Solis

Chapter XXXIV

Ron felt the pressure, not from homework, not from monsters, and not even from his dad—it was about which candies to choose for Harry at Honeydukes. The girls had been giggling behind him. Lavender tried to suggest the best heart-shaped chocolate, and Ron blushed. He shot them a glare and quickly grabbed whatever looked delicious from the shelves.

Ron should've known better; he probably shouldn't have gone to Hogsmeade with them. They visited every store, and Ron felt like the unofficial bodyguard of three girls. However, he found himself enjoying the day. He decided to part ways with them when the three refused to accompany him to Zonko's Joke Shop.

Ron bought everything he deemed useful from Zonko's Joke Shop as the four of them returned to the castle.

Ron handed over the Honeydukes sweets to Harry, who was pleasantly surprised by the mountain of different treats. "I should've bought a phone or a camera so I could take pictures of every store there," Ron sighed as he and Hermione shared what Hogsmeade is like with Harry.

Harry then told them about his visits with Professor Lupin. "He wanted to say sorry, he didn't mean to upset you," Harry remarked while nibbling on a piece of fudge, a free sample from Honeydukes that Ron nearly took entirely.

"Well, he thought I was being abused..."

"He's concerned, Ron," Hermione said. "Honestly, you should be grateful; most professors are too preoccupied to notice what's happening with a student."

"Well, yeah, but he's wrong."

"What's the matter then?" Harry questioned.

"That guy, well, he's my friend in New York. He's kind of...uh," Ron said uncomfortably, "left us," he added.

"Left?" Harry squinted in confusion. "Why would he leave you, and what is he even talking about?"

"You won't understand," Ron said. "Just forget about it." He knew that Harry would likely remember it again and wouldn't drop it.

After that, they finally made their way to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. The place was bursting with Halloween decorations, as was customary for the occasion. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes. The food was delicious; even Hermione and Ron, who were full to bursting with Honeydukes sweets, managed second helpings of everything.

Finally the feast finished as they follow the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ron asked, trying to peer over the crowd to see what the commotion was about.

“Let me through, please,” came Percy’s voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. “What’s the holdup here? You can’t all have forgotten the password—excuse me, I’m Head Boy —” 

And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a sudden sharp voice, “Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick.” 

People’s heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe. “What’s going on?” said Ginny, who had just arrived. 

A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer to see what the trouble was.

“Oh, my—” Hermione grabbed Harry’s arm. 

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. 

Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him. 

“We need to find her,” said Dumbledore. “Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady.” 

“You’ll be lucky!” said a cackling voice. It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry. 

“What do you mean, Peeves?” said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves’s grin faded a little. He didn’t dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

“Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn’t want to be seen. She’s a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful,” he said happily. 

“Poor thing,” he added unconvincingly. 

“Did she say who did it?” said Dumbledore quietly. 

“Oh yes, Professorhead,” said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. “He got very angry when she wouldn’t let him in, you see.” 1

Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. “Nasty temper he’s got, that Sirius Black.”

What a surprising turn of events at the end of the Halloween day. In short, Sirius Black had made his way into the castle, making Professor Dumbledore to gather all the students in the Great Hall to spend the night there with their sleeping bags.

After Professor Dumbledore finally left and closed the door behind him, the hall immediately began to buzz with excitement as students asked what had happened. The Gryffindors eagerly shared the story, and Percy had to shush them all.

Ron found it nearly impossible to sleep. Firstly, the sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable. Secondly, Harry was right beside him, (which wasn't too uncomfortable but still…) there was also the fact that there was a murderer inside the castle. How could anyone sleep in such circumstances? Everyone was still talking, asking questions about how Black could have possibly get inside the castle.

“The lights are going out now!” Percy shouted. “I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!”

As the candles all went out at once, Ron didn't even bother trying to close his eyes. He felt Harry shift beside him and accidentally knocked his arm.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"It's alright, dude," Ron reassured him. "Are you okay?"

"With my would-be assassin inside the castle, I doubt it," Harry admitted.

"Yeah, you're right," Ron agreed, turning to face Harry. "But hey, don't worry. Professor Dumbledore and the rest would make sure you're safe."

"I hope so," Harry replied.

"Well, I'm not going to sleep until morning," Ron sighed. Several of them couldn't sleep until three in the morning, and the three of them had to pretend to be asleep when Dumbledore entered, talking with Snape. Apparently, they had searched the castle but found no sign of Sirius. However, that didn't stop them from remaining cautious.

The next morning, everyone was abuzz with talk about Sirius Black. But that only made Ron feel worse, especially because Defense Against the Dark Arts was now temporarily taught by Professor Snape. Snape insisted on teaching them about werewolves, even though they haven't covered it yet.

Snape asked them about the distinction between a werewolf and a true wolf, and Hermione raised her hand, but he ignored her.

“Please, sir,” Hermione said, whose hand was still in the air, “the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf—” 

“That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger,” said Snape coolly. “Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all.”

Ron stood up from his desk, anger evident in his voice. "You don't talk to my best friend like that! You keep asking a question and then refuse to listen to an answer?" as Hermione tried her best not to cry.

Ron ended up with detention, feeling incredibly frustrated, and the class finally ended with a lesson about werewolves that he found utterly pointless. Snape informed him that his detention would involve scrubbing bedpans in the Hospital Wing without using magic, as if Ron had ever used magic to clean things before.

Ron remained angry as he stormed out of the classroom and hurried over to Hermione and Harry to inform them about his detention.

"Well, it's part of being a doctor..." Ron said, his tone clearly disgusted.

