Solis

Chapter XXX

Aunt Molly reminded Ron twice that if he wanted Harry to sleep in his room, he should clean it right away. She mentioned this after discovering Harry and Ron playing chess on the floor in the middle of the mess of his room. Ron quickly got up and began cleaning, momentarily distracted by thoughts of which chess moves he would use to win. 

There is also one time when Harry had asked about the people in the pictures. Ron explained that they were other people he knew from New York, hesitating a bit and managing to stop himself from revealing everything. They spent their day up in Ron's room, only coming downstairs when Aunt Molly called them for lunch and dinner.

Ron didn't forget about his younger cousin either. He often asked Ginny if she wanted to join them to play outside, but she would always shake her head, blush, and hurriedly retreat to her room. She would only join when Harry wasn't around, teaming up with the twins to fly on broomsticks in the hills. Meanwhile, Ron was busy setting up his own target on some unused planks in the backyard, with Ginny sticking by his side while Aunt Molly was still confused about why Ron always carried his quiver when he went outside. Ron explained that his arrows were like wands in their own way and needed to be with him at all times.

She even asked about what those people in New York had taught Ron. The redhead pondered how they would react if he revealed that he had lived in a camp for most of his life. Nonetheless, when Aunt Molly asked him and Ginny to fetch the twins and Harry for dinner, Ron quickly gained their attention by shooting the apple they were using as a Quidditch ball with a single shot before Harry could get his hand on it.

"Dinner time, everyone!" Ron called out. "I'm hungry!" and Ginny kept stumbling on her feet as she walked alongside Harry that made Ron and the twins snickered. 

They got a letter from Hermione saying she was going to Diagon Alley on Wednesday to buy new books and asking if they wanted to go. Aunt Molly agreed, and the redhead was curious about the wizard shopping street in London. He thought about getting things for his room, but when he checked his wallet, he only had sixty dollars left. Maybe he could use drachmas instead. He doesn't even have money.

Ron was aware that the Weasleys were facing financial difficulties, and he didn't want to borrow money just to buy things for himself—that didn't feel right. He decided to write a letter to Lou, asking for recommendations on how a twelve-year-old wizard could earn money. 

Dear Ron,

             Hello, Ron. How's your summer going? Thanks for the owl. Some campers got confused when an owl showed up in the middle of dinner, dropping a letter—got some explaining to do, haha! We still have to be cautious. Anyway, there's a key in the small pouch with the letter. I'm not entirely sure what it's for, but Mom said it's from your dad—Apollo. Apparently, it was meant to be a gift for your mother before he left, but he ended up keeping it and gave it to mom. Hope you're enjoying your time. Maybe come back for the Christmas holiday or next summer? See ya!

Your friend,

Lou Ellen

P.S. Sell your soul to the darkest wizard there (jk)

P.S #2. Gracey wanted me to let you know that she's making progress with her Greek translation spell.

Ron felt a surge of emotions within him. Why did his father give the key to Hecate instead of him or the Weasleys? Did that mean he didn't really care about them or didn't trust them to keep such a possession? He was filled with frustration. Huffing in irritation, Ron took the golden key out of the pouch and quickly hid it in his pocket, just as the door to his room swung open.

He still didn't know what the key was for. When Wednesday arrived, they had to use Floo powder—another mode of transportation—to travel to Diagon Alley. Ron ended up vomiting right in the alley, drawing disgusted looks from the passing witches and wizards. The redhead's jaw dropped as he saw the place. The redhead's jaw dropped as he took in the sight. Diagon Alley was, of course, an alley, but it was lined with various shops selling different robes and magical items. Children were ogling the latest brooms in one of the store there, and there were shops offering ice creams and magical toys too.

“Harry, Harry—look!“ Ron said but when he looked besides him, there is no Harry. 

"Harry?" Ron called out, glancing around. He only spotted his Auntand Uncle tending to Ginny's school requirements, the twins chatting, and Percy heading off for his own shopping.

“Aunt Molly! Harry's gone!“ Ron said in nervousness.

