Ronald Weasley was a lot of things, according to a lot of people. To his siblings, he was a bloody, stubborn idiot that would've lost his ass if it wasn't stuck to him. According to his parents, he was a kind young man that could lose his way from time to time. According to Hermione...well, Ron could get into that another time. But according to his best mate, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley was the best friend anyone could ask for. He and Harry had been through a lot, and the situation now constituted as a lot.
Ron was sinking, like a stone in a pond. Harry slowly sank beside him, and they looked like two vegetables drowning in cleansing vinegar. The Ford Angelia had sunk to the bottom and was now making its way across the floor of the pond. Undoubtedly, it was making its way back to the Burrow. That was a problem for Ron, but he had more intense things on his prefrontal cortex.
Ron grabbed the hand of Harry, who was knocked unconscious. Ron believed that the passenger side of the car hit the lake first, and the contact of the water made Harry fall asleep immediately. The force of the impact disoriented Ron, but luckily, he and Harry were ejected from the vehicle. Ron tried to swim up, but he didn't have the strength to pull him and Harry up. Ron thought back to the muggle swimming classes Bill had taken him and Ginny to. He had slacked off from them, and now he only knew the bare minimum.
Ron grabbed Harry's waist and once again tried to propel them upward, to no avail. Not only could he not swim, but his lungs were on fire. I swear to lay off on the chocolate frogs if we make it out of this, Ron pleaded to himself.
Ron and Harry began to sink even faster, and Ron didn't have the strength to even attempt a swim. He pulled out his wand, but the water and lack of oxygen made his movements sluggish. Even then, if he managed to get a spell off, what would it be? Flitwick hadn't taught them a charm that advanced yet.
Ron felt his brain melting, and he wasn't sure that was an exaggeration. His thoughts were drifting back into his subconscious, and less and less words formed in his head.
No way this is it..., That was the last thought that Ron had before he closed his eyes, and stopped fighting against the water. Harry was blue, and Ron's only regret was that he was taking Harry with him.
SPLASH!
Above Ron, moonlight broke through the surface of the water, and a serene figure swam down at the speed of light. The immaculate form and posture of the shadow had Ron in awake, so much so that he forgot to hold his breathe. As he opened his mouth, water started to fill his throat and lungs. Nevertheless, he held onto Harry, as the figure got closer and closer to Ron and Harry.
At once, Ron felt two pairs of strong hands under his armpits, lifting him up towards the surface. A timely current came their way and boosted them up. Before Ron could blink, he was laying on the grass, right on the shore of the Great Lake. He pulled Harry up on the shore, before a scary realization hit him.
"Harry's not breathing!"
The figure that saved them broke the surface, wet and shivering. Despite that, they ran over to Harry, and put two fingers to each side of his throat. The person then squeezed Harry's throat repeatedly.
Squeeze! Nothing
Squeeze! Nothing
Squeeze?
...
There was a prolonged silence before Harry coughed up half a lung, copious amounts of water spilling from Harry's mouth and nose.
"Yuck, Harry! Fill the Seven Seas, why don't you?"
A chuckle rose up, and Ron remembered the mystery person.
Sitting two feet away from them, now completely dry, was none other than Percy.
Well, not his Percy perse, but Percy Jackson, the transfer student from America.
"Percy? How'd you get out here? Shouldn't you be at the ceremony... not that I'm complaining."
Percy let out a small grin. "Just so happen to miss the train myself. Needed to run back to the car to get my things..." He paused to take a breath of air. "When I came back, the train was gone. So I just took my Nimbus and flew."
"How did you get your broom?" Ron asked.
"It's what I left in the car."
"But you nearly died when we rode in the air..."
"Desperate times call for worse measures..." Percy said.
"Funny...unless your timing was crazy perfect, me and Harry couldn't get through the barrier. I wonder how you got in?"
Percy turned red, then shrugged. "Luck?"
Ron shrugged his answer off, more worried about Harry at this point. Just then, a fiery red blaze caught his eye from the distance. "That's it! We can take Harry's to Hagrid's to warm him up! Then, he could let us in."
Percy frowned. "Where would I go?"
Ron stuttered. "Good question. We'll worry about it later." Ron saddled Harry's sleeping body onto his back, which was wet from the lake. Percy grabbed his Nimbus, and together, they migrated over the hills.
The trip looked longer than it took. After about fourteen minutes, the boys had made it to the door of the hut. Hagrid was around back, tending to the huge fire Ron had saw. "Hagrid!" Ron called, and the huge man jumped. "Blimey, boy! You near scared trousers off meh!"
"Sorry. It's just urgent."
Ron briefly explained the situation while he and Percy laid Harry gently by the fire. When he was done, Hagrid was in complete shock. "I can' believe it. Normlly, I'd haf ta let Dumbly dore know, but this yer they're real strict on attendance. I'll just take yer to ya room's mysef."
"What about me?" Percy spoke up. Hagrid slapped his palm. "Dam nit. I forget, yer new. I could always drop ya off at Dumbly dore for sorting."
"What's that?" Percy asked.
"What, you lot didn't have houses in the US?" Percy frowned. "No...we just, went to school."
Hagrid let out a loud laugh, one that felt like it shook the very trees. "Yer funny, I give ya that!"
Percy smiled, and for the first time since Ron had met him, he seemed relaxed. Normally, he always had his head on a swivel. Not to mention his nice physique for a 12-year-old. Ron would have to get some tips from him one day.
Once Harry's skin had turned back to its original paste, and Ron's toes had feeling in them again, the three of them decided to head back to Hogwarts. Hagrid would carry Harry until they got to their dorm, and then Ron would take him. Then, he'd take Percy to Dumbledore's office. With the plan in mind, the group set off towards to castle in the dead of the night.