AUTHOR'S NOTES: Here is Chapter 10! Hopefully the wait wasn't too long! Also I'm sure that many of you have noticed that the word count is getting up there, and we aren't even through first year yet. This is going to be a long story is all I'll say to that...
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 10 – The Troll Slayer
Ronald Weasley's POV
By the time Ron woke up the next morning, Hermione had already left for breakfast. Ron felt his stomach turn from hunger due to not eating much the previous night, and throwing up after the troll incident. Madam Pomfrey smiled at Ron and told him that he was clear to leave for breakfast, and that he was also cleared from the Hospital Wing.
Ron all but ran to the Great Hall, excited about finally eating. As soon as he turned into the Great Hall and started making his way towards his friends, the entire hall went silent and stared at Ron. This jarred him and he stared back warily. What's this…? Is something wrong? The hall then erupted into hushed whispers and glances being shot at him by every student he could see. Someone tapped on his shoulder from behind and Ron jumped a little before turning to face the person who had scared him. It was Percy, with Fred and George standing right behind him, all of them looked wary and awed at the same time. "Is it true Ron? Percy asked, sounding breathless.
"Is what true?" Ron inquired back. This has to be about the troll… I see no other reason. But he was still cautious due to three years of paranoia backing him up.
"The Slytherins spread a rumor that you singlehandedly killed the troll last night…" Fred blurted out.
"And Harry said the exact same thing to us, as did Neville…" George added on.
"So is it true?" the twins then asked at the same time. Ron sighed at the information about the Slytherins spreading rumors. It had to be my friends… Probably Theo and his weird habit of boasting about me…
"Yes" Ron said quietly. His brothers went wide-eyed. "I used the Blasting Curse to blow off half of its face… Look guys I don't want to talk about it just yet… It's still pretty fresh and it was gruesome…" Ron heard footsteps behind him.
"Ron is everything alright?" came Theo's smooth voice from behind Ron. Ron turned to see Theo, Blaise, and Millicent standing there with their arms crossed.
"Yeah, my brothers just wanted to know about the troll" Ron smiled at his 'backup'.
"I see" Theo smirked. Oh no… "It is true, Ron slayed a troll last night to save three Gryffindors. One of which was the 'famous' Harry Potter…" Theo then addressed Percy alone. "Odd that a Slytherin is doing a better job of keeping Gryffindors safe, rather than a Gryffindor prefect." Ron just closed his eyes at that. Why did he do that…? Meanwhile Percy went red from embarrassment, while Fred and George went red from anger.
"Listen here you little…" Fred started but was cut off by Blaise.
"Come Ron" Blaise said aloofly. "Breakfast is getting cold, you must be hungry after everything you did for the poor little Gryffindors. The older Slytherins are very interested in talking to you." You as well Blaise… Really? And what does he mean by 'interested'?
"So are we" Fred gritted out. "He's our brother so he…" Theo cut Fred off at that.
"So now he is your brother?" Theo questioned innocently. "Funny how you turned your back on him, and now that he is famous around the school, you come crawling back like a beggar…" WOAH! Ease up there… A small part of Ron was happy that his friends were being so loyal to him. But a bigger part of him was extremely suspicious at this sudden increase in loyalty. Ron turned to see George flinch, as if he had been slapped. Fred was going even redder in the face, while Percy just glared at Theo with a furrowed brow. I really can't be bothered dealing with this, I just want to eat…
"That's enough Theo" Ron said clearly. Then Ron looked at Perce with a pleading look. "Please Percy, can we talk about this after breakfast? I didn't even get to eat last night…" Percy looked at Ron for a moment before giving him a firm nod. Then Percy all but dragged the twins away to the Gryffindor table. Thank Merlin for Percy… to think that I once felt annoyed just by looking at him… I was a proper git!
Ron then joined his friends on the Slytherin table and quickly started piling food on his plate. He ignored the whispers and the long stares being sent his way, he just needed to eat right now. "Ron?" came Tracey's voice from across him. Ron looked up at her, mouth filled with eggs. Tracey chuckled at the sight, and then let out a long sigh. "I think we should warn you about… about the whole school really."
"What about the whole school?" Ron asked, after he swallowed the eggs down. "I noticed everyone staring and whispering about me. Is that what you mean?" Tracey smiled and nodded her head.
"The whole school knows about how you… how you blew off the troll's he… head…" Tracey said slowly, stuttering near the very end. She looked a little green, no doubt because of the memory of the horrific scene. Even Ron felt sick thinking about it, especially when he thought about how powerful he felt after.
"I see…" Ron started. "And how does the school know this already? It happened last night and I was in the Hospital Wing the whole night." Ron looked around at his friends. They all looked a bit sheepish, except Daphne who was eating quietly with her head down. Ron found that extremely suspicious.
"Carey Ductu, our female prefect" Millicent began. "After we all got dismissed from the Hospital Wing, we made our way back to the common room. Everyone was still awake, and many of the older Slytherins questioned her about you. She told everyone about what happened… about what you did to the..." she stopped to shudder. Her too…
"A lot of people didn't believe her, or us for that matter… Then Draco started convincing everyone about how a Blood… about how you couldn't have possibly done something like that" Millie continued. "There were arguments amongst the people that did believe it, and those that didn't. But then Professor Snape showed up and told everyone the exact same thing Carey had told the Slytherins. He even mentioned that Dumbledore himself awarded you fifty points! So now everyone in Slytherin is… well they are showing you off to the other houses as some sort of trophy…"
Ron just sat there trying to process everything that Millie had just said. A trophy? I did the work, and they want to reap the rewards? Bloody snakes… Also why would Professor Snape tell everyone about this? I know he shows us bias in classes, but to actually turn me into a… into a bloody trophy. Guess even he isn't above being petty…
"Also the Ravenclaws want to dissect you" Blaise added with a chuckle. Pardon?
"Excuse me?" Ron asked, his eyes bulging out.
"Oh yeah" Theo chuckled. "They want to know what other powerful spells you have hidden away in that mind of yours. Actually… so do the rest of us. Care to enlighten us?" Theo finished with a grin. Ron let out an annoyed sigh.
"Enough to kill a dozen more trolls…" Ron joked, his voice hollow. He was happy about his fame no doubt, but the spotlight would bring so many questions with it. And he really didn't feel like giving out the answers. Ron then looked at his friends and noticed that they were all staring at him. Theo wasn't grinning anymore, and even Daphne was looking up at him. They all looked a bit… scared? They think I'm being serious… Actually… I can use this can't I?
A devious idea entered Ron's mind. Why shouldn't he show off a little? He only had to answer to the professors, and he had already done that! The rest of the school didn't need to know about the truth, nor could they force him to talk. He could maybe even become famous outside of Hogwarts… Ron almost laughed at how slippery he had become due to Theo and Blaise's influence. And he had always wanted to outdo his brothers in something. And now I have! He had slain a Mountain Troll singlehandedly at the young age of only eleven!
His childish dreams of being brilliant and famous were too tempting to pass up, and so he decided that he would go through with this. Now he just had to convince every student that questioned him that he was extremely powerful already. First I just need to convince my friends… which I already seemed to have done. But nothing wrong with a little showing off is there?
