Solis

Chapter XXVIII

After the conversation with Drew, the girl played a bit of volleyball with him before excusing herself and heading back to her cabin. Ron lost track of time while on the court since some other campers returned to play there. He felt relieved that Drew wasn't around to charmspeaks them away. However, just as they were about to start a game, a loud conch horn blared, causing them all to stop playing. The same thought raced through their minds—there's a monster inside the camp.

They rushed over, quickly unsheathing their weapons, and hurried to where the other demigods were assembling. Many were still in their pajamas, while some had managed to throw on their armor. Since it was early in the morning, Ron had been hoping for a bit of relaxation, but circumstances had other plans. With his arrow drawn, the redhead's gaze locked onto the automaton, and he gasped when he spotted Leo atop it.

“It’s cool! Don’t shoot!” Leo's voice rang out in a yell. The demigods hesitated, and Ron along with his half-siblings slightly lowered their arrows. The other campers remained cautious, keeping their weapons at the ready in case the automaton dragon made a move.

Campers scrambled away and hefted their weapons, but Leo slid calmly off the dragon’s back. He held up his hands like he was surrendering, except he still had that crazy grin on his face. “People of Earth, I come in peace!” he shouted.

"Peace—with that thing?“ Ron's glare was fixed on Leo, his arrow aimed at him.

“Woah, hey!“ Leo said, hands still held up, “Festus just want to say hello!“

“That thing is dangerous!“ Clarrise yelled, brandishing her spear, as everyone agreed, ready to attack.

“Kill it now!“

“Stand down!” Someone ordered as everyone looked up, realizing it came from the new blonde guy, Jason. He was accompanied by Annabeth and Nyssa.

"Ronald," Annabeth addressed him, her gaze focused and unyielding. The redhead immediately lowered his bow, his half-siblings following suit with audible huffs. Meanwhile, Shane and Noel, who had been peeking out from behind their cabin door, hurriedly scrambled out and took cover behind Will.

"That's a cool dragon," Shane whispered.

"Totally," Noel chimed in.

"Not cool," Ron countered firmly.

“It—has wings,” Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might drop off her face. 

“Yeah!” Leo said. “I found them and reattached them.” 

“But it never had wings. Where did you find them?” 

“In…the woods,” he said. “Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire.” 

“Mostly?” Nyssa asked.

The dragon’s head twitched. It tilted to one side and a stream of black liquid—maybe oil, hopefully just oil—poured out of its ear, all over Leo. 

“Just a few kinks to work out,” Leo said. 

“But how did you survive…?” Nyssa was still staring at the creature in awe. “I mean, the fire breath…”

“I’m quick,” Leo said. “And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?”

Jason scratched his head. “You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, ‘festus’ means ‘happy’? You want us to ride off to save the world on

Happy the Dragon?” 

The dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings.

“That’s a yes, bro!” Leo said. “Now, um, I’d really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous.”

Jason frowned. “But we haven’t planned anything yet. We can’t just—” 

“Go,” Annabeth said. She was the only one who didn’t look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, like this reminded her of better times. 

“Jason, you’ve only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen.“

Ron stood beside Nyssa as they watched the three new campers—Jason, Piper, and Leo—climb onto the back of a dragon. They watched them depart, headed off on their quests.

Three days later, the trio returned to the camp. But their return was quite different and unexpected—they didn't used Festus, the dragon, to enter the camp nor It wasn't the kind of return where they strolled right into the Pavilion to talk with Chiron. No, this time—the three simply teleported directly to their respective tables.

Piper suddenly appeared out of thin air at the Aphrodite table, stepping right into Drew's pizza. Likewise, Leo jumped from the table and stumbled onto the bronze brazier to throw up. Ron, who had been about to dig into his food, stared in astonishment along with the other campers at the scene.

Interestingly, Drew didn't seem to be in a sour or bad mood when Piper arrived, and Ron got the impression that she might have taken his advice to heart. Drew was busy applying makeup, while Nyssa tinkered with some wires in her hand. The three of them were in the amphitheater.

"So..." Ron began.

Drew ignored him, pursing her lips. "Kayla and Austin will be back on Saturday, so..." Ron continued, glancing between the two of them.

Nyssa hummed, still engrossed in her wires.

Ron sighed at their evasiveness. "Did you two have a fight or something?"

Drew closed her compact mirror and inspected her newly polished nails. "Anyway..." Ron said, attempting to steer the conversation. "How did your, uh, talk with Piper go?"

Nyssa glanced up at them, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Drew stared at Ron for a moment, her mouth slightly agape, before snapping it shut in annoyance.

"Fine," Drew conceded, "I stepped down from being in head."