"Harry?" Aunt Molly blinked and scanned the surroundings. "Oh, goodness! Arthur!" She gasped.

They hurriedly scoured the area and eventually spotted him with Hermione and Hagrid. Arthur was panting heavily as he rushed over, relieved to find Harry safe.

“Where on gods did you teleported to?“ Ron asked.

“Knockturn Alley,” Hagrid said grimly.

“Excellent!” Fred and George said together.

“What's Knockturn Alley?“ Ron asked. "Anyways, don't go disappearing like that," Ron chided, while Mrs. Weasley came into sight, her breath coming in hurried gasps, more glad to see that Harry's alive. Ron told Hermione to wait outside while he, Harry, and the Weasleys went into a wizarding bank called Gringotts, where Ron was taken aback upon seeing the place—and the hundreds kd goblins, the small creatures who working in their high stools there.

The goblins would pause from their tasks to give Ron cautious glances as he passed by, causing him to feel uncomfortable. His mind was filled with questions: Do they know what he is? Can they smell him? Ron remembered something Gracey mentioned about magical creatures still being able to sense half-bloods.

"Key?" The goblin uttered, as they approached the counter without glancing at them. Aunt Molly and Harry displayed their keys. After the goblin examined them, he instructed them to wait for the next cart that would take them to their vaults.

Ron stared at the goblin hesitantly, "Um..."

"Key?" The goblin repeated, still engrossed in writing on a parchment.

"Is the key meant for this place?" Ron questioned, reaching for the golden key. The goblin briefly looked him up and down, then took hold of the key to inspect it.

"Your name?" It asked.

"What?"

"Your name."

"Ron," he replied, though the goblin seemed to expect more. "Prewett," he added.

"Vault five hundred and thirty four," the goblin stated.

"Is there something I should be cautious about in there... or?"

"Nothing."

"Cool. Uhhh, Thanks," Ron said quickly as he catch up with the others. Despite the goblins' wariness, they still managed to board the cart, and Ron enjoyed the underground maze journey, finding it as exciting as Harry did. When they arrived at the Weasley's vault, Ron and Harry took a peek inside, causing Ron to bite his lip in awful at what he saw. 

Ron heard Aunt Molly sigh, and he put the blame on those pricey Lockhart books. George had pointed out their cost, and Ron also grasped the fact that Aunt Molly had to buy his books, which was really embarras. So, Ron took action based on what he thought was right. When they got to Ron's vault, Aunt Molly was shocked, and it grew when Ron handed her the golden key.

"Oh, dear. Where did you find this?"

Harry was looking at them with curiosity as the redhead scanned the surroundings. "My dad—anyway, it's for you. It's a token of appreciation for everything. You're my mom's sister, so it's a way of saying thanks."

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm afraid I can't—this is for Margaretta, and, well, your dad? Have you crossed paths with him? That man—I must have a word with him—"

Ron quickly shook his head when he sensed Molly's anger while holding the golden key. "Auntie! It's alright, I didn't meet him, I just have the key."

"Oh dear…"

"It's okay. It's for you, as you said I am a part of your family." Ron said, now blushing. He didn't even know how much was in his bank. But when they opened it, Aunt Molly nearly fainted. It was filled with nothing but gold. Harry and Ron stared in awe at the contents, hesitant to even step inside or touch anything.

Finally, they exited the vault, and Aunt Molly was still in shock. Ron grabbed a small pouch of gold and had to insist to his Aunt that she should take what she could and keep the key instead. She explained to him that she would need to speak with the goblins first to ensure the Weasleys could claim the vault. There were many procedures involved, but she started to tear up as she spoke. She also promised that she would only withdraw money if the family was in need and assured that they wouldn't waste it.

As they walked outside, Harry nudged him gently and Ron responded by rolling his eyes. "I just did what I did," he said.

"Not that. You still haven't told me about your dad?"

"Nor have you."

Harry shrugged. "Well, if you ever want to tell me about it, I'll share mine with you."

