AUTHOR'S NOTES: Chapter 29 is finally finished! Now a couple of things...
1. I'm liking the date system, what do you guys think? Should I include dates, i feel it makes the story more easy to follow... I don't know, let me know!
2. Much angst in this chapter... More than I originally intended... Whoops...
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 29 – Frustrations
Ronald Weasley's POV
October 9th, 1992 (Morning)
"Before I start reading this" Theo said, he was looking directly at Ron. "I want you to promise me that you will stay calm…" Stay calm?
"What? Of course I'll stay calm" Ron said with a frown.
"Ron, she was extremely thorough" Theo said. "We may learn something about the Weasleys that you may not want to know…" Ron let out a tired sigh, Theo was right. He had a tendency to lose his temper whenever his family was concerned.
"I promise, I will stay calm" Ron agreed. "How do we know she isn't making things up?"
"She wouldn't" Theo replied with a smirk. "I paid her too well, and she cares about her credibility. If she lies and gets caught, she loses that credibility. So I assure you, whatever we find out today, it's all true."
"We should get the girls…" Blaise said softly. "Ron, we need to bring them into this. If we are going to learn the reason why you're a Parselmouth, they deserve to know as well." Ron frowned deeply at that. This again?
"We agreed that we would wait until we knew what was going on…" Ron said, keeping his temper in check.
"No, you simply declared that we would wait" Blaise shot back. "Theo and I wanted to bring the girls in from the start, and we still do."
"Blaise, we will have to convince them first…" Ron argued. "Which will take up time, or we can just start now and tell them after."
"It won't take more than twenty minutes" Theo interjected. "And then we can all learn about this together, we won't have to explain it twice. Also, the girls will be angry that we kept something so big from them! We can avoid that problem as well, keeping this a secret isn't a smart move…"
"We have a double free period this morning, it's Thursday" Blaise explained. "We take twenty minutes to catch them up, and then we all read that report together. We will even have time to show them your ability…" Why are they so eager to involve the girls?
"Why are you so keen to tell the girls my secret?" Ron asked, his question was being fueled by his paranoia. What are they up to?!
"It isn't just your secret" Blaise frowned. "When the girls find out, they'll know that Theo and I lied as well… You're jeopardizing this group with your secrecy, that doesn't help any of us."
"We can't afford to be divided" Theo joined in. "Pansy told us that Malfoy was spying on us… If he senses any weakness, he'll come for us again!"
"Snape won't let that happen…" Ron argued, but he was losing his resolve. They've made a lot of good points, and I'm just being paranoid… Theo and Blaise are my friends, they won't just betray me…
"Snape isn't omnipotent…" Blaise sighed. "He won't always be watching, and Malfoy will not stop until he gets what he wants. He always gets what he wants…"
"We're wasting time with this argument, Ron" Theo sighed. "Please, just listen for once…"
"Alright… Get the girls…" Ron surrendered. Blaise moved immediately and was out the door before Ron even blinked.
"This is the right move, mate" Theo smiled softly. I hope so… Either way, we'll find out soon enough…
"Parselmouth? Ron?" Tracey asked, her voice was flat. They were all in the boys' dorm, something that the girls had blushed deeply about. "Did you really think we would believe that? This is the worst practical joke I've ever seen…"
"I agree…" Daphne frowned at Blaise. Ron too frowned at Blaise. This is going splendidly…
"It's the truth" Theo sighed, he was clearly annoyed. "Why would we lie about this?"
"To make fun of us?" Pansy retorted with a quirked eyebrow. For Merlin's sake! I just want to read that report already!
"Summon a snake, Blaise" Ron ordered with a scowl. "I'll give them the proof they need."
"What?!" Millie exclaimed, she went as pale as a ghost. Blaise already had his wand out, and he was aiming at the center of the room.
"Serpensortia" Blaise chanted, and a black serpent flew out of his wand. The girls screamed and ran in different directions. Daphne and Pansy ran up to Ron, and they pulled him in front of themselves. Tracey hid behind Theo, and Mille jumped onto Blaise's bed.
"What the fuck?!" Tracey yelled at Blaise, and he let out a chuckle. Haha! That was great! Ron himself was laughing at the girls, but Daphne's fingernails were starting to dig into his left arm.
"DO SOMETHING!" Pansy shrieked. The black serpent looked around menacingly, and it stopped when it spotted Ron.
"We meet again, Red-One…" the serpent hissed, it sounded quite happy. Sarravirr?
"Sarravirr… Did I get that right?" Ron asked with a haunting hiss. He missed the girls going wide-eyed, and he missed the fact that both Pansy and Daphne stepped away from him in utter horror.
"Indeed, Ronald Weasley. I am glad that you remember me. I have been searching for you…" Sarravirr hissed. Why?
"And why would you do that?" Ron asked, and the serpent slid towards Ron slowly.
"You have earned my interest, it is not often that one meets a being such as yourself. A human who can speak our Noble Tongue… None of my brothers and sisters believed me" Sarravirr hissed excitedly.
"You have siblings?" Ron asked, genuinely curious about this dark serpent.
"Had… They chose to banish me for speaking the truth. So I killed them all" the serpent hissed, and Ron paled. Is he serious?
"Vipera Evanesca" Blaise chanted, and the serpent vanished in a puff of black smoke. This time around, Ron was glad that Blaise had banished that snake. Bloody hell… Are all snakes that evil?! He killed his own siblings…
"This is…" Millie whimpered. "You're…" she trailed off. She looked terrified…
"Everyone calm down" Theo said slowly and softly. Ron turned to Pansy and Daphne, and the looks on their faces hurt Ron. They were looking at him like he was some monster…
"I'm still Ron…" was all Ron could say, but the girls were still scared of him. Ron spent the next thirty minutes sitting on his bed quietly while Blaise and Theo told the girls everything. Ron even ignored the scared looks being shot his way, despite how much they still hurt. I was right all along… I should never have told them… Theo and Blaise didn't act that! They accepted it, and they chose to help me…
"And that report will tell us if he's related to the Gaunt Family?" Daphne asked, she still couldn't believe this. It seemed so surreal, and just completely out of place. Ron was an actual Parselmouth? Daphne had only ever heard stories about this kind of magical ability… And those were not good stories…
"Yes…" Theo said, he sounded tired. "Any more questions?"
"Why didn't you tell us?" Daphne asked Ron, and Ron just looked to her with a blank expression.
"I only just found out at end of August… Even I don't understand why I have this power" Ron said calmly, but deep down he was quite upset. Do they really think that I'd hurt them? After all I've done for them! So damn ungrateful…
"You told Theo and Blaise…" Daphne scowled, Ron had broken his promise to her. He had promised her that he would not lie to her, and he had done it again! She had actually believed him at the Weasley pond…
"They found out, I didn't tell them a thing" Ron answered coldly. "And unlike you four, they chose to help me… Not look at me like I'm some monster…" The girls flinched a bit at that. Daphne went to speak but Ron cut her off. "I don't care about what you have to say… Theo, read the report please… I'm done waiting for answers."
"Sure…" Theo said, while the girls were stunned silent by Ron's coldness. Even Theo was surprised, but he did agree a bit with Ron. The girls were acting like this was a bad thing… If anything, this was amazing! They had a damn Parselmouth in their group, who else could claim such a thing?!
