Ron’s Thoughts, in a Semi-Legible Format

(Mind, it’s quite ranting, so good luck reading & comprehending. What can I do–I was inspired…)

By Veralidaine

Lemme start out by saying this: Bullocks to Krum.

After all, it’s his fault completely. Well, his and You-Know-Who’s. Okay, mostly You-Know-Who’s fault, I admit. Krum contributed, though.

You know, I usually love the summer holidays, but ever since we got off the train, everything’s gone to hell completely. I hate that Harry’s gone strange on us–he’s really sketchy in his letters and doesn’t say much. I hate that Mum and Dad have stopped smiling lately, due to all the attacks and overtime the ministry’s putting Dad and Percy on (I don’t mind Percy being gone, but Dad’s always so tired when he gets home. It upsets Mum and Ginny.). And I especially hate how vague Hermione is in her letters.

And I can understand Harry’s lack of response when I send him a note. I mean, the guy’s not even fifteen, and already the fate of the entire world is in his hands. The situation’s bloody unfair, but there’s no real way to fix it. If there was, believe me, Hermione or I would’ve found it. Probably Hermione–she’s loads smarter than me…But anyway, Harry’s being systematically destroyed by possibly the darkest, evilest wizard that has ever existed, so I worry, but I don’t get angry when he takes a long time to respond with a short, bland letter. Hermione’s different, though.

Right, so first off, she’s not in any immediate danger as of now. Technically, everyone’s in danger, but Harry is the most, so he has an excuse. When I send Hermione a letter asking her what she’s doing for the summer, and she sends one back talking about the weather, I get pissed off. I mean, she either is or isn’t going. Is it really that difficult to answer the question?

You know, one time I got really desperate to keep her from changing the subject through letters, and borrowed Dad’s fellytone to call her. She’d written the number down on a piece of parchment some time ago, and I still had it for some reason (I dunno why, and don’t you go jumping to conclusions, here. It’s just a phone number.). Anyway, so she answered the phone and was all surprised when she found out it was me, and then I asked her (I was not being insensitive. I said hello first.) whether or not she was going to Bulgaria, and she got all nervous and changed the subject. I got annoyed and ended the conversation rather quickly. I mean, that was all I really wanted to talk about, anyway. And, of course, Ginny had been listening in on my half of the conversation and had to tell me as soon as I hung up what an insensitive prat I was. I told her to go play with the gnomes and leave me alone.

Anyway, the stress of this summer’s really getting to me. I mean, what with You-Know-Who back, and Harry in danger, and Hermione going to see the wonderful, great, good, brave Vicky, I am stuck here, with far too much time on my hands way too much time to think stuff over. Like what could be happening at this moment to various people.

I mean, Harry’s probably sitting at his Aunt and Uncle’s house, nibbling a carrot stick and trying not to be afraid. Dad and Percy are at work–Dad’s doing stuff for Dumbledore, and Percy’s probably kissing up to some superior officer of some sort. Hermione’s either doing her homework or off doing something inappropriate with Vicky. I know she said they’re "just friends" but I wouldn’t put it past her. Sneaking around the topic whenever I bring it up… Hmph. I’m sure she went.

I even wrote Harry to ask him what she’d told him about stupid Bulgaria. He seemed amused, for whatever reason. Well, as amused as he can get, taking recent events into consideration. Anyway, he said Hermione had discussed it with him once–that would be one time more often than she discussed it with me–and that she hadn’t decided.

Load of dung; of course she had. She knew I’d ask him. Mind, that was ages ago. Harry said she sounded like she didn’t really want to go, but I know she did. Of course, she’d never tell me.

That bothers me about Hermione–Harry and I talk. I mean, we don’t keep secrets. We’ve only really had one fight, and that’s pretty good, since we’ve known each other for about five years. We get along really well and talk to each other all the time, but Hermione’s different. Maybe ‘cause she’s a girl (yes, I actually did know that), or maybe because I really am an insensitive prat. Dunno which. Hopefully the former; I don’t really want to be an insensitive prat. But really, I wish Hermione and I could talk like that. Mind, there’s not much I’ve got to tell her, and apparently, there’s not much she’s got to tell me.

And, of course, the Krum thing bothers me, too. I don’t think she told Harry she was going to the Yule Ball with him, and I know she didn’t tell me, no matter how many times I asked. But she told Ginny. Now, what’s wrong with that picture? I’ve known her longer than Ginny has! I mean, ever since that first day on the Express, I’ve known Hermione. And she’s always been Hermione Granger, one of my best friends (though I don’t tell her that because that would be weird). And then she goes off with my little sister, telling her stuff she won’t tell me and Harry. Sorry, Harry and me. Or is it Harry and I? See, she’s messing with my mind…

I asked Ginny about it once. She said it was because Hermione needed female company sometimes and that all girls did occasionally, and why did I think Mum went for brunch with her friends at least once a week? I grunted and went back to my musings. I honestly don’t know what it is with girls. Maybe all men are doomed to wonder about that for eternity–certainly seems like it. That’s what Charlie says, anyway, and he’s the one with girls falling all over him.