"Maybe soon," Ron replied. “C'mon, Hermionie is waiting.“

Aunt Molly was delighted that the Weasleys were finally getting their own belongings, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione joined forces to shop for their own items. Ron bkught a map of London that caught his eye, mentioning that he wanted it as a decoration for his room, along with a few other cool things. After that, they treated themselves to ice cream before heading to Flourish and Blotts to purchase their books. The store was crowded, making Ron to exchange a look of disbelief with his friends.

They squeezed their way inside to grab their books, and suddenly, someone—a photographer—accidentally stepped on Ron's foot. Ron had to restrain himself from punching the man when he snarled at him.

To make matters worse, no one had informed Ron that there was a celebrity in the shop. The flashing man even grabbed Harry's arm when he spotted them. Ron and Hermione had to navigate through the crowd whispering sorry to Harry, and the experience was making Ron increasingly frustrated—crowds were not his favorite thing. Ron was already irritated when he accidentally bumped into someone, causing both of them to collide and his books to fall to the ground.

If only he had those whistles like Will! Ron thought to himself as he retrieved his books and joined Hermione to find the others.

Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both clutching stacks of Lockhart’s books as they saw Ginny with a red face, she was with Harry and—Draco.

"Oh," Ron replied, glancing at Draco to his right hand and sensing his discomfort. "You have a wound on your hand. I have a band-aid here."

That action caused the pale boy to hide his right hand and glare at Ron. "It's not your concern, and what are the Weasleys doing in this shop anyway? What? planning to live off their food for a month?" He scowled.

"Actually, I gave them my money. We're good," Ron explained. "Stop being rude," he added.

"Yeah," Ginny chimed in, still blushing. "We have money now."

"Oh? Stolen from whom precisely, Prewett?"

Ron frowned at him, thinking they were about to leave the shop without causing any problems. But then, Draco appeared, followed by his father, leading to a fight between his uncle and Mr. Malfoy. Amidst the chaos, everyone was screaming, because Mr. Malfoy insulted the Weasleys by calling them a disgrace to the name of a wizard even though Ron knew they were just as normal as any other magical mortals can be. 

They managed to leave the shop safely, thanks to Hagrid's timely intervention. But Ron couldn't shake off what Mr. Malfoy had just said, so he asked Aunt Molly for an explanation.

"In short, they are being racist," Ron said, closing his comic as he stared at the ceiling of his room. He and Harry were discussing what had happened earlier, unable to sleep, so they just kept talking until they eventually drifted off.

"And a bully," Harry added. "Why do you keep calling Malfoy by his first name?"

"What? It's his name."

"Um, I don't think you should use that name for someone you dislike."

"Really? But I don't hate Draco," Ron replied. "He's a bully, yeah—but when I saw his dad... I couldn't help but wonder if he's growing up in a toxic family." He suddenly sat down, lost in thought.

"You know, I don't really understand Americans," Harry remarked. In the moonlight filtering through the window, Ron could see Harry shifting on his floor mattress, hugging one of Ron's pillows.

"And I don't really understand British. What was it again? 'Can I have a bottle of water?'" Ron teased, imitating a British accent of a person that is asking for a bottle of water.

Harry snorted. "We don't speak like that."

"Try it!" 

Ron burst into laughter when Harry tried it, only for it to sound exactly the same. 

🔆

They spent the rest of their summer in a similar fashion, enjoying their last few weeks together. Hermione kept sending them letters, reminding them to review the books they had borrowed and asking about their well-being. On boring days, Ron and Harry even sent her a bacon strip wrapped in paper, much to Hermione's annoyance. She also warned them to be prepared for their second year, especially for their Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

The next morning, Ron was trying to fit his books and new robes into his duffle bag while also packing his other belongings to his bag. He had to search the entire room for his favorite yellow ballpoint pen as Molly repeatedly reminded them to hurry up.

When they all finally clustered together on the car and Molly asked if they had forgotten anything, Ginny suddenly shrieked upon realizing she had left her diary behind. Ron also panicked when he realized he had forgotten his new journal book, which he needed for his life. To top it off, George had forgotten his box of Filibuster Fireworks. Ron prayed that he hadn't forgotten anything important when they clambered back to the car, which left him feeling anxious.

