AUTHOR'S NOTES: Here is the next chapter 7 as well! Molly has a POV at the end of this chapter, and It was SO DAMN HARD TO WRITE!
Please enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, and I do not intend to make any money off of this. Harry Potter is the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling , and I take no credit of it whatsoever.
I was also inspired by Demon Eyes Laharl's: THE RED KNIGHT! and also from Random-Fruitcake04's: CHOICES! I hope you check them out as well because they are genuinely very good stories.
Fate
Chapter 7 – Moving Forward
Ronald Weasley's POV
Ron was shaken awake by Theo early in the morning. It took a little while for Ron to come to grasp with being woken up like that, after that he had slowly gotten off his bed and come face-to-face with an annoyed looking Theo. "Daphne is knocking at our door" Theo grumbled. "She wants to talk to you". With that Theo started walking over to his own bed. Wait… How is Daphne able to enter the boys section?
"Oi Theo" Ron called out. Theo turned around and glared at Ron. "How is she able to come to our section? Aren't the stairs enchanted to keep the girls out?" Theo gave him scathing look, then he sighed and lied down in his bed.
"No" Theo mumbled out. "Who told you something so stupid…?" Then Theo covered himself with his blankets, ending the conversation. Ron was a little shocked to hear that. Percy had told him that in Gryffindor house, the boys weren't able to go the girls' dormitories because of an enchantment on the stairs. Clearly Slytherin doesn't care about such things. Though Ron didn't want to admit it, he kind of agreed with Slytherin on this. What if he needed help from one of the girls urgently? What was he supposed to do then? Wait by the stairs apparently… Gryffindor sounds… Ron stopped that thought dead in its tracks. He shook his head and headed out of the dorm and found the corridor empty. She must be in the common room then. What is the time? Ron stumbled into the common room half-asleep and planted himself on the couch in front of the fire in an undignified way. I'm so tired… Daphne was seated on the opposite end of the couch and was eyeing Ron in a judgmental manner.
"Why is your uniform so untidy and creased?" She questioned. Good morning to you too, Greengrass…
"I slept in it" Ron grind out. He had his eyes closed and was trying to sleep.
"Boys…" She all but spat out. "Anyway I wanted to talk to you about your odd behavior yesterday." Here we go… thought that was behind me. "I… I know about the letter Ron, and what was in it…" This woke Ron up completely. It was like being drenched by a bucket of ice cold water, and it made his eyes almost pop out of his head. How could she know about that?! I didn't show anyone… anyone but Snape and my brothers… Someone had told her, but who? Ron didn't want it to be his brothers because that would destroy him, and he didn't want it to be Snape because he had believed that the Potions Master had shown him a rare moment of kindness. That kindness had saved Ron from spiraling and even made him feel a little special. But what if Snape really was as cruel as his brothers had told him? What if Snape had told everyone about the letter? That would be so humiliating… "Ron…" came Daphne's voice, it was soft and a little apprehended. "Ron are you listening to me?"
"Who told you?" Ron demanded, his temper flaring up because of a sense of betrayal. Daphne noticed Ron getting angry and she took on a guarded posture.
"No one told me" she said honestly. "I read it over your shoulder… when it first came in the mail yesterday morning." Ron relaxed immensely at that. No one had betrayed his trust and gone behind his back. No one but Daphne…
"You had no right" Ron spat out, making Daphne flinch. "Do you read everyone's mail Greengrass? Do you like to take advantage of people's personal lives so that you can keep getting your way? Who else have you told?!" This made Daphne wide-eyed from shock, and then the shock turned into anger.
"I read it because I happened to see your face while you were reading it! It was a mistake and I haven't done anything about it or told anyone! SO DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT ME LIKE THAT, WEASLEY!" she was all but shouting by the end. They both stood up and came face-to-face with each other.
"You better not dare tell anyone what you read Greengrass. I'm warning you…" Ron growled.
"OR WHAT?! YOU'LL JINX ME TOO?! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU, WEASLEY!" Daphne was screaming in his face. They both glared into each other's eyes. Ron's were filled with righteous anger towards her for invading his privacy and being overly nosy about things that had nothing to do with her, and Daphne's were filled with righteous anger towards him for being a brute and saying horrible things about her even though he didn't know anything about her. They glared at each other for a moment longer before Ron just gave up. He was exhausted from his previous day and the knowledge that someone from Slytherin now knew what his mother and father had felt about his sorting weighed heavy on his shoulders. Why do things keep getting worse every time I think I can move on from my sorting? Hogwarts has been nothing but… horrible… Ron let out a tired sigh and fell back on the couch. He stared into the fire with tired, glazed over eyes. Daphne was still standing and glaring at him.
"Why did you have to read the letter?" Ron whispered, more to himself but she heard him. She sat down on her side of the couch again, but maintained a rigid posture. "I wish I never opened that bloody letter…" Ron sighed in defeat. He truly did wish that he hadn't opened that letter, it would have spared him a lot of pain and misery. Ron's defeated posture and glassy eyes made Daphne relax. She knew that his temper had passed and was now maybe replaced with… sadness? That thought made her feel guilty for shouting in his face.
"I didn't mean to read it" she spoke softly. "I just… didn't think to stop when I saw your face look so…" she trailed off. She didn't want to remind him of the contents of the letter. She had even wished to forget seeing it herself, but Ron's insane behavior yesterday had kept her up all night. She just had to know why he was acting so strange and happy after such a horrible experience. They both sat in an uncomfortable silence for over a minute.
"Please… don't tell anyone" Ron broke the silence. "If Malfoy or… I'd never hear the end of it…" All I can do is hope that she'll show me mercy. Damn that letter…
"I won't, I promise." This made Ron look at her with some hope. "Like I said it was a mistake… but Ron…" she looked as if she was in deep thought. "Ron why were you so happy yesterday? You looked devastated one minute, and then right after you were the happiest I've seen you in the last few days. Too happy for even a normal person." Ron stared into her dark blue eyes and contemplated whether to tell her about his meeting with Snape. He decided that he would be honest, but leave some things out.
So Ron explained how distraught he was with the letter, and how Snape had caught up to him and taken him to Snape's office. He even told her that he showed Snape the letter and that Snape then gave him a Draught of Peace to settle his nerves. Ron ended his story there, he knew that was all she would need to know to end her curiosity. Daphne looked relieved by the end, and even laughed at the fact that Ron was completely unhinged by the potion and still managed to earn seventy five points for Slytherin.
"I'm sorry… for yelling and… accusing you of…" Ron trailed off. He really needed to get his anger under control, he knew he was just setting himself up for more trouble by cracking it at everyone around him.
"I understand. And I accept your apology" Daphne huffed mockingly. "But you will have to make it up to me again." Ron sighed at that. These Slytherins and their games I swear… "From now on, you will help me with all my homework first. Just like you helped Millie yesterday." Daphne smirked arrogantly at him. Ron managed a defeated smile and nodded his head. He then got up and bid her goodnight. "Goodnight?" She looked confused. "Ron it's almost eight in the morning. Breakfast will start soon." Ron moaned loudly at the revelation and marched to his room to wash up for the day.
