, Ginny turned away from Ron and started to run.

"GINNY!" Ron yelled as he chased after her, his long legs allowing him to catch up.

"Get out of my way," Ginny said as she held an arm to her face to cover her tears while trying to push past Ron.

"Ginny, it's okay. I deserve that. Just talk to me!" Ron pleaded as he continued to block her way.

"Move, Ron! Please just go away!" Ginny cried once more as she tried to walk past him, only to have Ron block her way once more.

"No, not until we've sorted this out," Ron said as he tried to prevent his sister from shoving him away. "Ginny, stop! Talk to me!"

"What's there to talk about?!" Ginny wept as she pushed herself off Ron. "You've clearly chosen the side you're on! It's what you are, isn't it? Just another Muggle-hating Pureblood like the rest of the Slytherins!"

"Ginny, there's something you don't understand…" Ron tried to say as Ginny placed her hands over her ears.

"I don't want to hear it. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Ginny yelled as she glared at Ron. "Do you even realise who you're supporting. Lord Voldemort is back, Ron! How can you even think about standing behind a monster like that? A monster who kills innocent people? How can you justify that?!"

Ron, who had winced upon hearing the Dark Lord's name, could only stare at Ginny, his mouth unable to speak as he thought of how to reply. Taking advantage of his pause, Ginny shoved herself past Ron who tried, to no avail, to grab her hand.

"Ginny, we have to talk about this!" Ron cried as he tried to reach her once more. "Ginny, I don't want us to be angry with each other."

"I'm not angry at you, Ron, don't you get it ?!" Ginny spoke icily as she turned to glare at him. "I'm not angry. I'm ashamed. I've always defended you, even at the expense of people insulting and calling me names –"

"Who the fuck dares to –"

"But they were right, Ron!" Ginny snapped as she started to sob once more. "They were right. I can't do this anymore, Ron. I just can't. We should just go our separate ways."

"Our separate ways?!" Ron cried, in aghast. "But you're my sister."

"I don't even know who you are, anymor," Ginny said, her voice calming down to a low whisper that chilled Ron to his core. "Maybe you should just change your name to Malfoy. After all, you are one."

"Ginny, I…" Ron stammered as Ginny walked towards him before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Ron," Ginny whispered before turning around and walking away.

TELL HER WHAT YOU KNOW! TELL HER THE TRUTH! Ron heard his own voice screaming inside his head as he remained rooted to the spot. Ron could feel his lips starting to move, words starting to form…

Yet only a faint croak escaped his lips.

Instead, Ron felt his cheek once more which was getting wetter by the second as he watched one of the two people he loved most in this world walk away from him.

….

1991

If there was one place that Ron loved about staying at Malfoy Manor, it was the garden and forest that surrounded it. In front of the Manor stood four feet tall hedges, scaled into a labyrinth and filled with the most beautiful flora Ron had ever seen. Ron admired the towering oak trees that surrounded the manor as he and Aunt Narcissa took a walk through the forest. Sunlight was still streaming in even though it was fast approaching evening as Ron stared up the green foliage that dominated the landscape above him.

"Do you have everything ready for tomorrow, Ron?"

"Yes, Aunt Narcissa," Ron spoke as he continued to touch the bark of each tree that they passed. Narcissa gave a light laugh at Ron's antics, his behaviour certainly different from Draco's more subdued nature.

"Look at this place, Ronald." Aunt Narcissa said as she stopped moving, pointing her hand towards a large oak tree. Up in the branches, Ron could hear the chirping of birds though the blinding rays of sunlight prevented him from seeing any. "Do you know what I like about this place?"

"What, Aunt Narcissa?"

"It's so peaceful and serene. That is what happens when we choose to leave things untouched, to preserve what is already beautiful."

"Ahh, yes," Ron replied as he smiled up at his aunt. "I totally agree!"

"Wonderful." Aunt Narcissa said with a sigh. "If only the wizarding world could appreciate that sentiment as much as you and I."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked as he gave Narcissa a puzzled look.

"Our magic. Each day, I read the Prophet and I see are more laws, more legislation to allow for the integration of Muggleborns and Muggles into our world."

"Disgusting!" Ron said as he made a face.

Narcissa laughed. "Ron, tell me, why do you think our family is against such…people coming into our community?"

"Well, Uncle Lucius said.."

"No, not his words," Narcissa replied. "Yours. Come, Ron, share me your thoughts. You are, after all, a Pureblood and one of the Sacred 28 at that. Why do you think we hate Muggleborns and Muggles?"

"Err…," Ron spoke, as he tried to find the right words. "I…er…I just don't like them."

"Well, you must have a reason?" Narcissa asked.

"What's your reason?" Ron spoke as Narcissa chuckled at Ron's tactics to divert the question back to her. Truly a Malfoy trait, indeed.

"What happens when you add an ice cube to a glass of milk?" Narcissa asked as Ron looked at her with even more confusion.

"It gets cold?" Ron replied.

"Yes," Narcissa laughed. "But more than that, when we add ice to a glass of milk, the water from the ice has diluted the milk, causing it to change. If we continued to add water, sooner or later, the milk will disappear and we would have nothing but a disgusting glass of watered down milk, perhaps even water if we continued to add."

"Okay…"

"It's the same for magic and magical blood, Ron. The more we dilute our blood with Muggle blood, the more the magic disappears until finally, we would be bereft of it. That is why we call them Mudbloods, Ron. Sure, the word is a form of vulgar and bigoted abuse but the essence of it tells you why we hate them. Muggleborns are the reminder that someone in their family line decided to throw caution into the wind and mate with Muggles, causing the magical line to become polluted. Imagine if the wizard or witch responsible had not done so, they might have had children who would have magical powers."

"I can't imagine not being with my powers!" Ron blurted out as he shook his head. "Why would anyone be that dumb as to do something like that?"

"Because Muggleborns think that just because we look alike, that we are similar." Narcissa sighed. "But that's not true at all. We are not the next stage of evolution and even if we were, it would be like classifying a chimpanzee with a human being and I doubt any human would want to mate with a monkey."

"Ewww!" Ron cried out.

"I agree. It is disgusting. We are so different in many ways, the Muggles and us. We wear different clothes, learn different subjects, have different jobs and yet, wizards and witches think that it's okay to destroy their entire lineage by mating with someone with Muggle blood over something as silly as love."

"I would never fall for a Mudblood." Ron declared as Narcissa smiled at him.

"But that's not why I hate Muggles, Ron." Narcissa sighed as she stared up at the trees. "I hate them because I know about what they're capable of. Out of all the creatures to have ever walked this Earth, no species is more dangerous than that of the Muggle. They've persecuted many of us over the years, and many more of their own. I've seen the evil that grows in their hearts and when my mother and father tell me the stories of how cruel Muggles can be, especially in times of war, well, I say that they even put the Dark Lord to shame."

"Did you ever get to meet him? Talk to him?" Ron asked excitedly as Narcissa shook her head.

"No, unfortunately, that honour went to my husband and others," Narcissa said as she stared at Ron. "Did you know that the Dark Lord was an orphan just like you?"

"Like me?! Really?!" Ron gasped. "How do you know this?"

