AUTHOR'S NOTES: Chapter 70 is here! And I know what I said... But Good GOD! I managed to change one chapter before feeling the need to jump in front of a train... It was just so boring! So I'm just going to leave it as it is. I have a great fan-base, and I'll keep my focus on you guys. So back to it!

Please Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, and I do not intend to make any money off of this. Harry Potter is the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling , and I take no credit of it whatsoever.

I was also inspired by Demon Eyes Laharl's: THE RED KNIGHT! and also from Random-Fruitcake04's: CHOICES! I hope you check them out as well because they are genuinely very good stories.

Fate

Chapter 70 - Move On

Hermione Granger's POV

Wednesday 2nd September, 1993 (Outside Dumbledore's Office – Dinnertime)

Studying with Harry had been a welcome change. There were moments when she forgot her hurt, and there were even moments when he made her laugh with his odd sense of humor. But somewhere in the back of her brilliant mind, a terrible voice kept persisting that she had been cheated. The she, just like Ron, deserved to be in Snape's elite Potions Club. That despite how Snape felt about her as a person, he had no right to damage her potential by keeping her out of his Potions Club. Snape was a teacher, and she was a top student, and it was unfair that he was punishing her for being different. A person's House shouldn't determine the opportunities that they get, and Hermione had no intention of settling for second best.

The longer she sat in the library, the worse her thoughts became, until eventually, they were too bitter for her liking. Harry clearly wanted to cheer her up, but she understood that he was fighting a losing battle. Hermione didn't want to cheer up, she wanted justice. She wanted someone to apologize to her for the injustice that was being done to her. She wanted some bloody recognition for her hard work.

She had spent most of her Holidays in her room, reading textbook after textbook in hopes of finally beating Ron this year. And no, she didn't want to beat him in order to shame him. She wanted to beat him because he shared her desire to be the best. Harry and Neville, despite how much she loved them, didn't have that drive to be the best. But Ron did. That alone made him a worthy opponent, and she genuinely enjoyed their competition.

What hurt her was that Ron didn't see her the same way. He, despite being kind and friendly, didn't give her the respect that she gave him. He didn't see her as a challenge, he only saw her as his 'friend'. That was something that she had noticed about Ron after spending far too much time staring at him in class and in the study group. Ron didn't see the people around him as competition, and in an odd sort of way, he only saw them as… faces. He was polite to most people, flirty with others, and downright nasty to some. But beyond that, he was always off somewhere else. He was always just… distant.

And yet, despite his aloof behavior, he was being rewarded constantly. The Professors liked him, most of the student-body was intrigued by him, and she herself still harbored some feelings for him. Feelings that she was all but certain that he'd never return, especially with vile girls like Greengrass and Parkinson whispering in his ears. And personally, Hermione wasn't sure that she liked the person that he was quickly becoming. She didn't like how he looked down at people when he spoke, or how his own siblings were scared of upsetting him, or how Luna had once warned her to not talk about Ron behind his back.

And oddly enough, she was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she would never get to 'date' Ron. After all, she wasn't attending Hogwarts to find love. She was here to learn, to acquire knowledge and the power to change the World in a positive and meaningful way. Which is why she was so angered by Ron being selected for the Potions Club instead of her. She had swallowed a bitter pill in order to try and move on, but Ron had swooped in and shown her once again that she couldn't have what she wanted. And unlike Ron's affections, she genuinely deserved a spot in that club.

And this is how she ended up here, pacing in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's Office. She had told Harry that she was going back to her dorm because she wasn't hungry, but in truth, she planned to speak with Professor Dumbledore. She wanted to tell him about what was bothering her, and hopefully, he'd help her out. Was this basically like tattling on people? Maybe… But she didn't care right now. She was the best student in her year, and she was being held down because she wasn't 'popular'. He'll understand my plight, and he'll help me. I just know it.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a bloodcurdling scream echo throughout the hallway, and she nearly jumped out of her skin because of it. What was that?! Hermione shot panicked looks around herself, her right hand slowly reaching into her book bag in the hopes of finding her wand.

"Peeves?!" Hermione called, hoping that the Poltergeist was just trying to frighten her. "If that's you, this is not funny!" There was no response, and Hermione slowly felt her panic rising. This is just like the time that I was petrified… I was alone, and I was unprepared… And Ginny was… No, that wasn't Ginny.

"Merlin… What the fucking shite?" came a gasp from behind her, and Hermione quickly turned to see a red haired boy hugging a wall. Hermione's eyes widened at the spectacle before her. Ron was limping towards her with his back pressed against a wall, his eyes full of fear and panic.

"Ron?" Hermione mumbled, unable to find her voice. What's wrong with him? It was too dark to see him properly, but she could see him staring at something in the corridor. Whatever he was looking at, it was invisible to her.

"What the fuck…?" Ron muttered to himself, averting his gaze in a frightened manner. "What the fuck…? What the fuck…? Merlin…" Ron then suddenly gagged, his eyes fixed on a spot on the wall in front of him. Hermione would be lying if she claimed that she was calm right now. Her skin had started feeling cold, and she could feel her throat closing up. Something's not right here… I need to leave. I need to leave right now! But she couldn't move… This was her friend, and he was clearly in trouble. Just leave, Hermione. Just run!

"Ron?" Hermione called again, shutting down her instincts. She had to help him. He was her friend, and she would never abandon the only three friends that she had.

"No… Oh no…" Ron muttered, his voice cracking as he limped towards her. He was openly crying, his entire face was blotchy and covered with… bits of vomit? Hermione's mind quickly went into overdrive, and she lost all notion of leaving him alone.

"Ron?" Hermione called out more firmly.

"STAY OUT OF MY HEAD! FUCK!" Ron screamed, taking her completely by surprise. She felt the stone gargoyle bump against her back, which made her realize that she had taken a step back. No… Don't run… He needs your help…

"Ron…?" Hermione called out again, her voice shaking with worry and panic. Ron looked up at that, his eyes bloodshot from crying. They stared at each other for a moment, and while Hermione was watching him with a slightly scared expression, he was staring back at her as if she wasn't even there. "Ron…? What's wrong…?" Hermione asked, doing her best to bite back her own fear.

"You're real?" Ron asked, and she blinked at him. Real? Ron suddenly let out another scream as he fell onto his knees, his voice tearing into her ears viciously. "KILL ME! JUST FUCKING KILL ME!"

"Oh my god…" Hermione gasped, horrified by his words. Her body tried to seize control of her mind in order to get away from him, but she stopped herself via sheer will alone. And when Ron started viciously beating himself over the head, she finally took in his whole appearance. His forehead and temples were badly bruised, and his usually clean cut hair was in ruins. There were entire chunks of hair missing from his head, and judging by his current behavior, he had clearly ripped it out. Complete panic took a hold of her mind, and she flung herself at him.

"Ron?! What's wrong?! Tell me!" Hermione screamed, trying to grab onto his hands. I have to stop him! He's hurting himself!

"Dumbledore…" Ron cried, opening his eyes to look at her. That's when Hermione knew that she should've run away from him. Ron's eyes were no longer a shade of beautiful ocean blue, no… They were now the single most terrifying thing that Hermione had ever seen. Ron's eyes looked like the eyes of a toad, and they were blood crimson. Hermione tried to scream as she tried to jump away from him, but her throat had tightened so hard that it hurt. What the fuck?! What is that?! What is he?!

"What are you…?" Hermione croaked, the blood in her veins turning to ice. Images of a possessed Ginny attacking her flashed in her mind, and Hermione lost her battle against her own panic. "Your eyes… Oh my God… You're not him… What… What are you…?" He's going to kill me! Hermione tried to crawl away from him, but his horrifying eyes kept her pinned in her spot.

"Hermione…" Ron started, but he stopped immediately. His eyes widened from fear, but she barely registered that. All she could do was stare at him, his 'voice' echoing in her mind. When she was younger, her religious Grandmother often told her stories about Heaven and Hell. And in this moment, she couldn't think of anything else. That voice… it had to belong to the Devil. It had to belong to the foulest Demon in Hell. Ron was a Demon… And he was going to kill her.

"Demon…" Hermione heard her own voice, it sounded so foreign right now. RUN! RUN! PLEASE GOD, JUST RUN! Hermione's body took control of her mind once again, and she quickly tried to get a running start. She managed three steps before she felt a hand grab her hair from behind, and the next thing she knew, her head was sent flying towards a wall. And then, it all went blank.

Ronald Weasley's POV

Wednesday 2nd September, 1993 (Outside Dumbledore's Office – Dinnertime)

"End her…" the Entity whispered in his mind, but Ron just stood there. His blurry vision was fixed on Hermione, who was lying face down before him, his mind utterly enamored by the slowly increasing pool of blood around her bushy head of hair. "If she tells other people of what she witnessed tonight, your Cycle will be endangered… End her life, Champion."

"She won't…" Ron mumbled, just staring down at her. What have I done?

"Do it…" the Entity hissed. "Put your hands around her throat, and squeeze…" Ron slowly kneeled down next to her, and with relative ease, turned her over. There was a deep gash on her forehead, and the left side of her face was covered with slick blood. Ron just stared at her unconscious features, his hands slowly making their way onto her throat. I can't let her ruin my Cycle. Not after everything that I've been through.

"I'm sorry…" Ron mumbled, slowly crushing her throat with his hands. "I'm so sorry, Hermione…" She didn't put up any resistance, and the longer he pressed down, the shallower her already weak breathing became.

"I love you, Ronald Weasley" a woman's voice rang in his head, and unlike the last woman who had 'confessed to him', Ron recognized this woman's voice. Hermione… Ron immediately let go of her throat, his entire body shaking horribly. What am I doing?! WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING?! Ron threw himself away from her, a sob tearing its way out of his throat.

"No…" Ron wept, cradling his head in between his legs. "No…"

"Weak fool…" the Entity growled, sounding much weaker than usual.

"Shut up…" Ron sobbed. "Just shut up…" What do I do? Someone, please help me…

"Dark times lie ahead of us, and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right" came Dumbledore's voice, and it seemed to echo inside of Ron's head. Dumbledore… Dumbledore! He'll help me!

"We are trying to help you…" the Entity started, but Ron quickly moved back over to Hermione. Shut the fuck up, you cunt! I'll deal with you soon enough!

"Hermione…" Ron whispered, gently stroking the right side of her face. "Hermione? Can you hear me?" There was no response, and Ron bit back his fear. He couldn't give into fear right now, he had a job to do. Ron quickly lifted Hermione up as if she were a baby, thankful that she wasn't too heavy. Ron then made his way to the stone gargoyle, begging Merlin that his pain wouldn't return. "Acid Pops!"

The stone gargoyle moved aside, and Ron began rushing up the spiral staircase. C'mon… Just move… Once he finally reached the door, Ron kicked it open. As he began making his way into the Office, his pain returned. It felt as if someone was using a hot knife to slice open his skull from the inside, and Ron immediately began screaming. Hermione slipped out of his hold as he fell onto his knees, and she landed on the ground with a dull thud.

"Not again!" Ron yelled, clutching his head in his hands. "Fuck! Dumbledore! Help me!"

Albus Dumbledore's POV

Wednesday 2nd September, 1993 (The Great Hall – Dinnertime)

The happy chatter in the Great Hall always brought a smile to Albus' face, and tonight was no different. The students were happily discussing their lives with each other, laughter could be heard constantly, and almost every face in the Great Hall had a smile on it. This is what true peace looked like, at least to Albus anyway. There was no hint of fear in the air, no whisperings of the dark times to come. Just happy, innocent children talking about the upcoming weekend.

Albus had noticed that Ronald wasn't at dinner tonight, which was odd considering the boy's ravenous appetite, but Albus didn't pay it any mind. Judging by the looks on Ronald's friends' faces, nothing was out of the ordinary. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was the fact that Harry kept shooting long looks towards the Slytherins, which if Albus was correct about, could only mean trouble. But then again, conflict amongst peers was a part of growing up. I'll let this play out. It is good that Harry has such an interest in the Slytherins, it will show him that many who walk a different road than him aren't necessarily bad people. It just means that they are different.

Albus' thoughts were interrupted when Fawkes suddenly flashed into the Great Hall, shrieking loudly as he flew down towards the staff table. Fawkes? What's happened? The entire Hall went dead quiet, and every eye was glued to the majestic Phoenix. Fawkes landed right in front of Albus, shrieking loudly at him. He wants to show me something?

"Minerva, take over for me please" Albus said, and Minerva nodded firmly. Albus quickly placed his hand on Fawkes' chest, and the Phoenix immediately flashed them out of the Great Hall. "Fawkes, what's happened?" Albus asked as he was brought back to his Office by his companion, but before Fawkes could make a sound, Albus' eyes and ears gave him his answer.

"Get it out! Get it out of me!" came an ear piercing scream, and Albus looked to Ronald with a shocked look. The boy was hitting himself violently, all the while screaming and flailing about. Ronald?!

"Ronald!" Albus all but shouted, his usually calm demeanor shattered because of what he was witnessing.

"Dumbledore!" Ron screamed, looking to the old wizard with a terrified look. "The Entity! It's trying to kill me!" The Entity? Merlin…

"Get Severus" Albus told Fawkes, who flashed away instantly. "Ronald, stop!" Albus yelled, running down to the boy. "Stop!"

"My head!" Ronald screamed, flailing wildly as Albus tried to grab a hold of him. "It's splitting my head open!" Albus felt his chest tighten from fear, but he didn't let that fear stop him from trying to grab onto Ronald. I can't let him hurt himself!

"Ronald… Stop…" Albus grit out, trying his best to hold the boy's arms to his sides.

"Get off of us!" 'Ronald' yelled, and Albus automatically flung himself away. That voice… Terror gripped his heart, the Entity's voice alone was enough to freeze the blood in his veins.

"Headmaster, what is…?" came Severus' voice from behind him, but it trailed off once it saw what was happening in the Office. "Albus…"

"AGH!" the Entity bellowed, and everyone in the room simply froze. Albus just stood there, his eyes widened by the horror of his current situation. Snape too was left frozen, no doubt a similar sense of terror had gripped his heart as well. 'Ronald' flailed from side to side, until he finally looked up and screamed once again. "LET US OUT!"

"By the Gods…" Albus heard Severus mutter, and then he heard his friend rip his wand out of his robes. Severus? And suddenly, Albus could move again. He's going to hurt Ronald!

"Severus! Don't!" Albus yelled, throwing himself in between Severus' wand and Ronald. "Don't hurt him!"

"Him?!" Severus yelled, his icy demeanor completely lost to panic and fear. Severus was visibly shaking, his wide eyes fixed on 'Ronald'.

"Help me render him unconscious!" Albus ordered, turning to face the boy. Forgive me for this, Ronald. Albus quickly took out his wand, and with a sharp flick, bound Ronald in ever-tightening ropes. The boy lost his balance because of his sudden bindings, and so he fell forward. Albus quickly ran over to him, ignoring the fact that Ronald was thrashing about like a fish out of water.

"SEVERUS!" Albus yelled, looking to the still petrified Potions Master. Snape blinked at him, and then he quickly reached into his robes and took out a vial filled with the Potion for a Dreamless Sleep. Snape then rushed over to them, frantically handing over the Potion to Albus as the older wizard turned Ronald to his side.

"I'll hold him…" Severus muttered, grabbing onto the boy and lifting him into a bear-hug of sorts. Ronald did not make it any easier however, he was clearly in pain that could rival the Cruciatus Curse's effects.

"It hurts…" Ronald cried, still trying to thrash about. "Kill me… Please…"

"Shhh…" Albus shushed, grabbing onto Ronald's cheeks with his left hand. The boy's mouth parted, and Albus quickly poured the contents of the vial into Ronald's mouth. I can't let him spit it out. Albus tossed the empty vial aside and then used his right hand to cover Ronald's mouth, while Snape did his best to constrict his movements.

"Drink it, Ronald. Just swallow it" Albus said, still keeping his right hand over Ronald's mouth. The boy struggled for a few more seconds, but slowly and surely, his movements became lethargic as his eyes became droopy. Albus slowly lifted his hand off of Ronald's mouth, glad to see that the Potion was working.

"She… She saw me…" Ronald mumbled, his head swaying back and forth. "Help her…" Her?

"Merlin…" Severus muttered, his eyes fixed on something behind Albus. Albus slowly turned around, and his heart fell to the bottom of his stomach. No… What has he done? Severus put Ronald down carefully, and then he rushed over to Hermione's side. Albus just sat there, staring at the pool of blood around the poor girl's head.

