AUTHOR'S NOTES: Here is Chapter 26! A couple of things before you start!

1. Draco POV? Oh damn!

2. Hermione is already aware of certain slurs... that's all I'll say...

3. Damn this was a fun chapter to write!

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 26 – An Inquisitive Investigation

Draco Malfoy's POV

Draco sat in his usual corner in the common room, and he waited patiently. Any minute now, that Blood-Traitor will come out and run off to the lake again… Today, I'll know what he does there with my friends! It was the crack of dawn on the third day of second year, and Draco already had his plans in motion. He had spent the entire holidays plotting against the Weasel, but more importantly, he had been plotting to get that 'Relegatio' seal removed from his name! His blood boiled as he remembered his public humiliation! It was all the Weasel's doing… And he'll pay for that!

Draco Malfoy's POV (Flashback)

The holidays had been the worst time that Draco had been forced to endure in his life… His father's disappointment was very clear, and Draco felt it keenly every time he was in the same room with his beloved father. The moment Draco had stepped off of the Hogwarts Express, he had noticed something was wrong. His mother had come to pick him up alone… Draco knew right then that his father was angry with him. At that time, Draco was quite angry and scared as well. He was still reeling from his attack and Weasley's disappearance… not to mention that he had blundered and told everyone about the Dark Lord. That was the one thing that Draco's father had forbidden!

Thankfully, Draco's mother greeted him with her usual loving and doting nature. Draco felt safe and at peace in her arms, and he refused to let go of her hand afterwards. All of his worries just vanished because of her being near him, she would protect him no matter what! They travelled back to Malfoy Manor using the Floo-station on Platform 93/4, and that's when everything changed. His father wasn't home, and his mother assured him that Lucius would be joining them for dinner. He could see that she was worried because her lips twitched, that was her tell. Draco foolishly ignored it, and went upstairs to wash up and unpack.

Dinner that night was horrible… His father had barely spoken through it, and worse, he refused to even acknowledge Draco's presence. If Draco asked his father a question, Lucius would just ignore it… Draco's mother didn't say much either, no doubt worried about Lucius' anger. But when Lucius sent Draco up without dessert, that's when her worry turned into anger. His parents, who were always loving to each other, broke out in a vicious fight. Draco had never heard them argue so angrily before, and it scared him. But mostly, he felt ashamed… He knew it was because of him that they were fighting. He had been 'banished' from the Triumvirate, and he had disgraced his father's name…

Draco was even more ashamed when he had begun crying in his room like some weakling that night, but that shame wasn't enough to stop him… He had never felt so pathetic in his life, and he just couldn't stop. He had lost most of his friends this year, he had been made a joke within Slytherin, the older students hated him, his father was ignoring him, and Weasley's name was respected within Slytherin far more than his own… No matter how he looked at it, Weasley was the cause for all of these horrible things. But even that didn't matter, Weasley was in a coma from an attack by the Dark Lord himself… Draco didn't know why, but he felt pity for Weasley… even after everything that had happened. That certainly didn't help ease his mind, his father would never feel pity for an enemy.

The next two week were grueling to say the least… Draco actively began dodging his father's presence, and his father seemed more than pleased with that. That fact had hurt Draco, but he chose to keep hiding from his father. Draco's mother did her best to make him feel at home, but her efforts just didn't matter enough to Draco. Every time he felt any semblance of happiness, his mind reminded him of his current situation with his father and school-house. And that would result in him losing all of his energy, and then he'd just mope around the manor alone. His mother eventually stopped trying, and instead settled for giving him sad smiles from afar. His parents began fighting again, and Draco could hear them sometimes when they thought that he was asleep.

The arguments always ended the same way, his father storming out via floo and his mother crying in her room. Draco got the feeling that they weren't fighting over him anymore, he had heard his father yell out something about the Dark Lord still being alive. Draco's stomach still twisted at the memory of the attack… he still couldn't understand why the Dark Lord would attack him! And in the end, Draco figured that Weasley had been the target all along. Draco had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time… and all because of that giant oaf groundkeeper!

Time kept passing by, and Draco just moved through the motions. He spent most of his days flying around, and he eagerly awaited the release of the new Nimbus 2001s. Though he knew that he would have to ask his mother instead of his father, Draco wasn't ready to face him yet. Halfway through July, word reached Draco that Weasley had woken up from his coma. Draco wasn't sure how he felt about that news… He still hated the Weasel, but he also knew that the same Weasel hadn't abandoned him in the Forbidden Forest… So Draco just chose to ignore the news, just like he was ignoring all of his other problems. He just couldn't be bothered right now, that was all…

On the very last day of July, Draco's father finally approached him in his room. Draco was worried about the confrontation, but he was overjoyed to see his father talking to him in a soft and kind voice. Lucius had explained to his son that he had found out that Sebastian Greengrass was currently making some sort of deal involving Weasley, and that Weasley had also attended a party at Longbottom Manor the previous day. Draco was shocked to hear some semblance of respect in his father's voice, but Lucius assured his son that Weasley was just a Blood-Traitor… A Blood-Traitor that needed to be taught his place…

And so, father and son began their plotting. Draco joined in eagerly, mostly because he had missed his father terribly over the last month. But a small part of Draco wanted to hurt Weasley, hurt him for all the problems and hurt he had caused Draco. The first order of business was removing Draco's 'Relegatio' seal, and that would just be the start. Lucius ordered his son to improve his studies, and to earn even more house-points than Weasley. Draco agreed, although he wasn't entirely sure that he could. Weasley was a damn prodigy… or so the Daily Prophet claimed anyway. Lucius instructed his son on the importance of taking away Weasley's power in the house, and Draco nodded in agreement.

Their plan was simple… Take away the thing that gave Weasley his security in the house, and then to push Weasley into a trap. They had to besmirch his name, and they had to isolate him. That wouldn't be too hard, Weasley was a hot-head who was prone to commit physical violence. Draco felt his excitement grow at the prospect of regaining his friends back, and even more excitement at finally defeating the Weasel. With his father on his side again, Draco knew that it was possible now. This was going to be his year!

Draco met Weasley once again at Daphne's birthday, and it had not been a pleasant experience. Draco had been getting along with his former friends quite well, and then the red-haired tumor had shown up… Draco was hurt deeply at the fact that his former friends all but started ignoring him once Weasley was there, and he felt disgusted with them. How could they chose this vile Blood-Traitor over him?! Draco was rich, and his father held real power! Whereas Weasley was some poor sod, and his father was a disgrace to the name of Wizards! And yet, his friends chose Weasley over him… Draco had to find out why! In order for his plot to work, he needed to know what made Weasley tick…

The second time Draco ran into the Weasel during the holidays was at Flourish and Blotts… Potter and Weasley had paraded themselves in front of the store as if they were bloody peacocks, and it made Draco sick that all of these people were throwing them all their attention. And then, Weasley's disgusting father had attacked Lucius like some brute… While Draco was struck by the Weasel himself! One of Draco's teeth had come loose from the punch, and the pain was excruciating. When they had gotten home, Draco's father had been livid. And once Narcissa had learned about Draco's injury, she too had lost her composure. The Weasleys had to pay for this… and they would!

Draco Malfoy's POV (Present-time)

Draco heard footsteps coming from the boys' dorms, and he quickly hid himself. Weasley, Theo, and Blaise came out of the entrance and they were talking animatedly about Lockhart. Draco frowned at the mention of that fool, and he agreed with the Weasel that Lockhart was indeed a 'Glory-hungry moron'. Once the three were out of the common room, Draco followed after them. He kept his distance, mostly because he knew their destination already. It wasn't hard to stay hidden, the three were far too engulfed in their conversation about Lockhart.

Once they were at the lake, Malfoy stayed on the other side of the shore. He hid behind a tree and watched the three boys, but he couldn't hear them. They were too far away, and Malfoy cursed how open the areas around the lake were. He couldn't risk getting closer, he'd definitely be spotted. So he settled for just watching them, and he was shocked to see all three boys brandishing their wands. Are they… practicing spells? Why? What is the Weasel up to?

