Always the Sidekick

Chapter 11

The mood in Hogwarts going into December was excitement for everyone except Ron and Ginny. Christmas at the Burrow this year would be solemn. Percy would be absent for the second year in a row, his dad won't have a job, and now Fred will be gone. Ron considered staying at Hogwarts with Harry until Harry told him he was spending the Holiday at Grimmuald Place.

But he had more pressing issues at the moment. Professor X turned out to be almost as strict as McGonagall and when Ron almost failed the last quiz they took he threatened to tell Ron's mother. This prompted Ron to study harder then he ever had before. Quidditch practice was three times a week and they were continuing with DA meetings. Ron was impressed at Harry's ability to organize all this and still not have Professor X threaten him.

Ron stared into the orange flames in the Gryffindor Common Room and listened to all the students talk about their Holiday plans. All he really wanted to do was sleep. He turned blankly and walked to his dormitory where he fell asleep almost instantly.

It had to be two in the morning when Ron woke up in a cold sweat. He'd just had the strangest dream. He was walking in a forest that was green and beautiful when he heard a voice calling his name. The voice was full of life and love. He followed it deeper into the forest. When he finally found the source of the voice, an enormous 30 foot spider was getting ready to sink its pincers into him.

His heart was pounding. He slowed his breathing and tried to listen to the soothing sounds in the dorm. After being in this room for six years he had grown accustomed to hearing the familiar night noises. Neville's snores. Deans heavy breathing. Seamus occasionally murmuring Go Ireland. And then the not so pleasant screams of terror from Harry. Still, they were familiar to him. When he was at the Burrow over holiday he missed these sounds. It was too quiet in his room there, even with the goul in the attic. He turned to his right side and peeked out of his curtain on his four-poster. Expecting to see Harry's curtains drawn as well he was surprised to see they were open, and his bed was empty.

Ron got up and quietly padded across the floor and out the dormitory door. He wondered if Harry had a nightmare and didn't wake Ron. Or perhaps he's talking to Lupin in the Common Room fire. Or maybe, Ron smiled, he's with a girl. As he drew closer to the common room he heard Harry's voice. And another voice. A female voice. Ron sniggered until he realized he recognized the voice. Then he was able to catch some of the conversation.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked. Ron moved a little closer so he could see them over the stone pillar, but he was certain he was too far up for them to see him. Harry was holding a scroll of parchment. He couldn't see Hermione's face, she was sitting with her back to him. Her hand reached out and gently took the parchment.

"I think I'm going to go," Hermione said in an unsure voice. Harry's face looked serious.

"Are you sure about that?" He said. Hermione didn't seem to hear him. She fidgeted with the corner of it.

"How cold do you think it is in Bulgaria at Christmas?" Her head was down and she said this to the table.

Bulgaria? Ron's blood boiled. He knew someone in Bulgaria. And Hermione was going to him for Christmas? He had thoughts of tearing body parts off Krum. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his name, however.

"What about Ron?" Harry asked.

Hermione sighed. "What about him?" Her head was still down. But her voice raised. "He doesn't see past the end of his nose. I can't waste my time anymore, Harry. Viktor wants me to go to him."

Harry looked like it was a huge effort for him not to say anything. But he remained quiet for a moment. "Just don't do anything rash. I mean don't do this to get back at anyone. Viktor doesn't seem so bad. Don't lead him on." Harry said the last part gently so she wouldn't explode.

"Thank you, Harry. I'm certainly lucky to have a friend in you." Hermione leaned across the table and kissed his cheek. "Now, I must go off to bed. I can't believe we've been up talking so long."

Ron stared down into the common room, heart pounding, head reeling. He was furious with Hermione. He wanted to run to her and, and, well, he didn't know what, but he wanted to stop her from going to Krum. The sound of footsteps brought his thoughts back to where he was. He needed to get back to his dorm. He couldn't let Harry know he'd heard this; he'd never hear the end of it. He hurried alew into bed, trying not to pant as he breathed. He closed the curtains on his bed just as he heard the door open and Harry come in. He listened and heard the squeak of Harry's bed. Then moments later, the breathing that told Ron Harry was asleep.

Ron didn't sleep well the rest of the night. Everytime he fell into sleep he would have visions of Hermione with Krum. Finally, at 5 am, Ron gave up on sleep.

That morning at breakfast Ron got a hastily written letter.

Don't let anyone read this. Fred's been hearing things in Azkaban. We need to keep the coup d'etat going. We'll talk more about it over the holiday.

Bill

Odd, that, Ron thought. But now he was more curious then ever to hear what Fred had been hearing in Azkaban. He looked to his left at Harry who was lost in his pancakes and to his right at Hermione who looked happier then Ron wanted her to be. Then he glanced up at the staff table briefly and saw Professor X looking at him. He nodded at Ron. Was he part of this too? But wouldn't Ron have seen him at the meetings over the summer? Ron looked down into his pumpkin juice.

