Autumn 1991
Ronald Weasley
Ron carefully slipped out of Sal's room, with his textbooks tucked tightly under his arm. Despite all of the other worries weighing on his mind, his homework wasn't unbearable. Salazar was always more than happy to talk at length about whatever topic Ron was working on, which made writing his papers easy, but the work was still boring and far too tedious. Ron stifled a gentle yawn as his mind wandered back to Blaise.
He couldn't believe that his friend's mother was probably a serial killer. It left him feeling a little unwell, not only because it made him uncomfortable, but also because he now knew that the rumour wasn't exactly a secret. It would haunt Blaise for the rest of his life and Ron wasn't sure how to change that, or even if he could. It was far beyond anything he had ever dealt with before and it reminded him eerily of his own issues.
While Blaise would be haunted by his mother and her reputation, Ron was being haunted too. There was a difference in their circumstances but it created a shared bond between them, at least from Ron's perspective. While Ron still felt his situation was worse, he couldn't begin to understand how Blaise felt. It left him teetering on the edge of revealing his own secrets, of having another person to help him share the burden of being Salazar's Guardian, but at the same time, another part of him screamed for him to hold his cards close to his chest. He hadn't been given any reason to distrust Blaise, and yet, Ron wasn't sure if trust was enough of a reason to risk Charlie's life. He bit the inside of his cheek.
Ron took one of the staircases down from the seventh-floor corridor to the bottom of the north wing where the school split out into the stone courtyard. He had found a number of ways to move to and from Sal's room, and he had quickly discovered which of them avoided the most attention. Ron had been questioned twice already by older Gryffindors asking why he was hanging around on the seventh floor and while he had managed to think of some lies, he wasn't particularly interested in running into the same students again. It seemed like a good way to get blamed for something he hadn't done.
Ron had just passed back into the main section of the castle when he noticed Harry sitting on one of the benches tucked into a small cove that was usually empty. It existed in one of those strange places between anything of particular interest aside from empty classrooms. Harry spoke excitedly with a boy who sat beside him. Ron recognized the boy as Dean Thomas, who, Ron guessed, was probably one of Harry's roommates.
"I can't believe it," Dean said, "that must make you the youngest one in a long time."
"Nearly a century," Harry agreed. "And I didn't even know what a snitch was until Oliver Wood showed me."
"A snitch?" Ron asked as he approached. Both sets of eyes quickly shot to him.
"Blaise was right, about my father and Quidditch," Harry told him. "I'm going to be on the Gryffindor team."
At least Blaise will win his smiled on his friend's behalf. "They'd be bloody nuts to not have you be the team seeker. It's going to be a bad year for the Slytherin team."
"Good," Dean Thomas said sharply. "It's about time that someone else won the house cup and Quidditch is a good start. Everyone keeps telling me that Slytherin wins every year."
Ron scowled, he was not quite comfortable with the look Dean had given him.
"Well, I'll try to win," Harry said. "I mean, I have a few training sessions before the first game of the season and all that. I just need some time to get used to it."
Dean nodded. "Maybe I'll learn enough by watching you play and I'll be able to join next year too." He stood from the bench and turned to Ron. "You're lucky your brothers are on our team and I want them to focus on training Harry, otherwise I might have to tell them that you're sneaking around near Gryffindor Tower."
"Sneaking around!?"I'm not sneaking! I'm just avoiding people!
"I noticed which door you came out of, the stairs that go to the seventh and sixth floors. Be careful Weasley, especially when Malfoy isn't around to protect you."
Protect me!?Ron gritted his teeth and did his best not to overreact.I hope you trip on your way down the stairs tomorrow.
Dean nodded and pushed his way past, nudging Ron's shoulder as he did so. It took every ounce of Ron's willpower to stop himself from turning around and pushing back. If he wasn't so worried about what Harry would think, he might have done it.
As soon as Dean was far enough away, Harry spoke in almost a whisper. "Were you actually sneaking around?" He asked seriously.
The question made Ron's chest hurt a little, he had hoped Harry would have trusted him enough to not doubt him. Still, he was keeping secrets and maybe he had been more suspicious than he realised. He wondered if everyone regarded him with caution, wondering what he might be up to. The thoughts sent a wave of worry thumping through his heart.
"I was just trying to avoid people," Ron answered, trying his best to emphasise the difference. "The twins, some of the Gryffindors, Malfoy."
Harry accepted his excuse with a quick nod. "I'm sorry about, Dean. He's had some rough encounters with Malfoy and he's starting to think like the twins. He says that most of the Slytherins are all the same and that you must be too."
"It's alright." Ron didn't need to be friends with Dean Thomas, he already had a friend in Gryffindor— and maybe two or three if he counted Neville and Percy. "I don't need to be his friend."
Harry frowned. "But it's not right, Ron. They shouldn't judge you just because of your house."
Ron shrugged. He supposed he'd probably have to get used to it sooner or later. He was tired of having the same conversation and the same thoughts over and over again. It was like he was stuck in a loop of worrying about what it meant to be a Slytherin or having other people assume who he ,he thought. He knew that it was entirely Salazar's fault he was a Slytherin and there was no use trying to argue about it. It wasn't like he could change anyone's mind by shouting in their face, no matter how tempting it was.
