ivyblossom | May. 8th, 2002

Okay. I'm working on it. Section 1: Ron. Oh, And for the record...I just post these things cause it makes me feel like I've gotten somewhere. Heh.

Malfoy would not get away with it. Ron didn't even remember what he said, what he screamed at the top of his lungs as his fists flew at him. They hit their target and Malfoy fell to the ground, as if he expected it, as if he knew how much he deserved it. Hermione had pulled Ron off him eventually, after she caught her breath, after the rest of the class watched as Snape quickly move Harry out of the room and toward the Hospital wing. Pansy gathered Draco up then and they sat at a desk at the far end of the room, saying nothing. Malfoy just looked down at his guilty hands, probably smirking and feeling proud of himself. He was at least smart enough not to say anything, they would have torn him apart if he had. They had all sat and cried afterward in near silence, or just breathed, thankful for every breath, afraid they might be next, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, and that was how Dumbledore found them.

Ron turned onto his side, the curtain open facing Harry's bed. He still did not open his eyes. He knew the bed was empty, but for a moment or two before he remembered it, he felt that reassuring, mundane normalcy that told him that Harry was on one side of him, Neville on the other; today they had double potions first thing; breakfast would probably be eggs and sausages; Hermione would make sure he didn't forget his homework; Harry would probably need to be woken twice, and they would rush downstairs, late again. Even after he remembered, he tried to pretend he hadn't. There was a deep pit in his stomach, he felt as though he were incased in a well, looking up, seeing no light. He woke and remembered with painful clarity that Harry was still not well, that no one expected him to be well any time soon, that it was raining, and it was Monday morning.