"Ron," a sweet voice called to him in the corridor after his last class on Friday. Ron turned around and saw Mina smiling at him. Harry looked nervously out of the corner of his eye at Hermione who glared at her, then she stalked off.

"Mina," Ron said excitedly. "Do you know Harry? Well, of course you do, who doesn't know Harry? This is Harry?"

Mina laughed and said, "Hello, Harry."

Harry smiled and shook her hand then sniggered at Ron and walked down the corridor. Ron was alone with Mina.

"Um, so, how are you?" He asked.

"I'm good. I know it's a Friday and all, and you probably have plans already, but I was wondering if you'd mind meeting me somewhere after dinner. We could just talk and stuff." Mina fidgeted with her books. Was she nervous?

Ron's stomach did a lurch. "Yeah, that sounds great. How about I get you outside your common room?"

"Sounds good. I'll meet you there at 7 then?" She smiled as Ron nodded and then she walked off alone down to the Ravenclaw dormitories.

"Mina Lovegood?" Hermione spat the word like it was poison. "What happened to Luna?"

"Luna wasn't interested in me. Or at least she caught on I wasn't interested in her. I don't really know." Ron seemed more comfortable around Hermione now. He wasn't thinking about hurting Krum all the time. Instead he was thinking of how Mina smiled. Her teeth were just crooked enough to give them character, but not too crooked that they were unattractive.

"Can you at least take that stupid grin off?" Hermione said again annoyed.

"Sorry." Ron turned away from Hermione and shrugged at Harry.

Harry had been almost back to his normal self the past month, but going back to Grimmuald Place and remembering last Christmas they were there with Sirius would surely bring him down. Ron wondered if it was a good idea. But he was in too good a mood now to bring that up.

Ron's footsteps echoed through the corridor. He hadn't ever been to the Ravenclaw Common Room and he'd only been through this part of the castle in second year when he was disguised as Crab and went into the Slytherin Common Room. He wasn't really sure he knew exactly where it was.

When he passed a statue of a huge raven he felt he must be getting close until he heard a snarl. "Watch your back Weasley."

"Malfoy?" Ron turned and stared the pale blond boy down. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that. This is just outside the Slytherin dormitories. I wouldn't have thought a Gryffindor would come within ten feet of this place."

"I'm not going to Slytherin. I wouldn't go within ten feet of the Slytherins. I'm meeting a Ravenclaw."

This news didn't seem to surprise Malfoy. "Troubles between you and the Mudblood?" He was casual about it.

Ron really didn't want to have to hex Malfoy when he was meeting Mina in two minutes. "Mind your own business," Ron told him.

Malfoy snarled at him once more and then turned toward the Slytherin dungeons. Ron watched him until he was out of site and he heard Mina say, "I was wondering if you'd gotten lost." He turned and saw her smiling face, and Malfoy flew out of his mind.

"I wanted a unicorn when I was a girl," Mina laughed. They were sitting in a classroom off the second floor corridor. They'd walked for nearly an hour talking before Ron realized his feet were killing him and then ducked into a classroom.

"What did your parents think of that?" Ron asked.

"Well, they said they'd do their best, but they probably wouldn't be able to get one. And besides, we had nowhere to keep it."

"I've never been to Algeria myself. We did go to Egypt one year, but I wasn't there long enough to get the culture and stuff." Ron was more comfortable talking to Mina then he had been with any other girl, even Hermione.

"We only lived there a few years. I went to a small witching school in Algers, but there weren't very many students. They wouldn't let boys in."

"Where did you live before that?"

"We spent a few years in France when I was small. Father did odd jobs, but we had means to get by." She blushed a little and went on, "The Lovegoods are one of the oldest wizarding families in the world."

"I know," Ron said. His dad had told him about the Lovegoods when he was a kid, since Luna and her father lived just outside Ottery St.Catchpole.

"Well, after France Mother decided we needed to go somewhere to settle down so I could get proper witch training. They had tutored me the best they could, but I was the only eleven year old witch who'd never flown on a broomstick. So we settled down in Algeria and I started school there at the Winters Academy of Witchcraft."

"Wow, I've never lived outside of Ottery St.Catchpole."

"Well, you've lived here," Mina said with a smile. "Scotland is quite far from Southern England."

Ron smiled back. "Yes, I guess that's right." He leaned back against a wall and said, "I can't believe we've been talking for nearly an hour and a half. We should be getting back though. I am a prefect and shouldn't be caught in the corridors after hours." He winked at Mina and she chuckled. They walked out of the classroom hand in hand.