Weasley seemed to be playing the part of a teacher, and he was going on and on about something. And then, Weasley aimed his wand on himself and he disappeared. What?! Where did he go?! And then Weasley reappeared, and Draco's two former friends were ecstatic. Draco was just floored by this revelation, Weasley was teaching Theo and Blaise advanced magic… Magic no second year should be able to pull off… That's why they chose him over me! He bought their loyalties with advanced magic! Is that how this works?! He teaches them this stuff, and they protect him? Filthy little Weasel… You'll pay for turning them against me!

Draco had seen enough, he had to report this to his father. Draco slowly left the lake, and traveled back to his dorm. He had learned Weasley's secret, Weasley was buying off Draco's former friends. The thought sickened him, how could they be so disloyal? I'll teach them a lesson too… One that will show them the error of their ways…

Harry Potter's POV

Harry's second year had started off quite terribly, at least in his opinion. He had crashed horribly into Sirius' backside, he had spent the ensuing train ride being scolded by Hermione, Dobby's warning was constantly on his mind, he had two stalkers, Malfoy had made him a laughing stock with the help of Ron and Lockhart, and then Cornish Pixies had broken his glasses and scratched him up… One of them had left a bite mark on his nose… All in all, second year was a disaster so far. And to make things worse, Harry was forced to tiptoe through the castle! He had stalkers to avoid, after all…

Lockhart was hounding him every single day! Not to mention Colin Creevey… The mouse-like boy had been hovering around Harry with his camera, and every time Harry let his guard down Colin would snap a photo… Harry knew that he needed to put an end to this, but he didn't have the heart to tell the little boy off. Harry had asked his friends for help, and to his joy, Neville had agreed to play the bad guy. But that didn't last long because Hermione went off of her rocker at them for being so heartless… So Harry was back to avoiding his stalkers as best he could…

After an exhaustive week, Harry was truly glad to start the first weekend of the school year! He already had a pile of homework, but Harry didn't care. He had no intention of doing it just yet, despite Hermione's usual lectures. It was Friday night… who did homework on a Friday night?! Hermione Granger, that's who…

"Harry, mate" came Neville's voice, it pulled Harry back into the moment. "It's your move…" Harry looked down at the chessboard and he frowned deeply, he was going to lose…

"Yeah, I think I lost" Harry muttered as he toppled his black king. Even Neville beats me in chess…

"Want to go again?" Neville asked with a smile, and Harry smiled back at him.

"Nah, we should probably pretend to study… Hermione will be here any second!" Harry warned his best-friend. Neville sighed at that, and then he nodded. They packed up the chessboard and got their homeworks out, and they began their act. It didn't take long for Hermione to enter the common room, and once again she was carrying all of her books in her bag. How does she have so much strength? Hermione approached her best-friends and she dumped her bag down. It landed with a thud that made both boys go wide-eyed, and then Hermione sat down with them.

"How was your trip to the library?" Neville asked with a smile. Hermione smiled back happily.

"It was great!" Hermione answered, her voice merry. "Ron and I finished all of our homework for the weekend! You two really should have come along…" Um… No thanks…

"Hermione, it's just first week…" Harry sighed, and then he wished that he hadn't said that. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, and she was about to launch into a bossy lecture but Neville stepped in.

"How's Ron?" Neville asked, he knew that this would stop her incoming rant.

"Oh, he's fine" Hermione said, losing her steam. Great save, mate! "He asked about you two, you know… He wanted to know why you didn't come along… He was probably let down that he couldn't sneak you two answers tonight…" Harry paled at that, and so did Neville.

"What… what are you saying?" Harry stuttered, and then he chuckled lamely. "Ron doesn't do that…"

"Oh, please" Hermione scoffed. "He told me tonight… I'm really disappointed in you two…"

"Bloody hell!" Neville exclaimed. "Why would he tell her that?!" Ron… why?

"AHA!" Hermione yelled as she jumped out of her chair, taking the entire common room by surprise. "He didn't say a word! But you just confirmed my suspicions!" Harry and Neville both blanched as they saw her take in a sharp breath. Here it comes… We're doomed…

"Harry, wake up…" came a distant voice, one that Harry chose to ignore. "Wake up, now!" demanded the voice, and then Harry's entire body was shaken.

"Whassamatter?" Harry muttered groggily, still utterly out of it. "I'll make the breakfast…" Harry whispered and then he fell back to sleep.

"Breakfast? Potter, get up!" came Oliver Wood's voice, and this time Harry sat up.

"Wood? What happened?" Harry asked, searching for his glasses. What time is it?

"Here" Wood said as he passed Harry his glasses. "Get your Quidditch Uniform, we're going out for practice!" Harry slid off of his bed and dragged himself to his trunk, which he opened slowly. It's so cold… Where's the sunlight? Harry took out his uniform and looked to Wood.

"Wood, what time is it?" Harry asked, still yawning.

"Five in the morning!" Wood said happily. What?! Why are we practicing so early?! "I'll explain soon enough, get your things and meet me in McGonagall's classroom." Wood then left in a hurry, and Harry just blinked at his bed. It's the crack of dawn… Harry then moved to the adjoining bathroom and changed into his gear. He washed his face and brushed his teeth, and once he had gathered his wits, he grabbed his Nimbus 2001 and marched down to McGonagall's classroom. He was halfway there when he heard an obnoxious clicking sound, and Harry nearly screamed in frustration.

"Alright there, Harry?" came Colin Creevey's voice. Why is he even awake?! And did he follow me here?!

"Hello, Colin" Harry said, doing his best to sound polite. Colin was already by his side by the time Harry finished his greeting.

"Are you training for Quidditch? I've never seen Quidditch before, I hear it's all the craze in the Wizarding World…" Colin spoke quickly in his squeaky voice, another trait that Harry was annoyed with. "I myself don't even understand the rules… But you play as a Seeker, don't you?! The youngest in a century! That's amazing, Harry!"

"Thanks, Colin…" Harry said, going crimson in the face. "I really need to get to McGonagall's classroom, all right?"

"Oh… ok" Colin said, his voice squeaking more than usual. "I'll come with you! I'd love to see you play!" Did he just invite himself? Harry rolled his eyes and kept walking, doing his best to answer Colin's bombardment of questions.

Harry didn't hear a word of what Wood had said after the initial explanation, his eyes just kept closing. And he wasn't alone… Fred Weasley had passed out immediately on Angelina Johnson's shoulder, while George was just staring blankly at Wood. Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson were doing their best to stay awake, but they were also struggling. As it turned out, Wood had decided to forgo trials this year. He believed that the team was already solid enough to win the Quidditch Cup, and this time they would. Harry had felt a little guilty for costing them the Quidditch Cup last year, even though Wood assured him that they didn't blame Harry.

"Wake up, you lot!" Wood said in an angry tone. "You've had plenty of sleep!"

"Plenty of sleep, he says…" George started, but then he trailed off. After a second, he looked around for his twin. Fred was still asleep on Angelina's shoulder. They really can't talk without one another, can they?

"Listen" Wood scolded. "We can win the Cup this year, we will win the Cup! Our team is the best team out there, and I won't let some sleep get in the way! We will train harder, longer, and more often than ever before! Now… you have ten minutes to go get some breakfast, and then we go to the pitch! I've reserved it already." Harry and the others dragged themselves out of the room, and to Harry's horror, Colin was waiting outside. He snapped a photo of Harry with the team, and then he ran up to Harry.

"Are you going out to the pitch?" Colin asked excitedly. I hope I crash and die… I can't take this anymore!

"Yes, Colin" Harry said flatly. "Just getting some breakfast first…" Harry then walked to the Great Hall, and Colin chased after him. Harry ignored the boy's annoying presence as best he could, but he felt extremely guilty doing it. It was that guilt that was causing him to occasionally answer Colin's questions, and as such, Colin wasn't going anywhere… Harry got to the Great Hall, and it was mostly empty. The only people that were there were Hermione, Neville, a few Ravenclaws, and Ron. Why is Ron awake so early? And why is he completely alone? OH WAIT! It's Saturday! He has his apprenticeship lesson today! Harry remembered this from his time at the Burrow. Every Saturday morning, Ron would leave early and come back late. Harry didn't enjoy his Saturdays at the Burrow as much as a result… He preferred it when Ron was around.

