Hi everyone. I apologize for the long absence period. I was victim of a virus we all know only too well. Now I'm back, and we get to see Ron's reaction to the events surrounding the Goblet of Fire.
RON XIV
"Harry Potter."
Ron froze as the name got out. First intrigued by the fourth charred piece of paper to come out of the Goblet of Fire, he was now completely, utterly, flabbergasted. Slowly, Ron turned, and despite the bushy entangled brown hair of Hermione separating them, he had no difficulty seeing Harry, who was sitting idly, unmoving.
What? Harry? How could it be? How did his name end up in the Goblet of Fire? How did it leave it, when Cedric Diggory's name already came out? But especially, how could Harry's name come out at all?
Ron looked at Dumbledore. Their headmaster was borderline crazy sometimes. Was it one of his jokes? He saw McGonagall go and whisper to him. But Dumbledore didn't look like he made a joke. Not at all. He had the same gravity he had when he announced them stuff like the Dementors' presence at Hogwarts.
Ron turned back his attention to Harry, who was staring back at both him and Hermione.
"I didn't put my name in," he said in a very strange voice.
Ron frowned. Then, what was going on then? Why did Harry's name come out? Before he could think further about it, Dumbledore spoke again.
"Harry Potter! Up here, if you please."
Ron looked back to Harry, who didn't move for a while. Finally, Hermione almost pushed him to the alley between the tables of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
"Go on," Ron heard her whisper.
Despite this, his best friend remained facing the likes of Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott for some time, before he finally made his way to the staff table. Ron watched Harry walking to the headmaster, then following the same path as Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour and Cedric Diggory, pushing the door and disappearing behind it.
"Well, this is unexpected," Dumbledore declared. Ron thought he heard a movement behind the staff table, but he wasn't sure as he kept looking at Dumbledore, waiting for an explanation about what just happened. But the Headmaster was smiling again, although only slightly. "I would ask the students to return to their respective common rooms, and for the Prefects to supervise this return. The students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang can return to their homes as well. In the meantime, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr Crouch, Mr Bagman and I will discuss the recent events. I wish you all a good Halloween, and a good night."
People needed some time to move as Dumbledore went to talk with the two other headmasters. First, they all silently and slowly stood up, and then they began whispering between them.
"Hey. How did he get his name in the Goblet of Fire? He's not seventeen."
"He must have found a way."
"I wish I knew how he did."
"We got two champions? We really got two champions?"
"That's so cool!"
But among the expressions of uncertainty and joy, there were some bad comments as well.
"He's cheating. He doesn't have the required age."
"It's not really fair for the two other schools."
"What about Cedric? He is of age. He should be our champion."
"It's true that Potter already got so much. He should leave some to the others."
Most of these negative words seem to come from Hufflepuffs. Ron heard one coming especially from Justin Finch-Fletchley.
"How could Harry do this? Cedric is of age and not him. Why didn't he let him be our champion?"
"Perhaps because he knows the Dementors won't be there to help him this time."
The retort had come from Seamus Finnigan on a laughing tone. Right away, Ernie Macmillan sent his own retort.
"Hey! Enough! How did he do it? How did Potter got chosen?"
It was Dean who answered. "No idea. We should ask him."
"CHEATER!"
A part of the crowd that was progressing towards the heavy doors of the Great Hall stopped to look at Ernie.
"Cheaters! That's what you all are!"
"Hey, hey. Calm down, okay," an older girl from Gryffindor said.
"The rule is clear. Only someone who is at least seventeen of age can compete in the Tournament. And you send one of yours, and he's only fourteen. Fourteen!"
"Enough. Stop this." An older boy who was Prefect in Gryffindor stepped in.
"You're just a bunch of cheaters. You're no better than the Slytherins."
"Really? What about Summers?" Alicia Spinnet asked. "He tried to get his name in the Cup, even though he wasn't of age. Unless you have a lawful explanation as to how he grew up a beard."
"He was only a few days before his seventeenth birthday!"
"So he cheated."
"Enough!"
The chaos continued for a while, the Prefects struggling to re-establish order. The Prefects had a hard time stopping students from fighting with words, and it continued until they went through the Entrance Hall and the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors headed in different directions. Ron didn't participate to these exchanges of words and insults. Part of the reason was that Hermione kept holding his arm and away from the two groups. The other part was because his brain was still trying to make sense of what just happened.