You know, another thing that sort of scares me with the whole Krum thing is that I keep forgetting that we’re fifteen. I mean, that is no justification for her dating Krum–he’s, what, twenty?–and I completely disagree with it. I mean, he is far too old for her. Why can’t she pick out a nice bloke her own age? Why does he have to be older? And what’s so special about Krum anyway? I guess he’s not an insensitive prat. Well, according to her he’s not, anyway. That’s the only reason I can come up with.

Although, I suppose I was sort of insensitive at the Yule Ball. I mean, I dunno what got into me. It was weird, though, seeing Hermione all dressed-up and with her hair done and stuff. I mean, I knew she was a girl. I’m not that thick. But it hadn’t really occurred to me before that she was a normal girl. And I mean that in the kindest, most un-insulting way I can manage. I always saw her as the eleven-year-old girl who covered for the troll incident back in first year and was always there to help on my homework.

I can still remember that Halloween (well, of course I can, it’s not something you forget, fighting a troll, is it?). I didn’t know Hermione at all, except for when she showed up in our compartment on the train and proceeded to tell me how pathetic I was at magic. Right, so that did not start out well. So then, during Charms that Halloween, she goes and levitates a feather and gives me this load of dung about not flicking my wrist correctly. I was a daft little eleven-year-old, so I got angry and explained to Harry (in a rather painfully loud voice) how she was simply the most obnoxious person I’d ever met.

So then, of course, Harry tells me he saw her run by, crying. So then I got this sort of sick feeling in my stomach, because I hadn’t meant for her to get upset–I mean, I hadn’t even meant for her to overhear at all. I was a stupid first year, though, and I was clueless. So I just shrugged it off in my usual manner and pretended I didn’t care.

Really, what else was I supposed to do at this point? I didn’t have the slightest clue where she was, and there was no bloody way I was going to apologize.

So then Lavender or Parvati or someone mentioned that they’d seen her crying in the bathroom. Yeah, so by this point I was feeling rather unwell, but I didn’t want anyone to know, so I acted unfazed by all this. Like I said, what was I going to do about it? So we went to the Halloween feast, and I completely forgot about it. I mean, I’d never been to a Hogwarts Halloween before, and it was pretty spectacular for me.

And then Quirrell said that a troll had gotten in, and Harry (being the bleeding perfect hero he is) reminded me that Hermione didn’t know about the troll, and that we ought to go find her. So I agreed, so long as Percy didn’t find us. So we found this troll–it was huge and nasty and smelly, and reminded me rather unpleasantly of Goyle–lurking about in the hallways, and it went into a room and we slammed the door on it. And then I heard Hermione scream and recalled that the particular room we’d just locked the troll in just happened to be a girls’ lavatory. Yeah, Harry and I can be simply brilliant when it comes to that sort of thing.

So we entered the bathroom and discovered that the thing had Hermione cornered and was getting ready to squish her or something. So, after a rather terrific fight with the thing, culminating in Harry shoving his wand up its nose and me levitating its club over its head and dropping it (Hermione was right–I wasn’t doing my wrist right. Another thing I’ll never, ever tell her; I can just see the smug look already.), McGonagall showed up and, due to Hermione’s lie, we earned a whopping five points for Gryffindor.

When we got to the Common Room, some sort of unspoken understanding had been created. We were friends, starting right then and continuing… probably for the rest of our lives. I hope so. Hermione and I have had our fights, I can tell you, and it’s been entirely unpleasant at times, but we always end up overcoming whatever it is we’re sniping at each other about, and we always stay friends, if for any reason, for Harry’s benefit. Well, yeah, and I like her well enough.

So that brings me back to Krum (Oh, come on, you actually thought I was going somewhere with this?). In short, he doesn’t know her, she doesn’t know him, and he just plain doesn’t deserve her. If anybody, Hermione ought to be dating me or Harry. Or is it Harry and me…? Oh, to hell with that. Point being, Krum needs to leave the picture.

Though, truth be told, it’d be weird if she dated Harry, too. Nah, he’s like a brother to her or something. And I don’t think he fancies her, anyway. Not like that. He likes Cho. And she doesn’t like him that way either (mind, she’s got Mr. Wonderful-Bulgarian-Seeker Krummikins, so I don’t know what would happen otherwise). So I don’t really see her with Harry. Or Neville. Or Seamus, or Dean, or basically anyone else at Hogwarts.

No, I think the only real way to deal with this is to tell her straight out that she really ought to pick someone good to date. I mean, someone her age, who’s known her for ages, who’s been through a lot with her and cares for her. And who isn’t Harry.

And that only really leaves one person, right?