"Here are the results of your inquiry, Theo" Theo read from the report. "My month long investigation yielded no proof about the Weasley Family being related to the Gaunt Family. I searched multiple legal archives, and a few illegal ones, and I can safely say that there is no connection whatsoever. Not even an affair… The members of the Gaunt Family were obsessed with retaining their 'Purity'. They married their own cousins to achieve that goal."
"Bloody hell…" Ron muttered, now he was truly confused. Then why am I a Parselmouth?!
"Okay… so Ron isn't part Gaunt" Blaise said, he looked intrigued. "That leaves us with more questions than answers."
"The Gaunt Family was indeed related to Salazar Slytherin" Theo continued reading. "They also attained his hereditary ability to speak with snakes! Multiple witches and wizards left testimonies of the Gaunts speaking with snakes, they did that often in-order to show off their lineage. Their obsession with said lineage resulted in inbreeding within the family, and eventually the Gaunts fell victim to madness and violent tendencies. The family lost their great wealth over the years, and by the nineteenth century, they were living in a run-down shack near Little Hangleton."
"My mother told me about the Gaunts" Pansy piped in. "They threw away their fortune on frivolous pursuits… And due to their violent behavior around others, no one did business with them. Now we know why they were so crazy… inbreeding! Yuck!"
"Most Pure-Bloods are related, you know…" Tracey said with a disgusted look. "No offense…" The group frowned at her.
"Being related distantly doesn't mean the same thing as marrying your siblings or cousins…" Daphne said with a frown.
"Still…" Tracey mumbled.
"Keep reading Theo" Ron instructed, he needed some sort of clue at least. None of this makes an ounce of sense…
"I travelled to Little Hangleton" Theo read. "And I found the shack that the Gaunt Family was reduced to, though I could not enter it… It was warded with powerful magic. I tried quite a few things, but it was beyond my skill. So I instead decided to focus on gathering information about the family from the local Muggles. The Gaunts were hated by the entire town… Not a single good word was uttered by the locals, and that makes sense considering their behavior towards others. I did catch onto something amazing though…"
"The last of the Gaunts were Marvolo Gaunt, Morfin Gaunt, and Merope Gaunt" Theo continued. "Marvolo was the father, and the other two were his children. Marvolo was a sick bastard, he regularly beat his kids… Especially Merope, his daughter. The few wizards who knew the family believed her to be a squib, and she was punished daily for it by both her father and brother. As for Morfin Gaunt, the son, he was utterly insane. He landed himself a three year sentence for attacking local Muggles with magic, and Marvolo landed himself a six month sentence for aiding his deranged son during Morfin's arrest."
"This left Merope Gaunt all alone" Theo read, and they all listened with absolute attention. "Now here's the interesting part, Theo. Merope, it turns out, was in love with a rich Muggle from Little Hangleton. Tom Riddle was the son of Thomas and Mary Riddle, and their family was also quite hated. Due to being extremely wealthy, they were snobbish and dismissive of the townspeople. While her father and brother were away, she somehow wooed Tom Riddle. I suspect the Imperius Curse or a Love Potion myself, Merope was described as being rather unsightly to look at… They got married and ran off to London together. It was quite the scandal in the town, and it's remembered to this day!"
"Wow…" Tracey muttered. "Guess she at least got a happy ending…"
"She forced someone to marry her" Blaise frowned. "That's sickening… She was no better than her father or brother…"
"How can you say that?" Pansy gasped. "They beat her, and only Merlin knows what else they did to her!"
"So that gave her the right to put someone under an Unforgivable?" Ron interjected. That entire family was filled with degenerates. Pure-Blood Supremacy destroyed their minds…
"I'm with Blaise and Ron on this" Millie joined in. "She did exactly what her father and brother did to her, she took away someone else's life to make herself feel important…"
"Can I keep reading? Or are we going to start a debate?" Theo asked sarcastically, and then he started reading again. "Marvolo Gaunt was released from Azkaban after his six month sentence was served, and he came back to an empty house. He died before he saw either his daughter or son again. As for Morfin, he was released after serving his three year sentence. He then became Head of the Gaunt Family. Meanwhile, Merope became pregnant with Tom Riddle's son. Now the next few things are complete speculation on my part, mostly because I couldn't find any records on this."
"At some point" Theo continued. "Merope grew a conscience and stopped using her means of control on Tom Riddle… This resulted in Tom leaving her and returning to Little Hangleton, that much was confirmed by the town folk. I traced Merope down due to her death records… She died during childbirth, which she did in an orphanage of all places. The orphanage was named Wool's Orphanage, and I met an elderly Muggle woman who was there when Merope died. According to the Muggle, Merope simply gave up on life. She refused treatment, and she begged that her son be named Tom Marvolo Riddle Jnr. Her final wish was that her son looked like his father…" Theo paused at that.
"Merlin… that's so sad" Pansy said softly.
"Poor woman" Daphne agreed. "She lived a horrible life… All that abuse and she still died alone, with no one to mourn her…" That is tragic, what a terrible end. But that doesn't excuse her actions… That Muggle she enthralled was the real victim. Him, and their son…
"What happened to her son?" Blaise asked. Theo looked back at the report and started reading.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle Jnr was raised in the orphanage" Theo read. "And when he was eleven, he was visited by…" Theo trailed off and his eyes-widened.
"What?" Ron asked as he leaned forward.
"He was visited by Albus Dumbledore himself!" Theo read, and they were all stunned. "Tom Riddle Jnr was a wizard, but the Muggles didn't know that. Albus Dumbledore told him about Hogwarts, and Tom studied at Hogwarts in-between 1938 and 1945. He was sorted into Slytherin House, which is not surprising considering his Bloodline. He was even considered to be one the greatest students to ever walk the Halls of Hogwarts…But that isn't the interesting part" Theo read on. "During 1943, the Chamber of Secrets was opened…"
"The Chamber of Secrets?!" Daphne gasped, and Ron blinked at Theo. I thought that was just a myth…
"The Chamber of Secrets was left behind by Salazar himself, and according to legend, only his heir had the power to open it" Blaise recounted, he'd heard this story a dozen times. It was often treated as a bed-time story for Pure-Blood children, so every Slytherin knew about it. "According to the same legends, the Chamber holds a monster that is capable of ridding Hogwarts of all Muggle-Borns…" Wow…
"And we wonder why everyone hates us…" Ron muttered to himself, and everyone frowned at him.
"We shouldn't be held accountable for what someone else did a thousand years ago" Theo argued, he sounded quite vexed.
"I never said we should be" Ron replied, putting his hands up in surrender. "I meant that Salazar was damn loon…"
"Ron's right" Tracey said softly. "Who leaves behind such a horrible legacy?"
"Whatever" Theo muttered, and then he continued reading. "Around June, many students were harmed. The school was actually planning to shut down until the threat was dealt with, but they waited too long. A girl named Myrtle Warren, a Muggle-Born, was found dead in the girls' bathroom. Her autopsy showed no signs of an attack, it was like she just dropped dead… I suspect the Killing Curse to have played a role in her death. Either way, the school was officially on borrowed time. Many students were pulled out by their parents, and even more just ran off. The school was doomed to shut down."
"But the school was saved by none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle Jnr" Theo continued. "He apprehended the culprit behind the attacks, and he killed the monster of the Chamber. The culprit was a student named Rubeus Hagrid, and the beast was an Acromantula!"