"Guys you have nothing to worry about from me" Ron smiled in a sly manner. "You're my friends… and I would never use any of the curses I already know… on you." Ron laughed with childish evil inside, especially after his friends' eyes widened and some of their mouths hung open slightly. But when he noticed that they genuinely looked a bit scared of him, especially the girls, Ron felt a strong pang of guilt. Great going there Ron…
"Mr. Weasley" came a cold voice from behind Ron, making him turn around slowly. It was Professor Snape. "The Headmaster has asked me to collect you, and to bring you to his office. He wishes… to speak with you." Snape's face was expressionless as usual, but his voice seemed to be even more drawled out than usual.
"Yes, sir" Ron quickly nodded and stood up. Snape gave a faint smirk at the boy's respectful behavior. Snape then turned towards the exit and strode towards it, his black robes billowing behind. "I'll see you guys in the common room after?" Ron asked his friends, trying his best to smile kindly at them.
"Yeah" Theo said, somewhat relaxing at Ron's smile. The rest nodded, except Blaise who had recovered his composure and only gave out a grunt. Ron smiled again and nodded to them before running after Snape. As they made their exit, Snape snapped his finger at Ron's brothers and they ran over to join them. Ok… What is going on?
None of them said a word through the whole journey, not even as Snape whispered something to a statue of a gargoyle. The statue then slid to the side, revealing a spiraling stairway that led upwards. They followed Snape up to a closed door, and then waited after Snape knocked on the door loudly.
"Come in" came the Headmaster's voice from past the door. Snape then pushed the door open slowly and entered, followed by the Weasley brothers.
Ron was in awe at the office. It was large, and circular in shape. The entire room was covered in silver instruments, and their purpose being something that Ron couldn't even begin to understand. There was incense smoke that somewhat clouded the room, giving it a very mysterious ambience about it. There were also many windows around the room and so many moving portraits, all of which seemed to be snoozing or reading books. Ron then looked at some of the objects more closely, and couldn't help but shudder when he spotted the Sorting Hat sitting behind the Headmaster's large claw-footed desk. Bloody talking hat… Dumbledore sat behind his desk and was writing something down rather quickly.
"Ah, the Weasleys" Dumbledore said softly, without even looking up. "Welcome, please sit down" Dumbledore finished, gesturing at the seats in front of the desk. Ron quickly glanced at his brothers, who all seemed to be a bit wary, and then Ron glanced at Snape, who just gave him a quick nod. Ron was the first to move and sit down, followed by his three older brothers shortly after. They sat in silence for almost a minute, all the while listening to Dumbledore's quill scraping against a piece of parchment. None of them dared to interrupt the greatest wizard to ever walk the earth. Then Dumbledore stopped writing, put his quill in an inkpot, and then turned to face the Weasleys.
"I am sure you have heard the rumors that are no doubt spreading throughout the school even as we speak." Dumbledore paused for a moment and looked at each Weasley one at a time. "They are… true." Ron's brothers immediately looked at Ron with awe and shock. "Ronald faced, and slayed, a fully grown Mountain Troll last night in the girl's bathroom near the dungeons. He also saved the lives of three other students in the process. As such, I have contacted your parents this very morning. They will be arriving shortly by floo. As will the Lovegood family, at Ron's personal request." Dumbledore was smiling kindly at the Weasleys the entire time he spoke, he truly did care for this large but humble family.
He also found it highly amusing to see Ron's brothers in absolute awe at the young boy's feats, just as Dumbledore secretly was. The fact that Ron had been looking for his friend, rather than chasing down the troll for personal glory, truly touched Dumbledore's heart. He finally knew as of last night that he had been wrong to suspect this boy of being a new Tom Riddle, and it shamed him greatly to have thought so poorly of young Ronald.
"This is… we heard the rumors but still…" Percy stammered. Percy then looked to the Headmaster, his gaze stern and slightly piercing. "No offence Headmaster, but where were the professors during all of this? Why did my little brother have to face that… that monster all alone? You are supposed to protect the students, not a first year…" Ron just shrank into his seat from embarrassment because Percy was picking a fight with Dumbledore of all people on his behalf. Gryffindor bravery is a terrifying thing for certain… Fred and George were just lost for words, and were gazing at Percy with a new-found respect. Dumbledore smiled sadly, the twinkle in his eyes dimming a bit.
"You are right, Percy" Dumbledore said softly. "We were not there to protect the young Gryffindors when we should have been. I am sorry." The twins, and Ron, were completely lost for words at the sight in front of them. Percy had just coaxed an apology out of the greatest wizard since Merlin himself. Percy might be the bravest person I've ever met… insane… but brave… Percy just sighed and shook his head slowly, looking down sheepishly.
"He could have died…" Percy muttered, but they all heard him. Snape scoffed a moment later, diverting all the attention to himself.
"Mr. Weasley is clearly more capable than you all give him credit for" Snape said softly, sounding a bit like he was boasting. "Furthermore, it is not your place to question the Headmaster boy" Snape's voice was cold once again. This couldn't get any more awkward… A big part of Ron was very happy to see Snape praise him however. It felt good to see that Snape trusted Ron's capabilities, that wasn't something that many adults in Ron's life did. His own parents being the biggest examples he could think of.
"Severus, please" Dumbledore said softly to the Potions Master. "They have a right to be upset, much has happened that should have been avoided in the first place…" Ron couldn't help but hear the regret that laced Dumbledore's tone, it jarred him a little to see this coming from Dumbledore. The fireplace suddenly blazed up in green flames and Ron's parents came running through, followed by a stumbling Ginny. Ron immediately cheered up at the sight of her fumbling around in her pink dress and pigtails.
"Ginny!" Ron exclaimed as he quickly ran out of his chair and hugged her tightly, and she hugged back just as tightly. He had missed her far more than he ever thought he would when he was first leaving for Hogwarts. After he had collapsed for the first time three years ago, Ginny had become inseparable from his side. As a result of this, they had both gotten so much closer to each other that neither could go very long without the other. With Ginny constantly fretting that Ron was in pain because of his stress, and Ron because he loved getting so much attention from one of his siblings. Ron was actually grateful for that horrible headache in a weird way, he wasn't sure that they would be so close without it.
"I missed you so much Ron!" Ginny spoke in a smothered voice, Ron quickly eased his hold on her.
"Sorry for smothering you" he giggled, then he ruffled her hair and she tried slapping his hand away.
"NO RON! Mum did that this morning so I would look presentable…" She had a half-pout and half-smile on her face as she tried to fight him off. Both siblings missed their parents beaming at them, Dumbledore watching with merriment and delight, and Snape just watching with a raised eyebrow and a small scowl.
"Can you explain what this is about?" Arthur asked Dumbledore respectfully. "When you said that you wanted to talk about Ron with us personally… Molly and I have been worrying all morning… Is everything all right?"
"Calm, Arthur" Dumbledore spoke softly, still gazing at the two youngest Weasleys play-fighting. "Nothing is wrong… not anymore at least. Please all of you, take a seat." Dumbledore then flicked his wand and conjured up more chairs. Ron quickly sat between his brothers and Ginny, and hoped that his parents didn't notice that he was maintaining his distance. What do I even say to mum and dad? It doesn't look like they are mad at me, but I can't be certain… "Now we just have to wait for the Lovegoods to arrive and then I will explain everything" Dumbledore said. Ron's parents looked a little confused at his words.
"The Lovegoods?" Molly asked, looking over to Ron who was avoiding her eyes. She felt a tight pang in her chest at that.
