The Sun, Moon & Stars

45. Ginger's Return

Ron was a difficult person. He was fiercely loyal at best, but temperamental and stubborn at worst; and Ophelia knew it would be more difficult to regain his trust than it had been with Harry.

He was Ron Weasley; the fiery, hot-headed Gryffindor but at the same time; he was one of the most kind-hearted people she had ever met. Maybe not in the ways one might expect; he didn't show his love in gifts or praise; but by standing up for you, watching Quidditch matches in dreadful thunderstorms, playing chess with you when you needed a distraction and being so fiercely loyal that no one would ever dare get in your path.

And for the very same reasons she was hesitant as to how this was going to go; she was reluctant to even find him to begin with. Ron was a force to be reckoned with, and she didn't know if he'd make an exception for her. The very best qualities about Ron were the same ones currently against her favour; and she hated that. She hated that she would have to beg, and plead and still there was a very real possibility that might not be enough, and might not ever be enough for him.

Sometime after her discussion with Harry, after a thorough search of the castle and some helpful suggestions from Fred and George about his whereabouts, she ventured to the only place left to check—his dormitory.

Now technically she was breaking the rules by going up there, but she had broken enough rules this year, and in years past, that at this point the consequences were a mere afterthought in her mind; and if she was careful, she wouldn't be caught anyway.

Upon entering the empty common room, she made a mad dash for the stairs to the boys dormitories and began to climb them as fast as she could. She found it slightly comical she could do this so easily; the girls dormitory stairs were charmed to allow no male to walk them, yet she could climb these ones with ease. It had been the idea of Rowena Ravenclaw, who deemed that boys with pervert tendencies ought to not get access to the girls. A good idea, but in an equal world both stairs ought to be charmed.

However it didn't take her long to find which one was theirs and her mind wandered over to other things. It was the first door on the right, just like hers was on the girls side; and their initials engraved magically into the wooden door (H.P. , R. W. , D. T. , S. F.) was a tell-tale sign she was at the right place.

She was even faster at opening it; the locking charms had clearly been done half-heartedly, or possibly it was just that nobody else was as good at those charms as Hermione was. Either way, with a flick of her wand the door swung open and she saw the room; plunged into darkness and silk crimson curtains closed as if it was midnight when it was really late morning.

She walked in slowly, cautiously. She observed the four beds she could just barley make out with the light seeping in from the hallway. Three of them were made; though not as nicely as Hermione made hers notably. And one of them she could not see, for the Gryffindor crimson curtains were closed around it; omitting it from any intruders vision.

He was sleeping, and she wasn't surprised.

'Harry?' She heard Ron grumble. 'S' too early, go away.'

'Erm, it's not Harry. And it's not early.' Ophelia whispered.

'BLOODY HELL!'

There was a sudden whirl of movement, and she could hear him struggle to get untangled from his covers before she saw his right hand slip out of the curtains, fumble to grab his wand on his bedside table, and turn on the lamps on either side of his bed. And once that was done, the curtains were pulled open at once and she was faced with a furious Ron.

She stumbled back, slightly surprised at his sudden movement.

He was in his pyjamas; a grey cotton t-shirt and plaid pyjama bottoms that looked to be a couple sizes too small. She made a note that, providing they were still friends by then, she would get him new pyjamas for his birthday. On top of that, his flaming red hair was messy and untame; and he rubbed his eyes a few times and blinked as if he was seeing things.