Chapter 648: A Crisis of Friendship
Chapter 648: A Crisis of Friendship
"Definitely a cat, your Patronus is a cat."
As the students returned to the castle under the cover of night, Harry confidently told Neville, while Hermione had a different opinion.
"There isn't enough data to confirm—"
"Come on, Hermione. In practice, those of us who can produce a Patronus always feel a stronger connection to the form of the creature and stay more rational. You can't deny that."
Harry seemed very excited, feeling closer to Sirius and his father emotionally.
He counted on his fingers, "Think about Sirius, Professor Mcgonagall, and my father—three examples. We can also ask Professor Hup, right, Ron?" He eagerly sought Ron's support.
Ron gave a strained, reluctant smile. Harry immediately calmed down, suddenly realizing that among the four of them, only Ron hadn't succeeded, and he had been going on about Animagi with Hermione and Neville. That was unfair.
"Are you okay, Ron?" Hermione also noticed Ron's unusual behavior and asked cautiously, "I heard everyone gets two tries. If it doesn't work this time—"
"I'm fine", Ron said quickly, his tone suggesting he wanted to drop the subject.
The rest of the journey was silent.
They parted ways in the common room. Dean and Seamus were already asleep, and Harry changed into his pajamas, setting his alarm for the next morning. He looked at Ron's bed, where the deep red curtains were unusually drawn, showing only a vague silhouette. Harry hesitated but didn't say anything.
Lying in bed, he optimistically thought: Ron had every reason to feel upset. Anyone who had practiced for a month and then been told they weren't good enough would have a hard time accepting it.
The next morning, Harry was woken by his alarm. It was still dark outside. He yawned and got up, moving to Neville's bed. "Wake up, Neville, wake up!" Neville opened his eyes groggily and fumbled around in the dark to get dressed.
As they left the dormitory, Harry had a nagging feeling something was missing. It wasn't until he saw Neville's unsteady steps that he realized he hadn't heard Ron's snoring that morning.
"Let's go", Hermione said cheerfully, waiting in the common room. "I was about to come wake you up in five more minutes." She pointed to a direction where Crookshanks was curled up on an empty sofa, dozing.
They descended the spiral staircase, crossed the entrance hall, and stood on the white stone steps outside the castle. The air was cool at dawn, the light faint, and a thin mist wandered through the Forbidden Forest.
"Morning."
A listless voice said. Harry, Hermione, and Neville were startled. They looked closely and saw Hannah Abbott.
"You're up early?" Neville, now fully awake, asked calmly.
"I didn't—yawn—sleep all night", she said, trying to open her eyes wide, her expression somewhat reminiscent of Luna. "I figured it was about time, and the sky was still dark... No, I need to finish the spell quickly and get back to sleep. I have classes during the day."
She shook her braids, basking in the soft golden light, and loudly recited the spell.
"Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus—Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus—Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus."
She repeated it three times.
Although Professor Mcgonagall had told them to recite the spell once in the morning and once at night, no one objected to Hannah's method, as if it were the right thing to do. Harry also raised his wand, pointing it at his heart, and loudly recited the spell. He had been too late the previous night to fully appreciate it, and he never realized how wonderful it was to speak aloud. His voice carried far, like rolling waves, blending with the dawn's light.
After reciting it three times (Hermione did five, and Neville, worried about making mistakes, repeated it a dozen times), they headed back. They met Draco Malfoy coming out of the entrance hall, and Harry stared at his back, muttering something unrelated.
"Do you think—"
Ron's attitude is a bit off? Harry started to say but swallowed the words. However, his judgment proved correct. Ron wore a stern face throughout Friday's classes and didn't speak a word after they were dismissed.
By the weekend, he was even more out of sorts, snidely criticizing Ginny as she worked on homework with them. He picked on her clothes and made veiled comments about how Ginny had been thinking about dating since she was ten—Harry was somewhat pleased by this.
"—and now you're kissing in public, shameless—"
"Say that again", Ginny screamed, drawing her wand, ready to cast her favorite Bat Bogey Hex. "Calm down, Ginny, and you—calm down, Ron!" Harry said firmly, dragging Ginny away before things got out of hand, pushing open the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Be more violent, and I won't let you in!" the Fat Lady shouted after them.
Harry and Ginny walked around the castle once. When they returned to the courtyard, Ginny was still fuming.
"He's just a grown-up child", Ginny said, "a mix of insecurity and arrogance, it's strange how he manages it."
"Stop talking about him like that, Ginny. He’s your brother", Harry said.