"Ronald requested that they be here for this" Dumbledore smiled. "I felt the need to grant his simple request." Both his parents, and siblings now looked over to Ron. Ron instantly gained an absolute love for how the floor looked. Just keep your eyes down old boy… Don't look at anyone. Dumbledore noticing Ron's odd behavior and realizing why he was doing it, couldn't help but chuckle a little loudly. This garnered everyone's attention to him. Just as Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, the fireplace blazed green again. Pandora and Luna walked through gracefully. Ron quickly jumped out of his chair to go greet them, also secretly happy with their great timing.
"Pandora! Luna!" Ron ran over and hugged Pandora first, and then he hugged Luna as well but a bit more tightly. They both returned his hugs and Pandora ruffled his hair.
"We've missed you terribly Ron" Pandora said softly, her airy voice sounded like music to his ears.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts, Pandora" Dumbledore said with a kind smile.
"Headmaster, it is good to see you" she beamed back, making Dumbledore chuckle.
"Please take a seat, we have much to discuss" Dumbledore said, summoning even more chairs. Ron sat down with Luna and Ginny on either of his sides, and he almost laughed when Ginny gripped his hand in her death-grip. She hasn't changed at all. Still bloody hurts though…
"Headmaster, I will take my leave" Snape drawled from behind them all, to which Dumbledore nodded. Ron quickly turned to look at Snape, who was now looking right at the red-haired boy as well. Then Snape narrowed his eyes on Ron's eyes. "Behave" was all he said before turning around and billowing away, but it was enough to make Ron gulp loudly.
"He is scary" Luna said in her usual airy voice, making Dumbledore chuckle softly. Ron looked at her and nodded with a smile.
"Do not be scared little one" Dumbledore said in a sagely voice. "Severus has a good heart." Ron didn't miss the odd looks that his parents exchanged between each other. "Now, allow me explain the reason I called you all here." Dumbledore then began explaining the previous night's events to everyone and Ron noticed that as the story continued, everyone began looking more and more shocked and awed. Dumbledore decided to not mention who Ron had saved, just that they were three Gryffindor first year students. When Dumbledore finished, Ron's parents were just looking at Dumbledore in disbelief, while Pandora was smiling brightly at Ron. Ginny and Luna were both holding his hands from beside him, with Luna being gentle with his left hand and Ginny aiming to crush every bone in his right hand. My wand hand…
"This… this… how…" Arthur stammered at Dumbledore. "I can't believe…" he stopped again. Then he looked over to Ron, and Ron met his gaze for the first time since Arthur had arrived. "Ronnie… you… again?" Arthur muttered. Molly then broke into tears and stood up, and hugged Ron tightly from behind. So tightly that Ron got winded, but she didn't stop her hug. Ron looked over to Pandora for help but she was still smiling with absolute pride dancing in her eyes.
"I… can't breathe… stop…" Ron struggled to speak. Molly loosed her grip but didn't let go.
"My poor boy… facing a beast like that all alone…" she choked out. Ron could feel her tears falling on the back of his neck, something that made him either very happy or very sad. He couldn't tell.
"You really are knight in shining armor, aren't you Ron?" Pandora said softly, her voice cracked a little at the end. "You could have died… how could you be so…?" she stopped, tears finally falling down her still smiling face. Ron looked down, unsure of what he was feeling. He just knew that he couldn't look at anyone's face right now, he really was terrible with sappy and emotional things.
"Excuse me, Arthur" Dumbledore said softly, making the Weasley patriarch look to him. "I cannot help but be curious about what you just said. What did you mean when you said 'again'?" Arthur looked a bit shaken but he quickly shook his head clear, and then he told Dumbledore about Pandora and Ron. He told the older wizard every single detail, from the effects of the spell, and even down to Ron ripping his own fingernails off to stop the ward. Dumbledore made sure to keep his facial features in a mask of understanding, but below the surface he was quite awed by the tale.
He couldn't help but think of why Ronald was placed in Slytherin, especially when the boy demonstrated such strong Gryffindor traits. But now he was also dead certain that Ronald could never become like Tom. Once Arthur was finished, Dumbledore turned to Ron and smiled proudly at the young wizard. "Ronald, you continue to awe me" Dumbledore chuckled softly. "I cannot award Slytherin house any points for your actions outside of Hogwarts, but I can award you points for your character. Another fifty points to Slytherin for your strength of character, especially when faced with such terrible trials. Truly well done, my boy." Percy and the twins openly flinched at the amount of points being given.
"Another fifty…?" Fred gasped.
"How many points are you earning them Ron?!" George added, his voice slightly annoyed. Ron looked at his brothers with an evil grin. Should've been nicer to me… I wouldn't have needed to work so hard to earn the trust of those snakes!
"Oh, young Ronald here has earned Slytherin well over two hundred points in these last two months, but that is only if I include the points awarded to him just now." Dumbledore chuckled in delight. Fred and George almost fainted at the mention of that, while the girls just looked confused. Percy was looking as pale as a ghost.
"Is that a lot?" Luna asked in her airy voice, staring right into Dumbledore's eyes.
"Yes my dear" Dumbledore smiled at her from behind his desk. "That is more than enough to have already secured another Slytherin victory over the House Cup, at least in the eyes of many of the professors."
"But not you" Luna stated, like she could read his mind. Pandora and Dumbledore exchanged looks, and then they both smiled at her.
"I see you have your mother's keen insight and perception" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brightly. "The future is full of twists and turns, you never quite know where you will end up by the end of your journey." Let's just hope my future is straight-forward, at least in the case of Fred's fate… Luna giggled at the old wizard, she thought he was rather funny.
"Dumbledore… may we have a word with you?" Arthur said softly to the Headmaster. "Molly and I just want to… discuss something." Bloody hell… I know what this is about already…
"Of course" Dumbledore nodded, knowing already what Arthur wished to discuss. "Children, you are all excused. As for the girls…" Dumbledore paused and looked at them with a kind smile. "They can go and explore the castle! It is Saturday after all and there are no classes today." Luna and Ginny practically flew out of their chairs in joy. Ron beamed at Dumbledore, something that the older wizard smiled at.
"Albus…" Pandora said softly, no doubt surprised at his actions.
"Do not fret" Dumbledore reassured the adults. "Ronald will take good care of them, and I will personally send them back home after dinner. Ronald has clearly missed the two very much." Dumbledore couldn't help himself, he truly wanted to reward Ronald for his brave actions. Especially now that he knew that Ronald had also saved Pandora's life before the boy had even left for Hogwarts.
And a very large part of Dumbledore wanted to make sure that Ronald understood that saving lives and being good had its own merits and rewards. Dumbledore knew that it was a shameless thing to do, to manipulate this boy into believing that the Light-side would be far more rewarding to him. But Dumbledore once again swallowed his regret and shame down like he always did… Ronald had already shown him very clearly that he was someone Dumbledore couldn't afford to lose to the Dark-side. If the boy could conquer a fully grown Mountain troll at the age of eleven, what would he be able to conquer by the age of fifty? It was a risk that could not be taken, not ever in Dumbledore's eyes.
"I promise I will take care of them!" Ron exclaimed to Pandora and his parents, his excitement overwhelming the three adults.
"You have my permission, Ron" Pandora smiled proudly at Ron. "I trust you completely." Ron couldn't help but grin like a madman at her words, earning a soft chuckle from her.
