Fate Chapter 51 - The Last Week in Paris, a harry potter fanfic

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Chapter 51 is finally done! I wasn't sure if I'd finish it on time, University is beating my ass like it's a bongo drum. Now a couple of things:

1. For those who have raised concerns about this Fic becoming something like 'Entity vs. Entity'. Please do not worry. Those beings are out of Ron's scope of understanding. They play their parts in the background, and Ron is the only one who deals with them. They will not show up and level everything in sight, ever. This story is about human conflict, and the Entities don't really care for humans. Their goals are far, far bigger than that.

2. Sorry, still no Hermione POV. But she is on a vacation in the Muggle World with her parents, who are Muggles. I can't really think of anything exciting for her just yet, but she will be going to Longbottom Manor on the final weekend of the break, and I promise to give her a POV.

3. Once they get back to Hogwarts, this year will go by much quicker. I'm keen to get started on third year.

4. I thought about the 'Date but not date', and I must say, it didn't exactly sit well with me. Didn't feel realistic enough, so I've changed it up a bit.

5. Holy shit I wish I picked a city that I've actually been to... So much research...

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 51 – The Last Week in Paris

Ronald Weasley's POV

Saturday March 28th, 1993 (Greengrass Holiday Home – After Breakfast)

Daphne was extremely pissed, while Ron was extremely disappointed. Their 'date but not date' had been ruined by the rest of the Greengrass family. Ron generally lied to everyone around him, but he never lied to himself. And so he knew that he had been counting down the days until he'd get to spend the day with Daphne, and yes, part of that excitement came from their 'different sort of friendship'. Their interactions always left Ron feeling lightheaded, happy, and filled with butterflies. And he desperately wanted to feel that again, especially now.

The first week of the Tournament had been finished, and Ron had ranked in second place. This meant that he'd be playing in the Top Eight Tournament on Wednesday, and his nerves were getting to him. He desperately wanted that fucking win because he needed those rewards. He never usually felt like this when it came to Chess, but there was too much at stake. His win would net him a heavy sum of money, and his already growing fame would skyrocket. Ever since he found out about the Cycles that he was supposedly stuck in, and how he always failed, Ron had his focus on the future now more than ever.

This resulted in him having stress filled moments of doubt and panic. They weren't panic attacks, something that Ron was extremely grateful for, but they were becoming a nuisance. He'd start sweating wildly, sound would become slightly distorted, and everyone around him could see his face lose all of its blood. He'd had four of these moments in the last two days, three while at the Chess Tournament and one last night as he thought about his 'date but not date' with Daphne. That last moment didn't really matter anymore thanks to the Greengrass Family.

Daphne had finally mustered the courage to ask her father if she could show Ron around Paris… by herself. Lord Greengrass had just stared at her until she looked down at the ground dejectedly. It was an awkward dinner… Luckily, Mary stepped in and decided to make this a family affair (Plus Ron). So today they would all be heading into Paris, much to Daphne's anger and Ron's disappointment. But at least he'd still get to see Paris, and maybe buy some souvenirs for his siblings.

"Ron, can I come in?" came Daphne's voice from outside, and Ron finished putting on his shoes.

"Sure" Ron replied from his bed, and Daphne entered the room. She was wearing a white sundress that was sleeveless and cut off at her knees, and a big white hat. "Nice hat" Ron sniggered, and Daphne frowned.

"The Sun is out today, Weasley" Daphne told him. "And I get sunburned easily."

"Well, we do live in a dungeon for most of the year" Ron joked as he stood up, and he could see her tips twitching upwards. "C'mon Daph, give us a smile" Ron grinned, and she smiled softly.

"You're an oaf" Daphne said humorously. "But thanks for trying to make me feel better." I'll take that, especially because I was only making fun of her hat. I had no idea that she'd find that amusing. "You look very… Muggle."

"Ouch" Ron feigned hurt, making Daphne giggled. "But as we are going into Muggle Paris, I'll take that as a compliment."

"I like the jeans and the white collar shirt, not sure about the blazer" Daphne hummed as she eyed him, and he shifted in his spot a bit. "It might get too hot for a blazer when the Sun is at its highest."

"Yes well, it's a necessary evil" Ron shrugged, his shirt didn't make him feel covered enough. Damn scars.

"Oh" Daphne muttered, and Ron knew that she had figured out why he was wearing the dark navy blazer. "Well, it looks good. I'm surprised to see how well you dress in Muggle attire."

"Thank the guy who made these clothes, he matched all of my clothes for me" Ron replied truthfully, and Daphne nodded. "So… Excited for today?"

"I was, until my family ruined it" Daphne pouted, and Ron nodded in agreement.

"I was… excited too" Ron admitted slowly, and Daphne's pout turned into a smile. "But you know, when I think about it, there was no way that they'd let us go alone. I mean, I just turned thirteen and you're still twelve."

"Nonsense" Daphne huffed in indignation. "I've been to Paris six times, I know my way around. They just want to ruin my day, that's all." Still a princess, but in the cute sort of way.

"You and I both know that's not true" Ron chuckled, and Daphne let out an annoyed sigh. "We're two Magical teenagers, there is no way that Lord Greengrass would let us explore a Muggle city alone. Oh wait, you're not even a teenager yet."

"Mentally speaking, neither are you" Daphne shot back, and Ron gave her a serious look.

"Really? We're going there?" Ron asked.

"What? Oh, no… No, I didn't mean it like that, Ron" Daphne gave him a really guilty look, and Ron broke into a grin. Got her!

"Ha, too easy Greengrass" Ron chuckled as he moved closer to her.

"You promised me that you wouldn't joke about your health anymore" Daphne reminded him with a darkening look. Oh shite, fix this quickly. Or a damaged brain will be the least of my worries.

"And I wasn't" Ron explained quickly. "I was just making fun of you."

"What?" Daphne hissed, and Ron groaned. You fucking clown, Weasley.

"No, that's not…" Ron started, but stopped to restart his excuse. "What I mean is that I was just pulling your leg, that's all."

"Consider us even, then" Daphne suddenly smirked, and Ron blinked. "Too easy, Weasley." I hate her.

"Damn, I'll give you that one" Ron smiled, and Daphne gave him a mock curtsy.

"Let's go" Daphne instructed as she turned around to leave his room, but then she stopped moving. "But don't make another joke like that again, please."

"I won't" Ron sighed, and then he followed after her. They went straight to the Living Room and found Lord Greengrass sitting on a seat, and Ron was surprised to see him in a brown Muggle suit. Does he have scars too? Or does he burn easily like Daphne? Oh wait, he's probably hiding the Dark Mark. Ron felt a shudder go through him, and he checked to make sure that he had his vial of Calming Draught in his jean pocket. Good, it's there.

'Where are mum and Tori?" Daphne asked.

"Astoria wanted her hair done, so we're too wait for them to finish" Lord Greengrass sighed, and Daphne just nodded in understanding.

"Where are we going?" Ron asked.

"I have a few places in mind" Lord Greengrass replied. "A museum, a Cathedral, and other famous landmarks." That sounds… boring.

"That sounds like fun" Ron lied with a smile. "Can we please also go to some shops? I wanted to get a birthday present for the twins."

"Certainly" Lord Greengrass nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of going to a Muggle joke shop" Ron replied. "Do Muggles have joke shops?"

"They do" Lord Greengrass replied. "But perhaps you should get them something more practical instead? Maybe nice watches? Or maybe some quality pens?"

"Quality pens, father?" Daphne chuckled. "Those are old people gifts."

"Really? Then why did you get Ron a watch for his birthday?" Lord Greengrass asked in return, and Daphne just blinked at her father. She wanted me to wear her watch over Hermione's, which even I have to admit is a little childish. But I'm not complaining, this watch is amazing.

"What she meant was that the twins are jokesters" Ron quickly jumped to Daphne's defense. "They wouldn't appreciate something refined like a nice watch."

"I see" Lord Greengrass nodded with a smirk. "Very well, we can look for a joke shop." Daphne flashed Ron a grateful smile, and Ron gave her a wink.

"I'm here!" Tori suddenly announced herself with a wide grin as she burst into the room. Mary walked in behind her, while Tori walked right up to Ron. "Ron, don't I look amazing?" Ron looked her over, and he had to admit that she did. Her hair was done up, she was wearing a yellow sundress that was slightly longer than Daphne's, and she had a sunflower placed in her hair.

"You look great, Tori" Ron smiled at her, and she gave Ron a little spin. I can feel the temperature dropping, must be the Ice-Queen.

"I know" Tori grinned. "The sunflower was my idea. I thought it fitting because the Sun is shining so brightly today."

"It looks perfect on you" Ron told her, and she blushed slightly.

"Can we please go now?" Daphne asked her father, and Lord Greengrass stood up.

"Come, we have much to show Ron" Lord Greengrass smiled softly.

Saturday March 28th, 1993 (Paris – The Louvre Museum)

A museum. Ron could've been on a 'date but not date' with Daphne, but no… He was stuck in a damn museum. A Muggle museum at that. They had taken a 'taxi' here, and then they had signed on for a tour featuring the museum's most famous artworks and sculptures. The sculptures definitely caught his eye, especially the Venus de Milo. But then again, what thirteen year old boy wouldn't appreciate the statue of a naked Goddess? Maybe this place isn't so bad. Nice tits.

"Stop gawking at her, Ron" came Daphne's voice from behind him, and Ron turned around with a blush. She saw me perving on stone breasts!

"I wasn't 'gawking', Daphne" Ron said quickly, and she cocked an eyebrow. "I was admiring the artwork."

"Uh-huh" Daphne nodded with a scathing look. "Pervert…"

"I'm not a pervert" Ron blushed crimson. "And please don't say that, we're in public. What if your mother and father hear you? Or Tori?"

"They're too busy trying to keep my monstrous sister in check" Daphne huffed, and then she shot a glare at the statue behind Ron. Is she seriously jealous of a fucking statue? Damn, she needs Pomfrey's help more than I do. "She doesn't even have arms."

"She doesn't?" Ron asked as he turned to have another look. "Would you look at that, she's armless."

"Wow… You failed to notice that she had no arms?" Daphne asked in utter shock. "You're an utter pervert…"

"Daphne, shhh" Ron shushed as he turned to face her again. "Stop saying that."

"Do you like them?" Daphne narrowed her eyes on him.

"Huh?" Ron blinked.

"Do you like her 'assets'?" Daphne asked. "I do, they're well sculpted." What the fuck?! What do I even say to that?

"I… agree…" Ron said slowly.

"Pervert" Daphne said immediately, and Ron hung his head and sighed deeply. "Calm down, Ron. I'm only teasing you."

"Really?" Ron looked back up, and he saw Daphne trying to stifle her giggles. Damn, that's twice today that she got me.

"It's just a statue, Ron" Daphne smiled.

"Wow, she's naked" came Tori's giggle from behind Daphne. Ron looked to see Lord and Lady Greengrass holding Tori's hands as they all walked over to Ron and Daphne.

"Tori, that is one the most famous sculptures to come out of Ancient Greece" Mary told her daughter.

"Yeah, but she's still starkers" Tori giggled, and Mary just looked to Lord Greengrass for help.

"Tori, you should respect the hard work of others" Lord Greengrass smiled at his daughter. "Muggles don't have Magic like us, and so whoever made that sculpture was clearly a Master of their craft."

"Where are her arms?" Tori asked. Actually, I'd also like to know that.

"I tried" Lord Greengrass looked to Mary with a smirk, and Mary sighed.

