Josephine hadn't gotten any sleep. Her thoughts were torn between Ron, her biological mother, and the knowledge of Black's betrayal. She felt nauseous just thinking about it.
Hermione dragged Josephine down to the deserted common room, which was empty except for Ron.
She didn't even say anything before Ron tugged her onto the couch next to him.
"Are you done hiding?" Ron asked, and he pushed her hair from her face. His bright blue eyes shone brightly in the morning light, riddled with concern.
Her eyes drifted toward his arm. Hermione was right. On his arm was a bracelet similar to hers.
"I wasn't hiding," she breathed, lying.
She could feel Hermione's eyes on her, urging her to tell him.
"It's okay to be upset, you know," he murmured, dropping his voice to a whisper. His beautiful blue eyes never strayed from hers. "About your parents...even if Snape is your dad."
Scabbers wiggled in Ron's pocket. She barely swallowed her disgust.
"I know," said Josephine. "Hermione already gave me that pep talk...it's okay to cry and whatnot."
"You were crying?" he asked, his expression so concerned it hurt. She wanted to reach out and trace the place his brows pulled together and unfurrow them herself.
She couldn't do that. They were friends.
She reached down, briefly taking his warm hand into her cold one. She squeezed it, letting his thumb drift over the top of her palm, her eyes entranced by the sight.
This bonded thing was messing with her mind.
"For like a minute," said Josephine, her lips stretched to a tight-lipped smile. "I'm fine now. No need to worry...Seriously, Ron, I'm good."
Josephine pulled out of his touch and dropped so she sat with her back to the couch, where she could put her homework on the table. Ron wordlessly adjusted, so she sat between his legs. He leaned forward, his head over hers as he glanced at her homework. When he reached down to grab her star chart, she really looked at the bracelet Hermione had talked about.
It wasn't very noticeable unless you were looking for it. While hers was silver, his was a simple gold band. Not anything she would think twice about.
"You better make sure that rat stays out of our dorm, or I'm going to let Crookshanks eat him," she deflected coldly.
"He was in your room again?" Ron asked, puzzled, and she nodded. "He just has good taste in people." He grinned at her, faltering slightly when she glared at him.
"He's got to have brain damage from all the times I've kicked him," she muttered, trying to ignore the way his fingers gently braided her hair. A skill he learned from Ginny. It sent shivers down her spine each time.
"Did you figure out what Fudge and McGonagall were talking about?" Ron asked.
Hermione and Josephine shared a look.
"Nope," Josephine lied straight-faced. It was easier not looking at him. "Reckon they wouldn't keep something like that in the library."
"Yeah," Ron said softly. "That makes sense, I suppose."
Ron continued to braid and rebraid her hair as the two girls worked diligently to complete their homework. He didn't talk much, not daring to risk another scolding from Hermione, though he did listen to their debriefing on the Lavender situation.
If she didn't apologize in the coming week and a half once term started up again, they weren't going to tell her about Blaise's plan.
"Where is everyone?" asked Harry, yawning as he entered the common room.
YOU ARE READING
No Goodbyes \ Ron Weasley
Fanfiction"You said it was unimportant, Joe! This is monumentally important!" "A foe like she'd never known." "Friendship was going to be the only way to get through this." "He looked at her, actually looked at her, and wondered how anyone who saw her didn't...
