Do You Remember?

The Golden Trio and the Disasterous Potions Class Part 3

Part 3 of this Mega-Chapter is finally here! I hope you guys enjoy it! (Please vote and comment, it would really mean a lot!)

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Ron Weasley groaned but decided not to argue with his girlfriend. The girl had always been right. Ever since Hermione was the first to figure out why Dean and Seamus snuck out of the Tower together every night and no one believed her, only to find out that they were dating. Ron never questioned her brilliant mind again. 

But the fact that he agreed to partner up with Goyle did not mean that he wouldn't complain about it. It also did not mean that he was planning to be nice to that brainless troll. So, Ron picked up his battered old bag, which was probably older than him, and stammered towards the already boiling cauldron.

"What do you want, Weasel?" Goyle spat, raising his beetle-like eyes to scowl at Ron as he poked his silver stirrer at the potion in their cauldron with his pig-like fingers.

"I'm just as happy about this as you are!" Ron shot back, "Which is not at all," he clarified after getting a puzzled from the other boy.

"Then why did you choose to work with me?" Goyle squinted in agitation, but Ron was almost sure he saw a flicker of curiosity in those otherwise-dull black eyes.

"Because," Ron grunted back, placing down ingredients on the table and flipping through his textbook, "Hermione asked me to."

"So you take orders from that mudblood?" Goyle sneered. Ron felt anger bubbling up in his chest. 'After all this time?' he thought. The war was over. Hadn't the defeat of the Dark Lord been enough to settle their animosity? They were on the same side during the Battle of Hogwarts for Merlin's sake! How could Goyle call Hermione a mudblood after fighting on her side? Ron's knuckles turned white as his nails dug further into his skin. His eyes glared at Goyle's, daring him to say anything else.

To Ron's utter shock, Goyle stepped back and looked down at his black shoes which perfectly reflected the dim candles hung around the cramped room. He looked up at Ron, though his head still hung low. But now, the prideful and the mocking expression was gone, replaced by a shadow of sadness, of fear, of red, raging fire in his eyes.

The two boys worked in silence for a long time. Their potion was surprisingly turning out exactly as the book said it should. Even Slughorn himself said it would be one of the best in the class if they kept up their success.

Ron felt himself relax. He and Goyle had many differences. But now a weight has been lifted. They had a sort of understanding of each other now.

When Ron looked up, he noticed Hermione and Pansy in a corner of the dimly-lit classroom, working harmoniously, but silently. Neville Longbottom and Blaise Zabini, on the other hand, were not brewing anything unless you count the bubbling potion spilling out of the cauldron in bright gold splotches of color and slowly eating away at the desk as brewing. They were too busy doing something else entirely. Ron looked away from them, trying not to gag. As happy as he was for Neville to have finally found someone, especially someone he was comfortable snogging in the middle of his most hated class. But why did they have to make-out through-out every class they had together? Seriously, thought Ron, he didn't shag Hermione any chance he got, so it was completely reasonable of him to not want to watch other people do it. And it was definitely not because Zabini was a Slytherin.

Yes, it had nothing to do with him being a Slytherin, Ron realized when he looked over to Seamus and Dean. They had finished the potion, although by the looks of it, not that well. Dean's hair was covered in black ash, though it was hard to tell since the two were the same shade. Seamus was covered in the ash from sandy brown hair to starless-night black shoes. And they, of course, were shagging too. Why did everyone go for a snog right in the middle of the Potions Class?