"Wait… Hagrid?! The Groundskeeper?!" Ron asked in utter shock. That can't be… I've met him! He didn't seem the type to kill people! Not to mention he is friends with Hermione… A Muggle-Born! This report has to be wrong on that…
"Why is he still working here?" Pansy asked, she had gone pale.
"Theo, keep reading" Blaise said quickly, even he looked a bit shocked.
"Rubeus Hagrid was expelled, and Tom Riddle Jnr was awarded an engraved trophy for Special Services to the School" Theo read, his eyes narrowed on the page. "I personally believe that Riddle was behind the attacks, mostly because he was indeed an heir of Slytherin. I believe that he could speak Parseltongue due to his mother's blood, and I believe he set up Rubeus Hagrid as a scapegoat. Why he did this is beyond me, I tried my best to find an answer but nothing led me to one. It may simply be that Riddle did all of this in-order to be hailed as a hero, who knows…"
"Woah…" Millie muttered. "Do you think Riddle did it?"
"I do" Ron frowned deeply, that bastard had set up poor Hagrid. "He had the lineage to Slytherin, and what are the odds that he just found out it was Hagrid? Not to mention that award… He definitely did it in-order to play the hero" Ron spat with disgust. These damn Gaunts… Poor Hagrid had his life ruined… Ron felt a great amount of pity for the giant man, this was so unfair!
"I'm with Ron" Blaise agreed. "It all worked out too well for Riddle…"
"What happened after, Theo?" Daphne asked.
"During the summer of 1943, after the Chamber related attacks stopped" Theo read on. "Something bizarre happened in Little Hangleton. Morfin Gaunt, Riddle Jnr's uncle, attacked and killed the Riddle family with the Killing Curse. He also confessed to these murders to Ministry Officials, and his memories proved his guilt. Morfin was locked away in Azkaban again, and this time it was for life. Morfin died in prison before the Great War started, and they buried him next to the prison. That leaves Tom Marvolo Riddle Jnr as the last heir of Salazar Slytherin, as far as I can tell anyway."
"Riddle Jnr went on to work at Borgin and Burkes within Knockturn Alley, which shocked many due to his talents" Theo read on. "He worked there for a number of years until he disappeared without a trace! But before he disappeared, a long-time customer of Borgin and Burkes, Hepzibah Smith, was found murdered. She was poisoned by her House-Elf, and the House-Elf confessed to the murder and even had memories of the event… I found that rather similar to the Riddle murders, but I have no proof of foul play. Either way, Tom disappeared completely after the murder, and even I couldn't find a trace of him after his disappearance. I hope that this was satisfactory Theo, send my love to your Lord Father. And yes, this will be our little secret." Theo put the finished report down, and then he exhaled a tired breath.
None of them said a word, they were all processing the information. Ron was just stunned by this Tom Riddle Jnr character… People around him, or people who could be associated with him, seemed to just die and no one ever caught on! Was he truly behind these murders? Yes, Ron believed he was. Tom had opened the Chamber so he could play the hero, he was directly related to Morfin and the Riddles, and he probably knew this Smith woman too. They all died suddenly, and there was always a clear culprit… It was all too convenient, and it all worked out for Tom Riddle Jnr. He was never once suspected…
"I need some air" Ron said as he got up. The Trophy Room should have that engraved award… I should go have a look…
"Wait, don't you want to discuss this?" Theo asked with a furrowed brow.
"What's to discuss?" Ron asked back. "I'm not related to the Gaunts, so that theory of ours is done for. Tom Riddle Jnr was clearly the heir of Slytherin, and only Merlin knows where he disappeared off to… None of our questions were answered by that report, all we found out was that some psycho studied at Hogwarts and got away with murders."
"But still, aren't you curious about this Tom fellow?" Tracey asked.
"The truth is that we don't know anything for certain, Tracey" Blaise joined in. "Most of Tom's story is in there, and he's probably dead by now. So what's the point?"
"Merlin…" Pansy shuddered. "It's scary that someone like him walked the same hallways as us. Ate in the same Great Hall, and even lived in the same common room…" The whole group shuddered at that. He was an evil bastard… If we're right about him, that is.
October 9th, 1992 (Before Lunch)
Ron stared at the trophy, and he felt his stomach turn. Tom Marvolo Riddle Jnr… For Special Services to the School… Ron was in the Trophy Room alone, his friends had decided not to follow him. He didn't really care about that though, they were all dealing with this in their own ways. Theo was probably re-reading the report alongside Blaise. The girls… Only Merlin knew what the girls were doing. The only thing Ron knew was that they weren't with him… They were scared of me. Probably still are… Ron glared at the Trophy with utter disdain, Tom Riddle was a monster! He didn't deserve to be in this Trophy Room!
"Hello, Ron" came an airy voice from right behind him. Ron actually yelped in fright, and then he turned around with a massive frown. That frown died immediately when he saw Luna smiling at him. Is it lunch break already?! How long have I been staring at this trophy?
"Luna…" Ron sighed. "You scared me…"
"I'm sorry" Luna said, she didn't sound very sorry. "Why are you here? And where are your friends?" Time to start lying again…
"I was just exploring the castle" Ron started, but Luna sniggered and he stopped. "What?"
"You always say that" Luna sniggered. "You should come up with a smarter lie."
"Um… Luna…" Ron stuttered, she was too observant!
"Don't worry, I don't mind" Luna said, and then she grabbed onto his left hand and smiled widely. "Can we go for a walk? I want to talk to you." Talk? Is something wrong? ARE THEY BULLYING HER?!
"Of course, Luna" Ron replied calmly and he forced on a smile. The two of them left the Trophy Room and travelled down the moving stairs. "Is everything alright? No one is picking on you, are they?" Ron asked, he tried sounding as casual as he could.
"Not really" Luna hummed. "Padma defends me whenever someone calls me Loony Lovegood…"
"Loony?!" Ron snarled. "Who does that? Tell me right now."
"Just some older girls, and one boy in my year…" Luna smiled. How is she this calm?! "But everyone else is really friendly. They even listen to my stories about Nargles, and they don't make fun of me." Older girls, and one boy in her year… I'll remember that! I need to talk to Padma about this. "But that isn't important" Luna continued. "I'm worried about Ginny, Ron." Ginny?
"Ginny? What makes you say that?" Ron asked.
"She's been distant with me, Ron" Luna said, her voice was laced with sadness. "I don't think she wants to be my friend anymore…"
"What? Luna, Ginny loves you…" Ron said softly.
"She's been acting different ever since we came to Hogwarts" Luna said softly. "It's like she's become… someone else…" Someone else? I haven't noticed anything different…
"What do you mean by that? on then turned around and left. HI haven't noticed anything…" Ron asked, stopping them both. Luna smiled faintly at him.
"You have your own problems to deal with, Ron" Luna said softly. "You aren't always around… I've been trying to talk to her for the last week, but she ignores me. And yesterday… she yelled at me" Luna finished meekly, her eyes were wet but she was still smiling softly. Ron felt a strong pang of guilt at that, it was true that he wasn't paying his sisters much attention lately. His 'extra-curricular' activities within his Sanctuary took up most of his energy.
"She yelled at you? What did she say?" Ron asked, he was really getting worried now. Ginny would never yell at Luna…
"She told me she doesn't need my 'fake concern'…" Luna said and her voice cracked a bit. She then sniffled, but she was still smiling. "Ron… I don't know what I did wrong…" Ron pulled her in and hugged her tightly.