"Let's keep going" Mary instructed. "The group is moving on anyway, and I want to go see the Mona Lisa." Lord and Lady Greengrass then began following the group of Muggles and the tour guide, while Ron and Daphne followed rather slowly.

"What's a Mona Lisa?" Ron asked.

"Some famous painting" Daphne replied, she looked like she was trying to remember something. "Tracey's mother told my mother about it a while ago, I remember overhearing them."

"Does it move?" Ron asked, and Daphne gave him a deadpan look.

"It's a Muggle painting Ron, what do you think?" Daphne asked.

"Oh…" Ron replied as he realized how stupid his inquiry was.

"Sorry, I shouldn't take my frustrations out on you" Daphne sighed. "I'm still upset about us being here rather than exploring Paris by ourselves." Trust me, I know how you feel.

"And what would we be doing if we were exploring Paris alone?" Ron smirked.

"Shopping" Daphne replied, and Ron blinked. "Oh, and we'd eat a lot of different foods."

"Now that sounds more like it" Ron chuckled.

"I thought that you'd enjoy that" Daphne smiled. "I wanted to show you French cuisine, and I wanted you to try Café liégeois."

"What is that?" Ron asked slowly.

"It's a cold dessert made from lightly sweetened coffee, coffee flavor ice cream and Chantilly cream" Daphne hummed as she pictured it. "It's so amazing, and I wanted to share one with you."

"You really had the whole day planned out, didn't you?" Ron smiled.

"I did" Daphne blushed a bit, and then she nudged him lightly. "Stop smiling at me like that, it's annoying me."

"I can't help it" Ron shrugged. "And truth be told, I'd much rather be out exploring Paris with you than being in this museum." Daphne smiled widely at that.

"You've gotten better at charming people" Daphne noticed, and Ron chuckled again.

"You just sounded like your father again" Ron told her, and she shrugged.

"I'll take that as a compliment" Daphne responded.

"You should, your father is awesome" Ron smiled. "Now let's go see this Moaning Lisa."

"It's Mona Lisa, you dolt" Daphne giggled.

Saturday March 28th, 1993 (Paris – Galeries Lafayette)

How was this even possible? How could Muggles create such a beautiful, and lively, place? Even without having the advantages of Magic, Muggles were capable of creating the most amazing building that Ron had ever entered. The Galeries Lafayette was a 'shopping mall', and it was magnificent. Words couldn't describe how grand it was, and when Ron had seen the splendid glass Coupole on the ceiling, his jaw had dropped. Muggles were… astonishing. Seeing all of this made Ron think of his father, how would he react if he was standing where Ron was? Ron figured that his father would probably never leave this place.

They had been shopping for almost two hours now, the women of the Greengrass Family were wreaking havoc on Lord Greengrass' funds. Ron's mentor didn't care though, he just carried their bags around with a soft smile. Tori and Daphne had bought dozens of 'designer clothes', while Mary's focus was on jewelry. Ron had to admit, he felt a twinge of annoyance at how spoiled the three women were. But Ron was also clever enough to realize that his annoyance stemmed from jealousy, he wished that his sister and mother could shop like this. All three Greengrass women were ecstatic as they ran from store to store, and Ron wanted to see his own mother and sister to feel that happiness.

And so, Ron had asked Lord Greengrass for Muggle money. He told his mentor that he would repay him with Galleons later, something that earned him a smirk from his mentor. Ron figured that Lord Greengrass liked the fact that Ron didn't want to owe anyone money, and Ron felt proud of himself for the fact that he did have his own money. Money that he had earned. With that out of the way, Ron had started buying things for his family.

Ron quickly found that shopping wasn't so boring when you had money to spend, and Ron had quite the large sum saved away. And so he hit every store with the Greengrass women, and he started spending his hard earned money on his family. Ron knew that in the long run, this was probably not a good idea. He knew that he should be saving his money for the upcoming war, but he couldn't resist spending some at the moment. He knew how happy everyone back home would be, and that had trumped his plans and schemes.

Ron bought Luna and Ginny 'designer clothes' with Daphne and Tori's help, he bought a gold necklace that had a small ruby hanging at the bottom of it for his mother, he bought Percy a shiny metal Caran D'ache Luxury pen, he got Charlie a brown leather jacket, he got Bill black Italian dress shoes, he got the twins various Muggle joke items like a 'handshake shocker' and a 'whoopee cushion', he bought his father a muggle camera that actually worked, he bought Pandora new paints in colors that Ron didn't even know existed, he got Xeno a book on Muggle myths and fairytales, and as a joke he had bought Sirius and Remus a book on being new parents. By the end of his shopping spree, he was carrying as many bags as Lord Greengrass. He knew that his funds just had the shite kicked out of them, but it was worth it. He could save up that money again, but his family's happiness was priceless.

Saturday March 28th, 1993 (Paris – Café des Deux Magots - Lunchtime)

Thank Merlin for House-Elves. After their massive shopping spree, Lord Greengrass had led them all into an isolated area and called his Elves. They had taken all the shopping bags back to the Greengrass Holiday House, and Ron had been reminded to get Marty a gift too. The blue-eyed Elf was a part of Ron's family as far as Ron was concerned. And so Ron had asked Lord Greengrass for advice, to which Lord Greengrass had suggested giving Marty a raise. But to do that, Ron had to officially buy ownership of Marty. Lord Greengrass promised to start the paperwork when they returned to England.

"Ron, do you know what gluttony means?" Tori asked, pulling Ron from his thoughts.

"No, what does it mean?" Ron smirked. This should be good.

"It means you don't know when to stop eating" Tori smirked back.

"Tori, don't be rude" Mary scolded, but Tori just giggled.

"I'm hungry, we've spent all day walking around" Ron explained. They were in some fancy Muggle Café, and Ron had ordered an entrée, two mains, and dessert. Maybe I overdid it a bit, but give me a break. I've never walked so much in my life.

"When you come to Hogwarts next year, Tori" Daphne chucked. "Then you'll see what Ron is truly capable of at the dining table. The House-Elves have to work overtime to keep him happy."

"That's not even true" Ron told Tori, but she gave him a scolding tut.

"It's true" Daphne told Tori. "He even steals food from our plates."

"Okay that might be true" Ron admitted, and the Greengrass family laughed. Ron smiled widely as he heard their laughter, even Lord Greengrass was chuckling heartily. When they finally stopped laughing, Daphne looked to Ron.

"So, what did you get for yourself?" Daphne asked. "I mean, you did almost as much shopping as us."

"I got gifts for my family, souvenirs and so forth" Ron replied.

"I know that, but what did you get for yourself?" Daphne asked. "Clothes, accessories, that sort of stuff?"

"I um…" Ron pondered out loud. "I didn't get anything for myself." This earned him confused looks from Daphne and Tori.

"What? Why?" Tori asked.

"I don't know" Ron shrugged, but he did know. Spending money on them I can excuse, but I'm not wasting it on myself. "I didn't really think about it." Tori gave him a truly confused look, Daphne just blinked at him, and the children missed the tender smiles that Lord and Lady Greengrass were giving Ron.

"You're weird" Tori said after a few moments.

"I agree with Tori" Daphne said with a light frown. "Ron, you might not come back to Paris anytime soon. You should at least get yourself a souvenir." And spend more money? No thanks, I'll just remember Paris instead. I probably owe Lord Greengrass half of what's in my account.

"My trophy will be my souvenir" Ron smirked arrogantly, and Lord Greengrass smiled widely.

"That's what I like to hear" Lord Greengrass said firmly as he gave Ron a strong pat on the back, and then he looked to his daughters. "You two should learn from Ron's attitude." What?

"Learn what?" Tori asked. "How to not buy myself nice things?"

"Tori, shhh" Daphne quickly shushed her rash little sister.

"Oh look, the food's coming" Mary said quickly, she knew that her husband was about to tear into their daughters.

Daphne Greengrass' POV

Saturday March 28th, 1993 (Paris – Eiffel Tower – Late Afternoon)

Damn her family for ruining her perfectly planned day, she wanted to show Ron the Eiffel Tower! But no, here she was with her entire family, packed into an elevator with random Muggles. They were on their way up to the top, a place where they could see all of Paris beneath them. She wanted to share a kiss with Ron at the top, like in those romantic films that Tracey had shown her. But no, her hawkeyed father and her monstrous sister wouldn't let Ron out of their sight. At least her mother was subtle about it, mostly because she was just watching over Ron. Tori just wanted Ron's constant attention, and compliments, much to Daphne's annoyance. And why does he keep giving them to her? He hasn't told me once that I look amazing, or cute, or pretty, or that my hat was a good idea. No, all of those compliments are reserved for Astoria.

"Daph, are you alright?" came Ron's voice from beside her. "You're scowling again."

"Oh, I'm fine" Daphne put on a fake smile, but Ron just raised an eyebrow. He knows why I'm upset, they all ruined my day. "I'm fine, don't worry so much."

"Ron, I can't wait for you to see the view" Tori said excitedly, and Daphne fought the urge to grimace. "You can see all of Paris from up there, and they have telescopes for us to look through. But the last time I was here, I was too short to use them."

"Can we look into people's houses?" Ron asked with a smirk, and some Muggle man broke into a chuckle.

"No, and you shouldn't be doing that Ron" her mother scolded.

"Ron, behave" her father ordered. The lift finally reached the top, and the doors parted. The first thing she felt was the cold weather up here, and she shivered as the cold wind bit her skin. They all shuffled out of the elevator, and Daphne quickly held onto her hat because of how windy it was up here. My sundress! I'll flash everyone my panties up here! She quickly put her left hand on her hat, and she controlled the lower half of her dress with her right hand. Merlin, what was I thinking? Oh wait, all I was thinking about was how this dress would impress Ron. But he hasn't even noticed it. Stupid oaf.

"It's cold up here" Tori whined as they all parted from the Muggles. And windy! Merlin, if Ron sees anything, I'll throw myself off this Tower!

"Here, love" her father said as he took off his brown coat and put it around Tori. Daphne watched as Tori smiled widely and snuggled the coat around herself. She then saw Ron staring at Tori, he had a contemplative look on his face. What's he thinking? Probably that Tori looks great in father's coat. Daphne frowned at herself, she needed to control herself. She was being unreasonable, and she knew it. But she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, she had spent an hour picking out this dress.

"Thanks, daddy" Tori beamed at their father, whose upper body was now covered with a long-sleeved white collar shirt and black vest. His Mark is hidden, good. I don't want Ron to know that it's there… That won't go over well, especially with his beliefs.

"Here, Daph" came Ron's voice from behind her, and she turned to see him holding out his blazer. Daphne blinked at him, he scars were still covered by his long-sleeved white collar shirt. "Aren't you cold?" Ron asked with a faint blush, and Daphne blinked again. He copied my father's actions, just like he copied that boy on the train. Daphne smiled at that, and she took his dark navy blazer and put it on. It was warm, and the silky material inside rubbed nicely against her bare arms.

"Thank you, Ron" Daphne smiled at him, her face flushing slightly. It smells so nice. Jasmines with a hint of sandalwood. I'm definitely asking Marty to launder my clothes from now on. But I have to wonder, when did Marty get time to put this fragrance onto Ron's coat? These clothes are brand new… That Elf doesn't sleep, does he?

"It's no worries" Ron smiled, but she noticed him pulling down at his sleeves. He probably didn't even notice that he was doing it, it must've just been a reflex. The fact that he would risk exposing his scars for her comfort made her stomach flip around, and she lost all of her annoyance at once. I'm definitely giving him a kiss before the day is finished. "Now, show me these telescopes."