"As do we" Molly added quickly, as if challenging Pandora. "Take good care of your sister Ron. Make sure she eats and doesn't get lost in the castle." Ron gave her a smaller smile.
"I promise… mum" Ron said softly. Molly didn't miss her son's lower enthusiasm when speaking to her, and it sank her heart. Pandora also didn't miss it, but she didn't say anything.
"Good, now off you go" Dumbledore smiled at the children, resulting in the children all heading towards the door. "And Ronald…" Ron turned to face the Headmaster. "Do not tell them anything about the sorting, and do not show them the Slytherin common room. Professor Snape will be… displeased… if you did either." Bloody hell I didn't even think of that... I was going to take them straight there…
"Yes, sir" Ron nodded, shuddering at the thought of Snape finding out. They would never find my dead body…
Once they had exited the staircase and gone past the stone gargoyle, Ron turned to face his siblings (yes that included Luna, to him anyway). Percy, Fred, and George were still pale from learning about Ron's massive collection of house points, while the two girls were looking around them frantically. They want to take in everything. "So do you want to come with me and meet my friends first?" Ron asked his sisters, trying to ignore his brothers. "Or do you want to explore the castle instead? We have loads of time before lunch!"
"Fifty points…" Fred muttered, looking in the distance. "Git earned them over two hundred…" Ron was beginning to worry for his brothers, they looked so… gone.
"Goodbye House Cup…" George muttered, staring at the ceiling. "Ronnie got you good… Slayer of trolls, and slayer of dreams about breaking winning streaks…" Ron took a step back, eyes-wide at the sight of his brothers being so weird. Even Percy was just looking down the corridor, completely avoiding Ron's gaze.
"I did this…" Percy muttered. "I did this to Gryffindor…" Merlin… Dumbledore broke them…
"Girls?" Ron decided to pay attention his sisters instead. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to meet your friends" Luna smiled and spoke in her airy voice.
"Me too!" Ginny added. "Are you really not going to show us Slytherin though?" She was pouting slightly.
"Sorry Gin-Gin" Ron said sheepishly. "Snape would string me up by my toes if I did…" Ron shuddered again.
"Aw… please" Ginny whined. "We'll be super quiet, I promise."
"Sorry Gin, even the Headmaster told me not to do it" Ron said more firmly. "Common rooms are kept secret from the students of other houses. I don't even know where the Gryffindor common room is."
"WHAT?!" Ginny screeched. "Why? Didn't they show you?" Ginny glared at her brothers, who smiled sheepishly.
"That's our cue boys" George grinned, breaking out of his somber mood.
"See you lovely ladies at lunch" Fred added in. Then both the twins bolted away, trying to survive Ginny's incoming tantrum no doubt. Did he call me a lady too?
"Sorry Ginny" Percy said with a faint smile. "These are the school rules set by the Founders. You can't break them without risking expulsion." Percy didn't want to explain to Ginny how rough things had gotten for Ron after his sorting. And the part that Fred, George, and even he himself had played in it, so instead he chose to flee like the twins had. "Enjoy your day with Ron you two." With that Percy turned around and left, leaving Ron and the girls behind.
"Let's go and get my friends" Ron beamed at the girls, and they beamed back. This is going to be the best day! Ron then led the girls down to the dungeons and told them to wait at the girl's bathroom for him. They agreed to do as he asked, but he caught Ginny trying to follow him immediately and he begged her to please do what he said. She pouted a lot, but relented in the end and waited hand-in-hand with Luna at the bathroom. Ron then bolted down to the common room entrance and ran straight in after giving the password. His friends were sitting on their usual couch in front of the fire, and they didn't notice him coming from behind.
"Hey guys!" he said a little too loudly, making everyone but Millie and Blaise jump. "Sorry, I'm really excited!" Ron laughed heartily, something he hadn't done for a good long while. It seemed to relax his friends down quite a lot.
"What's happened Ron?" Tracey asked him, getting excited too.
"Well for one, I got us fifty more house points!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, he didn't notice many of the older Slytherins grinning and staring at him from behind. "And secondly… MY LITTLE SISTERS ARE HERE AND I GET TO SHOW THEM AROUND FOR THE WHOLE DAY!" His friends were quiet for five long seconds, processing his words. Then Tracey squealed in excitement and ran up to Ron.
"Where are they?!" she asked loudly. "Tell me quick!"
"They are waiting for me at the girl's bathroom!" Ron answered. Tracey went a little pale at his response.
"Ron…" Daphne spoke softly, staring at him in shock. "Why would you leave them there… of all places?"
"What's wrong with…?" Ron started but was cut off by Theo.
"Don't you remember what happened there just last night?" Theo asked, looking at Ron as if he was the biggest idiot to have ever walked the earth. Ron went pale at the realization. Oh Merlin… Ron then turned around and bolted right out of the common room, followed by his friends. As they got to the bathroom, the girls were nowhere in sight. Ron almost fainted from panic.
"You moron" Blaise muttered towards Ron, trying to catch his breath. "Tracey go check inside for them." Tracey seemed to freeze at that.
"I…I don't…" Tracey stammered, clearly scared. "What if the dead body… I don't want to see that again…"
"I'll go!" Daphne exclaimed, she gave Ron a scathing look before she marched right into the bathroom.
"Seriously Ron…" Millie managed to choke out, completely winded at having to bolt around the school like this. I'm such a damn moron… What was I thinking?! Daphne then came out of the bathroom with a relieved smile, and with Ron's sisters skipping behind her.
"Hi Ron" Luna said softly, Ron almost died from relief at the sight of their happy faces. "Ginny had to use the loo." They didn't see anything?
"That's ok…" Ron started, smiling at Luna and Ginny. "You two didn't… see anything in there did you?" Luna just shook her head, but Ginny narrowed her eyes on Ron.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked. Daphne shook her head at Ron, telling him to not say a word.
"Nothing…" Ron said, laughing a little too much.
"This is the bathroom that Ron killed the Mountain Troll in" Theo said, smirking. THIS BASTARD! All of Ron's friends just stared at Theo, including Blaise, in utter disbelief. "You have heard of how your brother is a hero, haven't you?" Theo said smoothly, bending down a bit to look Ginny straight into her brown eyes. Ginny seemed to turn completely red, and could only manage a meek nod. "Your brother saved three people last night. That's something to be extremely proud of." Both Ginny and Luna nodded eagerly at that, after that they both ran up and stood behind Ron. How did he…? Bloody slippery snake this one…
"Who did…? Who did he save?" Ginny asked, trying to regain her composure.
"Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and… Harry Potter!" Theo smirked at the last name. Ginny gasped loudly and clutched at Ron's jumper, pulling him to face her and Luna.
"IS IT TRUE?!" Ginny squealed. Ron scratched his head and smiled in embarrassment from all the attention on him.
"Um… yeah" Ron muttered. Ginny hugged him tightly from his left sized, nearly squeezing his soul out. "Ginny OW! That's too tight!" But she didn't relent. Is she happy that I saved people or happy that I saved her childhood hero…?
"Awww" exclaimed the Slytherin girls.
"That's so cute!" Tracey cooed.
"She is killing him…" Blaise muttered.
"Good riddance" Daphne joked, no doubt smirking. Luna just smiled at Ron and then turned her attention to Ron's friends instead.