That's why when they came to King's Cross. They found theirself in the ground, knocke doff to their feet while groaning, Harry's trunks was thrown backward as they crashed to the barrier. Ron had to free Hedwig from his cage that was thrown too, a she was causing attention tot he passerby.

When they arrived at King's Cross, they found themselves sprawled on the ground, knocked off their feet and groaning. Harry's trunks had been thrown backward as they collided with the barrier. Ron had to free Hedwig from her cage, which had also been thrown, drawing attention from passersby.

"Harry, you okay?" Ron asked, helping Harry to his feet.

"Yeah, what—why couldn't we get through?" Harry asked aloud as they stood up.

"Maybe because we're late!" Ron exclaimed. "What are we going to do? Are we going to get expelled?“ He said as he bagan panicking, The seconds were ticking away until it reached eleven. Both of them stood there helplessly. Ron repeatedly touched the wall barrier, but it remained solid and unyielding—He opened his bag and took out his money, only to realize that he had wizarding money and had left his wallet at The Burrow. Ron wanted to punch himself in frustration.

"I think we'd better go back and get to the car," Harry suggested, glancing around feeling uncomfortable. Then suddenly the redhead gasped.

Harry looked confused. "What?"

"The car!" Ron exclaimed. 

“What about the car?“

"This is a crazy idea, but we could use the flying car."

"But your aunt and uncle—"

Rolling his eyes in excitement, the redhead helped Harry gather his trunk. "They can just teleport, duh. And I've never driven a car before! It's a chance to try something new. I've only seen them in magazines and, just this once. Are you coming or not?“

“Can you even fly it?“

“No. But let's go!“

After that, Ron wished he could teleport back in time to eat his own words for even thinking of flying a car—it was a terrible idea, a very bad idea. He had forgotten to cast a mist, because he thought that the invisibility button of the car would work. But the car began to whine loudly, shudder, and lose speed as they neared Hogwarts. Panic set in for both of them as Ron desperately tried to regain control of the situation.

They nearly crashed into the castle wall, but Ron managed to steer the car away, only to crash into a massive, thick tree that nearly cost them their lives, because the tree's thick, large branches began attacking them as the car plummeted to the ground.

The poor car miraculously recovered and managed to free them from the clutches of the tree, but it only dropped them out with their belongings and rambled away angrily into the darkness.

Both of them felt dizzy for a moment before regaining their consciousness. Ron quickly noticed bruises and scratches on Harry's arm and a lump on his head, similar to his own injuries. He crouched down to check on Harry's condition.

“Come on,” Harry said wearily, “we’d better get up to the school...”

Ron tiredly collect his bags as Harry to his trunks as they truged towards the castle. They were feeling cold at the same time, but they managed to get inside and peeked inside the Great Hall. The feast already began and Ron's mouth was watering for foods that will appear in the table after the Sorting. He wanted to just sneaked in and sat in the space lef tin the Gryffindor's table.

"I'm hungry."

"Me too," Harry replied.

"Do you think we could sneak in?"

"I don't know…" Harry glanced forward and squinted his eyes. "I can't see Snape."

"Really?" Ron followed Harry's glance and gasped. "You're right! Maybe he's feeling sick?"

"Or he's expelled. That would be great," Harry said.

"Or Professor Lockhart removed him because he always wears that sour expression and he doesn't want to face it."

They both giggled. “Or maybe,” said a very cold voice right behind them, “he’s waiting to hear why you two didn’t arrive on the school train.”

They both jumped, looking around to see Professor Snape behind them. Ron tried to look up innocently as he stammered, "G-good evening, Professor Snape," feeling a sense of dread creeping over them.

Essentially, their flying car had been spotted by muggles—mortals, unbelievable. They didn't even have the mist to conceal it? Ron was at a loss for how to explain this to Lou and the others; it was quite embarrassing to think that he get expelled from a magical boarding school for such a reason. But well, at least he finally had an experience in driving a car—a flying one. Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore were deeply disappointed in them.