"Hi, Harry" Neville greeted Harry pleasantly.

"Good morning, Neville. Morning, Hermione" Harry greeted his best friends as he sat down with them. Hermione grunted a good morning back from behind her book. She's still mad at us… And she's reading Lockhart's book again… Harry shot a quick look to the teachers table, and he was grateful that Lockhart wasn't there. Harry did spot Snape though, and that soured Harry's mood even more. Foul git…

"Aren't we supposed to meet Hagrid today?" Neville asked Harry, observing his best friend's attire.

"We'll have to go after practice… Wood has lost it…" Harry muttered tiredly. Harry then looked to the rest of the Gryffindor team, and they were scarfing down their food. Harry decided to follow suit, and Neville chuckled at the sight. Harry heard another annoying clicking sound, and he nearly lost it at Colin. Harry slowed down his eating instead, doing his best to be polite and kind to others.

"Why's Ron awake so early?" Neville asked the group, and Hermione put her book down. She turned around to look at Ron eating his food alone, and then she turned to Harry.

"Um…" Harry started but then stopped.

"You know?! Tell us!" Hermione ordered. Should I? It's not my business… But it isn't anything bad, so it should be fine.

"He has his apprenticeship on Saturdays" Harry answered, and both of his friends cocked their eyebrows. "He gets paid to practice and play chess by Lord Greengrass… He is an ally of their family, or something like that… I don't really understand it much" Harry said honestly. Neville and Hermione were both surprised to hear that, and Hermione seemed to be beaming.

"He already has a job?" Hermione asked, her voice awestruck. "Wow… He really is smart, isn't he?" She sounds a bit… jealous…

"He's an ally of the Greengrass Family? Are you sure?" Neville asked inquisitively. Harry frowned at that, he knew why Neville was asking this. This was the one and only thing he didn't like about Neville… Neville was constantly trying to find reasons to not like Ron, no matter how much Ron did for all of them. Harry just didn't understand why… Neville was so kind to others, but he wouldn't even give Ron a chance!

"Yeah, I think so" Harry decided not to lie. "He goes to Greengrass Manor and spends the day with Lord Greengrass, he's sort of like Lord Greengrass' protégé…" Neville narrowed his eyes at Ron when he heard that, and Harry rolled his eyes. Even Hermione was frowning at Neville.

"Don't give me that look…" Neville defended himself. "Sebastian Greengrass was an ally of you-know-who in the last war!" Harry and Hermione were shocked to hear this.

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked through narrowed eyes. How does he know that?

"My parents were Aurors…" Neville answered softly, and both Harry and Hermione nodded slowly at that. Neville had told them both about his parents' condition, and it broke Harry's heart to learn that his best friend lived with such pain. Harry had lost his parents, but Neville's parents were just out of his reach… They were alive, but they weren't Neville's parents anymore… Harry didn't know what was worse of the two, he just knew that he hated it…

"C'mon, Harry!" came Wood's voice, and Harry looked to it. "You've eaten enough, let's go!" Harry slowly got up, but so did his friends.

"We'll come and watch you" Hermione smiled, and Harry smiled happily at that.

"You'd do that for me?" Harry asked.

"Of course, mate" Neville chuckled. "We can go straight to Hagrid's after your training!" Harry nodded eagerly, and then they all followed after Wood. They were crossing into the courtyard when something unforeseen happened. The Slytherin Quidditch team crossed paths with them, and both teams glared at each other. What are they doing here?

"What's the meaning of this?" Wood hissed at Flint, the Slytherin team captain. "I've already booked the pitch!"

"Ease up there, Wood" Flint said with a devilish smirk. "There is room enough on that pitch for two teams… Or have you forgotten that Quidditch is played by two teams?" Harry frowned at Flint, and Wood went red with rage.

"I know more about Quidditch than you ever will" Wood spat out, he was fuming. "I booked the pitch! I booked it for Gryffindor, you have no business on it this morning!"

"Calm down" Flint said smoothly, and the he took out a note. "Here, I have a special note from Professor Snape… we get the pitch this morning." Wood snatched the note from Flint's hand and read it, and then he gasped.

"You have a new seeker?! Since when?" Wood demanded, and the entire Gryffindor team was surprised. Flint stepped to the side, and Harry felt his fury rising in his chest. It was Mafloy… and he was smirking arrogantly as always.

"Take a photo, Potter…" Malfoy said smoothly with a smirk. "It'll last longer…"

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" Fred questioned, glaring at Malfoy.

"Funny that you should mention Lucius Malfoy…" Flint said smoothly. "Draco's father gifted the Slytherin team new brooms… Here, have a look." Flint and the other six Slytherin Quidditch players then showed off their new brooms, and all the Gryffindors were horrified. And jealous… All the Slytherins had brand new Nimbus 2001s, polished and untouched. Harry didn't feel jealous though, he already had one. But he did feel sick that Malfoy had bought his way onto the team…

"Nothing to say to that?" Malfoy smirked at Harry, but his smirk faltered when he saw that Harry also had one. "You have one as well, good… I'd rather you provide me with some challenge at least." Bring it on Malfoy! "But judging by looks on your team's faces, I rather doubt that any of you stand a chance this year…" Malfoy smirked broadly, and Harry clenched his teeth.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in" Hermione shot back haughtily. "They got in on pure talent!" Haha! Nice one, Hermione! Harry smirked at Malfoy deep frown.

"No one here asked for your opinion" Malfoy spat at Hermione, his voice laced with venom. "You filthy little Mud-Blood!"

Harry didn't know what that word meant, but he could tell that it was bad. Hermione looked like she had been slapped across the face, and Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy because Fred and George tried to attack the little ponce. The girls on the Gryffindor team started shouting at the Slytherin players, and even Neville was shouting at them… The Slytherin players just smirked as they hid Malfoy behind their backs.

All of the shouting stopped when there was a thunderous sound, and a bright green light came out of nowhere and struck Malfoy on his arse, sending the git flying into the Slytherin team. Harry shot quick looks behind the Slytherin team, and he saw someone with red hair dash away behind cover. Ron?! Then Harry turned to Malfoy, and the git was moaning.

Malfoy went to speak but instead of words coming out of his mouth, he instead belched loudly and vomited out several slugs. Harry gagged at the sight for a second, but then he burst into laughter. The whole Gryffindor team was in uproar, laughing wildly at Malfoy's pale face. Malfoy vomited out more slugs, and both twins fell to the ground laughing. Harry had to clutch his sides because they were starting to hurt, but he couldn't stop laughing. Even Neville and Hermione began laughing at Malfoy, although Hermione was still reeling from being called such a horrible thing.

"What is the meaning of this?" came the cold voice of Severus Snape, and everyone turned to see him approaching from the castle. "Explain yourselves at once…"

"Sir, they cursed Draco" Flint lied, he was sitting down next to Malfoy with a disgusted look. "We told them about your note, and they just lost it!" WHAT?! LIAR!

"That is not…" Wood started but he was cut off by Snape.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor!" Snape hissed, scowling at Harry in particular. "Mr. Flint, escort Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing at once." Flint did as he was told. "Join the rest of your team on the pitch afterwards…" Snape added as Flint left with a slug-vomiting Malfoy. Snape turned to the Gryffindors. "As for you all, I will see you all in detention tomorrow night! Out of my sight!" The Gryffindors quickly scattered, too afraid of losing even more house-points. Once they were all back in the Great Hall, Wood yelled out a cuss and kicked a seat.

"Merlin be damned!" Wood exclaimed. "I booked that pitch… And they still get to use it?!"

"Mate…" Angelina said softly. "We just lost fifty points and got detentions… The pitch is the least of our worries…"

"Who fired that Slug Curse?" Alicia Spinnet asked, and Harry kept his mouth shut. I'm not getting Ron into trouble as well… Harry then heard a small sniffle from behind him, and he turned to face Hermione. She looked rather upset, and Harry knew it was because of what Malfoy said. I should take her away from all of this… Harry approached Hermione with a soft smile.

"Hermione, let's go visit Hagrid" Harry said, looking to Neville for support.