"I get bored and I have my hobbies," Narcissa spoke hastily. She couldn't disclose it to Ron, of course, that the Dark Lord had given his diary to the Malfoys and that she had discovered his name by accident when meddling with the book. A further dig and Narcissa unearthed the truth about the Dark Lord as well as his real name.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle," Narcissa exclaimed to the surprise of Ron. "I found out his identity a while back and decided to keep it a secret."

"Riddle?" Ron said, noticing the last name. "But that's not a Pureblood name."

"Of course not." Narcissa smiled as Ron gasped once more.

"He's not a Pureblood. He's a half-blood?"

"That's right," Narcissa spoke as she thought about the Death Eater meetings with her husband. How she used to be in awe of the Dark Lord whenever he entered the room. The discovery of who Lord Voldemort is had used to shock her but now, knowing he was a mere half-blood, only increased his status within Narcissa's mind.

"Imagine Ron, a half-blood, standing up for what's right. I'll be the first to admit, the Dark Lord, can be quite cruel and I have no love loss for some of the individuals he had recruited." Narcissa said with a shudder down her spine at the thought of Fenrir Greyback. "But he was the lesser of two evils. I rather put my faith in Him than at the hands of Muggle-loving fools like Dumbledore who will undoubtedly lead us down a much darker path."

"Aunt Narcissa," Ron said as he awkwardly swayed on the spot. "How come you didn't become a Death Eater?"

"Because, as I've told you, Ron, just because I agree and respect the Dark Lord doesn't mean I accept his methods. Some of which, were far too cruel and much too evil for the likes of you to hear. But he is the better choice. I always believed that You-Know-Who would set the foundation for our world to settle before better leaders take over. There's always a more powerful wizard lurking about. I've learnt that with Grindelwald."

"So wait…I'm confused…are we the bad guys?" Ron asked as Narcissa gave another laugh.

"Only if you choose to see things in such simplistic terms, Ronald. Good or bad is dependent on who wins, not who's right. The victor gets to set the moral standards for which we live by. Personally, the war was about Voldemort against Dumbledore, our side against his and nothing more. We tried to eradicate the Muggle disease and they saw it as cruel and wrong, therefore calling us evil. Like how the Slytherin house is often seen as evil and placed in the dungeons when really, all we do is abide by the standards set to us by Salazar himself."

"I see…" Ron said as he frowned his face, trying hard to focus. "So what you're saying is the Dark Lord isn't a bad person?"

"Not in his intention at least. And we would have gotten better leaders in the future."

"But they said he was to live forever."

"But he didn't, did he?" Narcissa said with a smile. "Even the Dark Lord can't live forever."

"What about Dumbledore? He's pretty old." Ron laughed although the look on Narcissa's face made him silent almost instantly.

"Dumbledore is a fool and I can't wait for the old man to finally be gone." Narcissa spat, her anger clearly evident from her blazing blue eyes. Seeing the young Ron in front of her, Narcissa composed herself as she squatted down to give him a hug.

"Forgive me for such a display. A mother's wrath can be quite overwhelming."

"It's okay, Aunt Narcissa." Ron sighed as he hugged her back.

"Your mother should be the one doing this, you know." Narcissa sighed. "As much as she and I had our differences, I am a mother too and I cannot imagine Molly would ever want to not send her son on his first day at Hogwarts."

"It's okay," Ron whispered. "At least she died a hero, fighting off Dark wizards."

Narcissa pulled herself off from Ron, her face frowning as she stared at Ron.

"What is it?" Ron asked as Narcissa shook her head, smiling as she touched his cheeks. Dumbledore be damned! Narcissa thought. For years she had kept her mouth silent, the promise to Dumbledore and his idiotic group kept for the sake of not affecting Ron but it burned her to see Ron like this. Though Narcissa often thought Molly nothing more than a foolish blood traitor who would rather more kids than her monies could handle, she felt nothing but grateful for the witch who kept trying to have a girl to which brought Ron into their lives. How could I let Ron live with this lie? Narcissa thought as she stared at Ron.

With a face of pure determination, Narcissa rose to her full height.

"Ronald, there's something you need to know. It's about your parents."

"What about them?" Ron asked, clearly surprised at his aunt's demeanour.

"They weren't killed by Dark wizards," Narcissa said, her words piercing through Ron as he stared back dumbfounded at her. "No, Dumbledore has wanted to keep the truth from you for as long as I can remember but I can no longer abide by it. You deserve the truth, Ron. I know what happened to your parents on the day they died."

"How do you know that?" Ron asked as he stared back at his aunt who cleared her throat.

"Because… I was there."

…..

"Looks like Potter really messed up this time!"

"Wait, Urquhart, if Gryffindor scores 290 points, won't that tie the two teams?"

"Merlin, Vaisey, did that Bludger remove your brains or something?! Ravenclaw would still be ten points ahead if they lost by that score. 300 points would give it to Gryffindor as they would be ahead, having beaten Ravenclaw on head to head. But 300 points with Longbottom at goal and Potter not playing Seeker? Hah, I rather soon bet on the Chudley Cannons to win the league!"

Ron rolled his eyes as he ignored the cackles of laughter coming from the seventh-years. In truth, he no longer cared for Quidditch, their position being last on the table due to his poor concentration as Keeper. Ron stared at the empty seat next to him for a moment before turning his attention back to the Gryffindor Table.

"I can't stand the sight of them either, Ron." Pansy spat as she joined him in glaring at the group at the end of the table. Potter was seated next to Granger, with Longbottom on his other side talking to Luna Lovegood, who had abandoned her Ravenclaw table to sit next to Neville. According to Pansy, Neville and Hermione hadn't been on speaking terms for weeks, ever since Hermione turned him down for Harry. Ron couldn't care less. A look to the side of Granger showed the couple of Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas laughing as the latter played with his sister's hair. Ron lost his appetite, the sight of his sister pained him once more.

He couldn't understand what Urquhart was so happy about, talking about Potter as if the wizard wasn't the luckiest guy in the world. Everything seemed to be working for him. He could see that Granger and Potter were getting closer, not just as friends but physically as well though Pansy mentioned that neither one of them had made a move yet. Neville, who had isolated himself from the pair, was now coming back into the fold, his relationship with Luna a catalyst for that situation. Harry had the girl. Harry had his best friend. Harry even was on speaking and friendly terms with his sister. Harry had everything! So why was Ron surprised about Harry getting away with attempted murder?

Ron had been up in arms when news hit that Potter had attacked Draco and left him in the hospital. Expecting to see Draco in some sort of jinxed state, Ron was shocked by just how badly Draco had been injured, those cuts while having been healed were still all over his body. Pansy had wailed to him that if it weren't for Professor Snape, Draco might have been dead. And what did Potter get in return? Nothing but a slap on a wrist, a detention with their professor being nothing that the wizard couldn't handle.

In contrast, Ron's last few months had been tough. Not only had Ron failed his Apparition test, but he also had to deal with Draco's rather strange behaviour. More forays into the Room of Requirement meant that he, together with Crabbe and Goyle, had to be on the lookout particularly for Potter, who seemed adamant in his quest to prove Draco a Death Eater. Really the only good thing had been his Polyjuice Potion which he and Draco cooked up and tested on Crabbe and Goyle, getting both of them to become girls. A look at Crabbe and Goyle told Ron that though they were just as angry at Draco being in the hospital wing, they were a bit relieved at not having to drink the potion anymore.