Both Ron and Nyssa looked surprised at her. They knew Drew had taken on a role of head counselor after Selena's passing, but her demeanor seemed to reflect relief rather than regret.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Drew snapped, clearly irritated. "Before Piper could even get a word out and make me mad, I told her to go and be the head counselor, do whatever she pleased—I don't care anymore, yada yada—but then out of nowhere, she accused me of having feelings for Jason. I don't even know what she's talking about! I told her I already have a girlfriend, and suddenly she looked at me as if she'd seen the most terrifying monster ever. But I'm not that kind of monster, I'm not—"

Ron's jaw dropped as he stared at her, speechless, while Nyssa blushed furiously.

"Oh," Drew finally stopped herself, taking a deep breath and realizing what she had just said. "Anyway—"

Ron squinted his eyes at the two of them, sensing something was amiss. Then, he suddenly squealed in delight. "Oh my gods!"

Nyssa's face turned crimson, and she shot a glare at Drew. "Drew!"

Drew blushed and defended herself, "What? It's Ron."

"Even so..." Nyssa covered her face in embarrassment. "It was supposed to be a secret until we told you guys."

"No way!" Ron exclaimed. "Who else knows about this?"

"No one," Drew grumbled, "Until I blurted it out in front of my cabinmates."

"No way! I'm totally telling Kayla, Austin, Travis, and a bunch of our friends—"

"Ron, don't!" Nyssa sighed. "We just started dating last week!" However, her plea did nothing to deter the determined redhead.

🔆

Ron was well aware of the saying that time flies when you're having fun. With just two days left before he had to go back to Hogwarts, he decided to make the most of it. but hey—he atleast enjoyed himself helping Nyssa and the others in building the Argo II—thanks to Leo's permission. Though a handful of others chipped in, but the majority of the work was carried out by the skilled Hephaestus campers.

For those wondering, the Argo II is like a ship—actually, a pretty massive and awesome ship. Oh, and there's a twist: it has Festus as its masthead.

Ron, Kayla, and Austin had to convince Nyssa, with Leo happily agreeing, to let them take a peek and help at the ship. Leo, though, made sure to remind them to be cautious—and occasionally, Drew also joined them, carrying a box of drinks for them.

Of course, building the Argo II couldn't be accomplished in just a week; it would take months to complete.

As the time came for Ron to return to Hogwarts, he shared hugs with everyone there. Jason smiled at him, having recognized Ron from a picture he had seen on the wall in Thalia's bunk in the Zeus cabin. Ron was taken aback to learn that Jason was Thalia's younger brother.

"Do you have the power of zipzip too—" Ron started to ask.

Annabeth grabbed his arm and gently pushed him, saying, "Argus and the others are waiting, hurry up." Jason shook his head with an amused smile, while Leo gave Ron a thumbs-up. Ron waved goodbye to his friends and half-siblings, holding his backpack as he joined Gracey and the others who were heading back to their, well…magical boarding school too.

Inside the van, they talked about what they could expect in their upcoming lessons. Ron was relieved that he could contribute to the conversation, even though their topics were more advanced since their lessons were mainly for second-year students and above. He also shared about seeing another Cerberus before.

Argus seemed to be listening to them, but Lou had mentioned earlier that their camp security guard didn't really mind if someone was a wizard or witch.

"You need to be careful," Nelson warned, adjusting his smart glasses.

"I know," Ron agreed as the van pulled up at an airport. "I'll see you guys in the summer..."

They all nodded, bidding their goodbyes and promising to keep in touch through letters and I.Ms. As the redhead stepped out of the van, he sneezed slightly, his gaze falling on the airport once more.

"Goodbye, New York," Ron sighed.

🔆

When Ron arrived in London, he hurriedly bought late Christmas gifts for his friends. He then took a bus to King's Cross station, relieved that he was on time; he knew the barrier to the Hogwarts Express closed exactly at eleven when the express left. When he reached the station, he joined other students returning to Hogwarts after the Christmas break, just like him.

When he returned back to Hogwarts, Harry was there too, and he looked happy to see Ron again as the redhead handed him a gift.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

“Find it yourself. I just remembered you and Hermionie while I was in Airport.“ He admitted, the scrawny boy gave him a smile. “Anywaaays, how are you?“ He immediately said, glancing around but to Harry.

"I'm good," Harry replied. "It's fun. There's something I really want to talk to you about—I do wish you were there, but..."

Harry proceeded to tell Ron about the Invisibility Cloak he had received and how he had sneaked out to see the Mirror of Erised. He recounted how he saw his parents in the mirror, but Professor Dumbledore had caught him. Ron reassured Harry that Dumbledore was right; the Mirror could drive someone crazy. Ron also got a gift frkm Aunt Molly, she had given him and Harry sweaters with their initials on them—a green one for Harry and a maroon one for him. But, he realized he had forgotten to mention that yellow was his favorite color to her.