"Alright, follow me" Daphne instructed, and she subtly guided him away from her family. Mother and father are too busy keeping an eye on Tori, this is my chance to talk to him alone. "Here they are" Daphne said as she presented the white binoculars.

"Damn, this is a nice view" Ron said as he looked around, the look on his face showing his awe. Daphne also looked around, and she had to admit, Muggle Paris was nothing if not impressive.

"Try the binoculars, you can focus in on some really nice sights" Daphne told him, and Ron did as he was told. Daphne watched him as he looked through the binoculars, a growing smile upon his lips. Daphne found herself smiling as well, at least she got to do one thing on her list.

"Wow, I can see that museum that we went to" Ron chuckled. "The one with the naked lady." Wow… He can't help himself, can he? Daphne wanted to be annoyed, but she just couldn't get there. His coat was keeping her warm, and it was keeping her dress in place. And seeing him so happy made her feel calm, like she didn't have to worry about his stress issues. "Here, have a look" Ron said as he stepped back, and Daphne moved in to have a look. He's right, I can see the Louvre Museum.

"What are you guys doing here?" came Tori's voice, and Daphne pulled back to see her sister smiling at them.

"Come here Tori, you can see the Louvre Museum from this telescope" Daphne replied, and Tori skipped over to them. As her sister looked through the binoculars, and made cooing sounds, Daphne noticed Ron take a step back. She turned her attention to him, and she saw his face lose its blood. Oh no… He's having another stress related moment. "Ron?" Daphne whispered as she quickly walked over to his side, and he gave her a forced smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Ron replied.

"You've gone pale again, what's wrong?" Daphne whispered again, she didn't want Tori to overhear them.

"It's nothing, it just comes and goes" Ron whispered back, and then he looked over to Tori looking through the binoculars. "Please, can we not talk about it? You know that it passes…"

"Do you have a vial with you?" Daphne whispered, she couldn't just let this go.

"I do, and if it gets worse, I'll drink it" Ron assured her. "Please stop worrying, and let's just enjoy the view. Please?" Daphne felt her resolve weaken at his pleading look, and she knew that pushing further would just make him close off. Or it'll make him angry. And that won't go over well for me.

"Alright, but I'm right here if you need to talk about it" Daphne said, and then she reached over with her left hand and gave his gloved hand a squeeze.

"Thanks…" Ron said as he averted his gaze, his cheeks turning red.

Saturday 28th March, 1993 (Greengrass Holiday Home – Evening)

Daphne took off her shoes and groaned in relief, her feet were killing her. She never usually groaned, but since she was alone, there was no one here to judge her. She hopped off of her seat, and she picked up Ron's blazer from her bed. I'd better return this now before I forget. But first… Daphne sniffed the blazer deeply, and the smell of jasmines and sandalwood filled her lungs. Daphne smiled a guilty smile, and a chuckle escaped her lips.

"I'm a freak, forgive me Ron" Daphne said to herself, and then she left the room with Ron's blazer. She walked down to the corridor, and she stopped in front of his closed door. She knocked lightly, and Ron responded immediately.

"Come in" came Ron's voice, and Daphne entered the room and locked the door behind her. "Did you just lock the door?" Ron asked, and Daphne could hear the excitement in his voice. It made her want to grin, but she kept her slight smirk in place. Ron was standing by his bed, which was covered with shopping bags.

"I wanted to return your blazer to you" Daphne hummed as she stepped further into the room, and Ron just smiled back. "Thank you for lending it to me, you're such a gentleman." He's starting to blush. He's so sweet.

"It was nothing, Daph" Ron smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But it was" Daphne told him as she finally reached him. She put the blazer on the bed, and then she looked him right in the face. Ron's blush was easy to see now, and Daphne hoped that her own face wasn't betraying her. She enjoyed being the one person who made him blush and act bashful, and supporting a blush would ruin that. "You gave me your blazer despite the fact that you were worried about people seeing your scars. You put my comfort above yours, and that deserves a reward."

"A… a reward?" Ron swallowed thickly, and Daphne smiled widely.

"What kind of reward do you want?" Daphne cocked her head slightly.

"A new chessboard would be nice" Ron replied, and Daphne blinked. Ron's sheepish smile turned into a grin, and Daphne found herself mildly annoyed at him for ruining her game. Two can play at that game, Weasley.

"A chessboard it is" Daphne smirked, and then she turned to leave.

"No" Ron said quickly as he ran around her and stood in her way, his grin replaced by a guilty smile. "I want… I want, you know…" I win. Daphne fought the urge to smile, and so she instead cocked an eyebrow. I want him to say it, and then he can have a kiss.

"I don't know, so you have to tell me clearly" Daphne said, and Ron sighed a little as his face went red.

"I want a kiss…" Ron muttered quickly, his embarrassment at saying the words clear as day. Daphne put her hands on his cheeks, and she gave him a smothering kiss. Only this time he put his hands on her shoulders, and he kissed back. Daphne was stunned by his sudden boldness, but she didn't mind it at all. The kiss lasted for around ten seconds, it ended when they both pulled back with a smacking sound. Daphne felt a little lightheaded, and judging from his awed expression, so did he.

"You kissed back" Daphne smiled, her hands still on his cheeks.

"I did" Ron smiled back, his hands still on her shoulders. "These kinds of kisses feel… different…"

"I know" Daphne nodded. Usually they just pecked each other's lips, but these longer kisses were only done when Daphne couldn't hold herself back. And so she'd squish his lips with hers until she regained her senses. "That's first time you've returned one of these kisses. What made you do that?"

"Oh… I'm not really sure…" Ron blinked. She wasn't surprised by his reply because she knew that he was horrible at this stuff. Just be patient with him, he always finds his way there.

"Describe what you felt" Daphne instructed.

"Um…" Ron started, his ears turning bright red. "I was really looking forward to today, mostly because I thought that it was just going to be me and you. And then that didn't happen, and I sort of… Um… I don't know. I just wanted to kiss you all day, I guess." Daphne smiled widely at that. He always finds his way there.

"One more?" Daphne asked.

"One more" Ron replied, and they gave each other another long kiss.

Ronald Weasley's POV

Wednesday 1st April, 1993 (Beauxbatons – Top Eight Tournament)

It was finally the day of the Top Eight Tournament, and Ron sat with his fellow Top Eight contenders. Amanda DuPont, Olivia Jones, and five other girls that Ron didn't really know anything about. Amanda held the first seat, Ron held the second, while Olivia held the third. Ron could feel Olivia glaring at him, but he just ignored her. He didn't get a chance to play with her after she had broken his perfect record, but now that the Entity was used to the allures, Ron had no doubt that he'd beat her. And speaking of allures, Ron could feel them solely focused on him. He was literally the only male in the playing area, and every Veela's eyes were fixed on him.

The Madame of Beauxbatons had lost her fucking mind at the prospect of a 'little boy ruining her plans', and so she had called in the cavalry. The cavalry being a dozen adult Veelas who were 'here to support their children and country'. Their allures were far stronger, and Ron could feel a dull ache at the back of his head already. This was sending him into a panic for two reasons. Firstly, Ron didn't want to endure the pain that he had suffered through on the first day of this fucking mess. Secondly, and far more importantly, his rewards were now on the line. If this headache kept getting worse, then by the time the last match rolled around, he'd be incapacitated. Or worse, he'd start wanking in front of hundreds of cameras. I mean I've started experimenting with it, but I'd rather not make a show of it in front of the whole fucking world. Entity, don't fucking fail me now.

"Competitors, here are your tiles" Ms. Thorne announced, and black-and-white tiles flew to each contestant. Ron looked at his black tile that was marked with a three, and Ron shot a look towards table three. I wonder who my first opponent will be. I hope that it's Olivia, I'd like to kick her out of the Tournament early on. "Competitors will now move to their allocated tables, and await instructions." Ron got up and walked towards table three, the flashes from the cameras dazing him a little. Merlin, this whole controversial Tournament has become a circus. Every witch and wizard wants to see what happens. That's what Lord Greengrass said anyway. I have to win this! And then, much to Ron's joy, Olivia Jones took a seat in front of him. It can't be?! The Universe didn't bugger me?!

"Weasley" Olivia greeted with a slight frown. "Ready to lose to me again?" Yeah, fuck being polite. Time to give her a taste of her own medicine.

"That's tough talk coming from a cheat" Ron smirked, and Olivia frowned more deeply.

"I don't cheat" Olivia hissed.

"Shut up" Ron said with a growing smirk, and Olivia was appalled at how rude he was. "Your giraffe sized Madame won't be able to help you this time." Ron ignored the crawling pain at the base of his skull, he wasn't losing to this bitch again.

"Begin!" Ms. Thorne announced, and Ron focused on the board.

Olivia was playing white, and so she made the first move. Five minutes in, and Ron could already tell that she was worried. She was quickly trying to form a defensive position with her pawns, so Ron decided that he'd control the board instead. Copying her strategy wouldn't be a wise tactic because then she'd have the advantage of being one move ahead because she was playing white. As Ron moved further up the board move by move, he noticed her bringing her stronger pieces out. This confused him for a few moments, why would she create a defensive position and then leave her stronger pieces out to die? But that's when he saw her expression, she was nervous. Is she unsure of how to play this? I guess that's what happens when you get beaten by someone, and then you cheat to beat them. When it's an even playing field, you know you're done for.

Ron quickly began mobilizing his stronger pieces, if she became aggressive now, his pawns would get destroyed. The queen, knights, and bishops were easy to bring out, and so Ron left the rooks to defend his king. She was using a similar idea, but her only problem was that she had no pawns backing her stronger pieces. It was around the ten minute mark that Ron drew first blood, she had been careless and Ron had used his bishop to take out her knight. From there, things only got worse for her.

She was fighting on two fronts now. Firstly, Ron was trying to murder her stronger pieces. Secondly, she had to waste moves in order to pull those pieces back and push her pawns forward. But against someone like Ron, it mattered very little. He had already broken any semblance of strategy that she could come up with, and she was the only one who didn't know that. Ron attacked her relentlessly, but carefully. He never risked his stronger pieces in order to take hers, but he had no problem in sacrificing his pawns. By the time she had finally gained a standing on the board with her pawns, she only had a queen, rooks, and a knight left. Her pawns were little threat to Ron as he had most of his pawns, and he had only lost a knight and a bishop. Piece by piece, Ron shredded any hope she had of winning. And by the thirty minute mark, he checkmated her.

Pure pleasure engulfed him, and he stared at her with a polite smile. She was clearly a 'drama queen' as Amanda had suggested, because when Ron stood up to shake her hand, she burst into tears and ran off. What the fuck? Hahahaha! Take that, you bitch! Ron fought off the urge to laugh evilly, and he instead settled for a shocked look. There's no point in me coming across as an arsehole, so let's just play the part of the shocked opponent. Ron looked over to Ms. Thorne with wide-eyes, and she gestured him to take his waiting seat. Ron nodded once, and then he made his way over to his chair. As he sat down, he shot a quick look at the Greengrass Family. The Greengrass women were waving at him, while his mentor had a knowing smirk on his face.

All of that fell away when Ron suddenly felt a horrific jolt of pain, and he couldn't help but wince. He grabbed onto his seat until his knuckles went white, and in a moment of weakness, he looked to the Beauxbatons stand. The Veelas were glaring at him, especially the older ones. Direct eye-contact with them sent another jolt through his head, and Ron let out a timid whimper of pain. Fuck me… Entity, what's going on up there? I thought you got used to them? Ugh… Why am I even talking to you in my head? You never fucking reply.