He tried to talk to Hermione, but he barely had a chance, for the moment the Hufflepuffs were far away, the other Gryffindors jumped on him, beginning by his brothers.
"Hey, little brother?" Fred beamed. "You didn't tell us you found a way to put your names in the Goblet."
"I didn't," he replied. Ron didn't get his name into the Goblet of Fire. Only Harry got his.
"I wish you told us. We would have used the same trick," George added.
"Though we wouldn't have the pleasure of growing a beard," Fred pointed out.
"I told you! Harry didn't tell me. I don't know how he got his name in the Goblet of Fire!" Ron shouted.
He needed to shout, for the Gryffindors held animated discussions as they progressed to their common room. All the portraits were looking at them on their way.
"We'll get a chance to make Diggory pay for last year," Seamus said happily.
"I can't believe Harry managed to pull it," Parvati Patil beamed. "Ron, you know how he did it?"
"No, I don't," he repeated, but no one seemed to listen to him.
He tried to find Hermione, but it was as if they lost each other in the wave of Gryffindors who kept getting in his way, asking him how Harry managed to become champion and get through the Age Line. Ron repeated again and again that he didn't know how Harry got to participate to the Tournament. He was just as clueless as everyone else how his name got in the Goblet of Fire. At the same time, some students emitted reservations. At some point, Ron heard Hermione's voice.
"Harry is not seventeen-years-old yet. Dumbledore has been very clear. Only people of this age or older can participate. I doubt he will let Harry compete."
Ron tried to follow the sound of her voice, but he was interrupted by a question from Sophie Roper at this moment, and he got no clue as to where Hermione could be afterwards. Though most of his comrades brushed away those concerns, a few others actually doubted, like Hermione, that Harry could enter the Tournament. Still, Ron spent the time leading to the common room repeating again, and again, and again, that he didn't know how Harry managed to put his name into the Goblet of Fire, getting more and more frustrated each time he said it and each time someone ignored his answer.
Once they arrived in front of the Fat Lady, she asked them right away whether the champion was a Gryffindor. The answers fused from everywhere.
"We have two champions!"
"Harry is one of them!"
"We got a champion!"
The Fat Lady looked totally surprised, but the further questions she asked were drowned in the flurry of replies she got. Finally, one of the Prefects shouted the password and she reluctantly opened the door, obviously wanting to know more.
The cacophony didn't end in the common room. In fact, it got even worse, as more and more Gryffindors poured inside and crowded the place. Ron tried to find Hermione again, but before he could make a few steps, a yell resonated inside the tower. Everyone shut up immediately.
"Hey, everyone! I'm here!"
Everyone searched from where the voice came. They finally found it by looking at a portrait where a woman dressed in violet occupied the whole place. Ron saw her a few times with the Fat Lady. She was one of her friends, Violet.
"You'll never know. Dumbledore just decided that Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory would both compete in the Triwizard Tournament for Hogwarts. He…"
The rest was buried under shouts and cries of victory that almost deafened Ron. Over the roars, he only heard his brothers.
"Party, everyone!"
The enthusiastic roars that followed were even louder. Percy was not there to order everyone to bed, and anyway even he wouldn't have succeeded. Ron had enough. He couldn't find Hermione. He went through the crowd of people, passing by Parvati and Lavender who screamed like hysterics, and climbed the stairs up to his dormitory.
The dormitory was empty. Ron guessed that everyone except him was downstairs, celebrating. Ron should be there as well. After all, he had wanted a Gryffindor to be Hogwarts' champion. And it happened. He should be happy, overjoyed, just like Fred, George and everyone else. But he wasn't. Why?
Ron blew some air and let himself fall heavily on his bed. He wished he could talk to Hermione, but she was probably with everyone else down in the common room, celebrating the fact that Harry got chosen to be a champion in the Tournament. Why wouldn't she? Harry was her friend, just like he was Ron's. He was his friend.
But if Harry was his friend, then why didn't he tell him that he found a way to enter the competition? Why didn't he tell Ron that he found a way to get his name into the Goblet of Fire? Every time in the past that Harry went somewhere, he told them. Both Ron and Hermione followed him wherever he went. So why didn't he share this trick with them?
