The Second Malfoy

Chapter Five:

Classes

The rest of the week flew by in one, rather lonesome blur. During school hours, Ron had to pretend that he was not on speaking terms with Draco and that he was indifferent to Hermione. The only friend he was allowed to have was Neville, and while he was kind and understanding of everything, he wasn't particularly the most stimulating company. He knew nothing about Quidditch, felt either too shy or too unsure of himself to add much to whatever conversation Ron was trying to have with him, and was constantly putting himself down. It was rather taxing trying to boost Neville Longbottom's self-esteem all the time.

After classes had ended for the day, he would find time to spend with Draco, though they had to meet up at places where Crabbe, Goyle, and other Slytherins who might care wouldn't be. The library was their most frequent hideout. They were never there for very long, since Draco's absence was bound to go noticed after a while, and more than once they had to hide quickly from Pansy Parkinson, who had taken a liking to Draco and was prone to tailing him.

Once Draco would go back to his Slytherin friends, Ron would then retreat to the common room and get his fill of Hermione for the day. This was the only time of the day where he felt he could truly be himself. Although Hermione had a tendency to put school before anything else, she had taken to getting her studying done during Ron's time with Draco, which left the majority of their evenings together spent joking with one another and having intense debates about which classes would be the most useful when they grew up (usually these arguments were started by Hermione, but Ron played along, since it was the only time they got to speak with one another openly).

The entirety of Gryffindor house had guessed as to what was going on already. Ron behaved as though Hermione did not exist beyond the portrait of the Fat Lady, so there must be a reason as to why they behaved so friendly within the confines of the common room. The Weasley twins had already circulated by Tuesday evening a rumor that they were in love and had to keep it a secret in order for Lucius not to find out. Ron didn't know how they knew who his father was, but he quickly quelled the rumors Thursday night by saying quite loudly to them, "That's bloody disgusting...we're only eleven!" and throwing them a filthy look. After that, the rumors became much more tame and accurate.

Ron didn't care what they thought, though. It didn't matter to him that the Gryffindors saw what was going on, since none of them were on speaking terms with the Slytherins, so the chances of Draco finding out were slim. And besides, his business was private. They could think whatever they wanted, but they would never hear a word about it from his lips. This secret friendship was strictly between him, Hermione, and Neville (who Ron had spilled everything to since he felt Neville genuinely could be trusted).

Other than the confusing mess that surrounded the three friendships he now had going on, school was both fun and difficult. Having been raised in a magical home and being taught by Narcissa, Ron had never had to deal with homework and deadlines before. Even on the basic things like writing and arithmetic, Ron had always just practiced them freely. Now he had a set schedule to follow, assignments for most of his classes, and a grading system to contend with. It was all a little too much to handle, but he felt that he was adjusting well enough.

So far, his favorite class was either Charms or Astronomy. He liked Charms, because most of the spells that Hermione had told him were in the book seemed the most useful. Even though they had only had one Astronomy lesson on Wednesday so far, Ron had loved it, simply because it had been nice to sit outside in the starlight. He couldn't help but wonder what they would do in inclement weather, though. Would class be cancelled or would they sit in the Great Hall, where the enchanted ceiling was bound to provide them with a small glimpse at the stars and planets outside?

He had also thought that he had narrowed down his least favorite classes. On Monday afternoon, Professor McGonagall had set them to turning a match into a needle, and nobody but Hermione seemed to do well. By Friday, Ron was still making futile attempts to do it in the common room before breakfast, but was coming up short, even with Hermione's tutelage. He also rather hated History of Magic, not because he was doing poorly, but because it was hard to stay awake during lessons. Hermione seemed to be the only student who was impervious to Professor Binns' dull, droning voice. Not once had Ron seen her eyes droop with exhaustion in that class.

"Today is our first lesson with the Slytherins," Hermione said as matter-of-factly as possible Friday morning. Ron looked up from the match that he was trying to turn into a needle to where Hermione was sitting. She was once again scribbling away in what Ron now knew was her diary, and it astounded Ron that she was capable of carrying on full length conversations while simultaneously writing like that.

"I know," he replied eyeing her suspiciously. He knew she was getting antsy to be able to openly be friends again and he had a feeling that they were about to go into that subject once again. They had only had this arrangement for four days now and already they had discussed the issue at least five times. It always ended the same way: Ron would assure Hermione that this whole ordeal would be over with soon and Hermione would resolutely nod her head, though Ron could always see the sadness in her eyes. She wasn't a very good liar.

"Well...I was just wondering how you and Draco are going to go about this. Will you be ignoring each other or is he finally going to act like you two are related?" Hermione stopped writing after finishing her spiel, looking as though she was getting increasingly irritated with the whole situation.

"Well, it is only the first week, Hermione. I guess I have to show Crabbe and Goyle and all the others that I'm the same person I always was."