Wednesday 1st April, 1993 (Beauxbatons – Top Eight Tournament – Before Final Match)

Agony. That was what he was in. Pure fucking agony. It wasn't as bad as the first day, but it was a hell of a lot worse than the other days. He had just won his second match against a girl from Durmstrang, rank eight, and now he was waiting for Amanda to finish her match. He'd be facing the victor in the Final Match of the Tournament. All he wanted was for Amanda to hurry the fuck up and win, he didn't want to stay here for any longer.

Ron knew that Mary was no doubt trying to force her husband to pull him out, but Ron had forced Lord Greengrass to promise him that he wouldn't pull Ron out. He shot a quick look at them, and much to his surprise, all the Greengrasses were looking at him with fierce pride. I guess they already know that I won't leave willingly. Lord Greengrass gave him a firm nod, and Ron figured that it meant that Lord Greengrass had faith in him. Yeah, let's go with that. Another jolt of pain spread throughout his skull, and Ron's forehead throbbed. Fuck! Entity, answer me you fucker! Why aren't you doing a better job?! And much to Ron's horror, It replied.

"Champion, leave this place" the Entity's voice echoed in his mind, and Ron's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Entity? You're replying?"

"Champion, we are ill-prepared for this renewed assault. Leave this place, we command you."

"Command me? COMMAND ME?! Fuck you! You don't own me, didn't I make that clear?!"

"Stop being a fool, and leave!" the Entity's voice echoed, and Ron felt cold, dead tendrils coil around his body.

"No!"

"Petulant filth! Fall under their spell then, we care not!"

"What?! What the fuck does that mean?!"

"Mr. Weasley, are you alright?" came Ms. Thorne's whisper, and Ron looked to his left to see her hovering over him. She looked rather worried. "Do you wish to leave?" Ron blinked at her, and then he looked her dead in the eyes.

"No" Ron whispered, and she gave him a worried frown. But she didn't argue, instead she nodded curtly and left him.

"Champion, we cannot hold back the older creatures. Leave this place, or this will not end well for you."

"Is that concern I hear?" Ron thought bitterly.

"You pathetic little maggot! This is a promising Cycle, and you are ruining it for a childish game!"

"You know why I'm doing this, you fuck! You can look into my brain, remember? So do your fucking job, and I'll do mine!" Ron waited for a reply, but none came. Instead he felt the cold, dead tendrils leave his body. "Entity? Entity, are you there?" Ron felt a sudden jolt of pain that made him shrink into his seat, and he clutched his head.

"The next match begins now!" Ms. Thorne suddenly announced, and Ron looked to see Amanda getting up from her chair with a confused look. "Mr. Ronald Weasley vs. Miss. Amanda DuPont! Mr. Weasley come take your seat!" What is she doing? Is she… Is she speeding everything up for my sake? Ron quickly got up and made his way towards Amanda's table, and he saw her giving him a scared look.

"Ron, you are in pain" Amanda observed with a whimper, but he flashed her a weak smile.

"I'm fine" Ron said as he took his seat. Ron also noticed that the girl that Amanda had just beaten hadn't even left the stage yet.

"Ms. DuPont, take your seat" Ms. Thorne said firmly, and then she turned to the crowd. "The match will begin now! Mr. Weasley plays white, and Ms. DuPont plays black." With that, Ms. Thorne flicked her wand and arranged the pieces in a hurry. "Begin!"

Ron began the match strong, he remembered playing against Amanda last year. She was a brutal player who assaulted her opponent's pieces relentlessly. This meant that Ron needed a strong defense early on, or she would gain another advantage over him. And just as expected, Amanda started bringing out her stronger pieces. Ron reached over to move his pawn, and that's when he noticed that his hands were starting to tremble. Ron looked up briefly to see a wide-eyed Amanda staring at his shaking, gloved hand, and Ron decided to ignore her worry for him. I am not losing! This is my game! It's the one skill that I have which belongs solely to me, and I'll never relinquish my control! No one owns me!

The match progressed rather quickly, mostly because Amanda was an aggressive player. But Ron could sense that she wanted to end this particular match quickly, if not for herself, then for him. Being in Slytherin had taught him an important lesson, wearing your emotions on your sleeves could sometimes come back to bite you in the arse. Use this, make her think that she's in charge. Lure her into traps like the last time. She's being too careless. With that in mind, Ron began moving his pawns into dangerous positions after he set up his stronger pieces to clean up. Amanda, in her haste, made the poor decision to take one of his pawns with her bishop. What she didn't notice was that Ron's own bishop was sitting in a corner, and it was now aligned to take her bishop without repercussion.

Piece by piece. Minute by minute. Ron took her pieces as she took his. By the fifteenth minute mark, Ron's pain was written all over his face. His head was throbbing, his eyes stung, his hands shook, and he was having trouble focusing. He didn't even notice that his opponent was teary eyed, or that she herself was shaking. But the truth was that even if he did notice her anguish for him, he wouldn't have cared. He needed this win, he needed to prove to himself that he could be the Ronald Weasley that succeeded when all the others failed. This wasn't just a Chess match to him, this was his fucking Cycle on the line. His family… His sisters, his brothers, all the adults that he loved, his friends, and even his parents… Especially his parents. He had to show them that he wasn't just some soon-to-be Death-Eater disappointment. He was a Weasley, through and through.

"Champion…" came the Entity's strained voice, and Ron blinked rapidly. "We cannot… continue for much longer… Your mind is breaking apart… We cannot hold it… together… Stop... Do not force us… to expose ourselves in order to stop you from ruining this promising Cycle…"

"Just hold on… Please… I can win this…" Ron bit the inside of his right cheek to distract himself from his headache, and he tasted a metallic liquid ooze out of his self-inflicted wound. But for a brief moment, he felt his focus return. Sensing this, Ron clamped down on his wound even harder. And he continued the game.

Amanda decided that enough was enough, she had to end this game. She wanted nothing more than to forfeit, but she would be spitting on Ron's face by doing that. He had fought so hard to get here, and she would no taint his efforts by surrendering. Even if she beat him, it would be better than her forfeiting. Amanda shot a quick look towards the Beauxbatons stand, and she blinked away her tears. The younger Veelas had all left the stands, but the older ones hadn't. She knew how they felt about this 'outsider', and his 'plan to embarrass their country and Academy of Magic'. But Amanda didn't care about her country right now, she only cared about her friend who was suffering. Who was trying to prove something, something that Amanda couldn't even begin to understand. What was the point of suffering like this? Even for Chess?

Ron's head was swimming, but he could see Amanda's mistake. She, for some reason, had failed to notice his queen's positioning. The moment she moved her last knight out of the way, he'd jump into her back line. She'd be forced to move her king forward, and Ron would then move his bishop to call check again. Once she moved her king to the side, Ron would send his rook forward to call checkmate. She'd be trapped because he had a rook on the third line already. He was going to win, and all he had to do was wait for her to move her knight. But she wouldn't, even though his queen was aligned to take it. Oh Merlin, he wanted to kill that fucking knight so badly. But the moment he did, she'd see his strategy. Just wait… Entity, please wait…

When she finally moved her knight to take the last of his pawns, Ron moved his queen forward with a trembling hand and called check. She moved her king forward, and Ron moved his bishop and called check again. Amanda studied the board, and her eyes widened. She had lost… But instead of toppling her king early, she moved it to the side. Ron deserved to call checkmate. Even though she had just lost her final Junior League Tournament, she found herself smiling. Amanda moved her king to the side, and Ron moved his rook forward. She was trapped. A queen stopped her from going back, two rooks stopped her from going forward or to the side, and a bishop stood there almost as if giving her king its last rights.

"Checkmate" Ron mumbled, his eyes heavy from exhaustion. There was silence, and there was thunderous applause. Cameras flashed as people screamed and cheered, but Ron just stared at a smiling Amanda. Was she crying? Amanda stood up and extended her hand, and Ron grit his teeth and stood up as well. His legs wobbled, but he gripped her hand and shook it firmly. Did you see that, Entity? We won…

"Congratulations" Amanda smiled widely, her eyes shining because of the camera flashes. Ron opened his mouth to thank her, but instead of words, the blood from his self-inflicted wound leaked out. Amanda's eyes grew to an impossible size, and the cheering literally died. "Ron…" Amanda muttered in a horrified whisper. Ron felt something warm trickle out of his eyes and nose, and then he toppled over. The last thing he heard were screams of panic, and then it all went black.

The Dream World

Ron ran through the raging storm, his entire body trembling from the pain and cold. Clouds filled with red lightning and hailstones bellowed in the sky as Ron ran towards the collapsing Hogwarts. He knew that his mind was being ripped apart, and that filled him with terror unlike ever before.

"ENTITY?!" Ron screamed as he clutched his aching stomach. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" He was met with the earsplitting sound of lightning striking ground, and a horrific jolt of agony coursed through his veins. Ron fell to his knees screaming, and he shielded his head as the hailstones struck his body like rocks. That's when Ron heard the ground-shattering shriek of the Entity, and Ron looked to see a massive chunk of Hogwarts collapsing. More pain shot throughout his body, but Ron grit his teeth and stood back up. And before he knew it, he was running towards the courtyard.

"CHAMPION!" the Entity bellowed somewhere off in the distance, and Ron ran harder.

"ENTITY?!" Ron yelled back as he finally reached the courtyard. His eyes were immediately glued to the figure of Pandora, who had her back to him. "ENTITY!" Ron yelled as he hobbled forward, and that's when he finally noticed that 'Pandora' was holding her hands up as if she was lifting something heavy. The Entity was struggling to keep the Dream Hogwarts from collapsing.

"STAY BACK!" the Entity commanded without looking back, and then it let out a roar as red lightning smashed into Gryffindor Tower. Ron screamed from the agony caused by his mind being torn asunder, and he collapsed to the ground. His vision began to darken as he watched the Entity from the ground, and the last thing he saw was the Entity overpowering the storm with a thunderous roar that shook the Dream World.

"Even we cannot heal this much damage" the Entity spat out, and then it turned to see Her standing over an unconscious Champion. "This one has failed as well, let your Brother claim him. We will begin anew." She watched the unconscious Champion, Her eyes fixed upon his sleeping features.

"Is his success beyond hope?" She asked.

"No…" The Entity admitted, even though It wanted the Champion killed this instant. "We have put his mind back together, but there are cracks. Cracks that are beyond our power."

"Are you telling me that the Star of Madness can't even heal a single mortal?" She asked, and then she looked to the Entity with her golden eyes.

"You have given us but a fraction of our real power" the Entity hissed, and then It grinned cruelly. "Another mistake in your Grand Scheme…"

"A necessary step for my Champion's safety" She replied coldly, and then she put her bare foot on the Champion's face. "What do these 'cracks' mean for my Champion?" She asked as she used her foot to turn the Champion's face.

"That his mind is more vulnerable than before" the Entity replied dismissively.

"Vulnerable to who?" She asked. "The Lord of Serpents, or you?"

"Both" the Entity laughed cruelly. "Oh, the things that we can do to him now…"

"Can the other mortals access his mind?" She asked, her tone showing her lack of care on the matter.

"No, we will keep his mind warded" the Entity replied as It eyed the Champion hungrily.

"Just don't break him" She ordered. "Let him play his part in my plan, and then you can have him."

"Is that so?" the Entity growled with a dagger-sharp grin. "You do not care for him?"

"He is important to my plan, but beyond that, he is just another mortal" She replied as she removed her foot from the Champion's face. "A speck of dust in a sandstorm. Do your duty, and I will make you whole once again."