"Severus… Is she…?" Albus muttered, unable to say the words.

"She's breathing…" Severus sighed out. "But barely… She needs Pomfrey…"

"No" Albus shook his head, this couldn't get out.

"Albus…" Severus looked to him, a look of genuine shock on his face. "She needs Pomfrey's help."

"I will heal her" Albus said, quickly standing up and walking over to them. "Go to your lab, and bring back a Blood-Replenishing Potion. Now!" Severus nodded, and then he ran over to the fireplace. She saw Ronald, which means that she might've seen the Entity as well. After I heal her, I'll need to extract her memories. I have to know what happened.

Twenty Minutes Later

Snape had come back with the Blood-Replenishing Potion almost immediately, and Albus had sent him out to get rid of any potential evidence of Ronald's actions. Albus had no doubt that multiple portraits had seen Ronald as he had made his way up here, and he dearly hoped that Hermione was the only student who had found herself in his path.

Healing the injured girl was simple enough, but extracting her memories and replacing them with new ones was rather difficult. She had a concussion, and therefore, her mind was not responding well to Albus' attempts to access it. But eventually, Albus accomplished his goal successfully. The girl's memories of the last hour had been extracted, and then replaced with new ones. When she would eventually wake up, she'd find herself in her bed within Gryffindor Tower. She would not remember running into Ronald, nor would she remember him attacking her. She'd simply remember herself being too tired to go to dinner, and calling in an early night.

"It's done…" came Severus' voice, and Albus looked up from Hermione. Severus walked further into the Office, sweating heavily with a weak tremor in his hands. He's still shaken, but I can't blame him. I can hardly think myself. "I used the Spell that you taught me… It obliviated all the portraits in Hogwarts… Even the ones that weren't near the Moving Staircase…"

"And his room?" Albus asked.

"It was clean" Severus replied, moving closer to Albus in order to have a look at Hermione. "I went to every single dorm… He was in the girls' dorms for some reason, and he left behind quite the mess. I've cleaned it up, and as far as I can tell, no one saw him come here."

"He was in the girls' dorms? How?" Albus asked.

"I imagined that he walked there" Severus replied, blinking at Albus.

"The dorms are Charmed so that the boys cannot enter the girls' dorms" Albus reminded him, but he simply shook his head.

"Slytherin doesn't have those Charms" Snape said, and Albus nodded slowly. Salazar clearly felt no need to keep Pure-Blood girls away from Pure-Blood boys. If anything, he probably wanted them to become… closer. "Is she alright?"

"Yes…" Albus said, looking back down at Hermione. "I will take her back to her room with Fawkes' help, while you will attend to Ronald. He's… He's done a number on himself."

"Are you sure that that's still him?" Severus asked, shooting a guarded look towards Ronald. Albus hadn't undone the bindings yet, and truth be told, it was because he was afraid of doing so. "Albus… That voice…"

"Horrifying, isn't it?" Albus asked, looking back up at Severus. I haven't seen him this shaken for a long time.

"Horrifying…" Severus muttered, still staring at Ronald. "Yes…"

"Severus, please…" Albus said, and his friend nodded slowly. "Regrow his hair, heal his bruises, and clean up the mess on him. I will be back shortly."

Harry Potter's POV

Wednesday 2nd September, 1993 (The Great Hall – Dinnertime)

"What do you reckon is going on?" Harry asked Neville, who simply shrugged.

"I have no idea, mate" Neville replied. "But it has to be important, right? First the Headmaster, and then Snape… Not to mention that Fawkes looked to be in a panic of sorts…"

"You're right about Fawkes… I've never seen him like that before…" Harry said slowly, his mind quickly trying to come up with a reason behind the dinner's interruption. The Professors are clearly quite surprised themselves, so they have no clue about what's going on. "Why Snape?" Harry asked Neville, who once again shrugged. "I can understand Fawkes coming for Dumbledore, but why Snape?"

"Maybe Snape's Potion making skills were required" Ginny suggested, she was sitting in Hermione's spot. Maybe…

"I have a bad feeling about this" Harry told them, he could tell that something was very wrong. The school bell suddenly rang out, signaling the end of dinner.

"Hermione never came down…" Ginny sighed, and then she quickly put a couple of sandwiches in a napkin. "I'll give these to her when I see her."

"That's a great idea, Ginny" Neville smiled at her. "I'm sure Hermione will appreciate that."

"Thanks" Ginny smiled back, she had been trying her best to become Hermione's friend. But truth be told, it wasn't an easy task. Hermione enjoyed nagging far too much, and Ginny being who she was, always did the exact opposite of what she was told.

"The Slytherins are leaving" Harry pointed out as he quickly began making his way towards them, he wanted to question them about Hermione's saddened state. I bet some Slytherin targeted her again, and they're bound to know who it was. And I also want to know where Ron is.

"Harry, wait up…" Neville said as both he and Ginny caught up to Harry. "Just remember to be civil please, I really don't want us fighting with them again."

"I'll be civil" Harry reassured Neville, who didn't really believe him. As long as they answer my questions, there won't be any conflict between us. The Slytherins had clearly noticed Harry watching them during dinner, because as Harry and his friends exited the Great Hall, the Slytherins were waiting for them by the Entrance Door.

"Do you want to talk, Potter?" Greengrass asked him, her cold stare going right through him.

"I do" Harry replied, and Greengrass gestured him to follow her. Harry and his companions followed the Slytherins out into the Courtyard, and couldn't help but appreciate the cool breeze. It feels far too stuffy inside the Castle sometimes.

"Is Ron unwell?" Neville asked them, a friendly smile on his face. "It's just that he never usually skips a meal… You know… Because of his appetite…"

"He was feeling a little under the weather" Greengrass replied, her cold stare still in place. How does Ron manage to enjoy her company? I'd hate to talk to someone who always wears that expression. Look at them, they all look so… inhuman.

"A little under the weather?" Ginny asked quickly. "Is he alright?"

"He is" Nott assured her, and she nodded slowly.

"Is that all?" Greengrass asked them, and Harry quickly stepped forward.

"Hermione was in a bit of state today" Harry started, ignoring their looks of disinterest. "She was perfectly fine the whole day, but after classes ended, she was rather upset. I was wondering if you lot knew what happened to her?"

"And why would we know about Granger's moods?" Parkinson asked.

"We're just worried that someone from Slytherin targeted her again because of her Blood-Status" Neville replied, taking a step forward in order to stand next to Harry. "And if that's the case, then we were hoping that you guys knew something about it."

"As far as we know, no one has been targeting her" Greengrass replied, but Harry didn't believe her. She's lying. I don't know how I know, but I'm certain that she is.

"So no one said anything to her that might have upset her?" Harry asked. "Not even Malfoy?"

"We're not exactly friends with him" Davis replied. "We have no idea what he gets up to in his spare time."

"I don't believe you" Harry said, keeping his eyes fixed on Greengrass'. "You're lying, and we know it."

"Harry…" Neville whispered, but Harry ignored it.

"Someone from your House targeted her again, and she was left extremely upset" Harry told them, while they just stared at him. "I want to talk to Ron." They don't even care, so what's the point of speaking to them about this?

"He's not here right now" Zabini said. "But we'll pass on the message." Will you really? I rather doubt it.

"There's no need for that" Ginny said, stepping up to Harry's other side. "I'll talk to him myself tomorrow."

"Good on you" Greengrass smirked, taking all three Gryffindors by surprise. "You should do that instead of wasting our time with completely pointless conversations. Goodnight." With that, Greengrass began to leave. The other Slytherins followed after her, leaving the Gryffindors behind.

"She's such a bitch…" Ginny muttered under her breath.

"What happened to being civil?" Neville asked Harry.

"I was civil" Harry replied, shooting his best mate a weak frown.

"Accusing them of being liars without any evidence isn't considered 'civil'…" Neville sighed.

"They were lying, and you know it" Harry said.

"Yeah… But there's no point in throwing out accusations like that without any proof" Neville said, staring at the Slytherins as they disappeared into the castle.

"Ron will help us out" Ginny told them. "I'll talk to him at breakfast tomorrow… Hermione is his friend, and he'll get to the bottom of this for us."

"Thanks, Ginny" Harry shot her a grateful smile, and she managed a weak smile in return. And she's going red in the face again, but at least she can talk near me now.

Albus Dumbledore's POV

Wednesday 2nd September, 1993 (Dumbledore's Office – Past Dinnertime)

Ronald had been healed, and then Snape had taken him down to the Hospital Wing to rest up. The boy was no doubt still unconscious because of the Potion, and after Albus viewed Hermione's memories, he planned to spend the night by Ronald's bedside. Just in case he wakes up, and is still in pain. Merlin… What happened to him? What did that thing do to him this time? Albus found himself wishing that he could somehow extract the Entity from Ronald, just so that Ronald would be safe from it. But he knew that this was a wish that would never come true. The being that had placed the Entity inside of Ronald was clearly a God of some sort, and Albus, despite what people claimed about him, was just a man.

"It's done" came Severus' voice, and Albus heard Severus quickly shut the door behind him. "I told Pomfrey that he had a high fever, and that I gave him a small dose of the Dreamless Sleep Potion. She tore me to shreds for administering a Potion without her say so…"

"I see" Albus said, twirling the silvery thread that was Hermione's memories with his wand.

"Albus… What happened?" Severus asked, walking up to stand right behind the older wizard. "What was that?"

"I don't know, Severus" Albus replied, sounding much older than usual. "I really don't…"

"Was that the 'Entity'?" Severus asked, and Albus turned to face his shaken friend.

"It was…" Albus gave a slow nod, and Severus paled even more.

"Its voice… I can still hear it…" Severus whispered to himself, and then his eyes darted towards the floating memory thread. "Whose memory is that?"

"Hermione Granger" Albus replied, turning back to it. "I extracted it after I healed her, and then I modified her memories in order to keep Ronald's secret."

"What was she doing here?" Severus asked.

"We'll find out soon enough" Albus replied. "We need to know what happened, and something tells me that Ronald will not be very forthcoming."

One Hour Later

Albus and Snape both pulled out of the memory, both of them rather disturbed by what they had seen and felt. Hermione's emotions were raw, which was to be expected of a girl her age, but her last few moments with Ronald had been almost too much to bear. The sheer amount of terror that she had felt had nearly overwhelmed both men, not to mention how hurt she had been prior to that. Albus and Severus had both awkwardly felt her inner struggle to do something about her not being picked for the Potions Club, and Albus had found himself wondering if he had ever been so passionate about his schoolwork at her age.

"That was… unhelpful" Severus drawled, he had managed to regain his composure over the last hour. "A full hour of her memories, and we got nothing out of it."

"We did get one thing…" Albus pointed out, and Severus waited for him to go on. "Ronald was seeing things that weren't there… Did you see him? Did you see how he was staring at the walls around him?"

"I did…" Severus nodded slowly, Albus was right. "Was he having visions?"

"Most probably" Albus nodded, and then with a flick of his wand, he burnt the silvery thread. Now there's no evidence whatsoever.

"He beat himself bloody…" Severus said, frowning deeply at nothing. "Does he usually do that when he has visions?"

"I don't know" Albus replied. "When it comes to him, I can never be sure of anything. Write him a note, Severus. I don't want him to attend his classes tomorrow, he needs to rest."

"He won't like that" Severus said.

"I know, but he needs this" Albus said, and then he rubbed his forehead in a tired fashion. I can still hear him screaming.

"I will go and write one now" Severus said, walking over to the fireplace.

"Severus" Albus called, and Snape turned to look at him. "Don't blame yourself for this. He most likely showed no outward signs of pain during your Potions Club."

"He did…" Snape admitted, his mask of indifference cracking slightly. "I could see that he was tired, and that he was having some sort of headache… I simply… I simply ignored it…" With that, Severus turned around and flooed back to his lab. I see.

"Fawkes, I will be gone for the night" Albus said to the Phoenix, who stared back at him in understanding. "You did well to fetch me, my friend. Thank you." Fawkes shrieked at that, flapping his wings proudly.

Ronald Weasley's POV

Dream Hogwarts

Here he was again, standing in the black and white Courtyard of his worst nightmare. But unlike his previous visits, Ron could already see that something was extremely wrong here. For one, the Dream Hogwarts was… twisted. It looked unnatural, and damaged in some weird sort of way. The castle's towers were crooked, and the main body of the castle was leaning towards the right a bit too much. Secondly, there were visible cracks everywhere. And in between those cracks was a thick, black sludge that was leaking out. It looked foul, and Ron knew what it really was. It was the Entity… Or at least some of the Entity.

He was afraid, there was no point in denying that, but more than that, he was pissed off. He could still imagine the horrible pain that he had been in, and every time he thought about it, he wanted to curl up into a ball and just cry. And then, he'd get pissed off at such an image of himself. Deep down, he knew that this image was the reality of what he truly felt like most of the time. There were far too many times when he just wanted to give up, to just be some ordinary student at Hogwarts. He wanted nothing more than to be normal, something that he used to detest as a child. I was so fucking stupid. I should've cherished those carefree days.

"Entity!" Ron called out, but there was no response. "I'm here, you bastard! Where are you?!" Ron looked around the Courtyard, fully expecting the Entity to materialize as one of his loved ones. It loves distorting their visages, doesn't it? It knows that it hurts me to see them like that, and so it does it every time. "Entity! Why did you call me here if you just planned to hide from me?!"

"We are not hiding, Champion…" came the Entity's voice, and Ron turned to look at the castle. Where are you? Why do you sound so… weak?

"What did you do?" Ron demanded. "What have you done to me?"

"Nothing compared to what we have done to ourselves" the Entity replied, and then a crimson toad-like eye opened in some of the black sludge which was leaking out of a nearby crack.

"To yourself?" Ron asked. "What the hell does that mean? I'm the one who nearly died tonight… AGAIN!"

"We underestimated the strength of Her barrier…" the Entity growled weakly, sounding like a wounded animal. Her?

"Let me guess…" Ron frowned at the Entity's droopy looking eye. "You tried to get out, and in the process, you fucked me over. Am I correct?"

"In essence, yes…" the Entity replied.

"You stupid… moronic… COCKSUCKER!" Ron yelled, kicking some of the sludge near his feet. "I've been doing fine without you! Without you there to haunt me, or to hurt me, I'm actually getting shite done for once! Fuck off back inside the castle! And leave me the fuck alone!"

"We may have damaged your subconscious, but we have also healed what was killing you…" the Entity hissed, losing its temper.

"And what was killing me?" Ron laughed scathingly.

"Your brain-damage was getting out of control, and we spent the last of our strength healing it…" the Entity replied, and Ron blinked. "You foolishly neglected it for too long, and so we were forced to act in order to save this Cycle…"

"You lie…" Ron said, genuinely shocked by the Entity's words.

"Have yourself checked if you wish…" the Entity said, its eye beginning to close.

"Why?!" Ron demanded, thoroughly disgusted by the idea of being in debt to this monster. "You gave me the fucking brain-damage in the first place!"

"We did no such thing…" the Entity hissed. "We have never once said that we did… You simply assumed that it was us…"

"Who else would do it?" Ron asked.

"She wiped your memories once…" the Entity replied. "But She carelessly used too much of her power… She caused the damage when she cured you of your insanity… We healed what we could, but the damage has been there for far too long… We could only heal the damage that you have inflicted upon yourself because of your neglect…"

"I… I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about" Ron chuckled mirthlessly. "What insanity? Who is this bitch? Tell me."

"She burned the memories of your madness right out of your skull, and in doing so, She also burned a part of your brain… She knew what She had done, but She refused to heal you out of some self-set sense of principle… And we did not have the power to undo her work, not in our current state…"

"Tell me her name" Ron said, thinking the over the Entity's words. What insanity? When have I ever been insane? Wait… If the Entity is telling the truth, then I wouldn't remember being insane. Is this another ploy?

"Fate…" the Entity replied, its eye closing. Fate? As in 'Destiny'?

"That's her name?" Ron asked, but there was no response. "Fate? What is she? Is she like you? Entity? Fuck…" Ron looked around the Dream Hogwarts, a million different questions in his mind. "Entity? Great…" Ron then looked up at the colorful sky, and he frowned deeply. "If it was telling the truth… then FUCK YOU! You damn bitch! One day, I'll come across you and shove my cock up your arse! And I can already tell that you like it up the fucking arse, bitch!" Motherfucking arseholes! The lot of them! Death, the Entity… Fate… A bunch of bastards! "How the fuck do I get out of here?!"