Hermione also returned and expressed disappointment over Harry sneaking off late in the evening. Ron admitted that he had forgotten about Nicholas Flamel, which only made her more upset. But her mood brightened when Ron gave her a gift.

"You don't have to," Hermione said.

Ron shrugged. "It's the least I can do for you, considering you helped me," he explained.

As the term resumed, they continued to search for Nicholas Flamel whenever they had free time. Ron even thought of writing to Gracey about it, but he knew it was just the beginning of the term and everyone was busy. He helped and joined Hermione instead since Harry couldn't join them due to his Quidditch practice.

When Ron's birthday arrived, the redhead received a few gifts from his friends at Ilvermorny. Some included healing potion books written in Greek; Macey had found them in a wizarding bookstore at their shopping center. Ron was thrilled to have them and made sure to keep them away from Hermione. He knew that regardless of the language a book was in, if it caught Hermione's interest, she wouldn't hesitate to dive into it.

"Is it your birthday?" Harry asked as they returned to their dormitory. Meanwhile, Seamus, Dean, and Ron were forgoing their homework to play Exploding Snap.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah. I don't really know the exact date, so we—I mean, I decided that if it's the 1st of March, that's going to be my birthday."

Seamus frowned, his eyes fixed on the game. "That's weird."

"It's not that weird," Ron retorted as a card exploded. He had to step back a bit. "This game is weird! One more time. Join us, Harry!"

The following week, Ron and Hermione were busy in a game of chess together. Ron made a move that knocked over Hermione's white king, leading her to grumble about her consistent losses. Ron grinned at her with pride, making Hermione to roll her eyes. Suddenly, Harry appeared beside Ron.

It was during that time that they finally discovered information about Nicholas Flamel. Hermione leaped to her feet and hurried to the girls' dormitory. She returned clutching a book and Harry read it aloud for Ron. 

The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer’s Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.

There have been many reports of the Sorcerer’s Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).

“See?” said Hermione, when Harry finished reading. “The dog must be guarding Flamel’s Sorcerer’s Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they’re friends and he knew someone was after it, that’s why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!”

“A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!” said Harry. “No wonder Snape’s after it! Anyone would want it.”

Ron exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Oh no."

"What?" Hermione questioned.

"Immortality... that's dangerous," Ron said with concern. He knew that only gods could grant immortality to anyone.

"Of course it's dangerous!" Hermione retorted, "That's why everyone's pursuing it. Who wouldn't want immortality?" Ron frowned but didn't respond further, as he knew that what he had learned about immortality, is that it also came with a curse.

As the Quidditch match approached, Ron and Hermione wished Harry luck. However, the news that Professor Snape would be refereeing the match made Harry want to give up on Quidditch altogether. He wished the match would end quickly. Ron laughed nervously at Harry's reaction, while Hermione pulled Ron away, reminding him that the match was about to start.

On their way to their positions, Hermione began explaining a Leg-Locker curse that Malfoy had used on Neville, just in case Professor Snape tried to harm Harry again.

"Got it, Locomotor Mortis," Ron said, sounding jittery. He seemed more anxious about the Quidditch game than about Professor Snape.

They took their seats next to Neville, and Ron was quick to catch Harry as the match started. Ron was so focused on the game that he didn't notice Draco sneaking up behind him. When Draco poked his head, Ron yelped, claiming he hadn't seen the redhead there. Ron huffed and brushed Draco off.

However, Draco persisted in being rude, engaging in conversation that distracted Ron from the match.

“Have you read the news, Prewett? Of course, you don't. Everyone knows you can't read and write properly.“

Ron ignored him.

“Maybe the Weasleys sells information about you to gain money, because they are so poor and couldn't even afford their own proper wardrobe—”

The redhead really really tried to ignore him. 

"That portly woman, what was her name again? Oh yes, Molly Weasley. Who'd bother remembering that? Seems she might have just pretended to be all teary-eyed in front of the camera to get some attention, of course—"

"The rumor was meant to be true but here you are, living and breathing. You were supposed to be dead, along with your mother—"

Before Draco could continue speaking, Ron harshly stepped on his foot, causing the pale boy to yelp. With tears in his eyes, Ron glared at Draco.

"You don't speak about my Aunt and mother like that!" Ron exclaimed angrily. He stormed off, leaving Hermione calling his name behind him as she watched Harry catch the Snitch.

Ron spent the rest of his day in a sour mood while working on his assignments, given that exams were approaching. Harry and Hermione kept him updated with the news. It turned out that the Daily Prophet, much like the New York Daily, somehow found out he was alive, and now people were labeling him as a zombie. Molly Weasley sent him an owl, concerned about his well-being, but the Daily Prophet's intrusion was causing the Weasleys a lot of trouble, showing no respect for privacy.