The next morning, Ron was surprised to find Harry awake early on a stormy morning. Ron was just getting ready, preparing his medical gloves and face mask for his detention.

"Do you think the Quidditch match will continue? The storm is so strong," Ron asked, peering outside the dorm's window.

Harry, lying flat on his bed, groaned, "Nah." He got up, got dressed, and grabbed his Nimbus Two Thousand. He waited for Ron in the common room, and as the redhead appeared, Ron put Scabbers on his own head while Crookshanks tried to snatch it away from below.

“Good luck!“ Ron only said. 

That afternoon, the rain continued relentlessly, and the wind was so strong that the students who were going to watch the match had to bring their own umbrellas. Hermione told Ron to wait in the stand as she dashed toward the field and returned looking satisfied.

"What did you do?" Ron asked.

"Just a spell so Harry could see through his glasses," she replied.

"Cool," Ron said as they joined the rest of the students to continue watching the match. He couldn't help but wonder who would play a sport in such a storm. Harry seemed to finally see clearly as he dodged a bludger and scanned the area for the snitch. Then, a clap of thunder.

"Oh, Zeus, please not today," Ron muttered, squinting his eyes to watch Harry and keep an eye out for the snitch.

Harry looked wildly around. Cedric Diggory was pelting up the field, and a tiny speck of gold was shimmering in the rain-filled air between them—

With a jolt of panic, Harry threw himself flat to the broom-handle and zoomed toward the Snitch.

Suddenly, a swarm of hundreds of Dementors flew towards Harry, just beneath him. Ron didn't have time to react as his best friend plummeted from the sky.

"Harry!" Ron screamed in terror. Gasps filled the air as everyone rushed onto the field to see what was happening. He and Hermione had to squeeze through the crowd until they saw Professor Dumbledore, who looked furious as he levitated Harry's body. Ron's hand covered his mouth, unable to think, only hearing the thunder above and the voices of the terrified students.

They bursts in inside the Hospital Wing along with the Gryffindors quidditch team. Harry was there sleeping in the bed as the rest of the team began talking, relief in their voices. Ron and Hermione was standing in the corner uncomfortably as they kept glancing to Harry worriedly. 

They were all soaked from the rain and the Quidditch teams covered in mud, as they received disapproving looks from Madam Pomfrey then suddenly, Professor Flitwick also arrived on the scene, holding Harry's broom, which made them gasp. Their Charms professor had retrieved Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand from the Whomping Willow.

"Oh no..." Ron said, his expression filled with concern as he gazed at Harry's broom in the floor.

When he heard Harry's voice, Ron felt the disappointment from it. Cedric, the Hufflepuff seeker, had caught the snitch, but the guy had tried to call it off for a rematch. Unfortunately, it was too late. Harry just lay there, not saying a word.

After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace. 

“We’ll come and see you later,” Fred told him. “Don’t beat yourself up, Harry, you’re still the best Seeker we’ve ever had.”

When the team left, Ron and Hermione rushed towards Harry and tried their best to explain what happened, and what's worse, about Harry's broom—Nimbus Two Thousand was blown away towards the Whomping Pillow. 

“Oh, Harry.“ Hermione said. 

Harry remained silent, and Ron struggled to find the right words to comfort him. They did their best to cheer him up until Madam Pomfrey instructed them to leave and visit him again the next day.

"Except for Mr. Prewett, I would like to speak with him in my office," she said, before walking briskly toward her office. Hermione and Ron exchanged confused glances before Ron followed Madam Pomfrey into her office.

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Prewett. I'd like to discuss your detention right away," she said, gesturing to one of the armchairs.

Ron nodded grimly as he took a seat. "Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey. I've already prepared my things."

"Professor Snape expects you not to use magic, am I right?" she inquired.

"Yes," Ron confirmed.

"Well," Madam Pomfrey started firmly. "I don't wish to say this prematurely, but I've already discussed this matter previously with your head of house, and I've reached a decision. You indeed surprised me when I saw Mr. Malfoy's healed injury before. No student could have cleansed such a substantial wound, and—”

“I would like first to assess your qualifications for becoming my assistant—please allow me to explain fully, Mr. Prewett, sit down. I won't be appointing you just yet; you'll need to prove yourself to me first." She continued strictly."I will use Professor Snape's detentions for your training. Instead of scrubbing bedpans, I would like you to stay with me on weekends to assist in tending to the students, with the expectation that you won't cause any trouble," Madam Pomfrey explained.

"I can do that—"

"Without causing any trouble, Mr. Prewett," Madam Pomfrey interrupted sternly. "Once I hear of any incidents involving my patients, I will remove you and forbid your entry inside."

Ron wore an eager smile, struggling to contain his excitement. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey!"

"Tomorrow is Sunday," Madam Pomfrey said. "Come see me after lunch."

The next morning, Ron shared with Hermione what Madam Pomfrey had discussed with him. Hermione appeared slightly envious, as it meant Ron had early access to learning healing magic. While Hermione didn't have any particular skill or experience in healing.

Ron returned to the Hospital Wing after lunch, a bit too early. He was excited and didn't realize the time. As he entered, he noticed a few students in their beds, including Harry but Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen, and it wasn't as if she was going to scold Ron for arriving early. So, Ron walked over to Harry's bed. Harry was fully awake and looked bored.

"Hermione and Ginny will come visit you later," Ron began, causing Harry to look up. "How are you?"

"Feeling worse," Harry replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, can't I come see you?"

"Visitors aren't allowed in for another hour. Madam Pomfrey had something to attend to outside, but she'll be back in a minute."