Breakfast was a boring ordeal in Ron's opinion. Most of the Slytherin first years were still exhausted due to their late night Astronomy class and most were keen to get back to bed. There was good news on that front at least, because today they would have two spare periods in the morning and their classes technically wouldn't start until after lunch. And much to Ron's excitement, it was Potions Class with Snape. Ron was quite sure that they would be sharing the class with Gryffindor again, mostly because he had heard a lot of whining and complaining coming from the first years on Gryffindor table. This could mean that Ron could finally see if his brothers' stories were true. But judging from what he had seen so far from the bat-like professor, Ron didn't think those stories were true anymore. Snape had treated him with fairness and even some kindness so far, and Ron couldn't see Snape being 'evil'. Once breakfast was over, the Slytherin first years all but bolted straight to their dorms again to catch up on their sleep.
Ron woke up around ten in the morning and went down to the common room after freshening up. His five friends were already up and seemed to be huddled around a chessboard. Is that… IS THAT MY CHESSBOARD?! Once Ron got a better look, he saw that it was indeed the board Pandora had gifted him. "Oi" Ron called out, startling the girls and getting smirks from the boys. "What are you doing with my chessboard? It was a gift you know!"
"We were just checking" Blaise spoke aloofly, smirk still in place.
"Checking for what?" Ron questioned.
"How you cheated of course" Daphne grinned at him. Cheated? Me? At chess? The Slytherins really didn't know how much offense that statement had caused Ron.
"I didn't cheat" Ron grumbled. "I won because I was the better player." Daphne huffed in indignation at that. "I can prove it too. Just bring any chessboard you like and I'll happily decimate you again." Ron smirked at the glare Daphne shot him. Theo and Tracey chuckled at Ron's challenge.
"I'll take that bet" Theo said. "Let's make this a small competition shall we?" Ron and everyone looked at Theo with apprehension. "We all have a go against Ron here, who claims that he has never lost a match, which I personally don't believe. If he beats us all, then he wins, and if even one of us breaks his record, then we win." Ron laughed at the challenge, much to everyone's annoyance.
"I'm game" Ron chuckled out. "But what are the prizes?"
"If you win" Theo started "then we will each give you five galleons." Ron's mouth hung open at that. I could make twenty five galleons? That more than my whole family has in Gringotts… Then a sudden shameful realization creeped into him. I can't afford to make that wager… I'm not rich like the rest of them… "And if we win, then you have to do the homework of the person who beat you for a month." Ron's head perked up at that and he snapped his mouth shut. He could do homework easily, especially because of Perce's notes that were stashed in his trunk.
"Deal" Ron all but shouted. "Who am I up against first?" At that Daphne got up and left for her dorm, which confused Ron and even the others. She then came back with another chessboard. Are you kidding me?
"We will use mine" Daphne smirked mockingly. "Weasley cheats with his." Ron was about to protest but Tracey tutted him to be quiet, which annoyed him greatly. I'm gonna destroy Davis and Greengrass, that's for certain…
Daphne went first and Ron couldn't help but admire her chessboard. It was more expensive than his for certain. The pieces were carved out of some black and white mineral, while the board itself gleamed with a perfected shine. But Ron still preferred the board Pandora had got him. He missed the Lovegoods more than he had ever thought he would. Daphne played as she had the first time around, rushing to corner Ron's pieces only to end up getting trapped herself. The game lasted around fifteen minutes before Ron called checkmate, which made Daphne huff and look away as she toppled her white king.
Theo went next, and Ron had to admit that he was better than Daphne in being patient at least. But Theo was too patient and refused to take any risks with his stronger pieces. Ron capitalized on that and managed to take out most of Theo's pawns quite early. By the end of the game Theo simply surrendered as he only had a knight and his king left on the board.
Then came in Tracey, and Ron was bewildered at her playstyle. There was no strategy, no order, and no foresight. It was pure chaos because she was just moving her pieces as she felt like, and Ron had to admit that it was a difficult twenty minute game against her. Ron figured it was so difficult to win against her because he couldn't predict her actions, if he trapped her pieces then she would either simply leave them to die or surprisingly do everything she could to save them. It had thrown him for a loop, but in the end her lack of foresight got her white king in a bad place, and Ron called the checkmate.
Next was Blaise, who had Theo and Tracey cheering him on because they really didn't want to lose money. Playing with Blaise wasn't anything like Ron had experienced before, because Blaise didn't care about what was on the board. Blaise had his oddly piercing gaze on Ron for the majority of the match. Ron couldn't tell why, but it had slightly unnerved him at the start. Then Ron decided that this was his domain, and he wouldn't let Blaise intimidate him in his domain. So Ron shot Blaise his most sly smile and then proceeded to stare only at the board in front of him. Once he was doing that, Ron found that Blaise was playing in a very simple way. Blaise, like Theo, favored his stronger pieces and neglected his pawns. So Ron simply did what he had done to Theo, he destroyed Blaise's frontline and forced Blaise to move his precious stronger pieces into vulnerable positions. Even Blaise understood that in-action was worse than making a mistake, because if Blaise didn't make a move then Ron would simply keep killing his pieces. The game ended shortly after that with Ron as the victor.
Daphne, Theo, and Tracey booed Blaise, who simply shrugged and shook Ron's hand for a game well played. This gesture caught him off guard, but he didn't refuse. Ron liked that Blaise wasn't a poor sport like Daphne, and even Theo to some extent. Now he only had to beat Millicent and that prize money would be his. To his shock Millicent just smiled sadly and declined, thus forfeiting.
"I don't want to play" she mumbled. "I'm not very… good at these kind of things…" she whispered, looking slightly demoralized. Tracey put a comforting hand on Millicent's should and whispered something to her that Ron couldn't hear. Ron also noticed that everyone else seemed to look sheepish, except Blaise who just looked away from everyone and out a window. What is their deal now…? I swear I will never understand these people.
"So?" Ron questioned, rather tactlessly. That earned him a glare from Daphne and Tracey, even Theo shook his head looking at him. "I know there's a prize on this competition, but we are just enjoying ourselves and playing as friends." That got him a few odd looks, no doubt it was the friend part that annoyed them. Millicent didn't give him that look though, she looked almost hopeful. "You never know what you're good at until you try… like yesterday when you said you couldn't do the Transfiguration homework, and then you worked hard at it and managed to complete the spell perfectly." Millicent nodded at him slowly, while the others were staring at Ron wide-eyed. Ron then set the board up and went up against his final challenger.
Millicent played surprisingly well, and even managed to take out Ron's queen and bishops through some careful planning on her part. Her downfall was ignoring Ron's pawns however, as Ron used the 'weakest' pieces to trap her white king. If she used her king to kill the pawn, then Ron would simply use his rook to take her king. And if she used her knight to kill Ron's rook, then he would simply kill her king with his pawn. And with nowhere else for her king to move, it was checkmate after a twenty minute game. Ron complimented her smart playstyle of not underestimating any of her pieces which made her beam and ask if they could play again later, to which Ron gladly agreed. Mainly because she was the only person who played like a normal, sensible person out of all of his new friends. Bloody Davis and her insane playstyle…
"So much for breaking his streak" Theo sighed. "Guess we owe you some money Weasley." Ron grinned at Theo's clear annoyance with losing to him. He is a terrible sport haha. His friends kept their end of the deal and Ron now had a pouch with twenty five galleons in it. It felt unreal to have earned this much money… and all from a few friendly game of chess. Do all Slytherins have so much money that they can just throw it away? Also what am I gonna do with this…? I don't have a Gringotts account and mum would go spare if she learns that I'm gambling with the Slytherins…
"Is that why you joined Slytherin?" came a pompous voice from behind them. They all turned and saw Malfoy approaching them with his cronies at his side. "Just so you could beg your betters for some spare change?" His cronies laughed enthusiastically at the 'joke', making Ron clench his teeth. Don't hex Malfoy… Don't hex Malfoy… Don't hex Malfoy… Ron repeated the thought over and over again, but it didn't help at all. "How much charity did they give you Weasel? Ten Knuts? I bet that's more than your Muggle-loving father earns in a month!" Malfoys cronies laughed even harder at that and Malfoy joined them. Ron slowly put the pouch of coins into his robes for safekeeping, and then moved to take his wand out. Ron stopped when Theo put a strong arm on his shoulder and shook his head, looking at Ron with a blank mask instead of a face.