"Yeah" Neville said quickly, catching onto his best mate's line of thinking. Hermione nodded meekly, and all three of them departed for Hagrid's hut. The trip down was quiet, and Hermione sniffled every now and then. Harry could also see that Neville was quite angry, an emotion that he never showed so openly. What did Malfoy say?! I remember Neville telling me about Half-Bloods… But I've never heard 'Mud-Blood' before… It sounds a lot worse…

As they got closer to the hut, Harry heard a familiar voice coming out from it. And then the door swung open, and Lockhart came out with his back turned on the trio. He was wearing pale blue robes that were spotless, and his wavy hair fluttered in the wind.

"All I'm saying is that it isn't very hard… if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart said with an obnoxious laugh, he was talking to Hagrid no doubt. Harry didn't wait to see because he grabbed his two best friends and hid behind a large batch of pumpkins. "And I'll be sure to send you a signed copy tonight! No, no… Don't thank me, it's my job!" Lockhart laughed, and then he strode off towards the castle. Lockhart's grin nauseated Harry… Once Lockhart was gone, the trio walked up to Hagrid's door and knocked. Hagrid flung the door open, and he looked furious. Harry and his friends tensed immediately, but Hagrid's expression changed drastically when he saw his young friends.

"Oh, it's yer three!" Hagrid said happily. "Was wonderin' when you'd come and visit me! Come in, come in…" Hagrid then stepped back into his hut, and the trio followed after him. "I was worried that yer were Professor Lockhart come to haunt me again…"

"What was he doing here, Hagrid?" Harry asked as he took a seat next to Neville. Hagrid frowned deeply at that, and he began making tea for his guests.

"Teachin' me on how to get kelpies out 'o' me well…" Hagrid scoffed. "An' then he just kept bangin' on about some banshee he banished… If even one word of it were true, then I'd eat my own kettle…" Harry was shocked to see Hagrid criticizing someone… even if that someone deserved it…

"Hagrid!" Hermione exclaimed, she looked scandalized. "He was clearly perfect for his job! Or else Headmaster Dumbledore would never hire him as a Professor!"

"Believe me… he were the only one who were asked…" Hagrid grumbled, and then he handed out tea to everyone. Hagrid narrowed his eyes at Hermione when he noticed her puffy eyes and red nose. "Hermione… what's the matter?" Hermione went a little red, and Neville puffed his chest out in anger.

"Malfoy happened, the git!" Neville said angrily, once again shocking Harry. "He called Hermione a…" Neville trailed off.

"Called her a what?" Hagrid pressed, he was becoming a bit upset on her behalf.

"He called me a Mud-Blood…" Hermione muttered, looking at the ground. But she didn't cry this time. Hagrid was beside himself, and Neville gave her a comforting pat. It must be a horrible thing to say… I'm gonna break Malfoy's face!

"He didn'!" Hagrid exclaimed, he was disgusted with the young Malfoy.

"He did…" Hermione muttered, she looked quite upset.

"What does it mean?" Harry asked softly. "I remember you telling me about Blood-Supremacy, Neville. It's related to that, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is" Neville said with a disgusted look.

"It means dirty-blood" Hermione said, talking more to herself rather than the room. "It is a slur used to discriminate against those with Muggle-Parentage. It is often used to cause offence, and it is a term often used by those of a 'Pure' heritage…" Did she just quote that from a book? "I read about it… I wanted to know why I wasn't sorted into Slytherin…" Wait… what?

"Why would you want to be sorted into that pit of vipers?!" Neville asked, shocked to learn this.

"It was at the start of last year…" Hermione explained. "When I was… when I was jealous of Ron being smarter than me… I knew that the Ravenclaws were the academically gifted, but watching Ron in class… I thought that I should've been in his house too… It was stupid…" I didn't know she felt like that… But I guess I was just a git to her back then… Harry felt a soft pang of guilt, he remembered how he had ignored her just like the rest of the house. It was no wonder that she questioned if she was in the right house…

"Yer darn righ' it was stupid" Hagrid said firmly. "There ain' no spell invented that you can' cast Hermione! Yer right where yer belong!" Hermione smiled softly at that.

"He's right! And you're way smarter than Ron!" Neville exclaimed, trying to cheer her up. But she didn't like the sound of that… Before she could begin lecturing Neville on patronizing her, Harry jumped in.

"It was Ron, by the way" Harry blurted out, and everyone looked at him in confusion. "He fired that Slug Curse at Malfoy… I saw him rush behind cover after." Hermione and Neville went wide-eyed.

"No way…" Neville shook his head. But unlike Neville, Hermione beamed when she realized that he was the only one who was awake, and he wasn't with them in the courtyard. "He wouldn't curse his own house-mate in public, he'd never risk getting caught…"

"But he didn't get caught!" Hermione argued. "It had to be him, Harry saw him!"

"And where's Malfoy now?" Hagrid asked, curious about this.

"At the Hospital Wing" Harry said with a grin. "He's still throwing up slugs, I bet!" Hagrid guffawed at that.

"Brillian'" Hagrid laughed. "Yer should invite Ron here more often… He was very polite the las' time."

"Can we?" Hermione asked Harry, she was smiling rather happily now.

"Of course, I think that's a great idea!" Harry agreed with a nod, he ignored Neville's distant look. One of these days… I'm gonna find out what Neville has against Ron, and solve this!

Ronald Weasley's POV

Ron stepped through the fireplace and walked into Snape's office. He was exhausted, but he was in a great mood. He had told Lord Greengrass about cursing Malfoy and getting away with it, and Lord Greengrass had given him proud pat on the back. He didn't know why, but he loved getting compliments from the Lord of the Greengrass Family. Not to mention Astoria's happy reaction at that particular news as well. All in all, it had been a good day!

"Mr. Weasley" Snape's voiced drawled from behind his desk. "Welcome back…"

"Good evening, Professor Snape" Ron greeted with a smile, which earned him a light frown from Snape.

"How was your apprenticeship today?" Snape asked, taking Ron by surprise. Is he trying to make conversation?!

"It went great, Sir" Ron replied immediately, happy to see Snape being nice for once. "I practiced on making my reaction time faster when facing difficult strategies. It was exhausting, but I still had fun."

"You aren't there to have fun, Mr. Weasley" Snape kept his light frown. "You are there to improve yourself, which I hope you do. Your behavior at your job gives a reflection of our school's teachings… Try and remember that."

"I always do, Sir" Ron replied, he wasn't going to let Snape ruin his day. "Is there anything else, Sir?"

"No, Mr. Weasley" Snape said as he stood up. "Come, I shall accompany you to the Great Hall, dinner will be served soon." Accompany me? What's going on here? They left for the Great Hall, and neither of them said a word. Snape broke the silence as they neared the giant door that led into the Great Hall.

"Mr. Weasley" Snape all but whispered. "Don't ever curse your house-mates again… Or I will make you serve detention with Professor Lockhart every single day during this year. Is that clear?" Ron went pale, and he came to a halt.

"I don't know what you mean, Professor Snape" Ron lied, trying to sound innocent. Snape rolled his eyes at Ron's terrible lying skills.

"And try to lie more convincingly next time…" Snape sighed. "Other Professors will not show you any leniency…" And then Snape billowed into the Great Hall, leaving Ron to stare at the man's back. How did he know it was me?! Merlin, he's cool!

Ron then entered the Great Hall, and it was already full. He instinctively shot a look towards Hermione. She was looking right at him with a bright smile, and he smiled in return and gave her a nod. Ron then made his way towards his Slytherin friends, and he was happy to see no sign of Malfoy. Probably still throwing up slugs… Good! Ron sat down next to Pansy, and his friends were surprised to see him back before dinner.

"Hello" Ron greeted with a smile, and his friends greeted him in return.

"You're back earlier than I expected" Daphne said. "How is my family? Do they miss me?" she asked with a smirk.

"They didn't mention you…" Ron lied, and Daphne frowned at him. "Astoria sends her love Tracey, she misses you terribly!" Tracey chuckled at that, while his friends smiled at Daphne's ever growing frown.

"You're so funny, Ron" Daphne said scathingly, and then she huffed in indignation. Ron grinned at his friends and they all chuckled at his antics.