"You were never that person!" Hermione finally snapped. She looked livid. "You only pretended that you were something you're not, because they were the only people you ever spent time with when you were a boy. You don't agree with them on anything except that you want Draco in your life. You have more of a right to him than they do, Ron!"

"I know, but-"

"No, you obviously don't know. You're letting them dictate how much time you can and can't spend with your own twin brother! It's ridiculous. Any person who would let their friends come before family is seriously messed up." Ron didn't know what to say. He had never seen Hermione so passionate about anything like this, and she was obsessed with school. It had been hard to see just how much she had been bottling up all week, but apparently she had repressed a lot of feelings - even more than Ron had. "Look, all I'm saying is that it's not fair that Draco would keep his friendliness toward you a secret. Just like it's not fair that you're doing it to me."

"I'm sorry," Ron said lamely before repeating the usual mantra he had started to live by. "It's only for a little while."

"I can't do this forever, Ron," she replied. "I need actual friends and I can't find any if I have to work around yours and Draco's schedules." He watched her abruptly stand up, snapping her diary shut, and march up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Left alone to stew in the words she had parted with him on, he wondered how long he would be able to take Draco hiding his love for his Gryffindor twin brother.

Hermione didn't even look at him when she came down to breakfast that morning. Ron had sat next to Neville as usual, who was slurping up goblet after goblet of pumpkin juice and sweating profusely. Ron knew that Neville was worried about finally having a class with Professor Snape. It was no secret that the man infinitely preferred Slytherins to Gryffindors. Ron was just hoping that all of those times that he had visited the Malfoy Manor would make him kinder to him. After all, Gryffindor or not, Ron was still a Malfoy.

"What's Hermione's problem?" Neville asked as he watched her pass.

Ron looked around to make sure nobody nearby was listening. When it appeared that no one was, he said, "She's mad at me over this whole arrangement we have going on."

"What arrangement?" a voice nearby asked. Ron inwardly cursed as he realized that Harry Potter had indeed been eavesdropping. He must have overlooked Harry; it was easily done, since he always disregarded him nowadays.

"None of your business, Potter!" Ron snapped looking up and glaring at the boy who was sitting a full three feet away, across the table. The Weasley twins - who had been blessed enough to now be able to call Harry one of their best friends - were on his other side and seemingly had no clue what was going on. They were too busy teasing their older brother Percy.

"It is my business!" Harry argued back. "Why are you so nice to her in the common room and then ignore her everywhere else? It doesn't seem like you're a very good friend."

"Neither are you! The moment you realized she was smart you stopped sitting with her. In fact, I haven't seen you speak a word to her in days! So don't tell me that I'm a bad friend." Ron stood up, grabbing his plate of sausage and eggs and turning to Neville. "Come on, let's sit somewhere else." They moved a little way down the table, closer to where Hermione was and far from Harry. Neville offered Harry an apology before going and it utterly irked Ron. "Don't apologize to him!" he snapped irritably. "He's a prat."

"He's not so bad," Neville mumbled, but Ron ignored him, preferring to pretend that Neville hated Harry just as much as he did. Instead, he went straight into explaining about how impatient Hermione was becoming.

"I don't understand. It's only been a few days. I told her it would take a while!"

"Yeah, but Ron, I don't think that's her point," Neville said sagely. "I think it bothers her more that you're putting up with Draco keeping you a secret. I mean, you two are brothers! I don't see him sacrificing anything for you."

"I know!" Ron said. "I know that I should be upset about Draco asking me to do this, but I'm not. It's worth it. I miss spending every day with him." He looked over at his friend, hoping to see understanding in his eyes, but he didn't. Neville instead looked somber and surprisingly argumentative. He almost appeared as though he was going to say something else, but Ron cut him off before he could even utter a syllable. "You wouldn't understand. You're not a twin."

They spoke no more of it, but ate their breakfast in silence, Ron deep in thought over just how much he would allow Draco to put him through and Neville worrying over their first class with Snape. Five minutes before the start of their only lesson of the day (Gryffindors had double potions on Friday, followed by an afternoon off. Ron had wanted to spend his afternoon with Draco, but the Slytherins had Herbology with the Ravenclaws), Hermione suddenly shot out of her seat, cursing slightly and rushing off.

"Where is she going? We have potions soon!" Ron exclaimed rather loudly. It wasn't like Hermione to just up and bolt before a class. He was a little worried when the students were dismissed from breakfast and Hermione was still not back, and absolutely terrified when Snape opened his dungeon door for the class to enter fifteen minutes later and she was still missing. What if something had happened to her? Would she be all right? If she's not here in ten minutes, I'll ask for a toilet break and go search for her, he told himself, not even noticing Draco and Crabbe laughing at him as he walked by and took his seat behind a desk toward the back.