Taking responsibility, Ron admitted it was his impulsive idea that had led to this, dragging Harry along with him, which was not entirely untrue.

"I-I'm willing to get expelled, Professor. Please don't expel Harry. I don't want him to be with his muggle cousins; they're abusive and all!" Ron pleaded. 

Professor Dumbledore assured him that they wouldn't be expelled, but also warned them that if something like this were to happen again, he might not have a choice but to take more severe measures.

Instead, they received detentions, which was acceptable. While eating in Professor Snape's office, Ron cleaned the blood beside his eye. The redhead isn't really that concerned about expulsion because he possesses two letters, one from Ilvermorny. He could easily just go there or in a regular school and just go straight to his brother's medical school, which is his goal.

As they ate sandwiches, he continuously bounced in his seat while talking with Harry. After that, they planned to return to the dormitory, where Hermione was in disbelief about the rumor of them flying the car.

"It's fun. If I find the car again, I'm going to use it to travel the world."

"Do you seriously want to do it again!?" Hermione exclaimed in utter disbelief. “You two almost get expelled!“

They finally entered the dormitory, and Ron jumped in surprise when someone grabbed his arm from within the passage. Unaware that the Gryffindors were waiting for them, they were all amazed by what happened and excitedly patted them on the back. The twins, Fred and George, put their arms around Ron, pinching his cheeks.

The redhead doesn't know whether to feel proud or not, but he and Harry shared a grin. But the grins faded as Ron received a letter the next morning. His Aunt expressed disappointment in both of them, mentioning that his uncle was undergoing a sudden inquiry at work, involving interviews and other matters. Ron responded with a letter while tending to the unconscious Weasley owl on the table.

In the letter, he offered heartfelt apologies to her. He even mentioned that if she wanted him to return to New York, he'd comply. Aunt Molly declined that option, but she made it clear that she disapproved. She warned them not to repeat the incident, stating that if Ron did so, she would have no choice but to take him back to the house.

Following Ron's advice, Harry also write an apology letter to Aunt Molly.

After that, they had Herbology, and Ron met Justin Finch-Fletchley. Justin didn't shake Ron's hand, maybe because Ron wasn't wearing gloves. Ron was fine with dirt, but Professor Sprout insisted on gloves. Also he was curious about the Hufflepuff's dormitory. But he found the boy continually discussing Lockhart, which caught Hermione's attention instead.

Because Hermione actually had a crush on Lockhart. When Ron saw hearts on her schedule, he couldn't resist giggling, causing Hermione to blush deeply. After lunch, they headed to the courtyard to hang out. Ron was chewing on a piece of candy and offered some to his friends. But a first-year student approached, asking for a picture with Harry. He was holding a camera that made Ron's face lit up.

"What about us? Hey! This is a good idea. Let's take a selfie together," Ron suggested, flashing a peace sign. "Come on, Harry, Hermione! I need a picture with the three of us.“ Ron urged.

"But—" Colin, the boy, hesitated. "I need Harry's."

"Harry's right here, obviously," Ron replied, grabbing his two friends by their arms. Hermione complained first but sigjed. "Fine. But just one."

"You're such a killjoy," Ron teased, pulling his friends together for the picture. Ron peered around Coleen to check the shot.

"The lighting is too bright! It's covering Harry's entire face, let's do it again!" Since the picture wasn't turning out perfect, Ron borrowed his camera and took a selfie, this time including Colin.

"Is he an American?" the boy whispered to Harry and Hermione, nervously sweating.

"You could say that," Harry replied wearily.

They managed to survive Ron's picture-torture-taking session, but they had to pull Ron away from Coleen to make it to their next class—Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lockhart. Ron glanced at the quiz paper their professor handed out, and made a confused look. He didn't even know the tiniest bit about Lockhart. Defense Against the Dark Arts felt like the most pointless class he had ever attended after that.

Dean and Seamus was shaking in laughter behind them. Then Lockhart took out a cage, “I must ask you not to scream,” said Lockhart in a low voice. “It might provoke them.”

As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.

