invisible string! → ron weasley

xv. the lavender problem

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RON DIDN'T SLEEP WELL THAT NIGHT—or what was left of the night, anyway. His head was spinning with two different trains of thought battling one another to be heard. First, there was the extremely tense situation he had found himself in that night. He had worried about finding Carrow roaming the corridors in search of Kates after her Astronomy class, but he sure as hell hadn't expected what he walked up on. Seeing him standing before her, threatening her, both of them with their wands out...Ron had never been more ready to curse someone in his life. He had just barely restrained himself for Kates' sake.

Second, there was the Lavender problem. Ever since his conversation with Dean after the Christmas party, he had tried to distance himself from Kates, but there was something about her that just kept pulling him back in. She was so sweet, and gentle, and unfailingly kind, and almost annoyingly optimistic, and...well, she was amazing. Then there was Lavender, who was very...intense, perhaps too intense for him. He kissed her in the heat of the moment at the party all those months ago, and since then he hadn't really been truly happy with her, no matter how hard he tried. It was the events of the night that made him realize it was because he still had feelings for Kates.

He recalled how he felt seeing her in danger; he had never felt that way, and after all he had been through, that was saying something. He was furious and scared, both to the extreme, and as he stared up at the top of his bed canopy that night he still felt those feelings coursing through him. Then, he recalled how he felt when she smiled, or when she pressed a kiss to his cheek, and those feelings subsided in a heartbeat. His heart fluttered at the thought, as it had several times already that night as he cycled through his thoughts. There was no denying it: Ron Weasley positively fancied Kates Kinley.

But what could he do about it? Even if she did feel the same way, even if it wasn't too late and he hadn't wasted his chance like he feared he had, he still had to break up with Lavender. That was a challenge that rivaled facing off against Death Eaters...but he couldn't just stay with her if he wasn't happy, for it would hurt the both of them.

It was with great tiredness that Ron descended the staircase to the Gryffindor common room that morning with Harry. He yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes.

"How was prefect duty last night?" Harry asked in a way that basically said 'you look awful'. Ron shrugged, if for no other reason than to buy himself time to create a cover story. He wished Kates would tell the others what happened so they knew what she was up against, but he respected her decision.

"Tiring," he finally said, stifling another yawn. He knew for a fact he'd spend his breaks that day taking naps. Fortunately though, his tiredness apparently meant he was too tired to look suspicious, because Harry merely shook his head.

"Glad I don't have to do that." Ron nearly said something about his nights spent watching Draco on the Marauder's Map, but quite frankly he was too preoccupied to bring it up. He had other things to think about, and he only had the energy for so much.

Kates was still a bit rattled, that much he could tell from the moment he caught sight of her in the Great Hall. She sat with her back to the Slytherin table, where Ares Carrow and his friends were eating a casual breakfast, and Ron sat down across from her without hesitation. Harry, a little bewildered, sat down on his left, for Dean was on his right.

"Morning everyone," Ron murmured, staring down at his plate as he began to load it up.

"Someone's in a mood," said Ginny from Dean's other side, leaning forward to see her brother. "You look awful." She and Harry really were made for each other. Shame they hadn't realized it yet.