"How benevolent of you" the Entity mocked, and then It approached Her. "We can smell your fear… Are you still afraid of us?"

"Yes" She replied, her expression not changing in the least. "I would be foolish if I weren't."

"And what of your Brethren?" the Entity laughed. "Do they still fear us?"

"Yes" She replied.

"Good" the Entity growled in her face, but she just stared at It with cold indifference. "We will eventually break out of that Star that you all entombed us in, and then, we will end you all. Every planet, every Galaxy, every single Universe. We will end it all."

"I have no doubt about that, but that day is billions of years away" She responded. "Heal as much of him as you can, this Cycle may yet succeed." And with that, she vanished in a bright light that nearly blinded the Entity.

"One day…" the Entity hissed as it looked at the Champion. "One day, we will tear you limb from limb. Just you wait, Champion. Eons of misery await you." A terrible screaming rang out from within the recesses of the Champion's mind, and the Entity grinned. "But for now, we have another soul that requires our attention. Sleep well, Champion."

Sebastian Greengrass' POV

Wednesday 1st April, 1993 (Beauxbatons Infirmary – Evening)

Panic, rumors, guilt, and fear hung in the air like a filthy stench. Ron had collapsed on the stage right after his win, and Sebastian's pride had quickly morphed into horror. His daughters had screamed as they saw blood ooze out of Ron's eyes, nose, and mouth, and Sebastian himself had barely managed to keep a lid on his fear. He had broken into a sprint as Ms. Thorne, and other officials, flooded the playing area. That poor Amanda girl had fainted from fright and shock, and now she was lying in a bed not too far from Ron's. This was a catastrophe for everyone involved.

Sebastian would no doubt face the wrath of the Weasley Family for this, and he knew that he deserved it. He should have never agreed to Ron's madness. Beauxbatons and the French Ministry would suffer their own consequences, this much was evident from the current actions of the two leaders of these institutes. The great Madame Maxime was currently pacing the infirmary with the French Minister of Magic, and Sebastian wished that he had the power to evict these two vultures from the infirmary. But since this was French soil, and Madame Maxime's school, Sebastian held no say in the matter. Mary on the other hand, cared very little for diplomacy right now.

His wife had slapped the French Minister across the face in a moment of motherly rage, and Sebastian had to pull her away in order to avoid an International Incident. But that didn't stop Mary from using the foulest language that he had ever heard come out of her mouth, and she only stopped when Sebastian reminded her that their daughters were watching. Daphne and Tori were extremely distraught, and they had yet to leave Ron's side. Each sister took one side of Ron's bed, and they just sat with him. Sebastian himself was barely keeping his head above water, the fear of Ron's brain damage increasing had Sebastian at the edge of his sanity.

"Lord Greengrass?" came the Healer's voice from behind him, the Beauxbatons head nurse had just re-entered the room. She had a clipboard in her hands, and Sebastian's gaze lingered on it. The results of Ron's check-up.

"How bad is it?" Sebastian asked immediately, and he felt Madame Maxime and the French Minister hover behind him. They just want to know how much shite they've covered themselves in, don't they? With that thought, Sebastian turned around and faced the two of them. "You are not privy to this information."

"Mr. Greengrass…" the French Minister, Louise Wallace, started but Sebastian cut him off.

"Lord Greengrass" Sebastian corrected the man, and Wallace blinked. I have your career in the palm of my hand right now.

"Lord Greengrass…" Wallace smiled, he knew that his involvement in this mess was backfiring. "We just want to know if the boy is safe."

"You just want to know if you're safe" Mary said coldly as she walked over to her husband's side. "You put him on that bed, and all for a damn trophy."

"That is hearsay" Madame Maxime quickly piped in.

"Not according to the Daily Prophet, and the rest of the World" Sebastian said coldly, and the two vultures exchanged quick looks. "Your people may be willing to swallow whatever dung you wish to throw around, but everyone else in the Wizarding World will know about this. I'll make sure of that."

"Let's not be hasty, I'm sure that we can come to some agreement" Wallace smiled pathetically, his pencil-thin moustache making Sebastian frown in disgust. Another weak Minister. Is that job just reserved for cowards, and other weak individuals? "We can make a deal, and we can all walk away unscathed."

"Unscathed?" Sebastian hissed, and then he walked right up to the Minister's face. The man was much shorter that Sebastian, and he shrank even more as Sebastian loomed over him with his cold gaze.

"You a… allowed that b… boy to compete…" Wallace stammered, his resolve weakening under Sebastian's pale eyes.

"He was clearly very ill" Madame Maxime jumped in. "He should not have been competing in that Tournament." A pang of guilt shot through Sebastian, but he didn't show it.

"You disgusting…" Mary hissed, but Sebastian cut her off. They couldn't afford to let this escalate just yet.

"Mary, be there for our daughters" Sebastian ordered, and after a few silent seconds, Mary left the conversation. Sebastian saw her sit down on Ron's bed from the corner of his eyes, and then he turned his cold gaze towards Madame Maxime. "Let's not play this game of cat and mouse, we all know what you did. You spent three years planning this in order to get a French Champion out of Beauxbatons, and all of that scheming went up in flames because of my Protégé. As a last ditch effort, you brought more of your filthy beasts to torment him, and now he's in that bed." Madame Maxime's expression darkened slightly at Sebastian calling her Veela friends 'filthy beasts', but she held her tongue. "I am responsible for letting him play, I won't argue that. But you two are the real reason why he's currently in that state."

"What do you want?" Madame Maxime asked as she looked down at Sebastian.

"I want a public apology…" Sebastian started.

"No" Madame Maxime cut him off, but he just smirked at her. "We will not give voice to your lies."

"You will" Sebastian said coldly, and then he turned to the weaker link of the duo. "The International League of Wizard's Chess Club will wash their hands of you both by the morning, trust me. They will disclose that they did indeed sign a deal with you, and that they allowed your Veelas to attend the Tournament. But then, they'll tell every single witch and wizard out there that they had no idea that you would use those Veelas' allures. They will put that on you two. Sure, they'll probably suffer a lot of criticism for their foolish dealings. But you two… You two will be crucified the World over for using such base methods to make yourselves feel important."

"You do not know this" Madame Maxime responded, but he could tell that his words had gotten to her.

"Oh, but I do" Sebastian glared at the wide-eyed Minister. "I will make sure that this happens, do you understand? I am the richest man in Wizarding Europe, and one of the richest wizards alive. I will spend half of what's in my vaults to spread this message around, and you two will be finished. And then, I'll turn my focus on this destroying this Academy's reputation as much as I can." Madame Maxime's expression turned to one of rage, but Sebastian didn't care. The Minister is breaking, just one more push. "You, Louise Wallace, will forever be associated with this scandal. Your term will end in failure, because you will be blamed for all of this."

"What do you want?" Wallace asked in a panicked voice.

"Louise, do not give into this foreigner's demands" Madame Maxime ordered, but the Minister ignored her.

"First of all, I want a public apology from your Ministry" Sebastian replied coldly. "Not to me, but to my Protégé. I will hold a gala at the Carrousel du Louvre on Friday, and you will both be invited."

"And if we refuse?" Madame Maxime asked defiantly.

"Then you're finished" Sebastian replied coldly. "Your plans are up in flames, my Protégé saw to that, and all you have left is your already damaged reputation. Attend the gala, make the apology, and save yourselves further shame." Wallace nodded at that, but Madame Maxime cussed in French and barged out of the infirmary. "Be there Wallace, or I will never forget your involvement in this." The French Minister nodded shakily, and he left the infirmary in a hurry. Sebastian turned back to the healer, and he saw her looking towards Ron. "What did you find?"

"He is suffering from physical and mental exhaustion" the head nurse replied as she looked to Sebastian.

"Do people generally bleed like that when they're exhausted?" Sebastian asked, his worry spiking. I should've dragged him home, and locked him in his room.

"No" the head nurse shook her head. "The cause for his nose bleed was indeed his physical exhaustion, having one's Magical Core drained does that. He bled through his mouth because he was biting down on his right cheek…"

"Why?" Sebastian asked with a furrowed brow.

"To keep his focus, to stay distracted, I don't know…" the head nurse replied. "You will have to ask him that when he wakes up. I'll applied salves to the inside of his mouth, and his wound should be healed by morning."

"And why did he bleed from his eyes?" Sebastian asked slowly, he was dreading the answer to this one.

"He suffered a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage" she replied, and Sebastian's knees felt weak. That sounds bad. Merlin forgive me, I shouldn't have let him compete. What was I thinking? "Be at ease, Lord Greengrass. It is not as bad as it sounds. It means that the small blood vessels under the whites of his eyes burst, and that caused his eyes to bleed. I have already healed most of the damage, and he won't suffer any loss in vision."

"Merlin…" Sebastian sighed in a moment of weakness.

"He will however feel some discomfort for a week or so" the head nurse told him. "The Potion I used to begin healing his eyes will clean up any chance of infection, but it will cause redness in the whites of his eyes and sometimes it pushes any excess blood out."

"So he has blood pooled in his eyes?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, and the Potion will slowly fix that" she nodded.

"What caused his blood vessels to burst?" Sebastian asked with a deep frown. "Was it the allures from the older Veelas?" The head nurse averted her gaze at that, she clearly didn't want to sell out her Madame. "Please, he's just a boy…" She's a nurse, using her compassion will get me my answers. I refuse to let these people hide things from me to protect themselves.

"Have you ever witnessed an extreme Legilimency attack?" the head nurse asked, and Sebastian blinked in confusion. "When the mind is bombarded with a mental assault, and the victim resists, it tends to increase their blood pressure severely. I believe that the boy was concentrating so hard on resisting the allures that his blood pressure spiked. That, mixed with the pain that he was clearly in, caused the hemorrhage."

"Was Legilimency used?" Sebastian asked. That gigantic whore…

"It is impossible to determine that" the head nurse sighed. "All I'm certain of is that the boy resisted so fiercely, it caused his body considerable trauma. I've healed the wound in his mouth, I've administered the Potion that will clean out his eyes, and I've given him a strong dose of the Sleeping Draught."

"Thank you" Sebastian nodded.

"But there is one thing…" the head nurse said quickly, and Sebastian almost sighed again. "His body seems to be healing itself remarkably. I've never seen anything like it…"

"We saw a Healer about that after his first day at this accursed Tournament" Sebastian explained. "He called it an act of Accidental Magic. He said that children often heal their wounds in a similar fashion."

"But he is thirteen, and he has a wand to channel his Magic…" the head nurse looked to Ron. "I have served as the head nurse of this Academy for over fifteen years, and I have never seen a child heal themselves like this once they've turned eleven." Now that is… odd.

"Is he fit to travel? I'd like to take him home" Sebastian asked, and the nurse frowned slightly.

"I do not recommend it, but yes…" she replied. "If you wish, we can help you transport him back to your home."

"Good, I have a family Healer that can take care of him."

Ronald Weasley's POV

Thursday 2nd April, 1993 (Greengrass Holiday Home – Afternoon)

Ron woke up, or at least he thought he did. He was in a soft, comfortable bed. Ron tried to look around, but he couldn't see anything. The last thing he remembered was the Entity fighting to keep his mind in one piece, and then… nothing. Ron reached up slowly with his left hand, and felt some sort of bandage covering his eyes.

"Mummy! He's awake!" came Tori's sudden yell, and Ron jumped a little from fright.

"Tori? Where am I?" Ron asked as quickly sat up. "Why can't I see anything? Why are my eyes covered in bandages?" Panic set in, was he blinded by the damage caused to his mind? Could that even happen?! No, no, no, no…. The Cycle will fail if I go blind! Fuck! Bloody fuck!