"Did you have fun?" Pansy asked him. "I still can't believe you have a job! You're only twelve!"

"I did have fun" Ron said, and then he shot a quick look towards Snape. I hope he didn't hear that… "And it doesn't feel like a job to me, I love playing chess. And Lord Greengrass is the best, he let me drink seven mugs of hot chocolate today!"

"That can't be healthy" Theo said flatly. Food then appeared on the tables, and Ron dug in.

"How was your day?" Ron asked his friends, and he didn't like the sheepish looks they gave him. And there goes my good day… It's always something… "What happened?"

"Not here" Blaise told everyone. "We talk about this in the common room, understood? Too many ears…" And I thought I was paranoid! Whatever, I'm starving anyway… this new problem can wait. Ron ate his meal and told his friends about his training, and they seemed genuinely happy for him. They finished dinner much earlier, and Ron and his friends made their way down to the common room but they were stopped at the stairs by the Golden Trio.

"Ron, can we talk to you?" Harry asked, and Ron turned to the Golden Trio with a smile.

"No" Blaise answered for Ron curtly, making Ron frown at his dark-skinned friend. Hey… Don't be rude!

"Is your name Ron?" Neville asked Blaise in a scathing voice.

"Look out everyone" Theo chuckled. "Longbottom finally grew a pair!" Neville went red in the face, and Ron's friends laughed at the slightly less chubby Gryffindor.

"Enough" Ron ordered. "If you all can't be civil, leave. I'll catch up to you after I'm done here."

"Ron…" Millie said firmly. "I'm staying with you, you can't trust these three…" Merlin… Give me strength…

"Well, we don't trust you either" Hermione shot back at Millie.

"I'm not the bitch who was happy to throw my friend to the wolves" Millie said with disgust, and Hermione flinched. WOAH! MILLE! Ease up, yeah?!

"Okay, that's enough…" Ron said firmly. "Go, now…" But his friends didn't budge, and Ron nearly lost his temper.

"How about only Ron and I stay, and the rest leave?" Hermione suggested, this made Daphne let out a scathing laugh.

"Absolutely not" Daphne said in a pompous voice.

"You're the least trustworthy person here, Granger" Tracey spat out. "We all know how you treat your friends…"

"Don't talk to her like that" Harry warned Tracey, and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"The dork-who-lived has blessed me by looking my way?!" Tracey gasped in a mocking manner. She was about to speak again but Ron cut her off.

"Hermione and I stay, the rest leave" Ron said firmly. "No arguments, go!" His friends frowned at him, except for Daphne. She gave him a dark look, and then she huffed and marched off. The rest of Ron's friends slowly followed after her, except for Blaise.

"I'll leave when they do" Blaise said, glaring at Neville and Harry.

"Guys, go… please…" Hermione said in a pleading tone. Harry made to leave, but Neville didn't move. Harry grabbed his friend's arm and slowly dragged him upstairs. Once they were out of sight, Blaise turned to Ron.

"Don't keep us waiting" Blaise whispered to Ron. "And keep your hand on your wand…" And then Blaise left for the dungeons. Ron let out a tired sigh, and Hermione just shook her head.

"That was harder than it had to be…" Ron said regretfully. "I'm really sorry about them, they mean well… but they can be really harsh…"

"No, it's okay…" Hermione said with a faint smile. "You have good friends, Ron."

"I do" Ron said, looking at her with a smile. She blushed a bit at his inclusion of her. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I wanted to thank you" Hermione smiled more broadly.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For what you did today… to Malfoy" Hermione whispered. How did she find out as well?! Did she tell the others?! Is that why Snape knew?! Oh Merlin… Slytherin is going to be pissed at me again!

"How did you know?" Ron asked in a whisper, feeling a cold sweat in his armpits.

"Harry saw you running away after…" Hermione smiled. "Don't worry, we didn't tell a soul… except for Hagrid. But he won't say a word about it, I promise." Ron relaxed at her explanation. Snape probably saw me running away as well… Need to be more careful!

"Well, that's good to hear" Ron said with relief. "I'd get in a lot of trouble if the wrong people found out."

"Thank you, Ron" Hermione said brightly. "You didn't have to do that, you know? It could have gotten you…" Ron stopped her by raising his gloved hand.

"I had to" Ron said resolutely. "No one talks to my friends like that and gets away with it… It's just that simple." Hermione surprised him with a hug, a hug that lasted for more than five seconds… Ron was blushing crimson by the end. "Hermione… the portraits are staring…" Ron managed, his face felt hot.

"Oh…" Hermione gasped as she let him go abruptly, her face was bright red. "Sorry…"

"Don't be…" Ron said, feeling oddly embarrassed. "I don't mind… I should probably get back to them… Was there anything else…?"

"No…" Hermione said, and then she shook her head. "No, Ron. Thank you for standing up for me." And then she turned to leave, but Ron stopped her by talking.

"You shouldn't let that git say that stuff to you, Hermione… You're worth ten of him, that's the truth!" Hermione turned around and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Ron" Hermione said, her voice more composed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight…" Ron said, and then she was gone. That was… new… Ron then walked down to the Slytherin common room alone, he felt a little light-headed after that exchange with Hermione. And therefore, he missed the fact that two certain gorillas had been spying on him the entire time… Ron entered the common room and went over to his friends, they were sitting in their favorite spot.

"Hello" Ron greeted, but he was met with less than enthusiastic greetings. "Come off it… She wanted to talk about homework" Ron lied. "You know, the homework I help you all with…" This got him some apologetic looks.

"You should stop associating with those three, Ron" Blaise advised. "Especially now…"

"What do you mean by 'especially now'?" Ron asked as he sat down next to Daphne.

"Well…" Pansy started but stopped, she looked conflicted.

"Draco is no longer banished from the Triumvirate" Theo said bluntly, and Ron went wide-eyed. What? How?!

"What? Why?" Ron asked quickly.

"He bought them off" Tracey spat out, feeling disgusted by the new Triumvirate. "Daddy dearest gifted them all Nimbus 2001s, and he gifted Nimbus 2001s to the Slytherin Quidditch team as well…" Is that why he was a part of the Quidditch team?

"And they also made him their new seeker…" Ron summarized, he was utterly shocked. The seal didn't even last a week… Damn him and his money!

"How do you know about the seeker thing?" Daphne asked with narrowed eyes. "That was announced after lunch, and you were gone by then…" Blaise let out an annoyed sigh as he realized why Ron knew.

"He knows because he's the one who cursed Draco…" Blaise muttered, but it was loud enough for all of them to hear. All of Ron's friends looked at him with surprised looks, but Ron didn't bother denying it. What's the point of hiding it from them?

"You moron…" Theo grit out. "What if you got spotted?! Draco would easily turn the house against us! You attacked Slytherin's newest seeker right before their first practice… What were you thinking?!"

"He called Hermione a 'Mud-Blood'…" Ron snapped, and Tracey gasped. "What was I supposed to do? Just let him walk away?"

"Yes" Daphne jumped in. "You put us all in danger to protect your little girlfriend…" Ron could hear the venom in her voice, and it pissed him off.

"She is not my girlfriend…" Ron snarled, and Daphne glared at him. "Unlike you Daphne, I know the difference between right and wrong. And I'm not a coward who just walks away when I should be defending my friends…" Ron could tell that his words hurt Daphne because she flinched a bit. Ron then turned to the rest of his friends, and he glared them down to size. "What if he had called Tracey a similar slur? Would you walk away from that? Go on, tell me…" None of them said a word, but Ron could tell that they were angry at him. He just didn't care right now, everything had gone to shite in a matter of minutes… His good day was ruined the moment he entered the Slytherin common room… It's this damn house and its politics… I swear to Merlin!

When none of them answered him, Ron stood up and left. I'm going to bed… I'll deal with this Malfoy nonsense tomorrow… None of his friends made to follow him, and he was glad for it.