The next few days were spent in utter confusion. Ron tried as hard as he could to push aside feelings for Hermione. He would catch Mina's eye from across the Great Hall and she'd smile at him. Then he'd look at Hermione and something would explode inside him. It was nothing short of a relief when the holiday approached and everyone would be leaving the next day.

Mina would be leaving that night for Christmas with relatives. She didn't tell Ron where she was going, but she said she'd owl often. He walked her to the Great Hall.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you to Hogsmeade Station?" He asked.

"No, I can make it on my own. Besides, I won't be alone. I'm not the only student leaving tonight." She smiled at him and then leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"I'll miss you," she said softly. And the next second she was gone.

Ron sat in the Gryffindor Common Room playing Wizards Chess with Harry. Hermione sat curled up in front of the fire, a book perched in front of her. She looked so comfortable. It made Ron want to curl up next to her. He got so distracted looking at her he didn't see the look of shock on Harry's face.

"Ron," Harry said, a smile creeping to his lips.

Ron looked blankly at him. Harry's smile grew and he said, "checkmate."

Ron's eyes got big. He stared at the chessboard. It was the first time in 6 years he'd lost a chess game to Harry.

Harry, still smiling, got up and went to the dormitory, leaving Ron to clean the chessboard.

Hermione sighed and closed her book. "I should be getting to bed. I'm leaving on the first train out tomorrow."

She stood up and Ron reaslised they were close. So close he could smell the soap she used.