"It's okay, Luna" Ron said softly. "I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong… I'll fix this, I promise." Luna sniffled again, and then she began crying on his shoulder. Ron spent the entire lunch break with her, and they didn't even bother going to the Great Hall. Ron instead took them back to the Trophy Room, and he comforted Luna the entire time. After his classes finished today, he knew that he had to confront Ginny. He couldn't believe that he had missed this!
October 9th, 1992 (After Afternoon Classes)
"Ron, where are you going?" Theo asked. They had just come back to the common room from their afternoon classes, and Ron was about to go find Ginny. She had to answer for her terrible behavior towards Luna.
"I'm heading out to find my sister" Ron replied honestly. "I was told that she's been acting odd… I just want to make sure she's alright."
"Fair enough, need help?" Blaise asked, he sounded utterly indifferent. Yeah, I don't think he really cares…
"No, it's fine" Ron replied, and Blaise gave him a curt nod. "I'll see you guys at dinner." Ron then turned around and left, he didn't miss the scowl on Daphne's face. A problem for another day… I need to find Ginny right now. I'll deal with Daphne after…
Ron looked around the Great Hall, the courtyard, the library, and Ginny was nowhere to be found. Luckily for Ron, he spotted a certain bushy haired witch sitting alone in the library. Ron approached her with a smile, he knew that Hermione could shed some light on this.
"Good afternoon" Ron whispered, and Hermione looked up. She broke into a smile of her own when she saw him.
"Hello, Ron" Hermione greeted in a whisper.
"How are you, Hermione? What are you studying?" Ron asked politely. Need to get her to drop her guard… She has to know something! And if she doesn't, she can go get Ginny for me from their common room! I know for a fact that Hermione hates this 'spying' business… Even though it's not spying… I'm just concerned!
"I'm doing great" Hermione whispered, her cheeks becoming a bit rosy. "And I'm studying for Professor Snape's test next week."
"The Sleeping Draught… A hard potion to make" Ron whispered, he was planning to get a perfect score himself. "Won't be much trouble for you though, you're amazing at Potions." Hermione blushed at that.
"Thanks Ron… You're really good too" Hermione said meekly, her cheeks becoming crimson. This is going well! "But I'm a bit worried that Professor Snape will judge my potion harshly…"
"Yeah, he can be really unfair to you guys" Ron agreed. Just like every other teacher is to us… But still, Snape is way too harsh. "But I know you'll be fine, it's Harry and Neville that I worry about" Ron joked.
"I asked them to come, you know" Hermione pouted. "But they pretended to be tired and ran off to their dorm… They always do that."
"It's their loss" Ron said with his best smile. "If I was in Gryffindor, I'd study with you every single day." Hermione beamed at that.
"Really?" she asked, she was let-down that he wasn't.
"Of course, and speaking of Gryffindor…" Ron said softly. "How is everything in the House of the Brave?"
"Oh… things are good" Hermione said, she looked like she was recalling details. "Harry is practicing for Quidditch, Neville spends most his spare time at the Greenhouses, and I study ahead." What about Ginny?
"And my siblings, I hope the twins aren't causing too much trouble?" Ron asked, he knew that she hated their rule-breaking. That was his way in…
"They are…" Hermione frowned. "Percy is busy with his studies, and he can't do anything to stop them. And so they are pranking everyone in sight… They turned Alicia Spinnet's hair purple! And your sister…" Hermione trailed off.
"What about my sister?" Ron asked, there was genuine worry in his voice.
"She's been sick… Or at least that's what I think… She doesn't eat much, and she doesn't socialize much either…" Hermione frowned suddenly. "And she's been glaring at me a lot lately…"
"Glaring at you?" Ron asked, what was going on with Ginny?
"Yes" Hermione sighed. "I thought I was seeing things, but even Neville has pointed it out now… Ron, I think she knows that I've been watching over her…" You got caught?! Bloody hell…
"Are you sure?" Ron asked. "Hermione, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do that…"
"It's okay… I know how worried you are, I think that's really sweet" Hermione said with a faint smile. "But now I'm worried about her too. She is acting very odd… She doesn't even ask Harry for her broom anymore…" What? I'm such a careless twat! How did I completely miss all of this?! Ron rubbed his face with his hands, and then he sighed.
"Thanks Hermione…" Ron muttered. "I'm going to go look for her, and make sure things are alright…" Ron then got up and left the library. I can't keep involving Hermione, I don't want her getting into trouble over this… I'll ask Percy instead… Though I was hoping to avoid that due to his overbearing nature…
"Ron, wait" Hermione said as she caught up to him. "I'll help you look…"
"Hermione, you don't have to do that for me" Ron said, she was definitely his favorite Gryffindor.
"I know, but I want to. So no arguments" Hermione said haughtily, and then she smiled. "C'mon, let's go!"
October 9th, 1992 (Before Dinner)
"I'm sorry, Ron" Hermione said softly when she came back to the entrance of the seventh floor. "She wasn't in the Gryffindor common room either…" Merlin! We've searched everywhere! Where the hell is she?
"It's not your fault" Ron sighed. "It's almost dinner time… Let's go to the Great Hall." Hermione nodded with a faint smile. They then began walking down towards the Great Hall.
"She can't have left the castle, maybe we missed a few places?" Hermione piped up.
"Maybe… I'm really getting worried, Hermione" Ron said truthfully. "My sister isn't the quiet, and brooding type… Something's wrong, I just know it!"
"Don't worry, she'll be at dinner" Hermione spoke in a hopeful voice. "Then you can talk to her and find out everything."
"Yeah… yeah, you're right" Ron smiled at her. "Thank you, Hermione… I um… I really appreciate the help. I owe you one."
"You don't owe me anything, Ron" Hermione chuckled. "We're friends!" Wow… It must be so nice to be a Gryffindor… If I was being helped by any of my other friends, I'd be asked for payment!
"So hungry… for so long…" came a very familiar voice from Hermione's right side, and Ron froze. It's that fucking voice again!
"Ron, what's wrong?" Hermione asked softly, she was looking at him with concern. She doesn't hear it either!
"Need to feed… Need to kill… Kill… Kill…" the voice spoke, and it sounded like it was moving further and further away from them. It's on the move! But how? There's nothing but walls in this hallway! It has to be a ghost!
"Ron, you're scaring me…" Hermione muttered. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing…" Ron smiled, he didn't want her to become suspicious of him. Hearing voices was never a good sign… Am I going insane?! Why can no one else hear this voice?! Ron then heard loud footsteps coming from the end of the hallway, and both Hermione and Ron turned around quickly. Ron already had his wand drawn…
"Harry?!" Hermione called out, and then she sighed in relief. "You scared us!" I almost threw out a damn curse… I need to calm down…
"Hi… guys…" Harry greeted as he approached them, he looked out of breath. "Um… what are you two doing out here alone?" Hermione blushed at that.
"Looking for Ginny, Ron's sister" Hermione said quickly and loudly, this made Ron give her a quizzical look. Weirdo…
"In a rush to get somewhere?" Ron asked Harry. Why was he running around like that?
"No, not at all…" Harry replied, and then he blinked at Ron. That was the worst attempted lie I've ever seen…
"Then why were you running?" Hermione asked with narrowed eyes.