Ron was eating his breakfast alone, his friends were keeping their distance from him. He caught Tracey sending him worried looks all throughout breakfast, and he just ignored her. He could also feel Malfoy glaring at him hatefully, and Ron got the feeling that Malfoy knew the truth about who had cursed him. Bloody hell… First week back and I'm already drowning… As Ron finished up his bacon and eggs, an owl hooted loudly and dropped a package in front of him. Ron looked at the package warily, it looked like a big book… Ron picked up the letter attached to the package in-order to find out who had sent it. Victor Burke!

Hello Ronald,

I never got the chance to thank you in person for what you did for me (And Slytherin). I know our deal consisted of you earning more points to secure our victory, but even I didn't see that last minute save coming. It was quite amazing, and I'm sorry you weren't there to celebrate it with us.

You should be back in Hogwarts by now (I was truly relieved when I found out that you had woken up from your coma). Doing dangerous magic in secret, Ronald… I'm very proud! Seeking to empower yourself is the greatest of pursuits. I still remember how excited you were to learn that Disillusionment Charm from me.

In-order to thank you properly for saving the House Cup last year, I've sent you a gift. It is an old tome that I found in my Father's attic, a Tome of Curses… This tome is full of the Dark Arts, Ronald. So make sure you don't open the package in public. Take it to your room, and only read it in private. This letter will burn itself once you put it down…

Thank you, and I hope we meet again.

Victor Burke

Ron put the letter down slowly, and it instantly vanished in a small blaze. Ron picked up the packaged tome and left the Great Hall with a quick pace. He sent me an illegal tome?! What if I get caught with it?! I'll be expelled! Bloody hell, Victor! Ron all but ran to his dorm after that, and he shut the door behind him. Ron then entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him, after that he set the tome down on the ground. What do I do now? Should I… should I read it? The Dark Arts are evil… but… All curses are technically the Dark Arts… And Charlie didn't mind teaching me… Ron rubbed his temples as he stared at the packaged tome, what was he supposed to do with this thing?

Ron slowly approached it and undid the packaging, and he came face-to-face with a red-leathered cover. 'The Vilest Curses known to Wizard-kind' it read in black Gothic lettering, and Ron gulped. Just a small peek… That's all… Ron opened the cover, and he looked at the index page on the front. There were a lot of different types of Curses, and they were all categorized by severity… Merlin… This is surreal! Ron looked at the index, and the 'Unforgivables' caught his eye. He turned to the allocated page numbers, and he read all three of them.

"Imperio… Crucio… Avada Kedavra…" Ron muttered softly, his heart thumping in his chest. Ron skimmed through their descriptions, and his stomach turned into a knot. This tome was… not something he could tell others about. But he didn't want to throw it away either, it was too intriguing. A voice in the back of his mind was telling him to resist the temptation of this evil tome, but Ron's curiosity silenced that voice. With the power in this tome… I could save Fred… Ron reasoned with himself, and he decided to keep it. And learn from it… He knew what he was doing was wrong, but that feeling also added a thrill to this new secret. There was a knock at the door, and Ron jumped in fright.

"Ron?" came Theo's voice. "Are you in there?"

"Yeah!" Ron yelled, and then he looked to the tome. What do I do?! An idea jumped into his head, and he executed it immediately. Ron cast the Disillusionment Charm on the tome, and then he grabbed it with his left hand. Ron then cast 'Incendio' and 'Scourgify' on the packaging, removing all evidence. Ron then casually stepped out of the bathroom, holding the invisible tome in his left hand. Theo and Blaise were in the dorm, and they looked a bit suspicious of Ron. Ron quickly sat on his bed, pushing the invisible tome under the cover subtly.

"What was that package?" Blaise asked him, and Ron's chest tightened. "At the breakfast table… You ran off in a hurry once it arrived, not to mention that letter burning itself…"

"It was nothing, and I ran off because I had to go to the loo" Ron lied, he winced internally at his horrible lie. Theo and Blaise didn't buy it for a second.

"So we're lying to each other again…" Theo muttered. "That's great…" Theo looked disappointed, and Ron felt a little guilty about that. Should I tell them? Should I share the power in that tome with them? No… not yet… I need to keep my advantage in the upcoming war… What if Theo and Blaise are my enemies in the future? I can't risk it… Ron felt disgust at himself for thinking so lowly of his friends, but they had abandoned him once before. He couldn't take that risk, not when Fred's life was on the line!

"Whatever" Blaise sighed, he looked quite annoyed. "Theo, tell him about the investigation so we can leave…" Ron could hear the slight anger in Blaise's voice, and Ron knew that he had just hurt Blaise by lying to his face.

"What investigation?" Ron asked them both, his curiosity taking over again.

"The investigation into your Parseltongue ability" Theo clarified. "My father funds a particularly skilled investigator… for leverage purposes…" Ron narrowed his eyes at that, but he didn't interfere. "I've written to her and paid her to investigate the Gaunt Family…"

"Why the Gaunt Family?" Ron asked, confused by this sudden development. "Aren't they all dead?"

"They are" Blaise said. "But they were the descendants of the Salazar Slytherin… The investigator will look into each of them, quite thoroughly I believe. We need to find out what the connection between the Gaunt and Weasley Families is… Which means, she will investigate your family as well…"

"What?!" Ron exclaimed. "Call this off right now, Theo! Or I swear to Merlin, I'll kill you!"

"Calm down" Theo said quickly, putting his hands up in surrender. "She will only be looking into your dead family members… and only if she finds a connection with the Gaunt Family. Otherwise, the investigation will focus only on the Gaunt Family…" Ron relaxed a bit at that, and he breathed out in relief.

"When does this investigation start?" Ron asked.

"Yesterday…" Theo answered. "It will take a month, according to her anyway. She told me that the Gaunt Family is ancient, so she needs a lot of time…"

"Wait, how long have you been planning this?" Ron asked them, confused by the dates.

"Since you showed Theo that you are a Parselmouth" Blaise answered, and Ron frowned at the answer.

"Didn't care to tell me?" Ron asked scathingly.

"You have your secrets… we have ours…" Blaise retorted coldly. "Trust is a two way street." With that, Theo and Blaise left. Ron just huffed out a tired breath and lied down on his bed, his head was starting to hurt. Nothing ever works out for me…

It was Monday morning, and Ron was in his first Herbology double of the year. Things were still icy with his friends after their fight, and Ron was starting to regret his words. But he refused to apologize, he had stood up for his friend. There was nothing wrong with that, and he was getting tired of his Slytherin friends' selfish outlook on everything.

But all of that didn't matter right now, because he was in quite the pickle. They were having Herbology with the Ravenclaws, and his friends had all paired off together. This had left him in the wind, and the only Slytherins left were Mafloy and his apes… What do I do now?! Ron then spotted Padma Patil, and he remembered her from Neville's birthday. It's worth a shot! Anything is better than Malfoy… Ron approached Padma with a smile.

"Good morning, Padma" Ron greeted the pretty girl.

"Oh… Good morning, Ron" Padma greeted back, she was taken by surprise. "Can I help you?"

"You can actually" Ron said, putting on his best smile. "See, I need a partner for this lesson… Do you mind being that partner?" Padma was taken aback by this.

"But, we're in different houses…" Padma said, she looked a bit confused. Just say yes, please! Don't send me off to grovel to Malfoy…

"I know, but I don't really like Malfoy you see" Ron explained in a soft voice. "So please, save me…" Padma giggled at that, and then she shot a look to the other Slytherins.

"Fine, but you owe me!" Padma agreed with a playful smile. THANK MERLIN!

"Thank you" Ron said honestly, and then the two paired up. Ron got shocked looks from the girls, while Theo and Blaise just smirked and shook their heads.

"Gather around every one!" Professor Sprout said as she entered the Greenhouse. "Now, this lesson is extremely…" She trailed off as her eyes fell on Ron and Padma standing on the Ravenclaw side. "Mr. Weasley, what are you doing over there? You aren't in Ravenclaw…" Think quick, say something witty!

"Promoting House-Unity, Professor Sprout" Ron said with a smile, and the Ravenclaws burst into laughter. Even Ron's Slytherin friends were chuckling and trying to stop, only Malfoy and his goons weren't laughing. Professor Sprout was chuckling heartily.