"He is always saving others" Luna said in her airy voice. She was even more aloof than Blaise, something that Ron found highly amusing. Ginny was still squeezing his soul out and he could do nothing but hug her back. You'd need Dumbledore's magic to pry her off, Ron wagered.
"Is he?" Millicent asked Luna gently.
"He saved my mother's life as well" Luna said softly. "She had an accident and…" Ron decided to stop her.
"Luna, please" Ron managed to squeak out. Someone get this monster off of me! "They don't want to hear such things I'm sure."
"Oh no, we do!" Tracey said loudly. "Luna please continue, and Ron don't be so rude!" Traitor! Luna then quickly went over Pandora's near death experience, with Ron correcting her mistakes as best he could. His friends were quite amazed by the story, and by the end of it even Ginny had let go to listen in.
"Wow… So you were always a bleeding heart?" Theo laughed, earning a scowl from Ron. "Here I thought that you were in love with Tracey when you broke Malfoy's nose for her honor!" WHAT?! THIS GIT! Tracey and Ron both went red in the face at Theo's brazen comment. Daphne was scowling at Ron again, something he was not too surprised by. Blaise and Millie just sighed, passing this up as Theo stirring the pot once again. Ginny glared at Tracey and clutched onto Ron's left arm, making Tracey look away from the frightening little girl in pig tails. Luna just hummed and shook her body side-to-side, making her dress dance around her. Why is Theo like this?
"Theo stop taking the piss…" Blaise sighed, but then Daphne smacked Blaise on his arm.
"LANGUAGE!" Daphne shrieked at him. "There are two young ones here!"
"Sorry…" Blaise muttered, rubbing his arm. "Ron is influencing my vocabulary it seems…"
"What's a vocablarly?" Luna asked, smiling at Blaise and looking him dead in the eyes. Unlike Ron, Blaise didn't know that that was a normal thing to do in Luna's book. Blaise stared back for a second, before coughing. Ha, he is actually feeling uncomfortable! Good going Luna!
"Um… The word vocabulary refers to the words used in any given language" Blaise said in a matter-of-factly way. He was trying to avert his gaze, but Luna was still staring into his soul.
"Luna…" Ron was trying to stifle his laugh. "Staring is rude." I've never seen someone topple Blaise like this… It's wondrous!
"He has beautiful eyes" Luna said airily, and then she turned to Ron with a smile. "Can we go explore the castle some more Ron?" Ron nodded at her, grinning ear-to-ear at Blaise's hanging mouth. Theo wasn't even trying to hide his amusement, same as Ginny, and both were laughing outright at Blaise. Daphne and the other two Slytherin girls were just staring at Luna like she was from a different planet. Ah, I love Luna… I'll never forget this and I'll make sure Blaise doesn't either!
Ron showed his sisters around the castle with the help of his friends, who were smart enough to figure out that Luna wasn't really Ron's sister. But Daphne, Tracey, and Millicent thought it was really cute that Ron insisted that she was, and they cooed when they saw Luna beaming with joy. Ron had just finished showing the lake, which was his favorite place at Hogwarts, to the girls and had told them that this was where he did his morning runs.
"Is this where you disappear off to in the mornings?" Blaise questioned.
"Yeah" Ron replied with a grin. "Need to keep in shape or I won't become a competent wizard!" His friends looked at him like he had grown another head. "What?" Ron asked, feeling irked.
"How does running around make you a 'competent' wizard?" Tracey asked him in a mocking tone. Ron sighed and he really couldn't be bothered telling them what Charlie had told him. Also he didn't remember the entire lecture. Then an idea clicked in his brain. This is a good chance to show off a little… Ron then smirked and slowly drew out his wand. "Ron?" Tracey said slowly.
"I'm just gonna show you all something" Ron hummed, delighted to see his friend's becoming curious. "Gin and Luna, do you want to see me do some magic?" His sisters nodded enthusiastically, making Ron feel excited about showing them his skills. They will be so impressed… if I don't mess this up. Ron then quickly turned around, and pointed his wand at a thick tree behind him.
"REDUCTO!" Ron said loudly, and clearly. Blue light beamed out of his beautiful wand and a massive chunk of the tree was blasted to pieces, making the tree topple and fall over. Ginny and Luna clapped with childish glee, squealing at seeing Ron blow up a tree with no effort on his part. They did not know that Ron could only do that spell two or three times before he would actually pass out from exhaustion. But Ron made sure to keep his smirk in place as he gazed around to see everyone's reactions. His sisters were ecstatic, his friends were just staring at the tree with wide-eyes and their mouths hanging open. "And that is why you go for a run every morning" Ron chuckled at his friends' expression.
"Ronnie do another one!" Ginny yelled, laughing and clapping. Ron turned and looked to Luna, wanting to see if she was as excited as Ginny. She was a bit aloof, but she was also clapping and jumping around to see Ron do another one.
"All right" Ron laughed. He looked around and saw a rather large boulder not too far away. "All right everyone needs to step back for this one." His friends looked at him rather oddly, but did as he said. When they were safely further away, Ron joined them and pointed his wand at the boulder. "EXPULSO!" Blue light once again beamed out of his wand, and the boulder had a massive chunk of it blown apart with overwhelming force. The sound was loud, and Ron worried that the professors might hear it in the castle. Ron then turned to face everyone else, only to see them all rooted in their spots in absolute awe. Ron grinned but he knew that he was too tired to do anymore spells for the day, so he tucked his wand into his robes.
"You… you weren't lying this morning…" Daphne managed to mutter out. I was sort of, but they don't need to know that. Ron shrugged his shoulders casually at her, making her go completely quiet.
"Merlin…" Theo whispered. "How?" He looked at Ron with wariness in his eyes. Hopefully I didn't overdo it and scare them too much. I'd hate to lose them like that…
"Ron that was amazing!" Ginny squealed. "Can you all do that kind of magic?!" she asked his friends, who all just shook their heads.
"Ron is special" Luna hummed, back to her usual aloof behavior. Ron blushed a bit at her words, they didn't make him as embarrassed anymore because he saw Luna like a little sister now. A loud bell rang out from the castle, making them all turn towards the castle. "What's that for?" Luna hummed.
"Lunch is about to start" Ron told her. "I can't wait to show you the feast!" With that he took Ginny and Luna's hands in his, and began guiding them back to the castle. "You can eat at the Slytherin table with me, I'm sure no one will mind." Ron then shot Theo a quick glance for confirmation, which Theo gave by giving a curt nod. He still looks out of sorts, they all do. But at least I know I won't get in trouble for bring my sisters along.
The Great Hall had left Luna and Ginny awed the first time he had shown them, but now it was packed full with the student body and it looked even grander because of it. "The Slytherin table is over here" Ron said as he pulled them along. They sat down and his sisters quickly sat on either side of him, Ginny to his right and Luna to his left. Theo and Blaise didn't seem to mind, as they quietly sat down with the Slytherin girls across from Ron and his sisters.
Ron couldn't help but notice that many Slytherins, and other houses, were looking over to Ron curiously. Probably because I have my sisters here and they don't know that I got permission for it. Ron then gazed over to the staff table and noticed that even the professors were looking at his sisters with a bit of alarm. Dumbledore however, was smiling kindly at Ron and his sisters. Snape was frowning and shooting an icy stare right at Ron, which made the red-haired boy shudder in fear. He is going to kill me…
"Who are they?" came a voice from behind Ron, making him jerk around. There stood the female prefect Carey Ductu, the person who had made Ron into a celebrity of sorts.