He resolutely put his cauldron upon the desk, staring at the door nervously. Neville sat next to him, looking just as worried, but Ron wasn't sure if it was because of Hermione or out of fear of Professor Snape. Harry came down the aisle on the side of the dungeon that the Gryffindors had taken and sat behind them. Ron noticed that he looked worried too.

"All right, settle down," Snape said, and at once all chatter ceased. "I will do a quick register of the people present and then we will begin. Lavender Brown!" Ron watched as each person who was called upon raised their hand, and his stomach twisted into knots as Snape drew closer and closer to Hermione's name.

"Hermione Granger!" he said, looking up from the list toward the Gryffindor side of the dungeon. As though right on cue, Hermione trudged in, her cauldron in tow, her bag dangling from her arm precariously.

"I'm here, sir!" she said in a rush. She sounded out of breath. Ron was certain that she had run here, which would have been no easy feat with the heavy pewter cauldron in her hands. "I'm sorry, but I forgot my cauldron and book in my dormitory this morning and I had to go get it."

Snape eyed her expressionlessly and asked, "Do you make it a habit to be late to classes?"

"No, sir!" she answered quickly. "Actually, I'm quite punctual."

"Five points from Gryffindor," he answered in a monotone voice. "I won't accept tardiness, even from people who are 'quite punctual.' Now take a seat." Hermione looked like she was going to cry; never had she had a point taken from her. Blinking back tears, she moved into the room, searching for a place to sit. Ron saw with dismay that Draco and Crabbe were laughing at her rather openly and that Snape was ignoring it. Ron gritted his teeth; why did Draco have to be such a git all the time? How was Hermione ever going to be friends with him if all he did was make fun of her?

What was worse than Draco and Crabbe, though, was everyone else. Nobody would let Hermione sit with them. They told her there was either not enough room or that they were saving the seat for a friend (which Hermione had to have known was ridiculous - all of the Gryffindors were now in the class). Finally, Harry scooted his bag off of the bench and invited her to his table, though it was several uncomfortable seconds before he had taken the initiative. Ron twisted in his seat and gave Hermione a consoling look, but she didn't see him, choosing to stare down at her hands.

Snape continued the roster, stopping every few seconds to look up and get a good look at the faces of his students. He smirked while saying, "Neville Longbottom," and all Neville could do was squeak awkwardly and raise a trembling hand. It bothered Ron that Snape seemed to enjoy Neville's reaction. He also smirked while calling out Draco's name, but it was more of an appreciative, fatherly expression than one of hatred.

Finally, Snape said, "Ronaldus Malfoy!" and looked in his direction. Ron raised his hand needlessly, and for a few moments Snape simply stared at him. His face was surprisingly cold, as though he was displeased that he had to have this second Malfoy - the Gryffindor - in his classroom. Ron could feel his ears turning hot and going red with embarrassed fury, but Snape seemed to not notice and quickly moved on.

"Ah, yes...Harry Potter. Our new celebrity," Snape said shortly after calling out Ron's name. Everyone twisted in their seats to get a good view of Harry. Even Ron couldn't help but look at him. His face was pink with mortification, but instead of looking away from Snape or raising his hand to get the roll call over with, Harry simply stared him in the eye. Try as Ron might to loathe Harry with all his strength, he couldn't help but admire his nerve in that moment.

What Snape did next was probably the cruelest of all. Randomly, he decided to drill Harry on potions trivia. Ron only knew some of it - the part about bezoars fighting the effects of most poisons, because his parents had kept a stock of them at home just in case Ron or Draco ingested the wrong potion by mistake. But the rest was stuff even older students probably wouldn't know. It came as a surprise to him that Hermione raised her hand dutifully to every question so that she could answer them, but Snape overlooked her, only having eyes for Harry, whom he seemed determined to torture.

The rest of the class was horrific. They were set to working in pairs on a potion to cure boils. Ron, of course, worked with Neville, which he quickly realized was a grand mistake. He was very clumsy with ingredients and knocked over their bag of snake fangs multiple times. Every time Professor Snape passed by their cauldron he rolled his eyes and gave Ron a disbelieving look, as though ashamed of him. It was enough to make Ron's blood boil.

They were just finishing up, and Ron was finally feeling confident. Their potion was the clear blue that it was supposed to be and Ron felt well enough about it to say to Neville, "Put the porcupine quills in. I'll just put the rest of the stuff in the store cupboard." It was a huge mistake. He should have done it himself. Ron certainly didn't have problems with nervousness like Neville did. While he was gone, there was a loud hissing noise, a pop, and several screams. He quickly ran back and saw that in the few seconds that he was gone, Neville had somehow managed to melt Ron's cauldron into a lump of molten metal.

