A few things here:

I skipped some of the apparition lesson. The majority of it focuses on Harry, and I figured that Ron would be too busy having things on his mind to really concentrate on it, as he clearly didn't seeing as he said that he only felt his feet tingle. Hopefully you won't be too annoyed with that.

I also included a moment that I felt was needed. Especially on Hermione's end.

Anyways, here it is.

Chapter 175: Welcome To Adulthood

The snow melted around the school as February arrived, to be replaced by cold, dreary wetness. Purplish-grey clouds hung low over the castle and a constant fall of chilly rain made the lawns slippery and muddy. The upshot of this was that the sixth-years' first Apparition lesson, which was scheduled for a Saturday morning so that no normal lessons would be missed, took place in the Great Hall instead of in the grounds.

When Lavender and I came down to the Great Hall (she had an iron grip on my hand) , we found that the tables had disappeared. Rain lashed against the high windows and the enchanted ceiling swirled darkly above we as we all assembled in front of Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout-the Heads of House-and a small wizard whom Harry took to be the Apparition Instructor from the Ministry. He was oddly colourless, with transparent eyelashes, wispy hair and an insubstantial air, as though a single gust of wind might blow him away.

"Good morning," said the Ministry wizard, when all the students had arrived and the Heads of House had called for quiet. "My name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry-Apparition Instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition test in this time-"

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!" barked Professor McGonagall.

Everybody looked round. Malfoy had flushed a dull pink; he looked furious as he stepped away from Crabbe, with whom he appeared to have been having a whispered argument.

"-by which time, many of you may be ready to take your test," Twycross continued, as though there had been no interruption.

"As you may know, it is usually impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. The Headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practise. May I emphasise that you will not be able to Apparate outside the walls of this Hall, and that you would be unwise to try.

"I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you."

I had to almost use this muggle things called vicey grips to pry my hand away from Lavenders. I went and stood in the spot I need to, shaking my hand to try to get the feeling back into it.

There was a great scrambling and jostling as people separated, banged into each other, and ordered others out of our space. The Heads of House moved among us, marshalling us into position and breaking up arguments.

"Thank you," said Twycross. "Now then..."

He waved his wand. Old-fashioned wooden hoops instantly appeared on the floor in front of every student.

"The important things to remember when Apparating are the three Ds!" said Twycross. "Destination, Determination, Deliberation!

"Step one: fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination," said Twycross. "In this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now."

Everybody looked around to check that everyone else was staring into their hoop, then hastily did as we were told.

"Step two," said Twycross, "focus your determination to occupy the visualised space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body!"

I had no idea what the coot was talking about, nor did I care at the time. My thought were everywhere, as I had Lavender a few people in front of me, and Hermione three people to the left of me.

"Step three," called Twycross, "and only when I give the command ... turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation. On my command, now ... one, two...THREE!"

I spun on the spot, lost my balance and nearly fell over. I was not the only one. The whole Hall was suddenly full of staggering people; Neville was flat on his back; Ernie, on the other hand, had done a kind of pirouetting leap into his hoop and looked momentarily thrilled, until he caught sight of Dean roaring with laughter at him.

"Never mind, never mind," said Twycross dryly, who did not seem to have expected anything better. "Adjust your hoops, please, and back to your original positions ..."

The second attempt was no better than the first. The third was just as bad. Not until the fourth did anything exciting happen. There was a horrible screech of pain and we all looked around, terrified, to see Susan Bones wobbling in her hoop with her left leg still standing five feet away where she had started.

It was a sickening sight that almost made me throw up. The Heads of House converged on her; there was a great bang and a puff of purple smoke, which cleared to reveal Susan sobbing, reunited with her leg but looking horrified.

"Splinching, or the separation of random body parts," said Wilkie Twycross dispassionately, "occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation ... thus."

Now I really didn't want anything to do with this apparition nonsense. Fuck it, I'd rather walk.