Albus Dumbledore's POV

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (The Hospital Wing – Near the Crack of Dawn)

Albus had spent the entire night by Ronald's side, just watching the boy sleep. He looked so peaceful as compared to what Albus had witnessed earlier on in the night. Poppy had no idea that Albus was here, which was alright by him, he didn't want her to throw him out of her Hospital Wing for 'disturbing her patients'.

Albus had run into the other Heads of Houses on his way down to the Hospital Wing, and he had quickly assured them that there was nothing to worry about, and that Fawkes was feeling rather unwell. And when they had asked why Severus had been summoned, he simply told them that Fawkes needed a Potion to help with digestion. It wasn't one his best lies, but considering how shaken he was tonight, he was just glad that he had managed to pull something out of his hat. I might call it a night soon, Ronald is clearly not waking up any time soon. Albus slowly began to rise, but just as he did that, Ronald stirred suddenly.

"Ronald?" Albus whispered, slightly impressed by the boy's timing. Ronald's eyes opened slowly, and Albus was glad to see that they had returned to normal. Thank Merlin. "Ronald? How are you feeling?"

"Headmaster…" Ronald croaked, looking around in a groggy manner. Albus sat back down and smiled at the boy, genuinely relieved that he was alright. "Where am I?"

"The Hospital Wing" Albus replied. "You gave Severus and me quite the fright, my boy."

"A fright?" Ronald croaked, a look of discomfort quickly taking over his features. "Water…"

"Of course" Albus said as he conjured a glass of cold water with Wandless Magic.

"Damn… Can you teach me that?" Ronald asked, half-joking and half-serious. Albus simply blinked at him, and then he chuckled involuntarily. This boy… I just can't predict him. Albus then helped Ronald drink the entire glass down, and when the boy was done, Albus banished the empty glass.

"Better?" Albus asked, taking his seat again.

"Yes…" Ronald replied, his eyes still drooping because of the Potion's effects. "The pain is gone…"

"Good" Albus smiled genuinely. "Very good…"

"Hermione?" Ronald asked, his expression becoming difficult to read. "Is she… Did I… Did I kill her?"

"No, my boy" Albus said, and Ronald visibly relaxed. "She is safe, and her memories have been…" Albus stopped, not keen to bring up memory modification near the boy. He still hasn't forgiven me for what I did to Xenophilius, and I don't think that he ever will. "She will not reveal what she witnessed tonight, I promise."

"That's… That's good…" Ronald muttered, his eyes falling down to his sheets. And then, the boy pulled out his arms from underneath the covers, and began staring at his own hands with an odd expression. What is he thinking?

"Ronald?" Albus called, but he just kept staring at his own hands. "Do you want to talk about what happened tonight? I often find that a confession every now and then helps absolve the soul."

"No, you don't" Ronald whispered, looking up at Albus with a cold stare. "You've probably spent the majority of your life lying to the people around you, so don't say stupid shite like that near me. I'm not an idiot." Albus was rather taken aback by Ronald's words, and all he could do was to just stare at the boy. "I'm… I'm sorry…" Ronald looked back down at his hands, his eyes glazing over.

"She is alive, Ronald" Albus said, remembering how Ronald had dashed Hermione's head against a wall.

"No thanks to me…" Ronald muttered, clenching his hands into fists. "I… I did something terrible…" Albus decided to not say anything, Ronald needed to come to his own conclusions this time. "I hurt her… I hurt her with these hands… Why aren't you saying anything?" Ronald asked, looking back up at Albus. "I nearly killed one of your students tonight… Don't you care?"

"I care… I care a great deal" Albus replied calmly, his eyes fixed on Ronald's. He's trying to hold back his tears, I can see it. "I won't deny that your actions were… disturbing. But I know that you didn't make them with a sound mind. I saw her memories, Ronald. I know just how far gone you were."

"No… You don't understand…" Ronald shook his head, his eyes darting back down to his fists.

"Then tell me" Albus said.

"She… She saw me… She saw us…" Ron mumbled, sounding a bit mad. "I had to stop her… And she ran… Why did she have to run? Why couldn't she just listen to me? I… I tried to stop her… And then she was on the ground… I nearly killed her…" Ron then grabbed his head in between his hands, absolute panic taking over his mind. "I'm a murderer…"

"No, Ronald" Albus said, quickly moving over to the boy's side. "You didn't kill anyone, do you understand? You were in no state to be making decisions. You made a mistake, that's all."

"No…" Ron shook his head, he was starting hyperventilate. He's having a panic attack. Albus took out vial of Snape's Calming Tonic from his robes, and he quickly uncorked the lid.

"Ronald, drink this" Albus said, helping him drink down the Potion. "Now listen to me… You are not a murderer."

"You don't understand…" Ron sniffled. "After I hit her… When she was already unconscious… I tried to strangle the life out of her…" Albus blinked at that, he hadn't seen that in Hermione's memories. He really did try to kill her? Albus slowly sat back down in his seat, his eyes fixed on Ronald. "I… The Entity… It told me that she'd end up ruining my Cycle… And I know her… She'd tell her friends… And I couldn't let that happen… When I made that decision, there was no pain… I had my wits, and I chose to eliminate her… Because I know that her life means nothing to me when compared to Ginny's… Or dad's… or anyone else whom I call Family…"

"Ronald…" Albus interrupted, he didn't want to hear any more about this.

"You should expel me…" Ron sobbed, the Calming Tonic was taking far too long.

"I'm not going to do that" Albus said. "And I won't pretend like what you tried to do doesn't disturb me, because it truly does. But in my eyes, you're just as much a victim as her. You did not see the state that you were in, Ronald. I barely recognized you… You were like a wild beast, one that was cornered and fearing for its life. But despite all of that, you didn't give into your baser impulsions. You stopped yourself from crossing that line." Albus stood up at that, far too worn to stay awake himself. "I won't tell you how to feel, because this is something that you must face yourself. The Future will be riddled with similar choices, and just like Harry, you must be prepared."

Albus turned and left at that, while Ron just stared at his retreating back. He's safe, and so is Hermione. For now, that's all that matters. I imagine that before this Cycle is over, Ronald will have to make many choices that may result in the deaths of others. It is better if he begins preparing himself now.

Ronald Weasley's POV

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (The Hospital Wing – Before Breakfast)

Being completely overwhelmed wasn't a new feeling to him, which in itself was rather sad. But this time, he knew for certain that he couldn't turn to anyone for help. Not that he did that often anyway, but knowing that the choice was there had always helped him push forward. But this time, he was well and truly alone.

The first major thing on his mind was the fact that he had nearly killed one of his own friends, and yet, he had stopped caring after his initial panic had worn off. Maybe it was because Ron didn't really see the Golden Trio as his friends, not anymore. They were useful to him, and so he actively went out of his way to keep them happy. Harry was 'destined' to kill the Dark Lord, and if that really was the case, then Ron knew that Harry had to be pushed in the right direction every now and then. Neville, despite his initial dislike of Ron, had finally warmed up to him. And through Neville, Ron was able to access the Longbottom Family's power and influence. As for Hermione…

A wiser part of Ron understood that he had only become her friend from some innate desire to be liked by everyone around him. During the first weeks of his first year, everyone was enamored by him. Ron was finally the center of attention, and that had felt amazing. But Hermione, who disliked him enough to glare at him openly during classes, was an abnormality. And so Ron had done his best to become her friend, and in the moment, it had felt like the right thing to do. But Ron knew that the person he was now wouldn't have taken Hermione's self-righteous attitude, and if anything, he'd make sure to make her life miserable.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was just a desperate, attention-hungry brat when he had first come to Hogwarts. He had spent so much time trying to gain House Points for Slytherin, and it wasn't just to 'put his House ahead'. Ron did all of that because he wanted to be adored by the people around him, even the Slytherins that he despised. Which is also why he had tried to make peace with Malfoy, and why he had accepted Pansy into the group so easily. It had all felt so… controlled back then. But Ron could somewhat understand his previous actions a little better now, and he wasn't afraid to admit his own shortcomings. Ron had lost that desire to be loved by others somewhere along the way, and now he simply… existed. He loved his Family, and he loved his Slytherin friends. But everyone else… They were just pieces on a board.

Which brought him to the second major thing on his mind… Ron was a massive hypocrite, and although he had always picked up on that, last night had been the last straw. He had been so outraged with Dumbledore for using Xenophilius, but when Ron was put in a somewhat similar position, he had dashed a girl's head against a wall. At least Dumbledore had the decency to at least try and keep Xeno safe, Ron hadn't given his fucked up actions a second thought. In that moment, Ron had only cared about his Cycle. About his Family. About his actual friends. And Hermione, she was in the way.

His actions terrified him. Was he really that fucking detached from reality that he could potentially murder someone because they got in his way? Was this why he had killed Dolores Umbridge in the Future? How many other people had he killed before that? Was he already on his way to becoming some terrifying individual who scared even his own friends? He had so many questions, and perhaps being able to see the Future had made him rather entitled. Ron just wanted to know how to win, and his decisions in between the Present and the Future were his trial-and-errors.

And then there were the God-like Beings who were fucking his life up even more. They were perhaps Ron's biggest headache right now, and more than likely, they'd always be the biggest. Fate. Death. The Entity. All of these beings that sounded like something out of a fairytale were actively involved in Ron's current miserable existence.

From what Ron could determine, all of this had started with Death. The Dark Lord had somehow become immortal, and in doing so, pissed Death off. Death then tried to off this entire Universe, only to be stopped by Fate. She went and found the Entity, and placed a weakened version of it inside of Ron's head. The Entity then began manipulating the events of every Rons life, but it kept failing because it couldn't fucking grasp basic human nature. And so Ron was trapped in an endless Cycle… He'd do his best to help destroy the Dark Lord, and then he'd die horribly, and then it would all restart.

There were still so many gaps in the skull-fuck that was his current predicament, but Ron wasn't sure that he wanted to know any more than what he already knew. Every time he thought about it, he'd start panicking because of how immense it all was. It made him feel like he was just a puppet, and he fucking despised that. He despised the Entity, Fate, and Death. If Ron had to blame anyone for why his life was so fucked up, he'd blame them. Sure, he did some stupid shite that often backfired on him. But these three cunts had started this mess in the first place.

"Mr. Weasley? Are you there?" came Snape's voice, followed by a slight nudge. Ron was ripped out of his thoughts, and he looked to find the Potions Master standing by his bed.

"Sir?" Ron blinked, and then he looked around the room. How long was I stuck inside of my own head?

"How are you feeling?" Snape asked, his eyes scanning Ron's face.

"I… I really don't know…" Ron replied truthfully. Too many thoughts. I don't even know where to begin.

"I understand" Snape said, and then he reached into his robes and took out a piece of parchment. "This is your note."

"My note?" Ron asked, slowly taking the paper from Snape. Damn, my entire body feels heavy.

"You are not allowed to attend your classes for the next two days" Snape replied, and Ron blinked at him. "You need to rest, Ron…"

"Rest?" Ron asked, and Snape nodded curtly. "I understand…"

"Good" Snape said, surprised that the boy wasn't arguing with him. "Your friends are outside, by the way. I told them that you came down with a fever." A fever? I guess that's plausible.

"Alright" Ron said, looking down at his note. I just want to sit here and think, and this helps me do that.

"If you're feeling up to it, come by my Office tonight" Snape said, and Ron looked back up. "I wish to speak with you."

"I understand…" Ron repeated, and Snape turned around and left. As soon as Snape exited the Wing, Ron's true friends quickly made their way in.

"Ron, you're alright!" Pansy smiled widely, and Ron forced on a smile. His smile barely reached his eyes, and it genuinely hurt his face. "We got so worried when we came back and found you missing." Pansy then planted herself by his right side, her eyes and smile fixed on him. Blaise did mention that she was quite attached to me, and I can see why. My need to be loved by others resulted in me treating her like she had always wanted Malfoy to treat her.

"You look alright to me" Tracey smiled at him. "How do you feel?"

"Tired" Ron replied.

"What's that?" Theo asked, looking to the piece of parchment in Ron's hands.

"This is my note" Ron replied. "I'm not allowed to go to classes over the next two days."

"What?" Tracey blinked. "Ron… We have Potions tomorrow morning…"

"Ahem" Daphne fake coughed before shooting Tracey a frown, while Tracey gave her a sheepish smile. "Just get better Ron, that's all that matters." What would Daphne say if I told her that I tried to kill someone last night? She may act cold, but I know that she isn't. She'd be disgusted.

"It's a shame that you're missing D.A.D.A this morning" Millie said, shooting him a sorry smile. "I've heard that Professor Lupin apparently knows what he's doing." Remus? Damn… I forgot that I had his class this morning.

"We can smuggle you in, if you want" Theo smirked.

"How? Ron is exactly hard to miss" Pansy jumped in.

"Is it because of my good looks?" Ron smiled weakly, earning a giggle from Pansy. I don't want to go to his class. I just want to stay here.

"I'd say it's because you're a lamppost" Tracey sniggered.

"So I brighten any room that I'm in?" Ron asked, resting his head against the headboard.

"Yeah… I can't think of a comeback…" Tracey said, looking to their friends. "That was good." The bell suddenly rang, and Ron wondered what it was for.

"Breakfast time" Theo said, clapping his hands together. "We'll leave you to eat your Hospital mush."

"Blaise, can you stay behind for a second?" Ron asked, looking to his silent friend. Blaise nodded slowly, while the others gave Ron an unreadable look.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up" Blaise said, and then he took a seat by Ron's left leg. The others slowly left the room, with Daphne being the last one to leave. "She didn't look too happy… I think she wants to be the one who gets to stay behind with you."

"Probably" Ron shrugged, and then he observed the distance between them. "Come closer, Blaise…"

"Alright" Blaise said, moving further up on the bed. "Now… What is it?"

"How's your neck?" Ron asked, and Blaise blinked at him. "I'm sorry for losing it like that… I shouldn't put my hands on other people." I really shouldn't.

"No, you shouldn't" Blaise said, keeping his eyes fixed on Ron's. "But for what it's worth, I may have deserved it a little. I wasn't a very good friend when I went after Granger like that, nor was I a very good ally. I'm sorry for endangering your efforts with the Trio, especially because I asked you to keep the peace with them last year."

"Alright…" Ron nodded slowly, shooting Blaise a weak smile. "Mind telling me why you did that? It's not like you to go after someone like that."

"You should focus on yourself, mate" Blaise said. Oh, I will. But I just need a break from my own problems.

"Don't hold back on me now, Blaise" Ron said, and Blaise blinked at him. "I do value your advice, you know that. So for once, let me try and help you?"

"Fine…" Blaise replied, shifting more of his weight on Ron's bed. "My mother is getting married next month…" What? "She found herself an old and lonely wizard, who also happens to be filthy rich. And I… I'm to attend the wedding… It's pathetic, and it's shallow…" Shallow? Didn't he call Hermione shallow? "She's just using him, just like she used her last six husbands…"

"I'm sorry, mate" Ron said, but Blaise simply shrugged with a scowl.

"This is just what she does" Blaise said bitterly. "He'll be dead within a year…" Fucking hell, he doesn't deserve to deal with this kind of shite.

"Do you need anything from me?" Ron asked. "Just name it, and I'll do my best."

"I appreciate the thought, Ron" Blaise said, shaking his head slowly. "But it is what it is… I'll go to their wedding, and I'll make sure to not get attached to this one. I'll just… I'll just fucking go there and come right back." Ron nodded slowly, and then he reached over and planted his left hand on Blaise's shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you have to put up with something like this" Ron said, while Blaise just stared at him. "If you ever need to talk, please come to me. Don't bottle it up, that never ends well."

"Speaking from experience?" Blaise smirked lightly, and Ron nodded.

"You know I am" Ron said, pulling his hand back. "You should head down to breakfast now, no need for you to miss out on actual food."

"Before I go…" Blaise started, his expression becoming serious once again. "Potter is looking for you, and he has your sister following him around like some trained pet. They want to know why Granger was too upset to come to dinner last night, and they suspect that someone from Slytherin went after her." Someone from Slytherin did go after her…

"I see" Ron said softly.

"Your sister is going to ask you to look into this" Blaise told him.

"There's nothing to look into" Ron said, and Blaise waited for him to go on. "You told her a fact, and she took it as a personal insult. That's it. If they try and make a big deal out of it by coming after you, then I'll put an end to it myself."

"That's… not what I was expecting" Blaise admitted, eyeing Ron carefully. "You usually play the role of peacemaker, Ron. What's different this time?"

"I… I know who matters more to me" Ron replied, and Blaise blinked at him. "The Trio are useful, but that's all they are to me. You're my Family… I'll always put you above them, Blaise."