"Um… I didn't want to miss dinner…" Harry said lamely, and Ron rolled his eyes. Nope… that was the worst attempt at a lie I've ever seen…
"Okay…" Hermione said softly, she knew that Harry was up to something. "Well Ron and I are going down together, you can join us."
"That'd be great, thanks" Harry said with a sheepish smile. Alright, he was definitely up to something… The three of them then made their way down to the Great Hall, and Ron separated from them once they were inside. Ron walked up to his friends and took his usual seat in-between Theo and Blaise.
"Did you find Ginny?" Daphne asked.
"Nope…" Ron replied, and then he let out a tired sigh. Where is she?! I looked everywhere!
"Maybe you would have found her if you weren't wandering around the castle with Granger" Daphne said, her voice was cold.
"Daphne…" Tracey scolded with a frown.
"What is that supposed to mean? And how do you know about Hermione?" Ron asked, he felt his temper flare for a second.
"We saw you…" Blaise sighed. "We all went to the library to do some study, and we spotted you two outside from a window…"
"Well?" Daphne asked with narrowed eyes. "Did you have fun?" What the fuck is her problem?!
"She was helping me search…" Ron replied, he was doing his best to stay calm. "And before you say anything, she offered to help me. I didn't ask her…"
"Why didn't you ask one of us to help you?" Millie asked softly.
"Like I just said, she offered…" Ron replied. "I don't recall any of you offering…"
"I did" Blaise said aloofly.
"And if I had accepted your offer?" Ron asked.
"Then he'd make up an excuse" Theo chuckled, and Blaise frowned at him. "What? You would have…"
"And I bet you had no problem accepting her offer" Daphne all but hissed at Ron. I'm a moment away from punching her in the face…
"Guys, don't fight…" Pansy interjected. "Draco is watching us…" They all shot quick looks at Malfoy, and the platinum haired git looked away immediately. Merlin… He isn't even being subtle?! I need to talk to Snape about this…
"Pansy's right" Millie sighed. "This fight is stupid…" Daphne went to say something but Millie cut her off. "Let it go, Daphne…" Daphne frowned at Millie, but she let it go. Ron began to slowly calm himself down, he had to find Ginny! That's all that mattered right now…
Dinner proceeded, and it was an awkward affair. Ron didn't even eat, he instead spent the entire time looking around for Ginny. She was nowhere to be found! Okay… now I'm getting scared! Ron looked to Hermione, and she was already giving him a worried look. Ron then looked over to his brothers. The twins were joking and laughing with Lee Jordan, but Percy too was looking around with a worried scowl. At least Percy has a damn clue! Need to talk to him!
"Ron, eat something" Tracey said.
"Not now…" Ron replied, and then he shot a look towards Luna. She was looking much better now, and she was eating with Padma and her friends. Thank Merlin for Padma Patil! I should thank her properly.
"You didn't show up for lunch either" Pansy said to Ron. "Just have a bit…"
"Ron, look!" Theo said as he grabbed Ron and turned him to face the door of the Great Hall. Ginny had just walked in, and she looked… terrified. What the hell happened to her?! Ginny looked pale, and a bit dirty.
"Now that is odd…" Blaise remarked. "Did she spend the day outside?"
"I looked outside…" Ron frowned.
"I meant the Forbidden Forest, Ron" Blaise rolled his eyes.
"Why would she be in the Forbidden Forest?" Millie asked Blaise. "She was probably at the Greenhouses. Ron, did you check the Greenhouses?"
"Yes, we did…" Ron replied. He was too busy looking at Ginny, and so he missed Daphne frowning at him for saying 'we'.
"Your brother Percy looks quite upset" Theo remarked, and Ron stared at Percy as he scolded Ginny.
"Now that you know she's safe" Tracey started. "Eat something, please…" Ron nodded, and then he started having some shepherd pie. His eyes never left Ginny for the entirety of the dinner. The moment dinner ended, Ron was up on his feet and walking straight over to Ginny. He was scared, worried, and pissed off… How could she just disappear like that?! This is a school! Did she even attend her classes today?!
"Ginny, where were you?!" Ron snapped, she was leaving the Hall with Percy. "I searched the whole castle for you!" Ginny looked down with slumped shoulders, and Ron felt his anger being replaced with concern.
"Well, Ginny?" Percy joined in, his voice was much softer than Ron's.
"I was at the Greenhouse…" Ginny replied, she was still looking down. Liar… I was there…
"I went to the Greenhouses, try again…" Ron said, his voice had an angry undertone. Percy looked at Ginny with a furrowed brow.
"Ginny, tell us the truth" Percy ordered. "Professor McGonagall told me that you weren't in your class today…"
"What?" Ron grit out. "Ginny, start explaining…"
"Leave me alone…" Ginny muttered, her eyes still on her own feet.
"Ginny…" Ron started but Percy stopped him with a raised hand. Percy then crouched a bit to match her height.
"Gin, please" Percy said softly. "We're worried about you… Please talk to us…"
"I don't want to talk to you" Ginny said, and then she looked up. Ron and Percy were shocked to see her angry scowl. "Leave me alone!" Ginny went to walk away, but Ron grabbed her wrist. Why is she giving me that attitude?! She's the one making Luna cry! She's the one who disappeared without a damn trace! And now I find out that she's skipping her classes?!
"Ron" Percy said in a shocked whisper. "Let her go…"
"No, she has to answer for her behavior" Ron said. There was a crowd of people gathering behind them, and it was filled with people from every house. This included Ron's Slytherin friends, and his Gryffindor friends.
"Let go of me…" Ginny said softly, she was looking away from him.
"Not until you give me some answers" Ron grit out, his temper was beginning to make his chest hurt. She's still looking away from me! "LOOK AT ME!" Ron snapped, and even Percy flinched at his sudden outburst. Ginny turned around, and she looked terrified. Ron turned his head and cracked his neck.
"Mr. Weasley… that is enough" came an icy voice. "Let her go at once." Ron turned to see Snape standing amidst the crowd. Ron let go of Ginny and she immediately ran off. Percy shot Ron an angry scowl, and then he chased after his little sister. The crowd of people around Snape all held different expressions. Ron's Slytherin friends were just staring at him with guarded looks. Neville was frowning and glaring at Ron, while Hermione was utterly shocked at his outburst. Harry just looked disappointed…
"Come with me, now" Snape ordered, and then Snape marched towards his office. Ron clenched his jaw and followed after him. I still learnt absolutely nothing! Snape opened the door to his office, and then he looked straight at Ron. "Get in, and sit down…" Snape ordered, his voice was like ice. Ron did as he was told, and Snape sat down in front of him. "Start talking" Snape ordered.
"She's been missing all day… I wanted to know why…" Ron replied with an annoyed exhale.
"So you corner her and make a spectacle?" Snape asked. "You are a student of Slytherin, use the traits we value…"
"Sir, I…" Ron started but Snape cut him off.
"Do not interrupt me" Snape bit out harshly. "Ten points will be deducted from Slytherin for your lack of common sense… And you will serve detention with Mr. Filch on Sunday."
"Yes, Sir…" Ron replied coldly. This has nothing to do with you, piss off…
"And you will rein in your temper, Mr. Weasley" Snape ordered. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir…" Ron replied coldly again. Snape felt his own temper rise at the boy's petulant tone.
"Get out…" Snape said coldly. Ron got up and made his way out, but he stopped at the exit.
