Chapter 3
Ron rubs his eyes, a piercing headache coming through.
Not long after he committed the unwilling cannibalism, the body was discovered. He learns this a day later, only found because of his obnoxious hearing.
Imagine his heart rate after going to class the next day and Professor Moody was there, up and steady.
He had to grate the information out of Venom that the Moody they ate wasn’t really Moody and must’ve been someone else. A body snatcher.
At least he made it to class, he supposes. He’s managed to dodge each one of Hermione’s well-aimed questions.
They wanted me, now it’s us.
He sits in a far away corner in the library, no students around.
He sighs. “Thanks for not killing me, I suppose.”
Venom just unleashed the information of his past hosts. Not one lived, until that muggle lady of course. He used her body to escape secretly, not expecting to have to detach himself from her until he realized that he was literally driving her to the point of insanity and she was unusable.
Ron wasn’t his first choice, but he would do.
Logically, Ron should’ve died that day.
They can’t enter magical areas, so don’t leave.
Ron’s face pinches. “Like, ever? I don’t fancy being held up the rest of my years.”
The moment you leave the hidden areas, they’ll get word of us.
“But they’re just muggles mate, they can’t track like we can.”
They’re everywhere.
Ominous. Delightful. “Alright then… I’ll just, hall away for a while.”
Just then, the librarian walks by, shushing him loudly as he talks to himself in the corner.
What about-
Ron has to leave.
—
“Er…”
He didn’t think he was gone that long, but only Hermione and Harry remained in the common room. He planned on coming in discretely.
Fiddling her hands, Hermione, who was previously pacing, noticed him first. She stops in her tracks.
“Ron! Where were you?”
Harry looks up at him from behind a history book, focus all on him now.
Ron hesitates a moment too long. “The library.”
Harry and Hermione look at each other, Hermione raising her eyebrows. She turns back to Ron.
“…The library…? Ron, you don’t go to the library.”
He has no valid excuse because that is true. Hermione comes up close to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He backs away, freaked out.
“Ron, if something is going on, you can tell us. We’re here for you.”
Harry nods. “Yeah, anything you wanna spill, we’re listening.”
Ron is confused, tired, and still reeling from accidental murder. He looks between them. He then spots a book titled “Spotting Drug Abuse: Symptoms To Watch For.”
Harry notices, sliding the book under the rest of his homework pile.
They’re holding an intervention for Ron. “Guys, God, no.”
Hermione touches him again. “It’s okay Ronald, I’m here for you. Oh, I’m sorry, would you rather I don’t touch you? I know-“
Ron groans, putting his hand over his face.
Too much hair.
Ron still flinches at that voice. He breaks away from Hermione’s grasp, spooked. Both of his friends look at him, pure concern in their eyes.
“I’m not on drugs, Hell.”
He bites his lip, not getting out of this one. “Look, there is something going on… but I can’t really tell you about it yet.”
“But Ron! This clearly isn’t a good change! If this is impacting you this badly, we’ll get help from Dumbledore. Or-“
He is assured in his choice. “No, trust me Hermione, we don’t need authority anywhere near this.”
Her lips tighten, ready to fight. He deflates, tiredness showing. “Please, Hermione?”
She has a staring contest with him for a minute, then relents. “Fine. Fine! But when I say “I told you so” when whatever this is blows up in your face, you can’t yell at me!”
Ron breathes a huge sigh of relief. Thank fuck.
Harry still hasn’t said anything.
Remotely embarrassed, Hermione gathers up her books and portfolio she had ready. “I’m just, going to go study.” She hurries away.
It’s only the second week.
Ron turns back to Harry, deciding to sidestep him and go up to their room.
“Is this going to blow up in our faces?”
Ron snorts. “Oh most definitely. You’ll get front row seats.”
Harry shakes his head. “Hey, you can take over the drama for this year. I’d like a vacation.”
Go ahead, jinx yourself Harry.
—
“Ugh. This doesn’t have any information either.”
Hermione goes to throw the book, but realizes in the midst that this is a book and gently puts it on the table before stomping around.
Harry jinxed himself.
Not long after, a good old “Harry Potter” was called out from the Goblet. How? No one has any clue. Sabotage, they say. But who would’ve done such a thing?
Ron has an idea, but that idea will be taken to the grave with him.
“This is pointless, I’m just going to die.” Harry nonchalantly leans on the desk in front of him. “Each year it feels inevitable, but no, I’m reblessed with life. Maybe this’ll finally manage to make me kick the bucket.”
“Harry! This is no time for your sass!” Hermione sits down, basically vibrating with energy, not knowing where to go from here. “Did Sirius answer you yet?”
Harry shrugs. “He ranted and then told me good luck.”
“He… That’s all? Surely he must’ve said something else…” Hermione is thrown for a loop. Harry throws his hands up in a ‘what-can-you-do?’ manner.
“Are we all just conveniently forgetting that this man spent a decade in the looney bin?” Ron is for once, the voice of reason.
A building of criminals. We could eat them.
“Shut the hell up.”
For the sake of justice.
Perhaps not.
The two stare at Ron, this issue happening a lot more frequently as of late. Hermione chews through her bottom lip, mind of a panicked mother hen whose children are both mentally amiss.
Distracting them, Ron whips out a paper. He scratches his head, not recognizing this. “Huh… banana bread recipe for dummies-“
Hermione rips it from his grasp. “Look at the back! It’s coded text. Where on Earth did you get this?”
Ron doesn’t know. Venom stays quiet.
She squints at him, Harry in the background cleaning his ear with Hermione’s muggle pencil.
Bells reverberate throughout the castle, curfew here.
Hermione, visibly done, throws her hands up and marches away.
Harry eyeballs Ron airily, nothing accomplished here tonight.
—
“Wow.”
Ron has no words. Venom has many.
If I open my jaw really really wide-
“-So. Big things I see. Very big, yes. Dragons.”
His brother, Charlie, snuck Ron into the backgrounds of Hogwarts to show him his prized possessions.
Gigantic ass dragons.
May the Lord have mercy on Harry’s twisted soul.
Charlie pats the fire breather, looking back at Ron with a grin.
“You’re gonna want to snitch to Harry about this one.”
“Please..”
I’m saying-
He tunes the chatter out. He can’t believe his life has come to this.
You’re not listening-
“And she can fly twice the speed of a normal dragon!-“
Ron throws his head up to the sky. To whatever God is listening…
Have mercy on him. Harry, too of course. But if Ron wakes up in the afterlife to an exploded body from an attempted dragon eating, he’s going to be really peeved.
The dragon sneezes, accidentally lighting up the forest. But it’s okay, because they apparently have an entire team made to liquify the place.
Ron whines.
Venom continues.
Charlie won’t shut up.