25. Chapter 25: Ron

Wow... 12:49am here... I'd better go to bed... XD

A little bit of this chapter was borrowed off S T I L L's HP fanfic. It's that bit with the 3 different types of stares. Though I have to admit, theirs is muchos more creative, lol.

BTW! Everyone, read my new Draco/Hermione fic! (Shameless self-advertising...) Thanks to those who already have. I appreciate your reviews. :D Though people have been nagging for me to update this, so yeah...

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Joshua Davis: I'm not sure what you mean by sending in the fanfics... Sorry! Do you mean putting up your own fanfics? Because if you want to do that, it's free to sign up to FFnet. You can write and post your own fics here. If that's not what you meant, you can email me or review again and explain better.

Replies to everyone who reviewed chapter 24 is at the end of the chappie (that's why it's so long).

& here we go...

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10 Ways to Kill Draco Malfoy

Chapter 25

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RON

Did I just see what I think I saw?

A brunette girl, standing under a tree next to a boy with white-blond hair. No prize for telling who that guy is, but the girl...? I mean, I don't remember Pansy Parkinson having brown, wavy hair. Last time she ambushed me her hair had been black (dyed, maybe?). There is the possibility that it could have been Lavender Brown, but since when did she get so cosy with Malfoy?

The only other girl I know with brown, wavy hair is... oh my God, please no.

Hermione?

But wait. That's just ridiculous! Ahaha! Haha! Ha! The day Hermione hangs around with Malfoy is the day when Harry finally admits his feelings to Ginny! HAHAHA!

Then again, Harry and Ginny are now officially an item...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

This is not good.

"Ron? You alright?" Parvati Patil gives me a funny look, and shakes my shoulder. "Hello? Earth to Ron Weasley!"

I blink. "Eh?"

She looks relieved. "Phew. I thought you were having a spasm back there. You were kinda writhing around in your seat, and mumbling things under your breath."

"W-was I?" I say shakily, forcing a laugh. "Hahah! Wow! I didn't know! Maybe I had a nightmare or something. I really don't remember!" Wow, writhing in my seat? What happened to me there? How embarassing... thank God it's not double Charms or anything. Otherwise I'd have been so humiliated.

I glance around for Harry and Hermione. The latter one is sitting on my other side, staring intently at Professor Flitwick as he spoke. The other is in front of me, brushing a hand through his already-messy jet black hair every now and then. I roll my eyes. No chance of any of those two seeing me suffer. It would take a lightning storm for Hermione to stop paying attention to the teacher when they're in the middle of an important lecture, and Harry is so used to loud noises (thanks to Voldemort) that it would probably take more than that for him to turn around.

I turn back to Parvati. "I wasn't too... er, noticeable, was I, Parvati?"

"Not really... but everyone behind you probably saw you." She giggles. "That's most of the class, mind you. We're sitting in the second row."

"Oh God," I groan, and look back. True enough, half the class is staring at me. I decide to pay attention to the Professor. Maybe it'll take my mind off things.

After the lesson, I trudge towards my next class (Potions, urgh). Harry and Hermione are chatting next to me. It seems that Harry is trying to get advice off Hermione about how to make Ginny feel happy and satisfied, short of snogging her every 10 seconds. Hermione is suggesting flowers and gifts to give her. I strongly disagree. It'll make Ginny's head even bigger than Percy's, if she gets all that attention from Harry Potter. But I am simply too lazy to raise my voice to argue.

And there's still the brunette girl thing to think about...

Throughout Potions, I sit there, staring blankly at Snape as he instructs us about the uses of some potion whose name I've forgotten (or didn't hear at all). Thoughts whizz through my mind. Who was that brown-haired girl? Was it Hermione? If it was, what was she doing there? Did she prefer Malfoy's company to mine? But why? WHY?

My mind is dizzy with questions that want to be answered. Not much help Snape's lecture is going to do. So I decide to ignore him and keep thinking.