"Malfoy is spying on me and my friends…" Ron told Snape, and Ron smiled inwardly when Snape blinked at him in confusion. "If he keeps doing that, I will retaliate…" Ron left right after that, he didn't care to hear Snape's response. Ron made up his mind, he was done being considerate to Draco Malfoy. He may become a hero in the future, but right now… He's a complete bastard.
Ron marched to the common room, and he was fuming with rage. He was so damn angry all of a sudden, and he didn't even understand why! Oh wait! I know exactly why! This has been an utterly horrid day! Nothing has gone right from the moment I fucking woke up! Ron barged into the common room and he marched right past his friends.
"Ron, wait" Daphne said, and Ron clenched his jaw. Now what's her damn problem?!
"Leave me alone, Daphne" Ron said as he kept walking. "I've had enough of you today…" Ron didn't even wait for a response as he walked straight through the entrance leading to the boys' dorms. After that, Ron entered his room and ripped off his school cloak. Ron heard the door open behind him, and Ron began pacing at the end of his bed.
"Ron, what the hell?" Theo asked as soon as he saw Ron pacing.
"What's the matter with you?" Blaise asked, he looked genuinely annoyed.
"Nothing…" Ron gritted out, and he kept pacing. His chest was hurting terribly…
"Nothing?" Theo asked scathingly. "You yell at your little sister often then?"
"Don't…" Ron snarled, and he stopped his pacing.
"What were you thinking?" Blaise asked. Ron didn't answer, and Blaise frowned. "You've been acting off all day… I wasn't going to say a word about it, but you need calm down!"
"I've been acting off?" Ron asked, glaring at Blaise. "Ginny is the one who ran off to Merlin knows where! She skipped all of her classes today! And then she shows me attitude when I've spent the entire fucking day cleaning up after her?!"
"Look, we don't know what happened with your sister" Theo said in a calming voice. "But you've been…" Theo trailed off. Oh, this should be good…
"Been what, Theo? Finish your sentence" Ron ordered.
"You've been an arsehole" Theo said flatly. "From the moment we asked you to involve the girls, you've acted like a complete arsehole…" Ron just blinked at Theo…
"Because involving them was a mistake" Ron bit out. "Did you see their faces when I spoke Parseltongue? Did you?" Blaise and Theo sighed at that.
"They were scared…" Blaise recounted softly.
"THEY WERE TERRIFIED!" Ron shouted. "They were terrified of me! Do you know how that feels?! When have I ever given them reason to fear me?! I don't fucking understand how I can speak Parseltongue myself! But they still acted like I was some monster!"
"Ron, mate…" Theo said, he put his hands up in surrender. "You have no idea how terrifying it is to hear you hiss at a snake… You caught them off-guard…"
"I caught you off-guard as well, but you didn't spend the whole day avoiding me!" Ron argued, he felt so frustrated with everything. Ginny was acting like some stranger, the girls were afraid of him, Luna had spent the whole afternoon crying on his shoulder, that report had revealed absolutely nothing about his Parseltongue powers, Malfoy was still spying on him, Snape had ripped into him, he had no idea what triggered the change in Ginny, and Daphne had been nothing but a rude pest all day! How could so many things go so fucking wrong?!
"We're not defending their reaction to your secret…" Blaise said. "We just want to know why you're so angry. It came out of nowhere, Ron…" Ron clenched his hands into fists, and then he dropped onto his bed. Ron then told them about all of his frustrations during the day, and they listened calmly. After an hour of ranting about everything that had gone wrong, Ron just passed out from exhaustion. He'd barely slept the previous night due to being at his Sanctuary, and he had only eaten a couple of bites of shepherd pie all day… He couldn't stay awake even if he tried.
Tracey Davis' POV
October 10th, 1992
"Is he still sleeping?" Tracey asked Theo, and Theo nodded slowly. Guess he won't be joining us for breakfast again…
"Did you try to wake him?" Millie asked.
"No, he was exhausted" Blaise replied as he buttered his toast. "He needs his rest…" Blaise said in an odd tone, and Theo gave Blaise a firm nod. Um… What was that?"
"Anything we should know?" Daphne asked, her voice was slightly demanding. Tracey felt horrible for her best friend, Daphne had told the girls last night that Ron had broken some important promise to her. Daphne didn't elaborate, but Tracey knew when her best friend was upset and hurt.
"No" Theo replied curtly, and all the girls were taken aback by his cold tone.
"Um… what's your problem?" Pansy asked Theo with a frown. Theo didn't answer, instead he kept eating his breakfast quietly. An odd sort of tension loomed over the group, the boys were clearly angry with the girls… What did we do? They're the ones keeping secrets! They knew about Ron being a Parselmouth for a month! After twenty minutes of silence, Tracey finally decided to break it.
"Are you going to tell us what the problem is, or are you two just going to brood all day?" Tracey asked, she was getting annoyed with their cold shoulder treatment. Theo and Blaise both looked up and glared at Daphne, something that took the blonde girl by surprise.
"I'm done eating" Blaise said aloofly. "What about you, Theo?"
"Yeah, I'm done…" Theo muttered, and then both boys stood up. Theo and Blaise then grabbed a few sandwiches and a custard-tart, and then they were gone. Okay, what the hell?
"What did you do?" Tracey asked Daphne, and Daphne looked scandalized.
"I didn't do anything!" Daphne exclaimed. "I haven't seen Theo or Blaise since last night!"
"I'm going to go talk with them" Millie sighed, and then she got up and left. Tracey decided to follow after her, and it didn't take long for Tracey to catch up with Millie.
"What do you think happened?" Tracey asked the bigger girl. "They were perfectly fine yesterday when they chased after Ron…" Tracey cringed a bit as she remembered Ron's outburst, it was definitely unexpected. I wonder what set him off, he suddenly just lost it… Poor Ginny…
"I don't know" Millie sighed. "Daphne was with us the entire time, remember? So I just don't know…" They remained silent the rest of the way, both of them were trying to think of theories as to why Theo and Blaise were angry. Tracey honestly had no clue whatsoever… They spotted Theo coming out of the common room, and they cornered him.
"Why are you angry at Daphne?" Tracey asked immediately, and Theo frowned at her bluntness. "Don't give me that look Theo…"
"You had no problem with her last night" Millie jumped in. "So what changed?"
"I heard Ron's problems…" Theo muttered, he looked annoyed. Ron's problems?
"And what does that mean?" Tracey asked as she crossed her arms defiantly.
"It means that Ron needs a break from everything…" Theo said, his voice was smooth as always.
"Excuse me?" Millie asked.
"I'm not going to reveal a thing" Theo said coldly. "If he wants to tell you, he will." And then Theo made to leave, but Tracey grabbed his wrist.
"Theo wait, where are you going?" Tracey asked.
"I'm heading to the Great Hall to get Ron some more food…" Theo sighed. "He demolished four sandwiches and a custard-tart within seconds…"
"Since when do you 'help' like this?" Millie asked in shock. Even Tracey was surprised, Theo wasn't the type to just volunteer. It must be bad…
"Seriously, we're going there?" Theo frowned deeply, and Tracey let go of his wrist. Touchy… Theo then turned around and left, leaving both Millie and Tracey with a load of questions.
"I'm going to the boys' dorm…" Millie sighed, and Tracey followed after her. When did Millie become so bossy? I love it! Millie knocked on the door to the boys' room, and Blaise answered by popping his head out.
