"Malfoy is using Crabbe and Goyle for look outs for something Sam's involved in. And he's... Off. He's not his usual evil self." I told Gennie that evening, even though she was half asleep as she petted Minnie.

"And why do you care?" Gennie stifled a yawn as I pulled out the Maurder's Map. "More importantly why you're telling me when I'm half asleep."

"It's real suspicious." I carried out, knowing I couldn't tell her his odd strained behaviour in the cupbaord and him being a death eater. "I just wanna know--ah, I solmely swear I'm up to no good... Or Malfoy is, possibly."

At once the map sprang to life with tiny black dots of the castle's inhabitants. "Help me out, I need to find him." I said to Gennie, and she flopped onto the bed, allowing Minnie to stroll across my back.

"There's the slimy git, as Harry would say." Gennie said, pointing at the Slytherin common room. "Yup, he's there with Crabbe and Goyle."

"Oh." I said, disapointed. "Well I'm keeping an eye on him. And if he's lurking about somewhere, I'm nicking the cloak to find out what he's--"

I stopped as Lavender walked in with Parvati, discussing Ron sticking his tounge almost down her throat.

"You never said, why do you care?" Gennie asked softly.

"He might not care about me, but that didn't mean I stopped caring if he turned into a homicidal maniac." I shrugged.

* * * 

Even though I had determination and Harry on my side, I had no luck for the next few weeks. I checked the map often, even looking when I was meant to be re-dying my hair. I noticed Crabbe and Goyle wandering alone, but Malfoy was either with Sam or not on the map at all.

Harry thought maybe Malfoy was leaving the school, but I figured it was impossible considering the high level of security on the school.

But I tried to not let it get to me too much, as I had to remember that despite the soft and broken way he spoke my name in cupboard, I had always been a toy for him to bend and break. 

But Arthur helped me forget him. We'd been together just over two months now, and things were going great. We did have arguments, minor things over music taste and general irritation, but we could always patch things up with a hug, kiss and an exchange of pokemon cards.

But now it was March 1st, Ron's seventeenth. And even though he regularly irritated me, I thought I should drop into the dormitry.

"Happy birthday, Won-Won!" I declared, sticking my head around the door. Ron rolled his eyes, but now accepted this was now my permenant nickname for him. "Here's a present."

I chucked the parcel at him, and sat cross-legged with my brother, as Ron unwrapped Chudley Cannon socks that I'd bought him. 

"Cheers, Rory." Ron grinned, continuing to unwrap the other parcels on his bed.

"Hello people, your lives just got better!" Alia declared from the door as she watlzed in. "Happy birthday, you soulless nerd!"

She tossed a parcel at Ron, which bounced off his forehead causing him to swear loudly. "Hey, don't fucking swear!" she said cheerily, sitting practically on my lap.

"You're cheery this morning." I noted, scanning through the map for Malfoy.

"Well I found somebody like me!" she said in a hiss so the boys wouldn't hear. "And they explained some stuff, and it really helped! If I'm lucky I'll have the guts to tell Colin before next year."

"Good for you, flower." I said, still scanning the map, "Ugh, I give up. Harry, try and find him, would you?"

Harry nodded, and started scanning through the map.

"Excuse me, why am I a flower?" Alia huffed.

"Well like a plant, but flower sounds nicer, because plants are asexual." I said awkwardly.

"You're so lame, you're lucky my cousin's in love with you." Alia rolled her eyes.

I flushed red, while I was pretty up-to-date with how Arthur felt about me, it was still a shock to hear. It was one thing that restricted our relationship, sadly. It was obvious how much he wanted to say those three words to me, but I was still too stuck in the past to say them to him yet.

"He's not in bed!" Harry announced. "And he's not in the hospital wing or bathrooms..."

"Suspcious." I agreed.

"Seriously good haul this year!" Ron announced, holding up a heavy gold watch with odd symbols around the edge and tiny moving stars instead of hands. "See what Mum and Dad got me? Blimey, I think I'll come of age next year too ..."

"Want one?" said Ron thickly, holding out a box of Chocolate Cauldrons.

"Ew now, they're disgusting." I shuddered. "If you carry on like that, you'll throw up trying to apparate..."

"When you pass your test, will you take me to the London aquariam?" Alia said with a grin. "I've always wanted to go."

"Cole wants to go to Disney, you want to go to an aquariam and Camille wants to go where that series is set.... Are all the Wilde's such big tourists?" I chuckled, pulling my hair into a ponytail.