20 minutes later, I am outside his class with a detention slip in my hand. Scowling, I slowly walk circles around the dungeon and sigh pitifully whenever I stop outside of the door to the classroom, which is my starting position. I read the slip. 7:30pm, Wednesday night. Report to Mr. Filch's office for your detention. Be prompt. Underneath that is a scrawled signature that I presume to be Snape's. Ugly person, ugly signature. I have to say that his signature matches his face and personality quite well.

When the period finishes, and the bell tolls for dinner, the rest of my class mill out of the class. Hermione rushes towards me as soon as she sees me and sighs. "Ron... this is the 5th detention you've gotten from Snape."

Harry joins us as she finishes speaking. "What? Well anyway, Ron. That was really funny! You were just sitting there like this," he jabs my arm with his book and makes sure I see his impression of me drooling blankly. I'm sure I wasn't that awful. Gee. Some friends I have. "The whole class was laughing." His expression grew serious. "We stopped laughing when Snape took off 50 points for having a student pretending to be ignorant and retarded in his class, and gave you a detention with Filch. Again."

I shake my head. "What is it with Snape and Filch? Are they old buddies or something? Because whenever I get a detention from Snape, he always sends me to Filch. It's like he's helping the man feed his hunger to see teenagers suffer under his hand or something delusional like that." Grumbling, I walk towards the Great Hall. Maybe dinner will cheer me up. Or maybe I'll eat so much in my attempt to cheer myself up that I'll throw up and feel worse than ever.

OK, let's just stick to happy thoughts for now. Murderous thoughts can come later. Vomiting thoughts should be banned completely. I can't afford to lose my appetite at a depressing moment like this.

As we enter the hall, Hermione elbows me. "OUCH! What was that for?" I hiss in pain.

She ignores my pathetic groans of pain and points towards the Slytherin table. "Sorry. Ron, where does Dr- Malfoy usually sit?"

I look at her suspiciously. "Why do you want to know? Don't tell me you've developed an obsession with him." That would explain why she was under than tree, standing next to Malfoy and not attempting to murder him. If that was her. I repeat, if.

"No, of course not!" Is it just me, or doesn't she sound as convincing as usual? "It's for my next plan to get rid of him. I need to slip this into his cup." She takes out a tiny vial of some kind of potion and shakes it in front of my face. "There. Happy now?"

I smile. Phew. So she isn't obsessed with him (meaning I still have a chance!). "Oh. Cool." I scan the Slythering table. Right now, it's nearly empty, because most people go back to their dorms to change (if they just had an outdoor class, or if they just want to look flashy) or put their books away. We rarely take our textbooks to a meal in the Great Hall, but today's an exception. "Um... I think he sits... over there somewhere."

Hermione looks annoyed at the vague waving of my hands. "You're pointing at about a dozen seats! Make up your mind. I don't want to poison someone other than him."

I squint at the table, thinking about where he usually sits, glaring at us from his house table. "If Harry and I sit there, like always... he's facing this way... over there... so that means he sits..." I stare at one seat, the one that my calculations have finished with. "... there!"

"Great! Thanks, Ron!" She practically skips off and, clutching the vial of that weird green-brown substance, carefully scoots around the end of the table and runs over to the seat I marked out. "This one?" she calls from across the Slytherin table, pointing at one of their ornately carved chairs, covered with green silk. I nod, with a last glance to make sure. She uncorks the bottle and carefully drips a few droplets of the stuff into the goblet that whoever sits at the seat will drink out of.

Job done, she runs towards the Gryffindor table and motions for me to follow. I look around for Harry, and, spotting him with Ginny, hurry towards Hermione.

During the feast, the two of us have our eyes glued to the Slytherin table. We try not to make it too obvious that we're staring at Malfoy - instead, trying to make it look like a 'Who's Malfoy?' look, or a 'We don't know that stinking ferret' look. Or even a 'Pshht. Who wants to look at that idiot? I'm staring at the ugly bulk next to him!' stare.

"How long does the potion take to start working its magic?" I ask as the desserts appear. I am slightly annoyed at how slowly the potion seems to be reacting. He should be having spasms on the floor right about now. Almost like what I was doing in Charms. I quickly bury my head at the memory, face burning. Now I know how Harry must have felt after the first Dementor accident.

