Solace of Slytherin; a grandson of Voldemort Story

Devils on the Train (and Worries Far Back Home)

A/n: midterms is kicking my butt.

Ron was panicking as they rushed out of Ollivander's, the old wizard chuckling as he pointed to the direction that Solace had left to a while ago and he hadn't seen him since. He tried not to panic as he scanned the thinning crowd of Diagon Alley for the head of blonde hair, only succeeding in finding Hermione and Harry in other parts of the shopping district trying to find the bloke.

He let himself fall unto a bench, resting his head in his knees trying to keep the worst thoughts from coming to his mind. His head too troubled to even feel hungry at the sight of the Florean's ice cream parlor. Finding his heart jackrabbit out of control even more when he could already hear the stern calls of Hermione over the chiming bell and shouts of the man manning it, and the faint sound of music drifting through the corner, and the- wait.

His feet followed the less crowded corners, the brick walls turning darker, but not dark enough for it to be as shady as Knockturn Alley. Keeping one hand near his coin pouch and another on his wand, and avoiding any eye contact to get closer to where the sound of outdated music drifted in the air, something that sounded like it would play in a muggle radio her parents would play for a dance in the kitchens when they thought none of the kids were looking. The low melodic voice getting louder the closer he got, and soon he found himself looking at a stage with the summery blonde kid swinging as if his body was possessed by the song he was singing. A catchy melody that made something warm creep into Ron's insides, like gulps of hot chocolate or the sips of fire butterbeer that he sneaked from Charlie's mug whenever he wasn't watching.

Looking to the audience, he could see the two siblings, Hazel and Nico, doing a dance that looked like it could have been 'the thing' in his parent's time with smooth transitions and daring tricks, looking nothing like the waltz that he had to learn last year. For one, it looked like they were actually having fun as they danced through the verse of the song, and as Ron peered further, he could see Ginny and his mom further in the crowd enjoying the ends of an ice cream cone as they languidly watched the dancing duo.

"So go downtown
Things will be great when you're
Downtown
Don't wait a minute more
Downtown
Everything's waiting for you~"

He rushed towards them, noting how they didn't have a scrap on them, and how his mother's eyes twinkled in joy as the chorus echoed, slowly coming to an end as the small crowd gave an applaud and the people on stage bowed deeply.

"And what a wonderful performance today, lovelies! Be sure to hear from us again, Hot Howls, remember that name folks!" An enthusiastic voice yelled, bringing Ron's eyes back to the stage, where a red-faced Will was being pat on the back by the older band members as he climbed back down. Meeting back with Hazel and Nico as she jumped back happily at his performance, while Nico had a small- not a sarcastically smug- smile on his face.

At the tapping sound of footsteps, his eyes moved to find Hermione and Harry jogging over, very much looking like they were looking for the person they were supposed to watch out for. However, if Molly realized their slip-up, she wasn't saying anything as she walked over to compliment Will's performance, flustering the boy even further.

"We shouldn't trust them-" a voice hissed at him, and he could feel his sister's stare on him as he continued watching the three Americans who seemed to be basking in the after-show atmosphere. "And what's this sudden change of heart? I thought you were all buddy buddy with them."

Ron finally tore his eyes from the group, only to see a conflicted Ginny who wouldn't look him in the eyes. "I know that look Ginny, don't try to figure this out by yourself, you need to tell us what you saw that was suspicious-" his hands grasped her shoulders but she shook him off. Her eyes looking dark and distant again, as if all the progress they made as siblings disappeared and it was back to his second year where she could barely stand to be with him.