About You, Ron Weasley.

Chapter Two

Chapter Two 

"I had no chance to prepare, I couldn't see you comin'." 

The carriage ride to the castle was filled with a northern downpour over the highlands of the castle; the drought caused by the onslaught of depression from the wave of Dementors guarding the front gates. Rue sat in a carriage, with the black coverings protecting them from the rain, and the Thestrals that she couldn't see pulling them all the way up to the castle; inside, next to her, was Hermione, and across from her, Ron Weasley, and diagonal, Harry Potter.

She, with Ivan in Ron's lap, and her case in hers, and her Bowtruckle dangling off her fingers as she struggled to get him back into the case. "Pickett, you know how this goes–" She starts, frustrated, as the Bowtruckle chippers and whines at her. "I know you have attachment issues, but if Snape finds out that I've brought another creature into his classroom–"

The Bowtruckle crawls up her arm, and settles for hiding behind her hair, blowing a raspberry as she smiles at him. She shuts the case, locking it, and noticing how Ron kept looking at her funny. "The others think I coddle him," she spoke, embarrassed. "They think I pick favourites," she confesses, looking down at Ivan as Ron scratches the inky fur of his stomach – embarrassed that he was caught watching. He nods his head, slowly, as Hermione giggles quietly and Harry grins. Ron, embarrassed, nudges Harry, who is grinning at him, and Harry mouths when the Lupin girl isn't looking; "You like her," and when Rue looks out the window of the carriage, he shushes him and Hermione with a quiet and aggressive, "Shush," that causes Rue to look back at the trio confused.

"Not you, him– Harry, not you, Rue, you're fine. You're brilliant, I could listen to you talk all day–" Ron spoke earnestly, a tone of endearment that Rue recognized, but couldn't put a finger on it. She nods her head, looking over to Hermione, confused, who shrugs her shoulders, still smiling, as she looks down to her book. Rue, with her case now shut and latched, rests her hands on top of it, and continues looking out the windows of the carriage.

On the way up to the castle, Hermione walks with Rue, a small smile on her face. "Do you know what's bothering Ron?" Rue asks Hermione, and she shakes her head. "Just Harry annoying him, the usual." Hermione reassures, and Rue nods her head thoughtfully, "they're teasing Rue, don't worry about it. Ron would tell you if something was wrong."

"Okay," she mumbles quietly, waiting with Hermione by the Great Hall for the rest of their friends. "Miss. Granger, Mr. Potter, I'd like a word with you both." McGonagall announces, and Hermione looks to Rue apologetically, and she nods her head reassuringly.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for Ron." Rue mutters, patting her on the arm, and she nods, giving Rue a wave and following McGonagall and the head of Harry through the swarm of students and into the Headmistresses' office. A head of ginger hair finds Rue standing by the Great Hall, and with his hand on her shoulder, the two are swept into the sea of students and to the Gryffindor table, where they find two seats next to each other.

"Thanks," she mutters quietly.

"Yeah," Ron mumbles, letting go of her smaller figure and leaning his arm against the table as they wait for the frog choir to finish.

"I wonder why Neville didn't join the choir," Rue mumbles to Ron, and he nods his head, watching her instead of the choir. She claps loudly at the end, wishing she had a toad to join the choir, or at least a decent singing voice, and he smiles, clapping along with her as he watches her with a smile on his face. They quiet down at the sight of Dumbledore approaching the podium, and the candles illuminating the ceiling lower than usual in the stormy night sky.

"Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore's loud voice silences the applause, and Rue catches a glimpse of her father taking his seat next to Severus Snape; with his lips curled downwards as he's seated next to a row of Marauders that he found intolerable; two in particular that didn't include Madam Lawrence and her mother.