"Um… They're my sisters" Ron began, hoping to not get in any trouble. "Professor Dumbledore allowed them to spend the day with me… you know after…" PLEASE DON'T GIVE ME DETENTION IN FRONT OF THEM! Carey's face lightened at the explanation.
"I see" she smiled softly at Ron, and then at his sisters. "I hope he is taking good care of you two" she cooed at the younger girls, who nodded and smiled back.
"He is" Luna said airily. "He didn't show us the Slytherin common room though." Carey looked at Ron and gave him an understanding nod.
"He would get into trouble for that" Carey explained. "Tell me, do you two want to be in Slytherin as well?" Is she trying to…? What is she playing at? Ron then heard a scoff come from further down the table. I know that pompous voice…
"As if we need two more weasels besmirching…" Malfoy's voice stopped abruptly. One of the older female students had silenced him with her wand. Ron was grateful for that because he didn't want his sisters hearing Malfoy's filth, but he was curious as to who the older blonde haired girl was. She looks like a seventh year…
"So, do you want to be in Slytherin?" Carey continued, like nothing had happened. Ginny looked at Ron a little apprehensively but Luna didn't seem to even give a second thought about her response.
"Yes, I'd like that" Luna said softly, giving Carey her airy smile. "I hope there is pudding at the end of lunch." Carey seemed to be taken aback a bit by Luna, and Ron just smiled in understanding.
"Well… if there isn't you can always go and ask the elves down in the kitchen" Carey said slowly, trying to figure out Luna's oddness. Ron didn't know about the elves in the kitchen so he was surprised to hear about that. I'll go have a look when I get the chance. Elves are supposed to be extremely helpful to witches and wizards, I wouldn't mind having them doing me a few favors. "Take care you guys" Carey bid them all farewell and walked off to her own seat with her year-mates. Ron didn't miss the quick glance she shot him when she sat down. Why do I have such a bad feeling about all of this in my gut? The older students are being really weird around me…
Then lunch appeared and the girls were in awe at the amount of food that was there. Ginny dug right in like Ron used to, while Luna ate with proper manners which were no doubt taught to her by Pandora. Ron ate with his new 'etiquette', much to Ginny's shock. "Ronnie, why are you eating like that?" she asked him, clearly confused. "You always eat really fast and pile all the food you can on your plate…" Theo chuckled at that, making Ron shoot him a scornful glare.
"Yes your brother was quite the beast" Theo joked, earning some muffled laughs from the others around him. "Blaise and I had our work cut out for us that's for certain. But look at him now" Theo smirked, gesturing to Ron with his hand. "We've finally… tamed him." I'll show you tame!
Ron immediately started piling more food onto his plate and dug in like an animal as he used to. All of Ron's friends started giggling at that, including Blaise who was chuckling under his breath. Ginny and Luna looked at each of them and smiled happily, they liked Ron's friends. Both of them had met up a few times after Ron had left for Hogwarts, and both of them had worried that Ron wouldn't fit into Slytherin and that they wouldn't be very nice to him.
But so far, every one they had met seemed to like Ron. Except for that platinum haired boy who was sneering at Ron and them every now and then, and the scary black haired professor. All in all, both Luna and Ginny had decided that Slytherin wasn't the house that they thought it was. Everyone had always told them, especially Ginny, that it was a house for Dark Wizards, but Ron was the furthest thing from being a Dark Wizard.
Lunch was coming to a close and much to Luna's joy, there was pudding for dessert. Ginny asked Ron's friends question after question about her brother and how he was doing at school. And she beamed in pride when they told her that Ron was probably the top student in their year. Lunch overall, was a great success in Ron's mind. Except for a sneering Malfoy whose eyes clashed with Ron a few times during lunch. But Ron made sure to keep himself in check, he didn't want to start anything with Malfoy while his sisters were with him.
Ron also found it amusing that Daphne was treating his sisters like they were her own, she constantly called them 'little ones' and even complimented Ginny and Luna multiple times. Ron just wished that Daphne would treat him like that once in a while, it would completely make up for her constant pouting and whining about him. Ron also noticed that Ginny would blush every time Theo spoke to her, and it irked him greatly especially because Theo was being far too nice. He had to have some sort of agenda, Ron just knew it.
Lunch ended with a bell, and the students started to stand up and leave to continue on with their day. Ron and his group were almost out of the Hall when a soft, but authoritative voice called Ron to a stop. Oh no… Ron turned around and looked up at Professor Snape whose face was expressionless, but Ron knew better by now. "Mr. Weasley, I would like to have a word with you" Snape said softly, and then he looked over to the others around Ron. "Privately." Ginny and Luna looked at Ron a bit sheepishly, and he gave them a reassuring smile.
"Come little ones, we will wait outside for Ron" Daphne said, as she took the girls' hands. Ron gave her a thankful smile and she nodded her head at him, smiling in return. Then she led Ron's sisters out, followed by Ron's friends. Ron then turned and look at Professor Snape again, gulping loudly. He doesn't look angry… but then again he never does until he is…
"Yes, sir?" Ron asked, trying to speak clearly. Snape just gazed at Ron in silence for a few seconds, and Ron could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat.
"I assume the Headmaster has given you permission to bring your sister and friend into the school" Snape drawled. "I certainly hope you weren't foolish enough to show them the Slytherin common room." Ron shook his head at that, almost too enthusiastically. Snape just raised his eyebrow at that. "Good, because if you had Mr. Weasley" Snape paused and looked deep into Ron's eyes. "I would be most… displeased... with you." Ron gulped loudly again, and felt his hands begin to shake a little. Snape truly was the scariest professor at Hogwarts, and his detentions were something that every student spoke about in fearful whispers. I don't want to clean his lab with my bare hands… "I heard that the Headmaster awarded you another fifty house points this morning… Care to elaborate?"
Ron knew that this wasn't a request, it was an order. So he told Snape about Pandora and everything that had happened in saving her, then Ron finished by telling Snape that this was the reason behind the Headmaster giving him another fifty points. Snape didn't say a word in between and was silent for a few moments after Ron had finished. "Very well" Snape broke the silence. "You may go back to your friends now Mr. Weasley, and remember to keep the common room a secret." Snape then turned around and billowed away, making Ron release a breath he didn't know that he was holding. Bloody hell… Ron then walked out of the Great Hall and approached his friends with a sheepish grin.
"Everything all right?" Blaise asked him, sounding like he didn't actually care about Ron's answer. But Ron knew now that that was just how Blaise talked in general.
"Yeah" Ron answer. "He just warned me not to show the common room…"
"That took far too long for such a short warning" Daphne narrowed her eyes at Ron. So nosey…
"It's the truth. He also wanted to know why I was given more points though… so yeah" Ron finished lamely. "Let me show you the library next" Ron quickly turned to his sisters. Ginny pouted, but Luna smiled and nodded eagerly. Ron then took their hands and made his way to the library, followed by his friends. Before they entered the library though, Ron made sure to warn the girls not to utter a single word or else Madam Pince would throw them all out.
Luna, and even Ginny, were completely taken aback by the size of the library and the thousands of books that were there. Ron guided them quietly to his favorite section, which was the Reference Section because it had a lot of spell books in it. When they finished their tour, Ron quietly guided them back out and they all ran into Hermione who was clutching a massive book to her chest. She looked to be heading towards the library, no doubt to start the homework that wasn't even assigned to them yet.
