Blood to Love | 3rd year

6- Ron's Encounter

As I sat in the astronomy tower going over every little thing I shouted at Malfoy, I began to get very anxious.

What if he uses this against me? Why had I told him all of this? Now I seem vulnerable. Now I feel like the stupid one.

As I pondered everything I said to Draco, I became tired and overwhelmed. All I wanted to do was fall asleep right then and there, but that wasn't an option. I dreadfully walked down the astronomy tower stairs and allowed my slow, motiveless legs guide me towards the ktichens for a midnight snack before I went to my dorm to fall asleep.

The kitchens were filled with house elves preparing breakfast for the next morning. I asked a kind elf for a smoothie and a group of them started shuffling to whip it up for me. I stood there, smiling, watching the elves gracefully do their jobs when I heard the kitchen doors open behind me. I slightly flinched, not expecting anyone else to be up at this hour. I turned my head urgently and saw a certain redhead, now red in the face.

He slowly back out until I laughed aloud at his redundant attempt to flee.

"Ron Weasley, right?" I asked, hoping to make the awkward tension lessen.

"Uh — yeah. Are you okay?" he asked furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well just that it looks like you want to pitch yourself off of the Astronomy tower," he replied.

"No, I'm okay. Just a long day."

"Oh okay. I just came down for a chicken wing."

"Go ahead and grab one," I said with a chuckle. "I am not going to stop you."

"So it's true then?" Ron asked curiously.

"Elaborate."

"Not all Slytherins are bloody mean. I mean you aren't hexing signs on my back, I'd take that as a friendly gesture," he said nervously while grabbing some chicken out of a house elf's wrinkly hand.

"Well I, of course, do have a reputation to uphold. But no, I'm not mean to everyone. Just people who give me a reason — or sometimes to get a laugh out of it."

"Well I have my chicken. I'm going to go now. It was — nice meeting you, I guess," he stuttered, holding up his food to verify before swiftly backing out of the room.

I grabbed the smoothie out of the hand of the house elf. I thanked them all and walked back into the Slytherin common room to be greeted with a dull, green atmosphere. Walking up to my dorm, I washed all the makeup off my face, drank some of my smoothie, and finally headed to bed. I laid there until I finally felt sleepy again and my head hit the pillow as I replayed the occurrence with Draco and Ron that night.

•••

The days and weeks flew by and nothing very interesting happened, except Malfoy sneaking glares at me during transfiguration to which I purposefully ignored. It was now mid-October and the air became colder and grayer than ever. It was as though winter came early the way the wind blew so violently, sending shivers down everyone's spine who dared to walk outdoors.

Astoria Greengrass began randomly sitting with Blaise and I during breakfast and lunch. She was all healed up and she even got Madam Pomfrey to un-jinx my hair back to h/c instead of purple.