To top it off, Draco refused to apologize to him, continuing to wear his irritating smug expression. Ron noticed his friends at the Slytherin table reading the Daily Prophet articles about him.

"He's so rude," Ron muttered. "Crabbe and Goyle are actually better."

"Just ignore him," Harry advised, focused on his writing in a parchment.

Ron let out a deep sigh and absentmindedly doodled a Spider-Man figure on his parchment instead. He complained about why they couldn't just use a notebook for their assignments.

While in the library, they caught Hagrid hiding a book on his back. Once he left, they didn't waste any time in finding out what book Hagrid had been interested in. Ron frowned at their enthusiasm.

"There are dragons here too?" Ron questioned.

"Too?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I've read about them," Hermione began. "They have places for dragons—places where they keep and try to tame them." She gestured towards the books about dragons on the table. Ron had many questions, but he could only frown deeply. After all, what could he do? Hecate was a goddess of magic; magic could achieve anything, even the seemingly impossible.

Now that they understood why Hagrid had been searching for books about dragons, because have an egg. The three of them went to see Hagrid after the gamekeeper informed them to do so before leaving the library. The egg had a crack on it, and Ron gasped upon realizing that something was stirring inside.

They gathered together around the table where the egg was placed, watching in anticipation as the egg began to hatch.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn’t exactly pretty. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon’s head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. Ron instinctively tried to scoot his chair back.

“Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!” said Hagrid.

“Hagrid,” said Hermione, “how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?”

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face—he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

“What’s the matter?”

“Someone was lookin’ through the gap in the curtains —it’s a kid—he’s runnin’ back up ter the school.”

And of course, it was Draco. The next day, as the three of them passed him in the hallway, Ron couldn't help but glare at Draco. The smug smile on Draco's face irritated the redhead. 

They continued visiting Hagrid to monitor the dragon's progress, but Ron always kept a safe distance as he observed how much the dragon had grown. His discomfort grew, especially when the dragon spotted him and attempted to bite him. Ron glared back, projecting an aura of 'I can just stab you with my celestial arrow.' This reaction caused the dragon to jump and hide behind its wings in fear. Hagrid intervened, soothing the frightened creature.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked, looking confused.

"I-I don't know," Ron replied, equally baffled.

“Hagrid,” said Harry loudly, “give it two weeks and Norbert’s going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment.”

Hagrid bit his lip. “I—I know I can’t keep him forever, but I can’t jus’ dump him, I can’t.” The redhead gave him a concerned look, then suddenly Harry suddenly turned to Ron. “Charlie.” he said.

"Who?" Ron asked, now looking confused at his friend.

"Your cousin!" Harry exclaimed. "Hagrid, we could ask Ron's cousin to help with the dragon."

The redhead stammered, "What—uh, I've never talked to him, I don't even know him, and he doesn't even know me... yet."

"Just write to him. He'll find out about you," Harry suggested, pointing at the pile of Daily Prophets on a small stool near the fireplace.

Ron blinked at the newspapers, then at Harry, and finally at the dragon and Hagrid's hopeful expression. It seemed like a plausible idea. "Oh," Ron said. "Okay."

The next day, Ron tried to write to Charlie Weasley, struggling with how to phrase his request. He began by introducing himself, as Hermione had advised, and emphasized the urgency of his need for help, echoing Harry's suggestion. Fumbling over the dragon's name, he asked Hermione to write it down for him, and she took the pen to complete the letter.

Dear Charlie,

              Hi, this is Ron Prewett. Need your help, its urgent. Hagrid was keeping a dragon, Now Nueg Norwegian Rideback, please come at Hogwarts.

  Ron Prewett

Of course, Ron had no way of knowing whether Charlie believed the content of the letter or perhaps dismissed it as a joke. He handed the letter to Otus, who nipped his hand before flying away.

Meanwhile, Ron found himself helping Hagrid feed the dragon, even though the creature seemed to be scared of him. This went on for a week, and Ron began to consider if he should have just become a dragon feeder. Finally, Charlie's response letter arrived.

🔆

Their plan might not have been the most foolproof, but Ron, Harry, and Hermione successfully managed to hid themselves under the Invisibility Cloak while carrying a crate of a dragon. They still squeezed together, and grateful that the cloak was large enough to accommodate all three of them. They climbed the tallest tower of the castle and handed the crate over to Charlie's four companions, who emerged from the shadows on broomsticks to retrieve it. Ron felt a sense of relief, thinking they were finally safe.

But unfortunately, they weren't.