"Don't play into his hand…" Theo whispered. Theo's right… Snape is his godfather. I'm the one who will end up serving detention. So Ron took a calming breath and tried to relax, it was harder than he would care to admit.
"No comeback Weasel" the pug-faced girl said in her shrilly voice. "At least you now know how to treat your betters." Merlin help me… I'm gonna kill one of them if they don't shut up…
"And who are his betters Pansy?" came in Daphne's calm, yet slightly high-pitched voice. The pug-faced girl named Pansy glared at Daphne. "Because so far Ron has outdone every Slytherin in first year, as well as the first years of other houses." Ron couldn't help but smile at Daphne defending him, he honestly hadn't expected that kind of commitment from any of his slippery new friends.
"Ron?!" Pansy all but shrieked. "YOU'RE TREATING THIS… THIS BLOOD-TRAITOR AS AN EQUAL?!" Ron was taken aback by the outburst, mainly because he didn't understand what this crazy bint was on about. All Daphne had done was say his first name… In any part of the world that was a normal thing, wasn't it? These Pure-Bloods are insane…
"If your mother and father could see you now" Malfoy sneered at Daphne in disgust. "That you would ally yourself with a Blood-Traitor Weasel, rather than the heir of the Malfoy family..." The disgust in Malfoy's voice made Daphne flinch.
"That's enough Draco" came Blaise's smooth, aloof voice. Everyone turned to face him, except Malfoy and Ron who were glaring at each other. "What's the point of this arguing and fighting? Why don't you just join us? Ron is capable and a powerful ally to have, even you can see that." That made Malfoy glare at Blaise.
"Unlike you Blaise" Malfoy spat "I don't take orders from filthy Blood-Traitors…" Blaise frowned at that, but quickly adorned his detached look again.
"Has Ron ordered us around?" Blaise asked Ron's friends. They all slowly shook their heads. "See Draco, no one will give you orders. If you join us, all the Slytherin first years will be united. We will all achieve more together than we would achieve alone. It's just that simple." Malfoy grew red in the face but didn't say a word.
"Look" Tracey began, smiling kindly at Malfoy. She was clearly trying to salvage the moment. "I've only known you for a couple…" She was cut off harshly by Malfoy.
"Don't you dare address me you filthy Half-Blood" Malfoy spat out, making Tracey gasp in shock. Ron didn't see anyone's reaction to Malfoy's filth. All Ron saw was red… blood-red which obscured his vision and played deafening battle drums in his ears. The whole world just became a canvas of red, expect for Malfoy's sneering face. Before Ron could even stop himself, he had punched Malfoy, with the full force of his body behind him, right in the git's nose. There was a sickening crunch of cartilage and knuckle colliding, and then Malfoy was on the ground crying in agony. Ron clutched his own right hand with his left one. I broke my own bloody hand... MERLIN THAT HURTS!
Everyone just stared at the scene in utter shock, including Blaise whose aloof demeanor was gone. Then Pansy shrieked and knelt beside Draco, who had snotty blood on his hands and face, and who was now crying in earnest. Even Ron had tears escaping from his eyes because of the pain in his hand, it was bloody excruciating and he knew that he had broken his middle knuckle. Theo sighed loudly after a few moments and moved over in front of Ron, pulling out everyone from their shock.
"Show me your hand Weasley" Theo commanded. Ron did as he was told and showed the weedy boy his red and already swelling hand. "You broke your own knuckle…" Theo's eyes widened at the realization and he gave Ron a stunned look.
"It hurts like hell" Ron choked out. If I knew it would hurt this much, I would have just jinxed that git again instead…
"We need to get them both to the Hospital Wing" Blaise interjected. "You two" he pointed to Crabbe and Goyle "take Draco while Theo and I take Ron. Move!" That got the gorillas moving as they hoisted Malfoy up and all but dragged him from the common room, with Pansy running behind them. Blaise and Theo also took Ron by his elbows and dragged him behind them, followed by the girls.
When they finally got to the Hospital Wing, Ron had managed to calm down and stop crying. Malfoy on the other hand had turned his injury into a spectacle, moaning loudly and crying out even louder, turning the heads of every student they had rushed past. They were met with an annoyed looking Madam Pomfrey who tutted at them when she saw them. "What happened? Tell me every detail" her voice was strict, but it was laced with worry over the two boys. Daphne stepped forward quickly and explained everything that had happened. Including Malfoy calling Tracey a filthy Half-Blood, which had earned a gasp from the Matron of the Hospital Wing. She then told Daphne to go fetch Professor McGonagall, who had just been in the Hospital Wing a few minutes prior. After that Madam Pomfrey, with a flick of her wand and some incantations, had Ron's knuckle and Malfoy's nose fixed right up.
Ron found himself astonished at how his pain was completely gone, and how his hand was already beginning to lose its swelling. Even Malfoy's face looked perfectly fine after Madam Pomfrey cleaned up the blood with another spell Ron didn't recognize. Tergeo… Charlie didn't teach me that one, and it looks bloody useful. I'll note it down in the spell journal and find out more about it this weekend. The door to the Wing swung open loudly and Professor McGonagall came striding in, her lips tight and a frown clear on her face. Daphne was right behind her and looked at Ron with a faint smile. "What is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall commanded. "Miss. Greengrass tells me that there was a horrible fight… Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy explain yourselves at once." Ron went to open his mouth but Malfoy's voice cut him off.
"He attacked me Professor" Malfoy shrieked, sounding like a helpless victim. "We were just arguing about chess and he attacked me." At that Ron glared at Malfoy's whimpering and scared face. This tosser… Pansy and the gorillas were nodding enthusiastically. Madam Pomfrey was about to tell McGonagall the truth but Millicent spoke it first.
"That is not true Professor" Millicent spoke softly, uneasy with everyone staring at her. "Draco called Tracey a filthy Half-Blood, and only then did Ron hit him. Draco is lying about chess." Ron couldn't stop the grin from splitting his face. First Daphne and now Millicent… They are standing up for me? Professor McGonagall turned to the rest of Ron's friends.
"Is what Miss. Bulstrode said true?" She inquired, her frown even more evident than before. Blaise and Theo simply nodded once, whereas Daphne and Tracey were a little more enthusiastic in confirming Millicent's story. Professor McGonagall turned to Malfoy. "Twenty points from Slytherin Mr. Malfoy, for using a disgusting slur and lying to a professor." Malfoy didn't argue, and just looked down at his feet and grumbled. She then turned to Ron. "Twenty points from you as well Mr. Weasley, for attacking another student with the intent to cause harm." Ron looked at her sheepishly, but he noticed that her frown was shaking slightly and a smile was threatening to replace it. "After all the good things I had heard and seen you do Mr. Weasley, this is most disappointing. Detention for you both, to be held with me tomorrow night after dinner." With that she turned away from Ron and marched out of the Hospital Wing, but not before Ron saw the tight smile on her lips. She isn't even mad at me… Proves that I was right about clocking Malfoy! Draco stood up and marched out as well, followed by his cronies. That left Ron and his friends behind with Madam Pomfrey, who sighed before marching off to check on her other patients.