"Well, she told me to come here after lunch," Ron said, grinning.

Harry appeared curious. "Why?" He asked.

"I'll explain it later."

"Why not now?" Harry sighed. "I'm bored; Hagrid and the team already visited me earlier this morning."

Suddenly, the double doors of the Hospital Wing swung open, and Madam Pomfrey entered. She glanced at them and remarked, "You're here early."

"I'm excited," Ron admitted.

"I can see that. Now, come along to my office; we should get started." Ron bounced happily as Harry looked bewildered between them.

"What? What's going on?"

Ron planted a quick kiss on Harry's cheek. "As I said, I'll tell you later. Bye!" This left Harry frozen with shock.

Ron returned after two hours, his face beaming with excitement as he rushed over to Harry. Hermione was there, giggling, but she noticed him.

"Ron!" She waved.

"Guys! I did it," Ron exclaimed. "Madam Pomfrey had me heal one of the mannequins, doing CPR and all sorts of stuff. I was so surprised to see fake blood inside; it came to life. Madam Pomfrey used some magic to make the lungs circulate, and it was amazing! I could finally become her assistant, something I've wanted for a long time. And what's going on here?" He looked around curiously.

Hermione reached beneath the bowl of fruit and pulled out a card. "Ginny gave it to him," Hermione said and couldn't help but giggle.

"Sure," Ron replied, taking the card.

"Open it," She urged.

Ron did as instructed, but instead of a letter, a shrill voice erupted from the card. Ron hurriedly closed it, but the voice didn't stop. Harry grabbed the card and slammed it under the fruit bowl. Ron looked at them with a mix of horror and shock.

"Why would—oh, Ginny..." he mumbled in disbelief.

Harry groaned in exasperation at the two of them. "It's not funny, Hermione."

"Of course, it's not," she said with a smile. 

🔆

Before Christmas holidays arrived, Ron wrote letters to his friends at Ilvermorny about his situation. He had a schedule for it, sending letters every two weeks, and they would reply with updates from the camp. It seemed that communication, including Iris messaging, was still not working. He debated whether he should write to his friends about his encounter with the boggart, and about Hecate but he decided that he would share these details with them in person if they all had the chance to meet up together. 

Christmas finally arrived, and Ron and Hermione decided to stay behind for Harry. They came up with a made-up reason to keep Harry from getting suspicious about why they weren't going home for the holiday. Additionally, Ron had to limit his visits to Hogsmeade on weekends because he was assisting Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey was incredibly strict, and Ron had to carefully record every healing potion they had. She was annoyed that they didn't have enough from St. Mungo's Hospital, leading Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape to create most of them. Ron not only served as her assistant but also had to endure Madam Pomfrey's complaints.

Ron was doing an excellent job. He gathered ingredients from the Forbidden Forest, brewed healing potions, and sneakily stashed them in the drawers of the Hospital Wing, with the centaurs always assisting him, placing the necessary ingredients in his school bag.

The bag was quite heavy, but Ron managed to hoist it onto his back, although he tripped as he exited the forest, ending up with his face in the snow. As he heard a snort, Ron quickly got to his feet and spotted a large black dog just beside in one of the trees, looking at him.

"How rude of you," Ron quipped, though he was quite confused about why a dog would be near the Forbidden Forest. Maybe it was some kind of magical creature from the forest. The dog appeared harmless, so Ron took out some donuts he had bought from Honeydukes the day before. He crouched down and offered them to the dog, which immediately devoured them.

"You looked hungry. Hagrid could help you, you know. He has Fang. His hut is just over there," Ron suggested, pointing toward the path leading to Hagrid's hut.

"Well, I'm heading in now. I have to make healing potions and sneak them into the Hospital Wing because Madam Pomfrey complains a lot. I don't want to be on her bad side," Ron explained, standing up. "See ya'."

When Ron returned to the common room that day, he was surprised to see Hermione running toward him who had just returned from Hogsmeade. "You have to listen to this," she said, guiding him to a secluded area of the common room.

Ron looked confused as Hermione explained that Harry had sneaked outside with a map showing all the hidden passages outside Hogwarts, something she disapproved of. She went on to tell him what they had overheard in the Three Broomsticks, particularly about Harry's parents.

As Hermione detailed how Sirius Black had betrayed Harry's parents by being both a godfather and the secret-keeper, and how Black had grown weary of his double-agent role and chose to support You-Know-Who. Ron listened with his mouth hanging open in shock.

"You should go check on him. He came back early. He must be in his bed," Hermione said, her voice trembling. "Oh, Harry..."

Ron immediately followed her suggestion, rushing to their dormitory. He opened the door, glanced around, and spotted Harry apparently sleeping, and looked like he was pretending. Ron approached him and peered down, confirming his suspicion that Harry was indeed pretending.

"Harry," Ron called out, "I know you're awake."

Harry didn't respond, so Ron poked him in the shoulder.

"What do you want?" Harry mumbled, rolling onto his back to glare at him.

"I heard what happened," Ron answered.

"Of course, you did," Harry sighed angrily. "I don't want to talk right now. Leave me alone.“

Ron assured Harry that they would talk tomorrow, the first day of the holiday, and told him to get some rest.

The following morning, Ron woke up early as usual. He bid farewell to Dean and the others who were heading home for the holiday. Ron spent his time alone in the common room, trying the translator spell on one of his comic books. Hermione eventually joined him, diligently working on her homework, which was spread out over three tables.

Ron was about to wake Harry for lunch, when the said boy climbed down form the stairs. They both looked at him with worry and concern as Harry slumped into a chair by the fire.

