Okay, picking up where I left off. We're at school now.

Don't worry too much about what I said last chapter. Colin and Luna will have their spotlight. I have plans for them. That's why I said they were the most important.

The most important firstie in this one is Ginny, which is pretty obvious right now. We'll get to her later, but for now, we should focus on Ron settling back in, the return of Merlot, and the vengeance of Hufflepuff Hangover day.

Let's go

—0—

The commonroom was different. The gold and red colors that shone brilliantly in his first year now seemed so dull.

Maybe it was just him…

As he sat upon one of the solitary chairs near a curtained window, he could see the first years traipsing around in awe, their baggy nightrobes and wide eyes painting a perfect picture of how he had been back then.

It wasn't supposed to have changed so fast.

One year. One good year of the castle was all that Ron was given before he was thrust out into the world, completely alone. Looking around at the smiles was one thing that just took him down a few notches.

Yes, he had made it to Hogwarts. But, everything had changed. There was less joy than there used to be, and now Ginny…

Ron ran a hand through his now pitch black hair. He was no closer to finding just what had happened to him when that spider attacked. Nib seemed to be closer to him though… but his siblings.

When he had seen Ginny in the bookstore, there was something missing. Something that had always been there was now gone.

Ron shook his head, he had to focus on now. Ginny was in Slytherin, and Percy definitely did not look happy. Fred and George wouldn't be a problem, but if what Ginny said was right, and it was only her, Percy, and mum. The girl would be in trouble.

He would be damned if she went through the same treatment as he had.

"Oh look! There's even chairs over here!"

Welp, he had been found. Ron touched the handle of his wand and shrunk down into the form of a spider, before scuttling away, and out of the commonroom.

He had gotten used to being a spider when he made it into London. The first night in the city had seen him kicked, spat at, and cursed at by passers by. He, a child, had seen the true hearts of muggles and wizards alike.

It was easy to go without food, but Nib had made her case that he needed to remain fed. Finding sustenance proved far easier when one was a spider, and so that was how he got his meals. One pesky insect at a time.

Finding a shadowed corner, Ron turned back into a human, before walking towards the great hall, straightening his tie as he went. If anyone had seen it, they probably would have looked twice. A boy no more than twelve, stalking towards the main chamber of the castle in such a manner, already dressed and ready before the days classes were set to begin.

And a gryffindor no less.

Either way, he was one of the first to arrive in the great hall, besides a handful of slytherins and about thirty of the Ravenclaws. He figured it must have been rather early, especially since they all stared at him as he sat down at his table.

As Ron prepared himself a plate of toast with some eggs, he let his gaze wander through the room. The new first years in Ravenclaw were awake, with the one blonde girl… Lovegood. That was Luna Lovegood from the orchard.

No way she was that big.

Either way, her eyes wandered about everyones heads, and her lips would twitch into smiles every so often as she saw something that no one else did.

Going over to the Hufflepuffs, it seemed that the first of their company had arrived. Their hair was mussed up quite a bit, and their tie was crooked.

Why were they limping?

Well, that sixth year had probably seen better days.

Wait, professor Sprout wasn't at the first breakfast yet either! Ron pursed his lips, wondering where the woman might have gone to.

Maybe she had just slept in?

His eyes were drawn over to the Slytherin table, where he could see a few students staring at him. He shouldn't have been recognizeable. Was it his freckles that gave him away?

He could hear a few whispers but he couldn't discern what they were saying. With a flick of his wand, Ron muttered the incantation for a hearing enhancement charm. "Augere audire."

"Who do you reckon that one is? Never seen them around before."

"Keep your voices down you dolts!"

"What's the matter with you, Warrington?"

"Me? Have you two never looked at a history book before! I don't know which one he belongs to, but he's most definitely a Black!"

"A Black? But they're all locked up or dead!"

"Maybe one of them had a secret child before they were caught. A Gryffindor too… probably Sirius Black, the Potter Betrayer."

Ron canceled his spell, feeling his stomach twist. He looked like he was from the Black family? A family renowned for its dark magic and loyalty to he wo must not be named?

What was happening to him.

Thankfully, his attention and the attention of those around him was drawn to the caste doors as they were slammed open. Ginny Weasley hurried through, her head down with her hair covering her face. It looked like she had been crying, and that she still was crying for that matter.

Ron's eyebrow twitched as he spotted the smirks on a few of the slytherins faces.

"Augere audire"

"Can you believe that there's a Weasley in Slytherin?"

"You got her good Montague. Can't imagine waking up to that in my bed!"

"Well, they live in filth right? I'm surprised she isn't used to it!"