"What were you thinking?" Theo questioned loudly, frowning at Ron. "Do you want to make everyone your enemy, or are you just incapable of thinking things through?" Ron didn't know why but he felt a little guilty because of Theo's piercing gaze. I didn't do anything wrong… The git deserved it.
"Don't yell at him!" Tracey defended Ron in a deafening shriek. That makes it three now! "What Draco said was…" she trailed off and big tears fell down her face. "None of you said a word…" She glared at Daphne. "Not even you…" she sobbed and then ran away at full tilt from the Hospital Wing.
"Tracey!" Daphne ran after the crying girl. She was followed right after by Theo, who gave Ron another frown before he departed. Ron sat there quietly, feeling a little uncomfortable at what had just happened. Why didn't they say anything…? Malfoy insulted their friend and they don't even look like they care? What is wrong with all of these people? Blaise's cough pulled Ron back to reality and Ron looked over at him. They held eye contact for a second.
"Hell of a right hook by the way" Blaise smirked, making Ron's mouth snap open. Is he serious?
"Yeah Ron" Millicent chimed in softly. "I want to go and check on Tracey, I'll see you guys at lunch." With that she smiled at Ron, who returned it, and then she marched off to find her friend and comfort her. This left Blaise and Ron alone, something that Ron was rather happy with. Blaise was comfortable with not talking and Ron didn't mind that one bit, he could use some peace and quiet right now. They sat in silence for almost ten minutes before the bell for lunch rang. They got up and walked towards the Great Hall in silence. As they were getting close, Blaise finally broke the comfortable silence.
"Theo isn't wrong you know" Blaise said softly, but intently. Ron was about to argue but Blaise silenced him by raising his hand to Ron's face. "You attacked a fellow Slytherin, over a slur that is pretty common in every Slytherin's vocabulary. That will have repercussions with the older students Ron. They will doubt your loyalty to our house and may even side with Draco because of your actions." That made Ron freeze in realization. What if Blaise and the others leave me…? "Don't worry about us leaving you" Blaise continued, as if reading Ron's mind. "We have put our lot in with you quite publicly and it would be… dishonorable… to abandon you over something like this. However, that also means that your actions reflect on us as well. You aren't just alienating and putting a target on your back, you are doing it to us as well…" Blaise trailed off, and didn't speak again.
They continued walking in silence after that, Ron's mind was ablaze with the information Blaise had just given him. It had made perfect sense. If a gnome invades your garden, you don't just remove him alone. You remove all the others that are with him… even if they haven't invaded the garden yet. Ron realized now why Theo had been mad at him, it wasn't because Theo and the others were friends with Malfoy for much longer than they were with Ron. Theo was upset because Ron had put his friends in a very difficult position, all because he had lost his temper… again.
Ron and Blaise ate in silence for a few minutes until they were joined by Theo, who took a seat across from Ron. "Where are the girls?" Blaise asked Theo.
"They are in their dorm" Theo replied softly, putting food on his plate. "Tracey is still upset and the other two are trying to calm her down." Ron's righteous anger flared for a second at the thought of his hurt friend, but he quickly put a stopper on it. I've already done enough. It's up to Daphne and Millicent now.
"She needs thicker skin" Blaise said airily. Ron glared at Blaise for saying something like that, but Blaise just looked back at him with disinterest and raised his eyebrow at Ron.
"Blaise is right" Theo added. "She will have to put up with a lot worse for the next seven years. It's best if she learns to adapt to her surroundings. And as for you…" Theo stared at Ron with a frown, and then let out a defeated sigh. "Never mind." Ron looked at Theo with a pang of guilt. Was it really right to help one friend, but screw over another one in the process? Ron knew that he could take care of himself because he knew so many curses and jinxes, but what about Theo and the others? What would they do if the whole house of Slytherin began coming after them because Ron had attacked a fellow Slytherin? I made the wrong choice… didn't I?
"I'm sorry Theo" Ron whispered softly, making Theo look up at him. "I'll control myself in the future. You won't get in trouble with the other Slytherins because of me again." Theo smiled faintly and let out a content sigh.
"At least you understand" Theo said.
"He didn't" Blaise added aloofly. "I explained it to him." Theo chuckled at that and continued eating. They finished their lunch and headed back to their common room in comfortable silence. Ron was happy to put this behind him and finally go to Potions Class, where he planned to impress Professor Snape even more. The thought put a smile on his face as he entered the common room. His smile disappeared quickly when he noticed that many older students were giving odd looks, and even a few glares. Blaise was right… I've really botched everything. The boys walked into their dorm and collected their Potions books and kits.
"That was pleasant" Theo chuckled, but there was no humor in his laugh. He looked at Ron, who was staring at his shuffling feet. That annoyed Theo a quite a bit, he hated it when people didn't follow through with their actions. "Ron" Theo called out, making Ron look at him with guilt evident on his face. "Keep your head held high and don't let them see any weakness. The last thing we need is for you to show everyone that you acted on impulse and are now suffering from regret. They might even show you some respect if they believe that you acted according to your own designs and you will be sticking through with your actions." Ron nodded and held his head high. Theo is right, Slytherins hate doubt and weakness. Guess I can only play the hand I dealt myself. The boys then marched to the Potions Class, which was quite close to their common room, with their heads held high and a strong silence amongst them.
When they reached the outside of the class, they found the girls waiting for them. Tracey beamed at Ron and waved them over, which the boys were going to do anyway. Tracey looked much better now that she had calmed down, and having Daphne and Millicent by her side no doubt was making her feel more secure. "Hi" Ron greeted lamely. He didn't really know what to say to Tracey after his actions and her outburst. Ron had found it odd that Tracey, who was a Half-Blood, was such close friends with people who clearly believed in Blood-Supremacy. But after seeing her break down, he now knew that it couldn't be easy for her to be friends with this lot. But the fact that she was sticking it out made Ron oddly proud of the girl. It's weird because I don't really even know her…
"Hello yourself" she laughed at his greeting. "Want to be my Potions partner Ron?" Huh…? She was speaking in such a casual manner that it jarred Ron's thoughts.
"Um… sure Tracey" he replied, confused at her odd behavior. Is she on a Draught of Peace? I know how loony that can make a person from experience. Before he could ask her, the Gryffindors came shuffling in from the corner. They were talking loudly amongst themselves, and Ron noted that none were talking with Hermione. She was clutching her books to her chest and was walking with an intense look, as if she had some sort of mission to complete. She narrowed her eyes on Ron and then looked away towards the Potions Class door. What did I do to this head-case? The other Gryffindors were chatting about Ron and giving him quick glances, much to his surprise, so he looked to Blaise for an explanation.
