A Looping of the Scales ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 33 ~ Ron Revealed

“So, how did you do it, Ron? How’d you manage to find your form so quickly?” Harry asked him in amazement. “I don’t know anyone who’s ever managed to become an Animagus within days of trying. What’s the secret?”

Ron sat down on the bed and started to tell Harry what happened, then thought better of it.

”Well, Harry, to be honest, I’d rather not say, at least, not until after the NEWTS. It’s my extra credit. I’ve already pre-certified it,” he told the boy who lived.

Harry frowned at him.

”You’re not going to tell me? I’m your best mate,” Harry said blackly.

Ron scowled right back at him.

”Yeah, the best mate who practically told me I was an idiot for believing I could do it,” Ron shot back at him. “By the way, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

”Well, Ron, you have to admit that history was on my side. Even the textbooks say—“

”Looks like I proved the textbooks wrong, didn’t I?”

Harry looked over at the book Ron had purchased. Could it have really helped him transform? It seems far-fetched, but Ron was definitely an Animagus now.

”Ron, would you mind if I took a look at your book?”

Later, Ron was the one with the pillow over his face trying to sleep as Harry stood in the center of the room rocking slowly and chanting: “Ohmmm. Ohmmm.”

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”Ron, I’m begging you, tell me what you did,” Harry said to Ron, who stubbornly shook his head. Ginny, who was walking beside them, looked at Harry curiously. They were on their way to breakfast and Harry looked as if he hadn’t slept all night.

”What do you want him to tell you, Harry?” she asked her boyfriend.

”Ron’s an Animagus, Ginny. He’s an—“

”No, don’t tell her my form,” Ron interjected, frowning at Harry. “I’ll reveal it when I’m ready. I only showed you because you were being such a prat.”

Ginny’s brown eyes went wide.

”You’re an Animagus, Ron? How did you manage to become one so quickly?” she asked him. “Did the book work?”

Ron looked rather lofty.

”I’m not sharing my mystical secrets yet. Not until after the NEWTS,” he told his sister.

”Well, at least tell me what your form is. Is it a bird?”

”No.”

”A dog?”

”No.”

“A squirrel?”

”No, Ginny. I’m not going to tell you, so stop asking me,” Ron said as they rode the shifting stairwell.

”I bet it’s a red-headed prat,” Ginny said angrily.

Harry laughed.

”You just have to wait like everyone else, Ginny. I’m going to have a coming out like Snape did,” Ron said. “I’m going to let everyone know I have an Animagus form and if they want to see it, they are to meet me outside the castle right after the last class today. So, you can pass the word around. Better yet, tell Neville. The whole school will know by the end of breakfast.”

”Ron, Snape didn’t actually have a ‘coming out.’ People found out he was going to go flying with Hermione and just came to see. He didn’t announce it or anything,” Harry told him.

Ron shrugged.

”A little push won’t hurt anything. Only people who are interested will come to see,” Ron said, defending his idea. “I hope Hermione gets wind of it.”

Hermione did get wind of it in her Arithmancy class.

“Are you talking about Ronald Weasley? He’s no Animagus,” she said to the other students gabbing about it.

”Well, according to Neville Longbottom he is. He’s going to show his form just before supper out in front of the castle,” an excited witch informed her.

Hermione scowled as everyone chattered excitedly about what Ron’s form could be. It must be cool, otherwise he wouldn’t be willing to show it to everyone.

No, it must be some kind of trick, or illusion. Harry had told her Ron had just started trying to find his form a couple of days ago. There’s no way he could have done it—could he?

Hermione could hardly focus on her work for the rest of the period, thinking about Ron’s claim. If he did manage to do it, he was going to tell her exactly how he managed it. She’d be there to see it for herself.

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While Hermione was in Snape’s quarters for her lunch study, she told him that Ron was an Animagus. She only broke her silence because it didn’t seem to be working and she wanted to know what Snape thought about that.

”Good for Weasley,” he said shortly, trying to feed the irritating Hell’s Guardian plant again. This time the rat was good and bloody. Still he was having a time of it.

”But, he’s only been practicing a few days,” Hermione said. “It takes years to develop the power to transform.”

Snape shrugged.

”Maybe he knows something the rest of us don’t, “ Snape said unconcernedly.

This statement almost made smoke blow out of Hermione’s ears. The idea that Ron could possibly know something she didn’t irritated the hell out of her.

“Well, he’s going to show everyone his form after the last class today, just before supper, in front of the castle. I’m going to be there, and I’m going to make sure he’s not using any illusory magic.”

Snape looked at her, standing well back from the sneaky plant.

”I thought Weasley was your friend. In fact, he was more than your friend for quite a while. Don’t you trust him?” Snape asked her quietly.

”Yes, I trust him,” Hermione replied uncertainly. “It’s just that I find it hard to believe that he—“

”That you may have underestimated his magical abilities?” Snape finished for her. “Or that he discovered something on his own, something you haven’t or couldn’t?”

Hermione didn’t say anything.

Snape shook his head.

”You can’t be the best at everything, Hermione. Someone is always going to be better than you in something. And you don’t get to choose who it is. If you want my advice, be happy for Weasley. Becoming an Animagus is no small feat, no matter how few days it took him.”

Hermione seemed taken aback by Snape’s chastisement. Still, it rankled her. How did Ron do it?

“I’m just having a hard time—“

“Green doesn’t become you. That’s one of my house colors, not yours.”

Hermione frowned at him.

”Green?”

”Better known as the green-eyed monster of envy or jealousy.”

Hermione could hardly speak for a moment.

”How dare you? I’m not jealous of Ron!”

”So, why are you so upset about this?”