"You idiot!" Snape hissed at him while simultaneously waving his wand and vanishing the potion. "Can't you read? You put the porcupine quills in before taking the cauldron off the heat!" Ron was sure Neville didn't hear a word of it, though. He was covered in the pale blue liquid and his skin was steadily breaking out in the very boils they had been trying to cure. People everywhere were standing on their chairs and inspecting holes in their shoes. Only Ron remained untouched.

"Malfoy!" Snape snapped in his direction. "Take your pathetic excuse for a partner up to the hospital wing!" Ron could feel his own nostrils flaring with rage as he pushed forward, gingerly grabbed Neville's arm of his robes and slowly guided his friend out of the classroom.

"Who does he think he is?!" he asked moodily when they approached the marble staircase and were well out of earshot of the professor. "He was never this bad when he visited my parents at home! I mean, he never said anything to us, but I didn't think he was mean. I can't believe how nasty he was!" But once again, Neville didn't seem to hear. He was shaking and sobbing from pain, struggling miserably to climb the stairs. Every step seemed to only increase the agony he was in. Ron wished he knew a quick route to the hospital wing, but he barely knew how to get there as it was.

On the third floor, they ran into Fred and George Weasley, who were both staring at a locked door with curiosity and whispering excitedly. Ron ignored their weirdness and the fact that he rather disliked them and approached the twins urgently. "Hey! Do you guys know a quick way to the hospital wing? Neville's hurt!"

The twins jumped at the sound of Ron's voice and gave him a very fleeting, hateful look. However, when they saw Neville was covered in boils and was stumbling pathetically beside Ron, they seemed to change their attitudes and adopted kind, helpful faces. "Yeah, right this way!" George called to them while walking toward them. Halfway down the hall, he pushed aside a tapestry, and when Ron and Neville drew near, they were both surprised to find a set of stairs that led far upward into the castle.

"Takes you right to the seventh floor," Fred said with a grin. Clearly he was impressed with the look of wonder on Ron's face. Fred mounted the stairs to lead the way, while George took hold of Neville's other arm and helped balance him. Neville was on the verge of passing out.

"Let me guess," George grunted under Neville's weight as they climbed the staircase. "Potions?"

"Yeah," Ron said, his breath rushing out quickly now with exertion. "He put the porcupine quills in our cure for boils in while the cauldron was still on the fire."

"Why don't you have boils on you?" Fred asked, turning back to look at Ron suspiciously. He fought hard not to scowl at the twins - it wouldn't do to be rude to the people who were helping him at the moment. He didn't like feeling like he was being mistrusted, especially since Neville was one of his best friends now. Ron would never do anything to hurt him.

"I was putting the rest of the ingredients back in the store cupboard," Ron replied as calmly as he could. Fred still glanced at him suspiciously, and Ron could have sworn he heard George give a snort of disbelief from the other side of Neville.

"It's true!" Neville suddenly snapped at them both in a voice that was surprisingly strong for someone who was in so much pain. "Ron's a very great friend and he would never tamper with a potion to hurt me! Ow..." Neville's face had contorted in his anger and one of his boils under his eye was now swelling ominously, as though it was about to pop.

"Calm down, Neville, you'll hurt yourself!" Ron said in a worried voice. Neville did as he was told. He fell silent and leaned a little more toward Ron's side, as though to show solidarity. Ron secretly wished he wouldn't - Neville weighed quite a bit more than he did - but he didn't say anything about it. Meanwhile, Fred and George had the good sense to look ashamed of themselves. It was clear that Neville respected Ron, which was something that most Gryffindors wouldn't be able to understand. Yet if the nicest boy in Gryffindor could find something good and trustworthy in the wannabe Slytherin, then he must have been alright.

"I bet Snape was mad," George eventually said to cover up the awkward silence. Ron scoffed and rolled his eyes, hating his potions professor. Wouldn't it have been more helpful if Snape would have been gentle and kind with Neville? After all, it was the first potion that they had ever worked on. To merely yell and call Neville names for misreading one step was ridiculous.

Fred laughed suddenly and Ron looked up at the step above him. Fred was walking backward up the stairs and was watching Ron's face with pure glee. "Don't like Snape, then?"

"He's a foul git," Ron said hatefully. "He treated Neville like he was worthless just because he messed up one potion! I don't see how anyone could like him!"

"Now, that's not a very Slytherin attitude, is it?" George said. "We thought you would have loved him!"

Now Ron understood. Even though he could barely see George's face above Neville's head, he could tell the older boy was grinning meaningfully at his twin. They both looked amused that Ron was more of a Gryffindor than he had originally thought. He could feel his ears going red with embarrassment and he mumbled, "Well, I'm not in Slytherin, am I?"

"That's the spirit!" Fred exclaimed as he turned around and quickened his pace up the steps. "It's good to see us Gryffindors are rubbing off on you!"