"Word travels fast in this school" Blaise shrugged. "But you already knew that before you clocked Draco." Blaise seemed to smirk at the very memory. Ron let out a long sigh and shook his head. People gossip more than they study in this school apparently… Ron shot a quick look towards Malfoy and saw the platinum haired git glaring at Ron with a burning hatred. This isn't over is it…? Bloody hell, I'm the dumbest Weasley to ever exit, aren't I? The door to the Potions Class swung open revealing a scowling Professor Snape. He then marched back into the class and the student body followed after him. Ron took a seat next to Tracey, who gave him another wide smile.
Snape began taking the roll call in a slow and drawn out voice that made him sound like he didn't care one bit about being here to teach the first years. He stopped just before reading Harry's name and gazed at the boy in spectacles. "Harry Potter" Snape sneered and spoke softly. "Our newest… celebrity…" That got chuckles out of Malfoy and his cronies. Snape then proceeded to finish the roll call in the same fashion that he had started it in. Then he put the parchment in his hand on the desk behind him, and turned quickly to look back at the first years. "You are here to learn of the very subtle science and exact art of Potion-making" he spoke softly, but everyone in the room could hear him clearly. "Many of you will not believe that Potion-making is magic, due to little foolish wand-waving and other silly theatrics that no doubt appeal to your tiny brains… As such, I do not expect you to understand the beauty of a simmering cauldron, and the power of the liquids within which can bewitch your minds and ensnare your senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death… that is, if you all aren't a bunch of big dunderheads that I am usually forced to teach every year…" Snape then proceeded to gaze around the dead silent room, stopping for only a short moment when his eyes fell on Ron.
Snape then continued his gaze and stopped completely at Harry Potter. "Potter!" Snape said suddenly, making everyone jump in surprise. "What potion would I most likely get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood?" Harry looked completely lost and had his mouth hanging open slightly. Ron knew the answer to that but kept his mouth shut and hand down. Something that Hermione didn't do, as she immediately raised her hand above her head.
"I… I don't know sir…" Harry managed to mutter out.
"Hmph… very well Potter" Snape sneered at the little boy. "Where would you look if I ordered you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione all but shot out of her seat, reaching her hand as high as she could. Harry just looked down and shook his head.
"I don't know, sir…" he muttered out again. Ron could hear Malfoy and his cronies laughing at poor Harry being humiliated and Ron had to clench his teeth in order to stop himself from clocking Malfoy again. Why is Snape doing this to Harry? I thought that my brothers were just making stuff up again to scare me…"
"What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane, Potter?" Snape sneered even more at Harry. Hermione was now trying to touch the ceiling as she hopped on her feet and threw her hand up with gusto. Can't she see that she is making this worse for Harry? What is her problem?!
"I don't know that either, sir" Harry muttered again, his cheeks red from shame.
"Clearly… fame isn't everything" Snape said softly while giving a faint smirk. "Mr. Weasley!" Snape turned to Ron suddenly, making Ron sit up straight and pay full attention. Bloody hell… is it my turn to get humiliated now?
"Yes, sir" Ron spoke clearly.
"Answer the questions I asked Potter" Snape commanded in his soft authoritative voice. Just do it Ron… or you'll be next on his list.
"Mixing Asphodel with an infusion of Wormwood would give you a powerful sleeping potion known by the name of Draught of Living Death, sir" Ron spoke clearly, looking straight into Snape's black eyes. "A bezoar is a stone which can be found within the stomach of a goat, and it is known to be able to cure the effects of most poisons. As for Monkshood and Wolfsbane sir, they are the same plant, and they also go by the name of aconite." Ron finished clearly and took in a shaky breath. He knew he was right but a small part of him expected Snape to rip into him as well, just like he had done to poor Harry. Snape smirked at Ron and gave him a curt nod.
"Ten points to Slytherin Mr. Weasley, for not being an absolute dunderhead" Snape said. Snape then turned around and started writing things on the blackboard. Bloody hell that was terrifying. Ron looked over to Harry and gave him a sad smile, which Harry returned much to Ron's relief. Ron also caught sight of Hermione glaring at Ron rather intently. Can nothing go right for me today?
The class proceeded with everyone taking notes as fast as Snape was speaking, everyone except Ron because he already knew everything Snape was saying off by heart. After Ron noticed that Snape had given him a smirk for not taking notes, Ron understood that Snape didn't mind him not taking notes. So Ron waited patiently for the class to proceed and secretly hoped that they would get to make a potion today.
Ron didn't miss the fact that his classmates were giving him annoyed, and jealous, looks for not taking any notes and getting away with it. Even his friends, with the exception of Tracey who only smiled at him, gave him those looks. Snape then stopped talking and informed them that they would making a potion to cure boils today, which had made Ron ecstatic because that was the first potion Ron had ever made with his potions kit. He had botched it a couple of times back then, but now he was confident he could make it perfectly. Tracey and he got the ingredients from the shelves, and then began making the potion with Ron taking the lead. Ron crushed the six snake fangs into a fine powder while Tracey got the measurements right and prepared the cauldron. They then added four measures of the finely powdered snake fangs to the cauldron and heated the mixture. Ron waved his wand over the potion, and then they left the potion to brew. "Ron…" Tracey said softly, very different from her usual tone. "I just wanted to thank you… for what you did… with Malfoy that is." Ron's cheeks reddened and his ears burned at hearing that.
"Um… it was nothing Tracey" Ron stuttered. She gave him a wide grin.
"Yes it was. No one has punched another person while defending me before. I think it was really sweet of you." She then walked over and gave him a quick kiss on his left cheek. "Thank you, Ron." Ron's face felt hot and he blushed harder than he had ever done before.
"Uh… don't worry about it." Ron stuttered even more. "We're friends Tracey… so of course… I'd stand up for you." Ron looked down at his shuffling feet, so he therefore missed the surprised look on Tracey's face. She then let out a loud laugh, which earned her a loud cough from Snape.
"Sorry, sir" she said quickly. Snape shook his head and continued patrolling the room, looking at the students' potions. Tracey turned to a shocked Ron and smiled fully. "How did you end up in Slytherin?" Her voice was filled with laughter, and a hint of curiosity. A talking hat screwed me over that's how…. But instead of saying what was on his mind, he simply smiled and gave her a shrug. "How is your hand Ron?"
"Its fine now, doesn't even hurt one bit" Ron said while showing her his hand. She looked at it intently, it was still a bit puffy but it wasn't red anymore.
"You broke your knuckle…" she said softly, grabbing his hand in her soft ones. Ron felt a little uncomfortable at first, but quickly relaxed. She is just having a look, don't be weird Weasley… stay calm. She looked intently at his hand and then back up at him. "You are an odd one Ron" she mused to herself, her voice laced with humor. She then let go of his hand and the two fell into a more casual conversation. Ron learned that Tracey's father was a Pure-Blood wizard who married a Muggle-born witch during the last war. He also learned that she had met Daphne because their fathers were business partners of sorts and the girls had sparked a quick friendship. Ron, in turn, told her about his siblings and the Lovegoods. Their conversation felt rather pleasant to Ron, so he was incredibly annoyed at first when a loud moan had ripped both of their attentions away from it. Ron's annoyance was gone immediately as he saw Neville, who was covered in angry red boils, moaning in pain. Snape moved over to the boy with a massive frown.