"Um… Right" Blaise nodded slowly, still eyeing Ron carefully. "Mate, are you sure that you're alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine" Ron lied, putting on a convincing smile. Yes… Everything is just fine…

Harry Potter's POV

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (D.A.D.A Class – After Breakfast)

"So he wasn't at breakfast either" Hermione said, tapping her chin as she wondered about Ron's whereabouts.

"The Slytherins mentioned that he was sick last night" Neville pointed out once again. "He's probably in the Hospital Wing right now."

"We can just ask them" Hermione suggested, shooting a look towards Ron's Slytherin friends.

"Or we go and check for ourselves" Harry countered, he really didn't want to speak to those prats again. "Greengrass made it quite clear that she doesn't want to have 'pointless conversations' with us."

"She said that?" Hermione asked, shooting a frown towards the most arrogant girl in their year. Even Lavender and Parkinson can't hold a candle against Greengrass. She's almost as arrogant as Malfoy. Harry shot a quick look towards Malfoy, only to find the platinum haired boy sitting by himself. What the…?

"Good morning, third years!" came Remus' voice, and Harry quickly looked to the front of the class. Remus was coming down from his Office with a wide smile, and Harry beamed at him. Finally! I've been waiting all week for this class! "My name is Professor R. J. Lupin, and I will be your D.A.D.A Professor this year. And as all of you already know, I will also be in charge of this year's Dueling Club. Now… Let's go around the room and introduce ourselves, shall we? I'd like to memorize all of your names and faces."

Five Minutes Later

Once all the introductions were done, some being more enthusiastic than others, Remus began looking around the room with a perplexed look.

"We're missing a student" Remus noted, and then he looked to the Slytherins. "Where is Ronald Weasley?"

"He fell ill, Professor" Bulstrode replied, and Harry saw concern flash across Remus' face. "He's currently resting up in the Hospital Wing." Neville was right. We'll go straight there when lunch starts. Oh, and we should collect Ginny too. Something tells me that she'd want to tag along.

"I see" Remus said slowly, he already knew what he was doing right after morning classes ended. "Very well then… Let's get started with our lesson. The Headmaster has informed me of how inconsistent your education in this particular subject has been over the last two years, and by his direct order, my job is to bring you all up to speed. Therefore, we'll start our first lesson off with a test." A test?

"Yay" Hermione whispered, her eyes going wide from excitement.

"Now, it's nothing too difficult" Remus reassured them as he used Magic to pass the papers around. "Just something to remind you all of what you should already know. Try your best, but don't be discouraged if you find some of the questions difficult. This test will take an hour at most, and once it's been completed, we'll throw some Spells around."

"Yes!" most of the class grinned, including Harry.

One Hour Later

"That test was so easy!" Hermione chuckled, a bright smile on her face. No, it really wasn't. I think I flunked it… Oh God, Remus is going to be so disappointed in me. Harry shot quick looks around the class, and other than Hermione, everyone was grimacing slightly. Glad I wasn't the only one.

"When did we learn about the Nature of Curses?" Neville asked Harry.

"Never" Seamus replied before Harry could, so Harry simply nodded his agreement.

"Bloody hell, I think I failed that test" Dean mumbled.

"I definitely failed" Neville sighed, his Grandmother was going to kill him for this. His parents were Aurors, and he couldn't even score higher than fifty percent on a 'simple' D.A.D.A test.

"You lot should read your textbooks" Hermione told them, and Harry could tell that she was trying to hold back her smugness. "We covered the Nature of Curses in our first year very briefly, and Professor Quirrell asked us to read up more on it in our spare time." Professor Quirrell? Why does she still call him that? Try Voldemort's henchman…

"Some of us have actual hobbies" Lavender shot Hermione a scowl, while Hermione rolled her eyes at the girl.

"And did your hobbies help you when you were failing the test?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't fail it" Lavender replied hotly, and the Gryffindor boys just looked back and forth between the two girls.

"Sure…" Hermione scoffed, looking back to the front of the class.

"You…" Lavender started, but Parvati stopped her.

"Lavender, it's not worth it" Parvati sighed, trying to steer her friend away from a detention. Harry shot Parvati and Lavender a sorry smile, but they both just frowned at him. Right… I'll just stay quiet.

"You two are brave lads…" Seamus whispered, eyeing Harry and Neville with respect. "Taking Granger off of our hands like that…"

"What?" Neville frowned at him. "It's not like that. She's our friend."

"Don't start with her again, Seamus" Harry whispered, eyeing Seamus with an annoyed look. He's made her cry before, and we nearly got killed by a Mountain Troll that night.

"These are…" Remus started, and all eyes went to him. He was quickly scouring through the papers, trying his best to get an overall gist of where everyone was. "Well… We clearly have some work to do… Ah, well done Hermione" Remus suddenly shot her a smile, and she smiled widely.

"Thank you, Professor" Hermione replied, her back straightening as she perked up. Wait… I handed in my paper right after Hermione. Harry shot a panicked look towards Remus, who was just staring down at the next paper. No! Harry quickly slouched down in his seat, not eager to meet his 'father's' eye.

"I will mark these over the weekend, and have them returned to you next week" Remus said, neatly stacking the papers onto his desk. "So… Who's ready to vent their frustrations?" Everyone exchanged excited looks, including the Slytherins. "Let's move these tables aside, and then we can get started."

Five Minutes Later

The excitement was palpable, and Harry himself was feeling jittery because of it. There was no denying that the few classes that they had with Dumbledore last year had been the highlight of the year. And judging from what everyone had heard of Remus so far, things were certainly looking up. If the fourth years were to be believed, Remus had taken them out by the Black Lake in order to show them 'explosive' Spells, and their class had been interrupted by the Giant Squid.

"As this class is created to teach you all to defend against the Dark Arts, we'll start off with something simple" Remus smiled at his eager Gryffindors and Slytherins. "Who can tell me the best strategy against Offensive Spells?"

"The Shield Charm, Protego" Hermione answered quickly, and Remus smiled at her.

"That is certainly a good option" Remus said, and Hermione blinked at him.

"The best strategy is to just move out of the way" Davis answered, and Remus looked to her with a wider smile. "The Shield Charm takes a lot of effort to keep up, and it can 'bog you down'. By just stepping aside, you get to preserve your Magic for your own offence."

"An excellent answer" Remus said, genuinely surprised by the slender brunette. How did she know that? Hermione was just giving Davis a blank stare, while Harry and Neville were just as shocked as Remus. "And yes, Tracey. You are correct."

"Thanks, Sir" Davis grinned, while her friends just smirked to themselves.

"The Shield Charm has many benefits, but its biggest downside is that you cannot cast it on the move" Remus told his students, and Harry began taking mental notes. "Therefore, only use the Shield Charm when you have no other choice. Taking a step to the side is infinitely easier, and will often provide you with an opportunity to strike back. Tracey, why don't you come up here?" Davis nodded before making her way over to Remus' side, while Remus eyed the Gryffindors. "Lavender, you too."

"Yes, Professor" Lavender nodded, eyeing Davis with a slight frown. Remus has no idea that Davis cheated Lavender out of a win last year by attacking Lavender mid-count. Git.

"Which one of you knows how to cast a proper Shield Charm?" Remus asked the girls, and Davis raised her hand. What? When did she learn that? Lockhart didn't teach us that, and Quirrell was too busy plotting my murder. "Alright Tracey, I want you to stand over there. Lavender, go to the other side of room." The girls did as they were told, while Remus gestured the others to stand back. "Now on the count of three, I want you to cast a minor Hex at Tracey. Tracey, you will cast the Shield Charm. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor" the girls said.

"The rest of you should observe this carefully" Remus told them, missing the mischievous glint in Lavender's eyes. "One… Two…"

"Anteoculatia" Lavender chanted, firing the Horn-Growing Hex at Davis.

"Protego" Davis chanted, immediately blocking the Hex. She saw it coming… Damn. That could've been really funny.

"I said three, girls…" Remus sighed. "But no matter… Did all of you see how Tracey was forced to stay still?" The class nodded, while Davis simply smirked at a frowning Lavender. "Now if Lavender wanted to, she could easily follow that up with more Hexes. This is why the Shield Charm, although a viable strategy, is often passed up by veterans. Let's try another pair, shall we? Who wants to come up here?" Everyone's hands went up, with the exception of Malfoy. Let me guess, he's too good to be taught by Remus?

"Theodore and Dean, please come up" Remus said, while the girls rejoined their respective groups. Aw… I want to have a turn. "Alright you two, I want you try and disarm one another. Nothing flashy, or dangerous… Just a Disarming Charm, understand?"

"We understand" the boys nodded, taking up their positions.

"Three Sickles on Dean" Seamus whispered in Harry's ear.

"I don't want to bet on Nott…" Harry frowned slightly. "Fine… Three Sickles on Nott."

"One the count of three…" Remus started. "One… Two… Three!"

"Expelliarmus!" Dean quickly chanted, firing the Disarming Charm straight at Nott's head. Nott simple ducked, but he didn't fire anything back. Wait… What's he doing? "Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus!" Dean fired two more Spells, but Nott simply stepped to the right.

"Expelliarmus" Nott chanted, firing the Disarming Charm at Dean's right hand. Dean quickly moved towards his left, but Nott had already sent another Disarming Charm towards him. Dean got hit right in his stomach, and he was sent flying into the wall behind him. Damn! Wait… I won.

"Pay up" Harry smirked at Seamus, who just frowning at Dean.

"I'll pay you at lunch…" Seamus sighed, watching his best mate standing up slowly.

"That was superb, you two!" Remus beamed at them. "Excellent use of quick firing. And Theodore, very clever of you to mutter your follow up under your breath. Take five points for Slytherin." Nott smirked arrogantly, clearly pleased with himself. "Now, Hermione and… Daphne. Why don't you come up?" OHHH! Hermione is going to destroy her!

"This is going to be great" Harry whispered to Neville, who nodded his agreement.

"Same thing as with the boys" Remus told them, and Harry could see just how ready Hermione was. Knock her down a peg, Hermione. "One… Two… Three…"

"Expelliarmus!" both girls chanted, and they quickly sidestepped each other's Spells.

"Expelliarmus!" Greengrass chanted again, but Hermione didn't move this time.

"Protego!" Hermione yelled, an ethereal blue shield appearing before her. Greengrass' Spell shattered as it struck Hermione's shield, and Greengrass quickly moved to fire another one. Hermione blocked three more Spells from Greengrass, and just as Harry was starting to worry about his friend, Hermione suddenly swirled her wand through her shield. A jet of scarlet light fired out of Hermione's wand, and Greengrass' wand was sent flying through the air. Woah! Yes! GO HERMIONE! Harry quickly clapped for his friend, followed up by Neville.

"My…" Remus blinked at Hermione. "Non-verbal Magic… Very impressive."

"Thank you, Professor" Hermione beamed, enjoying the look of surprise on Greengrass' face. "I've been practicing Non-verbal Magic in my spare time."

"Well, take ten points for Gryffindor for your initiative" Remus smiled at her as he handed Greengrass her wand back. And she earned ten points! Go Hermione! "We have time for one more. Draco and… Fay. Why don't you two come up?"

"Did you see that?" Hermione beamed at Harry and Neville, while Malfoy and Fay Dunbar took their positions.

"That was brilliant, Hermione" Neville beamed back. "I had no idea that you were learning Non-verbal Magic."

"You were amazing out there" Harry nodded his agreement, and Hermione's cheeks turned rosy from all the praise. "And you showed Greengrass who's the better witch."

"I did, didn't I?" Hermione smirked, her back straightening as she perked up once again. "It was easy to outsmart her. I just figured that if she saw an opportunity, she'd greedily jump at it."

"She does seem like the sort to do that" Harry smiled, patting Hermione's upper arm proudly. "You earned us ten points as well, which is just the cherry on top."

"Well done, Draco" came Remus' voice, and they all looked to the front. Fay was picking up her wand with a slight frown, while Malfoy was just staring at Remus with a guarded look. "Excellent use of your speed to overpower your opponent, I was especially impr…" the bell suddenly rang, cutting Remus off mid speech. "Oh… Time sure flies when you're having fun, eh?" Remus chuckled, and everyone nodded. Greengrass is actually pouting! Ha! "I'll see you all next week then. I have a very special lesson in mind for you all."

Five Minutes Later

"So… How was I?" Remus asked Harry, who simply smiled widely in response. Everyone else had left for lunchbreak, but Harry, Neville, and Hermione had stayed behind to chat with Remus.

"You were amazing" Neville replied, and Remus smiled gratefully.

"I won't lie… I was rather nervous" Remus chuckled.

"Why? You were hands down the best Professor that we've had for this class" Harry said, and Remus patted his right cheek. Not counting Dumbledore, of course.

"Thanks, Harry" Remus said. "That means a lot to me."

"Harry's right" Hermione piped in. "You even got the Slytherins excited, which isn't an easy thing to do. You almost reminded me of Professor Dumbledore… A younger version of Professor Dumbledore, that is."

"That is high praise indeed" Remus laughed. "You were quite spectacular out there, Hermione. Non-verbal Magic in your third year? You really are the brightest witch of your age." Hermione blushed deeply at that, her smile becoming extremely bashful. "I'm sure that when I was your age, I truly didn't share your passion for your studies."

"Thanks, Professor" Hermione mumbled, her face flushing completely.

"You three should run along now" Remus smiled at the Trio. "And Harry, make sure that you eat properly." Ugh… The dad-tone… Oddly enough though, Harry loved it when Remus spoke to him like this. It was a tone that he was still getting used to, but it was quickly becoming his favorite. "Neville, keep an eye on your best mate for me."

"I will, Professor" Neville chuckled, and then they made their way out of the class.

"Brightest witch of my age…" Hermione sang under her breath, her good mood was contagious.

"We should go and find Ginny, and then drop in on Ron" Harry whispered to Neville, all the while smiling at Hermione's back. She looks really happy. Good. I hated how upset she was yesterday.

"We'll do that near the end of lunchtime" Neville said, and Harry blinked at him. "What? I don't want Remus to tell me off."

"Fine…" Harry rolled his eyes. "We'll quickly eat some lunch, and then drop in on Ron." I want him to find out if Malfoy was behind Hermione being so upset yesterday.

Ronald Weasley's POV

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (The Hospital Wing – Lunchtime)

"You should've seen me, mate" Theo boasted. "I was like lightning up there! Thomas was trying to get a hit on me, but I read that guy like a book! A bloody book, mate!" The others just sniggered at Theo, while Ron gave him a proud smile.

"Good on you, Theo" Ron said genuinely, glad that Theo's practice had payed off. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, dad" Theo smiled, and everyone broke into laughter. "Ahem… I mean… Ron…" Theo laughed, clearly pulling a joke.

"I actually showed up Granger with one of my answers" Tracey smirked, and Ron gave her a surprised look. What? As if… "It's true, just ask them."

"It is true" Millie confirmed, and Ron gave Tracey an impressed smile.

"I mean, I just recited what you told us once" Tracey shrugged, still smirking. "But it still felt nice."

"That's great to hear, Tracey" Ron said, but Tracey simply gave him a look of expectation.

"And…" Tracey said slowly. Really?

"I'm proud of you" Ron said, mustering up the strength to smile again. I just want to sleep. Please leave.

"Thanks" Tracey beamed, looking all too happy with herself.

"So… She just stole my moment?" Theo asked the others, who just shrugged in response. "Thanks Tracey… You damn thief…"

"Did anyone else do something amazing?" Ron asked the group.

"Malfoy beat Dunbar" Blaise replied, and Ron nodded slowly. Um… Alright…

"So none of the Gryffindors won a single Duel?" Ron asked. Wow. How did that happen?

"Granger won one… against me" Daphne said, her expression cold and unfeeling. "She disarmed me with Non-verbal Magic." The others just blinked at Daphne, while Ron just stared at her. Non-verbal Magic?

"You lost…" Ron said slowly, his eyes fixed on Daphne's. Well, that's what you get for being lazy.

"It happens" Daphne shrugged, she had no intention of showing the others just how much losing to Granger had bothered her. And she certainly didn't plan to hide such a thing, especially because Granger would no doubt tell him. What? What fuck does 'it happens' mean? Is she serious? What kind of excuse is that?

"No, it doesn't just 'happen'…" Ron stated, just staring at her. "She's better than you, and so she beat you. There is no other way of saying it. It wasn't a fluke, and if you went up against her again, she'd still beat you."