Ron didn't have the heart to argue and say that he had made up his mind on Snape without any intervention from his housemates. It was easier to just let them believe that he was changing due to their influence. If his opinion was changing, because of any of the Gryffindors, it would have been Hermione or Neville who deserved the credit. They had both done a spectacular job of making him feel like he belonged, even though he had been downright distraught when he had been sorted. They didn't care if he was angry or resentful. They gave him a chance anyway, which was more than any other Gryffindor had done.

Ron, Neville, and the Weasley twins eventually made it to the hospital wing, and Neville (who had been struggling the whole way up the stairs) practically ran within, shouting for Madame Pomfrey and begging for assistance. The three other boys stood back and watched as she fetched potions and worked her magic on them. When she finally had done what she could and told Neville to lie back, she rounded on them.

"Why aren't you in class?"

"I have the rest of the day off," Ron replied, putting his hands up defensively.

"Class was cancelled," Fred and George said in unison, but Ron got the faint impression that they were lying. Madame Pomfrey eyed them suspiciously, squinting at them so darkly that Ron couldn't help but squirm. Fred and George seemed unperturbed.

"Right," she finally said back to them. "Off you go! Mr. Longbottom needs his rest."

"I can't stay with him?" Ron asked. He hadn't really had any plans for the afternoon and had been intending to spend it with Neville, since Draco had classes and Hermione seemed determined to ignore him.

"No, Mr. Malfoy. It would be for the best that you return to your common room. He needs sleep now." Ron allowed a sigh to escape his lips, but turned on his heel resolutely. He knew that Madame Pomfrey was right. Neville was in a lot of pain and probably wouldn't feel up to chatting with Ron at the moment. Still, he hated the idea of passing his first free afternoon alone.

"Hey, Ron, wait up!" George Weasley shouted from the entrance to the hospital wing. Ron was so shocked that the twins seemed to be jogging to catch up with him that he stopped in his tracks, looking at them with his jaw dropped. Fred seemed to get a kick out of Ron's disbelief and grinned to himself merrily. George - who Ron had decided was the more down-to-earth of the practical jokers - didn't seem to notice.

"What?" he asked them.

"Well, you have the afternoon off, and we don't really fancy going to class. Why not go sneak into the forest with us to see if we can catch a glimpse of a centaur?"

Ron looked from one twin to the other, unsure if they were genuine or were joking with him. "You're serious?" Ron asked. Fred nodded emphatically and George shrugged as if to ask why not. Feeling terrible that he would have to let them down, Ron said, "I can't go into the forest."

"Scared?" Fred asked. "It's really not as bad as Dumbledore makes it sound. I mean, there are spiders."

"And snakes," George added.

"And werewolves."

"And I think there's a vampire in there somewhere."

"But it's nothing George and I can't handle," Fred finally said smugly, brandishing his wand like a sword.

"Yeah, I don't know if that's entirely true, mate," George said, rubbing his chin as though he was deep in thought.

"Probably not, but you only live once. Am I right, Malfoy?"

"Well, yeah," Ron agreed. "It's not because I'm scared, though. I can't go into the forest, because being outside gives me a headache. I'm sick, and I know my Mum and Dad would be upset if I made it worse." He hadn't exactly been planning on telling the twins about his illness, but they were being so nice to him that it just slipped out. Not to mention that he actually was a little afraid. The illness was a good cover for fear.

Fred glanced at him skeptically. "What kind of an illness?"

"I don't know. No one does. I have to take a potion for it once a month, then I feel really sick for a week or so, then it gets better. The sunlight hurts my head and eyes. Sorry."

"That's all right," George suddenly said. Fred seemed taken aback - it had looked as though he was about to start teasing Ron some, but George had intervened before that could happen. "We'll go to the common room with you, then."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Ron blurted out. Only a half an hour ago, they had been glaring at him contemptuously as he had trudged up to them with Neville dangling from his shoulder. Now they seemed completely intent upon remaining in his company.

"Because Neville likes you," George answered.

Ron was looking between them with confusion, when Fred elaborated. "We figure if Neville, the nicest first year in all of Gryffindor, thinks you're a great bloke, we ought to give you a chance."

Ron couldn't say why, but he found himself smiling brightly as he walked back to the Gryffindor common room with his two new friends.

* * *

The afternoon was spent in a marvelously happy manner. Hermione eventually returned from the library (where she had been hiding all day, secretly hoping Ron would find her so they could talk out their little spat) and took a seat with the two Weasleys and the Malfoy. They were quickly becoming friends. Ron had laughed hysterically when he learned the real reason the twins weren't in class was that they both faked cutting their hands on their puffapod vines using Muggle fake blood that they had bought in a shop near their home in Ottery St. Catchpole. Hermione, of course, didn't seem to approve of such behavior and hid behind her History of Magic book in order to show her disapproval. Meanwhile, Ron lamented upon just what a git Snape truly was (since it seemed to make the Weasleys giddy with excitement - no Malfoy in the history of Hogwarts had ever disapproved of Severus Snape) and then showed off his wizard chess skills.