"What?" Blaise asked curtly.
"I want to see Ron" Millie frowned at him.
"Let them through, Blaise…" came Ron's voice. "Why are you barring them from entering?" So it's Theo and Blaise who are angry, not Ron? Blaise frowned, but he let them inside. Tracey spotted Ron sitting on his bed in his school robes. "Hello" Ron greeted with a smile, and Tracey smiled back. He always says 'Hello' in that lame way… It's adorable.
"How are you feeling, Ron?" Millie asked him with a soft smile. Ron gave her a confused look, but then he remembered his behavior last night.
"I'm better…" Ron muttered, he was blushing. "I'm really sorry about my outburst… I don't know what came over me."
"You're not angry at us?" Tracey asked, she wanted to confirm her latest theory.
"No… Why would I be?" Ron replied slowly, he looked confused again. Okay, what's going on here? So it's Theo and Blaise who have a problem with us!
"Blaise, care to tell him what happened at breakfast?" Tracey asked Blaise with a frown.
"What the hell did you do?" Ron asked with a tired sigh. Blaise simply stared at Ron with utter indifference.
"Theo and I may have… given Daphne the cold shoulder…" Blaise said, his indifferent look but sheepish tone almost made Tracey burst out in laughter. Theo and Blaise act completely different around Ron, don't they? If I asked Theo for a sandwich, he'd laugh in my face…
"WHY?" Ron asked with a shocked look. "Oh Merlin… Is this why you two brought me breakfast? Because you knew I'd be pissed when I found out?"
"Depends… Did it work?" Blaise asked with a cocked eyebrow. Ron stared at Blaise, and the girls just watched the scene quietly.
"Those were good sandwiches…" Ron muttered after a few seconds, and Blaise smirked. Wow… And what about Daphne?
"And what about Daphne?" Tracey narrowed her eyes on Blaise. "Why did you and Theo treat her like that? Ron's clearly not angry with us!"
"She deserves it" Blaise said aloofly. "She was incredibly annoying yesterday." Tracey recalled dinner last night, and she had to admit that Daphne was a little annoying. She may not direct her jealousy at us anymore, but she still gives Ron a hard time… I was rather hoping that she had moved past this little crush of hers, mostly for Ron's sake. He's utterly clueless…
"Blaise, why did you do that?" Ron sighed. "She probably thinks I'm angry with her too…"
"Aren't you?" Blaise asked calmly. "You were yesterday, I know that for a fact."
"I was…" Ron muttered, he looked exhausted. "But I was under…" Ron trailed off. "You know…" Ron said to Blaise, and Blaise just gave a curt nod. Under what?! Are they seriously leaving us out again?! The bell signaling morning classes went off, and their conversation was cut short.
October 10th, 1992 (Dinner)
It had been an odd day to say the least, and Tracey was glad that it was coming to an end. They had four different classes today; Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, and D.A.D.A. And Ron had spent the entire day following Daphne around, it was a bit sad if Tracey was being honest. Ron was doing his best to make Daphne acknowledge him… He was apologizing, making lame jokes, he sat with her in every class, and he even sat with her during lunch. Daphne on the other hand, ignored Ron. Tracey knew that Daphne was greatly upset about something, but Tracey couldn't help but feel bad for Ron. She didn't like seeing him act so… defeated.
The only time of the day that Ron wasn't giving Daphne all of his attention was during lunch. He sat with her, but he was staring off at the Gryffindor table with sad eyes. Tracey knew that he was looking at his little sister, and it broke Tracey's heart when she too ignored him. And now they were all heading off to dinner, and Ron was looking at Daphne's back with a tired look. Blaise and Theo were not too happy about that, and Tracey resolved to find out what their problem with Daphne was. Were they just annoyed with Daphne for ignoring Ron? If so, why? They had never cared before, so why now?
They entered the Great Hall and marched to their seats, and Ron once again sat next to Daphne. Dinner started, and Ron kept shooting looks to the Gryffindor table. Tracey looked over as well, and she saw that Ginny was sitting with her back facing the Slytherin table. When Tracey saw that haggard and tired look on Ron's face, she felt the urge to hug him as tightly as she could.
"Daphne, can you pass the potatoes?" Ron asked, and Daphne did as he asked. "Thanks…" Ron said, but Daphne ignored him again. Tracey noticed Daphne's lips twitch into a small smile though, Ron was getting through to her. At least that's working out for him!
"This is pathetic…" Theo muttered, and only Tracey heard him because she was sitting next to him. She looked at Theo, and Theo was frowning at his plate. I'm definitely talking to him after dinner! Ron clearly has no problem, it's just Theo and Blaise…
Dinner then proceeded as it normally would. They had their usual banter, even if Daphne still ignored Ron, and they all spotted Malfoy 'spying' on them again. Tracey wanted to smack the git across his face, but she knew that he'd win if she did… After dinner ended, Ron got up and ran after his sister. Tracey and the others followed after him, and Tracey later wished that they hadn't.
"Gin… please wait" Ron called to her at the stairs. "I'm really sorry, can we please just talk?"
"Go away" Ginny snarled, the hatred on her face shocked the group. Ron was just stunned silent. "I want nothing to do with you…" Ginny declared, and Tracey couldn't believe that this was the same little girl that she had met last year. Why is she so damn hateful?! He only yelled at her once… Ginny then turned around and walked away, leaving a silent Ron behind. No one dared approach Ron, and even Daphne was looking at him with genuine worry. Ron then simply walked off to their common room, and they all followed after him quietly. Once they were inside, Ron just went to his dorm while the rest of them sat in their usual spot.
"I'm going to go check on him" Blaise said as soon as he sat down, and then he too was gone.
"Did you see the anger on her face?" Pansy shuddered. "Merlin… I never thought I'd be scared of a little girl…" She's only a year younger than you… But I agree… What the hell was that look even for? Ron didn't deserve that…
"She's being too harsh with Ron" Daphne frowned. "He made a mistake…"
"You damn hypocrite" Theo chuckled, his laugh was humorless and cold. There was a sudden tension in the group again, and Tracey didn't like it one bit.
"Excuse me?" Daphne asked with a scowl. "What's your problem, Theo?!" Theo just glared at Daphne, and then he got up to leave.
"I'm going to go check on Ron as well…" Theo said coldly, and then he left. I need to talk to him! Tracey got up and followed him, leaving three bewildered girls behinds.
"Theo, wait!" Tracey called to him as he was nearing his room. Theo turned around and faced her, he looked annoyed with her. "We need to talk… right now!"
"What is it?" Theo asked coldly.
"Can we talk somewhere more… private?" Tracey asked, she felt her cheeks flush for him that. Calm down, this is important.
"Fine, follow me" Theo said after a few seconds. They walked to seventh year dorms, and Theo took them to a secluded corner at the end of the dorms. "What is it?" Theo asked her.
"You tell me" Tracey retorted, and then she crossed her arms over her chest. "What's your problem with Daphne? Why are you and Blaise trying to start a fight?!"
"We are doing nothing of the sort…" Theo responded. "Daphne is the one who's being an annoying pest towards Ron!" Tracey flinched a bit at his harsh tone.
"Ron…" Tracey muttered. "You're doing this for him? He isn't even angry at Daphne anymore! This is about you, Theo!"
"That is the problem" Theo replied coldly. "Why isn't he angry with her?!" What? Now I'm confused…
"I don't understand…" Tracey said as she blinked at him.