Ron stood up from his seat, ignoring Pansy as she called out to him. A passing glance at Tracey showed the witch chatting excitedly to one of the seventh years, her relationship with Ron all but forgotten. Ron heaved a sigh as he made his way to the hospital wing to see Draco once more.

"You got to relax, mate," Draco said as Ron handed him a treacle tart from lunch. "Don't cause any issues. I'm almost done with the task."

"Wish I had been attacked," Ron said with a smirk. "Then I get to pretend to be ill while no one suspects me sneaking out each night."

"Yeah, well. I'll gladly trade you if it means I don't have to listen to Pansy every morning." Draco said with a face.

"Just end it with her as I did with Tracey, mate," Ron said as Draco let out a frustrated groan.

"You don't think I've not done that?! Believe me, I've dumped her, or rather tried dumping her but Pansy wouldn't hear a thing. Said that as long as I'm single, we're still dating."

"How about if you said you were gay?" Ron said with a grin.

"What?! I'm not gay!" Draco replied hotly.

"Come on, at the rate I'm seeing you, you might as well say you're gay for me."

"Please, I'm a Malfoy, not a Black." Draco sniggered.

"Maybe we could get Goyle or Crabbe to take the potion again. And then, we can get both of them here in the morning so that Pansy can see the two of them with you. Course, she's not going to believe it without proof so I supposed Crabbe and Goyle should both lean over and …"

"Stop!" Draco cried, half-serious, half-laughing. "For the love of Salazar, please do not finish that sentence!"

Ron laughed as he reached for the clipboard on Draco's bed. It was a list of visitors that had come to see Draco. As he read the list, his face started to frown.

"What is it?" Draco said as he saw his cousin's face.

"Who came to visit you?"

"Well, there's Pansy. And you. Crabbe and Goyle and Zabini for some reason. And Snape but he was just being his usual pesky self. Why?"

"Figures," Ron said bitterly as he placed the clipboard back. Draco gave a sigh.

"You have to let it go, mate."

"Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say!" Ron said angrily as he folded his arms. " You get to rest here. Meanwhile, I have to listen to people sympathising with Potter because he can't play that stupid final Quidditch game this Saturday. Fucking Potter!" Ron snarled as he hit the side of Draco's bed.

"Well, he has detention with Snape so that should –"

"Detention?!" Ron raised his voice slightly as he glared at Draco. "He FUCKING tried to kill you and Potter doesn't even have the balls to come and apologise? Or ask how you're doing? Why aren't you more angry about this?!"

"It's Potter, Ron. What else can I do?"

"EXACTLY!" Ron yelled. "If it had been one of us, you can be sure we won't get the same preferential treatment that he gets! At the very least, we'd be expelled! At worst, a trip to Azkaban! Why? Because we're Slytherins! We're evil! Monsters! Sons and daughters of Death Eaters!"

"Ron, keep your voice down!" Draco hissed.

"And what about you?" Ron said, ignoring Draco. "Where's the Draco I know? The one who would fight back with me? I've known you all my life and somehow this year, you stopped making fun of Mudbloods?! Stopped caring about Potter? About anything?! Where's the Draco Malfoy that would help me in making his life as miserable as he's making ours?"

"I have a task…"

"Oh yes! Your bloody fucking task in which you won't share with me! Just tell me to do this, cover this, do that, cover for me, blah, blah, fucking blah! What were you even doing in that bathroom? Getting it on with Moaning Myrtle?!" Ron snapped as he paced in front of Draco's bed. Draco watched the entire scene in silence before speaking.

"Are you finished?" Draco said as Ron scowled at him. " Potter. Granger. Longbottom. Defence Against the Dark Arts. Potions. Quidditch. House Points. Prefects. Hogwarts… I don't care about any of that." Draco said as he pulled his sleeve. Ron noticed that the Dark Mark wasn't present on his arm, the Mark hid by a concealment charm that Snape had helped with although Ron was under no illusion that Draco was still feeling the Mark. "All I care about is my mother, my father, aunt, you… our family. That's all! That's all that matters!"

"Draco…"

"Do you know what my reaction was when He first gave me the task?" Draco said as Ron stared at the expressionless and empty face of Draco. "I was excited. Hell, I was more than excited, I was proud. Fucking proud! Proud that of all the others he could have picked, the Dark Lord chose me! But back then, it was just a task. Just a plan. Just a mission that if I failed, I would lose everything but if I succeeded, the Dark Lord would reward me beyond my wildest dreams."

Ron could see a tear now streaking down Draco's face.

"But I was wrong. Every day, Ron, I wake up and I feel this…horrible feeling inside of me. It eats me away at what I had to do. And what I've already done."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked as he studied Draco's face. "Wait, it was you! The necklace with Katie."

"And the poisoned mead with Neville." Draco sighed. "Yes, Ron, in both cases, that was me. So you can see why it would be hypocritical for me to expect Potter to come."

"But how?!" Ron said as he stared at Draco. "You were at Hogwarts when Katie got the necklace. And the mead belonged to Slughorn."

Draco remained silent. Ron sat next to the wizard as he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Draco, tell me. What's this task? I mean…I doubt it's to kill Katie and Neville? And all that time in the Room of Requirement? What's the task?"

"I can't say, Ron." Draco croaked, his voice breaking as Ron shook his head.

"No, Draco, not this time. You're nearly died, mate. Please, for the love of Merlin, just tell me." Ron cried exasperatedly.

"I love my family, Ron," Draco whispered as he stared into Ron's eyes. "And you are my family, even if we aren't from the same blood. I didn't want you to know because…because I want to protect you. It's not your family that the Dark Lord is holding hostage.

" Like you said, mate. We're family and I will do anything to protect you as well." Ron replied firmly as he smiled at Draco who returned a bittersweet smile back at him. "So just tell me. What does the Dark Lord want you to do?"

…..

"All I'm saying is…Luna's quite a girl." Neville spoke as Hermione and Ginny both giggled at the blush forming on Neville's cheeks.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are dating," Ginny said with a wink towards Hermione. Hermione pretended not to notice but in her heart, she was happy as well. It had been some of the hardest weeks of her life when Neville, after his incredible performance during the Slytherin game, had tried to kiss her, only for Hermione to rebuff him. It had led to quite a bit of shouting, unusual for someone as reserved as Neville and was only made worse when Hermione revealed her inclination towards Harry. Nonetheless, it took a near-death situation to get them back on talking terms and the Felix Felicis somehow placed Luna at the right place and at the right time for Neville to start noticing the strange but very likable witch.

"I won't say we're officially dating," Neville said with a grin. "But I'm just glad to get somewhere. Perhaps one day we'll be as lucky as you and Dean."

"Oh, please," Ginny said dismissively. "Dean and I are just in a good place right now, don't want to ruin that."

"Yeah, considering you and he spend the night together last night," Neville spoke, earning a glare from Ginny and a gasp from Hermione.

"Ginny!"