"Check mate!" Ron called for the fourth time around six o'clock that night. He had forgotten all about meeting up with Draco, though it was now too late to do anything about it. Besides, he was having too much fun with the twins to be bothered. It felt nice to have people approve of him for a change. Even Harry had put away his annoyance with Ron for a while to sit with his friends and watch Ron wallop them at chess.

"Damn it!" Fred shouted, watching his king get bludgeoned to death by Ron's knight. Hermione looked at him aghast, not expecting the foul language, but nobody took any notice of her. "How are you this good?! You're better than our Dad is, and he was the Devon county champion four years running! Beat Xenophilius Lovegood after three hours of play once."

"I don't know," Ron said with a shrug. "I just am."

Before Fred or George could reply, Percy Weasley's voice cut in saying, "Malfoy!" Ron scowled, but looked up at him silently, avoiding complaining for fear that it would make Fred and George dislike him again. "Professor Dumbledore sent me to tell you he would like to see you in his office."

His voice was so self-important and snobbish that both Fred and George snickered. "He asked you personally, Percy?" Fred asked.

"Don't forget, Fred: Percy's a prefect. He's got friends in high places now," George answered in kind. The twins broke down into laughter, and Ron saw that Harry was struggling to keep his composure as well. It occurred to him that maybe Fred and George were just as put off by Percy as the rest of Gryffindor was. After all, it was a little tiring constantly hearing him speak so highly of himself.

Percy's jaw jutted out in annoyance, and he amended his statement by saying, "Professor McGonagall sent me to tell you that Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office, Malfoy."

"It's Ron," he corrected Percy, hating that he was being referred to by his last name. All the same, he couldn't help but look around the small circle that had formed around him since his arrival at Gryffindor tower.

"First week at Hogwarts and you're already going to Dumbledore's office," Fred said with a grin. "You've made us proud."

"Why would he want to see me, though? I haven't done anything other than take Neville to the hospital wing today."

"Maybe he thinks you did it?" Harry suggested while looking at Ron with the same suspicious stare that Fred and George had given him earlier. Ron glared at him darkly.

"I would never do anything like that!"

"Wouldn't you?"

"Neville's my friend!" Ron growled, standing up, his fists clenched.

"Calm down, the pair of you," Fred interfered. "Ron's all right, Harry. Neville told us so."

This didn't seem to work. Harry glared at Fred for defending Ron and then stomped off. Hermione looked at Ron sadly, seeming to forget just how angry she was with him at the moment. "Lousy prat," Ron said with a sneer. He hated that this was what his brief friendship with Harry had turned into, but at this point, he really felt like it was all Harry's fault. After all, it had been Ron who had just been trying to get along with Harry a few moments ago.

"He's really not that bad, mate," George said awkwardly. Ron closed his eyes and counted to five - something his mother always told him to do when he got frustrated - and turned to look at him.

"You know...I'm rather sick of hearing that about him." George had the good sense to look sheepish, mumbled something and looked down at Fred's shattered king on the chessboard.

Ron had never been to Dumbledore's office before. Actually, as far as he knew, none of the first years had. He didn't even know where it was, but was shocked when the walk didn't take all that long. Usually going anywhere new involved some sort of journey that lasted ages. That was why he had been late for the first couple days to several classes, at least. He wasn't expecting for Percy Weasley (who spent the entire walk to Dumbledore's office commending Ron on keeping his cool while being provoked, although Ron really didn't think that he had) to lead him to the statue of the stone gargoyle on the seventh floor that Ron passed every time he left the common room.

"Is this it?" Ron wondered aloud.

"Yes," Percy said. He turned to look at the gargoyle, puffed his chest out importantly and said, "Pick 'n' Mix." The stone gargoyle sprang to life, hopping aside to reveal a set of stairs that were spiraling up into what appeared to be one of Hogwarts' many towers. Ron wanted to ask what Pick 'n' Mix was, but his fear over why Dumbledore could have possibly called him to his office made him clam up. Maybe Harry had been right. What if Dumbledore did think that he had caused Neville's accident in potions today? Would he be given detention? Would he be expelled?

His heart racing, Ron took one step upon the staircase and was shocked when it started revolving upward, carrying him to the top with no effort. "Good luck!" Percy called, and all Ron could do was give a faint chuckle in response.