"Well done!" Professor Sprout said as she calmed down a bit. "Take five points each then" she said while she looked to Padma and Ron. "Now, onto the lesson! We will be looking into Mandrakes today, who can tell me what a Mandrake is?" Theo put his hand up and began answering, but Ron's attention was grabbed by Padma.

"That was great" Padma sniggered to Ron. "Quick wit is always good to see."

"It's blessing… and a curse" Ron smirked, and Padma giggled at that. They both concentrated on the lesson after that, working hard at re-planting the Mandrakes. They didn't talk to each other at all due to their earmuffs, but they both enjoyed working together nonetheless. It was a long lesson, and they were all sweating and covered in earth by the end.

"Thanks for covering for me back there" Ron said to Padma as they left the Greenhouse. "I really appreciate it!"

"Well, you owe me one now" Padma said with a smug smile. "So I think it worked out for us both."

"Actually…" Ron started, he had another favor to ask. "I need another favor from you, if it isn't too much trouble." Padma looked interested, and so she stayed quiet to let him speak. "Luna, my sister… She was sorted into Ravenclaw last week, I want to know how she's doing in there…" Is she being bullied, because if she is… I'll burn your house down!

"Oh! So you're the brother she keeps going on about!" Padma said excitedly. "She never says your name, she just expects us to know who she is referring to… Wait… She is a Lovegood, you're a Weasley…"

"It's complicated…" Ron said softly. "We grew up together."

"Oh" Padma said with a nod. "Well, I'll be honest… She is a bit… odd…" Ron frowned internally at that, they had better not be bullying her! "But she is getting along with her fellow first years! She made them all protective charms with bottle-caps, even I have one" Padma giggled. "She knows when to dial down her odd behavior, that's helping her settle in quite well." Probably because Pandora is still alive… Thank Merlin for that amazing woman…

"That's great to hear" Ron sighed in relief. "I was worried about her…"

"Aw… you're so sweet!" Padma smiled at him, and Ron blushed a bit. "You're a good brother… So I'll keep an eye on her for you, how's that?" Ron smiled widely at the sound of that.

"Thank you, Padma" Ron exclaimed. "Guess I owe you two now, I'll be sure to pay you back!"

"Don't worry about the Luna thing, I actually like your sister" Padma said with a laugh. "I have one too, and I'm always worrying about her…"

"Parvati, right?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you remembered us."

"How could I forget?" Ron said smoothly, and Padma blushed a little. This is good, I have someone watching over Luna now! Now I just need eyes within Gryffindor…

Ron came out of the toilet stand, and he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He took off his rings and then his glove, and he pocketed them. Lunch was about to start, and he'd be spending it alone again. When are they going to just apologize?! It's been more than a day now… Ron was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice Malfoy and his apes walk into the boys' bathroom, and they surrounded him. Ron looked up at the mirror in front, and his eyes-widened when he saw them around him in the reflection.

Ron turned around and he was immediately punched in the sternum by Crabbe. The wind was knocked out of his lungs upon impact, and Ron wheezed as he fell on his knees. His hands started shaking, and a nasty sense of fear began creeping into his mind. What are they doing?! We're in public! Even Malfoy isn't this… His thoughts were interrupted by Goyle slamming a meaty punch to the left side of Ron's face. Ron toppled onto his right side, his vision blurry… My ring… I need to put it on… Ron felt a strong kick land on his rib cage, and he tried to cry out in pain… but no sound came out… He couldn't breathe because of Crabbe's first punch. The fear began making his heart thump wildly in his throat, and Ron's eyes began to sting. Why are they doing this…? Stop…

"Pick him up" came a distorted voice, it was probably Malfoy's. Ron felt strong arms grab him and jerk him up, but he was just dead-weight… His mind was blanking, and he couldn't even think straight anymore let alone stand. Ron felt a strong punch land on his sternum again, and Ron coughed upon its impact. It felt like he was choking due to the lack of air, and tears leaked out of his eyes involuntarily.

"He's crying!" came a laugh, Ron couldn't tell which ape said it. I'm not crying… I…

"Look at his right hand, Draco! It's disgusting!" came another voice, and Ron felt a feeling of shame at what it said. Don't look at my scars… please…. They're not my fault…

"You are an ugly one, aren't you Weasel?" Malfoy spat out, and Ron drops of spit fall on his face. Ron felt another punch land on his ribs, and he gritted his teeth because of the pain. His vision was slowly coming back to normal, and he saw a sneering Malfoy standing in-front of him. "Not so tough now, are you? Where are your friends? Oh wait… they're my friends!" Mafloy punched Ron right in the face, and Ron's mind turned off. He was just gone… there was no strength left in him.

"This is for breaking my nose" came Malfoy's voice, and Ron felt a punch land on his ribs again. "This is for making me into a joke!" Ron felt another punch on the left side of his face. "This is for attacking me in that bookstore!" Ron felt a punch on the right side of his face. Malfoy then grabbed Ron's hair, and jerked his head up. Ron's head dangled about, he didn't even know where he was anymore. "And this is from my father, you fucking Blood-Traitor!" Ron felt a fist collide with his nose, and Ron heard the loud crunch echo through his head… It didn't hurt though, nothing was hurting anymore… Ron's head felt light, and his body felt weightless. Ron felt another punch land on his already broken nose, and he found himself in a different place… in a different time…

Ron was in a black-and-white room, and his senses had all returned to him. There was no pain, and he felt just like he always did… A vision? He punched me into the fucking future… Ron chuckled dryly, his mind racing with hundreds of thoughts. What the fuck is Malfoy thinking?! He attacked me in the public bathroom?! He is so fucked when I get back… I swear to Merlin, I'm done holding back for Blaise and Theo's sake! There was a loud boom from outside of the room, and Ron jumped from fright. The vision! Concentrate on the vision, you baboon! Ron looked around, and he was disgusted at the state of the room. It was old, worn-out, and moldy… Not to mention it was completely empty, except for a fireplace that had a floo-pot attached to it.

Ron heard screaming come from beyond the door, and Ron's eyes widened from fear. What's going on here? Ron was about to run through the door, but it was kicked open before he got there. A tall, platinum haired man rushed in, and Ron was shocked to see that it was Malfoy… He looked around eighteen, maybe nineteen, and he was rugged in appearance. His hair was shoulder length, and he had dark circles under his eyes… He had a fierce look on his face, and Ron felt really intimidated by this Malfoy. Woah… what's up with this Malfoy?! He's terrifying!

"Quick, in here!" the older, rugged Malfoy yelled. And to Ron's horror, a dozen young children rushed into the room. And then two older women rushed in, and Malfoy sealed the door shut. "Get the children through the floo, mother! NOW!" Malfoy's mother ran towards the fireplace, she was crying from fear. Ron was just dazed by this vision, what the hell was happening here? "All of you, go with her now!"

"We can help!" a boy around twelve or thirteen said stubbornly.

"No" Malfoy said firmly. "I can't protect you all and fight at the same time, go NOW!" Malfoy yelled, and the children ran to Mrs. Malfoy. Ron's breathing intensified, what was Malfoy involved in? This Malfoy seemed so bloody different from the ponce that was beating on him a few moments ago…

"What about you?" asked the woman who wasn't Malfoy's mother, though she did look a bit like Malfoy.

"I'll hold them off… Remus is down there with those Aurors right now, he told me to get you all out" Malfoy replied, and Ron's jaw hit the floor. Remus? Aurors? This is the war, isn't it? I'm seeing the war… And Malfoy is involved… And he's helping Remus?

"Draco no… come with us" the woman implored.

"I will, after you all go through" Malfoy said quickly. "Now go, aunt!" Aunt? Malfoy's aunt ran to the children and Malfoy's mother, who threw the floo powder in the fireplace.