"Mate…" Blaise said, shooting a look towards Daphne.

"Are you done?" Daphne asked him, but he just cocked his eyebrow at her. "I'm leaving… I have Divination next, and I want to get my things ready." With that, Daphne got up and left. So she really can't see that she lost because, unlike Theo and Tracey, she refused to take my lessons seriously? Hermione no doubt practices whenever her head isnt buried in a book. Whatever… She can keep making her excuses, I don't even care.

"I'll… I'll go join her, I reckon" Tracey said, and then she too left.

"I've also got Divination next, and apparently the classroom is rather difficult to find" Pansy muttered, and Ron gave her a nod. Go, and take the others with you as well. Pansy shot him a weak smile, and then she also made her way out of the Hospital Wing. Ron spotted Madam Pomfrey staring at him from two beds over, and when he looked at her, she slowly looked away. Great, she's probably diagnosing me with something else.

"Ron, what was that?" Millie frowned at him.

"I don't like people making shitty excuses" Ron replied. "It happens… What does that even mean?"

"Mate, she's probably not too happy about losing to that uppity bitch" Theo whispered.

"And instead of giving Hermione her dues, she says 'it happens'…" Ron scoffed. "She's had multiple opportunities to improve herself, but she refused to act on them. The least she could do is to show some semblance of respect to the person who worked hard while she lazed around."

"Yeesh…" Theo muttered, looking towards the exit. That's when he spotted the Golden Trio coming in, followed by Ginny and Luna. "Yay… The Golden leeches are here…" Ron looked over to them, and his eyes were immediately glued to Hermione. No… Not her… Don't look at her, Ron. But he couldn't stop.

"Hi, Ron" Hermione smiled at him, but Ron just kept staring. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Ron could feel his stomach turning, images of his hands around her throat flashing in his mind. Just keep it together…

"Hi…" Ron muttered, looking down at his sheets. What the fuck are they doing here?

"You mind sparing us a minute?" Harry asked with a smile. "We need to ask a quick favor of you."

"Wow…" Blaise said, giving Harry a look of disgust.

"What?" Harry asked, frowning at Blaise.

"Usually when you see a sick person, you ask them how they are" Blaise said coldly. "You don't throw your problems at their feet."

"Blaise…" Ron said, shooting him a quick look.

"How are you, Ron?" Luna asked, and everyone looked to her. "Blaise is right, I think. Are you feeling better now?" No, I'm really not.

"I'm doing alright, Luna" Ron smiled at her, not even surprised by her aloofness. Ron then looked to Harry, making sure to keep his eyes away from Hermione. "What's this favor?"

"We were hoping for some… privacy" Harry said, looking right at Ron. You mean you want my friends to leave so you can whine about your shitty problems without being told to fuck off.

"They want to know who upset Granger yesterday" Millie said, cutting right through the nonsense. "And for some reason, they think that you know who did it." Well, I do.

"Harry, I thought that we were just visiting Ron" Hermione frowned at her best friend. "I told you that I don't want to talk about it, and that certainly doesn't mean that you can go behind my back like this."

"Hermione…" Harry started, but her frown shut him up.

"We just don't want you to go through stuff like this by yourself" Neville said, and then he looked to Ron. "Mate, if you can just find and stop whoever is harassing her, that'd be great."

"You two are unbelievable" Hermione frowned at them. Can you lot just fuck the hell off?! Please?!

"Ron, you need to do this" Ginny piped in, her voice far too haughty for Ron's liking. "It's the right thing to do." Need? I don't 'need' to do shite.

"Hermione, do you want me to look into this?" Ron asked, keeping his eyes fixed on Ginny. I can't look at her. I just bloody can't.

"No, Ron" Hermione replied firmly.

"Then it's settled" Ron said, looking back to his sheets. And now please leave. I feel like I'm going to vomit, and I haven't even eaten anything all day.

"Mate…" Harry muttered, genuinely surprised that Ron wasn't tracking down the bigot who had gone after their friend.

"Ron? You're just going to let some arse get away with targeting your friend?" Ginny asked, frowning at her brother.

"She doesn't want anything to be done about it, so why should I bother?" Ron asked.

"Wow… You're just… Wow…" Ginny muttered, her frown deepening. Oh Merlin, I'm going to be sick.

"Are you all disturbing my patient?" came Pomfrey's voice, and then she suddenly walked up behind the Trio. "That's it… All of you out. Just look at him, he isn't feeling well right now. Go on, out." Everyone just exchanged quickly looks, and then they began piling out. Ron's actual friends shot him parting nods, while his little sister made sure that he saw her displeasure. But Ron just didn't care. Hermione had left, and he could finally breathe again.

"Bloody hell…" Ron muttered, covering his entire face with his hands.

"Ronald, are you feeling sick?" Pomfrey asked, and Ron nodded weakly. "I'll grab you something for the queasiness." With that, Pomfrey made her way towards her Potions closet. Damnit… I don't ever want to see Hermione again. I don't know if I feel guilty about my actions, or guilty about the fact that I really don't care about what I did to her. Fuck, what do I do? What the hell is the matter with me?

"Hey, cub" came Remus' voice, and Ron looked up at him. I didn't even hear him come in. "How are you feeling?"

"Sick…" Ron sighed, putting his hands down in his lap. "Sorry that I missed your first class, Remus."

"Don't be" Remus smiled as he sat down on the side of Ron's bed, his warm eyes scanning Ron's pale features. "Getting better should be your only priority. I just thought that I'd drop by and give you something to eat." Remus then reached into his robes and took out a bar of chocolate. "Here, it'll make you feel better."

"Thanks…" Ron muttered, taking the chocolate bar from Remus. I… I don't want to eat anything. "I'll hide this for later, otherwise Madam Pomfrey will take it from me."

"Right" Remus chuckled as Ron hid the bar under his pillow. "Where is she, by the way?"

"Another visitor?" came Pomfrey's voice, and both Ron and Remus looked to see her approaching them. She had a slight frown on her face, and a light blue Potion in her right hand. "He's unwell, and he needs to rest. You should come back when he's not as pale as a ghost."

"It's good to see you again, Madam Pomfrey" Remus smiled, the old bird hadn't changed a bit. "And you're right, I shouldn't disturb your patients." Remus stood up at that, and he smiled down at Ron. "Get well soon, Ron. I'll see you when you're feeling more like yourself." Remus then gave Madam Pomfrey a nod, and then he left the Hospital Wing.

"His manners have certainly improved" Pomfrey huffed, handing Ron the Potion.

"You know him?" Ron asked, and she nodded.

"He went to school here, Ronald" Pomfrey replied. "He and his friends were quite the troublemakers." I can imagine. I bet that Sirius slept with half the girls in Hogwarts during his days here.

"Merlin… You're ancient" Ron smirked, and then he drank down the Potion. Ugh… At least I'll feel less queasy now.

"Are we really playing this game, Mr. Weasley?" Pomfrey cocked her eyebrow, and Ron shrugged. "Alright then…" Pomfrey nodded slowly, taking the empty vial from Ron. "You were incredibly cruel towards your 'best friend' earlier. Do you often speak to your friends in such a manner?"

"Only when they make stupid excuses about their failures" Ron replied.

"I see" Pomfrey said. "No one should ever fail, right? Everyone should work themselves into a sorry state like you rather than fail. Ronald, do you know what displacement is?"

"I imagine that I'm about to find out" Ron replied.

"It's when someone projects their own feelings onto others" Pomfrey replied. "You strike me as a perfectionist, someone who is terrified of making mistakes. And therefore you constantly push yourself to your limits, and a small part of you is quite bitter about it. And that part of you wants everyone to push themselves to their limits just as you do. You can't stand to lose, and whenever you meet someone who doesn't think like you, you immediately dislike them."

"That… That makes sense" Ron shrugged. "If I can do it, then what's her excuse? She constantly refused to better herself, and now she's gone and embarrassed herself in public. She should have the humility to learn from this, not stick her nose up and say 'it happens'… That's just pathetic."

"Embarrassed herself, or you?" Pomfrey asked, and Ron blinked at her. "Ronald, why don't we go to my Office? I think it's about time that we restarted your sessions." If it gets me out of thinking about last night, then please lead the way.

"Alright."

Daphne Greengrass' POV

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (Divination Classroom – After Lunch)

Ron was such an arse sometimes that it genuinely baffled Daphne as to why she liked him so much. Couldn't he see that she was upset about being beaten by Granger in front of everyone? Of course he couldn't, he was far too thick for that. And he hadn't been there… He hadn't seen how Potter, Longbottom, and every damn Gryffindor had sniggered at her while they clapped for Granger. It had been nothing short of mortifying, and she had barely kept her mask of indifference. That was her only move, and she had somehow managed to pull it off.

"Daphne, you're pouting again" Tracey nudged her, and Daphne fixed her expression.

"Just ignore what Ron said" Pansy sighed. As if I could. I don't want him to think that Granger is better than me. I never want him to think that.

"This classroom smells" Daphne stated, ignoring her friends' words. "I feel tired already because of all of this incense. And what's with these pouffes?"

"Oh no… She's reached the complaining stage already" Tracey sighed overdramatically, and Daphne shot her a frown. "Whoops…"

"I kind of agree with her though" Pansy said, crossing her legs. "I'm worried that some boy is going to see my knickers. There are no tables to keep our legs under."

"Are you wearing something racey?" Tracey asked, and Pansy smirked.

"Want to have a look?" Pansy asked.

"Sure" Tracey shrugged, and Daphne looked towards Pansy. These two… Pansy slowly swapped her legs, flashing them her pink silk panties along the way. Wow. Wait… Why did I look?

"Nice" Tracey sniggered. I miss Millie already. The door to the classroom opened once again, and the Golden Trio rushed in. Of course… Granger had to be in this class.

"Now if only our Professor…" Tracey started, but Professor Trelawney suddenly appeared from behind a beaded curtain.

"Ah, welcome" Professor Trelawney said, her large glasses making her look like a bejeweled insect. The woman was genuinely wearing colorful rags for clothes, and her spindly build made her look quite creepy. "So good to finally see you all in the Physical Realm. I am Professor Sybil Trelawney, and with my help, many of you will see into… the beyond!" Many? Not all of us?

"But before we all start our journeys, allow me to welcome you all into Divination" Professor Trelawney went on, placing herself on a winged chair in front of the lit fireplace. "Most of you may not have seen me before, for I find that descending down into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye." Inner Eye? What's that? Daphne couldn't deny that the odd Professor had caught her attention, and judging by the looks that everyone was giving her, Daphne wasn't alone.

"So you have chosen to study Divination? I commend you on taking such a difficult path" the Professor went on. "Divination is by far the most difficult of the Magical Arts, so I feel the need to warn you all that if you do not possess the Sight, there is very little that I can do for you. Books can only take you so far in this field…" For some unknown reason, everyone looked to Granger. The bushy haired girl was just gaping at the Professor, while Potter and Longbottom were sniggering at her.

"It takes no talent to create funny smells, or loud bangs" the Professor 'smiled' at them, her enlarged eyes scanning the room. "But to gaze into the Future itself? Now that takes real power… And a gift that Fate grants only a few. You there" Professor Trelawney said suddenly, pointing her bony finger at Longbottom. "Is your Grandmother quite well?"

"Um… I think so" Longbottom mumbled, shooting Potter and Granger a confused look.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, my dear" Professor Trelawney said gravely, a look of genuine pity on her face. Longbottom simply blinked at Trelawney, while Granger frowned at her. "This year, we will be delving into the basics of Divination. During this term, we will focus on reading tea leaves. And next term will be devoted to palmistry. You there" Professor Trelawney said suddenly, pointing her bony finger at Parvati Patil this time. "A red haired man has his eyes set on you. Be very cautious…" A red haired man? Is that so? Daphne's stare turned rather grim, while Pansy and Tracey sniggered to each other. Patil and Brown both made some odd sort of squealing noise, while Granger genuinely looked annoyed with Trelawney.

"After the summer break, we will turn to our crystal balls" Professor Trelawney suddenly went on, ignoring the atmosphere in her room. "Ah, yes… I can see it… A nasty bout of flu will strike Hogwarts during February, and I myself will lose my voice. And then by Easter, one of our number will leave us forever." Leave us forever? I think I already know who it is. Daphne once again glared at Patil, Ron would never set his eyes on her. I might claw her face off after this class.

"Merlin, Daph…" Tracey muttered, staring at her friend's dark glare. Ah, yes… I'll scratch that pretty little button nose clean off.

"You there" Professor Trelawney said, pointing her bony finger towards Brown. "Be a dear and pass me that large silver teapot." Brown nodded slowly, and did as she was told. "Thank you, my dear. Oh no… I can see it… That thing that you are dreading, it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October." Brown trembled at the sound of that, while Granger genuinely gaped once again. Merlin, I hope Trelawney doesn't notice me. "Now… Let's read some tea leaves, shall we?"

Harry Potter's POV

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (Just Outside of the Divination Classroom – End of Classes)

"What a load of rubbish" Hermione scoffed, genuinely vexed by the bug-eyed Professor. "Harry, don't listen to her. You're not in any danger. She is clearly a crackpot." Wow. I've never heard Hermione say something like that about a Professor. Not even Snape. "Books can only take you so far…" Hermione scoffed again, and Harry gave her a deadpan look. I see that her anger isn't about my upcoming demise.

"I need to write to my Gran" Neville mumbled, and Hermione shot him a deep frown. "I miss her, that's all."

"You lot can pass us if you want" Harry frowned towards the people trailing him. I can't believe that she prophesized my death from some tea leaves. The Grim… What the hell is the Grim? I've never once come across that 'omen' in my life. And what was that about me having an enemy? Everyone knows about Voldemort's feud with me.

"Keep walking, mate" Dean muttered, and Seamus nodded quickly.

"You're being silly" Hermione told them, but they simply shook their heads.

"She said that you don't have the Gift, so we're not listening to you" Seamus defended himself, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"The Gift… Utter nonsense" Hermione said, her pace quickening. "No resonance with the Future? Me? Nonsense… Utter tripe…"

"At least Parvati had a good time…" Neville mumbled, shooting a look behind them. "She's still giggling to herself about this red haired bloke…"

"While Lavender looks ready to faint…" Harry added, also shooting a look behind them.

"This class is pure rubbish" Hermione snapped, turning the corner way too quickly.

"Ms. Granger, mind your speed" came McGonagall's voice, and they all stopped immediately. "Are you trying to run other people over?"

"Sorry, Professor" Hermione blinked, the old witch had shown up out of nowhere. Harry looked behind him, and he nearly groaned at the fact that everyone had stopped to stare at him. I'm not diseased. Upcoming deaths aren't bloody contagious. "We just had Divination, and I was…"

"Merlin…" Professor McGonagall sighed, and the Trio blinked at her. "Who's going to die this year?"

"Um… Me…" Harry raised his hand, and McGonagall sighed again.

"Mr. Potter, think nothing of Professor Trelawney's warnings" McGonagall told him, and Hermione nodded fervently. "I was expected to die from a variety of diseases by now, and yet here I am."

"So… She can't see the Future?" Parvati piped up.

"She can't" Hermione answered for McGonagall.

"Perhaps she can, and perhaps she cannot" McGonagall told Parvati, who looked thoroughly put off. Harry couldn't help but notice Greengrass' lips twitch upwards, and he wondered what that was about. "My advice is to take her words with a grain of salt." McGonagall then went to move past them, but stopped suddenly. "Actually, take them with the whole salt-shaker." And then, she walked off towards her destination.

"See" Hermione told her classmates. "Utter rubbish."

Ronald Weasley's POV

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (The Hospital Wing – After Classes)

Ron exited Pomfrey's Office with a tired look, they had gotten nowhere. Ron just wanted to talk about anything but his feelings, and so he had spent nearly two hours talking about his Quibbler business. Pomfrey, thankfully, had listened to Ron without complaint. And although she had advised him against putting so much stress on himself, Ron wasn't deterred. It was too late for second thoughts, and Ron knew it. Both Ron and Xeno needed this to work, and neither of them could afford to have doubts.

"Madam Pomfrey, can I please be dismissed?" Ron asked her as she too exited the Office. "I'm feeling much better, and sitting around is genuinely giving me anxiety."

"You look well enough" Pomfrey nodded, noticing that Ron looked much better after moving around. "Take that chocolate bar that you hid under your pillow with you. Oh, and eat it." Whoops. She saw me. Ron made his way over to his bed, and he pocketed the chocolate bar. Not hungry.

"Thanks for taking care of me" Ron said as he began leaving the Hospital Wing.

