invisible string! → ron weasley

x. the train

⋆☆.* ✧✰ .✦⋆*☆

SUMMER WITH THE TONKS FAMILY was nothing short of blissful for Kates Kinley. Andromeda and Ted were two of the kindest people she had ever met, and they treated her like her own parents very well should have (in the words of Andromeda herself). With tension rising in the wizarding world, Kates mostly kept to the grounds of the Tonks household, but she didn't mind one bit; it was lovely to explore somewhere so new and different.

The Burrow became the new headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix following Sirius' death, and whenever there was a meeting, Kates would tag along with Tonks so she could see the Weasleys, who were just as much family to her at this point as the Tonks' were. She spent more than one afternoon watching Ron and Ginny working on their Quidditch moves (watching but not playing, of course, because Kates was terrified of flying by broom; she loved watching the sport, though).

Ever since the hours leading up to the battle in the Department of Mysteries, Kates saw Ron in a new light. He wasn't the same kid she had met all those years ago before the Sorting, or the kid who had complained about Hermione's correction in Charms. He was stronger, now; he carried himself with more certainty than before, his confidence making him more of a leader than a follower, but not in a cocky sort of way. Of course he'd still follow his friends into any sort of situation, but that was more his loyalty than anything, to which Kates could relate. She was proud of him and his growth; it was one of the many things about him that she had come to appreciate.

They also found themselves spending more time alone that summer, because there were several afternoons and evenings where Ginny would suddenly remember a chore she forgot to do earlier (Kates was starting to think her excuse was nothing but a ruse). They shared more moments like they did back in Grimmauld Place when they were cleaning the cabinets; more moments of gentle sweetness, where they would find themselves at a loss for words and their gazes would be locked in a way that made them incapable of moving. The feeling would wear off eventually and they would dismiss it with a nervous laugh, but Kates was beginning to wonder whether those moments meant something.

Whilst the summer was altogether relaxing, it went on with great speed and soon enough Kates was back on the Hogwarts Express, sharing a compartment with Dean, Seamus, and Ginny (who, to Kates and Seamus' amusement, had started dating Dean at the end of last year).

"I can't believe you got an Outstanding in Astronomy," said Dean with a groan. "With what was happening on the grounds, I was barely halfway done when time was up."

"I finished before then," said Kates with a shrug. She received an O in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, too, along with an E in Transfiguration and Ancient Runes, an A in Care of Magical Creatures and History of Magic, and a P in Herbology and Potions. "I'm just grateful I don't have to take half those classes anymore. They were all right, but—"

"'All right' is puttin' it lightly," scoffed Seamus. "Potions was dreadful, and if I had to hear Binns go on about one more revolution I think I'd die of boredom."

"It wasn't so bad," said Kates in true Kates Kinley fashion, but even she wasn't convinced. "I'm only taking what's needed for whatever it is I decide on doing after graduation. I reckon Charms, Defense, Astronomy, and Transfiguration should do me well." Dean opened his mouth to reply, but the compartment door slid open before he had the chance. In the doorframe stood Zacharias Smith, who not only still held a grudge against Kates for the incident at the Hog's Head, but was also annoyingly and tactlessly curious about everything. Whatever he was there for, it couldn't be good for any of them.