"Ron, don't move please" came Mary's voice, and Ron stilled.

"I can't see" Ron told her, his mind racing with a million thoughts.

"That's because your eyes are covered, love" Mary told him, and he felt her take his left hand into hers. "You suffered some damage to your eyes, but nothing permanent. The nurse at Beauxbatons healed the damage with a Potion that is cleaning out your eyes, and Healer Bernard covered your eyes with a bandage soaked in a Soothing Salve."

"So I'm not blind…" Ron sighed out as he relaxed immensely.

"No, but you need to keep this bandage on for a few more hours" Mary told him. "It's making sure that your eyes don't swell up due to irritation. That's a side-effect of the Potion that the nurse used to heal your eyes." Ron nodded, and that's when he tasted something gross.

"Ugh… What's in my mouth?" Ron whined.

"A Healing Salve for your bite wound" Mary replied, and he could hear that slight anger in her voice.

"Why did you bite yourself?" came Tori's voice, and Ron remembered that she was still here.

"To keep my focus" Ron replied, and he heard a sharp intake of breath. Wonder who that was? Wait… Where's Daphne? "Where is Daphne?"

"Daphne?" Mary asked. "Oh, she's with her father in his study. We were planning a party to celebrate your victory… She wanted to come up, but I thought it unwise to let her see you like this."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"She always starts crying when she sees you" Tori replied for her mother.

"Tori, please go downstairs and tell the Elves to set up breakfast for Ron" Mary instructed quickly. Daph… Ron heard Tori's light footsteps leave the room in a hurry, and Ron tried to get out of bed. "Here, let me help you" Mary said as she guided him off of the bed.

"Can you take me to the bathroom please?" Ron asked. "I want to rinse out this taste from my mouth." Mary guided him to the bathroom, and Ron cleaned out his mouth. Whatever this Healing Salve was, it tasted like Hippogriff shite. Not that I know what Hippogriff shite tastes like. After that, Mary began guiding him downstairs. "So… I won" Ron stated, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Yes, you won" Mary sighed, and then Ron felt her pinch his left bicep.

"Ow" Ron whined. "Why?"

"Don't ever do that again, do you understand?" Mary ordered, her voice cracking a bit. Ron felt a pang of guilt for making them go through that, it couldn't have been easy to see him in such a state. It doesn't matter, I got the rewards that I needed. Rewards that I can use to start planning for the upcoming war.

"I won't" Ron relied. Unless I deem it necessary. Ron then felt his right foot sink lower than it was supposed to, and he wobbled as Mary steadied him. "Fucking hell…" He immediately realized that he just shown Mary his filthy language, and he went red in the face.

"Watch your step, Ron" Mary said, completely ignoring his language. "We're at the stairs, so go slowly." Ron nodded, and he let her guide him down. They eventually made it into the Dining Room, and Mary placed Ron on a seat. That's when he realized another issue.

"Um… I can't see…" Ron muttered as he smelled the delicious aroma of the food on the table.

"I know, which is why I will feed you" Mary replied, and Ron let out a disbelieving chuckle. "I'm not joking, Ron" Mary said, and then he heard her pull a chair next to his.

"What?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Mary, that's… embarrassing. I'm sure I can figure something out."

"Open your mouth" came Mary's voice.

"No."

"Ron, stop being childish. Open your mouth, you need to recover your strength" Mary ordered, and Ron sighed deeply. He opened his mouth as his ears turned red, and then he felt a spoon go into his mouth. The next twenty minutes were the most humiliating minutes in Ron's recent memory, and he was glad that only Mary was here to witness them. That is until he heard stifled sniggering from a little she-devil.

"Tori?" Ron asked.

"Hi!" came Tori's delighted voice, and it shattered Ron's illusion of safety. "And yes, I've been here the entire time."

"Astoria Greengrass, stop teasing the poor boy" Mary scolded, but Tori let out a mischievous laugh. "And hand over that camera, this is not a joking matter."

"Camera?!" Ron all but shouted, and then he heard Tori's footsteps running away. "NO!"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't spread those pictures around" Mary told him, and Ron grit his teeth. Damn her! I will have my revenge! "Now I need you to drink this" Mary said as she put a glass to his lips, and Ron recognized the smell. Oh for Merlin's sake, it's that pink Potion again. Ron chugged it down quickly, and he gagged once again.

"Ugh… What's that Potion made of?" Ron croaked. "Troll shite?" Mary let out a chuckle at that, but she stifled it immediately.

"Language, Ron" Mary tried to scold, but he could hear her laughter trying to come out. "Do you need the Nausea Relief Potion?"

"No… But if you have a new set of taste buds, I'd like those very much" Ron replied haughtily, and Mary chuckled again.

"I'll go and get my husband, he wants to talk to you" Mary said, and Ron felt her caress his left cheek with her soft hand.

"And Daphne?" Ron asked.

"And Daphne" Mary replied, and then he heard her leave. Ron sank into his chair a little, and he found himself smiling. I won the Tournament, which means all of my efforts were worth it. I bet word of my victory is spreading like wildfire, not to mention the huge amount of money that I've made. I should try and think of ways to spend it for the upcoming war. Maybe buy a couple of Tomes of Magic, or start saving it for a rainy day. Ron realized that he didn't really know much about warfare, and that was a problem that needed to be fixed. I'll do even more research into the Great War, and maybe buy some books that the library may not have.

"Hello" came Daphne's meek voice from his left, and Ron jerked out of his thoughts.

"Merlin Daph, don't creep up on me" Ron released a worried chuckle. "Daph, are you there?" Ron asked when she didn't reply. He suddenly felt her pinch his left cheek, but it wasn't hard enough to be painful.

"I want to break your nose" Daphne whispered, and Ron gulped.

"Um… please don't…" Ron muttered. "Are your parents here?"

"No, mother is talking with father about your parents" Daphne replied, and Ron sat up straight.

"What? What's happened?" Ron asked.

"You happened, you lout" Daphne huffed tiredly. "Father sent a letter to your parents last night, he begged for their forgiveness. And he told them that he would be bringing you back to them himself on Saturday."

"Lord Greengrass begged?" Ron asked timidly. "Because of me?"

"He did something stupid" Daphne replied bitterly. "And he knows it. They probably won't get the letter until later tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning. But they probably already know about what happened to you."

"The Daily Prophet?" Ron guessed in a soft whisper.

"Not just them, everyone is talking about it" Daphne replied, and he heard her sit down where Mary had been sitting. "The French Ministry and Beauxbatons are under heavy scrutiny, especially the French Minister and Madame Maxime. The International League of Wizard's Chess Club are also being blamed for their dirty dealings, but they'll survive because they disclosed all the relevant information regarding the Tournament dealings. You've caused a lot of damage to the people involved, and everyone is talking about you."

"Well… fuck…" Ron sighed, and Daphne pinched his left cheek again.

"You swear too much" Daphne scolded in a tolerant voice. "I should wash your mouth out with soap. But you should be proud, Ron. Even if what you did was stupid, selfish, and stubborn. I bet everyone back at school will want your autograph now."

"What about you?" Ron smiled, and he hoped that it was aimed at her.

"I don't need an autograph from you, I've seen your disgusting handwriting" Daphne replied.

"That's just mean…" Ron chuckled, and then he got serious "Daphne, my brain damage… Did it get worse?"

"No, oddly enough it didn't" Daphne replied with relief, and Ron relaxed immensely. "Healer Bernard was here last night, and he did another 'MRI Scan' on your brain. Other than being inflamed, it was the same as before. He was rather happy about that, and so were we." The Entity managed to heal me. Thanks, you evil prick.

"Ron" came Lord Greengrass' voice, it was steady and regular.

"Lord Greengrass, good morning" Ron replied, and he heard the man sit down somewhere to Ron's right.

"Daughter, excuse us" Lord Greengrass ordered, and Ron heard Daphne stand up and leave. Ron fought the urge to frown, he wanted to talk to her some more. "First of all, congratulations are in order. Well done, Ron. You've made me… us… proud."

"Thank you, my Lord" Ron smiled.

"Now" Lord Greengrass said, his voice rising slightly. "For the second thing… What were you thinking?!" Ron flinched at the sudden bellow, and he shrank into his chair. "What possessed you to not leave the Tournament?! I know that I agreed to your madness, and I will live with that forever, but you… What was the point of this?!" The point was to help protect all of you in the future. To be prepared for a fucking war that kills my brother, Pansy, and so many others. Ron felt his temper flare, but he kept himself from having an outburst. Lord Greengrass didn't know why Ron did what he did, and so expecting him to understand would be foolish.

"I couldn't lose…" Ron replied. "I refuse to lose…" My Cycle will be successful, no matter what it takes.

"What?" Lord Greengrass asked in a confused tone. If I lose, you all pay the price for it. I did this for you!

"I don't lose" Ron replied firmly, and he sat up straight. "And I will never back down. That's who I am, and you know that."

"Ron…" Lord Greengrass sighed. "You're a human being, it's completely acceptable to lose sometimes. Your health should take priority over everything." This Cycle's success is my priority, and the safety of my loved ones. Instead of arguing pointlessly, Ron opted to stay quiet. "I have sent a letter to your parents…"

"I know, Daphne told me" Ron said, he was glad that Lord Greengrass had quickly gotten over his anger. "Besides apologizing, what else did you say?" Damn, that sounded bitter even to me. But he shouldn't be begging on my behalf, I was the one who chose to compete.

"You don't agree with me apologizing to them?" Lord Greengrass asked.

"No, I don't" Ron replied flatly. "I don't like the idea of you having to do that because of me…"

"I apologized because I broke my word to them" Lord Greengrass sighed. "I promised them your safety, and I failed that promise. The need for an apology is on me, not you. As for your previous inquiry, I told them that I would be bringing you home on Saturday personally. I also told them that I needed to discuss something very important about you with them. And with the other adults in your life…"

"What?" Ron asked immediately. "My Lord, telling my parents is one thing… But I refuse to tell the others. I don't want to be treated like some damn cripple by everyone."

"No one will do that, Ron" Lord Greengrass argued. "They need to know about your condition, and that is final. You are a child, not an adult. And it is the duty of the adults to watch over the children. If they don't know about your condition, then they won't know how to handle it. This way, they will at least have an idea about what ails you. And believe me, they may already suspect something to be amiss."

"They might?" Ron asked, he didn't like this idea one bit. It is none of their business, it concerns only me.

"They are not blind, Ron" Lord Greengrass replied. "They have known you for far longer than I, and I can guarantee you that they're worried about your behavior. Daphne and your friends picked up on it, so they definitely have." Ron then heard Lord Greengrass shuffle closer to him. "Ron, this is the right thing to do. You need help, and we can all help you. If you keep going like this, then you'll ruin yourself. Even Dumbledore himself believes that, and that's why he wanted you to start seeing Poppy."

"I don't want them to pity me…" Ron whispered tiredly.

"There's a difference between pity, and caring" Lord Greengrass reassured him. "They won't pity you Ron, they'll try their best to help you. No man is an island. Remember that."

Severus Snape's POV

Thursday 2nd April, 1993 (Hogwarts – Close to Midnight)

Snape had just apparated to Hogsmeade, and then used the Three Broomstick's Floo Network to access his Office. As he stepped out of the fireplace, he let out a deep sigh at seeing the familiar room. Snape had spent his Easter Break with Lucius and Nott Snr., combing through the Romanian Forests for any signs of the Dark Lord. It had been a taxing task, and Snape was glad to be finished with it.

