Summary: Ginny just wanted to have a normal day at Hogwarts. Instead, she gets confronted by a Ron whose temper is so extreme it makes lava look cold and a very hypocritical Harry.
It's been three years, but at the end of the first Out of Character fic, I said I may turn it into a little series. Well, I'm back with the next installment.
Content warning(s): Ron eating like a pig, slut-shaming
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There must have been something in the pumpkin juice the previous night. Because when Ginny came down for breakfast and made her way to her usual seat, she noticed a few things that were rather peculiar.
First off, Harry was sitting alone, his back straight with perfect posture. Not to say he usually sat hunched over like he had just taken a beating from a Bludger, but he usually had a much more casual air to him.
Ginny looked over at Ron and Hermione and had to do a double take. Ron was stuffing his face in such a manner that bits and pieces of food were splattering the table — and way more than usual. No wonder the other students were keeping their distance; even Hermione looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.
A prickling sensation made Ginny drag her gaze away from the boy that shared her brother's face and found herself locking eyes with a girl from Slytherin. It was Daphne Greengrass, and the only thing Ginny knew about her was that she was in Harry's year and she had a younger sister named Astoria.
Trying to ignore the weirdness that was happening around her, she went to take a seat with Harry.
"Good morning," she said, beginning to pile her plate with her favorites.
She had just begun to lift her fork to her lips when she caught sight of Harry's face. The expression was of barely hidden disgust, and she faltered. Had she done something to put him in a bad mood? But what? Last night he had been laughing at Ginny's exaggerated retelling of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
"Is everything okay?" Ginny asked.
"Course," Harry said shortly. But he certainly didn't look okay.
"Don't be mean to my sister," Ron snapped, shoving off Hermione's futile attempt to calm him down.
Mean? Harry's answer had been curt, but Ginny would hardly call it mean.
"Sorry." Harry didn't sound the least bit sorry.
Correction: There must have been something in all the food, not just the pumpkin juice. Since when was Ron that short-tempered? And since when was Harry so... well, she still hesitated to say mean, but there was definitely something different about him.
Hopefully, it would be resolved quickly.
It did not resolve. If anything, it dissolved even further. Later during lunch, Ginny had approached Harry again, hoping he was back to normal. But his eyes narrowed upon seeing her and she stopped a safe distance away.
"Harry?"
"What? Come to try and seduce me?"
Seduce?
"Don't play dumb!" Harry snapped. "I know you've slept with practically every boy in our year!"
Ginny's jaw dropped. Slept with — what?
"What are you implying?" Oh no, here came Ron again with his ticking bomb of a temper. "That she's a slut?"
"Oh, so you do have a brain," Harry said, smiling nastily. "Well, since you finally had a moment of intelligence, I'll answer you. I'm not implying it, I'm outright stating it."
"Hold on, I never slept with —"
But Ginny's protest was drowned out by Ron's roar of rage. "You piece of shit!" He lunged forward, fists clenched and face almost purple.
"Ron, stop!" Hermione screamed but made no move to actually do anything. Then again, the teachers weren't moving, either.
Harry neatly sidestepped, causing Ron to go crashing into the floor. The students laughed at his misfortune.
Ginny hurried over to help him up. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
She had been speaking to Ron, looking directly at him even, but for some reason, Harry answered.
"I think a better question is what's wrong with you?"
Ginny looked up. "Not that it's any of your business, Harry, but I have not slept with anyone!" Gone out with, yes, but not slept with. She was fifteen, for heaven's sake!
"Uh huh, sure. And you bought that bracelet with your own money."
Ginny rubbed the thin thread of said bracelet between her fingers. "Luna made it for me..." And it wasn't really even anything extravagant like Harry seemed to be implying. It really was just an ordinary bracelet made from woven grasses.
"Er, Harry?" Dean had stepped forward.
"Ah, Dean!" Harry grinned at him. "Please tell me that you have slept with Ginny and she made you get her the expensive gifts she couldn't afford."
Dean winced. "No and no. The most expensive thing I got Ginny was a — still very cheap, by the way — mini broomstick kit."
"Dean, Dean, Dean, you don't have to lie. You broke up with her because you realized she was just a gold-digging slut." Harry rose to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have six girlfriends who are dying to show me their presents."
And then he marched out the door, six girls from all houses, including Daphne, breaking away to follow him.
Ginny stared after him, eyes still side. What in the ever-loving —
"— fuck?"
"Oh, good, you're awake." A familiar face loomed over her.
"Ron?" Ginny sat up, heart hammering in her chest, and realized she was in bed at home.
"You okay?" Harry was standing behind Ron with Hermione. His face had lost the derisiveness from before, and Ginny felt some of the tension leeching from her shoulders.
"Yeah, I think so. Except..." Ginny frowned. "I had this really bizarre dream." She went on to explain it.
As she spoke, Ron's eyes went wider and wider until Ginny thought they'd pop right out of his skull.
"That sounds like a dream I had a couple weeks ago."
"What happened?"
Harry looked a little green. "I was in love with Malfoy."
Ginny blinked. "You what?"
"And Hermione was very supportive," Ron added.
Hermione shook her head. "I accused him of being shallow... for not forgiving Malfoy's actions." She looked as though she wanted to smack her dream self
Ginny snorted, and then because of the sheer hilarity of it burst into a fit of giggles.
"Okay, she's fine now, we can go," Ron muttered, but even he was fighting a grin.
"Let's hope Hermione's dreams are safe," Ginny said, still wheezing.
Hermione blanched.
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Narrator voice: Hermione's dreams were, in fact, not safe.
Originally, I wasn't going to tie it in with the previous fic, but I decided why not? So in the first installment, I didn't end with Ron waking up from his weird dream, but you can assume it happened at some point.
Anywho, this was written in one sitting, so there may be errors but hope you enjoyed it regardless! Feel free to comment suggestions for what I can do with other characters.