“Yes,” he said dramatically. “Freshly caught Cornish pixies.”

Seamus Finnigan couldn’t control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn’t mistake for a scream of terror.

“Yes?” He smiled at Seamus.

“Well, they’re not—they’re not very—dangerous, are they?” Seamus choked.

“Don’t be so sure!” said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. “Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!”

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.

“Right, then,” Lockhart said loudly. “Let’s see what you make of them!” And he opened the cage.

Ron watched in horror as they sniffed the air and then looked in his direction, a few of them even starting to head his way. He quickly ducked down, trying to avoid them, several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, upended the wastebasket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

In a moment of panic, Ron grabbed one of Hermione's thick books and began swatting at the creatures. He couldn't believe it when he managed to knock down most of them, looking at his professor in disbelief.

"Seriously?" Ron muttered as the bell rang, signaling the end of the class. He then went to help Neville down from the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

🔆

Ron was losing interest in attending Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but Hermione reminded him that they needed the subject to complete their studies. This only made his mood worse. A week later, Ron was sitting and writing in his journal. He and Hermione were on the Quidditch stands, watching Harry practice.

Colin handed Ron some pictures, and he happily stuck them into his journal. 

"You look good in this one, Hermione," Ron said, showing her the picture.

Hermione huffed, "I'm not. How many pictures do you even have?"

"Sixteen!" Ron exclaimed. "I'm going to put the others on my wall."

“On your wall? Anyway—oh." Hermione halted and looked down. Her brow furrowed. "Is that the Slytherins?"

Ron followed her gaze and spotted the Slytherin Quidditch team and the Gryffindor team down on the field. They seemed to be engaged in an argument or some sort of confrontation. Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances before immediately rushing towards them.

“Hey, what's going on?“ Ron asked, and saw Draco and he stopped.

"Surprised, Prewett? Clearly, I've made it onto the team. Check out this broom, courtesy of my dear father's generosity." Draco said smugly as they showed off their brooms.

"So?" Ron retorted, like he even care what brooms they have. "It's just a broom. I could use that to sweep the dust in my room." Suddenly, the Gryffindors around them gasped and burst out laughing.

The Slytherins were all steamed up, and Draco sneered at him. "Really now?" he spat, eying the Gryffindor's team broom with disdain. "Cleansweep, is it? Quite fitting for a broom to tidy up your shabby quarters. That is, if you even have a proper one, considering Weasleys can hardly manage a stable household."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

“At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in,” said Hermione sharply. “They got in on pure talent.”

The smug expression on Malfoy's face faltered. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat. Suddenly, an uproar erupted following Draco's words. Flint had to intervene, positioning himself in front of Malfoy to prevent Fred and George from attacking him. Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" As chaos ensued, making Ron to quickly put his fingers in his mouth and emit a sharp, loud piercing whistle that silenced everyone. The sound resonated throughout the entire Quidditch stadium.

Everyone stared at him in shock, including Ron himself who still had his finger in his mouth. "I... I think I need a milk." he stammered, his face turning red as he hurried away. Harry and Hermione quickly followed him.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked.

"That was impressive—and painful for my ears," Harry added, clutching his ears.

Ignoring their comments, Ron led them to Hagrid's hut to ask for a glass of milk, his two friends looking at him with concern. Later that evening, Professor McGonagall informed them about their detention. Ron stared at her in disbelief when she mentioned that he had to polish the silver in the trophy room, and to make matters worse, he'd be doing it with Filch! It felt like torture. Ron knew that Filch disliked him just as much as he disliked Filch.

Ron reluctantly carried out his detention later that evening. Filch instructed him to scrub the trophy until he's satisfied. Ron, accustomed to cleaning dishes, unknowingly let his ADHD tendencies take over. Instead of just focusing on the trophy, he began cleaning the entire room, much to Filch's growing frustration.

The month ended quickly, and October proved to be a busy time for Ron too. But he managed to find some spare moments to I.M everyone at the camp and check on them. The camp appeared peaceful, and he could sense that and Will was looking forward to Ron returning to help him in the infirmary.