"The Burrow!" Malfoy's mother shouted frantically, and Ron was just stunned into silence. He watched in utter silence as the two women sent the children through one by one, and he even ignored the explosions happening beneath his feet. The Burrow? My home… I don't understand… Ron looked to Malfoy, and he seemed to be muttering some spell on the closed door. This isn't making any sense… Ron's thoughts were interrupted when there was a loud bang, and Malfoy was sent flying back into the room. Someone had blown the door up…

"Don't let those little Mud-Bloods escape!" came the shrilly voice from behind the smoke, and Ron looked to the escaping children in a panic. "Cast to keep the channel open!" Malfoy stood up and threw a few stunners into the smoke in quick succession, and a few color-less jinxes came right back at him. Malfoy blocked them easily, and retaliated with a fire-making spell of some sort. Ron was amazed at Malfoy's speed, and he was overjoyed when everyone jumped through the floo. Malfoy made to follow, but he was bogged down due to blocking spell after spell.

"COME ON MALFOY!" Ron shouted at him. "Fucking run! What are you waiting for?!" Ron didn't know why, but he didn't want to see his rival get hurt… This Malfoy was clearly very different from the one Ron know, and Ron didn't want to see this 'better' version get killed. The smoke had cleared, and Ron stared at a woman with black thick hair, a strong jaw-line, and a gaunt, skeletal face. She was laughing hysterically as she threw curse after curse at Malfoy, and Ron already hated this woman.

Then a burly man, who had a twisted face, rushed into the room. He started casting some spell at the fireplace, and Ron knew that he was trying to keep the channel open somehow. Malfoy realized the same thing, and he fired a purple-colored curse at the new intruder. The mad woman jumped in front of the curse and blocked it.

"Nephew, don't be rude" the black haired woman laughed madly, she had insanity written all over her. Malfoy's demeanor changed at this, and he seemed to come to some morbid realization. Malfoy turned his wand to the fireplace, and the mad woman screeched at him.

"BOMBARDA" Malfoy yelled, and the fireplace exploded! Ron tripped over own his feet and fell back on his arse, while Malfoy was sent flying back from the fireplace. Ron heard something snap, and he hoped it wasn't Malfoy's neck…

"What have you done?!" the woman screamed. "You ruined my hunt! How could you do that?!" Hunt? She was hunting those children?! Ron felt sick, and he nearly vomited. Malfoy's groan grabbed Ron's attention, and he turned to face his rival. Malfoy's head was bleeding, and his wand lay by his side. It was snapped in two. No... No, he's gonna die! He blew up his own escape… Ron couldn't even fathom how Malfoy had become someone who sacrificed himself to save Muggle-Born children… But clearly it had happened somewhere down the line…

"Answer me!" the mad woman screeched at Malfoy, and Malfoy just laughed hollowly as he lay on the ground. "Oh no… your wand broke, Draco" the woman said with a sad pout, and then she let out a cackle. "Like father like son!" Malfoy Snr? His wand broke too? What the hell has happened to the future? This isn't right…

"The Werewolf is dead" came a new voice, it was a man in a bone white mask. "He took out three of our own, but Yaxley managed to put him down…"

"Poor Remus…" the mad woman pouted, and Ron blinked at her. "What will my whore of a niece do now?" Remus… Werewolf? What the fuck…? Who's this niece…? Ron felt so light-headed from all of this that he nearly passed out.

"You mad bitch…" Malfoy gritted out, and then he groaned as he sat up on his knees. He faced the intruders without any fear on his face, and Ron was awed into silence. "You'll pay for this… mark my words…" The mad woman's face tightened in anger, but she was interrupted by a man who rushed into the room.

"Where is my son?!" the man yelled, his voice panicked. It was Lucius Malfoy, and he looked like hell… He was in black-and-white, but Ron barely recognized him. His hair was filthy, his skin dirty, his clothes ragged, and he was wearing bruises on his face. "Draco!" Lucius yelled in panic, and then he turned to the mad woman. "Bellatrix, that is enough… The Dark Lord wants him alive…"

"Don't you dare speak to me about the Dark Lord's will, Lucius!" Bellatrix spat out. "You're not fit to even mutter his name!" Lucius Malfoy looked like he had been slapped, and he didn't say a word in retaliation. Ron couldn't believe that this was the same man that he had met a couple of weeks ago… Lucius Malfoy seemed to be just a hollow shell of the proud man that he used to be. I can't take this anymore… What am I even supposed to change about this? Am I supposed to save the Malfoys? Is that it?

"I'm not going anywhere with you…" Draco spat out, his voice was labored. Lucius turned to his son with a panicked look.

"Be quiet" Lucius ordered his son, though it sounded more like a plea.

"No…" Draco shook his head, and then he glared at Lucius. "Look at what he has done to you, father… You brought that… monster… into our home... You ruined the proud Malfoy name…" Malfoy… shut up… shut up, or they'll kill you…

"How dare you?!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Show the Dark Lord the respect he deserves!" Draco stared at his mad aunt for a few seconds, and then he spat on the floor.

"There's your respect, you mad cunt…" Draco smirked his trade-mark smirk, and Bellatrix slashed her wand horizontally at him. Ron and Lucius both screamed as thick spurts of blood shot of Draco's throat, and he fell over with a thud. MALFOY! NO! Ron ran over to Draco's side, and he stared at the dying Draco with tears in his eyes. Lucius threw himself on top of his son, covering his son's slashed throat with his hands. Draco made gurgling sounds, and his body twitched as his blood gushed out of his neck.

"DRACO! NO!" Lucius wailed, and Ron's heart twisted at the agony in the man's voice. "DON'T DIE! SON, PLEASE!" Ron started crying from the shock of seeing his classmate die so horribly, and he covered his ears because he couldn't bear to hear Lucius Malfoy's screams. And then, Draco stopped moving… His eyes seemed to glaze over, and Lucius screamed so hard that Ron was scared that the man's throat would tear.

"Another Blood-Traitor sent to the afterlife!" Bellatrix cackled merrily, and Ron shook with rage. You bitch! YOU EVIL BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU! Ron wiped his eyes to clear his vision, and he memorized her face. I'll find you! And, I'll kill you!

"You killed my son…" Lucius wept, hugging Draco's corpse. "You killed my little boy…" Ron felt his tears falling again, he didn't care that this was the Malfoy Family. No one deserved this…

"Come, come Lucius" Bellatrix cooed. "We haven't gelded you yet, you can just make another…" Lucius stood up slowly, shaking with rage. No… Don't…

"I'll kill you!" Lucius screamed, and then turned and ran towards Bellatrix.

"Avada Kedavra" Bellatrix chanted as she pointed her wand at Lucius from above her head. A jet of color-less light soared through the air, and it struck Lucius in his chest. The Lord of the Malfoy Family dropped dead in a heart-beat, his anger still etched upon his dead face… Bellatrix laughed maniacally, and then she skipped away from the room with her fellow murderers. Even they seemed to be surprised by her actions…

Ron was left alone in the moldy old room, and he felt like he was in a dream… No, a nightmare… Ron fell to his knees and just stared at the dead Draco Malfoy, his platinum hair stained with his own blood. This war… it had to be stopped… Ron had to stop it… Ron's head began spinning, and he just stared at Draco's corpse. I have to do something… He doesn't deserve to die like this…

Ron woke up on the floor of the bathroom, and all of the pain from his beating bombarded his mind. His senses were gone again, and his mind was more befuddled than ever before… Malfoy… save Malfoy… The same thing kept repeating in his head, and it wouldn't stop.

"That'll teach you to get in my way" came Malfoy's distorted voice. Malfoy… you're alive… Ron heard Malfoy turn to leave, and Ron used the last of his strength to grab Malfoy's ankle.

"Have to save… you…" Ron croaked, blood dribbling down his chin. "Save you… the future…" Ron wheezed, his mind utterly out of it. Malfoy looked down at Weasley, and he was shocked at Weasley's words. Had he beaten Weasley into madness? That would be bad…

"Don't touch me…" Malfoy spat. "Filthy Blood-Traitor!" Malfoy jerked his leg out of Ron's grasp, and then he left the bathroom with his goons.

"Malfoy… come back…" Ron croaked, and then his vision began darkening. "Must save… you…" he wheezed as he closed his bruised eyes.

And then, darkness took Ron.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: And that is that! Mucho Grande ass-whooping! (I hope I didn't mess that up...) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that! I personally love making Ron suffer... though he's still my boy! Things will keep building up throughout the year, and once the Chamber is opened... Lord Have Mercy on this School... coz I won't!

Cya in a few days!