Ron wondered whether he told Hermione but not him. Truth was, Ron was always a little jealous of what there was between Harry and Hermione. Early in their first year at Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione had become friends. Yes, Ron was the first friend Harry made in Hogwarts. They met on the Hogwarts Express, on their very first day, and got along very well and very quickly. But he also became friend with Hermione very quickly, and Ron couldn't shake the feeling that Harry often preferred to spend time with her than with him. They were often seen working together, even when Ron was done. His first year at Hogwarts had been somewhat darkened by the fact Harry spent so much time with Hermione. Ron recognized that it was in part stupid from him to dislike Hermione back then, but even Hermione had to concede she wasn't someone easy to befriend, with her haughty attitude and her tendency to worry whether she had nineteen or twenty over twenty in an exam when the others struggled to even succeed in their examinations. Ron felt that one of the reasons why Hermione was closer to Harry was because he took his studies more seriously than Ron did, and also because of the accident with the troll. Still, Ron got along much better with Hermione now, even if she still had a habit of getting on his nerves. She spent time at the Burrow this summer. Ron had quite enjoyed to spend time with her without Harry being around. He wished he could talk with her right now. But again, she was probably celebrating like everyone else.
How did Harry get his name into the Goblet of Fire? Ron lied down on his bed, still fully dressed. He wondered how Harry did. How did he manage to get through the Age Line without growing a beard like Fred and George? And why he didn't he tell Ron? They had talked about this. Harry knew Ron dreamed of the chance to compete. There was a thousand Galleons for the winner. Ron told Harry so. Why didn't he tell him if he found a way to add his name to the list of candidates?
Ron heard people celebrating on the other side of the door. He didn't feel like joining them. It wasn't that he wasn't happy that Harry got selected. He was. He should be. Harry was his friend. But he wished Harry told him, showed him how to be a candidate to the Tournament. Was that so much to ask? A chance to compete? It wasn't as if Ron would have asked Harry to step down to give him more chances. He wouldn't have. Harry was his friend, after all. But still, Harry could have given him a chance. Was that really so much to ask or to expect from your best friend?
Ron thought about all these times he had been next to Harry. He helped him to discover the truth about the Philosopher's Stone, and even followed him in that dungeon at the end of their first year at Hogwarts, endangering his life, against Harry's will, because he cared about him. They also worked together to find out who the heir of Slytherin was in their second year, going to great lengths to develop the Polyjuice, only to finally throw it away because Harry didn't want to use it for stupid reasons. He followed him in the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny, to be petrified by a younger version of You-Know-Who. And he did much more work last year to save Buckbeak, because Harry was too occupied to win the Quidditch Cup while Hermione had too much with all the subjects she took. And he did all that only for Buckbeak to get killed anyway.
That was unfair. Every time Ron tried something, he failed. Both Harry and Hermione were better than him in everything. Only in stuff like chess did he actually manage to beat them. But at school, they were better than he was. In exams, at Quidditch, everywhere. Everyone knew Harry. He was famous, the Boy-Who-Lived, but also the Seeker of the Gryffindor team, almost undefeated, who gave them the Quidditch Cup for the first time since Ron's brother, Charlie, left Hogwarts. Hermione was the best student of their year. Ron, next to them… He was the last of the Weasley brothers. The little brother of Bill and Percy Weasley, Head Boys. The little brother of Charlie Weasley, Prefect and captain of the Quidditch team. The little brother of Fred and George Weasley, the twins, Beaters for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and always there to make people laugh and cause mischief. Ron, next to them… He was only the youngest Weasley. The Triwizard Tournament deprived him of his chance to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year. And he was deprived of the chance to at least pose as a candidate for the Triwizard Tournament. And Harry got chosen as a champion… without telling Ron that he had found a way to get through the Age Line.
How Harry did? Did he use his Invisibility Cloak? After all, he could have gone to the Goblet to put his name in the middle of the night, and no one would have known. Ron didn't remember Harry waking up and leaving during the night, but it could mean nothing. Ron slept very heavily. He was hard to wake up. If Harry used the Invisibility Cloak, they could have gone together, and even bring Hermione with them. For a short time, Ron wondered if Harry and Hermione went to the Goblet without him, and he hated the idea. But the idea left his mind immediately.
