Ron Weasley and the Alternative Unforgivable Curse

First morning back at Hogwarts. Even after that incident last night I feel surprisingly refreshed. I go down to breakfast. Everyone looks like death warmed up.

The First lesson is Potions. The chirpiness in me plummets. Every other Gryffindor looks suicidal. I see Seamus dangling a knife above his wrists. I wish I'd thought of that first.

Snape stands at the door as we silently filter into his lair. Malfoy looks smug, but so are his little cronies. If I didn't know any better, I'd say those three had been chain jerking.

Snape has a glint in his eye. I'm very scared. He has become a right perv. He's 'dropped' his wand. And shit! He is looking up Pansy 'the pug-faced dog' Parkinson's robes! EW! EW! EW! SHE DOESN'T EVEN MIND! She is smiling at him! I want to puke! Neville looks at me strangely. He looks the same as yesterday still - the evil Slytherins have been implying that it's a spell.

I ask Neville if it is a spell. He looks so hurt and I feel a complete and utter jerk. Neville asks me if it was a spell, why was he lifting weights? I apologise so much and promise a round at The Three Broomsticks. He warms to me a little again. I'd hate it if we broke friends. We've been a lot closer in recent years because he is in Potions with us and has no one else to sit with. Harry often pairs with Hermione to get the grades to go be an Auror, so we sit together.

Potions is such a boring lesson. The Slytherin/Gryffindors have divided and the insults have dried. The two sides don't speak anymore. No one can be bothered. But we are all silently bitchy by evil looks, and hiding equipment. We're scraping the bottom of the barrel for retorts anyway.

Hermione is quite clumsy today I notice. She seems upset by something. I make a resolution to draw it out of her. Though she is the head girl- we get to go out to Hogsmeade if the kiddies are asleep and there is no peril in the school. And since its been quiet for a little while- we're allowed to go out and get pissed out of our brains- as long as we attend lessons the next day and we can concentrate and stuff. Madam Pomfrey will not brew or serve hangover potions as we bring it on ourselves. Malfoy the prick found that out last year when he sneaked some stuff in. It was so funny watching him in our lessons leave every few minutes or so to puke and look so rough. Made our day it did. Though Hermione has found a recipe for the potion and makes a batch about once a week for the Gryffindors who haven't yet learned their lesson that 'cocktails 'til they fall over' is not a wise move.

Yeah - like we're wild. The youngest bird at the pub is forty. I shouldn't be ageist. It's about how they look and what they could do. Oh I don't know. My eye can't be caught lately.

***

We're at the pub. It's just a quiet drink with me, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Parvati and Lavender. We talk about the increase of gays in our year.

"It is a stupid and immature way of crying out for attention from the opposite sex. Do girls not flock around their gay best friend who they think its ok to touch them and stuff because they aren't interested? Any story I hear around Hogwarts that some person or the other is gay. I just laugh it off. How can anyone have a normal relationship in this place anyway? Known anybody who has lasted more than three weeks?" Parvati ranted.

"My parents did," I said

"And mine," Harry said.

"But that was heterosexual. My point is, such a controversial type of pairing isn't going to last. Wizards aren't meant to be gay. Does no one ever read? Its mainly the muggle born wizards who are off doing this 'cos they don't know its wrong." She carried on.

"Yeah, well it could just be the way they are Parvati," Dean tried to interrupt. He soon wished he never had.

"Do you think they actually DO anything? They are just saying they do. Its all-very well to hold hands in public- see Dean- we can hold hands now. Do we look like a couple to outsiders- yes we do- but that doesn't mean we are."

"Ok, yes you have a point." Dean muttered and didn't speak to her for the rest of the night for making him look stupid.

"Even though I'm Muggle and I believe in rights for all types of action, I'm not sure if I want to jump on the gay rights wagon," said Hermione taking a sip of butter beer. She was the only soft drink drinker; everyone else was drinking lager or alcopops.

"Surely they do it for the attention, I quite agree with Parvati on some points, but according to scientists its natural. That people who are gay have a bigger part of the brain that drives them to do it. Animals do it- why not humans? Just as long as it isn't in front of me, I don't care." Hermione stated.

"I'm undecided," said Neville. I look at him with interest. Does he not have an opinion on anything? "Well I had a religious upbringing and I was taught that it is a nasty habit like smoking that needs to be gotten out of- and only Merlin can save you from it. I don't know if I believe that. Hermione's science theory is very interesting, I just don't know who to side with these days as I find my own beliefs drag away from the churches, but I've never really thought in particular about the gay thing." But Neville blushed as he made the last sentence. He then dropped the beer mat he was feverishly fiddling with and ducked under the table to pick it up.

"I'm just used to the Muggle world. They used to put you in prison for it, but these days its perfectly fine- you still get the few old biddies who scream that it is demeaning the family and is wrong, but no one takes any notice." Said Harry.

Lavender and Seamus opinions of "What they do on their own time is fine by us," make me a little mad. Do they not care about how unnatural and sick it is?

Parvati then tells Neville he is fancied by both boys and girls. I then lose my rag. I'm shouting, 'Come on! How can you not think of it as sick?' I am met with blank stares.

We soon go back to Hogwarts. Everyone is still slightly wary of me and I never found out what was bugging Hermione.

***

I stay up a bit to read. Harry, Dean and Seamus go straight to bed after a little too much of the falling down water. Neville is lifting weights. I don't know how to feel about that. It's odd to watch him. He wears these ball hugging shorts and no top. He sweats quite a lot too. He's also drying himself off a lot. A part of me feels stirred. Admiration? And the other part of me feels sick. I kind of like watching him. He notices, and smiles at me, then he packs up and goes to bed. I stay up a bit longer, and then turn my light out.

***

Turns out I saw him more than I expected. He was in my dream again last night, Neville that is. This time the Egyptian chicks stayed out of my dreams and I remained flaccid.

The following days are dead boring and Hermione's mood gets better. Turns out she had 'An Encounter' with a French guy, and was 'Late On' whatever that means. She says she is terrified of 'The Consequences' and is considering looking at witch schools with crèches. But later that day, Hermione comes up to me and hugs me. She says she is 'On' (drugs?) She gives me a weird look for that and squeezes me until my guts come spilling out of my mouth and drip onto the wooden floor. Glad to see a happy ending to that. Everyone is happy at the moment, I'm content, but something is missing.