When he reached the top, he found himself staring at a large oak door. Unsure of what to do, he reached for the handle, twisted it, and pushed it open a crack. From the sliver of open door, he could see that the room was decorated in similar colors to Gryffindor Tower - unsurprising, since Dumbledore had been a very proud Gryffindor in his day - and that there were several whirring and whistling instruments upon tables on either side of the room, near tall bookcases that Ron assumed served as walls. Above the bookcases were portrait after portrait of all the old headmasters of Hogwarts. A large scarlet phoenix dozed lazily upon a perch next to a very ornate desk that was neatly arranged in a way that made Ron wonder if Dumbledore had hired Hermione to be his cleaning lady.

Standing behind the desk was Dumbledore himself, although he hadn't noticed Ron's arrival. He was too busy speaking with one of the portraits, highly engrossed in their private discussion. "Yes, but I really do think that this is something we shouldn't burden him with now," Dumbledore was saying. The man in the portrait - a portly gentleman with thick sideburns - saw Ron and nodded at him with an expression similar to one Draco would wear when they were little and their mother had caught them doing something naughty.

Ron's stomach clenched, and he wondered if he maybe should have knocked. He expected Dumbledore to whirl around, shout at him, and then expel him for being horridly nosy. But he didn't. Instead, Albus Dumbledore turned regally on his heel and offered Ron a very genuine and kind smile. "Ah, Mr. Malfoy," he said, "have a seat."

Ron took the chair opposite of the one that Dumbledore started to occupy and said, "Sorry if I interrupted you, Professor." He looked at the portrait, giving it an apologetic nod.

"Not at all," Dumbledore replied. "Though I will suggest that if you ever are summoned to my office again to please knock, as I do like to keep my affairs private." He smiled again, a twinkle lighting his eye and serving to make Ron feel slightly more comfortable with the fact that he was here and had so rudely intruded.

"Yes, sir," Ron said.

"You are, no doubt, wondering why I asked you to come here tonight," Dumbledore stated.

"You think that I sabotaged Neville's and my potion and caused it to explode all over him," Ron blurted out, looking down at his hands and feeling oddly ashamed, considering that he had done no such thing.

"Oh, no, my dear boy," Dumbledore said. There was a hint of amusement to his voice which made Ron's head snap to attention, and he stared at his headmaster as though it were too good to be true. "While Professor Snape did relate to me that your potion most unfortunately erupted during class, he assured me that Neville's injuries were his fault and not yours."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt like he should defend Neville. After all, they were in the back of the class and the instructions were a little hard to make out from where they had been. "He was just nervous, I think," Ron said. "Snape is a little-"

"Professor Snape, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore cut in.

"Right, er, Professor Snape is a little intimidating. Neville just got too excited, I guess."

"Yes, that happens to the best of us," Dumbledore replied. Then, sensing that they needed to get back on topic, he said, "No, you are not here because of Neville. I brought you here tonight, because I was wondering how your first week at Hogwarts has gone."

Really? That was it? Ron stared at Professor Dumbledore in bewilderment, unsure of what to make of the man. He wondered for the tiniest of moments if maybe he did this with every first year, but that thought was immediately dashed by Fred and George's reactions to Ron being sent to his office. If he did that with all the first years, surely they would have known why he was being called here.

Seeming to sense that Ron was confused, Dumbledore elaborated. "I noticed that when the Sorting Hat placed you into Gryffindor, you did not seem pleased. I was wondering how you are adjusting and if I need to write any letters to your parents regarding the importance of Gryffindor or maybe your brother's behavior."

Oh. That made sense. Ron didn't know where to begin. Should he tell Dumbledore everything? It seemed strange that this older man was giving Ron an opportunity to confide in him, especially since he was more than just a teacher. He was the headmaster. "Er, well...at first, I guess I was upset. Actually, I know I was upset. The Sorting Hat said that it usually allowed students to pick where they went in the end, but that I needed to be with, 'the rest of them' so it put me into Gryffindor."

"Do you know what it meant by that?" Dumbledore asking, the twinkle in his eye still there, although Ron thought he saw a hint of worry behind it.

"I think...maybe...it was talking about Hermione Granger and Neville. I met them on the train and we had a good time. I think it saw that they were Gryffindors and that I am less like a Slytherin than I thought. They were quicker to accept me than any of the Slytherins besides my brother, so the hat put me where I'd be most comfortable."

The little flicker of worry dissipated from Dumbledore's featured and he simply nodded at what Ron said, clasping his hands together and holding them up to his face, his index fingers positioned upwards making a t-shape as they pressed against his lips. His posture indicated that he wanted Ron to keep speaking, so Ron very awkwardly continued. "At first, Draco stopped talking to me. Actually, I tried to sit with him at the Slytherin table halfway through the start of term feast, but he told me to leave. Then my mum and dad sent us letters. Draco got a howler...you probably heard of that."

"Yes, something about you two being brothers and Draco being homeschooled if he was mean to you about Gryffindor," Dumbledore said quickly to show he understood.