Twycross stepped forwards, turned gracefully on the spot with his arms outstretched and vanished in a swirl of robes, reappearing at the back of the Hall. 'Remember the three Ds,' he said, "and try again ... one-two-three-"

But an hour later, Susan's Splinching was still the most interesting thing that had happened. Twycross did not seem discouraged. Fastening his cloak at his neck, he merely said, "Until next Saturday, everybody, and do not forget: Destination. Determination. Deliberation."

With that, he waved his wand, Vanishing the hoops, and walked out of the Hall accompanied by Professor McGonagall. Talk broke out at once as people began moving towards the Entrance Hall.

"How did you do?" I asked Harry. "I think I felt something the last time I tried-a kind of tingling in my feet."

"I expect your trainers are too small, Won-Won," said a voice behind us, and Hermione stalked past, smirking.

I was half tempted to say something, but decided against it. It felt like a low blow.

"I didn't feel anything," said Harry. "But I don't care about that now-"

"What d'you mean, you don't care ... don't you want to learn to Apparate?" I asked, trying to shake off Hermione's insult.

"I'm not fussed, really. I prefer flying," said Harry, which I nodded in agreement."Look, hurry up, will you, there's something I want to do ..."

Confused, I followed Harry back to Gryffindor Tower at a run. We were temporarily detained by Peeves, who had jammed a door on the fourth floor shut and was refusing to let anyone pass until they set fire to their own pants, but Harry and I simply turned back and took one of our trusted shortcuts. Within five minutes, we were climbing through the portrait hole.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing, then?" I asked, panting slightly.

"Up here," said Harry, and he crossed the common room and led the way through the door to the boys' staircase.

Our dorm was empty. Harry flung open his trunk and began to rummage in it, while I watched impatiently.

"Harry ..."

"Malfoy's using Crabbe and Goyle as lookouts. He was arguing with Crabbe just now. I want to know ... aha."

He pulled out what I knew to be the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, tapping it, "or Malfoy is, anyway."

At once, the Marauder's Map appeared on the parchment's surface. Here was a detailed plan of every one of the castle's floors and, moving around it, the tiny, labelled black dots that signified each of the castle's occupants.

"Help me find Malfoy," said Harry urgently.

He laid the map upon his bed and he and I leaned over it, searching.

"There!" I said, after a minute or so. "He's in the Slytherin common room, look ... with Parkinson, Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle ..."

"Well, I'm keeping an eye on him from now on," Harry said firmly. "And the moment I see him lurking somewhere with Crabbe and Goyle keeping watch outside, it'll be on with the old Invisibility Cloak and off to find out what he's-"

He broke off as Neville entered the dorm, bringing with him a strong smell of singed material, and began rummaging in his trunk for a fresh pair of pants.

Despite his determination to catch Malfoy out, Harry had no luck at all over the next couple of weeks. The map was practically glued to Harry's hand. February moved towards March with no change in the weather except that it became windy as well as wet. To general indignation, a sign went up on all common-room noticeboards that the next trip into Hogsmeade had been cancelled. I was furious.

"It was on my birthday!" I pouted, "I was looking forward to that!"

"Not a big surprise, though, is it?" said Harry. "Not after what happened to Katie."

She had still not returned from St. Mungo's. What was more, further disappearances had been reported in the Daily Prophet, including several relatives of students at Hogwarts.

"But now all I've got to look forward to is stupid Apparition!" I grumbled "Big birthday treat ..."

That night after prefects duty, I saw Hermione walking away from Susan Bones, whom she was now having her rounds with.

"Hey Hermione!" I called out. She looked over to me and walked off as quickly as she could.

I refused to let her get away from me this time. She had already arranged it so we wouldn't have the same prefects duty, so I couldn't catch her with that. However, I was determined to talk to her.

I caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She turned swiftly toward me, as if she was a spinning top.

"Let go of me, Ronald." she said, her voice already beginning to crack.

"No, I'm not going to. Not until you talk to me." I practically begged.