That didn't make any sense. Harry would have told him if he found a way. Hermione would have told him as well. No, if both went to put their names into the Goblet of Fire, at least one of them would have found the time to tell him. Especially Hermione. Maybe not Harry. Not because he didn't want to, but… Harry had been away the whole day. Between the end of last evening when they went to bed and when they sat down together at the Gryffindor table tonight, Ron didn't see Harry. His friend went to Godric's Hollow with his mother. He told so to Ron last evening, and he woke up early this morning to leave with her. Ron spent the entire day with Hermione though. Surely, Hermione would have told him if she found a way around the Age Line. Though probably she didn't know. Harry may not have wanted to tell her he wanted to go around the rules and participate to the Tournament. She would probably have tried to stop him.
The more Ron thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Hermione wasn't aware of it. She would have tried to stop Harry, and certainly wouldn't have tried to participate to the Tournament. No, Hermione was not to blame in all this. She didn't tell anything to Ron because she didn't know. And she looked very surprised when Harry's name came out tonight. That was the only thing that made sense. Harry put his name, and he hid this from Hermione. That, Ron could understand.
But why hide this from him? Harry knew Ron wanted to compete if he could. He knew Ron would not denounce him. Why not tell him? Despite his growing anger and frustration, Ron tried to think about it. Would Harry really hide something like this from him? They didn't have the habit to hold secrets for each other. Perhaps… Why would Harry not tell him? Perhaps because he didn't get the chance to tell him. After all, he didn't see him of the whole day. He spent it at Godric's Hollow with his mother. Perhaps Harry only found a way to get his name in the list while he was away, and he managed to put it in the Goblet of Fire when he returned to Hogwarts, late today. Harry had gone to the dormitory and spent some time with Neville there. Ron was with Hermione visiting Hagrid. Harry must not have thought to look for them in the park. Even if Harry found him, he couldn't have told Ron all that in Hermione's and Hagrid's presence. And once at the Gryffindor table, not only was Hermione standing between them, but they were also surrounded by a lot of other students, not only from Gryffindor but also from Hufflepuff.
So… perhaps Harry found a way, but too late, and he didn't have the time and opportunity to tell Ron. This made Ron angry, but he could still understand Harry for not wanting to put himself in trouble, especially since the Goblet was out of reach when Ron arrived in the Great Hall this evening.
That could explain a lot of things. Or maybe it wasn't Harry who put his name. Perhaps someone else did it. Now that he thought about it, Ron remembered that Harry was very reluctant to advance to the staff table. Was he unaware of his name in the Goblet? Or not expecting at all that he would be chosen? Considering Diggory's name had already come out, this was likely. Ron had been very surprised himself when a fourth name came out. Perhaps someone else put Harry's name. Another student of seventeen, maybe a Gryffindor? Or an adult? The Age Line couldn't stop a professor to put such a name. Perhaps someone like Dumbledore, McGonagall, or even Moody, who had trained Harry's mother, placed his name because they thought he deserved to participate. Perhaps it could explain that Hogwarts got two champions tonight. Or maybe it had been Harry's mother. She was there, not only yesterday evening but also tonight. Maybe she was the one to put his name. Or maybe it was her who gave Harry a way to place his name himself during their time in Godric's Hollow.
All these scenarios made Ron feel bitter and frustrated. He should have gotten at least the chance to have his name considered for the Tournament. There was glory, fame, and even a thousand Galleons price at the end for the one who would win. Perhaps Harry did not put his name. The more Ron thought about it, the more unlikely it looked that his best friend found a way to become Hogwarts' second champion. But he was still angry for the luck Harry had, a luck that everyone in Gryffindor was celebrating but Ron.
Suddenly, the door opened. Ron, however, kept looking at the top of his bed. He heard better the festivities going on only a few feet away, and he wasn't in the mood for them. He looked to the door though when it slammed behind.
"Where have you been?" Harry asked right after the door was closed, as if Ron had something to be blamed for.
This tone, along with the fact that Harry was wearing some kind of cape or banner with the colors and symbols of Gryffindor, resulted in a surge of exasperation and impatience in Ron. Still, Ron forced himself to smile as he straightened up and sat on his bed, and he tried to look happy for his best friend.
"Oh, hello," was all that he managed to get out.
Harry then went to remove the scarlet banner that was wrapped around him, taking his time. Ron almost tapped with his foot on the floor, getting more impatient by the second. He was surprised Harry didn't remain behind to celebrate with the others, though he obviously did spend some time at the celebrations judging from how tightly the knot holding the banner was made. So, when Harry finally managed to get the banner off and it slipped to the floor, Ron decided he had to say something else somehow.
"So… Congratulations." This was the best he could muster given the circumstances.