"No! Absolutely not, Granger!" Ginny said as she stuck her fingers into her ears. "I do not want a lecture from the House Prefect right now."

"Besides, it's not like you're completely innocent, Hermione," Neville said hastily, eager to change the subject. "Weren't you and Harry in the Room of Requirement this morning?"

"That was purely for research!" Hermione spoke sharply as Neville and Ginny exchanged looks before bursting into laughter. Hermione let out a groan. Indeed, she and Harry did go to the Room in the morning but only to see if they could guess what the Room was shaping as for Draco Malfoy, whose visits to the Room were increasing rapidly.

"Sure, research!" Ginny said as she made air quotes with her hands as Hermione rolled her eyes. As annoying as the pair was, Hermione did find it slightly amusing that the two people who would be most against her relationship to Harry were now the ones who were the most supportive. Like Neville, Hermione knew of Ginny's crush on Harry but she had thought, with the years it would subside like any childhood crush normally does. Still, Hermione could feel that Ginny wasn't exactly supportive of her relationship to Harry but like a good friend, she did her best. Now that she was in a strong relationship with Dean, things certainly seemed better for her. Perhaps it was the Luck Potion or maybe just a set of events playing itself out but it seemed everything worked out for the best. Both Ginny and Neville were dating other people and Hermione couldn't be happier.

"Maybe I should ask Luna if we want to do research in the library?"

"I'm going to do research in the broom closet on the second floor instead. Much more productive!"

Okay, maybe not THAT happy

"You guys are disgusting." Hermione scowled as Ginny and Neville continued to laugh. "For your information, some of us actually have to do research in the library. You know, trying to find out who our mystery potions book owner really is."

Neville and Ginny stopped laughing as the latter gave a groan.

"Oh, give it a rest, Hermione!"

"Yeah, just let it go."

"No, I won't!" Hermione cried adamantly. "That book's already caused more trouble than necessary and even if it's not evil, Harry's still being affected by it. I mean, why else would Slughorn want to see him? Obviously, Harry's been falling behind in Potions and –"

"I think Slughorn just wants some alone time with his prized asset!" Neville said, cutting Hermione off.

"I just wish I could prove who the Half-Blood Prince really is, that's all." Hermione sighed.

"You're just upset because you don't know the answer." Ginny teased. "Imagine, Hermione Granger, being beaten by a book!"

"It's not that!" Hermione snapped. "I'm just worried for Harry."

Harry.

If Hermione was being completely honest, she was a little taken aback as to just how far her relationship with Harry had progressed. While her brain told her that it was only logical for her to fall for him, having spent countless days worried about him, hanging out, going on adventures and spending every possible second together, it was her heart that seemed to be a little…conflicted. Sure, before Harry had kissed her during the victory of the Quidditch Cup, Hermione would be remiss to say that the thought of her and Harry didn't give her goosebumps. And yet, days after they kissed and declared themselves to be dating, Hermione felt herself being a little distant when it came to their emotions. Harry didn't seem to mind, the whole incident with Draco as well as the Horcruxes had put aside any need to talk about their relationship but for Hermione, just like the whole Half-Blood Prince, there was a piece missing. Almost like a…

"Guys…" Neville spoke, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts as the trio came to a stop outside an empty classroom. There was someone crying inside and by the sound of his voice, it seemed awfully familiar.

"I wonder who's cryi –" Ginny began to speak as she peered around the door, only to pull herself away, her face paling at the sight of the individual. Both Neville and Hermione decided to peek as well and as soon as she laid eyes on who was crying, Hermione could understand why Ginny had acted the way she did.

Ronald Weasley.

Hermione pulled herself away from the door as she and Neville stared at Ginny.

"Why do you think he's crying?" Ginny asked anxiously, her face filled with concern.

"Maybe it's nothing serious," Neville said with a look towards Hermione. "Maybe he's crying over Quidditch results? Or like a bad grade?"

"No," Ginny replied. "I know Ron. That kind of crying is reserved for something serious."

"Like what?" Hermione asked as Ginny shook her head.

"I don't know!" Ginny said in exasperation, her hands raised in the air. "All I know is that Ron doesn't cry like that unless it's something serious!"

"Maybe he's crying over Malfoy? Or maybe he broke up with someone?" Neville said.

"No…Merlin…I should…I should talk to him." Ginny said as she prepared to go through the door, only to stop herself a split second later. "But if I do, Ron might think things are good between us. I just…" Ginny let out a groan of frustration as she leaned her head against Neville's chest.

Hermione gave Ginny a sympathetic look. Ever since Ginny started avoiding Ron, Hermione had heard soft crying coming from her bed almost every night. Hermione could only imagine how hard it must be for Ginny, having to stay away from a family member that she clearly loved dearly. Hermione could never imagine herself doing something like that.

"You have to admit, Ron has been acting awfully strange as of late," Neville spoke as Ginny and Hermione turned to him.

"How so?" Ginny asked.

"Well…and I can't believe I'm actually saying this…but haven't either of you realise how Ron hasn't been insulting us as much as he used to?" Neville said as Hermione nodded.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "Just the other day, I dropped my books in front of him and Ron didn't even look at me, much less say anything, as he sidestepped me to walk past."

"Really?" Ginny spoke, sounding curious.

"Yeah!" Neville cried. "It's like he just doesn't care anymore. I mean, maybe we should just ignore him. Seems to be working out so far."

"We can't just ignore him, Neville," Hermione said as she motioned towards Ginny who looked to be at a crossroads. "If Ron needs help, we should at least get him some."

"From whom?" Neville countered. "He doesn't seem to want to hang out with his Slytherin friends anymore and I'm sure Snape would just deduct points if we even asked him for help."

"I should go talk to him," Ginny said reluctantly as she turned towards the door. Hermione placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"No. If anyone's talking to him, it should be me."

"You?!" Neville cried incredulously. "I mean no offense Hermione but what makes you think you can get Ron to open up? In case you've forgotten, he thinks you're a… well…you know!" Neville said exasperatedly.

"Even more reason why it should be me!" Hermione insisted. "Ron's the most honest when he's angry and I think that makes me the most suitable person for the job. He can call me a Mudblood for all I care but I'll get him to talk."

"I really don't think that's such a good idea," Neville said as he stared nervously at Ginny, who looked gloomy at the moment. "Ginny?"

"You really think you get him to talk?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"Absolutely," Hermione replied as Ginny nodded. "You guys go ahead. I'll meet you two in the common room later."

"Be careful," Neville said as he led stressful-looking Ginny away. Dismissing a lump in her throat, Hermione took a deep breath as she slowly entered the room.

Though she was doing it for Ginny, Hermione had another reason for wanting to talk to Ronald Weasley. Hermione could still recall the conversation she had with Professor McGonagall a few days ago when McGonagall was talking to her about her nomination as Head Girl.

"Now, Hermione," McGonagall spoke to an already elated Hermione who was in the midst of imagining the look on her friends' faces. "Your record, as I have mentioned, is impeccable save for of course those exceptional moments when you broke rules whenever necessary. There is, however, one issue that I think I need to highlight."

"What is it, Professor?" Hermione asked, feeling slightly worried about what she might have done.

"It has to do with your organisation, the one you set up during your fourth year. I believe you call it the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."