"IDIOT BOY!" Snape bellowed. "Potter! Take Longbottom to Hospital Wing now!" Harry did as he was told quickly and both boys were gone in a flash. Snape then flicked his wand and cleaned the mess Neville had left behind. Ron was shocked to see that the cauldron Neville and Harry had been using was melted completely. What did Neville do? He somehow managed to melt the bloody cauldron… Ron then looked after his own potion with even more care, not planning to join Neville in the Hospital Wing. After finishing the second stage of the potion, with Tracey's help, Ron waved his wand over the potion and saw a pink, ethereal smoke rising from their cauldron.
"Professor Snape" Ron called, not too loudly because he was scared of the man. "Our potion is finished, sir." Snape made his way over to their table, his black robes billowing behind him as usual. Snape took a careful look at the potion, and then took some out with his wand and placed it into a vial. Snape then cast a non-verbal spell at the vial and waited for a moment. Then a smirk came onto his face and he nodded his head once.
"Well done Mr. Weasley and Miss. Davis" Snape said softly. "A perfect potion if I do say so myself." Tracey beamed at Ron and clapped her hands, but Ron just let out a relieved sigh. Thank you Merlin… Wherever you are… "Five points to each of you for Slytherin, for not being dunderheads." Snape then gave Ron another look before he billowed away to resume his patrolling.
"Yes!" Tracey exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "He said it was perfect, did you hear that Ron?! I heard that he never gives compliments!" Tracey was clearly ecstatic for not being destroyed by Snape's wrath. Ron shared her sentiment, although he kept quiet and just smiled at his cauldron. He realized that Snape was horrible to those that he deemed to be dunderheads, which Ron didn't agree with because a teacher should help everyone, but at least Ron had managed to keep his reputation with Snape intact. That's enough for me right now. Ron didn't miss the glares that Malfoy and Hermione were shooting him either. Malfoy glaring at him, Ron could understand, but why was Hermione so angry with him all the time? I'm gonna find out why. This needs to stop.
The classes ended and all the students went back to their own common rooms. Ron prepared himself, just in case anything happened during their small break before dinner. Much to his relief, none of the older students did a thing to him, and continued to ignore most of the first years as they had for the past few days. Ron did note though that a few older students were now talking with Malfoy, no doubt believing whatever lies he was telling them. The thought of that happening irked him greatly so he decided to excuse himself from his friends, telling them that he would see them at dinner. Ron then walked around the castle alone for a short while, before deciding that he should go and see if Neville was doing alright in the Hospital Wing. He entered slowly and quickly noticed that Harry was sitting next to a cured looking Neville, who lay in one of the hospital beds. They were talking about something that Ron couldn't quite hear. They stopped abruptly when they saw Ron approaching them. Neville took on a guarded, and slightly scared, look whereas Harry just smiled at Ron and stood up to greet him. "Hi guys" Ron greeted them.
"Hey Ron" Harry returned the greeting quickly. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh… I just wanted to see if Neville was alright after the um… you know…" Ron finished lamely. Harry's smile widened and he looked at Neville.
"See Nev!" Harry exclaimed. "Ron is a good guy, just like I told you." That made Ron's cheek flush a little and Ron looked over to Neville who still looked a bit guarded. "Forgive Neville, Ron" Harry continued. "He doesn't like the Slytherins much because they have been right gits to us for no reason." That peaked Ron's curiosity. Didn't Hermione say that Harry was being bullied?
"Is someone giving you trouble Harry?" Ron asked cautiously, he didn't want to overstep his bounds with Harry. Harry looked a little sheepish at first, but then he calmed himself down with a short sigh and looked right at Ron.
"Just Malfoy and his apes. I caught them picking on Neville and after I stepped in, they started hounding me as well." Why am I not surprised to hear that Malfoy is being a tosser to everyone, and not just me? "So is it true?" Harry inquired.
"Is what true?" Ron asked back. Harry was about to answer but Neville piped up in a timid voice.
"They are saying that you broke Malfoy's nose because he insulted one of your friends" Neville whispered. So everyone really does know about it then.
"Um… yeah" Ron started, scratching the back of his head. "He called Tracey a filthy Half-Blood so I clocked him hard." Harry looked a little confused, but Ron didn't really understand why. Neville gasped upon hearing Ron's explanation, making Harry even more confused.
"Half-Blood?" Harry asked. I forgot that Harry didn't grow up in the wizarding world. He told me on the train that he had just found out that he was a wizard after all.
"It's a horrible thing to say to someone" Neville explained. Neville then explained everything he knew about Blood-Supremacy to Harry, which clearly made the boy-who-lived disgusted with Malfoy. Neville then turned to Ron and gave him a weak smile. "I wish I had the courage to punch Malfoy in the face." Courage? More like stupidity that is gonna cost my friends…
"Yeh well… I broke my own knuckle too, and got a detention from McGonagall. So it wasn't a complete win for me…" Ron trailed off.
"Well I think it's brilliant that you showed Malfoy what happens when you bully others" Harry piped in, smiling at Ron. Ron smiled back at him, happy to see that they were still friendly and that Harry had even defended Ron to people like Neville.
"Thanks Harry" Ron smiled. Harry patted him on his back and grinned ear to ear.
"Hey Ron" Harry started "Hagrid invited Nev and I to have tea with him tomorrow afternoon during our spare periods. Why don't you tag along too?" Ron beamed at that, he knew now that becoming Harry's friend was going to be much easier than he thought. But then he realized something that made his face fall.
"I can't Harry" Ron said, a bit defeated. "I don't have spare periods at lunch tomorrow. I have a double of D.A.D.A during then."
"Oh…" Harry's face fell a little. "Well next time we can do it on the weekend. Then you can join us." Ron nodded at that and smiled, grateful for Harry being understanding. An idea then clicked in his brain to deal with his bushy-haired girl problems.
"Hey Harry" Ron started "do you know that girl we met on the train?" Harry sighed and nodded. "Why is she always glaring at me in classes? Like she wants to hex me every time I get something right…" Harry shook his head.
"Hermione is mental Ron… She doesn't have any friends because she is always bossing us around and telling us that we aren't doing things properly" Harry whined. "So we just ignore her now…" That didn't answer Ron's question but he did feel a pang of pity for the girl. He still remembered how her house had laughed at her outside Charms Class, and remembering that made him remember another memory. Luna was being bullied in my vision… That made him cringe slightly, something the other two boys didn't seem to notice. Is Hermione feeling bullied? Is that why she tried to bite my head off when she thought I was bullying Harry? Imagine being ignored by everyone in your house, it must be horrid… Ron didn't want to somber the mood with his own thoughts, so he bid the other two boys goodbye and promised Harry that he would join them the next time they went to Hagrid's. Ron was making his way to the Great Hall when four hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him into an empty classroom. Ron was fully alert now, and he ripped out his wand as soon as the hands pushed him into the class. He turned around and pointed the wand straight at two identical faces that just grinned at him.
"Oh no Fred" George whimpered mockingly. "Ickle Ronnikins has us at his mercy!"
"Oh George" Fred whimpered mockingly as well. "Who will save us from his wrath?!" They both then burst into laughter at Ron. Ron was shocked to see Fred being so… so normal with him. That shock wore out fast though because the twins' laughter began annoying Ron.
"Why did you have to kidnap me?" Ron questioned, annoyed at being manhandled. "You could have just bloody asked me to come along!" The twins stopped laughing at that and smirked slyly at Ron.
"Now where is the fun in that, little bro" Fred chuckled out. Little bro…? LITTLE BRO?! He has been nothing but horrible to me for the last few days and now he just calls me little bro like nothing happened?! MUM SENT THAT DAMN LETTER BECAUSE OF HIM!