"Hey, Harry!" Ron greeted, trying to cheer him up. "Did you sleep well?" He knew it was a silly question considering Harry's state.

“Where's everyone?“ Harry asked, ignoring him.

It certainly wasn't the ideal way to start the first day of the holiday. Their conversation took a tense turn when Hermione began by cautioning Harry not to do anything stupid and search for Sirius Black. Ron agreed, but Harry snapped and told what he had heard when there was a Dementor nearby—the screams and pleas of his mother to Voldemort that made Ron flinched.

Ron felt uncomfortable, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He suggested that instead of dwelling on it, they should try to enjoy the holiday or perhaps visit Hagrid for a cup of tea and hot milk, or play a chess to take their minds off things.

Visiting Hagrid seemed like a risky idea, given Harry's need to stay indoors, but he was insistent. He decided they would visit Hagrid, and Ron and Hermione had no choice but to follow him.

When they knocked on Hagrid's door, they found Hagrid in tears. He handed them a letter from the Ministry, explaining that he needed to attend a hearing to defend the hippogriff. Hermione and Harry tried to offer advice to Hagrid, while Ron tried to prepare some tea for him. 

But Ron felt a surge of anger and frustration. Hagrid was just an innocent person caught up in the bureaucratic mess of the Ministry. It all seemed unfair. They did their best to reassure and help Hagrid in his defend to win against the hearing.

"Grekkos," Ron muttered as the book translated into Greek. The three of them were huddled in the common room the next day, with books in hand, searching for any necessary information about Hippogriffs. But their search proved frustrating, and Ron grew weary, eventually dozing off in one of the armchairs. He was later called by Madam Pomfrey to assist with something.

On Christmas Eve, Ron received several gifts from his friends and one from his aunt, another maroon sweater. He had forgotten to mention to his aunt that he didn't like maroon and preferred yellow. Ron wondered if it was that obvious since nearly everything he owned was yellow. Seamus teased him about potentially being a Hufflepuff pretending to be a Gryffindor, and is that even possible?

Ron was surprised when he saw that Harry had received a new broom, the "Firebolt,". Harry explained that he had seen the broom in Diagon Alley, where it was quite popular, but they still didn't know who had sent it to him.

Ron sighed as he sat on his bed and gently picked up Scabbers from his yellow pillow. The rat looked incredibly thin, and Ron had been worrying about him.

"What should I say to Percy? I don't want to be the one to blame if Scabbers dies. I don't want Scabbers to die," Ron said.

"Have you been feeding him?" Harry asked.

"Course' I do!" Ron exclaimed. "Everything I eat, I give it to Scabbers!"

"Right…maybe it's stress or something?"

"Maybe. Poor Scabbers, not handsome anymore! How can he get a wife and have lots of rats in the Burrow? Not that I like that idea; my Auntie will be screaming all day," Ron added, sniffing a bit, which earned a small smile from Harry.

Their enjoyment of the day was cut short when Hermione told Professor McGonagall about Harry's new broom, leading her to confiscate it for a few weeks to check for any jinxes or curses.

It doesn't even look like it's jinxed. How could Sirius Black have that much money to buy such an expensive broom for Harry if he just escaped from Azkaban? Why would he spend so much when he could buy some books or quills with jinxes on them and put a different name on the card? Is he trying to flaunt his wealth or something?

Ron didn't want to get upset with Hermione, especially since Harry had already been quite angry with her. But Harry's broom was more than just an object; it was one of the few things he only had and Harry been through a lot. When Ron returned to the dorm, he noticed Harry in his bed with a blanket draped over him.

"Harry," Ron called out to him.

Harry didn't respond, but Ron could tell that he was awake. So, he sat down on the space beside him, causing the mattress to dip.

"Harry," he repeated, this time in a whisper.

Harry shifted, removing the blanket from him, and gazed at Ron. His green eyes were bright, yet filled with a mixture of sadness and anger. It was a familiar sight when he was a kid, a time when everything seemed unfair and filled with loneliness.

"Hey," Ron said softly. "It's going to be okay."

"It's not," Harry replied.

"Then tell me," 

Harry slowly sat on his bed and stared at the wall with a somber expression. "I just don't understand. Why does everyone take things away from me? What did I do to deserve this... Can I just have, I don't know, a little bit of happiness?" His voice carried a deep sense of frustration and sadness.

Ron looked at Harry with genuine concern. "I've been living with the Dursleys for almost twelve years without knowing anything about my whole life, and now even here—they've been keeping secrets from me, about my parents. They could have just told me before, so I didn't have to deal with all of this," Harry lamented, as he clutched his forehead.

Ron felt the strong urge to hug Harry and provide him with comfort, but instead, he took Harry's right hand beside him and held it tightly. "Harry, we'll get through this, I—I promise. I swear to River Styx, of course, you don't know what that is, but—I swear that I will always be here for you. I'm your best friend, okay?" Ron reassured him.

"What about Black? I can't just let him live—he killed my parents, and he wanted me next," Harry expressed his deep concern.

"I know," Ron said, "But look, once Black is captured, we'll laugh at him together. And no, I won't let that guy harm you. I'm going to stick with you, and we're going to fight him together. I'll punch, you'll kick him." 

Harry looked at Ron with an amused expression. "I really don't understand you sometimes, you know."

Ron grinned. "I get that a lot. They say I talk too much, but that's my ADHD, of course—but I talk and act straight from my heart!"

"Or you're just an American," Harry teased weakly.

"Hey, what's wrong with that?" Ron retorted, playfully punching Harry in the arm, which set them both off into fits of giggles.