"Ahh, yes!" Hermione said brightly. "I set up the organisation together with Harry and Neville, Professor. I admit I haven't had much time to do more for it as of late but nonetheless, I do want to continue with it."

"And I have no problems with that, of course," McGonagall replied with a smile. "You can always tell the value of a person by how he treats his inferiors, not his equals and given the philanthropic nature of the group, I wholeheartedly approve. However, I wonder if you may allow me, to give you a little advice ."

"Of course, Professor!" Hermione replied instantly. She had always valued Professor McGonagall's opinion.

"Well, I've talked to Dobby, the elf who works here and he tells me that other than knitting clothes for them, you had been giving talks about how elves should be paid."

"They should be paid!" Hermione replied. "Anything less than the offer of payment makes them slaves to us and that's wrong!"

"I don't disagree with your intentions, Hermione," McGonagall said. "However, perhaps you might want to try a different approach when it comes to your message. A little understanding is all I'm saying."

"Sorry, Professor. But I'm not sure as to what you're trying to say."

"Tell me, Miss Granger, would you give money to a dog?"

"Excuse me?!" Hermione cried in confusion as McGonagall gave a rare chuckle.

"Let me explain. Let's assume that a blind man has a Jack Terrier as a guide dog. The dog not only provides company but helps the man in daily activities. At night, he stands guard for the man, protecting his property. Now, from what I just told you, the dog does provide some form of work for the man. Shouldn't the dog be rewarded for his efforts just as anyone who does work?"

"Yes, but the dog is given a home and food and care by the man," Hermione replied, still confused as what McGonagall was talking about.

"But why not pay it?"

"A dog doesn't understand the concept of money!"

"Neither do elves," McGonagall replied. "Or rather, they do but they don't see it the same way you and I do. To them, a home and food and shelter is enough. Which is why I don't have an issue with you giving them clothes but money, money is a concept that is foreign to these creatures."

"Well, it shouldn't be!" Hermione said as McGonagall raised her hand.

"No one agrees with that more than I. I too, Hermione, wish for more rights to be given to elves but we cannot force them to accept those rights even if what we're doing seems right. You are my brightest student, the brightest of your age if I may say so myself, but you have only lived in our world for six years. Knowledge is not a substitute for experience. Experience allows us to understand the social conventions that governed our society and before we can create change, we first need to understand how those conventions exist."

"I think I understand…"Hermione said as she frowned. "You're saying that before I need to see from the perspectives of elves, not just my own?"

"Like I said, bright," McGonagall said with a smile. "But do not let that deter you from your mission. All I would advise is that with a little understanding and perhaps some discretion, you can get your message across more effectively. After all, people are who they are because of our environment and no amount of knowledge can ever render that meaningless."

"Of course." Hermione sighed. "Neville's been trying to tell me for years about how the wizarding world works. I just…I guess it's the Muggle in me. Slavery's always been looked down in our society so I couldn't imagine how wizards couldn't see that."

"I supposed you must think all of us are evil," McGonagall said as she laughed at Hermione's alarmed face. "Relax, Miss Granger. You just brought up a fair point. The concepts of what's right and what's wrong aren't always as clear as we want them to believe. Sometimes, a person does what he believes even though it might seem to others that it's wrong. That's why the Headmaster always reminds me, evil is made not born. No one is ever born bad, just misguided."

"I can think of on," Hermione said, as her thoughts flashed to Voldemort.

"Not even him, Miss Granger," McGonagall said. "Sometimes, people are just too far gone before they can be pulled back but I believe no one is purely evil or good."

"But what if you don't know what's right? What if, as you said, a person keeps doing the wrong thing because he thinks it's right?"

"As long as that person believes it's right in his heart and his consequences bring more good than harm, then that's all there really is to it. Of course, it never hurts to get a second opinion. Which is what I'm giving to you with regards to the elves. And I'm glad that you chose to listen."

"Evil is made, not born," Hermione repeated as McGonagall flashed her a smile.

"Even the Devil was an angel before he fell from Grace."

"Granger?"

Hermione's mind snapped back to reality as she stared at a non-crying Ronald Weasley who looked confused as to her appearance. Hermione mentally cursed herself.

Great work, Hermione!

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked as the lanky redhead sat on a table at the front of the class, staring at her with those shining blue eyes of his.

"I…er…" Hermione stammered awkwardly as she tried to focus. Come on, Hermione, say something!

"I wanted to check up on you."

"Why?" Ron asked sharply as he narrowed his eyes at the witch.

Hermione was now having second thoughts. Ron looked as if he were about to demand as to her presence and though Hermione wanted him to get angry, it seemed that all it would amount to would be Ron just storming off. Deciding she had to play her ace now, Hermione cleared her throat.

"Ginny. She said she saw you crying and asked me to come to talk to you."

"Why would she send you?" Ron said icily as he glowered at Hermione. For some reason, Hermione's mind was slightly aroused by this though she quickly shackled that thought, dismissing it as purely being in the heat of the moment. Instead, Hermione decided to try a different tactic.

"Trust me," Hermione replied in the same tone of voice as Ron. "I wouldn't want to be here either but Ginny had something to do and she asked me to be here. So here I am."

"Please," Ron scoffed. "Even Longbottom can come out with a better lie than that one."

"Look, I'm doing this as a favour to Ginny so why don't we just focus? She wants to know why you're crying."

"That's none of her business!" Ron replied angrily. "If she was really concerned about me, she can ask me herself and not ask her little Muggle house-elf to do what she clearly can't be bothered to do."

"Ginny's my friend!" Hermione snapped, ignoring the jibe about the house elf. "And she is worried about you."

"So why doesn't she come?" Ron demanded. "Why, out of everyone, she sent you?"

"Because it seems like I'm the only one who can put up with your shit at the moment," Hermione replied.

That's it, Hermione. Keep baiting him Hermione thought as she watched his shoulders start to rise, his ears turning red as Ron glared at her.

But as soon as it happened, Ron's shoulders suddenly slumped as the anger on his face disappeared, only to be replaced by a look of exhaustion.

What the…

"Just leave me alone, Granger," Ron said sadly as he turned away from her. "Tell Ginny she has nothing to worry about."

What the..

Hermione walked over to Ron as she sat on the table next to his. She could see his eyes watering again as Ron stared down at the floor.

"Are you okay?" Hermione whispered as Ron shook his head. Feeling a sense of pity, Hermione picked up a chair and sat in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked softly.

"You wouldn't understand," Ron said as he continued to stare at the floor. Hermione watched as a single tear dropped onto the concrete floor. Recalling what Professor McGonagall had told her, Hermione slowly extended her hand and placed it on top of his. His hand felt smooth under her touch, though Hermione could feel a slight heat radiating from his skin.

"I like to," Hermione said.

For about a minute, there was silence between the pair as Hermione watched tear after tear dropping down onto the floor. Finally, Ron cleared his throat.

"Do you remember that speech Dumbledore spoke to us in our fourth year? The one about Cedric?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, with slight pain in her voice. "I remember."

"I don't get it."

"Which part?"

"The last part. He told us to remember Cedric. Remember that if the time came to choose between what's right and what's easy, to remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of You-Know-Who."

