Follow the Butterflies

Chapter 3: Collisions with Hard Objects

By heartdamoose

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Ron bolted out of the room with a pale face that made an albino person look tan. His strawberry freckles stuck out from his white skin like so many bloody wounds caused by very sharp objects.

His whole body shook in rage, or fear, he didn't know. Wiping clammy hands on his robes, he walked back to the common room.

'This is entirely the bloody butterfly's fault, he thought,' glowering at the empty space around him. 'Now Malfoy knows my Patronus and he's taken a darn picture of the damn thing...'

Ron froze right in his tracks like a deer stunned by very bright headlights. 'He took a picture of my patronus.'

Several very evil possibilities flowed into his mind and he gulped in fear. Malfoy was a professional in ruining people's lives.

A rather disturbing image rolled through his mind...

*****************

He woke in the morning and exited the common room to find that all of the walls were covered in pictures of him staring, wide-eyed, with an innocent butterfly buzzing around his head.

"Hey Weasley! Nice Patronus!" laughed a small first year.

"Don't make me hurt you!" yelled Ron as he thought of many painful things to do to him, most of which that involved duct tape, a frying pan, and a toothpick.

The first year laughed again. "What, are you going to send your violent butterfly after me?" It seemed like the whole corridor was laughing at him.

Ron glared at everyone and walked to the mess hall, ignoring the many laughs and embarrassing.

"Hey Ron!" started a laughing Fred. "What are you doing at the Gryffindor table?"

"Yeah, Hufflepuffs sit over there," added George, laughing.

Ron glared daggers at the both of them and sat between Harry and Hermione.

"Kill me now," Ron croaked miserably as he stuffed a whole bunch of food in his mouth. To Ron, eating was the best way to feel better.

"We won't kill you quite yet," said Harry, shoving the Daily Prophet into his face.

With shaky hands, he unrolled the paper and looked at it with wide-eyed horror.

Staring back at him was a blown up picture of himself, looking quite surprised and horrified as the butterfly danced around his head and landed on his nose. The top of the page read: "Boy and Patronus Butterfly."

"Well, at least you made the front page," said Hermione cheekily.

*****************

Ron shook away the horrific daydream and continued his walk to the common room. Despite his attempts at keeping all thoughts of the butterfly out of his head; they kept on sinking into his mind.

What if I'm not allowed into the Order because of my patronus? What if they just say I can't protect myself? What would the DA think of me? Will they kick me out? Do patronuses resemble your personality? What If there is something wrong with me that makes my patronus all faulty? What would mother say? Ron gasped. What If I'm not even a wizard? I could only be a squib! I'll be a failure to my family! I'll be kicked out of Hogwarts and have to live on the streets! Not even Fred and George would take me in! I'll have to live in a cardboard box and become those popcorn vender people you see on the streets! I'll never eat--

Oof.

Ron held his head as he sat up on the ground. He'd just run into something hard.

"Well that was rather rude!" exclaimed a rather angry voice.

Ron rubbed his head. "Sorry," he mumbled to the Fat Lady portrait.

"Well I should say so!" she retorted, putting her hands on her hips. "It must take someone delusional to run into a portrait full on like that!"

"I guess I wasn't looking where I was going," Ron said sheepishly.

"I guess so!" the Fat Lady said, highly insulted. "If I wasn't a portrait, I would be wringing your sorry little neck right now!"

Ron stood up and brushed himself off. "I am a prefect you know," he said puffing his chest out.

The Fat Lady looked at him, confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Ron thought for a moment. "Not sure. Just let me in!"

The woman sighed heavily and pushed the door open. "Mark my words boy," she started as Ron began to walk into the common room. "I will get back at you."

'I have other things to worry about,' Ron thought glumly.

"Ron, where were you?" demanded Hermione as he walked up to his two best friends.

"Yeah. You said you would be in the common room," pointed out Harry.

"Sorry, mates. I felt absolutely miserable. I thought I was going to be sick right outside of the DA room, so I went to the hospital wing."

"Do you feel any better?"

"Yeah. Tons. I think I'm gonna go up to bed early. I'm tired." He began to walk up to the Boy's Wing.

"Alright. See you then," said Hermione as she waved.

As he walked up the stairs, Ron was certain he was going to have a certain nightmare about a certain butterfly that would certainly ruin his life tomorrow.

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The sun was up bright and early. The weather was perfect and the sky was cloudless. Birds chirped and sang as they flew through the air. They didn't even seem to worry about running into windows and getting their skulls bashed in violently and falling to the far away ground, landing in a massive heap of crippled and displaced body parts. No, they didn't worry about that at all. In fact, the day seemed perfect and happy in every way.

However, Ron felt the exact opposite as he walked slowly down the stairs into the common room.