"Wait and see how you'll react if you ever visit New York!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ron replied with enthusiasm.

"Do they sell hotdogs like the ones you kept muttering about in your sleep?" Harry teased.

Ron gasped, his face turning bright red. "You—"

"I always hear you muttering about food in your sleep," Harry laughed.

Ron hid his face behind his hand in embarrassment. "Please forget about it..."

"Never," Harry said, grinning.

"Harry!"

"Spell 'hotdogs' then."

"H...o...d...Harry!"

"No promises. So, how was being an assistant to Madam Pomfrey?" Harry asked, laughing at him. He knew he could easily distract Ron with some questions and get him to focus on something else.

"Oh my gods—you won't believe this, one of the students from Ravenclaw—" 

The following day, Hermione appeared torn between confusion and relief. Harry seemed to be doing better, although he was still upset about what Hermione had done. Nevertheless, she thought Ron had done a good job of brightening Harry's mood a bit.

As classes began, Ron complained about fitting his homework and work in the Hospital Wing within his schedule. That's when Harry dropped the news that he had a private "how-to-fend-off-dementor" lesson scheduled with Professor Lupin for Thursday evening. Ron looked at Hermione to ask her about her schedule, but she was occupied.

The girl had lots of homework from most of her classes piled up in one corner of the common room. Ron would leave snacks for her there, but he didn't talk to her because she would snap at him. 

"I don't know how she managed that," Ron said, looking confused. "Hannah told me she had an Arithmancy class with Hermione after breakfast yesterday, but Hermione was with us in Care of Magical Creatures at that time. How does that even work? And Riela and Jacey told me they saw her many times in Muggle Studies every other afternoon, but we have Defense Against the Dark Arts at that time."

"Who's Riela and Jacey?" Harry asked, growing more curious about Hermione's situation.

"They're Ravenclaws," Ron explained. "I've bumped into them in the Hospital Wing every weekends when they visit their Slytherin friend. We kind of talk together—so you see, we can all be friends together."

"Right..." 

Next week, Wednesday—after classes, Ron had just finished his essay on Potion when he heard from a second-year Gryffindor that he saw Harry with a Firebolt. The redhead's excitement made him bounce on his feet.

"Really? Where?" Ron asked eagerly.

"He's on his way here!" the boy, Kyle, beamed at him.

"Thanks!" Ron exclaimed as he rushed out of their dorm and saw Harry turning the corner with a Firebolt in his hand.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed with excitement. "It's true!"

"Yeah," Harry replied happily, still somewhat surprised.

"Before you get too excited, you need to talk to Hermione," Ron said sternly. "Don't give me that look, everyone's expecting you inside. Let's go."

When they headed back, or rather, just before, they helped Neville get inside because he had forgotten the password again and lost the paper with the dorm's password written on it. When they entered  everyone eagerly gathered around Harry to inspect the Firebolt, as Ron gave him a knowing nod.

"I'll do take my essay up to the dorm. I'll be back. Talk to Hermione, okay?" Ron said cheerfully as he climbed up toward the boys' dormitory.

He seized his essay next to Hermione's book and hurried back to their dorm. After opening the door and setting his bag down, he rolled the parchment and put it inside. However, when he turned toward his bed, Ron froze in shock as he saw blood on his bed's sheet.

His eyes followed the trail of blood up to his rat, and Ron's bag slipped from his grasp.

"No! Scabbers!" Ron cried as he picked up the lifeless rat, covered in blood, with familiar ginger cat hairs scattered all over the floor.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, clutching Scabbers in his now blood-smeared hand.

"Oh my goodness, what's going on?" The students in the common room exclaimed, taking steps back. Ginny arrived with Fred and George, curious.

"Hermione!" Ron cried out again.

"Ron, what...?" Hermione began, but her words trailed off as she took in the sight of Ron's bloodied hand.

Ron, tears streaming down his face, choked out, "He's dead. Your cat ate him! I tried to heal him, but he wouldn't breathe. I sang a hymn to dad but I forgot he's a mortal— but he still wouldn't breathe. I did my best." He looked at her with desperation. "What do I do?"

"You tried a what—"

"Come on, Ron. It's just a rat from Percy," Fred said. "And Mum doesn't want its presence in the house; she's been nagging Percy about it—"

"Fred!" Ginny scolded, gently stroking Ron's back to comfort him.

"And you need to wash your hands; the blood stinks, and so does the rat," George said.

"George!" Ginny exclaimed, clearly taken aback by her brother's bluntness.

They did their best to cheer Ron up, but Scabbers had been a brmest companion to him. However, Ron couldn't help but be overwhelmed with emotion. On the other hand, Hermione found it hard to accept that Crookshanks had bitten the rat, despite the evidence strewn across the floor.

Harry persuaded him to watch their practice session for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw. Ron weakly agreed and sat with Madam Hooch in the stands, watching the Gryffindor team train until it was over.

"I hope you guys win this time," Ron said as Harry approached him, holding his Firebolt.

"Yeah, are you feeling better now?" Harry asked.

"Yup," Ron replied. "Thanks."

"Err, do you want to give the Firebolt a try?" Harry suggested.

Ron looked at him with surprise. "Eh?" The redhead had only been on a broom during Flying lessons at Hogwarts, but he had never experienced riding a broom with a name on it. Plus, everyone seemed curious to ride the Firebolt, so why not give it a try?

"Okay, sure. Why not? Let me give it a try," Ron agreed with a weak grin.

Harry lent him the broom as the redhead mounted it. 

