What Would You Wish For?

As Valentine’s Day approached Ron handed every girl in Gryffindor House a single red rose tied with a satin red ribbon. It earned him a lot of glares from his male housemates, claiming he was making them look bad, but Ron felt fine about it. The tidal wave of sadness and loneliness from the girls as the day of romance approached made him long to do something so nobody felt left out. In return he got hugs and kisses from nearly every girl he gave a gift to.



He had gotten seeds from his brother’s shop. The seeds bloomed into a single rose with an incantation. Whenever he saw a housemate or even a friend, he bloomed one for her. Luna got one as well as Cho, even though they weren’t that close. All his female teachers got one as well. Seamus made some comment about wanting to suck up to professors but nobody believed it since his marks had improved so much. Ron thought he might be bitter since he had no date for Valentine’s Day.



A Hogsmeade trip was planned as it usually was to give students the chance to socialize. Ron had been thinking about Pansy over the past couple of weeks. He thought about asking her to the trip, maybe for tea or one of the musical shows going on, but he was still unsure. Granted he was more confident in her interest, but he would like to be more assured.



They had traded looks and smiles during classes and Ron was coming to find that she had comforting feelings around him, and anticipation. He wanted to get her alone to talk to her though, that way he could focus on her feelings alone. It would make it easier to determine whether he should ask her to Hogsmeade. It was in a few days so he had to move fast.



As he walked toward his own house, he felt sadness and anger overtake him. There was nobody in the corridor he was in, so a girl had to be hiding nearby. He looked around and peered into niches and eventually found Susan Bones, crying behind a statue.



“Susan,” he said softly as he moved behind the statue, “are you alright?’



“I just want to be alone Ron.” She said wiping her tears with a sleeve of her sweater.



“I know, but it doesn’t seem like you should be.” Sadness continued to overtake him as she continued crying. He took a handful of seeds from his pocket and using his wand, bloomed them all, about 8 roses, for her. “Here,” he said offering the bouquet, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”



She forced a smile, but took the flowers anyway. “Thank you.” She wiped her tears again.



“What’s the matter Susan?” He asked sitting beside her.



“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said, sniffling. The burden he felt coming from her was clearly too much for her, and he remained silent until she spoke again. “It’s Seamus.”



Ron sighed. He knew Seamus would make rubbish of his life soon enough, with the way he talked. He had mentioned a Hufflepuff girl at the beginning of the term who had filled out and Susan had developed a curvy figure over the years, but she was also a sweetheart and seeing her cry was something Ron couldn’t handle.



“What did he do?” Ron asked, moving closer. She leaned toward him looked up at his face. Her red eyes and tear stained face didn’t make him look forward to what she might say.



“I thought I meant something special.” She was calming down but the hurt didn’t go away, anger reappeared. “I tried to talk to him but he said I made too much of it. I was just a conquest.” She cried again.



“He didn’t want to date anymore?” Ron asked, knowing it was a stupid question, but he had to give Susan something to respond to.



Susan looked at him and laughed bitterly. “We didn’t really date. Unless you count the room of requirement.”



“The room of requirement?” Ron had a sick feeling in his stomach and the shame coming from Susan was making it worse.



“It was my first time.” She let the roses drop in her lap, two of them falling to the ground. She buried her face in her hands and began bawling.



Ron felt his anger rising. How could Seamus do something like this? It was one thing to kiss and run but this was sex and he had obviously used Susan in the worst way imaginable.



He eased an arm around her shoulders and hugged her gently. “Susan, I’m sorry he did this to you.”



“Why Ron,” she raised her head and looked at him with watery bloodshot eyes, “why did he do it? I thought I meant something. He spoke like I meant something.”



“Susan, you do mean something.” He took her shoulders and gave her his full attention, he knew she appreciated it. “Seamus is too much of an ass to see it.”



“That’s all he wanted wasn’t it?” She asked, her shoulders starting to shake with her tears again.



“It seems like it is.” Ron lifted her chin and looked at her, directly in the eye. “Susan, I am going to take care of this. I will make sure he pays for this.”



“What can you do?” She asked. “What can anyone do?” Despair took over, but Ron wouldn’t give up.



“You’d be surprised what can be done to someone like Seamus.” He smiled at her. “Can I walk you back to your house?”



“No,” she gathered her roses, “I want to be alone for awhile.” She hugged her bouquet. “Thank you Ron, they are lovely.”



He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Your welcome.” He left the niche making sure nobody saw him, so Susan could have her time alone.



“I knew there was a reason I didn’t like that guy.” Demona began walking beside him. “I should give him huge breasts.”



“As funny as that sounds, I have another plan.” He told her.



“What are you going to do?” She asked.



“Get Ginny and Hermione on it. I’m going to have them spread it around the castle among the girls that Seamus is small and doesn’t know what he is doing.” He said.



“Sounds great. Do you think they will do it?’ She asked.