"I don't have anything to say to you, and if I do, it isn't anything nice." she mumbled.

"Well whatever it is, say it. I don't care if you're mean, I just want you to talk to me. I just want my friend back!"

"You should have that of that before you ruined everything." she said, snatching away from my grip and walking away from me.

I walked ahead and stopped in front of her. "I ruined everything? I didn't know what you wanted! You never made it clear that you actually fancied me!"

"I never made it clear?! I cuddled up with you, Ronald! I let you...I let you kiss me in places that no other person but my parents, a doctor or healer, and myself had seen before! I slept in you bed with you for crying out loud!" said Hermione, stomping her foot.

"I know! And minus the kissing I thought...I..."

Fuck. She had a fucking point. But wait.

"It doesn't matter. You lied to me anyways! You've always had!" I said, thinking up another rebuttal.

"I lied to you?! About what? And don't you dare say Viktor!"

"You lied about me and Quidditch. You would tell me all this false shit to build my head up, and then said that I couldn't have won that game without that fucking potion that I didn't even take!"

"That's not what it was, Ron! I've always believed in you! I always knew you were better than you thought you were."

"No you didn't! If you did, you wouldn't have came out your face like that! At least Lavender cheers me on and tells me the truth." I snapped.

I regretted the word as soon as I saw the broken hearted look on Hermione's face.

"Lavender is only going to tell you what you want to hear, so if you want a girl that is going to simply fawn over you, but not be properly there for you, then by all means Ron, be with the cow! See if I care! I am not going to stick around and allow you to crush my heart every time I see you with her! It's bad enough I have to run into you two snogging, and have to hear about how much you and Lavender love each other, it makes me sick!"

I was taken aback. Love?! Love, Lavender, and I shouldn't have even been used in the same sentence.

"I don't love her! What the bloody hell are you going on about?!" I said, shocked.

Hermione's eyes seemed to flicker like they did when she got excited and didn't want to show it. However, the flicker was short lived.

"It doesn't matter if you love her or not, Ron." she said in a much calmer voice. "I can't do this with you. I can't be around you. It hurts way too much, especially after...after what happened at the party."

I stepped towards Hermione as she backed against the wall. "Hermione I swear to Merlin I would have done whatever the hell you wanted me to do that night. Anything to make us better. And I still will, just tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it!"

Hermione sighed, tears streaming down her face. She put a hand onto my cheek and sighed once again.

"Just leave me alone, Ron." she croaked. She then moved her hand and ran off.

The day of Matthew's grandmother's funeral was dismal. It was raining and everybody had black umbrellas up as they stood around the casket, watching it lower into the ground.

Matthew felt as if he had no one else in the world to turn to. He never knew his original parents nor his adoptive mum, his friends were either dead or couldn't be found, and now the light of his life had died.

For days he stayed in the house where he grew up. He didn't eat. He barely slept. When he did force himself to nibble at something, it was only a piece of toast.

His happiness was gone. And he didn't know how to get it back.

"Happy birthday, Ron," said Harry, when we were woken on the first of March by Seamus and Dean leaving noisily for breakfast. "Have a present."

He threw the package across onto my bed, where it joined a small pile of them that must have been delivered by house-elves in the night.

"Cheers," I said drowsily, as I ripped off the paper "Nice one, Harry!"

Harry had gotten me a new pair of Quidditch Keeper's gloves. I felt my heart skip a beat as I smelled that new leather smell, the same as it was in the love potion.

"No problem," said Harry absent-mindedly, looking at that fucking map. "Hey ... I don't think he's in his bed ..."

I didn't answer him. I was too busy unwrapping presents, which were brilliant. Mum and Dad had even gotten me a new pocket watch that was tradition in our family to give on our coming of age.

"Seriously good haul this year!" , holding up the heavy gold watch with odd symbols around the edge and tiny moving stars instead of hands. "See what Mum and Dad got me? Blimey, I think I'll come of age next year too."