🔆

Ron had never felt so happy again as when Gryffindor won the match against Ravenclaw. The Firebolt had proven to be incredibly fast as Ron tried to keep up with Harry's movements to find the Snitch. The cheers of the crowd filled the air as Ron ran onto the field and embraced Harry tightly. Gryffindors gathered around them, celebrating the victory with loud cheers and applause.

“Come on, Harry!” George said, fighting his way over. “Party! Gryffindor common room, now!”

“Right,” said Harry, and feeling happier than he had in ages, he and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium

and back up to the castle.

The Gryffindor common room was filled with noise and celebration, and Ron had brought some Butterbeers that George and Fred had gotten for the party. He made his way over to Hermione, who sat in a corner of the room, not participating in the festivities.

"Hey," Ron greeted her.

Hermione winced slightly, engrossed in her book.

"You should join us," Ron urged, placing the Butterbeer in front of her.

“Ron.“

 "Hm?"

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

Ron snorted at her. "It's fine, really. Like Fred said, it's just a rat. I can always buy another one and name it Scabbers too."

Hermione bit her lip and sighed in relief. "Well, I still need to finish reading this..."

"Can't that wait for later or tomorrow?" Ron suggested.

"Fine," Hermione agreed, closing the book and taking the Butterbeer as she stood up. Harry joined them shortly after, his face flushed with excitement, and a wide grin on his face as he enjoyed some Honeydukes sweets. The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed.

It was indeed a fun party, and everyone seemed content as they headed to bed after the lively celebration. At least, that's what Ron believed.

He was fast asleep, already dreaming of bacon, when he suddenly had the feeling that someone was entering the room. Ron's senses snapped awake, and the redhead sat up, quietly retrieving his dagger just beneath his pillow.

Ron cautiously opened the curtains of his four-poster bed, but to his astonishment, there was a pale hand on the other side, trying to do the same. As they both slowly revealed themselves, they locked eyes with each other. The intruder has a filthy hair, and was holding a knife, while Ron gripped his dagger tightly.

"Looking for something?" Ron demanded. With a swift and unexpected punch to the intruder's nose, the man yelped in pain, as he scrambled frantically towards the exit 

"Hey! Come back!" Ron screamed in pursuit. "Sirius Black!" he shouted as he ran toward the intruder. Ron quickly retrieved an item he had purchased from Zonko's Joke Shop and hurled it at the man, who was almost at the exit. There was a deafening bang in the common room, and Ron had to shield his eyes. When he looked again in the hole, he saw a pair of feet on the floor, which then transformed into the tail of a dog before disappearing completely.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, MR. PREWETT!?" a stern voice echoed from behind him, accompanied by the sound of numerous footsteps.

Ron spun around and found all the Gryffindor students in the common room, wearing their pajamas and looking bewildered. Professor McGonagall stood there, her expression furious.

"It's Black! Sirius Black! He was opening my curtains and had a knife," Ron quickly explained.

"What?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed.

"He had a knife, and I punched him, and then I used this thing from Zonko's Joke Shop!" Ron explained hurriedly.

"Confiscated!" Professor McGonagall snapped, seizing the small black ball from his hand.

Percy arrived and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's Black," Ron replied.

"Are you sure you're not dreaming?" Percy inquired skeptically.

“Duh!“

“I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!” 

“I certainly didn’t authorize this, Professor!” said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. “I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My cousin Ron here had a nightmare—”

"No, Professor, I swear! You could ask Sir Cadogan!" Ron insisted.

Professor McGonagall stared at him. “Don’t be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?”

Glaring suspiciously at him, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. 

“Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?” 

“Certainly, good lady!” cried Sir Cadogan

There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room.

“You—you did?” said Professor McGonagall. “But— but the password!” 

“He had ’em!” said Sir Cadogan proudly. “Had the whole week’s, my lady! Read ’em off a little piece of paper!” Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk. 

“Which person,” she said, her voice shaking, “which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week’s passwords and left them lying around?” 

There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fluffy-slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.

🔆

No one slept after that, Ron was writing his journal quietly in the common room until dawn. Professor McGinagall returned back witht he news that Black escaped again. Ron was a little proud that he punched Black's nose, but not proud when everyone asked him about what happened.

The Fat Lady was finally restored again and Ron was glaring at the two trolls there guarding her. The trolls sniffed around and kept looking where the smell was coming from, from the bunch of students there as Ron snorted at them. 

He was also worried about Neville, the poor boy was banned from going at Hogsmeade and got a detention and forbid them to give him the password, and even got a howler.

“Oh, Nev.“ Ron said worriedly as he saw the boy sitting in the corridor outside the Gryffindor's hole, crying—and the redhead told him the password when they were alone.

“T-t-thank you,” Neville sobbed. “You're so kind…”

“No worries. But be careful sometimes.“ Ron only said as the boy scrambled inside.

Hermione suddenly appeared behind bim, holding a pile of books, looking at him incredulously. “You told him?“ She asked. “You can't—if Professor McGonagall know—”

“Mione', we're just kids.“ Ron rolled his eyes. “Come on, let me help you, and Hagrid wanted to meet us later, by the way.“

“Oh no, I almost forget about the hippogriffs!“ She exclaimed nervously.

When they returned to the common room, after their visit with Hagrid as the three only bickered about how to defend the hippogriff, they found a large group of students gathered around the bulletin board. It seemed they would finally be able to visit Hogsmeade again. Ron elbowed Harry, and the two of them exchanged meaningful glances, excited about the prospect.

"What are you two up to?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing. Have you heard about that quill that can answer any questions? Perfect for exams, right?" Ron replied innocently.