"You've got Nico tailing you," Ron stuck out his tongue.

"I don't trust him anywhere near our medical tools in the infirmary," he sighed. "But seriously, how are you?"

"I'm okay. I've got lots of homework, and I also tried the whistle you used before."

Will raised an amused eyebrow, "Oh?"

"I don't know. It just came out of nowhere when I tried to whistle," Ron replied, attempting to whistle again, but it didn't work this time.

"If you say so."

"No, really! I promise! It worked. I don't know, it actually stopped a fight," Ron insisted.

"A fight? Were you involving yourself in a fight there?" Will's voice took on a scolding tone.

"No, no! Look, I've got to go. Tell Nico to shadow-travel a McDonald's for me! He knew where to find me!" Ron hurriedly said.

"Ronald Prewett, If I heard you—" Will's voice trailed off as Ron abruptly ended the conversation. He was aware that his brother got upset by it but Ron didn't want to face any scoldings that day. He felt like it was his moment to enjoy a bit of freedom. But the heavy rain outside dampened his mood. Ron needed sunlight to lift his spirits, but the weather gave him depression in return.

It might not have been the ideal start to Halloween, but Harry received an invitation to a party exclusively for ghosts only. Ron was quite excited about it. When they went to the party with Hermione, something about that Patrick ghost bothered Ron.

“I think,” said Harry hurriedly, at a meaningful look from Nick, “Nick’s very— frightening and—er—”

“Ha!” yelled Sir Patrick’s head. “Bet he asked you to say that!”

"Oh yeah, be glad he didn't ask Hades for your lingering soul," Ron remarked. The room went silent as everyone froze, staring at Ron. Then, suddenly, screams of horror and sharp music from the orchestra erupted, and Myrtle began crying loudly.

"Ron, what did you do!?" Hermione shouted.

"He's the one being rude!" Ron defended himself.

The others started to apologize to Headless Nick, who was as shocked as the rest of them. The three managed to sneak their way out, and as they finally exited, Ron's stomach began to rumble with hunger. He complained about his empty stomach as the trio headed toward the Great Hall.

But suddenly, Harry stopped walking, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “It’s that voice again—”

“What voice?“

“Listen!” Harry said urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze, watching him. Without hesitation, Harry started running, and the two of them immediately him followed, confused.

Harry explained that the voice was going to kill someone. Suddenly, Ron's neck began to tingle, and he came to a halt. A deep instinct from the core of his brain told him to ready his weapon and get ready to fight, even though there was nothing to fight against at the moment. Hurriedly, he caught up with the other two, stopping right behind them. They were staring at the wall ahead. Ron followed their gaze and squinted his eyes to read the words that were written there.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker’s cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

"Holy...Styx." Ron exclaimed, taking a step back. Suddenly, the corridor was filled with the sound of chatter and the approaching footsteps of hundreds of students, indicating that dinner had just ended. But the noise quickly died down as soon as they saw what was happening ahead.

Ron poked the cat but he heard Mr. Filch screeched. And his popping eyes fell on Harry and Ron. “You!” he screeched. “You, you! You’ve murdered my cat! You’ve killed her! I’ll kill you two! I’ll—”

“Argus!” Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

“Come with me, Argus,” he said to Filch. “You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger.”

Ron was even more shocked to learn that Mr. Filch's first name is Argus. As they followed Dumbledore to Lockhart's office, which happened to be the nearest, Ron's hatred for Lockhart intensified. He struggled to resist the urge to kick the man in the shin. But matters worsened when Filch and Professor Snape trued to frame them.

Harry tried to explain the situation, but Ron stepped forward angrily. "It's not our fault! You stupid—" but Professor Dumbledore immediately intervened, stopping him before he said anything that would have led to Professor Snape giving Ron a detention and deducting house points.

"They should be petrified instead, this school supposed to be safe!“ Ron muttered angrily as the three stormed out from the office. 

Ginny wasn't having a good time either. She kept staying with Ron and that lasted for two weeks, so he tried his best to comfort her younger cousin. The redheaded always made sure to spend time with her—she was just a first-year student, for goodness sake. 