“Ginny will, especially once I tell her what happened to Susan.” He had arrived at Gryffindor tower and found his sister and Hermione in a chess game by the fire. They were both raging by the time Ron had finished his story.



He swore them to secrecy about what happened to Susan. She was ashamed enough, even though, in Ron’s opinion, she didn’t have to be. Both said that they will begin spreading the word without mentioning her.



He left the tower and headed for the library. He wanted to see if the Herbology book he was looking for had been returned. Neville didn’t have it and he was anxious to see it. He hurried to the aisle he needed and looked, but the book wasn’t there. Taking down a different one, he flipped through the pages.



“I have some news.” Demona popped into view in front of him. Ron looked down the aisle making sure it was empty.



“What news?” He asked quietly.



“I popped into Susan’s mind for a moment.” She said, folding her arms across her chest.



“You can do that?” He asked, flipping a page.



“Yes, I try not to unless I have a good reason.” She admitted. “I didn’t like what I saw.”



Ron raised his eyes, the tone of her voice touching a nerve. “What did you find?”



“Seamus gave her nothing. He had sex with her, but she got nothing, no pleasure, only pain.” She moved closer and her face became hardened. “No foreplay, no patience, no consideration. He truly did use her, and then he left. He hasn’t spoken to her since and when she did try and talk with him, he acted like the injured party, like she was invading his space. He called her too clingy and needy.”



Ron set the book back in its place and let out a sigh. “Hermione and Ginny will take care of him.”



“You got them to agree.” She asked, looking optimistic.



“Yes, I told them to spread it around that he was a rotten lover, he was small and he didn’t know what he was doing. I think they will make up more because they were angry when I told them about Susan.” He took in her expression and hurried to speak before she did. “Don’t worry I told them not to let Susan’s name be known.”



“She’s ashamed that she gave in to him. She thinks he saw her as a whore, and she‘s beginning to think she acted like one.” She rested a hip against built in desk. “She doesn’t need to go through that. Dealing with rumors and gossip would be too much for her.”



‘I agree, so do Hermione and Ginny.” He said. Lifting his head he looked at her. “They will take care of it.” Demona nodded and vanished. Ron went back to Gryffindor Tower and focused on his homework. He stayed away from Seamus, still seeing Susan’s crying face in his mind.



His homework took up very of his time now that his understanding was keener. He understood Hermione’s drive when he found subject interesting, he wanted to know all about it, although he still wasn’t as fanatic as she was.



As he packed up his book bag, Demona popped in. “You have to see this Ron.” Before he had time to respond, she was already touching his temple and giving him the memory.



The room shifted around the a corridor in the castle. Hermione and Ginny walked with purpose and as Ron looked at the direction they headed he grinned broadly.



Seamus walked toward them, not paying attention to the girls until they stopped in front of him. “Hello Seamus.” Hermione said drilling him with a glare.



“Hermione, Ginny.” He looked from one to the other. ‘What’s going on?”



“Having a bit of a walk, or are you prowling for someone else?” Ginny asked, standing firmly.



“What are you going on about Gin?” He asked, trying to laugh.



“I don’t think it’s funny.” Hermione told him. “What you did to Susan was horrible.”



“Did she tell you something?” He asked. “Look, she though something was going on but…….”



“Shut it!” Ginny spat at him.



“We are not talking about whatever stupid daft line you used on her,” Hermione added, “we are talking about the way you shagged her and left her like a pair of your soiled shorts.”



“Soiled…..” He started but Ginny cut him off.



“Shut it!” She took a step closer. “You are not going to just walk away from this, I will see to it.”



‘And what could you possibly see to?” He mocked her anger, laughing in her face.



“Making sure you are ridiculed will be satisfaction enough for me.” Hermione said. “Especially when we spread it around that you are about the size of a pinky, you don’t last long, and you have no idea what to do with a girl.”



“Nobody would believe you.” He said, clearly worried.



“Maybe not the boys, but we aren’t concerned with them.” Hermione told him.



“Just wait and see if you get a date or even get a girl to look at you the rest of the year, maybe even after you leave here. Not to mention that girls love to keep each other informed. All we have to do is say a few key things to a few key girls and word of your less then adequate prowess as a lover will be all over this castle.” Ginny hard look carried a threat than even Ron felt. He laughed as he watched Seamus begin to sweat.



“You’re lying.” He stammered. “I’m in your house, you couldn’t.”



Ginny shoved his chest. “That does not mean we stand by and watch you treat a girl like Susan the way you did. You used her, plain and simple. You were heartless and cruel to her, you shithead!”



He stayed silent as Hermione spoke this time. “You have crossed the line Seamus, and while Susan may not have the strength to get back at you, we do.”



Both girls left him standing where he was standing and walked away. The corridor shifted and he returned to his room, with Demona sitting in front of him on his bed.



“Seamus is in for it.” He said, smiling into Demona’s equally happy grin.