Hermione tuts, irritated. "Wait, will you, Ron? Patience is a virtue, they say! It'll start working soon. I promise."

And since Hermione is never wrong when it comes to magic spells or potions, I decide to believe her. Let's just hope 'soon' is before I grow a beard.

Almost immediately after I think that, a commotion erupts at the green and silver table. "Help! Someone's having a heart-attack!" someone yells from that table. Most of the other students in the hall continue munching on their food, talking calmly and occasionally glaring at the noise the Slytherins were making. "HEY, YOU BASTARDS! Don't be heartless! Come and help him!"

Hermione and I glance at each other, exchanging grins. "This is it," she says excitedly, tugging on my sleeve. "Let's go have a look!"

Harry, who doesn't know anything about what happened before dinner actually started, peers at us, confused. "Huh? What is it? Hey... do you two know something I don't?"

"Don't worry! Just come, and we'll fill you in later in the common room," she says, dragging him along. We run to the Slytherin table, where now half the school is assembled at. We head over to the place where most people seem to be crowding around, and struggle our way through the mass of people. Our determination drives us as we swear and punch through the crowd. Hermione, however, is just politely making her way through. Honestly. She should learn from us. It's much faster this way - OUCH! Who just kicked me!

Finally the three of us make it to the front of the crowd. "I can't wait to see Malfoy's face as he spasms," I say, smiling wickedly.

Hermione gives a rather forced laugh. Something in her face makes it look like she's regretting what she's done. "Yeah," she mumbles. "Let's just hope he's not dead."

We turn and finally look at the victim. What greets us makes my eyes wide.

The person lying unconscious is not a certain blond, arrogant bastard, but one of his lackeys.

Goyle.

The aforementioned bastard is staring at us. Namely, at the person next to me. I slowly turn to look at Hermione. She's staring at him with the same expression as on his face. Kind of a shocked, bemused and, somewhere in there, a look that I can't quite decipher sort of expression.

"What happened to him?" Harry whispers. "He looks dead. Is he?"

"I wish," I retort. "I think he's just knocked out. In a coma. A vegetable."

"Oh. Too bad."

"Don't be so unkind, Harry!" Ginny scolds, appearing beside him. Instantly Harry goes puppy-dog mode and ignores us. Man. I glance at Hermione. She's lowered her eyes to the body. I can hear her muttering profanities, in all sorts of languages. Wow, never knew she was talented in that field.

Someone (probably Snape) had conjured up a stretcher for Goyle by the time I turn my eyes back to the scene. It is larger than normal stretchers, because of his size and the fact that he still convulsed every few minutes. It would be a hassle to get him back onto the stretcher every time he has a spasm.

When the crowds break up and go to bed, mostly due to Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny have gone off again while Hermione and I walk back to the Gryffindor common room in silence. Well, for a while, anyway.

"You told me that was his seat," she says in a dangerously low voice after a while. "You told me that's where Draco Malfoy always sits."

I put up my hands. "Hey, don't look at me. It's not like he's got a seat with his name labeled on it or something. People do tend to do a thing called 'change seats every once in a while', you know."

She glares at me and I wisely make up my mind to shut up. "That's not the point! If you weren't sure, you shouldn't have told me! I could have poisoned anyone, for all I know."

"What was in that vial, anyway?" I ask sharply, wanting to change the subject to delay the yelling that is bound to come sooner or later. Might as well fill in some blanks while I postpone it.

"... Mandrake potion," Hermione says quietly. "Don't tell anyone, though. I snuck it out for the sole purpose of putting Malfoy into a coma. Which I failed at, thanks to you," she adds, looking pointedly at me.

This is so unfair! I didn't do anything wrong. I mean, she asked for Malfoy's seat. How would I know where he sits every bloody day? I'm not a Seer or anything. Not that I want to be one, but yeah. "Don't blame me! You were the one who asked me. So I gave you the best answer I could!" I throw my hands up in exasperation. "Geez, I try to help, and this is the repayment I get?"

Hermione sighs. "Oh, Ron. It's my fault. I shouldn't have blamed you. You weren't to know, were you?"

