Ron Weasley and the Half Blood Prince

Ron could hear the shouting downstairs and knew it was all his fault. He heard the kitchen door slam and a furious Ginny stomping up the stairs. He slowly retreated to his bedroom, as much as he didn't like to admit, he was scared of his little sister when she was in such a temper. He had the feeling that the argument had something to do with his parents' visit while he was in the hospital wing.

He couldn't remember much of his stay in the hospital wing. The only thing he knew was that Hermione was there, in the bed next to his. But she left before him. And once she had left, he was barely aware of anything around him. And then his parents came to visit. Madam Pomfrey saw that day that he was getting better. He recognized his parents for one thing. They had asked what had happened. He had answered the questions, he had given the answers that Ginny had refused to give. Ron secretly thought that they had done it on purpose, questioning him while he was too weak to put up a fight like Ginny. That's what got Ginny into trouble. His parents understood why he had gone along with Harry, being his best mate and being involved in the Order and all that crap, but they just couldn't understand why Ginny had to go. Ron suspected that she didn't want to be left behind while the rest of them went on a great big exciting adventure, and also that she still had a crush on Harry and wanted to show him that she could be there for him, just like Ron and Hermione. And when Ron hadn't been able to give them a good reason for Ginny going to the Ministry, Molly had shouted at him and Madam Pomfrey had had to tell her to calm down or she will have to throw her out.

Ron's state had improved after that shouting match. He could finally see the damage the brains had done to his arms. And see all the filthy looks Ginny shot at him. She didn't dare say anything in front of Harry though; he was having enough trouble dealing with Sirius' death. Harry hardly spoke when he visited Ron in the hospital wing. He had a sort of emptiness in his eyes. He had that look when Ron first met him on the Hogwarts Express. But now the only person close enough to a father was gone, and the laughter from his eyes had evaporated. Ron felt eleven years old whenever he saw Harry's eyes, he felt as though it was the first day of school and he was telling him everything there was to know about Hogwarts. Ron had see Harry's eyes lighten up that day. They had stayed like that for five years. Through all the adventures, all the mysteries, they had stayed awake. And now Sirius was gone, and they had turned back into a dull green. He was very pale as well, and thin. Ron knew that he had stopped eating. He trusted Hermione to get him to eat, but he had also told her to take care of Ginny. He was scared that she couldn't face what had happened at the Ministry.

The only good thing that came out of it all was that everybody knew now that Harry hadn't been lying about You-Know-Who. A part of Ron, the one closest to his arms, wished that it had happened in a different way, that Sirius didn't have to pay the price of their foolishness, and that they hadn't smashed the prophecy. Hermione had told Ron everything, from when he passed out to when they returned to Hogwarts. The only thing she knew about Harry returning to Hogwarts was that he had gone with Dumbledore. Ron suspected that Harry and Dumbledore probably talked about what had happened, well Dumbledore probably had, knowing Harry's temper it was hard to tell if he had shouted or if he had smashed half of Dumbledore's office. Both, maybe. They might have talked about the prophecy. They might have talked about Sirius. Hermione seemed to want to talk about Sirius. Ron wouldn't let her. Harry would talk about it when he was ready.

Ginny, Luna and Neville were spending a lot of time in the hospital wing as well. Ron was starting to become very fond of Luna, even if she was a raving lunatic. She was very brave for one thing, and while she was around, Neville's face seemed to shine with something Ron couldn't quite put a name on. She was also becoming a good friend of Ginny's. Ginny needed all the friends she could get at the moment. And Ron certainly wasn't her friend, judging by the way she was grumbling his name. He was standing at the top of the stairs, wondering if he dared go down to the kitchen. Knowing his mother, she probably had smoke coming out her ears by now. Once again he quietly returned to his bedroom, he really didn't want to hear what Ginny would do to him if she caught him. He knew that she would come and find him eventually. All he could was wait. So that's what he did. He twiddled his thumbs and waited.