"Don't call me that…" Ron gritted out, making Fred stop his chuckling immediately. "George can call me that but if you… if you call me that again, I'll hex your balls off Fred…" Fred's eyes widened at that and he just stared at Ron in shock. George sighed and looked down at his feet, shaking his head at Ron's anger.
"Ronnie…" Fred started but Ron cut him off immediately.
"SHUT UP!" Ron yelled, feeling angry tears in his eyes. I went into Slytherin to save him! And he has treated me like dirt… He called me a Death-Eater to my face!
"Ron" George piped in. "Just calm down please. Fred wants to apologize to you that's all…"
"Apologize?!" Ron turned to face George. "For what? For treating me like dirt? For calling me a Death-Eater to my face? Or was it because he is the reason that both mum and dad hate me now?!" Ron ripped the letter out of his robes, which he had been carrying around constantly for some reason. He threw it at Fred who flinched back because of Ron's anger at him and the things Ron had said. Fred then picked up the letter and began reading it.
"He doesn't know about the letter, Ron" George whispered, looking guilty. "I couldn't tell him about it, and Percy won't even look at Fred…" Fred gasped loudly as he kept reading, making Ron and George look at his face. Fred was wide-eyed and by the time he finished, all he could do was shake his head.
"Ronnie… I didn't think that…" Fred started but Ron cut him off again.
"DIDN'T THINK WHAT FRED?! YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT THEY WOULD REACT LIKE YOU DID WHEN YOU SENT THEM THE LETTER THAT SCREWED ME OVER?!" Ron was shouting hysterically and broke into devastated crying at the end. "You… ruined… everything and… and now they both hate me because of you" he choked out as he sat down on the floor, covering his face. George went to sit next to Ron immediately and was trying to comfort him in any way he could. Fred just stood there, racked with guilt and shocked at the letter that his mother had sent. What had he done? Ron was carrying this around with him… all because Fred felt betrayed by something that Ron had no control over.
"I'm… I'm…" Fred stuttered, looking at a crying Ron who was being comforted by George. "I'm sorry, Ron… I'm so sorry" Fred muttered, feeling his own eyes stinging because of the heavy guilt he felt at what his actions had put Ron through. "Please Ronnie… I'm so sorry about this… I… was just being a git." Fred rubbed his eyes to clear them. George then glared at Fred for the first time in their entire lives together.
"Leave Fred…" George said clearly. Fred was horrified by his twin's anger at him. "Just leave… give him some time." Fred stumbled back and bumped into the door. He quickly turned around and flung the door open, and then went through it quickly. The door closed behind him slowly, making an eerie creaking noise. George held and comforted Ron for another ten minutes before Ron finally managed to calm down, but his hands were still shaking though and he had not missed that particular quirk of his. George reached into his robes and pulled out a chocolate frog, which he then handed to Ron with the kindest smile Ron had seen from George in his entire life. Ron put the whole thing into his mouth hungrily, which made George snigger. "Ease up there Ronnikins. It's not the last chocolate frog left on the planet." Ron didn't care one bit about etiquette in that moment. He needed something to cheer him up and that frog was the answer, so he had demolished it like an animal.
"Why was Fred coming to apologize if he didn't know about the letter from mum?" Ron finally asked. That question was bugging him throughout his little breakdown.
"We heard a certain rumor about you, little brother" George said in a serious tone, which was still laced with humor somehow. "We heard that you broke Malfoy's nose, and broke your own knuckle in the process. That convinced Fred that he had been wrong about you, and the fact that Perce and I weren't too happy with him at all." Ron gave a dry chuckle at that. If I had known that I could save myself so much trouble just by clocking that smug git, I would have done it right after the sorting. "So Ron, is it true? Did you really break his nose?" Ron gave a quick nod and grinned wolfishly at George, which made George clap his hands loudly and laugh even louder. "Why in Merlin's name did you do that?"
"He called my friend Tracey a filthy Half-Blood to her face." Ron felt his cheeks flush with anger at the memory. George lost his humor quickly after hearing that.
"Bloody hell…" George muttered in disbelief. "You did the right thing Ron, should've hexed him in the face right after as well."
"I wanted to, believe me. But my hand was killing me, Theo and Blaise ended up taking me to Madam Pomfrey and she fixed my broken knuckle" Ron finished proudly. George nodded and ruffled Ron's hair.
"You did a brave thing there Ron, you protected your friend." He became quiet suddenly and looked at the door leading outside. "Just like you protected Mrs. Lovegood… How did I ever let Fred convince me that you had betrayed everything mum and dad raised us to believe in?" George shook his head disapprovingly, mostly likely thinking about himself and his twin.
"It was pretty stupid… even for you" Ron joked, feeling uncomfortable about the fact that George was angry with himself. George gave a dry laugh at that.
"It was Ronne. I really am sorry…"
"I know."
Ron got to dinner later than planned but Theo and Blaise had saved him a seat. He ate with his friends and told them about Fred finally coming around. Theo and Blaise were a little disinterested in that bit of news but the girls were genuinely happy for Ron, except Daphne had tried to hide her true feelings rather poorly. Once dinner ended, they marched to the common room and finally went to bed. Something Ron had been longing for all day. The next day had gone by rather smoothly. Malfoy kept his distance from Ron and his friends, probably because he didn't want to get clocked again. Charms and Transfiguration classes that morning also went by without any problems and Ron had earned a total of thirty points for Slytherin by the end of Transfiguration. Ron had also noted that both Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall seemed to expect something from him, as they shot him approving smiles every time he answered something correctly.
This also meant that Hermione tried even harder to compete against him, and then glared at him menacingly when he managed to beat her by five points. Then came the moment Ron had been waiting for, a double class of D.A.D.A which Ron was keen to show off in. Theo and Blaise sniggered at his enthusiasm, and then they told him to just wait and see. It was horrible… They didn't talk about the subject at all… Professor Quirrell stuttered the entire time about his adventures in Romania, and how he had made friends with a vampire who then tried to eat Quirrell in his sleep. Ron found himself wondering how in the bloody hell had this man become a professor at Hogwarts, and who in their moment of pure insanity had hired Quirrell to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?
It gutted Ron to know that his favorite subject was going to be worse than even Herbology because of 'Professor' Quirrell. Then dinner came around, and a school owl hooted loudly as it came barreling towards Ron. Ron knew it was carrying a response from Pandora, which made his heart race with anticipation and dread. He didn't know what he would do if Pandora had acted like his mother. He could always fling himself off of the Astronomy Tower, he mused dryly. The bird landed in front of Ron and extended its leg. Ron took the letter attached to it and quickly placed it in his robes, right next to the letter from his mother. He would read it tomorrow… He just didn't have it in him to read it today. Daphne had given him a faint, sad smile which had made Ron a little more scared. He needed Pandora to be on his side… Just like she had been when she snuck him into Diagon Alley and bought him his beautiful wand. Ron couldn't bear to have his second mother hate him as well…
After dinner ended, Ron walked up towards McGonagall's office to serve his detention. Malfoy had lurked behind him, sneering into the back of Ron's skull but Ron couldn't have cared less. Professor McGonagall first informed the two boys that an owl had been sent to both their parents explaining what had happened, and had then made them clean the Gryffindor trophy cabinet and its contents by hand, with no magical assistance, much to Malfoy's shock and horror. It was a grueling task mainly because the damn school had existed for a thousand years, and Gryffindor had won just as many trophies in that time… They cleaned the cabinet in dead silence, much to Ron's joy because he didn't want to hear that pompous voice leak out of Malfoy's mouth. Deep down Ron knew that he would clock the git again if Malfoy even said one word to him… By the time detention ended, it was already so late that the entire common room was empty when Ron and Malfoy got back. They were too exhausted to even argue with each other, and so both of them quietly marched into the own dorms. Ron fell asleep staring at the unopened letter from Pandora clutched tightly in his hands.