"Don't worry about it," I say gruffly. "At least it got one of his croonies. Better than nothing, right?"

She smiles. "True, true. Thanks, Ron. I'm sorry for yelling at you." She blinks innocently. "Let's be fwends again, OK?"

Oh man. What is that girl on? Talk about severe mood swings. One minute she's shouting at me, blaming me for something I couldn't help, and next second she's all innocent smiles and childlike words.

I really think Hermione should stop interacting with house elves so much. It's going to her head.

And this poison thing... it should mean that it wasn't her that was with Malfoy on the banks of the lake, under that tree, was it? I mean, why would she be all cosy with him, and then turn on him so much as to put something that could make him comatose in his cup?

Hopefully, I'm right. I don't know what I'd do if it was her there with him.

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Big thanks to the following people (as usual, replies are for people who reviewed my fic after I updated the previous chapter):

Eliot Z. Wheatherbee: Sorry if you don't like the other POVs. You can always read the HG or DM ones only. :D Thanks for your review.

goodybad: Thanks! Yes, poor tree... -Sighs-

pat-nosferatu: Yes, Hermione's inner conflict is very interesting. :D

lilithofunderworld: Lol, yeah, it was a very Ron thing to do, wasn't it?

queenofthelameos: Thanks for the comment!

xputteckx: I guess she's still trying to poison him because a part of her still won't give up her plans. Plus she's the type to finish everything that she starts... so yeah. -Shrugs-

Venus725: True that...

showmethehobbit: I'm sure it would have been hilarious... :D

degrassichick: Thanks!

fierydarkness: You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!

iluvdraco: Haha! I think Harry's not too bad in the movies either... or Oliver Wood... hehe. Thanks, I'm honored by your reviews. Lol. I'm sure this story will be pretty long, considering she still has 3 more plans to go.

Savannah Gray: Thanks for pointing that out to me.

jesska-14: It was Ron (you know now, obviously), since I don't think Ginny has short hair. Thanks for the review!

moony's number 1: Wow! Thanks for taking the time to read through all those chapter of mine and review most of them! I really appreciate it. :D

Joshua Davis: Your comment is right at the top of the page. :D

Zekintha: I think Hermione's in denial most of the time... Thank you very much for being a constant reviewer I can count on. Are you going to continue writing your fics, btw?

Sayaku-chan: Lol, guess my fic doesn't leave the readers guessing most of the time. Thanks for the review!

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S T I L L: Yup, cliffy. :D

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Con Dar: Thanks. :D

cyancrystaldolphins: -Edges slowly away from sweetly-smiling cyan-

AttackingHentaiChibisLoveFluff: Yeah, you're right, there is an awfully huge amount of fics out there that have an ANGRY!Ron in response to Hermione and Draco's relationship. So I followed what you said and made it a bit different... thanks!

Jinenji: I want to read it too...

XDeMeNtEdX: Thanks. Yeah, it was so obvious... lol.

kyo19?

nosie: Who knows what he was doing... I don't think he was hiding there though, probably just walking past.

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CLK89: Hehe! What a mouthful, 10WtKDM... Thank you for taking the time to read all the chapters, and yay! I'm on your favorites list:D

pluto: Thank you! Your questions have been answered, though probably the answers weren't as exciting as you'd hoped, lol.

homestar-fan: Lol, they all have to backfire, don't they? Otherwise there'd be no fun. XD

potc-and-hpfan: Hahaha! That's a good one, but I don't really wanna make Draco pee his pants... yeouch. I'm glad you and your friend are enjoying the fic!

Toms-babygurl: Thanks!

Court12: Lol, thank you! Though Ron was stupider than we might have expected... or he just didn't want to believe his eyes.

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Antanaqui: Yeah, I have mentioned the Howler before, but I wanted to tell how Hermione actually did the Howler because it wasn't explained properly before. :D

natyslacks: Haha! Yesh, Hermione's starting to have feelings for Draco... -Cackles- But that's expected, isn't it?

Terry Moon: Thanks! Ah, too bad my break is over... ;...; Only a month until winter break!

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