Lucius had invited Snape along, much to Nott's annoyance, and all three men had spent nearly two weeks in dingy inns and sleeping in the dirt. Snape rather hoped that he would never have to do this again. Lucius had been a constant source of complaints and dark scowls, whereas Nott made sure that Snape knew that he wasn't wanted or trusted. More than one argument had broken out amongst the three men, and they had even brandished their wands once. But none of this compared to the dangers of the Romanian Forests. The Forests teemed with Vampires, Boggarts, Gytrashs, unsavory brigands, and fucking Werewolves. Not to mention how isolated they were from the rest of the World.

Snape bit back his irritation with his recent trip, and he left the Office. He needed to report to Albus as quickly as possible, he had learned some rather disturbing things. Snape glided through the school without a sound, and he made it to Albus' Office without being spotted by the Professors on patrol.

"Cherry Pop" Snape muttered the password to the stone gargoyle. Such ridiculous passwords. As the gargoyle moved aside, Snape hurried past it and up the steps. He knocked on the door three times, and he waited for Albus' response.

"Come in" Albus called, and Snape entered the Office and shut the door behind him. "Severus, you've returned" Albus smiled, and Snape walked over to an empty chair. "Sit, let me pour you a nice cup of Earl Grey."

"Thank you, Albus" Snape sighed tiredly. Usually he would refuse, but it had been a long two weeks with little to no comfort. Tea sounds lovely. As Albus prepared a fresh brew for them, Snape massaged his forehead. He had come straight back from his trip, and he desperately needed some sleep.

"Here you are, my friend" Albus said as he placed a steaming cup of Earl Grey in front of Snape. Snape took a long sip of the tea, and he felt himself relax as it warmed his insides. "Your trip was fruitful, I hope."

"It was, and it wasn't" Snape replied, and Albus nodded for him to continue. "We did not find the Dark Lord, or any clues that would indicate his current whereabouts. But that was to be expected, you and I both suspect that he's run off to the Albanian Forests."

"Still, it is good to rule out Romania" Albus said as he put his own cup down.

"I wouldn't count it out just yet" Snape sighed. "Nott decided that although we couldn't find the Dark Lord, we may yet find some Sympathizers. And we did." Damn Lucius for agreeing with that mad-man, we could've been killed.

"I see" Albus said calmly. "How many?"

"Too many, and most of them aren't human" Snape frowned. "Nott even managed to introduce himself to a Blood Lord in one of the disgusting taverns that we stayed in."

"A Blood Lord?" Albus blinked. "In Romania? This is very disturbing news, Severus."

"That's not even the worst part" Snape replied. "Nott brought up the Dark Lord, and then he began making promises to the Ancient Vampire. Things like a 'Pure World where Vampires would never go hungry again', and other such nonsense."

"And did the Blood Lord listen?" Albus asked.

"He did, but he didn't outwardly give his allegiance" Snape replied. "He let us leave alive, which is not a good sign. If the Dark Lord makes such an offer, many Dark Creatures will rally to his side once again. They are tired of the discrimination they face, and they're waiting for a reason to take up arms. Romania is a volatile country as it is, and when the Dark Lord returns, there will be a long line of fresh recruits for his army."

"Did you get the Blood Lord's name?" Albus asked. He's worried… Good. Those creatures are the worst of their kind, and twice as intelligent. This one had to be at least over two hundred years old.

"He didn't even speak, Albus" Snape reported. "He just… listened. I swear, Lucius and I had half a mind to leave Nott to die. And when he was done listening, he waved us off like we were nothing. Damn monster…"

"He cannot help his condition, Severus" Albus said in a sagely voice. "It's exactly that kind of thinking that the Dark Lord is depending on, don't forget that."

"Either way…" Snape said, he wasn't in the mood for a lecture. "Nott is definitely looking into making an army for the Dark Lord, no doubt as a gift so he doesn't kill the old fool. Lucius is… uncertain. He hides it well, but I know him better than most. He is torn between upholding his beliefs and protecting his family. He doesn't want a war, but his fear of the Dark Lord's vengeance is driving him forward. And no Albus, I do not believe that he can be deterred. If Nott does find the Dark Lord, Lucius wants to be there as well."

'And we cannot step in to stop them" Albus sighed. "If we stop either men, your position in their ranks will be compromised."

"I would prefer to keep an eye on them for now" Snape agreed. "Nott is resourceful, and his hate for Muggles makes him loyal to the Dark Lord. He won't stop until he finds him, and we need to know when he does."

"You are right" Albus nodded. "Stay in contact with Lucius, make sure that the Malfoy patriarch shares all of his knowledge with you."

"I will" Snape nodded curtly, and then he began to rise.

"Just a moment, Severus" Albus said, and Snape sat back down.

"What is it?" Snape asked, and Albus reached inside his desk and pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"I imagine that you haven't been keeping up with recent affairs" Albus said humorously as he handed Snape the newspaper.

"I was busy…" Snape frowned deeply, and Albus chuckled. "What's this?" Snape asked, and then he looked to see a picture of Ronald. Snape read the exclusive, and then he read the list of Ronald's achievements. When he finally read that Ron had resisted over fifty Veelas' allures, his mouth hung open slightly. "How?" Snape asked Albus with a confused look.

"That's not all, he won the Tournament yesterday" Albus told him, there was a hint of sadness in his tone. "But it came at a price." Albus then handed Snape the Daily Prophet from this morning, and Snape began reading it immediately. His eyes widened more and more with each sentence.

Mr. Weasley's demeanor showed him to be under a great deal of stress, and pain… Mr. Weasley was clearly suffering from a mental assault caused by the Veela presence within the stands, but Madame Olympe Maxime of Beauxbatons refutes this… Many allegations have been made against her, and the French Ministry, for their underhanded tactics within the Tournament… Mr. Weasley secured a stunning victory, only to collapse from what we can only assume to be severe exhaustion… Witnesses, and photos taken at the Tournament, prove that Mr. Weasley did indeed bleed from his mouth, nose, and eyes… Mr. Weasley's mentor, Lord Sebastian Greengrass, has assured us that Mr. Weasley is now in a stable condition… We pray for his speedy recovery…

"Merlin…" Snape muttered. He was not an easily impressed man, but this had left him stunned. How did he resist those allures? And the bleeding is consistent with the effects that a severe mental assault can have. I remember how the Dark Lord would shatter the minds of his enemies, and they'd be left as a bloody mess. "Albus, did he truly resist so many Veelas? And if so, how?"

"He did indeed" Albus replied as he rubbed his chin. "As for how he did it… With an immense amount of concentration and discipline, I imagine. He was clearly in quite a lot of pain, but he kept fighting. Truly astonishing. But I believe that he may have had some help from that… dark parasite." Snape's eyes widened even more, and he found himself slouching for once. Over fifty Veelas? Merlin, that's just impossible.

"What makes you think that that thing had anything to do with this?" Snape asked. "Better yet, have you found any information on it?"

"The Hat told us that it protected Ronald's mind from any threat, which is why I suspect that he was able to resist them for so long" Albus replied as he started stroking his beard. "Perhaps it gave Ronald some strength to fight back. Though this is only speculation on my part, mostly because I find it hard to believe that a boy his age could resist even one Veela let alone over fifty. And no, Severus… I have found nothing. There is no creature that matches what I saw in Ronald's mind. That thing was powerful enough to warp Ronald's mind into a prison of hideous imagery. And the fact that Ronald still does not know of its existence is truly terrifying."

"But it poses no threat to him…" Snape shook his head, this was far too interesting. "And yet, we had no idea that it could give the boy such protection. Those allures are a type of Mind Magic, much like Legilimency. Or the Imperius Curse…"

"The Imperius Curse?" Albus asked, and then his eyes widened for a second. "Of course, it thwarts any attempts made upon the 'Champion's' mind."

"And that's another thing" Snape added. "What does it mean by 'Champion'?" Albus simply pondered that silently, and Snape let out a grunt. "We know nothing about it, and yet we allow that boy to walk around this school unhindered. This is not a wise course of action, Albus. He could pose a danger to everyone around him."

"What would you have me do?" Albus asked. "Expel him? What would we tell the World? You've met him, haven't you? He is many things, but dangerous is not one of them. Fawkes adores that boy, and that is all the proof that I need to believe that Ronald possesses a virtuous soul."

"Tell that to Potter" Snape argued with an icy voice. "Personally, I believe that Potter deserved that beating. It was past time that someone showed him that he doesn't own this school. But I saw that boy laughing madly as he beat his former friend bloody. How is that not dangerous? As for Fawkes… You trust him too much."

"Many say the same about you" Albus responded calmly, and Snape rolled his eyes. "But my faith in you has always been rewarded. And I will extend that faith to Ronald. As will you."

"Don't presume that you are the only one who cares for the boy" Snape said coldly, and his mentor blinked. "But I am being practical. He, and that thing in his head, are unknown variables. I'm not saying that we expel the boy, I'm saying that we start making sure that he knows which side to stand on."

"I suspect that he already knows where he stands" Albus smiled sagely. "You worry too much, Severus."

"I worry because I just spent two weeks running around the Romanian Forests gathering allies for the Dark Lord" Snape frowned. "There is a war looming over the horizon, and we can't make any mistakes this time."

"Severus, what is truly bothering you?" the old man asked with a kind smile. Nott Snr is.

"Nott is not stupid" Snape replied after he took in a deep breath. Calm down, panicking does not help anyone. "He is adamant about finding the Dark Lord, and with his resources, that day could happen sooner than we anticipated. We need to prepare, Albus. Properly." Albus nodded at that, and then he smiled again.

"A letter came for you this morning" Albus said. "An invitation to a gala hosted by none other than Lord Greengrass himself. He invited me too, but I am far too old to make such a trip." Merlin, kill me please. Not another Pure-Blood party. "You should go however, and meet some important people."

"You want me to start looking for French allies?" Snape asked with a cocked eyebrow, and Albus chuckled heartily.

"See, my faith in you is always rewarded" Albus replied, and Snape had half a mind to hex the old man. "And you can also check up on Ronald, I'm sure he'd be very excited to see you. I have an inkling that he admires you."

"Admires me?" Snape asked with a disgusted sneer. Stupid boy… I am not someone who is to be admired.

"You have many qualities that are to be admired, Severus" Albus said with an easy smile. "I hope you like French cuisine." Roll over and die, Albus. "Oh, and send my regards to Madame Maxime."

Ronald Weasley's POV

Friday 3rd April, 1993 (Gala at Carrousel du Louvre – Evening)

Merlin, kill me please. This is so… boooring! Ron was currently standing at the entrance leading to the ballroom, and he was accompanied by the Greengrass Family. As this party was being held in his honor, he had to greet every fucking guest first. And Lord Greengrass had invited everyone in Paris… Alright, that was an exaggeration. But still, he'd been here for thirty minutes and the guests were still piling in. Not to mention how all the guests were looking at him, like he was Merlin come again. Ron thought that it would be fun at first, but it had quickly lost its novelty. He could see the greed in their eyes, and he could hear the venom behind their compliments. Ron had embarrassed their Ministry in front of the World, not to mention their precious Academy of Magic. And as for the people who weren't from France, well they just looked at him like he was some anomaly. Something unnatural.