"Cool," muttered Harry, not really paying attention.

A few of the packages fell off my bed and onto the floor. I picked up one and ripped off the paper.

I was ecstatic. Chocolate Cauldrons. Special edition too. I didn't see a tag, so I assumed I had ripped it.

"Want one?" I asked Harry, holding out the box after opened it

"No thanks," said Harry, looking up. "Malfoy's gone again!"

"Can't have done," I said, stuffing a second Cauldron into his mouth as I slid out of bed to get dressed. These things were fucking delicious. I wondered if I had gotten them from Lavender.

"Come on. If you don't hurry up you'll have to Apparate on an empty-stomach ... might make it easier, I suppose ..."

I helped myself to a third as Harry got dressed. Suddenly, I felt rather funny. Although, there was no reason for me to feel that way. My birthday was today, I had gotten tons of presents, and best of all, I was about to see the girl I had fancied since forever.

"Ready?" I heard Harry say, though it didn't really register. How could I think of anything else but her? I looked out the window at the stormy clouds in the sky. They were black, almost as black as her lustrous hair.

"Ron? Breakfast." I heard Harry say.

"I'm not hungry." I said. How could I eat anything? My stomach was in knots.

"I thought you just said-?"

"-Well, all right, I'll come down with you," I sighed, "but I don't want to eat."

Harry gave me a suspicious look.

"You've just eaten half a box of Chocolate Cauldrons, haven't you?"

"It's not that," I sighed again. "You ... you wouldn't understand."

How could be understand? The bloke sucked at being in love.

"Fair enough," said Harry, as he turned to open the door.

"Harry!" I said suddenly. I had to tell him. I had to tell him how her beautiful face was plaguing my mind.

"What?"

"Harry, I can't stand it!" I said, suddenly feeling scared. Love makes you scared sometimes.

"You can't stand what?" asked Harry, looking at me as if I were sick. But I was sick, not the kind that he thought. I was sick with love!

"I can't stop thinking about her!" I said hoarsely.

Harry gaped at me. "Why does that stop you having breakfast?"

"I don't think she knows I exist," o said, putting my hands over my face. I was so stupid! Of course she didn't know I existed, I was two grades above her!

"She definitely knows you exist," said Harry, sounding bewildered. "She keeps snogging you, doesn't she?"

I blinked. Snogging? My lips had never been blessed with hers.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Who are you talking about?" said Harry.

"Romilda Vane," I said, feeling my face light up at the sound of my voice saying her name.

Harry stared at me for almost a whole minute, before saying, "This is a joke, right? You're joking."

"I think ... Harry, I think I love her," I said in a strangled voice.

"Okay," said Harry, walking up to me looking into my eyes, "okay ... say that again with a straight face."

"I love her," I repeated breathlessly. "Have you seen her hair, it's all black and shiny and silky ... and her eyes? Her big dark eyes? And her-"

"This is really funny and everything," said Harry impatiently, "but joke's over, all right? Drop it."

He turned to leave. How fucking dare he insult me while I was trying to be honest with him! How dare he insult her! I drew back my fiat and caught him in his ear. Staggering, he looked back at me as I readied myself to strike again.

Harry pulled his wand out of his pocket and I found myself dangling helplessly, upside-down, my robes hanging off me.

"What was that for?" Harry bellowed.

"You insulted her, Harry! You said it was a joke!" I shouted, beginning to feel light headed.

"This is insane!" said Harry. "What's got into-Where did you get those Chocolate Cauldrons?"

"They were a birthday present!" I shouted, revolving slowly in midair as I struggled to get free. "I offered you one, didn't I?"

"You just picked them up off the floor, didn't you?"

"They'd fallen off my bed, all right? Let me go!"

"They didn't fall off your bed, you prat, don't you understand? They were mine, I chucked them out of my trunk when I was looking for the map. They're the Chocolate Cauldrons Romilda gave me before Christmas and they're all spiked with love potion!"