Hermione was astounded. She had recalled seeing Ron muttering with Draco at the Feast that year and he was one of the Slytherin students that refused to raise his goblet to honour Harry. Apparently, Ron had been listening.

"What do you think he meant by that, Granger?"

"Well." Hermione said as she gave the question some thought. "I believe that Dumbledore wanted us to not only honour Cedric by always remembering him for all the good that he did but also he wanted us to know how important it is to do what is right, even if it might the hardest thing in the world for us to do."

"But what if you don't know what's right?"

"As long as you believe it's right in your heart and it brings more good than harm, then I think that's the right thing to do. But why not tell me about it? Maybe I can help."

Ron gave Hermione a strange look, as if he was considering telling her what's on her mind. However, her thoughts were soon dashed as Ron looked down at her hand.

"You can't, Granger. And not for nothing but you're not exactly my…blood type." Ron said with a smirk. "Plus, I believe you have a boyfriend."

"Honestly!" Hermione cried with indignation as she jerked her hand away. "You're such a prat, Weasley!"

"And you're a nosy git, Granger!" Ron replied as he stood to his feet. "Admit it, you don't have a clue as to what Dumbledore meant by that speech. You're just trying to guess."

"At least I know what's right and what's wrong!" Hermione snapped. "Which is more than I can say for you!"

"Why didn't he say wrong, though?" Ron said more to himself as he ignored Hermione. "Why say easy?"

"Because, you prat, not everything is about right or wrong! Like it's easy for a man to steal food to feed his starving family but it certainly isn't the right thing to do."

"But he's desperate!" Ron replied. "Surely you're not suggesting that it would be right to let his family starve!"

"Of course not!" Hermione. "All I'm saying is that the man should at least consider all possibilities before resorting to something so desperate. If we only think that the desperate option is the right one, the only one, then we're clearly trying to convince ourselves that it's the right thing to do. But there's always, always other options. If you only see the desperate way out, then you're obviously blinding yourself to the other possibilities that would allow you not to choose."

"That's…that's…" Ron said as he frowned upon hearing Hermione's words.

"What? Foolish? Stupid? Something only a Muggleborn would say?" Hermione cried exasperatedly as she threw her arms in the air.

"Brilliant."

"What?!" Hermione exclaimed in shock as she stared blankly at Ron whose face bore a slight smile. She could see from his expression that Ron was working something out in his mind.

"I think I finally understand," Ron said as he started to laugh incessantly. "Merlin, I've been so…this way Draco wouldn't….Fuck, of course!"

"What?" Hermione said, curiosity getting the better of her.

Ron turned his attention back to Hermione, his face seemingly caught between wanting to express his gratitude and his disdain for her. Somehow, Ron composed himself enough to let out a small grunt.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome?" Hermione replied, confused as to what just happened. Ron started to make his way to the door before turning around at the last second.

"Ginny," Ron said as Hermione stared at him. "Is she…like…is she happy with…er…"

"Dean." Hermione finished for him. "Yes, yes she is."

"That's good." Ron sighed. "Tell her not to worry. And that I'm sorry. For everything."

"Ron…wait…" Hermione started to speak before Ron raised his hand.

"I'm okay. Tell her not to worry. I'll be fine." Ron said as he turned around.

"She misses you! Ginny!" Hermione blurted out, not wanting him to leave just yet. "She cries about you in her sleep."

Ron stopped in his tracks, turning around once more as he gave Hermione a bittersweet smile.

"Tell her I miss her too. And that I will always love her. No matter what."

….

1991

"It was supposed to be a simple and easy mission." Aunt Narcissa spoke as the pair of them sat on a couch before the fireplace. They were back inside his Aunt's private study, its big and bare walls now making the room much larger and far more intimidating than Ron realised . Ron stared at his aunt whose face was shrouded in sadness as her eyes concentrated on the burning embers of the fireplace.

"Back then, after the Longbottom trial, many witches and wizards were still feeling the effects of war. The wizarding community wanted to eradicate as much of Dark Lord's regime as possible and he had quite a substantial army, from Death Eaters to sympathisers, to magical creatures and all sorts of support from many different parts of the world. For people like my Lucius, though acquitted of any charges, he was scrutinized much more than necessary due to the substantial amount of suspicion he attracted due to his defence of being under the Imperius Curse. Aurors were coming in weekly and I knew in my heart that they were just trying to find a reason to persecute Lucius. I couldn't bear to see my husband in such a state so I decided to do something. I decided to help the Ministry in tracking Dark wizards or witches related to the Dark Lord's regime in the hopes of getting Lucius into the Ministry's good graces."

Narcissa heaved a sigh before continuing to speak.

"Recently, I had gotten word of two black market dealers who specialise in the selling and buying of cursed magical objects through one of my old contacts. Now, Ron, you need to understand that the way these dealers operate is different for most dealers on the black market. These dealers make use of Muggles who have been put under the Imperius Curse to do the actual sale, thus making it difficult to catch them as they usually far from the scene of the crime. With my knowledge, I decided to sell out both these men and so, we laid a trap."

Narcissa's face started to darken as Ron listened intently to his aunt's story.

"It was Dumbledore who planned the trap. You see, Ronald, instead of going to the Ministry and using Aurors, Dumbledore convinced your father to apprehend these wizarding criminals. You see, your dad was employed in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office in the Ministry. Such a capture was not only within his jurisdiction, but would also increase his chances for promotion, giving Arthur and Molly more money to help in raising all of you. Because of this and his distrust with certain Ministry policies, Dumbledore encouraged Arthur to go. Arthur wanted to go alone but Molly insisted on coming to help watch her husband's back. I didn't have a say, of course."

Narcissa could see by Ron's face that the poor boy was still trying to process everything.

"I urged Dumbledore to bring in Aurors many times but Dumbledore refused, his ego and arrogance blinding him." Narcissa continued. "Everything was going smoothly. I had to go in unarmed and because thanks to my efforts, the dealers actually came together with their Muggle. I bought some items from them and so, once the transaction was complete, Arthur appeared and managed to subdue both wizards. Molly then appeared to take the items off my hands for evidence. That was supposed to be the end of it and I walked away while Arthur and Molly dealt with the Muggle"

"But then…" Narcissa spoke as her voice began to break. "It happened."

Ron's face started to pale.

"Arthur went to break the Muggle from the spell. Your mother was next to him, helping him. But the thing about breaking someone from the Imperius Curse is that they know they're under a spell but can't do anything about it. So that makes them feel very scared, especially for a Muggle. And people feel scared, they tend to lash out."

Aunt Narcissa stared at Ron's face whose red hair and blue eyes reminded her of Arthur Weasley.

"The Muggle man had a gun, something not one of us discovered beforehand. Your parents…they… didn't even see it coming."

Narcissa felt a shiver run down her spine as she recalled the two loud shots that had echoed through the alley before watching the bloodied sight of Arthur Weasley knelling over and falling to the ground. Next to him was Molly sprawled on the floor, her face nothing more than a bloody mess. The Muggle and she had locked eyes and Narcissa recalled the fear she felt at being defenceless. Fortunately, the Muggle seemed to have to his senses and having been appalled at what he'd done, taken off in the opposite direction.