"Well it's Arthur's biggest ambition to run across the Great wall of China, so probably." Alia shrugged. "You two boys coming?"

Harry got up, and the three of us started to walk, but there was no response from Ron. "Ron? You coming?" Alia said irritably.

He was leaning against his bed-post with a dreamy look on his face, staring out the window. "I'm not hungry."

"You just ate half a box of chocolates." I pointed out.

"It's not that," Ron sighed again. "You ... you wouldn't understand."

"Fair enough," said Harry, "Come on."

The two of us turned to follow him, when Ron called out Harry's name.

"What?"

"Harry, I can't stand it!"

"You can't stand what?" asked Harry. I stared at our friend with a weird look. Ron was rather pale and looked as though he was about to be sick.

"I can't stop thinking about her!" said Ron hoarsely.

"If he calls her Lav-Lav, I will slap him." Alia said, and I couldn't disagree with her there.

"I don't think she knows I exist," said Ron with a desperate gesture.

"She definitely knows you exist," said Harry, bewildered. "She keeps snogging you, doesn't she?"

Ron blinked. "Who are you talking about?"

"Who the bloody hell are you on about?" Alia said. "Ugh, this is why I'm practically a plant, this stuff is disgusting."

"Romilda Vane," said Ron softly, and his whole face seemed to illuminate as he said it, as though hit by a ray of purest sunlight. "I think I love her."

"Yeah, and I'm about to have a civil partnership with the giant squid." Alia said sarcastically. 

"This is really funny and everything," said Harry impatiently, "but joke's over, all right? Drop it."

Ron flew at Harry, punching at his back. "Ow! What was that for?" Harry groaned.

"You insulted her!" Ron screeched.

"Holy shit on a stick, he's an idiot." Alia swore, picking up the box of chocolates. She sniffed it and grimaced. "Love potion, all of them are laced."

"How can you tell?" Harry said, trying to restrain Ron from hitting him.

Alia flushed pink. "Well considering I rarely feel attraction like you love sick idiots, I'm not going to smell Colin's pillow in a bloody drink! I swear to Lucifer I'm going to kill Romilda Vane, that little--"

"Romilda? Did you say Romilda, are you going to introduce me?" Ron said with a grin, looking like a little puppy.

"Yeah, I'll introduce you," said Harry, clearly thinking fast. "She's in Slughorn's office."

"Why?" Ron asked, letting Harry start to lead him through the room by his sleeve.

"Extra potion lessons, she's very stupid." I muttered angrily.

"Maybe I could ask if I can have them with her?" said Ron eagerly.

"Great idea," said Alia with a fake smile. "Idiot."

Lavender was waiting beside the portrait hole, something I'd hoped wouldn't happen. "You're late, Won-Won!" she pouted. "I've got you a birthday--"

"Leave me alone" said Ron impatiently, "Harry's going to introduce me to Romilda Vane."

And without another word to her, he pushed his way out of the portrait hole. I wished I could have given Lavender a sympathetic look and explained, but instead I gave her almost an amused 'I have no idea what he's on about look' which made her look quite offended.

I had been slightly worried that Slughorn might be at breakfast, but he answered his office door at the first knock.

"Harry, Aurora." he mumbled. "This is very early for a call ... I generally sleep late on a Saturday ..."

"Professor, I'm really sorry to disturb you," said Harry as quietly as possible, while Ron stood on tiptoe, attempting to see past Slughorn into his room, "but my friend Ron's swallowed a love potion by mistake. You couldn't make him an antidote, could you? I'd take him to Madam Pomfrey, but we're not supposed to have anything from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and, you know ... awkward questions ..."

"I'd have thought you could have whipped him up a remedy, Harry, an expert potioneer like you?" asked Slughorn.

"Yeah, Harry, why didn't you?" Alia snorted, as she was clearly amused by the whole thing.

"Well, I've never mixed an antidote for a love potion, sir, and by the time I get it right Ron might've done something serious--"

Helpfully, Ron chose this moment to moan, "I can't see her. Harry--is he hiding her?"

"Was this potion within date?" asked Slughorn, now eyeing Ron with professional interest. "They can strengthen, you know, the longer they're kept."

"That would explain hell of a lot." I snorted. "It's a great birthday present for him."

"Oh, all right, come in, then, come in," said Slughorn, relenting."I've got the necessary here in my bag, it's not a difficult antidote ..."