"Of course you don't…" Theo said softly, his change in tone worried her. "I didn't it understand myself…"
"Understand what?" Tracey asked slowly.
"Why Ron suddenly lost it yesterday" Theo replied. "Why Ron looks like hell every day. Why Ron has been slacking in classes… I didn't understand any of it, until last night…" Theo then sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "We talked for an hour or so… Well, Ron talked and we listened… He just let out all of his frustrations, and we listened… And it was too much…" Theo muttered.
"Theo… What did he say?" Tracey asked in a whisper, and Theo looked conflicted. "Please tell me…" Theo stared at her for a few seconds, and then he sighed again.
"He has so many problems to deal with…" Theo said softly. "Problems that Blaise and I never gave a second thought to… Tell me Trace, what would you do if you were sorted into a house that your family despised? Humor me…"
"I don't know… Tell them to get over it…" Tracey mused. Where is he going with this?
"What would you do if you had to constantly fight to earn a place within that house? What would you do if some entitled bastard came after you every day?" Theo asked.
"This is about Ron…" Tracey deduced easily, and Theo nodded.
"Do you know any other twelve year old that works and studies at the same time?" Theo asked, and Tracey shook her head slowly. "Do you know any other twelve year old who has been attacked by the Dark Lord himself?"
"Potter…" Tracey answered softly. Theo scoffed at that.
"Potter was a baby, he doesn't remember shite about his attack…" Theo said with disgust. "Ron was attacked a few months ago and put in a damn coma…" Theo gave a bitter chuckle at that. "What would you do if you woke up one day and learned that you could talk to snakes? That turned his world upside-down, and we still have no answers about that!"
"And then" Theo continued "his sister runs off and skips her classes. He searched the whole damn school for her, and he never found. The only place he didn't check was the Forbidden Forest… You don't have a sister, but what would you do if you did have one and she pulled a stunt like that?" Tracey didn't answer, Theo was getting through to her. She had no idea Ron dealt with all of this… No, that was a lie… She did know, she just never gave it any thought…
"You know" Theo continued. "I don't like Granger, she's an arrogant bitch. But unlike us, she helped him all day yesterday… She helped, and we didn't… Despite all of Ron's problems, he always helps us with everything! If we want to cheat on our homework, he gives us his answers. If one of us is upset, he spends the whole day chasing after us like some sad puppy…"
"Daphne…" Tracey whispered, she was feeling her eyes sting for Ron.
"YES!" Theo yelled, he was looking more and more out of sorts due to his rant. "He begged and groveled the whole fucking day, Tracey… And Daphne ignored him… And why did she do that? Because he spent the previous day with Granger. Do you remember her horrible behavior yesterday? Blaise and I do… She was nothing short of a bitch! She egged him on constantly… He spent the whole day worrying about his sister, frightened that she was hurt and missing. And Daphne didn't give a damn! Sure, we didn't do anything to help him… But at least we didn't push him over the edge out of spite!"
"All of his problems" Theo continued with a tired sigh. "And he never asks for help… He deals with everything alone, but he always goes out of his way to help others…" Theo ran his hands through his hair again, and then he shook his head. Tracey put a soft hand on his left arm. "Blaise and I came to the harsh realization that Ron is drowning from stress… And the worst part is that we knew all along… We just didn't care until he broke down yesterday…" Tracey sniffled at that. I'm no different… Theo then began to leave, but he stopped suddenly.
"Tell yourself whatever you want, Trace" Theo said softly. "But the truth is that we are terrible friends to him… Sure we have his back against Malfoy, but that's only because that is our fight as well. Not once have any of us gone out of our way for Ron… And I'm done being that way… And so is Blaise… You can decide what kind of friend you're going to be by yourself, I won't twist your arm…" With that, Theo walked off. Tracey felt like her head was swimming… Everything Theo had said was true, and she hated it… Ron's sudden outburst didn't feel so out of place now, a person can only take so much before they explode…
Tracey walked back to the common room in a daze, all she could think about was Ron's broken expression at his little sister's words. How could he deal with so many problems all alone? Tracey entered the common room slowly, and she couldn't find the girls. They're probably at the dorm… Tracey turned around and walked to her shared room, she had no idea what she was going to tell the girls… Though Tracey did know one thing, she too was pissed at Daphne now… Tracey entered the room slowly, and she closed the door behind her quietly.
"There you are" Pansy sighed in relief. "Well, what did Theo say?"
"Yeah, what's his problem?" Daphne asked with a furrowed brow. They need to know… She needs to know… Tracey felt a fire ignite in her stomach, and then she unleashed her inner Theodore Nott on the girls.
Ron Weasley's POV
October 11th, 1992
The twins were laughing wildly as they chased after Bill and Charlie. Percy was reading a book under a tree's shade and he was smiling happily. And Ginny was sitting by the small stream that ran behind the Burrow. It was a beautiful sunny day, and Ron smiled as the sunlight warmed his skin. This is what life is all about… Ron sighed contently, and he cherished this moment.
"Ronnie, come play with me" Ginny called to him, and he smiled widely. Ginny always wanted to play with him, it made him feel special. Like he was needed, and important. Ron ran up to her with a massive grin.
"What are we playing?" Ron asked happily, and Ginny smiled widely at him.
"I want to prank Percy" Ginny sniggered cutely. "See, I made mud-pies!" Ron chuckled at that, and then he shot a look at Percy. His brother was in absolute bliss, and Ron smirked mischievously.
"I'm in!" Ron said with a laugh, and Ginny squealed excitedly. "I'll take the first shot, and you follow up!" Ginny nodded excitedly. Ron picked up two mud-pies and he turned to Percy. Ron took a few steps before he heard a loud splash from behind him, and he turned around instantly. His heart stopped when he couldn't see Ginny. "GINNY!" Ron screamed, she had fallen in! Ron dropped the pies and ran to where she had been. He looked around the water frantically, but he couldn't see her…
"Ginny!" Ron screamed again, his heart was about to explode. "HELP ME!" Ron yelled to his brothers, and then he turned around. But they were gone… He was all alone… "Guys!" Ron called, but he was met with utter silence. Where did they go? Ron heard loud thunder suddenly, and it made him jump. He looked up at the sky, and to his shock, it was covered with rain clouds. Wasn't it sunny a moment ago?!
Ron's hands trembled wildly, and his ears began ringing again. Ron covered his ears, and then he screamed in pain as the ringing got louder and louder. What's happening?! And just like that, the ringing stopped. Ron fell to his knees, his head throbbing and his vision blurring slowly. That's when Ron heard a hiss from beside him, and he screamed in fright when he turned to see a black serpent staring at him. It was a terrifying snake… With crimson eyes that resembled the eyes of toads…
"Go away" the serpent spoke in the Entity's voice. Ron paled and shook in absolute terror. His eyes burned with fearful tears. "I want nothing to do with you…" it spoke as it glared at him hungrily. Ginny? Ginny said that… "NOTHING!" the Entity screamed at him. Ron woke up covered in sweat, and in tears…
AUTHOR'S NOTES: And there it is! Now before you all bombard me with Daphne Hate, just know that she is a twelve year old girl who also happens to be an heiress... Growing up is a major theme of this story, that's all I'll say... So yeah...
See you guys soon!
(Also the Chamber will finally open in the next chapter, so expect some chaos!)