And the current state of his eyes didn't help. He had taken the bandages off yesterday, and he had actually scared himself when he looked at his reflection. The whites of his eyes were blood red, with not a single speck of white on them. But his ocean blue irises were still their usual selves. This gave his eyes a terrifying look to them, like he was a demon right out of hell. He had caught both Daphne and Tori staring at him multiple times, and his eyes even seemed to distress both Lord and Lady Greengrass. But that wasn't even the scariest part… Halfway through dinner last night, his eyes had started leaking some blood. Tori had almost fucking fainted right there and then, while Daphne had shot out of her seat and attacked Ron's face with a napkin.

"Ron!" came a familiar voice, and he was pulled out of his thoughts. He looked to see Amanda entering the building with a woman who looked like her exact copy, just older. Amanda's eyes widened at the sight of him, and he grinned. Haha! Fuck, I probably look terrifying right now. "Your eyes…"

"Are healing slowly" Ron finished for her as he controlled his grin. Amanda nodded at that, and then she presented her hand to Ron. Ron took it, kissed her knuckles, and let then let go. "I'm glad that you came, Amanda." And then Ron turned to her mother. "Weasley, Ronald Weasley. Thank you for attending, Lady…"

"Adaline DuPont" the woman introduced herself, and then she presented Ron with her hand. Ron gave her the same greeting as Amanda, and then he smiled at her.

"Your daughter and I have become fast friends, I hope we share a similar experience" Ron said politely. Adaline DuPont smiled warmly at him, and then she addressed her daughter.

"You were right, my dear" Adaline said. "He is a well-mannered young man." Amanda nodded at that. "She has not stopped speaking of her new friend, and his bravery in the face of overwhelming odds."

"Mother, zat is not true" Amanda blushed, and Ron smiled a little more widely.

"Please enjoy the gala, Lady DuPont" Ron bowed in a practiced manner. "Amanda, I will join you after I've greeted the other guests." Both mother and daughter nodded at that, and then they walked over to the Greengrass Family to make their introductions. And the waiting continues. Merlin, I'm really hungry.

Ron met person after person, and it was always the same. They'd congratulate him on his win in a cold manner, they'd stare at his eyes with a bit of fear, and then they'd walk over to meet the Greengrasses. Oh look, another Frenchman… If this one smells like a bakery as well, I'm aiming for his balls.

"Mon Dieu!" the Frenchman exclaimed at the sight of Ron's eyes, and Ron blinked in confusion. Um… Croissants?

"Apologies, but I do not speak French" Ron smiled as he extended his hand for a shake. The man slowly took his hand and shook it weakly, his beady eyes fixed on Ron's. The man had a thin pencil moustache, a black receding hairline, and he smelled heavily of various flowers. He was also quite thin and frail looking. "I am Weasley, Ronald Weasley. I am glad that you have chosen to attend this gala, Lord…"

"I am Louise Wallace, the Minister of Magic for France" the man introduced himself with a slight pomp undertone. Lord Greengrass warned me about him. He said that this man would try and weasel out of his public apology to me.

"I am honored to meet you, Minister" Ron bowed respectfully, something that the Minister smiled widely at. "Thank you for choosing to come here, and for your apology. It means a lot to me." The Minister blinked at that, his smile flickering. Ha! Weasel out of that, you twat.

"It is the least I could do" the Minister replied, and then he gave Ron a parting nod and went towards the Greengrass Family. That's when Ron saw her… Madame Olympe Maxime. She was wearing a head to foot black satin dress, and she was laden with opal jewelry. Hide your eyes, Ron. Or she's going to be leaving in a catatonic state. Although I have half a mind to unleash the Entity upon her. It would teach her a much needed lesson in taking things too far.

"Madame Maxime, it as an honor to finally make your acquaintance" Ron bowed respectfully as she approached him. "Weasley, Ronald Weasley."

"You may look at my eyes, Mr. Weasley" Madame Maxime said. "I will not use Legilimency on you, especially not in your current state." Ron hesitated for a moment, but then he decided to do as she said. I don't have to worry about a thing. If she breaks her word, then I hope the Entity shatters her mind. Ron looked up into her eyes, and her eyes widened quite noticeably when she saw his damaged eyes. "Merlin, pardonne-moi…" she spoke in French, a guilty look crossing her face. Then she did something that really took Ron off-guard, she gave his left cheek a soft caress. "I am sorry for my actions, and for what you went through because of them." Ron was stunned by her words. What just happened?

"Um…" Ron stammered.

"I read the report from our head nurse" Madame Maxime explained. "And I know that your suffering came from severe concentration on your part. I was wrong to accuse you of being on Potions. I am sorry." What the fuck? Fuck you're apologies! You're the reason behind why I suffered, and you knew that long before I nearly died on your fucking school grounds. Ron bit back his rage, but just barely.

"Apology accepted" Ron put on a fake smile. "I hope we can speak more during the gala. Now if you'll please excuse me, I have more guests to greet." Madame Maxime nodded at that, and she chose to accept being dismissed by a child just this once. After all, many others his age would be outraged at her. Or at least show their anger. Madame Maxime walked past Ron, and she went over to greet the Greengrasses. Damn this upcoming war, I really want to hex that woman! But no… No, I need to make a friend out of her. Which is why I need to suck it up, and accept her apologies. Who knows how handy she and her Veelas could be some day?

"Mr. Weasley…" came an icy voice, and Ron broke out of his thoughts. His eyes widened at the sight of Severus Snape approaching him, what was he doing here? And why does he looked so well-groomed? It's so fucking weird!

"Sir, you were invited as well?" Ron blinked as he failed to hide his surprise. Snape however, didn't even bother replying. Instead he studied Ron's face, and his eyes.

"A Subconjunctival hemorrhage…" Snape frowned slightly.

"Oh… I just call them 'demon eyes'…" Ron joked with a lame tone, and Snape simply cocked his eyebrow with a slight sneer. It's almost as if I've missed him yelling at me.

"Mr. Weasley, are you ever serious about anything?" Snape asked icily. "This could have been much worse, you got lucky." Yep, that's me… The luckiest Weasley alive…

"I am extremely glad that you're here, Sir" Ron bowed respectfully, and then he extended his hand. Snape shook it firmly, a little too firmly. Don't wince, you little girl.

"And I am glad that you have once again made Slytherin proud" Snape said, a slight smirk gracing his face. "Well done, Mr. Weasley. You have truly accomplished a marvelous feat by winning this Tournament." Well, it was a team effort. Even if my teammate is an arsehole. "I will congratulate you properly once you have done your duty to your guests."

"Thank you, Sir" Ron smiled widely. "Please enjoy the gala, and I look forward to our talk. I'm really glad that you came." Snape blinked at that, and then he nodded curtly. Albus was right, this boy held admiration for him. Snape then walked past Ron, and he made his way to the Greengrasses. Wow… I can't believe he came all the way to Paris just to congratulate me! If only my siblings could see this, then they'd know that Snape isn't all bad. Ron then spotted the next guests, and his jaw almost dropped. Fleur Delacour, and her mother and… little sister?

All three women were breathtakingly beautiful, and in an odd sort of way, they almost represented the different cycles of life. They each had waist-length silvery-blonde hair which was slicked back and shiny, they each wore a similar white dress that covered them completely, and they each had a dazzling smile that made Ron want to smile too. But when he felt a meek jolt of pain at the base of his skull, Ron lost his desire to smile. They have their allures activated… Fucking Veelas. The three of them turned many heads, but their eyes were on Ron. And eventually they noticed his 'demonic eyes', and their smiles fell. Take a good look at your handiwork, you vile beasts.

"It is an honor to meet the famed Delacour Family" Ron bowed respectfully. Lord Greengrass warned me about them, especially Apolline Delacour. Not only are they a prominent family, but they're also extremely shrewd. "I am Weasley, Ronald Weasley."

"A pleasure" Apolline Delacour said as she put her hand forward, she barely had an accent. Ron took her soft hand with his gloved one, gave her knuckles a kiss, and then let go. "I am Apolline Delacour, and these are my daughters, Fleur and Gabriella." The two girls gave Ron a polite curtsy, and he bowed with a welcoming smile. Fleur seemed to be focusing on his eyes, and she no doubt had her allure on full blast. Gabriella however, who was much younger, seemed to be frightened of him. Can't say I blame her, I even scared Tori when I showed up without my bandages.

"Eet is good to see you again, Monsieur Weasley" Fleur smiled, her thick accent coming through. Her smile seemed to make her glow, and Ron felt another jolt of meager pain. Ignore it.

"Likewise, Lady Fleur" Ron smiled, and then he looked to Gabriella. She looks around seven, or eight. But still, she is incredibly beautiful. "And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Gabriella." The girl shrank back a little, her dark blue eyes fixed on his bloody ocean blue ones.

"Gabriella, tu es impolie" Apolline Delacour said in French, and Gabriella looked to her mother and then back at Ron.

"Un plaisir de vous rencontrer" Gabriella said in a meek tone, and Ron tried to give her a reassuring smile. He didn't hold any ill will against Gabriella, she had not attended the Tournament after all. Plus, she's a tiny little girl. It would just be cruel to be rude towards her.

"My daughter is not very good at English yet, please forgive her" Apolline apologized politely, and Ron looked to her with a smile. "I would also like to apologize on my husband's behalf. He is rather ill, and therefore could not attend."

"It is nothing to worry about" Ron responded. "Please tell Gabriella that I'm glad you all chose to come here. Please, enjoy the gala." Apolline bowed her head slightly, and then she moved towards the Greengrasses. Her daughters followed after her, but both of their eyes lingered on him. Fleur was giving him a slightly confused look, and Ron assumed that she was still baffled at how he was able to 'reseeste' her. Gabriella however, was giving him a look that was a mix of fear and… awe. What an odd family. Hopefully I won't see them again after I leave Paris.

Ron then spent another ten minutes greeting more guests, most of them were now Beauxbatons students who were arriving with their parents. Ron figured that they were all prominent families, and so he was surprised to see that Olivia Jones was not here. He figured that she hated him enough to not bother coming to his victory gala, and he couldn't care less. The only person from Beauxbatons that he wanted here was Amanda, and she was already here.

"Ron, we can go inside now" Daphne said as she came from behind him. "All the guests who RSVP'd are now inside."

"Thank Merlin, my legs are hurting" Ron sighed as he turned to face her, she was wearing her hair in a tasteful bun and her dark purple dress covered her entirely. Except it's rather form fitting… And the metal-work on the shoulders of her dress is pretty cool. It's like armor, but for a girl.

"Stop gawking at me, we're in public" Daphne teased, and Ron found himself blushing.

"I wasn't gawking…" Ron lied, and Daphne tutted him.

"It's alright, I know how amazing I look" Daphne smirked arrogantly.

"So humble" Ron chuckled.

"I've already told you Ron, I'm the most humble person that you'll ever meet" Daphne giggled.

"And I see that you still don't know what the word 'contradiction' means" Ron shot back.

"Shut up, and stay with me at all times" Daphne smiled, and then she moved over and linked their arms. "We have a plan to follow."

"I know" Ron smiled as they began making their way inside. Time to make some new friends.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: And done! I hope you guys enjoyed that, because I enjoyed writing it. A lot of research went into this, mostly on Paris and the Medical stuff. Ron has been through the ringer, but he came out in one piece. Sort of...

Now for the hints: The Gala happens, and Ron will look to make friends with the people that put him through hell. Ron and the adults finally have their talk about his condition. A Hermione POV (Finally, sorry again Hermione fans). A train ride sequence, and return to Hogwarts. Pomfrey's first meeting with Ron. Ron debates with himself about what he should do with his friends, and their laziness.

See you guys Saturday (maybe)... I'm really busy, so I'm sorry in advance if I miss the deadline. But I will try my best to make it.