Ron felt his head grow hot with anger. He had no qualms with Slytherins. Draco had turned out just fine, and it seemed like some of his classmates were just as nice. But anyone who tried to pick on his sister was in for world of hurt.

Ginny, it seemed, had found herself a place to sit at the end of her table, away from everyone else.

'Good. She won't be in any danger.'

Ron grabbed his last piece of toast and walked over to the Slytherin table, his heart dancing with glee as the Slytherins he had listened too watched his approach.

"Here comes the kid!"

Well, he was close enough to hear them now. He finished his toast with a few bites and sat down over near Ginny, much to the surprise of the three upper years.

"Mind if I… slither in?"

His terrible pun made Ginny snort, before breaking into a series of giggles. "That was terrible."

"Not as terrible as you look." Ron shrugged. "What's the matter?"

Ginny bit her lip. "Someone snuck into my room last night, threw bugs all over the walls and in my bed. I woke up to centipedes crawling over my legs."

Rons fury grew, but he kept it contained. "Are the bugs still there?"

"Are you kidding? My first thought was to incinerate them. Of course, I burnt the bed too…"

It was Ron's turn to snort. "You burned your bed? Well, mum might not like you being in slytherin, but she'll love tht you did some damage to their common room."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Right. WIth how Percy is I expect to get a howler from her any day now."

"Ignore him. Percy's a ponce." Ron leaned in. "Last year, he cursed Merlot Scortwits broom and almost killed her! Mum never found out becuse he used me to cover it up."

Ginny blinked. "Percy almost killed someone?"

"A first year. The girl that lives with Charlie."

Ginny sighed. "Oh Charlie… well, she must be nice then."

Ron nodded. "Very nice, and top of the class too. She can do things with magic that I've never seen."

Ginny returned and looked at the Gryffindor table, where a few more students had sat down. "Which one is she?"

"Not a lion. Look at the Puffs."

Ginny turned her attention to the table decked out in yellow and black. "Oh… that girl with the black hair is beautiful…"

"That's Scortwit." Ron nodded. "Very talented, very nice. Hard to get on her bad side. Wicked good flier. Hell, most of us believe she'll make it to the world cup when she's older."

"She looks like she had a rough night. Actually, all of the Hufflepuffs do."

A new voice joined the conversation as Draco Malfoy sat down beside Ron. "You mean you two have never heard of the Hufflepuff hangover?"

"Hello to you too Malfoy." Ginny pursed her lips. "Hufflepuff Hangover?"

The blonde smirked. "Rumor has it that every year, on the first school night, the Hufflepuffs throw a raging party. Even their head of house joins in. Gets the headmaster to foot the bill, and turns a blind eye to her students smuggling drinks in."

Ron blinked. "I thought that Hufflepuffs are super docile! Even for being smart, they're always so nice!"

Draco shrugged. "Hufflepuffs house quality is loyalty, Not just loyalty to their house, but in general. They've been treated as old duffers for a while because a lot of people mistake that loyalty as a weakness. But then again, think about their graduates. The Scamander brothers wee Puffs, and were instrumental in taking Down Grindelwald during the great war. Amelia Bones was a Hufflepuff, and now she's head of the DMLE. And Alastor Moody, the most famous Auror from the last wizarding war, Alastor Moody, was also a Hufllepuff."

Ron nodded. "Well, when you put it like that…"

"I've seen Moody once before." Ginny nodded. "He's a bit of a scary guy."

"I know him because of my father. I think he's pretty great." Draco grinned. "But, he is loud and assertive. He has his methods, and they've kept him alive. If it were just him there I still wouldn't cross a puff."

Ron nodded and looked back at the Hufflepuff table, where several students were preparing plates of interesting food. There were dishes he hadn't really seen before, some which looked rather exotic.

Draco's voice caught his attention. "Looks like they have a pretty wide knowledge of hangover foods to boot. Half of those dishes can even cure potion sickness."

Ron winced at that. He remembered when Fred and George had brewed their own pepper up potions and taken too much. His mum had cooked up something powerful that knocked it right out of their system.

"So the puffs know how to party…" He muttered. "That's actually less surprising than I thought it would be."

Draco nodded. "The best thing is, a lot of people believe that Sprout grows more than the normal potion ingredients in her greenhouses. That's why they're the Huffle 'puffs'."

The line caused Ginny to giggle again, which brough a smile to Ron's face. "I'd better get back to my table. You think you can keep an eye on Ginny, Draco?"

The blonde nodded. "Perhaps. What's in it for me?"

"One less spider bite you ponce." Ron rolled his eyes.