"Hey Hermione!" Ron greeted her enthusiastically. She smiled and approached him, looking at Ron's group of friends with a little apprehension.
"Hi Ronald" Hermione greeted. Ronald… Don't like being called Ronald by people my own age…
"It's just Ron, Hermione" Ron said, and then he turned around and pointed at his sisters. "These are my sisters, Luna and Ginny! Professor Dumbledore is letting me show them around for the day!" Hermione looked at the two girls, and her eyes stayed on Luna for a little longer. She's probably already figured it out. Then Hermione beamed at them, and put forward her hand for a shake.
"Hi I'm your brother's friend, my name is Hermione Granger" she introduced herself to them. They shook hands with her, both sisters smiling at meeting another one of Ron's friends.
"Hermione Granger" Luna hummed as she held Hermione's hand, smiling gently at Hermione. Hermione was a little taken aback, but tried to smile back at her. "You're the person Ron saved" Luna spoke softly. Hermione smiled and nodded at her, then she looked to Ron who was mouthing 'sorry' to her. She shook her head at him.
"Yes, he was very brave" Hermione told Luna. "Also Ron" she turned to him "Harry and Neville wanted to talk to you about something. Do you… do you want me to go get them?" Ginny squealed all of a sudden, making Ron jump.
"HARRY POTTER?!" Ginny asked, her eyes-wide. "Can we meet him Ronnie?! PLEASE!" Ron looked at Ginny and sighed in defeat. Then he nodded to Hermione, who was wearing a very sly grin on her face. Um… what's this…?
"I'll go and get them… Ronnie" Hermione giggled, before turning around and walking back towards her common room. Ron just stood there, red as a tomato, and tried his best to block out the snickering of his friends.
"I noticed it before…" Theo said in between his sniggers. "But I didn't want to embarrass you too badly! Granger doesn't seem to care though… Ronnie!" At that he burst into a roaring laugh, joined by all of Ron's friends who didn't seem to care that they were near the library. Ron just stared into the distance, feeling hot in the face from annoyance and embarrassment. Damn Theo, I'm gonna hex him one of these days…
"Sorry Ron" Ginny apologized, but she was grinning wolfishly. Evil little monster…
"I like the nickname 'Ronnie', I think it's cute" Luna said airily, clearly unaffected by the situation.
"It is cute, little one" Daphne managed to squeeze out before laughing again. They were all in tears at Ron's misfortune.
"So cute!" Millicent chuckled, trying to calm herself down but failing. Theodore Nott… One day…
They waited for five more minutes, all taking digs at Ron and laughing at his bright red face. Even though it was annoying, Ron found himself enjoying their laughter and soon joined in himself. Then Harry, Neville, and Hermione came around from the corner. Harry and Neville were wary of Ron's company, but Hermione seemed to have moved past it now. "Hi Ron…" Harry said, looking a little sheepish. Ron felt someone jump behind him, and then peer over from his side. Ginny…
"Harry, what's the matter?" Ron asked, getting a little worried at Harry's tense behavior.
"Nothing's wrong" Harry quickly said, and then smiled a little. "I just wanted to thank you… for you know… saving us again…" Ron let out a relieved breath and smile at Harry.
"Don't give it a second thought mate" Ron said, trying to sound casual about it. "I mean I was looking for Hermione the second time around so…" Ron trailed off. He didn't want Harry or Neville to even think that he knew that they would be there. Actually I don't want anyone to think that…
"Second time?" came in Daphne's voice from behind. Oh bloody hell Harry… See what you've done! "What does he mean by second time?" Daphne narrowed her eyes on Ron, who turned and grinned at her sheepishly.
"Oh… I… um helped Harry and Neville… also Hermione before… just the once…" Ron stammered and finished lamely. Ron turned to Harry and gave him a guilty grin, while Harry looked at Ron apologetically. "On a brighter note, Harry meet my sisters!" Ron quickly exclaimed, hoping to change the topic. Ron then stepped to the side, revealing Ginny and also Luna. "This is Ginny, and this is Luna" Ron said as he pointed them out respectively.
"Oh! Hello" Harry said, looking at Ginny with a genuine smile. She went wide-eyed and ran behind Ron again, red as a tomato. Harry looked at Ron, a little alarmed, and mouthed 'what did I do?' to which Ron just shook his head slowly.
"Hello, Harry Potter" Luna hummed at Harry, making Harry look at her. "I'm Luna Lovegood. I'm Ron's little sister." Luna finished proudly, but Harry was just staring at her in confusion.
"Lovegood? Shouldn't it be… Weasley?" Harry muttered, trying not to be rude.
"No" Luna shook her head in a cute way. "Why would it be?" Luna then turned to face Neville, who looked even more bewildered than poor Harry. "Hello Neville Longbottom."
"Hi" was all Neville managed, horribly confused at the odd behavior displayed by both of Ron's little sisters. Both of whom looked nothing like each other to him, so that was even more confusing.
"So yeah…" Harry said, shaking his head to move on from the awkwardness. "Thanks for saving us Ron, both Neville and I owe you one." Ron was going to refuse the favor at first, but in the end decided that having Harry Potter owe you one could help his mission quite a bit. I'm a proper snake now, aren't I? Damn you Blaise and Theo… So Ron just gave Harry a strong nod.
"I also owe you one Ron" Hermione piped up, a smile on her face. She looks happier today than she ever has in all the time I've known her.
"I'll keep that in mind" Ron replied, smiling at her kindly. She blushed a bit, and gave him a determined nod. The Gryffindors then said their goodbyes and trotted off, Ron noticed that Hermione was actually speaking with the two Gryffindor boys rather excitedly. They are all friends now… good. Also she forgot about the library… Ron chuckled at that. "So where to next?" he asked his sisters.
Ron spent the remainder of the day showing Hogwarts to the girls, they still never managed to fully explore the castle however, as it was too large. Dinner was superb, filled with laughter and jokes. Ron's friends, especially the girls, got along famously with his sisters. They had even looked past Luna's slightly odd behavior and managed to make her laugh more than few times. Professor McGonagall then came over to collect the two girls, much to Ron's disappointment. The girls said their goodbyes to Ron and his friends, and Ginny had even started tearing up at having to leave. After McGonagall took Ginny and Luna to the Headmaster's Office in order to send them home, Ron and his friends headed to the common room to call it a day.
"I'm just saying" Theo grinned "that 'Ronnie' isn't so bad!"
"Sod off Theo…" Ron grumbled, hating his new pet name. Well not 'new', but still…
"Give it a rest you two" Blaise sighed, earning nods of agreement from the girls. Then Blaise said the password 'Clean-Blood', making Ron and Tracey roll their eyes, and they all entered the common room. They went for their favorite couch, and much to Ron's anger, Malfoy and his cronies were already sitting on it and waiting for them.
"Well, well" Malfoy sneered at Ron. "If it isn't the 'Troll Slayer'…" Ron could feel the contempt coming from Malfoy's voice, and it made him clench his hands into fists. What does he want now?!
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron asked through gritted teeth. "And get off our couch…" Malfoy let out a bitter laugh.
