Skinny Love - Ron Weasley

Chapter 6

"So tell me, Cormac, do you see anything of your uncle Tiberius these days?" Slughorn questions.

"Yes, sir, in fact I'm meant to go hunting with him and the Minister of Magic over the holidays." McLaggen looks over at Alex and winks and she flips him off, Harry quickly grabs her hand shoving it under the table sighing in relief when Slughorn didn't even notice.

"Oh, well, be sure to give them both my best. And what about your uncle, Belby? For those of you who don't know well, Marcus' uncle invented the Wolfsbane Potion. Is he working on anything new?"

"I don't know. He and my dad don't get along. 'Prolly cause my dad says potions are rubbish. His only potion worth having is a stiff one at the end of the day."

Slughorn turns to the other end of the table looking at Hermione, "And what about you, Ms. Granger, what exactly does your family do in the Muggle world?"

"My parents are dentists," Most people at the table stare at her blankly, "They tend to people's teeth."

"Fascinating. And is that considered a dangerous profession?"

Hermione stutters for a moment and shake her head, "No. Although, one boy, Robbie Fenwich, did bite my father once. He needed ten stitches."

The door behind them opens and Ginny slowly walks in, "Ah, Ms. Weasley. Come in, come in."

Alex sighs and shakes her head going back to picking at her food, "Look, her eyes. They've been fighting again. Her and Dean." Hermione tells Harry.

"Sorry, I'm not usually late."

Harry stands up and Alex pushes him back down into his seat, "No matter, just in time for dessert. That is if Belby has left you any." Slughorn jokes.

"What?"

Hermione shrugs with a smirk, "Nothing."

"What of you, Miss. Black? I remember teaching your mother, a bright pupil Anna was, always knew the answers. Good friends with Lily, of course. But she was always hanging around with that trouble maker, Black, I think it was."

Alex swallows thickly and grits her teeth, "Yes, yes, Sirius Black, I remember now. How is he now? Heard they got married a few months after leaving school, how's he holding up."

"Uh, actually-" Harry tries to say.

"Thanks for the dinner, Professor." Alex says throwing aside her fork and walking out without another word.

"Did I say something?"

Harry sighs and looks away from the door, "Sirius died, sir, just a few months ago."

"Oh," Slughorn winces. his eyes widening, "Of course, of course, send her my apologies, won't you, Potter?"

Harry nods quickly, "Of course, Professor."

"Maybe I should-" Hermione trails off and gets to her feet, "I'll go check on her."

~~~~~

"Lex?"

"Go away."

Ron sighs and sits himself in the small opening opposite Alex, she peeks her head up through her arms and raises a brow at him, "That doesn't look like going away."

"That's because I'm not going away."

She huffs and looks away from him glancing at the Whomping Willow outside on the ground below, "Hey," She looks up meeting Ron's eye, "You okay?"

"Do I look okay?"

He sighs and looks down at the ground below them, "You look beautiful." He mumbles.

Her hair turns bright pink and she clears her throat quickly willing it back to black.

They sit in silence, the quietness of the hallway surrounding them, in the distance they can hear the end of Slughorn's dinner party and people going back to their common rooms, "Did you have fun?"

"No," She says bitterly, "McLaggen stared at me the entire time, it put me off my food, and the food was potatoes."

"But you love potatoes."

"I know!" She sighs throwing her head back.

Ron gets to his feet holding his hand out in front of her, "Join me for a stroll through the grounds?"

Alex shrugs taking his hand allowing him to pull her up.

He leads her outside and she looks up at the snow that is softly falling over the court yard, Ron grins as he sits near the fountain clearing away some snow for her to sit down next to him, he reaches into his pocket taking out her Walkman.

"I'm not in the mood for Rupert Holmes, right now."

"That's why I didn't bring Rupert Holmes."

He clicks play and sets the head phones over her head carefully, she smiles looking up as she hums softly, "I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do, about you now..."

"And all the roads we have to walk are winding..."

"And all the lights that lead us there are blinding..."

"And there are many things I'd like to say to you, but I don't know how..."

Alex smiles softly closing her eyes and she continues to hum to the song, Ron smiles, his hands slowly moving from where they rest on her shoulders to her hands.

"And after all... you're my wonder wall..."

Ron smiles at her as she opens her eyes, grabbing her wand she casts a quickly spell under her breath while still humming, another set of head phones appear in her hand, she reaches up pushing Ron's hair out of his eyes as she rests the head phones on his head.

"Today was gonna be the day the day, but they'll never throw it back to you..."

"By now, you should have somehow realize what you're not to do..."