"I'll see you on Monday, Ronald" Pomfrey said, heading over to make his bed. Ron left the Hospital Wing, but he stopped once he reached the Moving Staircase. Where should I go? Ron thought about heading towards the Sanctuary, but he knew that classes had just ended. He'd definitely run into the Gryffindors if he went up there, and even with the Disillusionment Charm, there was a chance that he'd be spotted.

"Common room it is" Ron said to himself, and then he began making his way down to the Dungeons. It wasn't a long walk, and he was standing in front of the entrance before he knew it. "Dragon's breath" Ron said to the entrance, and it slid open. Ron made his way inside, his eyes darting towards his friends' favorite spot. Taken… Wait… That's the Triumvirate. Clara spotted him, and a smile quickly took over her features.

"Ron, come here please" Clara called to him, and Ron made his way over to them.

"Hello" Ron greeted, his voice more monotone than usual.

"We were waiting for you" Samantha told him, and Ron nodded slowly. Do they need my help? Please say yes. Give me something to do.

"What can I do for you?" Ron asked them, and they all smiled at him. Ron forced on a smile as well, but they noticed how off it looked.

"The first years have been doing well in their classes" Carey stated, and Ron blinked at her. "We wanted to congratulate you."

"I haven't started teaching them yet" Ron admitted.

"No, but whatever you said to them clearly worked" Clara hummed. "Take the compliment, Ron. We're very happy with you."

"I see" Ron nodded slowly. "Thanks."

"Ron, are you alright?" Carey asked, her smile faltering slightly. "Do you still have a fever?" Of course they know about that, nothing that happens in this House gets past them.

"Sort of" Ron replied, and the girls just stared at him.

"Do you want to sit with us?" Clara asked. "It's nice and warm here by the fire, and a girl's touch can be quite healing." Tempting, but I'd rather keep moving around.

"I need to speak with Professor Snape soon" Ron said, deciding to use the Potions Master's invitation as an excuse.

"We understand" Carey smiled gently, her silky voice was rather pleasant on the ears right now. "You shouldn't keep him waiting, Ron. We can sit together some other time."

"Alright" Ron said, and then he began to leave. As he reached the entrance, Samantha caught up to him.

"Mind if I walk down with you?" Samantha asked him, giving him one of her rare smiles.

"Not at all" Ron replied, gesturing her to take the lead.

"I spoke with Professor Babbling recently" Samantha started as they stepped out of the common room. "She was extremely pleased with you, Ron."

"That's good" Ron said, keeping his eyes forward. Runes Class was where it all started.

"She had nothing but praises for you, and I must admit, I was quite happy to hear that" Samantha said, noticing how subdued he looked today. "Were my notes useful?"

"They were" Ron nodded. "Thank you for them."

"Think nothing of it" Samantha said, shooting Ron's expressionless features another look. "Ron, stop for a second." Ron stopped immediately, looking over to Samantha with a calm expression. Samantha suddenly put her hand on his forehead, and then, she pressed her left cheek against his right one. What is she doing? "You're warm, but I don't sense a fever" she said, pulling her face back.

"Pomfrey discharged me" Ron told her.

"You're not feeling overwhelmed with the first years, are you?" Samantha asked, and Ron blinked at her. "Tell me the truth, Ron. None of us want you to burn out, and we really don't want you to land yourself in the Hospital Wing due to exhaustion again."

"The first years are not overwhelming me" Ron replied honestly.

"I want you to come to us if that ever changes, alright?" Samantha said, and Ron decided to nod his agreement.

"I appreciate the concern, Samantha" Ron said, giving her a weak smile. "If anything changes, you'll be the first one to know."

"I'll hold you to that" Samantha smiled again, and then she ran her fingers over his left ear. "Good luck with Professor Snape, try to not land yourself in detention."

"Now that I can't promise" Ron joked, deciding to show her more than his tired expression. Her fingers feel nice.

"Go on" Samantha chuckled, and then they both parted ways. Ron made his way over to Snape's Office, and he knocked on the door rather lightly.

"Come in" came Snape's voice, and Ron entered the Office and shut the door behind himself. "Welcome, Ron. Take a seat."

"You wanted to speak with me, Sir?" Ron asked, taking a seat in front of Snape.

"I did" Snape replied, his eyes clearly analyzing Ron's features. "You're looking better than you were this morning."

"I don't feel better" Ron shrugged, looking around the Office with a dull look. There are a lot of ingredients in here. Doesn't he get sick of just being cooped up in here all day?

"What happened last night?" Snape asked, and Ron looked back to him.

"You know… The Headmaster wasn't so upfront" Ron replied, and Snape just stared at him. "He gave me a cold glass of water before asking me his questions."

"I'm not the Headmaster" Snape pointed out.

"Maybe one day you will be" Ron shrugged again. "Who knows what the Future holds…"

"I… I don't know if you're joking" Snape admitted, the idea of him being the Headmaster was preposterous. "This clearly isn't working, so I'll just come out and say it… The Headmaster asked me to leave you alone because he wants you to come to some realization yourself. But I've elected to ignore his order…"

"Why?" Ron asked, a bit of curiosity sparking to life in his brain.

"I've been at the edge of the abyss before… And there was no one there to pull me back" Snape replied, and Ron nodded slowly. "I don't want that for you."

"Are you afraid of losing me, or my power?" Ron asked, he knew that Snape wasn't just a good soul.

"Your power is valuable, but only because it's you who possesses it" Snape replied, and Ron was rather taken aback. "I imagine that if one of your friends possessed your gift, they'd abuse it for their own gain. And if some average Gryffindor possessed it, they'd run headfirst into their own death. Your strategic mind focuses on caution and preparedness, and that has kept you alive. And your personal values have placed you on our side. So I won't just sit by while you struggle with the darkness, and if I can, I'll even help you. Even if that means just listening."

"I see…" Ron nodded slowly, was this really Snape in front of him? "I… I can't bring myself to feel guilty about hurting Hermione… I know that I should, but I just don't. I just feel… empty."

"Have you eaten today?" Snape asked.

"Not that sort of empty" Ron frowned, wondering if Snape was an idiot.

"Your brain is exhausted, Ron" Snape told him. "Your lethargic state is no doubt induced by your hunger, and your inability to think properly is tied to it as well."

"I'm not hungry" Ron said, he really wasn't. I feel like I'll just throw up if I eat something.

"You are, but the pain you went through last night is making you believe that you aren't" Snape said, he had seen this before.

"How do you know that?" Ron asked, and Snape just stared at him for a few seconds. Um… Staring contest?

"The Dark Lord once used the Cruciatus Curse on me…" Snape whispered coldly, his expression unreadable. "I didn't eat for over three days. If it wasn't for Lucius, I would've starved myself to death." Oh…

"Why did he do that?" Ron couldn't help but ask.

"Fear was his weapon, and occasionally, he enjoyed showing us just how much power he held over us" Snape replied.

"Why would you follow a man like that?" Ron asked, staring at Snape with a baffled expression.

"Like I said… I've been at the edge of the abyss before, and unlike you, I took the plunge" Snape replied. I want to ask him about his story, but I really don't want to overstep with him. "You enjoyed The Pond's food, didn't you?"

"I did" Ron nodded, he had been there a few times now. But my first time was with Snape.

"I'll order us food" Snape said, and Ron simply stared at him.

Thirty Minutes Later

Snape had sent out a House-Elf to fetch the food, and it had returned within ten minutes. Ron had trouble starting his meal, but once he got going, he even ate Snape's sides. Snape, thankfully, was patient enough to let Ron eat in peace, and he had even asked Ron about his plans about The Quibbler. Ron had told him of Priscilla and Victor, and about his unfortunate trip into Knockturn Alley. Ron had even told him about his mother's fury, and about his father's understanding nature. Snape was rather surprised to hear that Arthur Weasley had stood up to his wife like that.

"That was good" Ron admitted, cleaning his lips with a napkin. "A bit spicy, but still really good. Thank you, Sir."

"Think nothing of it" Snape said, hiding his shock at Ron's appetite. It was a quite the sight upfront, the boy had consumed not only his own meal and dessert, but most of Snape's as well. "You'll most likely feel even more tired soon, and I recommend that you call it an early night tonight."

"I will" Ron nodded.

"Now let's talk about what happened last night" Snape said, and Ron gave a reluctant nod. He fed me out of his own pocket, the least I can do is to show him some respect. "Why did the Entity attack you?"

"It… It claimed that it was trying to help me" Ron replied, and Snape blinked at him.

"Help you?" Snape asked, clearly as shocked as Ron himself.

"Yeah" Ron chuckled mirthlessly. "Apparently I neglected my brain-damage to the point of it becoming critical, and in some insane attempt to heal me, it nearly tore my mind apart." I can't tell him that the Entity had to break out of the barrier in order to heal me, which resulted in my pain. Hell, I'm not even sure that I believe it. "It mentioned something about damaging my subconscious in the process, but I don't know what that means."

"You spoke with it?" Snape asked, and Ron nodded.

"Do you mind telling me what happened in Dumbledore's Office?" Ron asked. "I don't really remember much after I attacked Hermione…"

"It was… It was rather disturbing" Snape admitted, he had barely slept last night because he kept hearing that demon's voice. "You were… possessed… And the Entity, it wanted to be let out." Let out? Was it referring to me? Or to the barrier? "I heard its voice, and by Merlin, I've never been so…" Snape trailed off.

"Terrified?" Ron asked, but Snape didn't respond. "Yeah… There are nights when I can't even sleep. During the end of the last school year, when it was coming after me constantly, I pretty much got addicted to drinking the Calming Draught. I couldn't even sit in class without taking my dose…"

"Right…" Snape nodded, unable to stop himself from pitying the boy.

"Did you have to stun me?" Ron asked.

"No… Albus didn't want to hurt you" Snape replied, and Ron nodded slowly. He also spent the entire night by my bed. "We held you down and drugged you instead, it was the only way to help you. That's when we noticed Granger, and while Albus healed her and removed her memories, I ran around the castle in an effort to wipe out any evidence of your evening stroll."

"Ha, evening stroll" Ron chuckled tiredly. That's one way to say it.

"You left quite the mess in your friends' dorm" Snape said, wondering what the boy was doing in the girls' dorms.

"Sorry about that" Ron said, though he wasn't really sorry. "Thank you for covering for me like that, I owe you one. So… The Headmaster really removed Hermione's memories?"

"He did" Snape nodded. "We had little choice, she had seen you… And the Entity."

"How did she see the Entity?" Ron couldn't help but ask.

"Your eyes… They changed…" Snape replied, thinking back to Granger's memories. Changed?

"They looked like toad-eyes?" Ron asked quickly, and Snape nodded once again. "Fuck me… I remember my voice changing, but I had no idea about my eyes…" Is that why the Entity was so knackered? It used every ounce of its strength to try and break through? Fate no doubt left behind some sort of protection in order to stop it from possessing me completely, and maybe the Entity got fucked over in the process as well. It did say that it was hurt.

"Ronald?" Snape called, and Ron broke out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, Sir" Ron apologized. "I just… I don't even know what to think anymore. One minute I was fine, and the next, I was screaming throughout the castle. And then, I was trying to kill a classmate… And said classmate, by the way, is walking around like nothing happened last night. I just… I can't deal with all of this… How am I even supposed to look at her? What am I supposed to do?"

"And you still don't feel guilty about attacking Granger?" Snape asked.

"It's… complicated" Ron sighed, trying to work his way through his thoughts. "I know that what I did was wrong, and I know that I nearly killed a person… But I can understand why I did what I did, and that makes it more bearable… Too bearable… I should be feeling guilty, I should be screaming for punishment… But I just don't care… It's fucked."

"I understand" Snape said, he knew all too well what Ron was feeling right now.

"You do?" Ron blinked, and Snape nodded slowly. "I see…" Who the fuck did he nearly kill? "How did you deal with it?"

"I didn't" Snape replied. "I simply… moved on." Moved on? How? "And like you, I understood why I did what I did. The man I killed… My first kill… He was a drunk, and a cruel beast of a man… One that delighted in abusing his Family at every turn… He deserved what he got." He killed someone?! Ron just sat there, his eyes fixed on Snape.

"You killed a person?" Ron whispered.

"I was a Death-Eater, Ronald" Snape replied, deciding to not hold back on the boy. "I've killed many people… And once I became Albus' man, I killed many more from the shadows."

"Merlin…" Ron mumbled, he was dining with a killer. "I had… I had no idea…"

"Yes, you did" Snape told him, and Ron blinked. "You're no fool… You knew that I had spilt blood the moment you found out about my past. You just never gave it any thought because it was easier not to. Just like it is easy to come up with a reason for your actions. You don't feel any guilt for nearly killing Granger because you know that once you let yourself feel it, you'll become undone. So you bottle it up, and you move on."

"Is that your advice?" Ron asked. "Just move on… Pretend like I didn't dash her head against a wall, or try to strangle the life out of her unconscious body?"

"For now, yes" Snape nodded, and Ron couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. "A war is looming over us all, and by the end of it, all of our hands will be covered in blood. Including Granger's… You can't break down now, you don't have that luxury. Albus doesn't have that luxury. I don't have that luxury. Listen to me, Ron" Snape said firmly, his eyes locking onto Ron's. "Albus and I both know that you have some vital role to play in the war to come, and judging by everything that I've seen so far, some otherworldly force believes so too. You need to keep yourself together. And if you can't do that for yourself, then do it for your loved ones."

"Is this what it's going to be like?" Ron asked. "This war? We just kill one another and not give a damn?"

"You win the war, and then you grieve" Snape replied, and Ron rubbed his face with his hands. Merlin help us all. "I know that no thirteen year old should hear such a thing, but you're not just some thirteen year old. You've been in this since you were eight, those were your words. It's about time that you come face to face with the reality of what's to come. Granger… She was just one mistake… You'll make many more, and if you spend months torturing yourself over your mistakes, then you'll die somewhere along the way. And all of this will start again."

"I… I can understand where you're coming from…" Ron said, looking down at the empty plates. "You don't want me to throw the game just because I lost a knight…" Snape blinked at him, wondering if the boy was using Chess to make more sense out of his situation.

"In a manner of speaking, yes" Snape nodded, and Ron looked back up.

"I'll try to… move on…" Ron said, and then he stood up. "Thank you for dinner, Sir."

"My door is always open, Ron" Snape said. "You are not alone. Albus and I will be right by your side."

"The Headmaster…" Ron muttered, coming to a decision. "I need to speak to him." I need to tell him that I understand now why he used Xeno, and why he Obliviated him. He was doing what I was doing last night… Protecting the Future.

"He should be in his Office right now" Snape said, and Ron nodded. "You may use my fireplace."

"Thank you" Ron said, moving over to the fireplace. Ron then took a pinch of Floo-Powder, and he cast it into the flames. "The Headmaster's Office" Ron called, and once the flames roared to life, Ron stepped through them. As he stepped into the Headmaster's Office, he couldn't help but notice how much warmer this Office was compared to Snape's.

"Ronald?" came Dumbledore's voice, and Ron looked to find the old wizard sitting behind his clawed desk. "You should be resting in the Hospital Wing."

"I couldn't sit around" Ron said, walking over to the desk. "I felt like I was drowning…" Ron then heard a soft shrill, and then Fawkes flew down onto his right shoulder. "Um… Hello, Fawkes." The Phoenix nipped at his right ear, and Ron took that as his greeting. "May I sit, Headmaster?"

"Of course" Dumbledore smiled kindly, gesturing to a seat. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shite" Ron replied, and Dumbledore chuckled.

"Language, Ronald…" Dumbledore 'scolded', his eyes twinkling brightly.

"I've spent the whole day in my own head, and truth be told, it wasn't a fun experience" Ron said, relaxing into his chair. "But it did help me come to a realization."

"And what realization is that?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm a hypocrite…" Ron replied, and Dumbledore blinked at him. "Last night, I found myself in a situation that threatened to undo all of my work. And my response was violence… It just happened. There were no second thoughts, no desire to be better… I saw a potential threat, and I acted immediately. And you know what? I don't feel any guilt over it."

"You don't?" Dumbledore asked, giving Ron all of his attention.

"Not really" Ron admitted. "It's fucked up, but that's just how it is. I… I can't let myself feel it, not yet." Snape's right. I can't spend the entire year hiding from Hermione. "The Future is what matters, and if anyone gets in the way of my vision for it, then I won't hold back on them. But saying that… I have to apologize to you."

"Apologize to me?" Dumbledore asked.