The two of them spent time outdoors by the lake, with Ron working on his assignment while Ginny leaned tiredly on him, which he allowed. 

"Hi there."

Ron was slightly startled as he noticed someone standing right in front of the two of them. It was a pale, petite girl of the same age as Ginny, also a first-year. She had dirty-blonde hair and striking silver eyes. Ron couldn't help but notice that she wasn't wearing any shoes. His reaction woke Ginny up, and she blinked wearily at the girl before her, her face lighting up slightly.

"Luha," greeted Ginny.

Luna's eyes lit up, "Hello, Ginny. I've been searching for you..."

"S-sorry," Ginny said, fidgeting. "I hope you're not upset. Have the others been bullying you?"

"Oh, no," Luna replied with her dreamy voice, which Ron found intriguing. She spoke slowly, as if she were in a dreamlike state. "It's perfectly fine. Thank you for helping me. You accidentally left your diary in the common room though..."

He wasn't sure what had just happened but Ginny suddenly froze, shuffling backward and breaking into tears.

"No, no—" Ginny sobbed. "I burned that book!"

"Ginny?" Luna asked, sounding concerned.

"Please, take that away from here! I want my mom," she cried.

Ron knelt down to comfort her and glanced the diary Luna was holding. "What's the matter? Ginny?"

"It's not my fault, please. It's not my fault," Ginny kept muttering softly as she rocked back and forth.

"Luna, can you meet me tomorrow after lunch in front of the library?" Ron asked. "And bring the diary as well."

Luna looked at them with concern but managed a smile. "Sure...goodbye..."

After Luna leave, Ginny immediately calm down. She continued shaking her head while holding onto Ron's robe tightly. "I should have listened to Dad," she said. "Shouldn't have touched it and..."

"Hey, hey. It's okay," Ron reassured, hugging her gently. "It's alright, I'm here. You didn't do anything wrong. Do you want to go back to the dorm?"

Ginny sniffled and shook her head again. "I want to stay."

"Alright, that's good. Let's stay here for a while," Ron agreed.

The next day, Ron managed to slip away from his two friends and met Luna. He found her staring at the wall, still without any shoes on. Ron approached her and waved his hand in front of her, which snapped her back to reality.

She smiled dreamily at him. "Hi. We meet again."

"You must be Ginny's friend. Thank you for looking after her," Ron said. "She's been feeling lonely these past few months... I'm doing my best to spend time with her, but my assignments are keeping me busy."

Luna hummed and handed Ron the diary. "I had a feeling... a sort of tingling from the pages of the book," she added whimsically.

"Uhh," Ron said slowly as he took the diary from Luna's hand. 

"Do you notice? The walls seem to be particularly intriguing today, don't you reckon?" She added, staring at the walls fo the corridor. 

"Thanks, Luna," Ron replied, then added, "Where are your shoes?" He almost regretted asking the question, but it caused Luna to smile again.

"Nargles, you see, they tend to whisk things away, ah," Luna explained with a dreamy tone. "I've been trying, but I just can't seem to find them..."

"Uhhh, you could ask the older students to help you find your shoes," Ron suggested.

"But you know, they don't really believe in Nargles or Wrackspurts, do they? But perhaps you do? You're different, after all..." Luna said. 

That made Ron sweat a little as the blonde girl's eyes darted around his surroundings. "Uhhh, what do you mean?" he said nervously, gripping the diary tightly. "Weeell…I need to go. I'll see you around, uh, bye, Luna. Thanks." 

"Goodbye," she whispered softly, her voice carrying a hint of serenity. "have a little faith," Luna gently said as Ron walked away.

The redhead tried to calm his racing heart. Does she know? She didn't seem like she did, but the girl unsettled Ron, not in a negative way. Ron was relieved that Ginny had a good friend, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the girl knew something beneath her dreamy demeanor. He immediately bumped into his two friends, who were searching for him.

"Where have you been!?" Hermione questioned frantically. "We're running late!"

"Sorry, I—Let's go," he said, tucking the diary into his robes.