The Dark Prophecy

Ron's Theory

After the troll event, rumors spread around the school like wildfire, all crazier than the last. Everyone knew the story that Harry had killed a troll in the girl's bathroom, but many twisted the details ("I heard he used the killing curse!"), resulting in many coming up to Harry and his friends and asking for the specifics.

Ron was happy to oblige, recounting in detail the encounter, making it all bigger than it sounded, glorifying his role in it particularly. So, it wasn't much of a surprise that in about a week after Halloween, the whole castle was already treating his friends, but mostly him, differently.

The Slytherins were practically worshipping them, cheering as they entered the common rooms, something all of them loved, thriving off the attention, whereas most the Hufflepuffs were terrified, edging out of their ways as they passed through the corridors. Ravenclaws seemed more fascinated by them, not necessarily scared, nor much impressed, but a good few had come up to Harry and asked for the incantation he had used to defeat the troll (which he never replied to). The Gryffindors had mixed opinions: some were disgusted, glaring at the friend group, while others were impressed by their bravery in taking down the troll, but tried to not show it (due to the years long dispute between the two houses).

Hermione now liked them, grateful for her rescue, but trying to not show it, insisting she "wasn't scared, and could've killed it herself", and Harry had no doubt she could've, yet Ron and Draco both teased her for it. She was nicer to them now, well, at least she wasn't snitching on them in class when Harry shot sparks of magic at Ron, Draco sent him enchanted notes, and Ron found numerous ways to slack off.

The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the four of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar, and Harry had muttered a spell that strengthened its size. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. 

They didn't bother to block the fire from view as Snape limped over, seeing it and raising an eyebrow, taking it from them and examining it, "Who's is this?"

"Mine, sir," Hermione piped up, eager as ever for academic validation, even when not in lesson.

"Hm, impressive piece of magic, Granger," Snape said. All the teachers adored Hermione, quick, clever Granger, the sharp first year muggleborn. But Severus felt slight worry as he has seen the way she eyes the restricted section, how her mind is filled already with deadly recipes/spells and the ways to use them.

As Snape limped away, Draco said. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, hope its really hurting him," Ron scowled, not being fond of Snape.

"It was hurt when we saw him on Halloween, remember?" Harry said, and the others looked at him with curiosity. "It looked like a bite or something."

Ron's eyes lit up, "He must've been trying to get past that three headed dog! I bet the troll was for a distraction so he could steal whatever's in that trapdoor!"

While Ron looked excited, the others all frowned.

"That's ridiculous," Harry said.

Ron made to speak, "But-!"

"No," Harry said firmly, glaring at Ron, who immediately fell silent at his scowl, "That's enough."

"What's your problem with Snape?" Hermione asked, raising a brow as she looked at Ron, who flushed and shrugged.

"I dunno, it's just-" he sighed, "He likes all you guys, like you're his little teacher's pet, Draco's dad's friends with him, Harry's his favorite, and I just feel like he hates me, y'know?"

"He only hates you because you're a Weasley," Draco assured him, thinking this, clearly, a kind thing to say.

Ron stayed quiet.

"You've just got to be good at potions," Hermione said, "Like us."

"Yeah, like you lot," Ron grumbled, and didn't speak much for the rest of break, which greatly annoyed Harry. 

Ron was always like this. It was understandable, of course, being in his family's shadow constantly. He had thought being Slytherin would make a difference, but nobody outside of his house noticed him, and the Slytherins only noticed him because of his friends, and because he was a Weasley, with the "wrong house". His family were ignoring him too, Percy, the annoying Gryffindor prefect, was the sourest of them all, giving him glares when they passed in the corridors, while Fred and George, the prankster twins, seemed, for once, unable to make jokes, looking worriedly at Ron when they saw him.

"Mum hasn't sent me a single letter," Ron complained the next day as Draco opened another one of his care packages from his mother, filled with sweets, with Harry stealing a few, and Hermione got a lengthy letter from her parents. "I expected a howler at least."

"Maybe she's still writing it," suggested Draco through a mouthful of chocolate frog, "You know, there's a lot you did wrong, she has to complain about all of it."

"Oh, shut up," Ron groaned, glancing over to his brothers on the Gryffindor table, who had just received letters and home-made packages from their parents. "At this rate, she won't get me anything for Christmas even!"

Weeks passed, and soon, it was Harry's first Quidditch match: Slytherin versus Gryffindor. He had been training with his team for weeks now, which was very draining, as Flint's technique to prepare them seemed to be just overworking them, but to be fair on him, although he was very tired by the time the match came, his team did win.

It was a surprise to most, as the Gryffindors had been teasing him just the day before about bringing a mattress for him to fall on, doubting the first year Slytherin, but his team had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty, mostly by accident in Harry's case. He had attempted to catch the snitch, but ended up nearly swallowing in, but this broke no rules, as he technically caught it. Though, he was subjected to lots of tormenting from Draco and Ron, who found it amusing to reenact the catch over and over, while Harry let them have their fun.

"Why would Snape do something like that?" Hagrid asked Ron, as they now sat in his hut, drinking tea and such, Ron having, annoyingly, brought up the subject of his theory about Snape.

Draco had now somewhat adjusted to Hagrid, getting slightly over his hatred for half-bloods, from Harry's persistence that Hagrid was Harry's friend, with Harry having a fierce loyalty for the man who had taken him from the Dursleys.

"I found out something about him," Ron told Hagrid, while Harry groaned. "He tried to get pastthat three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was tryingto steal whatever it's guarding." 

Hagrid dropped the teapot."How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

"Fluffy?""Yeah -- he's mine -- bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the publas' year -- I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the..."

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly, intrigued about what was being guarded, but of course, not believing Ron's theory. 

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret,that is." 

"But Snape's trying to steal it." Ron carried on.

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd donothin' of the sort."

"That's what we told him," Draco said, to which Ron glared at him.

"Now, listen to me, all four of yeh -- yer meddlin' in things that don'concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget whatit's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel--" 

"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved,is there?" 

Hagrid looked furious with himself.