But reality proved to be quite different. They had forgotten the Invisibility Cloak at the tower, and to make matters worse, Filch caught them. The sight of Filch reminded Ron of Tantalus, but this situation was worse. His memories of the old director weren't good, and he was glad to be away from him. But this time Filch had Hermione and Harry, so Ron kicked him hard.

"Run!" Ron shouted, and as Harry and Hermione began to flee, Neville unexpectedly appeared. Following him was Professor McGonagall.

"I-I saw two of you out of bed and overheard you talking about dragons. You dropped the letter on the floor, and I-I was going to give it back, but I accidentally read it," Neville explained. He proceeded to told Professor McGonagall about the dragon.

“I’m disgusted,” said Professor McGonagall. “Four students out of bed in one night! I’ve never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. I am also disappointed at you, Mr. Prewett, I expected something from you like your mother. All four of you will receive detentions—yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it’s very dangerous—and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor.”

“Fifty?” Harry gasped.

“Fifty points each,” said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.

"But—”

“Professor—please—”

“You can’t —”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I’ve never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students.”

The next day was even more difficult. Ron slumped his head onto his breakfast plate repeatedly while other students whispered about them. The story had spread rapidly, and they were being blamed for it. This affected Ron, making him increasingly upset and only Harry and Hermione, and few of their Professors knew about his dyslexia, but somehow others found about it. The others were treating him as if he was born idiot and abnormal—and he was both, really.

Harry had to grab Ron's robe to prevent him from burying his face in his breakfast plate again.

After that, they received a letter informing them of their detention, and Ron voiced his complaint. "Why can't we just clean the Great Hall or a room...or do something else..." It seemed stupid to Ron that they were being sent into the Forbidden Forest for detention, considering even Professor Dumbledore himself had emphasized how dangerous and off-limits the forest was.

When the time for detention arrived, Harry and Ron felt relieved to see Hagrid there, but their expressions didn't escape Filch's notice.

“I suppose you think you’ll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy—it’s into the forest you’re going and I’m much mistaken if you’ll all come out in one piece.” Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry’s robe and made a choking noise.

"But... it's dangerous. Professor Dumbledore and the others have already told us that, you don't want your students to die in this place just because of a detention, right?" Ron said, narrowing his eyes at Filch.

“That’s your problem, isn’t it?” said Filch, his voice cracking with glee, as he walked, he kept limping, and Ron noticed that it was the leg he kicked before. He looked at it with a smug expression.

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder. Ron imemdiately grasped the strap of his quiver and sighed.

Finally Flich left them. “Right then,” Hagrid began. “now, listen carefully, ‘cause it’s dangerous what we’re gonna do tonight, an’ I don’ want no one takin’ risks. Follow me over here a moment.”

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.   

“Look there,” said Hagrid, “see that stuff shinin’ on the ground? Silvery stuff? That’s unicorn blood. There’s a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We’re gonna try an’ find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery.”

And Hagrid split them up. Ron ended up being paired with Neville and Fang, while Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid were together. Ron was being a bit ridiculous, maybe due to his worry, as he thought about how the names of the three of them began with the letter H.

Neville began clinging to him as they walked and find traces of blood, with Fang also clinging to Ron's leg as they continued on.

"I can't walk properly like this," Ron sighed heavily as they continued walking. Suddenly, they heard a noise and Ron took out his bow, positioning himself behind Fang and Neville protectively. There was another rustle and Fang barked, causing Neville to scream and shoot a red spark from his wand.

"Neville, no!" Ron exclaimed.

But it was too late. Hagrid was already there to retrieve them.

"Sorry, Hagrid. Neville was just surprised when Fang barked…" Ron apologized.

"S' alright, com eover ere' ye two," Hagrid said, leading them along. Ron felt a bit disappointed that their team had to split up. Neville was now with Hagrid and Hermionie for this part of the detention.

Ron hopped over the roots of the trees while Harry followed closely behind. They stumbled upon traces of unicorn blood, and both Harry and Fang investigated it. Ron kept his eyes on the surroundings, but then Harry immediately tugged at his robe. As Ron turned, he froze at the sight of a hooded figure crawling on the ground like a predatory creature. The cloaked figure reached the wounded unicorn and began to drink its blood. 

Fang bolted away, Harry stumbled back, and Ron remained frozen for a moment, his arrow aimed at the figure. Without hesitation, he released a flurry of arrows at the cloaked figure, causing it to screech in pain before vanishing, but it was followed by the sound of hooves.

Then a centaur appeared, and Ron felt a sense of relief flood over him. "Centaurs!" he exclaimed, his voice carrying a mix of surprise and gratitude. The centaur turned to look at him, his blue eyes widening as he noticed Ron, as the centaur helped Harry onto his back. Then another two centaurs bursted out through the trees. 

