Harry Potter & the Wizards of Waverly Place Book 2: 7th Year at Hogwarts

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"My brother's snogging a boy?" Giggled Ginny. She just couldn't picture it. It was Sunday morning-Ron and Derek had been gone for 2 nights now.

"And probably doing more than that if Draco is right about his cousin's precociousness. They've been gone since Friday evening. But that's not the point Ginny..." Harry said, "I don't care who Ron has sex with..."

"I don't either," said Ginny quickly, slightly hurt that Harry might think she did.

"I know Ginny." Said Harry. "I'm trying to make the point that Ron's in a bad way... and could be looking to hurt someone if he loses control again. We need to be careful, alright? That includes you too Ginny... Ron is totally out of sorts. And he's just as likely to lose it with you as he is with any of the rest of us. Sixth year was a disaster, remember?"

Ginny sobered up quickly.

"You're right Harry, but is there anything we could do?"

"Mostly just watch each other's backs," said Hermione quietly, "And Derek's." Hermione looked dead serious. "Ron may actually like boys too... I don't know. But I'm positive that either way, he's trying to use Derek to get back at me and Alex. Just like he used Lavender to make me jealous in sixth year."

"I saw how he was chatting up Derek at the Slytherin table. And it looked more like a seduction. I bet Ron thinks it was the other way around too-that Derek was seducing him. But that boy didn't look like he had enough cunning to seduce anyone." Hermione concluded.

The conversation was giving Alex chills. She didn't say anything. Alex was too busy thinking about how much she missed her brother Justin right now. Sure, they had fought and done mean things to each other, but her brothers would never do anything like this to anybody.

Ron was scary. Who had sex with someone they weren't into just to get revenge on somebody else? That was just creepy.

"I don't get it." Alex finally asked. "How would Ron getting it on with another guy be revenge against you and me Hermione? It doesn't make sense."

"You're right Alex. It shows how delusional and potentially dangerous Ron has become. I know how Ron's mind works, and I think that in his mind, I'm having sex with you to get back at him. And when he saw you with Ginny last week, I think he started mixing up who he was really angry with and started directing it at you and Ginny instead..."

"Psychological Transference," Said Harry. "I've heard of it."

Hermione nearly spat her tea out.

"Where did you hear that Harry? You're absolutely right. But I thought you didn't know anything about psychology or any other muggle sciences."

"Television is good for something," Harry smirked, "I did catch a documentary once in a blue moon when the Dursleys were out. Don't rely on me for psychotherapy though-that's YOUR forte, not mine."

Ginny started laughing; Alex and Hermione followed suit while Harry just sat there looking rather pleased with himself that he'd managed to break the chill which had come with their conversation.

~o0o~

When Ron had sneaked back to his dorm the day before, to get some of his clothes and a few blankets, he had spotted an ancient book of magic in the common room which Hermione must have left out-if by left out he meant "left in her book bag which was zipped up tight." Ron wasn't really a reading sort of person, but he took the book anyway just to piss Hermione off. He hadn't actually expected to find anything interesting.

When he went back to the hideaway he and Derek were making in the Chamber of Secrets, Ron began flicking through the book of magic. It was very Dark and it was indeed very Interesting. For once, Ron forgot that he didn't like to read. The book claimed that the spells and rituals within would even work for some muggles if they followed the instructions carefully.

This was very different stuff than normal magic he thought. It was mostly about how to call up and ensnare "Demons" and use them to do your bidding. He'd heard of demons before, but like most wizards, he had thought they were just myths that muggles made up.

A lot of the rituals involved doing some really gruesome things which Ron really wasn't interested in doing. But he wondered if this demon stuff was true. And he wondered what he would have a demon do for him that he couldn't already do with magic. As Ron read further, he had to put the book down, it was getting seriously ugly.

But after a few minutes, he picked the book back up again. He had come across some interesting facts about demons-like the fact that their magic was more powerful than hundreds or thousands of wizards put together. And that when properly under control, demons had to do your bidding as docilely as a house-elf. The more he thought about it, the more Ron wanted a demon for himself. It would do anything... anything you asked it to do.

A demon could do stuff that wizards couldn't do, like violate Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. They really could magic up food and gold out of thin air-unlike wizards who had to use what was available to come up with something.

And it's not like he wanted it for the same purposes as dark wizards, Ron thought. Ron wasn't interested in power or ruling the world. He just wanted to be rich and be able to do what he wanted, and go where he pleased whenever he wanted to, without people hassling him--he could be like Harry. Then Ron could have two girlfriends too. Or maybe a boyfriend and a girlfriend. He really had enjoyed being with Derek.

Ron began scouring the book for a demon conjuring spell which didn't involve chopping up people and drinking their blood, but there was literally nothing in it that didn't involve some sort of sacrificial slaughter. From what Ron had read, there were some demons which could be called up through other methods, but they were covered in other books which Ron didn't have access to. He swore loudly.

If Ron wanted a demon, this was it, the only book available to him. Looking in libraries for books he probably would never find just wasn't his thing. That had been Hermione's job. Thinking of Hermione again made him feel savage. Alex and his sister Ginny kept swimming into his visual field too. They were all part of it. They were trying to make sure that Ron would always be the loser.

Why else would Alex try to attack him with Ginny and Hermione as back-up? They were all Harry's girlfriends. Ron could see it clearly now. Harry needed a goofy sidekick to look better, and he had picked Ron. And all those years, it was Harry who Hermione really wanted to be with, just like his sister had. Hermione and Ginny had been in on it together for a long long time. Ginny's devotion to Harry despite him having Hermione and Alex as girlfriends proved it.