"What do you mean, congratulations?"
His friend almost seemed insulted. Well, if Harry wasn't happy that Ron tried to at least be happy for him despite the circumstances and his own frustration, it was his problem. Still, he wanted to know how it happened, so he decided to jump right to this topic.
"Well… no one else got across the Age Line," Ron began. "Not even Fred and George. What did you use? The Invisibility Cloak?"
"The Invisibility Cloak wouldn't have got me over that line," Harry replied.
"Oh, right."
Ron had to admit it was true. He should have thought about it. The Cloak made people invisible, but it did not allow to walk through solid surfaces or magical barriers. Still, he had thought… In some way, it was a relief. That meant Harry probably didn't go to the Goblet in the middle of the night. He didn't leave Ron sleeping behind while he made sure he was a candidate. Maybe after all Harry really had no way to tell Ron about how he got his name in before it was too late. Still, Ron wanted to know how he did.
"I thought you might have told me if it was the Cloak," he explained. "Because it would have covered both of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, did you?"
"Listen. I didn't put my name in that Goblet. Someone else must have done it."
Ron frowned. "What would they do that for?"
"I don't know."
Ron wasn't sure what to think. Yes, he considered the eventuality that Harry did not put himself his name in the Goblet, but even then he should have known who did it. Whoever did it must have at least told Harry after his name got out. Why wouldn't he tell Ron?
"It's okay, you know," Ron said, trying to be patient. "You can tell me the truth." He emphasized that it was to him that Harry would say it. There was no one else with them, no one to hear it. "If you don't want everyone else to know, fine. But I don't know why you're bothering to lie. You didn't get into trouble, did you? That friend of the Fat Lady, that Violet, she already told us all. Dumbledore let you enter. A thousand Galleons prize money?" He tried to be cheerful, though it sounded very untrue to his own ears. "And you don't have to do end-of-year tests either…"
"I didn't put my name in that Goblet!" Harry snapped.
He actually just snapped. Ron was beginning to be angry. Really? That was how Harry wanted to play it.
"Yeah, okay. But how did your name end up in the Goblet then?"
"I don't know!" Harry shouted.
This time, Ron was done trying to be kind. "You could at least tell me? I'm your friend. How did you get through the Age Line? Or was it Dumbledore? Or Moody? Or your mother?"
"My mother?" Harry asked, sounding unbelieving.
"Yes! She was there as well, and she's way over seventeen. She could have put your name for you. Is that what happened?"
"Leave my mother out of it!"
"Why? She was there. What was she doing there, really? Why didn't she just write to you and ask you to join her this morning earlier? She probably spent the whole night at Hogwarts. She could have put your name in anytime."
"My mother did not place my name into that Goblet!" Harry repeated. "She has nothing to do with all this!"
"Then who did?" This time, Ron didn't allow time for Harry to answer. "Because your name just got out of the Goblet! Either you put it there, or someone put it for you. I'm not stupid, you know."
"You're doing a really good impression of it!"
This time, Ron really didn't find it funny at all. "Yeah?" He waited a fraction of a second to let Harry answer. When he didn't, Ron decided it was no longer worth it. "You should go to bed, Harry. I expect you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photocall or something."
He angrily drew the curtains of his bed and turned his back to them. If Harry believed that he was stupid, then he better find himself another friend. Ron was done covering someone who thought of him as someone stupid.
When Ron woke up next morning, he almost asked Harry if he slept well, but he recalled quickly what happened last night.
You're doing a really good impression of being stupid!
He stood up, dressed himself, and went out of the dormitory. The common room was sparsely occupied, but all people looked at him when he came out. He spotted a glint of excitement in their eyes before it died down and they all went back to their business. They probably hoped it would be Harry. Well, Ron was sorry that they were disappointed. He wasn't the famous boy who defeated You-Know-Who. He was only a redheaded boy with freckles everywhere on his face, no scar on his forehead.
"Ron." He hadn't realized Hermione was waiting for him. He was glad to see her. "How is Harry?"
There, she managed to get his nerves with the very first words of the morning.
"Can we talk about someone else for once?" he asked frustratingly. "I'm going to take my breakfast. Follow me if you want."
Hermione did follow him, which somehow made him feel a little less bitter. However, they didn't exchange a single word before they were half the way to the Great Hall.
"What happened Ron?" she asked at this moment.