'Once you step into the room, your life will never be the same again,' he told himself as he looked around the corner to the common room. 'Better suck it up like a man.'

'Yeah, a man with a butterfly as a patronus,' he thought, sighing. 'Well, now or never.'

He walked into the common room with a grim face. That's right everyone. Stare at the boy with a butterfly patronus.

However, no one even laughed or looked at him when he entered. In fact, it seemed like none of them even noticed his entrance.

'They're just being nice to me,' he thought. 'They're waiting until later to bring it up.'

Ron spotted Harry and Hermione sitting in front of the fireplace and walked over to them.

He sat down next to Harry and looked at him miserably. "Go on Harry. Laugh at me. I know you want to."

Harry looked at him blank and confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about," Ron muttered sadly.

"No, I think I don't."

"But haven't you seen it all over Hogwarts?"

Harry's brow furrowed and Hermione gave him a 'you're mental' look. "What's all over the school? I haven't seen anything."

"...You haven't?"

"No," Harry said as if it was obvious. "Ron, what the heck are you talking about?"

"Um...arg. Aren't you guys hungry? My stomach...erg. Let's go to the great hall. I'm so hungry I could eat a moose."

Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks before following Ron out of the common room.

Ron knew that something was very peculiar the minute he exited Gryffindor Tower. Each way he looked he did not see one picture of a butterfly flying around his head. He stood frozen in place in confusion.

"As much as I find the wall fascinating as well Ron, I think we should start going," said Harry as he tugged on his arm.

"Yeah, I thought you were hungry," said Hermione crossing her arms over her chest.

"Er...I am. Let's go," said Ron quickly. He walked briskly towards the grand staircase.

Hermione rolled her eyes and followed him.

The great hall was almost full when they came in for breakfast, and strangely enough, not a single head turned when they entered. Ron was beginning to think that maybe Malfoy hadn't put up the pictures at all.

The three of them sat down at their usual spots and began to dig in.

Ron took the Daily Prophet out of Hermione's hands and looked at it. His face brightened. "I'm not on the front page!"

Harry looked at him as if he'd gone mental. "Well that's a first," he said sarcastically.

Ron sighed with relief.

There was a long silence as they ate their food.

"So Ron, how's your patronus going?" asked Harry.

Ron, who, at the moment, was drinking his pumpkin juice, choked and snorted half of it out of his nose and onto George.

"What did I ever do to you?!" insisted George as he looked at his now soiled robes in disgust. Fred looked on in sympathy as he handed him a napkin.

"Many things George, but we won't get into that now," said Ron as he coughed. Hermione patted his back.

Once all of the commotion had died down, Harry decided to try asking his question again, this time making sure Ron wasn't trying to eat anything. "How is your patronus going?"

Ron wrung his hands. "Erm...okay. I think I almost have it."

"Really? That's great!" said Harry. "So, do you think you know what it's going to be?"

Ron gulped. "...No idea."

"Well as long as it's not something lame. I'm sure it will be a great patronus."

Ron grew sweaty. "Yeah...listen. I need to go. I just remembered that I forgot to do my transfiguration homework. I'll catch you guys later." He stood up and walked out of the mess hall.

Panic rose over Hermione. "We had transfiguration homework?!"

Harry shook his head. "No...no we didn't."

**********************

Ron walked out of the Great Hall with a sighed of relief. Well, that was a disaster. Of course, now he was confident that no one knew about his butterfly problem. Not a single person even looked at him during his meal. Which, he supposed, could be insulting, but he chose to think of it as a good thing.

"Hello Weasley," said an all too familiar voice with a practiced drawl.

Ron turned around to see Malfoy standing just feet away from him.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Ron spat as he crossed his arms over his chest. Have you come to take what's left of my dignity? Oh wait...you've already done that.

"I've come to show you something," he said holding up a developed picture. It was the same picture he'd been dreading to see all day.

Ron gulped. "You better destroy that before I hurt you."

Malfoy laughed. "You're funny Weasley. On the contrary, I've decided to blackmail you."

Ron's eyebrows rose to above his hairline. Well, at least he wouldn't have to guess. "That's...wonderful."

Malfoy smirked. "Just thought I would let you know."

Ron pursed his lips and paled. Of all the things he was expecting today, one was not blackmail. He turned around and started to walk away.

"Oh, and Weasley," said Malfoy's cold voice. Ron stopped and turned around. "If you decide not to do the things that I ask of you, you'll find you and your little friend in every corridor in Hogwarts."

'Ah. Threatening,' thought Ron as he went seven shades paler. Malfoy seemed to be a natural at it.

Ron sighed. Right now, he would do anything to keep Malfoy from putting up that picture all over Hogwarts. "Fine Malfoy," Ron spat. "Just don't put up that picture."

Malfoy smirked. "Deal."