Ron burst through the door into Slughorn's overheated, crowded study, tripped over a tasselled footstool, regained his balance by seizing Harry around the neck and muttered, "She didn't see that, did she?"

"She's not here, you idiot." Alia hissed. "Sit down."

"That's good," said Ron fervently, perching on the sofa edge. "How do I look?"

"Very handsome," said Slughorn smoothly, handing Ron a glass of clear liquid. "Now drink that up, it's a tonic for the nerves, keep you calm when she arrives, you know,"

"Brilliant," said Ron eagerly, and he gulped the antidote down noisily.

For a moment, Ron beamed at them. Then, very slowly, his grin sagged and vanished, to be replaced by an expression of utmost horror.

"Back to normal, then?" said Harry, grinning. Slughorn chuckled.

"Thanks a lot, Professor."

"Thank God, it was getting annoying as f--" Alia began, but I elbowed her in the ribs and she was quiet, rubbing at her ribs.

"Pick-me-up, that's what he needs," Slughorn continued, now-bustling over to a table loaded with drinks. "I've got Butterbeer, I've got wine, I've got one last bottle of this oak-matured mead ... hmm ... meant to give that to Dumbledore for Christmas ... ah well ..." he shrugged "... he can't miss what he's never had! Why don't we open it now and celebrate Mr Weasley's birthday? Nothing like a fine spirit to chase away the pangs of disappointed love ..."

Slughorn passed around glasses to us all, before wishing Ron happy birthday (though he called him Ralph), and saying, "--and may you have many more--"

"Ron!"

I almost spilt my drink, to see Ron had crumpled on the floor, body jerking uncontrollably. Foam was dribbling from his mouth and his eyes were bulging from their sockets. Dropping the glass in my hand I rushed to his side, trying to get some sense out of him.

"Ron! Ron, can you hear me?" I said, lightly slapping his face while he blankly looked straight ahead. "Ron?"

"Professor!" Harry bellowed. "Do something!" But Slughorn seemed paralysed by shock. Ron twitched and choked: his skin was turning blue.

"What--but--" spluttered Slughorn.

"Get something from the box!" Alia screeched, and I was aware of Harry rifling through Slughorn's kit, as I tried to turn Ron onto his side, get some foam from his mouth. We could do this, we could save him, no, we couldn't lose him.

Harry hurtled over to us, and with difficulty I helped him open Ron's mouth, so he could shove the bezoar in. Ron shuddered, gasped and then became limp and still.

"That's it, I'm never drinking again." squeaked Alia, breaking the silence.

* * * *

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" said Fred.

It was evening; the hospital wing was quiet, the windows curtained, the lamps lit. Ron's was the only occupied bed.

Currently; Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Arthr and I were sitting around him. Cole, Sam and Gennie had been earlier--Sam was drafting the others into trying to find the cause of the poison. Alia was too shaken up to visit, but I could understand why.

Madam Pomfrey had only let us in less than fifteen minutes ago--Fred, George and Lacey had only arrived moments before.

"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present," said George grimly, putting down a large wrapped gift on Ron's bedside cabinet, before sitting on the arm of Lacey's chair, draping his arm around her.

"Yeah, we thought he might be concious at least." Lacey sighed, lightly rubbing her hand over her large stomach. Apparently the baby was due around June, which was something positive amongst this mess. "I'm just glad Hollie was over a friend's, she would have been terrified to see Ron like this..."

"There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him --" said George.

"You were in Hogsmeade?" asked Ginny, looking up.

"We were thinking of buying Zonko's," said Fred gloomily. "A Hogsmeade branch, you know, but a fat lot of good it'll do us if you lot aren't allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff anymore ... But never mind that now."

"So what happened exactly, Rory?" Lacey asked, looking worried.

With Arthur's hand tracing circles onto my lower back to continue to calm me--I'd almost had a panic attack less than fifteen minutes ago, thinking Ron was dead--I talked over the story again.

"... and then Harry got the bezoar down his throat and his breathing eased up a bit. Slughorn ran for help, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey turned up, and they brought Ron up here. They think he'll be okay. Madam Pomfrey says he'll have to stay here a week or so... 

"Blimey, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar," said George in a low voice.

"I don't know how something from a goat can save a life, but I'm glad it did." Lacey said. "I'd like it if all six of the baby's uncles are alive, thank you very much."

"Lucky there was one in the room," said Harry, shivering slightly.