"Your actions in Albania" Ron started, and Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I won't pretend like I appreciate them, because I really don't. But I think I can understand them a little better now. To you, Xeno isn't all that important. And with his help, you were able to track down the Dark Lord. And as for Obliviating him… Your goal was to stop mass panic from breaking out. Xeno would no doubt be locked up forever if he used the Dark Lord as an excuse. You did what you had to, and I had no right to throw a tantrum at you."

"That is rather mature of you, Ronald" Dumbledore smiled kindly, though he wasn't sure that he liked the sound of Ron's plans for the people who'd no doubt get in his way.

"Not really" Ron shrugged. "It was incredibly childish of me to throw that tantrum, especially after what you had just gone through."

"I accept your apology" Dumbledore said, and Ron gave him a firm nod. "And let me apologize to you as well. I shouldn't have broken my promise to you, not after the risk you took in telling Severus and I the truth."

"Apology accepted" Ron said, and he meant it. "Friends?"

"Friends" Dumbledore chuckled, glad to see that the boy was at least trying to get back to normal. There is still one question on my mind.

"Just one thing…" Ron started, and Dumbledore listened keenly. "Why go after the Dark Lord? If there is some Prophecy that claims Harry to be the only one who can destroy You-Know-Who, then why go after him yourself?"

"Prophecies are tricky things, Ronald" Dumbledore replied. "They are often self-fulfilling, and when they are not, then people make them happen simply because they exist." What? I don't get it. "Take the Prophecy regarding Harry as an example. Lord Voldemort is the one who marked Harry himself because he feared Harry to be someone who could one day challenge him. But if he hadn't heard the Prophecy, he would not have attacked Harry's Family."

"He created his own nemesis?" Ron asked, and Dumbledore nodded. "What does that have to do with you going to Albania?"

"I planned to capture Lord Voldemort in his weakened state, and then have Harry destroy him" Dumbledore replied.

"That would fulfil the Prophecy…" Ron realized, and Dumbledore smiled at him. "Can it really work like that?"

"The Prophecy says nothing about how the Dark Lord will fall, just that Harry is the one who will do it" Dumbledore replied, and Ron nodded slowly. "In hindsight, my plan was riddled with flaws because it was born out of fear and desperation." Fear and desperation?

"It's hard to imagine you in such a state" Ron said, and Dumbledore chuckled heartily.

"I am merely a man, Ronald" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling like two distant stars. "I am not above making mistakes, and I fear that my mistakes often shake the World down to its core."

"Well, you are the most powerful wizard alive" Ron said. "It's only fair that when you fuck up, you fuck up royally."

"Your language is something that I will have Severus fix" Dumbledore joked, making Ron smile a bit. "Care to play a game of Chess with me?"

"Chess?" Ron asked, taken aback by the request.

"I think it'll do us both some good" Dumbledore replied, conjuring his board out of thin air.

"How about you teach me the basics of Conjuration Magic instead?" Ron asked, and Dumbledore chuckled once again. I was being serious. Teach me Spells, old man.

"How about Friday next week?" Dumbledore asked, and Ron nodded immediately. I'll take it.

"I won't hold back on you just because you're five hundred years old" Ron smirked.

"Oh Ronald… I wouldn't dream of you doing such a thing" Dumbledore retorted, his calm smile sending alerts throughout Ron's head.

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (Outside Dumbledore's Office – Dinnertime)

"You cheated, and I know it" Ron frowned as he stepped past the stone gargoyle, and he heard Dumbledore chuckle from behind him. "That bird of yours was giving away my moves…" Damn, I really underestimated him. He didn't waste any time trapping my king. I'll be more patient next time, and I'll keep my eyes peeled whenever one his pieces are 'in danger'.

"Fawkes is far too honorable to do that" Dumbledore said. The dinner bell had just sounded, which meant that the student-body was already in the Great Hall. They had both lost track of time, and in a way, Ron was grateful for the distraction.

"Shite…" Ron muttered under his breath, his eyes looking around the familiar hallway. This is where it happened. Ron looked to his left, his eyes falling on the spot where he had dashed Hermione's head. It's clean. Not a speck of blood, or evidence. He could feel his breathing weaken, and judging from his fidgety fingers, he was about to spiral into a panic attack.

"Ronald, let's go" Dumbledore said, ushering the tall boy forward. "Lingering here will not help you."

"Right…" Ron swallowed, and then he took in a deep breath. I can't describe this feeling…

"Everyone is entitled to a few mistakes, Ronald" Dumbledore said gently, his hand still on Ron's back. "Otherwise, none of us would ever learn a thing. Don't let the past determine the road ahead." Right. Right. Don't look back, keep your eyes forward.

They both made their way down the Moving Staircase, and Ron couldn't help but remember his 'visions'. Should I tell him about what I saw? I should, but after I've recollected everything. I truly saw some weird shite. As they neared the Great Hall, Ron could hear the happy chatter emanating from inside. Ron suddenly felt an odd sense of dread fill his veins, as if he was a condemned criminal stepping into the light.

"Steady, my boy" came Dumbledore's voice, and Ron looked to him. "We mustn't give anything away… That is our burden."

"I'll be fine" Ron said, somehow managing to steel his expression. They both walked inside at that, and Ron quickly broke away from Dumbledore in order to go towards the Slytherin table. He could tell that the Golden Trio were staring at him, just like most of the other students. Yes, I came in with Dumbledore. Now fuck off back to your meals. Ron walked over behind the girls, hoping to sit with them so that his back would be facing the Golden Trio.

"Can I sit here tonight?" Ron asked Tracey, who just blinked at him.

"Sure, I'll move over" Tracey said, stepping out of her seat. Ron quickly sat down between Pansy and Daphne, while Tracey moved around the table to go and sit with the boys. There. Now I don't have to see her.

"I see how it is" Theo feigned hurt, while Blaise just shook his head slowly.

"I like this arrangement better" Pansy smirked at the boys, and then she clung to Ron's left arm. "It's my new perfume, isn't it Ron? You smelled it, and it brought you straight to me." New perfume? Ron leaned over and sniffed her, and then he nodded his approval.

"It is a nice scent" Ron admitted, while Pansy smiled in a rather arrogant manner.

"Why were you with Dumbledore?" Millie asked as Ron made himself a small plate.

"We were playing Chess" Ron replied.

"Who won?" Tracey asked.

"Dumbledore" Theo and Blaise said together, and Ron nodded.

"So he's better than you?" Daphne asked, and Ron nodded again.

"Yes, he is" Ron replied, he knew what game she was playing. And judging by her slight pout, he had clearly thrown a wrench through it. Maybe I was a little cruel to her, but I'm not going to apologize. She needs to learn that she isn't some special snowflake, and that if she lazes about, other people will pass her.

"How was your free period?" Ron asked Theo, Blaise, and Millie.

"Boring" Blaise replied.

"We went to the Sanctuary in order to laze about" Theo shrugged.

"They lazed about, I actually practiced with the dummies" Millie said, and Ron shot her a smile. Why can't they be a little more like her?

"Good on you, Mills" Ron said, beginning his meal.

"You're not hungry?" Daphne couldn't help but ask. "You should eat a little more, Ron. Otherwise you'll get sick again." Ron looked to her, but she was just staring at his meager plate.

"Alright" Ron said, stealing a baked spud from her plate.

"Wow…" Daphne frowned slightly, her eyes fixed on his. "The spuds are right there, Ron. Give me my spud back."

"Nah…" Ron said, while the others sniggered. "I like your spuds." Ha! I bet no one got that joke.

"They are nice spuds" Theo smirked, and Tracey smacked him instantly. "What? They are!" Whoops. Daphne was just giving Ron the most deadpan look that he had ever received, while Pansy and Millie were stifling their laughs.

"Thank you" Daphne said, going back to her dinner. Ron genuinely laughed at her response, he had been certain that she was going to yank his ear off.

"As riveting as this conversation is" Blaise said, a slight smile on his face. "I just think that you should know that Potter keeps looking over at you." I see.

"By the way, good job on shutting him down today" Theo smirked.

"Shutting him down?" Pansy asked, giving Ron a curious look.

"It happened after you three left" Millie told the girls. "Potter came in asking for Ron's help about Granger being in a mood, and Ron simply shut him down."

"I didn't shut him down" Ron corrected them. I just really didn't want to deal with their problems. I have my own right now. "I asked Hermione if she wanted me to look into her 'Slytherin problem', and she said no. So that was that."

"Well, you did the right thing" Daphne nodded her approval. "The last thing we need is Potter and Longbottom finding a reason to come after Blaise. We don't need that kind of attention, especially considering that we're all a part of your study group now." The study group? Oh fuck, I forgot about it. Damnit… What the fuck do I do now? Should I kick Hermione out? I really don't want to be near her.

"And he's looking over again" Tracey sighed, and then she shot Harry a frown.

"Is he angry with you for denying his request?" Pansy asked.

"No… He's probably wondering why I came in with Dumbledore" Ron replied, concentrating on his food. "He has some issue with people spending time with the old man."

"Alright then" Theo shook his head.

"Just do me a favor" Ron started. "Once dinner ends, let's rush down to the common room. I really don't want to talk to them." The last thing I want is to have damn panic attack in the middle of the Great Hall.

Thursday 3rd September, 1993 (Slytherin Common Room – After Dinner)

"I can't believe that we ran away from the Trio like that" Daphne frowned deeply as they entered the common room. "A Greengrass running away from… peasants… My father would be ashamed of me."

"We didn't run…" Theo quickly corrected her. "We just walked faster than usual…"

"Ron was right, they made a damn beeline for him after the bell rang" Blaise sighed, and then he began heading towards their spot. Everyone followed after him, while Ron lingered behind. So much for keeping it together. Fuck me, how Snape and Dumbledore do it? Neither of them looked out of the ordinary tonight.

"Ron, are you coming?" Tracey asked, shooting him a look.

"Yeah…" Ron shook his head clear, and then he joined his friends.

"Ron, what was the point of avoiding them like that?" Millie asked. "They're going to be there at the study group tomorrow, so you can't really avoid them." No, but I can ignore them.

"Mate, what's really going on with you?" Blaise asked. Fuck me, it's like I'm friends with the Aurors Department. Constant interrogation.

"I just can't be bothered with their problems right now" Ron replied, and his friend just stared at him. "What? I can't get sick of being pestered, is that it?"

"No one said that" Daphne blinked at him. "Ron, what's the matter with you?" Why was he being so passive-aggressive?

"I need some air" Ron said, standing back up. Merlin, I just want to crawl into a hole and sleep.

"Ron…" his friends all called, but Ron ignored them as he made his way towards the boys' dorms.

"Ron!" came a girl's voice, and Ron looked over to see Lysandra Yaxley waving at him. She was sitting with the first years, but there seemed to be some tension between them. A distraction!

"Hello, you lot" Ron walked over to them, and they greeted him back. Tori quickly hopped onto her feet and hugged his middle, digging her face into his chest. That feels nice. "How are all of you?" Ron asked, putting his arms around Tori's little body.

"We're doing great" Tori mumbled into his chest. "You smell nice."

"Things could be better" Derek Smith shrugged, a cupcake in his chubby hand.

"Everything would be fine if John had a spine" Sebastian Cunningham said, shooting a frown towards Johnathon Fawley.

"Piss off" John frowned back.

"What's this?" Ron asked, looking towards the girls. Is Tori ever going to let me go? I hope not. It feels nice to be hugged like this.

"Fawley is afraid of the Hufflepuffs" one of the Carrow twins said.

"And we had to rush out of the Great Hall… again" the other Carrow twin said. Tori told me about this yesterday. Bloody hell, it feels like ages ago for some reason.

"Mate?" Ron looked to John, who was just fidgeting with his hands.

"Cedric knew my older brother" John sighed. "And at my brother's request, he's been hounding me everywhere. I don't want to talk to him, that's all." Diggory doesn't exactly strike me as a 'hounding individual'.

"I see" Ron nodded. I should do something about this, right? Yeah, let's just deal with simple issues like this. "How about you and I speak with Diggory tomorrow? At breakfast?"

"What? Why?" John asked.

"Running away from him isn't going to solve anything" Ron replied. Wait… Isn't that what I'm doing? Ugh… Fuck it. I'm a hypocrite, might as well own it. Plus, his problems are trivial when compared to mine. "Or you can go back to being 'hounded' everywhere that you go. Diggory doesn't strike me as a person who gives up."

"What would I even say?" John asked, while the others rolled their eyes.

"Listen to what he has to say, and then think of an appropriate response" Ron replied. "And if you can't think of one, I'll take over. Is that fair?"

"Fine…" John groaned.

"Good man" Ron nodded, and then he looked to the others. "Any other issues?"

"First years aren't allowed to join the Slytherin Quidditch Team" Sebastian replied, and Ron nodded slowly.

"That's just Hogwarts tradition" Mathew Roberts said, but Sebastian scoffed.

"Tell that to Harry Potter" Sebastian shot back. "What else are we supposed to do for exercise?"

"There's always the Dueling Club" Tori said, finally letting go of Ron. No…

"That won't start for over a month" Sebastian whined.

"You know that you can fly your broom around whenever you want, right?" Ron asked.

"I wasn't allowed to bring my broom with me" Sebastian replied.

"I have a Nimbus 2000" Ron shrugged. "Do you want to borrow it?"

"Can I?" Sebastian blinked, genuinely surprised by Ron's generosity. It's not like I fly it around. Don't have the time for such nonsense.

"Sure" Ron replied, and Sebastian just stared at him in awe. "I'll give it to you tomorrow. Anything else?"

"I could use a massage" Lysandra replied, and Ron blinked at her. "You look like you have strong hands…" Is she…? Is she flirting with me? Or is her mind as damaged as Pansy's?

"Derek, give her a massage" Ron ordered, and the chubby boy gaped at him.

"Aw…" Lysandra whined, but then she shot Ron a smile. "Thanks for the hairbrush by the way, it was really sweet of you." Marty came through. Of course he did, that Elf is a God amongst his kind.

"Like I said, I'm here to help you all" Ron smiled back at her, he really didn't like the way she was looking him over. "Which brings me to this… I run a study group filled with people from all the Houses. It runs tomorrow after classes, and I expect you all to be there."

"What?" Lysandra blinked.

"I thought that Sunday was our study day" Sebastian said.

"We're at school" Mathew rolled his eyes. "Every day is our study day."

"If you all come down to my study group and behave, I'll take you guys to the Black Lake on Sunday" Ron told them. "Where I will teach you to blow things up. How's that?"

"You'll teach us Magic?" the Carrow twins asked together, and Ron gave them a nod.

"We're in" Mathew quickly spoke for the group.

"Good" Ron said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then. And John, I'll see you at breakfast."

"Right…" John mumbled. Ron then left the first years and headed towards his room, eager to call it a night.

"Ron, wait up" came Daphne's voice, and Ron nearly screamed.

"Yes?" Ron smiled as he turned to face her. More questions?!

"Can we talk for a second?" Daphne asked.

"Sure, come right in" Ron said, gesturing towards his room. Daphne cocked an eyebrow at him, and then she walked into the room. Ron followed after her, and he locked the door behind himself. "What can I do for you, Daphne?"

"Actually… The others sent me here" Daphne admitted, and Ron waited for her to go on. "You're acting odd, Ron."

"Am I?" Ron asked, and Daphne nodded.

"You forget that we spend pretty much every moment by your side" Daphne told him. "It's not hard to notice when you're acting strange. Do you want to tell me what's got you bothered?"

"Not really" Ron sighed, there was no point in acting stupid. She's too intelligent for that act.

"Alright" Daphne nodded, deciding to not push him.

"Right… So how was Divination?" Ron asked, trying to change the subject.

"It was… strange" Daphne replied. "Professor Trelawney is quite… Hmm, what's the word? Oh that's right… Insane." Insane?

"I'm not even surprised" Ron shook his head. "Dumbledore loves hiring crazy people…" Wait… Sybill Trelawney? The woman who knows about the Prophecy? Why the fuck would they tell her? No, they would never tell her. She must've made the Prophecy. She's a Divination Professor, after all. I'll ask Snape about this. Just to be sure.

"Ron?" Daphne called, and he blinked at her. "You zoned out on me…"

"Sorry" Ron apologized. "I've got a lot on my mind."

"Are you sure that you don't want to talk about it?" Daphne asked, and Ron nodded. "Alright… Like I was saying… What do you think of Parvati Patil?" What?

"Um… She's alright" Ron said slowly, reading Daphne's face carefully. Damn Ice-Queen persona, I can't get a read on her.