Ron opened his mouth and then shut it again, unsure of what exactly to say about the situation. He struggled to put his thoughts together into a sentence and was quickly interrupted when the sound of laughter echoed down the hall. Ron tensed his muscles together and scrunched his nose as a familiar knot tightened in his stomach.
Harry glanced over Ron's shoulder. "Great," he mumbled, "Malfoy."
"Potter," Malfoy drawled as he approached. Ron turned to face him and wasn't surprised to see that both Crabbe and Goyle were following Malfoy like loyal dogs. However, Ron was almost saddened by the fact that none of the three had any visible damage from whatever Theo had done to them.
"You know Weasley, you really do belong all the way up here, it's close enough to Gryffindor Tower that you can run to your brothers if anything happens." Malfoy sneered and his eyes lingered on Ron as if he found his own comment very amusing.
Ron felt his skin flair with irritation. "You're looking better," he said hotly. "Have a good shower?"
Draco's gaze turned harder and his eyebrows sloped inwards.
"Get lost, Malfoy," Harry added. "We don't want to talk to you."
"Oh, but I want to talk to Weasley," Malfoy spit. "Shut up, Potter, before I have Crabbe break your arm. It's hard to be a seeker with broken bones."
Ron stared at Malfoy and kept his expression steely. He knew he probably couldn't fight all three of them, but he could break Malfoy's nose before either Crabbe or Goyle could do anything about it.
"So, you ran to hide behind Nott's skirt, because you were too afraid to face me?" Malfoy laughed cruelly. "Well Weasley, you should know that Theodore will come to his senses soon enough. He'll realise what a pathetic follower you are and he'll come begging to me. He knows it's better to be friends with a true pure-blood than some blood traitor and his pet."
"Pet?" Harry said. "Take a look behind you."
"Careful, Potter. Keep talking, and you might find yourself in more trouble than you can handle. I'm talking about what Weasley did to us yesterday, and thankfully I'm in a forgiving mood."
"Are you?" Ron asked.
"Yes, I'm warning you instead of having you pummeled. You can call it a threat if you'd like. And you can even go run to Theo and tell him that I said so. If any of the three of you do anything like that again or you keep speaking to mud-bloods like Granger, you'll have a lot to worry about. You can tell Theodore that if he doesn't come to his senses, his days are going to get a lot worse."
Ron took a step closer to Malfoy, and the boy's face shifted into an even deeper scowl.
"You should take Harry's advice and get lost." Ron could feel his heart pound heavily in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to throw a punch, but he knew that if he did he would get in a lot more trouble than it was worth. Especially, if Blaise was right about Malfoy's father.
Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward to stand beside Malfoy and both of them puffed up as if they were expecting Ron to hit him. The air between the two groups felt electric, as if at any moment someone was going to get hurt.
"Try it," Ron said to them, "see what happens." He took yet another step closer so that they stood only a foot apart.
Malfoy seemed to hold his breath and Ron almost thought there was a hint of panic on his me.
Suddenly, the sharp sound of footsteps against the stone floors cut through the air and Ron's eyes quickly shifted over Malfoy's shoulder. From around the corner appeared Professor Snape, a black cape of fabric billowing out behind him.
Ron felt his stomach .
"What is going on here?" Snape's cold voice cut cleanly through the tension. Both Crabbe and Goyle seemed to shrink in on themselves and Ron took a few steps backwards.
"Nothing, Professor," Malfoy said quickly. He reached up and wiped some sweat from his brow. "We were just having a conversation."
"Indeed," Snape frowned at him. The professor narrowed his gaze and looked at Ron, seemingly waiting for him to disagree. Ron didn't bother to say anything. Snape stepped around Malfoy until he stood between the two groups, he glared at both sides for another second before finally speaking softly. "There will be no arguing in the hallways."
"Yes, Professor," Ron mumbled. Snape pursed his lips and gave Ron a slow nod.
"I think it is best if you make your way to the great hall," Snape added.
Almost immediately, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle turned and walked towards the way that they had come. Ron and Harry turned to do the opposite when Snape held out his hand.
"It would seem that this is the second time I have had to warn you, Mr Weasley. Remember what I said about Draco Malfoy, and do not let me regret giving you a second chance." Snape said. His eyes met Ron's for a second, they were cold and unnerving. Ron could almost feel his head tingle just from the look, but Snape quickly widened them and turned away.
"And, Mr Potter, you have been making trouble all week. It seems that your fame has become a hindrance to your continued education. I hope that you will rectify this issue in due time. Five points from Gryffindor for antagonising your fellow students."
What the fuck? He is biased!
"Yes, sir," Harry said with a defeated tone.
"Do not let me catch either of you acting out again, or you will be punished most severely. I have the power to give you detentions for weeks at a time, and I will do so if you do not heed my warnings. I expect to see you both in potions class tomorrow." Snape turned around on his heel, his cape whipping around him like a tidal wave of black fabric.