Hermione sniffed away some tears. She'd been quiet all day, not discussing what happened, just standing looking afraid until we'd been allowed in.

"Do Mum and Dad know?" Fred asked Ginny.

"They've already seen him, they arrived an hour ago--they're in Dumbledore's office now, but they'll be back soon..."

There was a pause while they all watched Ron mumble a little in his sleep.

"So the poison was in the drink?" said Fred quietly.

"Yes," said Harry at once."Slughorn poured it out --"

"Would he have been able to slip something into Ron's glass without you seeing?" Arthur asked, and feeling exhausted I lent on his chest, his arm protectivley going around me.

"Maybe," I sighed. "But why would Slughorn want to poison Ron? He doesn't even know his last name."

"No idea," said Arthur, frowning. "You don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get one of you?"

"Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?" asked Ginny.

"I dunno," said Fred, "but there must be loads of people who'd like to poison Harry and Rory, mustn't there? The 'Chosen Ones' and all that?"

"So you think Slughorn's a Death Eater?" said Ginny.

"Anything's possible," said Fred darkly.

"He could be under the Imperius Curse," said Arthur. "It's more common than you think."

"Or he could be innocent," said Ginny. "The poison could have been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself."

"Who'd want to kill Slughorn?"

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side," said Harry. "Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And..." He thought of the memory Dumbledore had not yet been able to extract from Slughorn. "And maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore."

"Er-my-nee," croaked Ron unexpectedly from between them

We all fell silent, watching him anxiously, but after muttering incomprehensibly for a moment he merely started snoring.

"Aw," I said quietly. "He knows you're here, 'Mione."

Hermione didn't say anything, but a small smile was on her face.

Before anybody could respond the dormitory doors opened and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hurried up the ward.  Mrs. Weasley seized hold of Harry and hugged him very tighty.

"Dumbledore's told us how you saved him with the bezoar," she sobbed. "Oh, Harry, what can we say? You saved Gennie... you saved Arthur... now you've saved Ron..."

"Don't be ... I didn't..." muttered Harry awkwardly. "Rory tried to make sure he didn't choke..."

Mrs Weasley gave my shoulder a squeeze and kissed the top of my head, "And we're so grateful, Rory. So grateful."

Feeling myself tear up, I slightly rubbed my face on Arthur's batman jumper and I felt him chuckle. "You should be wearing this jumper, you're the real hero here." he whispered.

"You can lend it if you want," Arthur smiled softly. "So long as I can have your Quidditch jumper--that's what cute couples do, right?"

"Yeah, we're the cutest." I whispered, quickly kissing his cheek.

Soon, Madam Pomfrey ordered we leave, so I had to say goodbye to my sister. She awkwardly hugged me, her stomach getting in the way.

"If it's a girl, I'm giving her mum's name." she said with a smile. "If it's a boy, we're calling him Fred."

"Only fitting." I said. "You'll have to send me a photo every day after they're born, I don't want to miss anything in my godkid's life. You realise I'm going to spoil them so much?"

"I can only imagine." Lacey rolled her eyes. She glanced past me and I followed her gaze, to see she was looking at Arthur, who was waiting at the door. "I like him, you should keep him."

"He's not a kitten, Lacey."

"He's good for you from what I can see. You two seem... Like you fit together, know each other inside and out. Hopefully not literally, you're not allowed to do that stuff until you're at least thirty."

"Hypocrite." I snorted.

"Whatever," Lacey lightly shoved my arm. "But what happened to that little cactus that caused you trouble?"

"He... I feel like there's something missing inside me. Something that can't make me hate him as much as I should."

"That makes zero sense."

"Tell me about it."

- - - -  - - - 

A/N This chapter is short, but I feel it has a lot of stuff underlying. And thank you for all the comments last chapter, you guys make me so happy it's unbelievable. :-)

Oh, and I'm an idiot and miscounted, there's roughly 7 chapters left. :0 But don't worry, I'm planning on doing a little Q & A once this is finished where you can ask the characters (and me) questions you have!!

And this is sort-of a promo, but if you guys wanna know me a little better you can always follow me on tumblr (no-more-wishing-on-stars) if you're interested in Harry Potter, destiel, larry, 5sos and game of thrones :)

And also if my confidence can ever hold up, one day I wanna do either a twitcam or youknow where I can answer questions about the series live and generally fangirl over Harry Potter. Anybody interested in that?