"I'll even escort her to and from all of her classes." Draco winked. "If she'll put up with me, that is."

Ron looked at his younger sister. "Draco has your back, okay? Let him know if your house mates are picking on you, and we'll take care of them."

The girl nodded, and Ron winked. "Before I go, take a look at this one. Fred and George taught it to me last year."

With a discreet flick of his wand, and a mutter of "Tarantallegra" the three students that Ron had listened in on jumped from their seats as their legs began to dance about wildly.

Ginny stared while Draco held back his laughter, and Ron drifted back towards his own table.

Well, if anything, his wand worked better for him. He still had his spare if he needed it, but that would probably be unnecessary. Then again, maybe he could learn how to wield two wands at once.

Now that would be something.

Sitting back down at the Gryffindor table, Ron reached into his robes and pulled out his latest book. One of his last gifts from dad. 'One Hundred and One Dark Curses for *cough here* Practical Use.'

The cough his father had given when they purchased this had been part of the books title. How… discreet.

Flipping the book open, Ron began to read.

Diabolus Infernus

A variation on the Fiendfyre spell. First developed by a professor at Durmstrang University for the Magical Arts, this spell gives control over the fire that it produces, while keeping it from being as destructive. Diabolus Infernus can be used to create anything from a moving torchlight, to a puppeted fire golem, though the latter is much harder, and even wizards who have mastered the spell can have trouble maintaining the golem for longer than some minutes. It was deemed a dark spell by the ministry due to its applications in dueling settings. Where it was involved in the last three duels in wizarding history to end in a wizards death. The dark wizard Grindelwald is rumored to have further developed the spell into an enhanced 'shielde of loyalty' but it's uses have only been speculated.

A spell that could be used as a common torchlight… weak. But when practiced and mastered, could become anything he wanted? Well, the ministry certainly had a funny way of drawing connections between 'dark' and 'dangerous.'

Ron closed his book and put it away, but not before marking the page so that he could return to it later. He wanted to see what he could do with such a spell. Maybe he could figure out just what the Dark Lorg Grindelwald figured out those many years ago.

"Ah, a new student!"

"Not a firstie though George."

"No Fred, not a firstie."

"That begs the question-"

Ron rolled his eyes and turned to the twins. "Can the two of you please try to be quiet for once in your lives?"

The twins blinked, and then blinked again.

"Wait…"

"Attitude, Lack of sleep,"

"Withdrawn, but snarky."

"Ron?"

"With black hair? No George, you must be going mad."

"I assure you Fred, it seems that- maybe I am. Feel my head, am I feverish?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Chameleon and panda. There, is that enough? Now keep your voices down."

"It is you! What in the world-"

Ron sighed. "A lot happened, which I'm not really in the mood to talk about. Could you two focus on the problem at hand?"

"What do you mean dearest brother?"

"Is he still our brother?"

"Always a brother George, no matter what mother dearest believes."

Ron groaned and smacked his head into the table at the twins banter, causing them both to go quiet. "Ginny's already getting bullied by her house mates."

"Oooh… not good at all."

"I had hoped they would welcome her."

"Well, we could always go through our big book of Slytherin punishments."

"We haven't tried plan Z yet George."

"Ah, I was thinking of plan Z myself Fred."

Ron blinked. "What the hell are you two on about?"

The twins shrugged. "Plan Z for slytherin punishment, petrify Snape and hang his body in the great hall."

"Of course, that would just make him mad."

Ron shook his head. "Will the two of you shut up? Just… listen if she needs it, okay? Draco's helping her, and I told her I'm here. I also used the dancing curse on the ones that put bugs in her bed last night."

"Bugs?"

"In dear Gin Gin's room?"

"She burnt them all this morning." Ron shook his head. "I've got to go. I need to see McGonnagal about my class table, and you two are giving me a headache. Just keep an eye on her."

"Will do,"

"Brother dearest."

"Stop with the twin speak. It isn't funny or cool." Ron shook his head.

Fred and george were still Fred and George. Maybe he should sic them on Percy the ponce. Now that was an idea.

Ron smiled as he left the great hall.

'Oh Hogwarts, I definitely did miss you.'

—0—

Haha! Nine pages today!

Or maybe, just eight?

Either way, it's more than the last chapter. Sorry if I go between a few themes, but I really wanted to show just how Much ROn will have to deal with this year. On top of people not knowing who he is, his sister is being bullied, and Fred and George are just Fred and George.

Oh, and we haven't even made it to the plot yet. That's the really fun part.

Anyways. Leave a review, and until next time,

Adios.