"I wished I had reacted sooner, Ronald," Narcissa whispered with guilt in her voice. "But by the time I came to my senses, the Muggle had taken off in the opposite direction. I then called the Aurors to come in but it was all too little, too late."

"Wait…"Ron said as he stared into his Aunt's eyes. "Are you saying…are you saying…that…my parents were killed by a Muggle?"

NO!

"Yes." Aunt Narcissa spoke once more. "In the end, your parents died at the hands of the group they so desperately wanted to protect. The irony was not to be missed."

"But Dumbledore…"

"He lied, Ronald. Dumbledore was afraid that by revealing this truth, he might lose both you and Percival to us. So he made us all swear not to ever reveal the truth to you. To prevent us from using it."

NO!NO!

Ron's head was spinning as he tried to absorb the situation. He couldn't believe his ears. A Muggle! A rotten, dirty, good for nothing Muggle was the reason that his parents were dead ?!

"Your father loved Muggles, Ron." Narcissa continued. "He would never have raised a hand at them unless he absolutely needed to. But the Muggle was just too fast."

"Did they catch him?" Ron demanded as his anger started to overpower his shock. "Did they catch the Muggle who did it?"

Aunt Narcissa gave Ron a sad look. "No. They knew who he was, of course. But the Ministry didn't take much action on him."

"But why?!" Ron yelled, incensed at the thought. "He killed people!"

"He was a Muggle who killed a wizard and a witch and the laws that govern both our worlds made it difficult to prosecute him. So, the Ministry reported him to the Muggle authorities but without the bodies to inspect as the Ministry wouldn't allow an autopsy on a wizard, they didn't have a case."

NO! NO! NO!

"But justice did find its way in the end." Aunt Narcissa spoke. " The Muggle killed himself a week later, presumably from what he had done."

"Good," Ron said out loud as he clenched his fists. He could feel himself shaking with rage. All this time, he had thought his parents dying at the hands of Dark Wizards. It was this thought that comforted him, this idea that made him a little hesitant towards the Dark Arts. He had even at one time, despised Uncle Lucius for it until his mother told him that Uncle Lucius had nothing to do with such bad people.

All of it was a lie.

His parents had been killed by a Muggle. The Muggles that his father had loved. The people that his parents fought a war to defend.

NO! NO! NO! NO!

"I…no…really…I mean…that's how they died?" Ron asked as Narcissa sighed. She didn't want it to come to this and yet, she had promised Ron the truth. Pressing her wand against her head, Narcissa extracted the memory of that day. She walked towards a nearby wall, where with a single knock, caused the wall to split in two as a Pensieve rolled out.

"Would you like to see?"

…

30th June 1997

"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."

"How do you know?" Malfoy said at once, as Dumbledore noted just how childish it sounded. "You don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know what I've done!"

"Oh yes, I do," Dumbledore said mildly. "You almost killed Katie Bell and Neville Longbottom. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts. . . . So feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it."

"It has been in it!" Malfoy said vehemently. "I've been working on it all year, and tonight —"

A muffled yell from down below interrupted him as Dumbledore watch Malfoy stiffened for a moment. Dumbledore decided to continue the conversation as he hoped that the yell wasn't from one of his friends.

"Somebody is putting up a good fight…But you were saying . . . yes, you have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school, which, I admit, I thought impossible. . . . How did you do it?"

Malfoy continued to remain silent though he looked agitated. Dumbledore studied the young wizard's expression. There seemed to be something strange about Draco Malfoy, Dumbledore thought, as he continued to probe the lad.

"Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone," Dumbledore suggested. "What if your backup has been thwarted by my guard? As you have perhaps realized, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight too. And after all, you don't really need help. . . . I have no wand at the moment. . . . I cannot defend myself."

Malfoy merely stared at him.

"I see," Dumbledore said kindly as he noted that wizard had neither moved nor spoke. "You are afraid to act until they join you."

"I'm not afraid!" Malfoy snarled, though he still made no move to hurt Dumbledore. "It's you who should be scared!"

"But why?" Dumbledore asked. " I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe. . . . So tell me, while we wait for your friends . . . how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it."

Malfoy took several deep breaths. "I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years. The one Vaisey got lost in last year."

"Aaaah." Dumbledore's sigh was half a groan. He closed his eyes for a moment. "That was clever. . . . There is a pair, I take it?"

"In Borgin and Burkes," Malfoy replied, "and they make a kind of passage between them. Vaisey told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the cabinet was traveling between them, but he couldn't make anyone hear him. . . . In the end, he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a really good story, but I was the only one who realized what it meant — even Borgin didn't know — I was the one who realized there could be a way into Hogwarts through the cabinets if I fixed the broken one."

"Very good," murmured Dumbledore. "So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you. . . . A clever plan, a very clever plan . . . and, as you say, right under my nose."

"Yeah…" Draco replied though Dumbledore noted the poignant tone that the boy was using. "Yeah, it was."

"But there were times," Dumbledore continued, "weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands . . . poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink. . . ."

"Yeah, well, you still didn't realize who was behind that stuff, did you?" Malfoy sneered as Dumbledore slid a little down the ramparts, the strength in his legs apparently fading.

"As a matter of fact, I did," said Dumbledore. "I was sure it was you."

"What?" Malfoy replied, looking thunderstruck.

"I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders —"

"You knew Draco wanted to kill you and you did nothing?"

"Yes, well I…" Dumbledore spoke before realising what Draco had just said. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes as he stared back at the wizard whose expression of anger and confusion reminded Dumbledore of another student he knew. Suddenly, it dawned on Dumbledore.

"Ronald?"

Ron let out a grunt of frustration. His plan had been working perfectly before that slip of his tongue. He had followed Draco into the Room of Requirement and just before the Death Eaters came through, Ron shot Draco with a Stunning Spell before hiding his cousin behind a couch inside the Room of Requirement. Following Draco's plan as much as he could, Ron had thrown the powder as well as used the Hand of Glory in order to reach the Astronomy Tower. Yet nothing could have prepared Ron for Dumbledore's revelation.

"What do you mean you knew about Draco trying to kill you?"

"I have my sources," Dumbledore said as he tried to make sense of the situation. Why on earth would Ronald Weasley pretend to be Draco Malfoy?

"So you knew all this time and you did nothing?"

"I tried to help Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping a watch over him on my orders." Dumbledore replied as Ron scoffed. He doubted that Albus Dumbledore knew that Snape was actually a spy, his loyalty clearly to the Dark Lord as told by Draco who resented the wizard for wanted the task for his own personal glory. More mistakes, eh Dumbledore? Ron thought as he kept his wand pointed at his Headmaster.

"So tell me, Ronald, what is it you intend to do? Clearly, you've been using the Polyjuice Potion but why pretend to be Draco?"

"Because, Headmaster, like you said," Ron replied as he raised his wand. "Draco's not a killer."

"No, he isn't. But neither are you, Ronald. So why would you do something like this? Why would you take away this opportunity from a Death Eater?"

"Opportunity?!" Ron cried hotly. "You think Draco wants to do this? Draco isn't like Uncle Lucius or Aunt Bella or Fenrir Greyback! Draco….he's just a kid. He's just scared. And when someone's scared, they lash out."