"Ron! You couldn't possibly be thinking about cheating!" Hermione scolded. "And you two shouldn't be up to anything either. Ron, I know you—"

"What, why me?"

Ron and Harry were indeed up to something. When Hogsmeade weekend arrived, Ron informed Harry that he would be waiting for him at Honeydukes. He had to give a convincing reason to Hermione, explaining that he was going alone for a quick trip before returning to assist Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing.

Ron stood in Honeydukes, browsing the sweets and eyeing the lemon-flavored treacle fudge on the shelf when someone poked him in the back.

"Dude, where are you?" Ron hissed, glancing around.

"Here."

"Where?" Ron whispered.

"On your left," Harry teased, and Ron couldn't help but grumble. He pulled out a candy and tossed it to Harry, watching as the candy bounced in the air.

As they visited every shop, Ron excitedly shared everything but in hushed tones to avoid drawing attention and making everyone think he'd just escaped from an asylum. It was strange not to see Harry, but Ron could sense his presence nearby. 

They ventured to the Shrieking Shack, and Ron attempted to peek inside, but all the windows and doors were sealed shut. "There might be an entrance somewhere," he whispered.

"Harry, let's make a snowman," Ron suggested. "The best one gets treated to Honeydukes on our next visit."

"You're on."

Ron was halfway through building his snowman when they heard voices approaching. It was Draco, accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle.

"What are you doing, Prewett?" Draco sneered.

"Building a snowman," Ron replied defiantly, shooting Draco a glare. 

"Oh, and where are your two sidekicks? Must be lonely, making a snowman and talking to it all by yourself," Draco taunted, provoking sniggers from Crabbe and Goyle.

Ron flushed slightly. "I-I'm not!" he stammered.

Feeling Harry's presence behind him, Ron hesitated. "Harry—" he began, but before he could finish, Harry took action. It was supposed to be funny as Harry threw dirt on Draco and his companions with the Invisibility Cloak, intending to confuse and scare them. However, things didn't go as planned. Harry's foot caught the hem of the cloak, causing Ron to gasp as he saw only Harry's head, the rest of him still invisible.

Of course, anyone would be frightened by the sight of a floating head, especially if it was someone you knew. Ron couldn't help but gasp, his hand covering his mouth, as Draco and his friends quickly fled in terror.

Ron urgently told Harry to return to the castle before Draco could tell this incident to others. Harry hurriedly made his way back inside, leaving Ron behind.

Ron's anxiety grew as he returned to the castle, desperately searching for Harry. He had a gut feeling that Harry was in trouble. Ron frantically scoured the corridors and overheard some voices, realizing that Snape had somehow obtained the Marauder's Map.

He didn't waste any time and headed straight for the office he knew might catch Harry, hoping to intervene before things got worse.

"No, stop!" Ron shouted. "That's mine, Professor Snape! I bought it from Zonko as a gift for Harry before, It was my fault!" He lied to cover for his friend. Surprisingly, his excuse seemed to work, and he noticed they were already discussing the situation with Professor Lupin, their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who clapped his hands cheerfully.

“That seems to clear that up! Severus, I’ll take this back, shall I?” He folded the map and tucked it inside his robes. “Harry, Ron, come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay—excuse us, Severus—” Harry didn’t dare look at Snape as they left his office.

They followed Lupin outside, and Ron couldn't help but nervously fiddle with his fingers in the corner as Lupin had to take the map from Harry. 

“Don’t expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them— gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks.” 

Then he turned to Ron, giving him a disappointed look. "And I expected more from you in terms of protecting Harry, Ron. You almost died because of Sirius Black in your own bed, and it does not seem to have had much of an effect on you too."

"I'm not scared of him," Ron said. 

"Bravery alone won't keep you alive, Ron. You need to use your mind as well," Professor Lupin said seriously, before walking away.

The two walked back to the corridor in heavy silence, Ron biting his lip. Professor Lupin was right; Ron had almost forgotten about Sirius Black, caught up in his own enjoyment with Harry rather than focusing on their safety. But he couldn't stop himself. They were just kids, and they were supposed to learn and have fun.

Ron was about to apologize to Harry for being a careless friend when Hermione suddenly appeared, running toward them with tears in her eyes, clutching a letter.

"Hermione—?" Ron began.

"Hagrid," she said, her voice trembling, "he lost. Buckbeak is getting executed."

Harry took the letter as they read it together, Ron felt hot surge into him and seized the letter from him, Hermione told him that Draco's dad scared the commitee into it. Ron stared at the letter, and he glanced both of them.

"I have an idea." He said, as they followed him back tot he tower.

Ron hastily grabbed parchment and a pen, starting to write a letter to Tyler. Hermione and Harry watched him with curiosity.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"I have a friend. Her mom is currently the head of Magical Law Enforcement in America. Maybe if we ask for their help, they could free Buckbeak. Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

"Wait, wait," Harry chimed in, looking confused, "America?"

Hermione gasped in excitement, "That's a fantastic idea, Ron! Oh, Harry, did you know there's a wizarding community in America too? I've read a few books about them, especially about Ilvermorny! They have four houses there too, and instead of a Sorting Hat, they stand in the middle of carvings representing the houses instead and the carving that reacts first determines your house. If I ever had the opportunity to study there, I would definitely do it—"

"Hermione!"

"Oh, right. Sorry, where are we? Oh right, we should get some help. Wait, you have a friend there?"

"I have a few connections," Ron replied. "Now, if you could just help me with the spelling..." 