“Firenze!” The other centaur thundered. “What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule—oh, oh.“

"Indeed," Firenze responded, the centaur who was carrying Harry on his back. Harry appeared to be noyt in a good condition. Ron reverted his bow back to its handle form and regarded the centaurs with concern. "But we don't have time for this, Bane. We need to get the Potter boy out of the forest quickly."

The other two centaurs were taken aback and remained silent, their attention now on Ron. He looked at them with a confusef expression. "What? Did Chiron send you here or something..."

However, Firenze seemed focused on their urgent task. "Follow us, half-blood," he instructed Ron, his tone indicating that there wasn't time for further discussion.

"I'll stay. Get Harry back to the others," Ron asserted, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "I'll see what I can do here."

Firenze's voice was firm as he responded, "We cannot. You are in danger as much as this boy is, according to the heavens. Bane, take the half-blood."

Bane, the other centaur, appeared quite shaken, almost stumbling on his horse-like legs as he approached Ron. Nervously, he stammered, "M-my pleasure."

He couldn't help but have questions running through his mind. Were they really centaurs? They looked pretty serious and didn't quite fit the image of the centaurs he had in mind. As he settled on Bane's back, he couldn't resist asking, "Are you sure you're a centaur? You don't have a party shirt or something?"

Bane's response was a bit unclear due to the noise of movement and branches, and Ron had to duck his head as a low branch appeared out of nowhere. The journey was a bit chaotic, and the centaurs seemed quite focused and intent on getting Harry and Ron to safety. Despite it all, Ron couldn't shake the feeling that he'd have to return to the forest to get some answers.

🔆

They were all tired, but Ron felt relieved to still be alive. But, Harry was restless and walked back and forth. He shared that Snape had taken the Sorcerer's Stone for Voldemort. Ron had to questioned about Voldemort again, as he had forgotten, and Hermione explained that Voldemort was a powerful dark wizard who had battled Dumbledore and was widely known for his evil deeds.

Harry went on and on about Voldemort returning back as Hermionie tried to comfort him.  “Harry, everyone says Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won’t touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that’s a very imprecise branch of magic.”

"I feel like the Centaurs might be right," Ron said with a frown. His dad was into fortune telling for goodness same, and he even spoke prophecies himself. "I need to write a letter to someone. Good night," he added before Hermione could respond.

Exams began, and Ron found himself stressed between homework and studying. His stress level increased even more when he received a letter from Gracey.

Ron, Lou forgot to explain this to you, but everything you saw there, dragons, centaurs, and other creatures in the wizarding world, they're all creations of magic itself. They're known as magical creatures, and just like the monsters outside, they can sense us and might attack. However, once they realize who you are, they'll usually back off, though some might still be aggressive depending on their temperament. Be careful out there and keep sending us more letters. Good luck with your exams.

He had only received one letter so far that month, because he was too busy due to the exam. This was stressing out Ron, and not only that—he also knew that Harry was having a bad dream.

"Harry?" He tried to wake up his friend, one evening.

Harry woke up right away, sweating slightly, blinked, and held onto his scar. "It's hurting."

Ron looked at him with concern. "Let me take a look." The redhead examined his scar. "I have some balm here for headaches." He discovered one within the medical kit that Will had placed in his bag.

"Can I?" Harry asked, displaying his tiredness.

The redhead smiled at him. "Duh." He responded, took out the ointment, and allowed Harry to apply some of it. The balm had a soothing fragrance that helped calm Harry.

"You can talk to me about it," Ron said. "My, um—" He almost mentioned his siblings. "Well, they say that sharing your nightmares with someone can make them easier to bear. I've done it before, and it somehow helped."

"Thanks," Harry sighed, handing him the ointment. In the darkness, the redhead could see the brightness of his friend's green eyes. "I was just wondering... why aren't you scared by what we saw in the forest?"

"Heh," Ron started, "I've seen worse things before."

"What?"

"Anywaaaay, let's get back to bed. I'm feeling sleepy," Ron faked a yawn.

Harry looked at him, puzzled, and was about to say something when Ron smacked the balm onto his face and chuckled. "Keep that. Good night."

During the exams, Ron found them incredibly difficult. The pressure of time and the tricky formatting of the questions, including some in cursive, made it tough. But then, out of the blue, Professor McGonagall called him into her office. There, she gave him test papers with bold, normal font letters.

"How did it go?" Hermione questioned as they walked wearily to the lake and then all slumped down under the tree.

“Same as the exams, but written in readable texts.“ Ron answered, getting up as he couldn't sit still for too long, especially in the heat. "How about you two?" Ron regretted asking as Hermione proceeded to describe the exam and her answers in detail. Meanwhile, Harry was gently massaging his scar and applying balm to it.