"Indeed." Dumbledore sighed. "So instead of letting your cousin kill me and having to be burdened with guilt for the rest of his life, you decided to take the weight from him?"

"Of course," Ron said sadly. "I didn't want it to come to this, Professor, but there was no other choice. But then I remembered what you told me. And what you showed me."

Ron pointed towards Dumbledore's hand.

"You said that you were dying. You told me about your hand. And most of all, you said that if you had the chance, you would give up your own life to save my family. Draco is my family! I'm asking you to keep your word."

Dumbledore stared blankly at Ron. Slowly, a smile crept upon his lips.

"You truly are quite an interesting wizard, Ronald Weasley. You took your cousin's place because you did not want him to become a killer. I assume the reason for the disguise is to fool the other Death Eaters that will meet us shortly."

Ron said nothing as he gripped his wand tighter.

"And here you are, giving me a chance to redeem myself even though as you probably know by now, I only encouraged your parents, but I did not force them to go. What happened to them was a tragedy, a horrible tragedy, but a tragedy nonetheless."

"They listened to you!" Ron snapped.

"And seeing that I'm the one who kept the secret from you, it was easy to pile on the blame." Dumbledore continued. "Just as it would be easy for this to be just about revenge. Any wizard in your position would simply do it for that but you, Ron, you're not doing this out of revenge. You're doing this for your family and in doing so, you are giving me a chance to keep my promise. I suppose I do see it that way, this sacrifice being my moment of redemption…"

"I have no choice." Ron sighed.

"I fear, however, there is just one little snag," Dumbledore said as he gave Ron a bittersweet smile.

"What's that?"

"You're not a killer either, Ronald Weasley."

"Didn't you hear me just say –"

"I am at your mercy, Ronald." Dumbledore sighed. "I am weak and you have your wand aimed at me. But have you ever used an Unforgivable Curse before? You have to mean them, Ronald and your heart, just like Draco, is not in it. Neither you and Draco would have been able to kill me with a wand."

"Then you do it!" Ron cried desperately. "Surely you –"

BANG!

Whatever Ron wanted to say was now left hanging as he and Dumbledore turned towards the recent visitors to the Tower. Ron could only stare in horror at the Death Eaters that had gathered. While he hadn't stayed around to see who was coming with the exception of Aunt Bella, it was still a frightening shock to see certain individuals whom Ron had no desire of ever meeting.

"Good evening, Amycus," Dumbledore said calmly to the Carrow siblings whom Ron recognise from Draco's descriptions. "And you've brought Alecto too. . . . Charming . . ."

Alecto gave an angry little titter. "Think your little jokes will help you on your deathbed then?" she jeered.

"Jokes? No, no, these are manners," Dumbledore replied.

"Do it," Fenrir said as Ron could hardly believe that the werewolf was in Hogwarts. Ron could smell a powerful mixture of dirt, sweat, and, unmistakably, of blood coming from Fenrir as he cringed at the sight of Fenrir's filthy hands.

"Is that you, Fenrir?" Dumbledore asked.

"That's right," Fenrir replied in a rasping voice "Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?"

"No, I cannot say that I am."

"But you know how much I like kids, Dumbledore," Fenrir spoke, showing his pointed teeth with blood trickling down his chin.

"Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual. . . . You have developed a taste for human flesh that cannot be satisfied once a month?" Dumbledore questioned calmly though Ron could sense disgust and fear being his Headmaster's tone.

"That's right," said Fenrir Greyback. "Shocks you that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?"

"Well, I cannot pretend it does not disgust me a little," said Dumbledore. "And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the school where his friends live. . . ."

"I didn't," Ron responded after Dumbledore gave him a look. He had forgotten for a moment that he was Draco. "I didn't know he was going to come ."

"I wouldn't want to miss a trip to Hogwarts, Dumbledore," Greyback rasped. "Not when there are throats to be ripped out. . . Delicious, delicious . . ."

Ron no longer paid any attention to their discussion as his eyes were firmly on Dumbledore. He could sense that the wizard was clearly weakening. Almost as if he was about to die himself if one were to simply push him. Though the thought gave him a little push, Ron could feel his heart pounding in his chest as his body started to shake.

"Now, Draco, quickly!" Yaxley shouted. There had been some resistance from Fenrir who was blasted away by Yaxley. Ron could hear Alecto screaming at him and yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it. In his mind, Ron recalled the memory, the look on the Muggle's face after he had killed his parents.

"We got a problem, Snape" Amycus spoke as Ron was dragged from his thoughts, shocked that his professor was here.

"Severus…" called out a soft voice, which Ron realised had come from Dumbledore. Before he had time to think, Ron found himself being pushed roughly aside. As he staggered a few paces, Ron looked at Snape, whose lines seemed to have revulsion and hatred etched into his face.

Or so one would think.

Ron recognised the look. It wasn't a look of hatred or anger towards someone but one Ron knew all too well, one associated with pain and guilt.

"Severus…please…" Dumbledore spoke, his tone almost pleading. Realising what was about to happen, Ron wanted to scream as he watched Snape raised his wand and point it at Dumbledore.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"NOOO!" Ron yelled as a jet of green light came out of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. As Dumbledore was blasted through the air, a sharp pain pierced its way into Ron's head.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Ron yelled as he collapsed to the floor. Ron watched as Dumbledore fell off the edge of the tower, his last vision before darkness surrounded his sight and took him.

Darkness.

That's all that Ron could see. Nothing but black surrounding him. He felt himself being trapped by Death, his life certainly all but over. As Ron felt himself moving, he could also feel something soft beneath his hands.

Soft and smooth. Almost like he was floating on a…mattress.

Tiny rays of light started to appear as Ron found his eyes moving slowing; the rays breaking through his eyelashes as his vision, which had started to become hazy, was becoming clearer by the second. It was then that Ron heard his voice, calling out to him.

"Wake up, you lazy oaf!"

….

End of Chapter 2

Phew! Just a few things to take note of here.

I know it seemed like I kind of rushed Ron's character here but I wanted to get all of the issues about Ron out of the way. In the time loop, I wanted to focus on other things.

You will soon read about how the time loop works in the upcoming chapters. I won't say more except that the time loop will focus solely on Ron's sixth year.

This also means that yes, there will be a seventh-year chapter as well. Remember the only way for Voldemort to die is for him to kill Harry and for Harry to kill him. Canon is canon.

I will also show you why Hermione and Harry get together in the absence of Ron. I know it might sound hypocritical given what I said about Dramione to have Harmony in this story but the plot will explain it along the way. While it would seem easier to just put Harry and Ginny back together considering they are canon, one needs to also realise that the absence of Ron, a unique character, from Harry's life of six years can cause certain things to change.

Neville was not originally supposed to be part of the Golden Trio. If anything, I believe that Harry would have most likely gotten closer to Dean, seeing that Dean is Muggleborn, and the pair would be friends with Hermione. Neville, would most likely, be the character that tags along with them, especially during the first four years because he was still very timid back then, but this reminded me too much of Peter Pettigrew and I adore Neville way too much.

Until next time, thanks for reading and please, please review if you can. Love you all!