🔆

Ron hoped the letter would work, as they discussed it with Hagrid during their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, realizing it might be their only chance. Security had become even tighter after Sirius's second break-in at the castle. Ron noticed a glimmer of hope in Hagrid's eyes when he mentioned his friend in America.

Hermione's absence from their next class was unusual, and when they found her asleep in the common room with her head buried in her Arithmancy book, he couldn't help but feel suspicious. 

In their next class, Divination, they attended together. Professor Trelawney announced they would be learning Crystal Gazing, but when she once again mentioned the Grim in connection to Harry, Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She snapped and walked out of the classroom. After the Divination lesson ended, Ron stopped Harry before they could walk toward the trapdoor.

"Ron?"

"Professor Trelawney was right," Ron said uncomfortably. "The Grim is getting closer."

Harry stared at him, and Ron fidgeted nervously. "She mentioned a huge black dog before, right? Well, I should tell you something. I saw one near the Forbidden Forest once. Don't ask me what I was doing there. And when I managed to trip up Black when I used that bomb I bought from Zonko's before, I saw his feet transform into dog's."

"What—"

"Yeah," Ron exhaled. "I just thought you needed to know. It might be useful."

"Useful—right, how could it be useful?" Harry asked, not particularly amused.

"Sorry—forget about it. I'm stupid and impulsive, you know what I am—" 

"My dear, you are not stupid," both of them jumped when they heard Professor Trelawney behind them. Her huge eyes were fixed on Ron. "You must know that it is not all about impulsively. I could feel that you are doing the right thing; the fates have told me it is your time." Professor Trelawney said.

"Does this 'fates' have a string on it?" Ron asked curiously.

"My dear, young hero!" Professor Trelawney responded dramatically. "I couldn't see them; they whisper to me. There's a faded presence of them, but no, my dear..." She continued cryptically.

Ron beamed at him and exclaimed, "Then everything's alright! Excuse us, Professor Trelawney—Harry, let's go!" He seized Harry's arm and hurriedly dragged him out of the classroom.

Harry didn't question Ron further because they were all swamped with homework, and the Quidditch match was getting closer. Harry was busy with his Quidditch training, while Ron and Hermione were working on their homeworks. Harry couldn't copy Ron's homework because his handwriting was messy and his notes were confusing.

Sirius Black had become a distant memory for Ron as he struggled to concentrate on writing an essay for Charms. They were also anxiously awaiting Tyler's response, and one day, Hermione asked him about it.

"He's sleeping, that's why he's not responding!" Ron grumbled, frustration evident as he slammed his book about Hippogriffs shut. The waiting was clearly getting to him, so he wrote a letter to Tamara instead.

During the Quidditch Cup match between Gryffindor and Slytherin on Saturday, Ron, along with the others, watched the game with intensity. It was a rough match, with the Bludger and the Slytherin tean. However, Gryffindor managed to pull through and win, with the stadium erupting in cheers as Harry caught the Snitch.

As they were about to rush onto the field with the rest of the Gryffindors to celebrate, Ron suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Ron!? Hurry up!" Hermione called, her face beaming with excitement.

But Ron touched his neck, his expression turning serious. "I'll be back," he said hastily, and before Hermione could say anything, he was scrambling back toward the castle.

"We're in trouble!" He heard Lou's voice coming from the mist.

"I sensed it. I could sense Dad is in trouble, I—" Ron explained, her words filled with concern.

"We're preparing to march towards New York, I already contacted Gracey and the others to return back in the camp. I'm sorry we couldn't contact you sooner. Demigods from everywhere have been arriving at camp over the past month, and I'm kind of stressed with having to tour my new siblings. Some of my siblings are even lazier than Hypnos—"

"Apparate, Lou!" Ron yelled urgently, realizing that she was getting distracted. "—that's teleportation, right? You can't Apparate inside Hogwarts!"

"We're the children of Hecate, who created magic. Do you really think we can't do it?" Lou responded confidently. "Queen! Now!" Lou ordered.

A loud crack sounded behind Ron, and he spun around to find Queen there.

"What's up," Queen greeted lazily. "Oh, this is Hogwarts—"

"Can I at least grab my weapons first?" Ron asked urgently.

"No time!" Lou insisted, and the urgency in her voice left Ron with no choice but to follow them.

The girl with messy pink hair grumbled as she touched him with her pinky, and they apparated. As was his usual reaction, Ron bent over and vomited. The girl gave him a disgusted look.

"Where are we?" Ron asked, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his yellow windbreaker.

"Right in the middle of camp," Queen replied. Ron looked around and saw pegasi and demigods in full armor, preparing for battle. The camp was bustling with activity, and he had to squeeze through the crowd. Head counselors were shouting orders, and Ron had no time to stand and stare. He quickly gathered arrows for his quiver and put on his armor, ready to join their preparations.

Ron immediately find Austin and Kayla and rushed toward them, sweating a little. They seemed to be in the midst of an argument.

"Hi," Ron greeted them.

Both of them froze for a moment, then turned to look at him.

"RON!" They both exclaimed in a mix of surprise and relief.

"I came. Lou immediately told me," Ron explained. "I can feel it, something's up with my dad."

"We don't know what we'd do without you here. Will wanted to contact you, but he's busy—Apollo returned to the camp just two days ago and the archers needed someone to lead them, and Dad needs our help in the fight." Kayla said, her voice wavering. 

"I can see that. I hope no one saw me leaving school," Ron replied. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a blown conch horn as Chiron appeared in his armour, ready to lead the charge toward New York.

Ron nodded at his siblings, offering them encouragement. "Let's do this."