"Oh, you sound just like Mom, and that won’t solve anything", Ginny retorted, turning her fire on him. "You shouldn’t coddle him. Yes, he’s famous, but let’s face it, all his achievements are tied to you. If that day you had met Neville and his grandmother instead of us—"
She suddenly froze, and Harry felt a chill run down his spine. He slowly turned around.
It was Ron.
The red in his face was spreading down his neck, and it seemed to be turning a deeper, almost purple hue.
"She was just joking, Ron—" Harry said quickly, stepping forward to intercept him. Ron looked like he was about to lunge at Ginny, either to give her a good punch or to yell in her face, spitting at his own sister. Harry didn’t want to take that chance.
He found it surprisingly easy to hold Ron back.
"Do you think the same?" Ron took a few steps back, his voice hoarse, breathing heavily, his eyes terrifying. Harry could even see the Mandrake leaves in Ron’s mouth trembling violently.
"What? Oh, of course not—"
But even Harry could hear the insincerity in his own voice, and Ron certainly did too. Ron’s strange, stiff smile returned. "Hey, mate, no need to spare my feelings. I want to hear the truth."
"I am telling the truth", Harry said, his voice rising involuntarily. He was starting to get angry.
"Really?" Ron looked at him, then at Ginny. "Let me tell you what the truth is. The truth is that my sister and my best friend are talking behind my back, happily exchanging how much they despise me—"
"I didn’t! I’ve been defending you!" Harry shouted, unable to hold back. "If that counts as despising you, then yes, you’re right, I do despise you."
Ron’s eyes turned red, and his facial muscles twitched unnaturally.
"Ron, what’s wrong with you?" Ginny called out.
"Shut up, I’m not done with you yet!" Ron roared, his eyes bulging with anger. "I get it now—In your eyes, I’m just a useless sidekick, a burden, someone who’s expendable!" He swore a crude curse.
"Bat Bogey Hex!" Ginny raised her wand, her eyes brimming with tears.
Ron’s face was immediately covered by a swarm of black, wriggling creatures. He screamed in pain, waving his arms to drive them away. When the bats dispersed, Ron’s nose had swollen to twice its size, the nostrils large enough to fit a Golden Snitch each.
Ron clutched his nose, spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, and spat out the Mandrake leaves into the snow. "Are you happy now? Another failure, another piece of evidence for you." Ginny looked shocked, and Ron shoved Harry aside, storming off toward the Hospital Wing.
Harry stared at the blood-stained leaves on the ground, the bright red and dark green contrasting sharply against the white snow. "Ginny, how could you use the Bat Bogey Hex—" he said angrily.
"He asked for it. Did you not hear how he was mocking me this morning?" Ginny said, annoyed. "I’m sick of him taking his frustrations out on me, so don’t lecture me."
"He can be nice, and he does care about you", Harry said weakly in defense.
"Only when his brain is working properly."
Seeing the argument about to escalate, Hermione appeared with a clear look of confusion and annoyance. Spotting Harry and Ginny, she hurried over and demanded, "What’s going on? I saw Ron holding his nose, and when I asked, he exploded—Oh, Merlin, that’s blood?"
"It’s his. He’s lost it", Ginny said irritably.
"Stop adding fuel to the fire", Harry muttered. Ginny huffed, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and stalked off proudly.
"Such a charming girl", Hermione remarked. "So, what exactly happened?"
"He lost it", Harry said, his voice tinged with anger. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I just got back from the Library. Do you expect me to deduce the whole story from those few words?"
"Alright, it’s because…" Harry recounted the events dryly.
"I never thought of him as a burden or a sidekick", Harry added, trying to defend himself.
Hermione sighed understandingly.
"Ah, I’ve always been worried about this."
"Worried about what?"
"His sensitivity, his vulnerability, his paranoia… I don’t know, Harry. But I’ve always been afraid it would erupt suddenly, just—"
She shook her head, looking sad. "We’ve faced Voldemort, and yet—"
The following week brought no improvement.
Ron mostly treated Harry and Ginny as if they were invisible, ignoring them completely or, conversely, lashing out with cold remarks whenever they were around. Even Hermione, who tried to mediate, suffered the consequences. By the weekend, Ron had practically withdrawn from his usual social circle, though they could still find him in one place—Quidditch practice.
But that conversation ended in a sour mood, with Ron like a porcupine, bristling at any attempt to reach out. Harry pessimistically predicted that, as Hermione had said, Ron would only return to normal after achieving something on his own.
"Or unless Voldemort bursts out of Classroom Seven", Harry said wistfully.
(End of Chapter)
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