Molly Weasley POV
It was five in the morning but Molly was wide awake, and trying to make breakfast. It wasn't going well at all… One week had passed since she had bid her sons goodbye on Platform 93/4 and today was Saturday. Her boys had been gone for five days, and Molly had never been more upset about sending her children to Hogwarts. She had barely slept in the last two days, and she had barely eaten anything. Even her little angel Ginny could see that something was wrong with her mother, but Molly hadn't said a word of it to Ginny. How could she tell her daughter that her favorite brother, the one that Ginny never stopped talking about, was placed in Slytherin? How could she even explain that without breaking down again? My poor little boy… alone in that den of serpents…
When she had first learned of Ron's sorting, through Fred's angry letter, she had gone mental. It had felt like the worst sort of betrayal to her, like Ron had slapped her across the face and spat on everything that she had raised him to believe in. Everything that her own brothers, Gideon and Fabian, had died trying to protect. She had been filled with the righteous anger which her side of the family was well known for, more so than ever before. In her blind rage she had spoken to Arthur about the sorting, and seeing her husband's shock had cemented her rage towards Ronald. How could that boy have done this? How long had he been hiding his true self from everyone around him? Is that why he used Pandora to get him whatever he wanted? Did he even save her life out of compassion? These horrid thoughts had plagued her while she wrote all her anger and disappointment into a letter, and then she sent the letter with Errol to go find Ronald. She needed an explanation at once. That was all there was to it, but no reply had come…
By the end of Thursday night, she was done waiting so she decided to talk to her husband about it. When she told him what she had said in the letter, Arthur had exploded in rage. Something that he hadn't done since he had caught her trying to avenge her brothers all those years ago. Arthur had explained to her how Ron must've felt reading such a terrible thing from his own mother. That Ron was already all alone in Slytherin, with no friends most likely. That Molly may have just pushed Ron away permanently by saying such things to him… That Ron would never look at her the same way again…
At first, she had stubbornly defended her actions. But after a couple of hours, her resolve began to crumble away. When it all fully dawned on her, Molly had broken down in tears from the guilt of her actions. She couldn't believe that her anger had caused her to act in such a vicious manner towards her youngest boy. A boy she already knew felt like an outsider in the family. Arthur had tried to comfort her after, but she had wept all night.
That was the beginning of her current state of unhappiness. She didn't want to eat, she didn't want to sleep, and she couldn't even bring herself to play with Ginny… All she wanted was to hold her little Ronnie and apologize. She had even tried to write a letter to him, but no words came to her mind. What would she even say to him? They had never been very close, that was probably why he loved Pandora so much… But Molly had kept trying to write a letter for the entirety of Friday, with no success. She had slept no more than three hours, on Friday night, before she had woken up from a nightmare of Ron being crushed to death by pythons, his little body mangled and shattered beyond repair. She had come down to her kitchen and wept herself spare in the dark. He was all alone, and she had made him feel even more abandoned… She would never forgive herself for that, she knew it with absolute certainty.
It was now seven in the morning, and any minute now her husband and daughter would come down to eat a breakfast that wasn't even cooked right. But Molly couldn't bring herself to care about that, Ronald was the only thing in her mind. Is Ronnie eating properly…? Her thoughts were disturbed by the heavy footsteps coming from upstairs. Molly quickly cleaned her eyes and wiped her face to hide the tear tracks. She didn't want Ginny to see her like this. She didn't want her daughter to feel the same way she did right now. Arthur and Ginny came downstairs and bid her good morning. Arthur's greeting was more somber, because he knew that his wife had spent the entire night crying for their son again. They sat down and began to eat while Molly paced around the kitchen, putting everything she had used for cooking in the sink. Then a loud tapping sound came from the kitchen window, which made Molly jump in fright. Her nerves were at the end of their limits. When she saw that it was a school owl, she ran to the window in fear and flung it open which scared the poor owl. She took the letter from its leg with shaking hands and dreaded what it may say. When she read on the cover that it wasn't from Ron, but rather Minerva McGonagall, she had almost fainted from sheer terror. He is hurt… I just know… Those snakes hurt my boy… She ripped the letter open and began reading it. Her daughter and husband just watched her with worry.
Dearest Molly and Arthur,
It is to my great regret that I must inform you that Ronald, your youngest son, has been caught fighting with his fellow house-mates. We have questioned everyone involved and learnt why the fight occurred in the first place. It appears that Draco Malfoy, another Slytherin boy, called one of Ronald's friends a 'filthy Half-Blood' to her face. Ronald then proceeded to break young Mr. Malfoy's nose with his own right hand, and in doing so, he broke his own middle knuckle. Both boys have been punished accordingly with a detention with myself and have also lost a substantial amount of points for Slytherin House. As his parents, I must inform you of this incident and can only hope that you deter him from such behavior in the foreseeable future.
Your Friend,
Minerva McGonagall.
P.s: Ronald has impressed the whole school with his advanced knowledge in magic and I must admit that I am truly looking forward to seeing what he is capable of in the future. You truly do have a talented young man for a son. I hope you are as proud of him as I am to teach him.
When Molly finished reading the letter her friend had sent her, she broke into a wet sob and clutched the letter to her chest. My Ronnie is still the same! He hasn't forgotten what I taught him! She could die from the joy and relief her heart was flooded with. Hot tears ran down her face and she knew that they were tears of joy. "Molly?" Arthur's worried voice came from behind her. "Love, is everything alright?" Molly turned to her husband with tears running down her face, and a joyous smile across her face. The sight made Arthur wide-eyed. Molly handed him the letter and then turned to face her scared daughter.
"Everything is alright my sweet" she cooed. "Now go and fetch mummy a quill and some parchment. Why don't we both send Ronnie a letter together?" Ginny beamed at the sound of that and quickly ran towards her father's study, jumping in joy at finally learning about Ron's sorting and how he was doing at Hogwarts. Molly looked over to her husband and another happy sob escaped from her throat at the sight. Arthur was reading the letter with tears in his eyes and he was smiling ear to ear. After he finished, the couple embraced one another tightly and let out a wet laugh each. Everything is going to be fine. Ronnie will be just fine…
AUTHOR'S NOTES: And there you have it. Molly may get angry and become a monster, but her love for her children is unquestionable. I think everyone who has read the books can see that. Molly is a mama bear!
Now Chapter 8 should be up in a day or so... Things are getting a little busy for me with my Birthday approaching, but I won't let you guys down. I was going to update weekly, but so much positive feedback has made me obsessed with delivering to you all. I hope you enjoyed the last two chapters, and I hope you look forward to the next one.
P.S: To think that I only started this around 5 days ago... I'm off to write the next one!
P.P.S: I FORGOT ABOUT SCABBERS HAHAHA! Next chapter will feature him, I promise! I'm a GIT!