"You okay, Harry? Is it still hurting?" Ron asked.

"The balm is helping, but…" Harry sighed.

"Why not go to Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione suggested, looking at Harry with concern. Ron's eyes lit up, "I could go with you. I miss Madam Pomfrey, even though she always kicked me out."

“I’m not ill,” Harry replied. “I think it’s a warning…it means danger’s coming….”

“Oh you mean Voldemort—”

“Ron!“ Hermionie hissed a thim, “The name.“

“You-know-who?“

Harry nodded wearily, but Hermione assured him that it was probably just the stress from the exam. Suddenly, Harry jumped up as if he were in a hurry.

"What's up?" Ron raised an eyebrow. They struggled to keep up with Harry, who insisted that they needed to see Hagrid immediately. They sprinted towards the grounds of Hogwarts. While Harry was explaining something, poor Hermione was panting, struggling to keep up, and Ron was distracted due to Harry's fast-paced speech.

They—no, Harry spoke with Hagrid, and Harry—being as brave as he is—came up with an incredibly stupid idea. Later, they received a warning from Professor McGonagall for being out late at night again and she once again threatened to deduct fifty points and Ron had no intention of wandering around late again after that.

“I’m going out of here tonight and I’m going to try and get to the Stone first.” Harry told them.

“Uh…“

“You can’t!” Hermione exclaimed. “After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You’ll be expelled!”

“SO WHAT” Harry shouted. “Don’t you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort’s coming back! Haven’t you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won’t be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He’ll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn’t matter anymore, can’t you see? D’you think he’ll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I’ll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it’s only dying a bit later than I would have, because I’m never going over to the Dark Side! I’m going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?” He glared at them, causing the redhead to gape in surprised.

“You’re right Harry,” Hermione said in a small voice.

"He deserves punishment, that stupid Voldymouth."

"Wait! You both are coming?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione simply raised an eyebrow at their friend.

After dinner, Ron slung his quiver onto his back and gripped his celestial bronze. He was in the middle of doing so when Hermione called them. As they prepared, refining their plan, Hermione sifted through her notes for enchantments they could use. Meanwhile, Harry explained how they could get past the 1.2 version of the Cerberus, known as Fluffy. Eventually, Harry took out the Invisibility Cloak, but their attempts at sneaking were thwarted when Neville spotted them.

Neville, as brave as he is—tried to stop them and Hermionie had to immobilized him using a body-bind spell—the poor boy. 

"Sorry, Nev. We promise to give you a box of chocolates later!" Ron said quickly before they hurried toward the exit.

They successfully reached the door they had previously encountered Fluffy at, only to find it already open. They exchanged glances and entered, hearing the creature's growls and sniffs. Harry then retrieved the flute.

"Go help Hermione," Ron instructed and took the flute from him. "I've been itching to play this tune," he added as he began to play, causing Fluffy to gradually fall asleep. Meanwhile, Harry quickly moved towards Hermione, opening the trapdoor. The redhead retreated in their direction, continuing to play the flute.

They peered into the trapdoor; it was pitch-dark with no indication of anything below, and that could've be thousands of miles underground below.

“If anything happens—”

Ron emitted an annoyed noise through the flute, glaring at Harry.

"Fine," Harry quickly responded. "I'll lead the way." He then proceeded to climb down.

"Don't worry! It's a soft landing; you can jump!" they heard Harry's voice from below. The bushy-haired girl hesitated for a moment but then jumped as well. Ron tucked the flute into his pocket just as the Cerberus began to stir.

“Adio.“ Ron muttered as he jumped as well. He landed on something soft beside Harry, but his body froze upon realizing what it was. The plant resembled a snake or some sort of serpent-like creature, causing the redhead to let out a panicked scream. Anything that resembled a snake was high on his list of fears. One of the plants wrapped around Ron's leg, and he kicked at it, desperately reaching for his celestial bronze weapon, his heart racing. Oh gods, he was going to meet his end before Zeus even had a chance to strike him—oh gods, oh gods.

“Stop moving!” Hermione ordered them. “I know what this is—it’s Devil’s Snare!”

“You mean Devil Snake!?“ Ron let out a cry, and Harry struggled as well, attempting to free himself from the grasp of the snaring plants. One of the plants wrapped around Harry's chest.

“Devil’s Snare, Devil’s Snare…what did Professor Sprout say?—it likes the dark and the damp.”

“So light a fire!” Harry choked.

“Yes—of course—but there’s no wood!” Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

"AND YOU'RE A WITCH!?“ Ron screamed.