"Yeah," Ron said. "Dad's letter to me said that they were proud of me and it made me feel better. I always thought they would hate me if I got into any other house besides Slytherin. But they don't."

"Did he tell you anything else?" Again, for whatever reason, Ron noticed that there was an awkward sort of worry in Dumbledore's eyes, and it caused him to feel ill at ease.

"Just that he wanted me to be friends with Harry Potter," Ron replied nervously. "Though that's never going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Harry and I just don't get on well," Ron said. "I mean, we did on the train. But I guess he was mad at me for how I acted when I was sorted into Gryffindor, and it's just gotten worse over the week. He's annoying."

Dumbledore contemplated for a moment, staring upon Ron as though he were a puzzle that was waiting to be solved. It made Ron uncomfortable in a way he never had been before. "I agree with your father," he eventually said. "It most definitely would be best for you two to make amends and-"

"But why?!" Ron said in a very argumentative voice. It bothered him how much Harry Potter was being pushed upon him, how even the headmaster seemed gung-ho the shove them together and force them to become the best of friends. "I mean, yes, he's famous and we had a good time on the train, but that doesn't mean that we'll get along at all! We don't like each other! Can't that be enough for everyone to understand?!"

Dumbledore took Ron's shouting in good stride. He simply looked mildly amused and allowed Ron to get all his frustration out. It bothered Ron that he didn't seem to take him seriously, choosing to smile at him placidly from behind his fingers, the twinkle in his eye returning in full force. Then, as soon as Ron exhausted his supply of words, Dumbledore said in the calmest voice, "Let's just say, I think you and Harry need each other. More than you know."

It took Ron off-guard, and he found himself staring open-mouthed at the headmaster, trying to decipher his advice. Why would he and Harry Potter need each other? Was there something that Ron didn't know that someone wasn't telling him? "But why?" he asked again, this time in as quiet a voice as Dumbledore had used.

"I do not have all the answers, Mr. Malfoy. At least not at the present."

Ron nodded, though part of him wasn't sure that this was true. Professor Dumbledore seemed to know a lot about him; even more than he knew about himself, actually. But there was no arguing with the greatest wizard of all time. Ron allowed Dumbledore to get away with what he wasn't telling him, and instead stood up to leave in silence, when Dumbledore said.

"Before you go, Mr. Malfoy, tell me how your brother has been treating you since the howler." Ron felt reluctant to say, but took his seat regardless, trying to find the right words in which to tell Dumbledore that he didn't want to talk about it. "It is my business, after all," Dumbledore added, as though he had read Ron's mind. "You are students in my school, and if I can stop any bullying, I would like to do so immediately."

"He's not bullying me," Ron said. "He's been really nice to me, actually. It's just...well, we're keeping our friendship a secret, because he doesn't want to be hexed by the other Slytherins."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And I have to keep my friendship with Hermione a secret too, because Draco asked me to not be friends with her, because...er..."

"She's Muggleborn?" Dumbledore supplied.

"Yes, I suppose." Of course, there was no supposing about it. Ron knew full well that her lineage was precisely why Draco had forbidden them to be friends.

"And how is she handling being kept a secret?" Once again, Dumbledore was looking at him contemplatively, and Ron had to look over at the phoenix on the perch in order to keep talking with any comfort.

"She doesn't like it. I don't either, but I want my brother to be able to be openly friends with me again, you know? If the other Slytherins knew we were talking, Draco and I could never be the way we used to be ever again! I don't want that. I want my brother back."

The tiniest of sighs escaped Dumbledore's lips before he said, "Yes, I can see that. But are you really that eager to sacrifice the happiness of a friend in order to accommodate your brother, who, by the way, has a choice in this matter? Could you not ask him to accept you and your friends for who you are?"

Ron had never thought of that. Draco had been dictating Ron's friendships and interactions for as long as he could remember, so it just seemed natural to do as he said. But now that he thought of it, it made complete sense to him. Ron had to pull Draco aside and talk to him about the arrangement they had going on. It wasn't working out for anyone - not for him, not for Hermione, and not even for Draco, really. "I could do that," Ron said with the air of someone who was formulating a plan in their mind.

"Then do it," Dumbledore prodded on.

Ron smiled at him gratefully, then made to leave. "Have a good night, professor," Ron said. Dumbledore nodded with a grin and allowed Ron to leave. But before Ron walked out of the door, he realized he had a question of his own. "Oh, Professor Dumbledore. What's Pick 'n' Mix?"

Dumbledore actually laughed, his eyes shining in mirth. Clearly he hadn't been expecting such an innocent question from Ron after the long, quite intense discussion they had just had. "It's a Muggle way of buying candy. It's quite fun. I daresay, you should try it next summer." He continued to laugh as Ron left his office, shaking his head.

Muggle candy? Their headmaster really was a nutter, wasn't he?