"Romilda?" I repeated. "Did you say Romilda? Harry-do you know her? Can you introduce me?"

Harry stared at me s if he was trying to figure out what to do with me.

"Yeah, I'll introduce you," said Harry, finally. "I'm going to let you down now, okay?"

He sent me crashing back to the floor. I got up, brushed off my clothes and grinned.

"She'll be in Slughorn's office," said Harry confidently, leading the way to the door.

"Why will she be in there?" I said anxiously, hurrying to keep up.

"Oh, she has extra Potions lessons with him," said Harry, inventing wildly.

"Maybe I could ask if I can have them with her?" I said eagerly.

"Great idea," said Harry.

Lavender was waiting beside the portrait hole. I didn't have any fucking time for her.

"You're late, Won-Won!" she pouted. "I've got you a birthday-"

"Leave me alone" I said impatiently, "Harry's going to introduce me to Romilda Vane."

And without another word to her, I pushed my way out of the portrait hole. I hurried ahead with Harry walking behind me, until I reached Slughorn's office. Harry knocked on the door hard until Slughorn answered it.

"Harry," he mumbled. "This is very early for a call ... I generally sleep late on a Saturday ..."

Harry seemed to be whispering to the man. Even though I was much taller than him, I bounced on my tips to see over Slughorn's head to catch a glimpse of Romilda. When that didn't work, I began elbowing Harry in the ribs in an attempt to force him to move the the way so I could see my lady love.

"I can't see her. Harry-is he hiding her?" I moaned.

"Was this potion within date?" I heard Slughorn ask, eyeing me. I had no idea what he was talking about. "They can strengthen, you know, the longer they're kept."

"That would explain a lot," panted Harry, now positively wrestling with me to keep me from knocking Slughorn over. "It's his birthday, Professor."

"Oh, all right, come in, then, come in," said Slughorn, relenting."I've got the necessary here in my bag, it's not a difficult antidote ..."

I burst through the door into Slughorn's overheated, crowded study, tripped over a tasselled footstool, regained my balance by seizing Harry around the neck and muttered, "She didn't see that, did she?"

"She's not here yet," said Harry.

"That's good," I said fervently. "How do I look?"

"Very handsome," said Slughorn smoothly, handing me a glass of clear liquid. "Now drink that up, it's a tonic for the nerves, keep you calm when she arrives, you know,"

"Brilliant," I said eagerly, and I drank the concoction in one gulp.

Suddenly I felt even more strange. All thoughts of Romilda was shattered, as if they had not been there. I was left feeling almost as worse as I did when Hermione said she wanted me to leave her alone.

"Back to normal, then?" said Harry, grinning. Slughorn chuckled. "Thanks a lot, Professor."

"Don't mention it, m'boy, don't mention it," said Slughorn, as I collapsed into a nearby armchair, looking devastated. "Pick-me-up, that's what he needs," Slughorn continued, now-bustling over to a table loaded with drinks. "I've got Butterbeer, I've got wine, I've got one last bottle of this oak-matured mead ... hmm ... meant to give that to Dumbledore for Christmas ... ah well ..." he shrugged "... he can't miss what he's never had! Why don't we open it now and celebrate Mr Weasley's birthday? Nothing like a fine spirit to chase away the pangs of disappointed love."

I looked around. I felt as if nothing would make me happy ever again. Almost like a dementor was in the room.

"There you are, then," said Slughorn, handing Harry and I a glass of mead each, before raising his own. "Well, a very happy birthday, Ralph-"

I gulped the mead down before he could correct himself.

And then I started to feel pain.

My throat felt as if it was trying to close up on me. I gasped for air as in fell back onto the floor. Every time I tried to take a breath, it felt like fire was entering my lungs.

I vaguely heard someone screaming my name. It sounded like Harry, but then there came a ringing in my ears, and I couldn't tell anymore.

I felt something being shoved into my mouth, but before I could even attempt to spit it out, I passed out as my entire life flashed before my eyes.