Ruin You ; Ron Weasley

13.

After that, I wasn't quite sure where to go.

At first, I immediately went straight back to the diner. I walked for about half an hour before the guilt really hit me, then I turned around and tried to make my way back.
When I arrived though, the place was completely empty and that sinking feeling started to settle in.
I was alone and lost in the middle of London, too petrified to ask anyone for directions because you never know who's a death eater in disguise these days.

After about a week or so of wandering, I made the executive decision to return to school.
I wanted to be able to protect my friends that still remained and could only do that if we were all in the same place. It didn't last long of course, the moment I found out my so-called father was the new headmaster, I couldn't stand to face him and snuck off back to London one night.
I hated acting like a coward, but after everything him and I had been through, I couldn't find the strength to face him.
So many things about school had changed, there didn't even seem to be a point anyways.

—

I laid down in the makeshift bed I had created a few weeks ago. It was a pillow and two blankets on top of a very small booth seat, but it was comfortable enough to get me some sleep during the nights.
I had a lantern on the table just bright enough to read with, and I was flipping through something I stole from the school library when I heard a crashing noise come from the kitchen behind me.
I jumped up and drew my wand, ready to fight off any danger that came my way.

"Who goes there?" I called out, picking up the as well lantern to slowly my my way across the eerie diner.
When no one answered, I stopped to think for a moment before raising my wand just slightly higher.
"Homenum Reveilo!" I yelled into the darkness.
Another clash happened and I jumped, turning the corner only to see a face I thought was only real in my dreams these days.

"Ron?"

In the glow of the lantern I could make out his features, although much dirtier and rugged than I remember them being. He had a look of both panic and confusion spread across his face, and for a split second I swore– he didn't know who I was.

Simultaneously, we both aimed our wands at each other and took a bit of a fighting stance.

"This isn't possible, who are you really?" He asked aggressively.
"Me? You're the one who bloody left, if anything you aren't who you say you are!" I shouted back, not moving my wand away from his face.
"Fine, prove you're Eleanor. Why did mum yell at us on Christmas eve your first year at my house?"
I could tell he softened a bit, like he knew I was the real me just by my attitude, but I wanted him to trust me fully so I answered anyways.
"Because we were trying to make cookies without using magic but we turned the oven up way too high and caught them on fire, filling the place with so much smoke that everyone had to evacuate," I laughed, thinking back to how badly we scared everyone that night.
"I remember Fred ran out in nothing but his boxers, yelling about how the house was on fire. Mum was so mad at first but this year when we brought it up she actually laughed."