"What happens is that Harry thinks I'm stupid," he snapped as a retort.
The fact Hermione didn't seem to react didn't make him feel better. In fact, when she spoke next, she sounded somewhat exasperated.
"What happened?"
If Ron didn't really want to talk about that to a person who wasn't on his side, he at least got to vent off his frustration and his anger. He told Hermione the substance of his conversation with Harry, detailing how Harry was taking him for a fool in detail. He was almost done when they arrived near the heavy doors of the Great Hall.
"So, Harry says that he didn't put his name into the Goblet of Fire?" Hermione asked at the end.
"Yes," Ron sharply replied. "What a liar he is."
"I don't think he's lying, Ron," Hermione carefully said.
"What a surprise!"
"What?"
"You'll always take his side, won't you?"
"I'm not taking his side, Ron. I'm just saying that it makes no sense that he put his name in the Goblet. There was an Age Line that Dumbledore drew himself. Harry could never have gotten through it. And there's the fact that his name was the fourth to come out. To my knowledge it's never happened before…"
"Well, the Goblet must have made an exception for the famous Harry Potter."
"Ron, are you hearing what you're saying?"
"Perfectly." He let himself fall down heavily at the Gryffindor table. "Harry found a way around the Age Line. Or he asked someone else to put his name in the Goblet. And he didn't tell us. Unless you're the only one he told."
"What? No, of course. I didn't know his name was in the Goblet of Fire." Ron was relieved to hear that. At least, he wasn't the only one Harry lied to. "But, Ron, I'm pretty sure that Harry had no knowledge about that either. You've seen how he reacted when his name came out. He wasn't expecting that to happen at all."
Ron had thought about that too. It was true that Harry didn't behave like someone who expected it to happen. Perhaps he put his name without thinking he would actually be chosen, but that changed nothing. Ron didn't see why he should show any compassion to someone who thought of him as an idiot.
"Well, whatever… I'm done. He wants all the glory for himself? He can keep it," Ron commented.
"Ron, come on. He's your friend. He needs us."
"You're saying he needs a fool like me? I think not."
"Ronald…"
"I'm done. Harry wants to be alone. So I'll leave him alone. I'm done helping him and being the laughingstock of the place."
"Ron… I'm sure that however Harry insulted you, he didn't mean it."
"Oh yes, he meant it. You weren't there to hear him. I was."
Ron angrily bit into his porridge and took a few spoonfuls before Hermione spoke again.
"You really wanted to participate to the Tournament?"
He let his spoon fall loudly in his bowl. "Of course I did. A thousand Galleons. Who wouldn't want to participate?" Ron replied as he kept looking down angrily at his spoon.
"I wouldn't."
For a moment, Ron thought it was Hermione who answered, mostly because this is what she would have replied. But he very quickly realized this wasn't her voice, and that the voice who replied came from over his shoulder. He looked over it to see a girl who had red hair like him, but of a far lesser bright tone than his own. She also wore the badge and colors of the Hufflepuff house on her robes.
"Excuse me, Ron. Hi, Hermione," Susan Bones said. She only smiled to Hermione, not to Ron. "I only wanted to know… Do you know what happened yesterday? Why did the Goblet of Fire sent both Cedric's and Harry's names?"
"You should ask him." Ron brutally stood up. "You know what, I'm not hungry." This was the truth. He wasn't hungry and already ate more than his appetite told him to. "Hermione, you know where to find me."
And on that, he left the Gryffindor table, having taken a much lighter breakfast than usual. It was also a good thing, for Fleur Delacour just arrived in the Great Hall and he got the chance to take a look at her. She didn't look in a much better mood than Ron was. But anyway, he wasn't very interested in looking at her today. Harry managed to make all things look bleak today. And although a part of Ron knew very well that Ron could not have put himself his name in the Goblet of Fire, he couldn't help but feel betrayed by his best friend.
I tried to show Ron in an accurate light in this chapter. Although he is unhappy about events, a part of him believes, and does want to believe, that Harry wasn't aware that his name was in the Goblet of Fire. However, at this moment, it doesn't come to Ron's mind that someone might want to harm Harry by having him participate to the Tournament, and his jealousy get the better of him when Harry tells him, out of the blue, that he gives the impression of being stupid. Rationally, Ron knows somewhere that Harry couldn't have placed his name, but his resentment clouds his judgment.
Please review.
Next chapter: Hermione