Hermione swiftly drew her wand, waving it and uttering a charm. A harsh light radiated from the wand, causing the Devil's Snare to recoil and loosen its grip on them. Ron kicked his way out and stumbled forward, his panic evident. Clutching onto Harry's robe tightly, they regrouped with Hermione.

"We're okay," Harry assured, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Nothing's okay when there's a snake-like thing!" Ron exclaimed, horror evident in his voice as he continued to look around. He felt vulnerable and powerless against snakes, really thanks to the curse of Python. Now, every child of Apollo was terrified of snakes.

Finally, they entered a passageway and heard the sound of flapping—like wings. When they reached the end of the passageway, they entered a room with a towering ceiling, where hundreds of winged keys were flying around. As they dashed towards the next locked door, the keys didn't follow or attack them. Hermione tried the Alohomora spell, but it didn't work.

"We need the key…" Ron mused, inspecting the lock. "Silver one!" Ron exclaimed, then looked up. They scanned the area until Harry spotted a collection of broomsticks.

They quickly grabbed the broomsticks, and Ron hurriedly navigated his way through the swarm of flying keys. "That one!" Harry called out to them. 

“That big one— there—no, there—with bright blue wings—the feathers are all crumpled on one side.”

Ron plunged downward and veered left, seeing a wall ahead. He adjusted his grip on the broom, he immediately jerked the broom upwards, stabilizing it with his right arm while forcefully kicking the silver key in Harry's direction. Harry caught the key, his expression wide-eyed with surprise. 

They landed safely and used the silver key to unlock the door, which successfully opened. The key appeared almost as if it wanted to shed tears and flapped its way above them, likely reacting to Ron's earlier kick.

The following room revealed a huge chessboard, causing Ron's eyes to light up with excitement. But he quickly realized they had to physically play the chess game on it, with the pieces moving on their own—making it mroe dangerous. Ron focused on strategizing, giving orders to Hermione and Harry as they assumed their positions. He took control of the other knight. Ron knew that chess also involved sacrifices; sometimes, you had to sacrifice your own pieces to secure victory—something Daedalus had once mentioned to him. As they played, Ron had to maintain his composure when he witnessed the white queen smashing the head of their black knight and dragging it away.

Ron made a deliberate sacrifice to secure victory, okay? He wasn't being stupid, he was making the necessary move. The white queen lunged at him, hitting Ron's head with its stone arm. He lost consciousness, and his final memory was of playing a game of chess with life-sized pieces that can kill you.

🔆

Ron regained consciousness, his head throbbing heavily. As he blinked, he didn't find himself staring at the Hospital Wing ceiling. Instead, he saw a figure with bunch of heads peering down at him. Blinking again, he att tried to remove the dizziness and blurriness. Suddenly, one of the heads positioned him against the head of the bed and shoved something to his mouth. The taste was heavenly, akin to a bacon double cheeseburger. In that moment, Ron found himself missing the camp.

The pain in his head vanished, as Ron's eyes fell on the figures again, there were two girls, one boy, and a woman. Ron recognized the three youngsters, but not the woman, causing him to gasp.

"He's alive!" Lou exclaimed with a broad smile.

“Lou…?“ Ron asked, his confusion evident. Why were they at Hogwarts?

"We're running out of time," Tamara said, looking around urgently. "The camp is in danger."

"What—"

"Maybe I should just put him to sleep, transport him to NYC, and wake him up there—"

"No!" Tamara interrupted Tyler firmly. "We need to leave."

Abruptly, the door to the Hospital Wing swung open, revealing Professor Dumbledore alongside Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.

"Ah," Professor Dumbledore greeted, his eyes twinkling as he exchanged a handshake with the woman standing next to Tyler. The two of them moved to a corner, engaging in a cheerful conversation. Ron observed the scene, desperate for an explanation, but they all turned impatiently towards Professor Dumbledore.

"I understand. Well then, the young man should depart at once," Professor Dumbledore said, smiling at them. "I will inform the others about the situation."

"What did you say, woman?" Tyler asked nonchalantly.

The woman, who wasn't quite as old, appeared to be in her thirties, with short black hair that shimmered as she moved. She wore a beige coat and high black heels, standing tall and placing a hand on her hip, giving a wink.

"Permission granted, young man," She confirmed.

"Great! Thanks, Mrs. Hubertham," Lou responded. 

"But—" Ron began, standing up and swaying slightly. "What about my friends?"

"No need to worry, dear boy," Professor Dumbledore assured, his gaze turning toward one of the beds where Madam Pomfrey was attending to someone. "Harry is recovering well and resting. Hermione has returned to the dormitory; she'll visit both of you later. We do have much to discuss, but not at this moment." He nodded towards the woman.

“Well, then let's go.“ Mrs. Hubertham said.