He didn't know what made him do it, maybe it was instinct. But when Hermione leaned in to kiss his cheek, as she had done a few times before, he turned his head and met her lips with his. It was so gentle he wasn't even sure it was really happening. And to his amazment she wasn't backing away. In fact, she leaned in closer and put her hand on his shoulder. He just slightly opened his mouth to take her bottom lip in his. Then almost as suddenly as it began, it ended. The room was spinning and when it finally slowed he could see Hermione's face was pink. She didn't say anything, but timidly turned and went up the stairs to her dormitory, looking back once at Ron before she reached the top and was gone.

~~~~~@~~~~~

When Christmas Holiday was over, Ron couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. His holiday was spent in utter confusion. He'd gotten two owls from Mina over the Holiday. She appeared to be doing good and signed each one, With Love Always, Mina. He didn't get one owl from Hermione. Well, he thought, she is spending her holiday with Krum.

The day before Holiday ended Ron had waited until almost midnight for Hermione to get back. He wasn't sure why. Did he want to talk about the kiss? Did he want to yell at her for being so nonchalant about it? Did he just want to try it again, prove to her he is better then Krum? Then a small voice in the back of his head told him, she has a boyfriend. She probably fancies him a lot since she's spent all this time with him. Leave her alone, Ron. This voice was reasonable. It made sense. She was his best friend, and would never be more than that.

He climbed the dormitory stairs to his room and lay in bed thinking about the blonde haired Ravenclaw who did seem to be interested in him.

The next day all was back to normal. Hermione barely said more than was necessary to Ron and Harry. When asked how her Holiday was she simply answered, "It was fine, thanks." This seemed to infuriate Ron even more.

They sat in the common room after their last class trying to get some studying done. At least Hermione was trying, Ron was glaring at her and Harry seemed to have disappeared.

"What?" Hermione asked sharply when he wouldn't take his eyes off her.

"Are you going to even say anything about what happened before Christmas?" Ron didn't want to start a row, but this was building up.

"About what? A fumbling kiss that fell the night before I was leaving to see my boyfriend?"

"That's all then, just a fumbling kiss." Blimey, another rejection, this time from his best friend.

"What do you want, Ron? Do you want me to end it with Viktor?"

"You know what? Don't do me any favors," Ron spat. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the Common Room, which had gone quiet in the midst of the row. Muttering under his breath he descened the stairs until he got to the Great Hall where he ran directly into Mina Lovegood.

"Everything okay?" she asked once she got her bearings.

"Sure," Ron said, still muttering. "I can't figure your bloody species out."

Mina laughed and said, "We aren't all bad. Are you heading to dinner?"

Ron nodded and put out his arm for her to take. They sat together at the Gryffindor table and Ron became so entranced by Mina he didn't see the looks he was getting. The unreadable glare from Draco Malfoy or the look of disgust from Luna. He was lost in Mina's violet eyes.

"Personally, I think she's mad," Mina said as Ron walked with her to her common room. "But she is your mate, Ron."

Ron had just blurted everything that had happened with Hermione to Mina. She was sympathetic.

"I'm just tired of always being rejected," Ron muttered under his breath. Mina appeared to hear him.

"Maybe you're looking too hard," she whispered. They stood outside the entrance to Ravenclaw Common Room. She smiled at him, her eyes twinking, then moved in and captured his lips with a kiss. Not soft and gentle like the one he'd had with Herimone, but passionate and full of fire. Her fingers were twining in his hair. But he relished it. Someone who was interested in him, someone who cared what he wanted.

When she released him from the kiss his head was light. She smiled again and said, "That wasn't fumbling at all. It was quite nice," then turned and entered her common room.

The next Hogsmeade visit Ron had planned to meet Mina at the Three Broomsticks. He hadn't said much to Hermione since the night with Mina, and Harry seemed far too busy with his life to worry about Ron's. He wondered how the three of them became so separated. There was a time when they wouldn't dream of going to Hogsmeade without each other, now Ron didn't even know if Harry and Hermione were in Hogsmeade.

He stared into his butterbeer wondering if there was really anything he could do about it. Maybe part of growing up was accepting that you outgrow your friends.

A voice startled him. "Two more of those," it said and then plopped down casually in a chair across the table from Ron.

"Bill, what are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Fleur and I are meeting some people."

Ron noticed Fleur was standing right next to him. He smiled at her. "Hello."

"You're here alone?" Bill looked around the Three Broomsticks. Ron noticed Madame Rosmerta wink at him, then receive a nasty look from Fleur.

"I'm meeting someone too." Ron's ears went pink.

Bill laughed. "A girl?"

Fleur giggled when Ron's ears went pinker. Then he heard the familiar voice.

"Hello." Mina had just walked over. She looked at Bill and said, "You're obviously a Weasley too." Then she looked at Fleur. The smiles on both their faces fell and they looked at each other with almost disgusted looks. Ron didn't notice.

"We should get going," Bill said feeling the tension more than seeing it. He and Fleur left.

"She's part Veela," Mina said taking the seat next to Ron.

"Yeah, I know," he sipped his butterbeer. "How did you know that?"

"You can tell. She's got the look." Mina nodded at the waitress and ordered a butterbeer too.

Ron was back in the circular room. The man with the long fingers was sitting in the armchair. But in front of him this time was Draco Malfoy.

"So, it seems to be working," the cold voice said.

"You are certain there is no other way?" Malfoy asked.

"This way is most effective. I will have Potter soon. Then all will go back to normal." Draco Malfoy nodded.

Softly he mumbled, "I wish there was another way." But it wasn't soft enough. Voldemort wasn't amused. "You don't trust me Young Malfoy? You need a reminder why you should trust Lord Voldemort?" Before Malfoy could answer Voldemort shouted, "Crucio." Malfoy fell to the ground and screamed in agony. Voldemort had a look of satisfaction on his face.

The room went dark again. Ron slept.

The next morning at breakfast Ron's eyes kept drifting to the Ravenclaw table where Mina sat quietly eating. On occasion she would look up and see him staring at her and smile. He didn't notice when Erroll flew in and dropped a letter on Ginny's plate. He didn't notice her face fall. It wasn't until Harry elbowed him hard in the ribs he noticed anything but the blonde girl with violet eyes.

"What?" Ron asked annoyed at Harry, then he saw Ginny's face and the letter in her hand. "What is it?" Ron grabbed the parchment from her and read.

Ron and Ginny

It's been a bad night. Angelina has lost the baby and since she was so far along they have kept her in St. Mungos.

Love,

Mum

It was quite possibly the shortest letter their mother had ever written them. Ron saw tears forming in Ginny's eyes and walked to her. "Come on, let's find a fireplace and talk to Mum," he said in a soothing tone. Ginny stood up and they walked out of the Great Hall.

In a large room on the fifth floor at the end of the South wing was a row of fireplaces. This was the place a student went to talk to someone from home if they wanted more privacy then they could get from their common room fireplace. Ron walked to the farthest on and kneeled down. Ginny right beside him at the same fireplace.

"The Burrow," Ron said as he and Ginny placed their faces side by side in the fire.

They saw Bill and George sitting at that table in the kitchen. George was very sleepy and his glass was half full of what looked like fire whiskey. Bill saw them and shouted, "Mum," and a moment later Molly was at the fire.

"How's Fred?" Ginny asked before Molly could say anything.

"We haven't told him," she said sadly. "I told her not to keep going there. A pregnant girl in Azkaban. What were those guards doing letting her in there?" Molly muttered under her breath.

"Are you all right?" Ron asked. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her look so nervous.

"Well, we'll all worried about how Fred will take this. She visited him last night and when she left to come here the cramping started. It was so fast we didn't have time to help her."

Bill now appeared. "There was blood everywhere. It was awful."

Molly gave him a side glance then continued. "Since she was nearly six months along she's in St. Mungos. They're trying to restore the tissue, but the chances are she won't be able to have anymore children." Molly took a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. Ron was silent. But Ginny sobbed.