"Your couch? Nothing in this great house belongs to you, you filthy little Blood-Traitor." Malfoy glared murder at Ron, and Ron glared murder right back. I can still throw out one more Reducto… Maybe I should split his head open with it just as I did to the troll! Then the troll's corpse flashed in his head and Ron shuddered. What the bloody hell am I thinking…? Just calm down Ron… calm down. "Nothing to say to that, Blood-Traitor?" Malfoy egged on.
"Draco…" Blaise said in a soft voice, making Malfoy and the others look at him. "Shut up." The silence was deafening, no one said a word as they all just stared between Malfoy and Blaise. Malfoy looked like he been slapped across the face, while Blaise held a stern, focused look. Ron was the most surprised of them all, Blaise was openly standing up for him.
"You… you dare…" Malfoy stammered, anger turning his face red. "I am a MALFOY! My father…" Theo then stepped in and cut him off.
"Your father isn't here Draco" Theo said, adorning an extremely serious face. Ron had never seen Theo this serious before and it kind of worried him. "We have tried to include you in this group over and over again. But you refuse to listen…" Theo trailed off with a sigh. "Why are you being so stubborn? It can't be that you don't understand the…" Malfoy cut Theo off with a yell.
"I'M BEING STUBBORN?!" Malfoy yelled, his voice cracking under the strain. Malfoy was red in the face and angrier than Ron had ever seen him. What is happening here…? I'm not sure that this is about me anymore… "We have known each other since we were children! And yet you would rather follow this FILTHY BLOOD-TRAITOR! And I'm being stubborn?!" Malfoy was frothing at the mouth at this point, but Theo and Blaise held their resolve. Tracey looked scared and was looking to Daphne to stop this. Daphne was glaring at Malfoy, same as Millicent. Ron just wanted to sneak off at this point, this fight wasn't actually about him. This is about my friends not choosing Malfoy over me… Ron looked around slowly and noticed that every student in the common room was watching the fight with interest.
"Yes Draco…" Blaise said in a soft yet strong voice. "You are being stubborn." Malfoy looked at Blaise in utter disbelief, making Blaise raise his hand to stop Malfoy from interfering. "Ron hasn't once started a fight with you… it's always you that starts it, and for no apparent reason other than his family's allegiances." Blaise then sighed and shook his head in a tired manner. "You need to grow up… You're the Slytherin that is holding everyone back… Ron is twice the Slytherin you are right now."
"You…" Malfoy was utterly shaken at that. Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were also shocked beyond words.
"Not even a day ago, Ron went ahead and singlehandedly killed a Mountain Troll at the age of eleven…" Theo said in a dead-serious tone. "He has secured more points for this house than any other student… He is being hailed as a hero amongst the other three houses… When was the last time anyone from outside of Slytherin showed this house any modicum of respect? Even Snape approves of him!" Theo was beginning to turn red as he ranted on. "So why wouldn't we align our goals with his?! WHY THE FUCK AREN'T YOU DOING THE SAME DAMN THING DRACO?!" Theo shouted, the veins in his head popping out. Bloody hell…
Ron was starting feel guilty about all of this for a reason he didn't even understand yet. He just didn't like seeing Theo like this, of that he was sure. Theo was supposed to be the charismatic and funny one, and it was Ron who was supposed to be the angry, red-in-the-face one. Daphne moved forward and put a hand on Theo's shoulder, trying to pull him back gently. But Theo didn't budge, he just stood there rooted and glaring murder at Malfoy. Malfoy was looking at Theo with wide eyes that were becoming wet, his bottom lip quivering.
"You're…" Malfoy said quietly. "You're supposed to be my friends… not his…" Malfoy whispered, it was barely audible and Ron was sure that only the first years had heard it.
"You're the one being hostile, Draco" Blaise replied, his voice strained. "You're the one who won't listen…" Ron felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Deep down he felt a strong pang of guilt because he now fully understood that he was the reason behind their childhood group of friends being ripped apart. All of these Slytherins were taught by their parents to ally themselves with strong people, and both Theo and Blaise had done just that. Even if it meant that they left their childhood friend, Draco Malfoy, behind…
Ron then felt something that he never thought he'd ever feel in his life. He felt sorry towards Malfoy. I took his friends away from him, so of course he hates me… I'd hate me too… And I never once thought about how that must affect Theo and Blaise… or even Daphne and Millie… I just didn't care at all… If I had… No one said a word, the room was dead silent again. The older Slytherins just watched and waited to see the outcome of this fight. Almost a minute passed and no one seemed to be making any moves, and Ron felt his resolve weakening every second. This is my fault… I should be the one to fix it right? Then why aren't I doing anything?
Ron gritted his teeth, and swallowed his pride. Theo and Blaise are hurting because of me… Ron took a step forward, all eyes followed him immediately. They are all hurting because of me… Ron took a calming breath and looked Malfoy dead in the eyes. Ocean blue eyes met stormy grey eyes, and Ron finally decided that enough was enough. This has to end. Ron put his right hand forward towards Malfoy, waiting for him to shake hands and bury the hatchet. There were stunned gasps from a few people around the room, and Ron saw Pansy looking at Ron from behind Malfoy. Is she… smiling… just a little? Her eyes were glistening with tears, which was something that Ron didn't miss. I took her friends away too… Malfoy stared at Ron's hand, confusion etched on his face.
"Please…" Ron whispered, just loud enough for Malfoy to hear. Malfoy looked up and met Ron's gaze again. The moment felt like forever, and Ron actually began to hope that Malfoy would take his hand. And in doing so, put a stop to a lot of misery including his own. Please… just do it…
"Don't touch me…" Malfoy spoke, his voice laced with venom. Then Malfoy turned away from Ron and marched towards the boys' dorms. Ron didn't move an inch, there was nothing he could do. Ron looked over to Pansy, and she had tears falling down her face now. They locked eyes for a second before she ran after Malfoy, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. Ron ignored the murmurs coming from the older students around the room, all he could think about was how he had just destroyed childhood friendships by being sorted into Slytherin.
He couldn't even begin to understand why Malfoy had chosen to walk away… he just couldn't… Ron turned around to face his friends. The sight hurt him, and he lost his breath because of it. Theo was red in the face, and he had thick tears falling down his face but he wasn't crying. Blaise's eyes were red and glistening, and he was looking at where Malfoy had been standing a moment ago. Daphne was doing her best not to cry but he could see her lips quivering, her resolve weakening in every second. Millie was just sobbing quietly, while Tracey was trying her very best to comfort the bigger girl. Ron and Tracey locked eyes with each other, both outsiders who had intruded into this childhood group of friends. Only she didn't do this… I'm the one who broke them apart… Ron then looked at Blaise, who was now looking Ron in the eyes. There was genuine hurt and pain in Blaise's eyes.
"I'm sorry…" Ron said softly, guilt tearing his chest apart. "I'm the cause…" Ron trailed off, not being able to stand in front of them any longer. Ron then turned and walked to his dorm, looking at the floor the entire way. I wasn't even meant to be sorted into Slytherin… I shouldn't be here in the first place… When he got to his bed, he closed the curtains and sealed them before laying down. As soon as his head touched the pillow, sleep claimed him.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you all enjoyed this slow chapter. I felt that after the last few tense chapters, Ron really needed a break. It's the relationships between the characters that make the story worthwhile. And I want this story to focus on those relationships.
See you guys next chapter! Which might be up after the weekend... sorry but it's my birthday on Friday and I have so much stuff planned for the weekend with my friends! I'll be to busy to sit down and write the next chapter out. So see you on Monday!