"She's the prettiest girl in class, don't you think?" Daphne asked. IT'S A TRAP! She's trying to trap you, Ron.

"Not to me" Ron replied, and Daphne's lips twitched upwards. Safe!

"Good answer…" Daphne said, and then she made to leave.

"That's it?" Ron asked.

"I just came here because the others asked me to talk to you" Daphne replied. "And you were horrible to me today, Ron. I'm not going to just forget that."

"I wasn't horrible to you" Ron said, resisting the urge to frown. "You know what, Daphne? You always tell it to me like it is, so I'll pay you that same respect. Saying things like 'it happens' won't make your problems go away. If anything, it makes you sound incredibly conceited, and personally, I don't like people like that. Nobody likes people like that. I'm not upset that you lost to Hermione, why would I be? It's your attitude that vexed me, and you're still doing it. So don't expect me to apologize to you, not this time. Goodnight." Daphne just blinked at him, and then she stormed out of the room.

"Fuck me…" Ron muttered, shutting the door. "I wish I could just say that 'it happens', and then simply move on…"

Friday 4th September, 1993 (The Great Hall – Breakfast)

"It'll be fine" Ron assured John, who was looking more and more fidgety. They were currently walking over to the Hufflepuff table in the hopes of talking to Diggory.

"I don't know about this…" John whined. "I haven't told my parents yet… I haven't told anyone…"

"Which is probably why your brother asked Diggory to check up on you" Ron said. "He's a good bloke, John. He's not going to do whatever you think that he's going to do." Diggory spotted them at that, and he's eyes were immediately fixed on John. Diggory then got out of his chair and walked right up to them, a weak smile on his handsome face. "Hello, Diggory" Ron greeted him.

"Hi" Diggory greeted back, still looking at John. "I've been trying to talk to you for ages, John."

"Hi, Cedric" John said, his tone less than enthusiastic. I'm guessing that they know each other.

"How are you, mate?" Diggory asked John. "Are you… Are you doing well?"

"I am" John nodded weakly. Ugh… Enough with the angst.

"John here has been dreading his conversation with you" Ron jumped in, and Diggory looked to him. "He thinks that you're going to shame him for being sorted into Slytherin instead of Hufflepuff…"

"I would never do that" Diggory said quickly, shooting John a hurt look. By Merlin… He's handsome even when he's hurt.

"Which is what I told him" Ron said. "Look… He's trying his best to adjust to his… confusing… sorting, so if you could please just show him some support, he'd be really grateful."

"Anything" Diggory said, shooting John a smile. "John… Your brother was one of my best mates, and I stayed at your house more than once. I've just been worried about you, that's all. Now I might've taken things a little too far, but it's because you kept avoiding me so openly. I was worried that someone was twisting your arm."

"It's not like that" John quickly assured Diggory. "I'm just panicking a little…"

"About your Family?" Diggory asked, and John nodded. "Well, your brother already knows. And he really doesn't care."

"You told him?" John blinked, and Diggory nodded.

"He doesn't care, and neither will your parents" Diggory replied. "They just want to know if you're doing well, nothing more. Just send them a letter… Your brother has been bombarding me, constantly asking me to keep you under my eye."

"There's no need for that" Ron jumped in. "I've been where he is now, and I'm helping him through it."

"He is" John said, and Diggory flashed Ron a grateful smile.

"He's going to be just fine, I promise" Ron swore. "And he'll send that letter as well."

"I… I will" John nodded, and Diggory looked genuinely relieved.

"Slytherin is just a House, and at the end of the day, we're all students of Hogwarts" Diggory told John. "Don't ever feel like you're not welcome with the Hufflepuffs, because you are." His first line was rather inspiring. I might steal that.

"Thanks, Cedric" John smiled a little more fully.

"Yay, happy ending" Ron joked, earning a chuckle out of the two boys. "Thanks, Diggory. I appreciate you being so understanding. He's been nothing but nerves, and with this, he can finally start enjoying Hogwarts."

"It's no worries, and please, call me Cedric" Cedric smiled, and Ron couldn't help but smile back.

"Damn… You're one handsome bloke…" Ron said, genuinely meaning it.

"Thanks" Ceric chuckled, while John blinked at Ron.

"You've heard of my study group, right?" Ron asked, and Cedric nodded.

"Everyone's heard of it" Cedric replied with a bright smile.

"Why don't you and your friends join us?" Ron asked. "It would mean a lot to Justin and the other Hufflepuffs."

"Um… Sure" Cedric nodded slowly, it wouldn't hurt to show the other Hufflepuffs some support. "After classes today?"

"That's right" Ron smiled. "John and I will see you there."

"Alright" Cedric nodded. "I'll see you there then." And with that, Cedric left for his table.

"There, it all worked out" Ron said to John.

"For both of us" John noted, his blue eyes fixed on Ron. He saw through that? Clever lad.

"Rule number one, John" Ron started, both of them walking back to the Slytherin table. "A Slytherin uses any means to get ahead. Be it a conversation, a confrontation, or even just a passing look. You always work to make your goals happen, that's how you win."

"And your study group is some sort of… ploy?" John asked.

"Not really" Ron replied. "It is a genuine group that I'm using to promote House Unity, because Cedric was right. We're all just students of Hogwarts in the end, and being divided doesn't help anyone. The fact that my group is actually working proves that point."

"But you get the laurels" John said, and Ron smirked.

"See, you were meant to be in Slytherin" Ron patted John's back, and John smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Ron" John said. "You've been really great during this week…"

"Ron, do you have a minute?" came Harry's voice, and both Ron and John stopped. Harry quickly approached them, followed by his shadows. For fucks sake!

"Hello" Ron greeted them, keeping his eyes away from Hermione. I can't even have breakfast without them showing up. "This is John Fawley, a first year Slytherin. John, these are…"

"You're Harry Potter" John muttered, staring right at Harry.

"Um… Yeah…" Harry 'smiled', he was clearly uncomfortable at meeting another fan. "Nice to meet you, John Fawley."

"That's me…" John mumbled, a smile creeping onto his face. Oh look, Harry has another fangirl.

"Ron, can we talk to you?" Hermione asked. "In private?" She always fucking says that.

"I'm actually spending some time with the first years…" Ron replied, smiling at John. Go away. Go away. Go away.

"I just wanted ask about Dumbledore…" Harry started, and Ron looked him dead in the eyes.

"We played Chess together, he beat me, and then we walked down here together" Ron said, fighting the urge to smack Harry around the Great Hall. Jealous cur!

"Right…" Neville said slowly, giving Ron a guarded look.

"You guys play a lot Chess, huh?" Harry asked, looking rather subdued.

"You play with the Headmaster himself?" John asked, gaping at Ron. "Like Dumbledore… You play Chess with him? Like an equal?" Thank you for making this worse, John. Superb job. Do you want a gold star? Or perhaps a black eye?

"Ron, everything alright?" came Blaise's voice, and Ron nearly swooned.

"Yeah, John and I were just about to join you guys" Ron said, ushering John to move. "I'll see you three later." With that, Ron moved past the Trio and joined Blaise. "Nice timing" Ron whispered.

"Figured that you needed rescuing" Blaise whispered back.

"John, why don't you rejoin your mates?" Ron suggested, and John nodded slowly before breaking away from them.

"What did they want?" Blaise asked.

"Same fucking thing I told you about" Ron shook his head. "Harry wanted to know why he doesn't get to impale himself on Dumbledore's wrinkly cock."

"Merlin…" Blaise shuddered. "Too vivid…"

"Whatever…"

Friday 4th September, 1993 (Potions Classroom – After Breakfast)

"Maybe you shouldn't have come, Ron" Tracey whispered to him, while Ron averted his gaze from Snape's.

"I don't want to sit around…" Ron whispered back, looking up to see black eyes digging for his soul. Oh Merlin.

"You've been acting really off ever since you got sick" Tracey whispered. "Ron, you're starting to worry me."

"It's all fine" Ron whispered back.

"Do you two want to give the lecture?" Snape asked them, glaring right at Ron. "You certainly enjoy talking, so why don't you come up here and give the lecture."

"I mean… If that's what you want…" Ron muttered, making multiple people snigger. Snape grabbed a piece of chalk and hurled it at Ron, hitting him on the right side of his forehead. Ow. Even the Gryffindors sniggered at that, while Tracey slowly shifted away from him.

"Silence!" Snape hissed, utterly vexed by how stubborn Ron was. Motherfucker has the aim of a Professional Quidditch Chaser.

One Hour Later

"Tracey, can you pass me the Newt eyes?" Ron asked, and he waited. And he waited. And he waited. "Trace, the eyes?" Ron looked to her, but she was eyeing the Golden Trio. "Sweetheart, are you done gazing at Neville's crotch?"

"What?" Tracey looked to him, and he frowned at her.

"Pass me the eyes" Ron ordered.

"Oh… Sorry" Tracey shook her head clear, and then she passed him the eyes. Ron quickly added them to the Potion and began stirring, hoping to Merlin that he didn't wait too long. "I keep noticing them looking at you. Especially Granger… Ron, what happened with them this morning?"

"Nothing happened" Ron replied. "They once again decided to throw their bloody problems at my feet… It's always the same. Never do they come to me for just a simple chat. No… They just come over to complain, or to beg…"

"Alright" Tracey said slowly, shooting a look behind her to see Daphne and Pansy. "And what's wrong with you and Daphne?"

"Crush the snake fangs, please" Ron said, waving his wand over the Potion.

"Well?" Tracey asked, doing as she was told. "I think I heard her crying last night."

"What?" Ron looked to Tracey.

"That was a lie" Tracey smirked, and Ron clenched his jaw. "So you said something mean to her again, didn't you?"

"I… No, I didn't" Ron looked back to the Potion. "I simply told her that I didn't like her attitude when it came to losing."

"Ohhh, not a smart move" Tracey clicked her tongue. "She hates losing more than anything, so you definitely hit a nerve with her."

"If she hates losing, then shouldn't she work to be better?" Ron asked.

"If only human beings were so simple" Tracey sighed, passing Ron the crushed fangs.

"Sometimes, simple is what's best" Ron shrugged. "I'm sick of 'complicated' people…"

"That's rich coming from you" Tracey chuckled. Is it? Maybe I'm sick of not being simple?

"Look, she's upset right now" Ron started. "And so she'll pout, and whine, and make sure that I know how hurt she is. But the moment I apologize, she'll just smirk because she got her way. Enough is enough. I want her to just… To just give a damn. You know?"

"Um… No, I don't" Tracey replied. "You think she doesn't give a damn? Are you retarded?"

"I'm not saying that she doesn't care about people, because trust me, I know that she does" Ron sighed. "I just want her to work a little harder at things. To venture out and learn something 'unladylike' for once. I'm not asking for much here, just this one simple thing. Didn't I learn how to be a 'proper Pure-Blood'?"

"You did" Tracey slowly nodded.

"I did that because I needed to improve" Ron said. "I did it because I understood that I wouldn't survive for long if I didn't learn their ways. Even you've done that, Trace. She's clearly bothered by her defeat at Hermione's hand, but she's not making a proactive change. She's just… whining. Making excuses. I just… I don't have it in me to deal with that right now. I just need a fucking second here…" Tracey just stared at Ron, wondering if he was still talking about Daphne.

"Ron?" Tracey whispered, edging closer to him. "You are alright, aren't you?"

"He wasn't meant to kill them!" came his own voice, and Ron's head jerked up. What the fuck was that?

"Ron?" Tracey repeated, this time her voice sounded more like a whimper.

"He was just supposed to find the locket!" his own voice echoed, and it felt like it was bouncing around the room. What locket? What's happening? Oh fuck… Am I about to have another headache? Oh no, no, no… "He… He fucking killed them… Oh Merlin… No…"

"Mr. Weasley?" came Snape's voice, and Ron looked to him with a startled look. Something flashed behind Snape's eyes, and then he shot a look towards a worried Tracey.

"Sir?" Ron asked, barely keeping his composure.

"If you are feeling unwell, then perhaps you should go lie down" Snape said, his eyes meeting Ron's.

"I'm… I'm fine…" Ron 'smiled', he didn't want to be alone.

"Very well" Snape said, slowly moving on to another table.

"You're scaring me…" Tracey whispered, her fingers intertwining with his. Ron looked to her, and he noticed that she was trying to keep a straight face. "It's not your brain-damage, is it?" Tracey whispered.

"No, Tracey" Ron assured her. "I'm still a bit feverish, and this lab is hotter than hell. Do you mind taking over the cauldron? I can't take the heat."

"Okay…" Tracey said, pulling his left hand up and kissing it. "You'll tell us if you're in trouble, right?"

"Who else would I tell?" Ron forced on another smile. "C'mon… The Potion might get ruined if we don't hurry up." What in the actual fuck was that about a locket? What locket? Wait… Didn't I see a Future version of me holding a locket? What did he say? R.A.B… Initials? I need to shift through these thoughts. They're clearly important. And I need to figure out these new types of visions.

Friday 4th September, 1993 (Potions Classroom – Right Before Lunch)

"Only three pairs managed to craft this basic Potion…" Snape hissed at them, his eyes shooting between everyone menacingly. "Are you all that incompetent? Or do you simply get a kick out of ruining my day? Detention! All of you! The three pairs who got the Potion correct, you are exempt from punishment." Oh thank Merlin. "Not you, Longbottom" Snape hissed, noticing the idiot boy smiling because Granger made the Potion for him. "Granger is excused from detention, but not you."

"We did it…" Tracey whispered, shooting Ron a victorious smirk. The bell rang suddenly, and everyone began to pack up. Most of them looked rather crestfallen, while Ron, Tracey, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Hermione looked rather relieved. Neville looks devastated, but then again, Hermione did do all of the work. And yet, he let Crabbe off when Malfoy clearly made the Potion by himself.

"Mr. Weasley, stay behind" Snape said suddenly, and Ron looked up at him. "Granger, you as well." What the…? Everyone else quickly left the room, while Ron just kept his eyes fixed on Snape. Why is he doing this? Why is he putting me in a room with her? Once everyone had scurried away, Snape looked to Hermione with a cold stare.

"Did I do something wrong, Professor?" Hermione asked, looking towards Ron for a moment. He was still ignoring her… She hadn't said anything about it, but she had noticed him ignoring her outright.

"Your Potion was… perfect" Snape said, clearly not happy about admitting that. "Even with that oaf Longbottom sabotaging you, you still succeeded. Color me… impressed. You will attend my Potions Club next week. Don't be late." Hermione blinked at him, his words stunning her completely. "You may leave." Good for her… But what the fuck?! I'm dropping Potions Club. Fuck it. I don't need his tutelage.

"I… Um… I'll be there, Professor…" Hermione stammered, slowly turning to leave. She then turned back around, her lips curling up uncontrollably. "I won't disappoint you, I promise! Thank you, Professor! Thank you!"

"Thank me by leaving already" Snape frowned at her overly joyous reaction.

"Bye, Professor!" Hermione smiled from ear to ear, and then she quickly left the room. Ron couldn't help but shoot her a look, and he noticed an actual skip in her step.

"That was so kind of you" Ron said once she was gone. "Look, I know that you and I had dinner together last night… But that doesn't give you the right to fuck me!"

"Ten points from Slytherin" Snape scowled at Ron. "And if you take that tone with me again, I'll make you clean Filch's Office with your tongue."

"Why would you put her in your Club?" Ron asked, ignoring Snape's threat.

"I… I have my reasons…" Snape said, not wanting to admit that he had felt slightly guilty about cheating her.

"Great… I'm dropping your Club" Ron said.

"No, you're not" Snape frowned at him. "You will attend it every week."

"I can't be near her…" Ron admitted. "I can't even look at her… Just thinking about her sends me into a panic…"

"So you're just going to tuck tail and run?" Snape asked. "No wonder you've failed four hundred and sixty three times already…" Ron blinked at Snape, and then his temper skyrocketed.

"You DARE?!" Ron yelled, and Snape completely lost his composure.

"Merlin…" Snape muttered as he stumbled back, his wide-eyes looking into Ron's. "Entity…"

"What?" Ron blinked, and then he realized that his voice had changed again. What the fuck? Ron quickly ran over to the closest mirror, and he checked his reflection. His blood froze because of what he saw. Merlin… What is this…?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well there it is! Now from now on, there will be an update on every Monday! I'm juggling a lot of stuff at the moment, and I really do need some balance in my life. My social life has taken a bit of a nose dive because of my two-chapters a week commitment, so I'm going to try the weekly chapter thing.

So, I'll see you all on Monday!