”Because I know Ron. He’s probably jealous of you being an Animagus and—“

”And what, Hermione? Purposely made himself one too? What if he did? That would show very powerful magical ability and set a staggering precedent. A wizard can’t have too much magical ability.’

Hermione realized that Snape wasn’t going to pretend to understand how she felt. Or maybe he did understand and thought it selfish and stupid. It might be—but she couldn’t help it. This was Ron. He was no Muggle Einstein. Still, he was her friend and she didn’t want Severus to think she didn’t care about her friends.

”I’ll go—support him, then,” she said.

”Yes, I imagine you will while looking for illusory magic,” Snape responded, finally getting the plant to swallow down the bloody rat.

Hermione gathered her books together.

”I’m going to go. Are you coming to see Ron’s transformation?” she asked him.

”I might,” Snape said, examining the brownness around the Hell’s Guardian’s leaves. It needed more moisture and maybe a few sprays of his potion.

“All right. I’ll see you later,” Hermione said softly.

This time Snape let her let herself out. One thing was clear.

Hermione Granger had a lot more issues than were easily discernible. Jealousy was certainly one of them.

Fortunately, Snape understood that particular emotion too.

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At a quarter to five, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley stood outside the castle, watching as excited students streamed out of the school and gathered around them, Ron wearing a big smile despite having a quiet argument behind a Muffliato spell so Ginny wouldn’t hear them. She stood angrily with her arms folded. She couldn’t make Harry tell her Ron’s form when they were alone.

”I promised,” Harry said lamely. Ginny had stormed off, but didn’t stay angry. He was just doing what he told Ron he would, and really, that’s one of the things she loved about him. His loyalty.

”I’m telling you, Ron, you need shorts or a thong or something. It’s obscene.”

”Harry, it’s an animal. Only humans have hang-ups like that. I’m going to swing free as the wind blows. As free as the grass grows. Swing free and follow my heart.”

Harry groaned at the mutilated “Born Free” lyrics.

”Ron, you are human,” he shot back.

”Not when I change. It won’t be a problem, believe me.”

”All right, Ron. It’s your peek show.”

Ron removed the spell just as Hermione stalked up to them.

”Here comes trouble,” Ron muttered to Harry as Hermione walked up to him narrow-eyed.

”What’s this about you being an Animagus, Ron? What’s your form?” Hermione demanded.

”Patience, patience, Hermione. All will be revealed,” Ron said loftily.

”I’ll say,” Harry piped in, rolling his eyes.

Ron scowled at him, then cleared his throat.

”Give me a little room, Hermione,” he said to the witch.

Hermione backed up, her face twisted.

Snape walked out of the castle and stood on the steps where he could see clearly without being in the middle of the crowd. All of Gryffindor and most of Slytherin were present, as well as Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Draco Malfoy was out in front with Goyle, Blaise and Pansy Parkinson standing with him.

”He’s probably a tit-mouse,” Pansy said witheringly.

“No, it has to be better than that or he wouldn’t have announced it like this, Draco responded as Ron stepped forward, grandly addressing the crowd.

”Welcome everyone, to the unveiling of my Animagus form.”

Harry snorted behind him, but Ron ignored it.

”Now, it may startle a few of you, but I assure you, it is absolutely safe. I retain my human consciousness when transformed, but ladies, you might want to grab the arm of the closest wizard for strength.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and Snape smirked. Weasley had a pair, that was for certain.

”Drumroll, please,” he said, and Harry flicked his wand so the sound of a rolling drumbeat filled the air. On the cymbal clash, Ron transformed, stretching his long hairy arms over his head and letting out a whoop.

There was silence for a moment, then several witches screamed, one fainting dead away.

”Oh good gods!” Hermione hissed, shading her eyes as Ron’s orangutan form stood in all its hairy, nad-heavy glory for the world to see.

Snape started laughing, as did most of the wizards as Ron pounded his chest, then pretended to rush the crowd, nads swinging. The witches nearly fell over themselves trying to get out of the way, the crowd parting as Ron ran up the stairs and stopped in front of Snape, who was still laughing.

”I thought you had a pair, Weasley, but now—now I’m certain of it,” the wizard said.

Ron gave him a horrendous smile, then leaped up and grabbed one of the flagpoles that hung the Hogwarts’ standard and swung around it expertly, gripping it with hands at first, then feet, then flinging himself through the air to the next one. An Olympic champion had nothing on him as he swung about, leaping back and forth whooping, hanging upside down, standing up on the thin iron pole and generally doing the ape thing..

Most of the witches ran back inside the castle, red and horrified as the wizards cheered and laughed at his antics. They, like Ron, thought it was cool. Hermione couldn’t believe it. He really was an Animagus. And his goods weren’t that big in human form.

Lavender stood watching him too, completely smitten by the big hairy red orangutan.

”Yay, Ron!” she screamed.

Ginny was just shaking her head. This was Ron all right. He had to love this, especially flashing every witch in Hogwarts. He’d streaked once or twice, so had a bit of the exhibitionist in him.

Finally, Ron dropped to the ground and changed back. He was surrounded by wizards of all houses, a big smile plastered on his face.

He was a smash. At least to the wizards. Almost all the witches all thought he was a big pervert.

Hermione pushed through the wizards.

”How did you do it, Ron? How did you become an Animagus so quickly?” she asked him.

Everyone fell silent, waiting for him to answer.

”You’ll find out after the NEWTS. I’m using that information, and documenting my own transformation, as well as how it came about,” he told her soberly.

Hermione stared at him.

”What?” she said.

”You aren’t the only one who wants to do well, Hermione. I’ve latched on to something here, and I’m going to use it. I’ve already pre-certified the topic, so it’s in the works. Until then, I’m not telling anyone anything.”

This statement was met by “aws” from the wizards around him.

”Surely you’re going to need some help editing it,” Hermione said to him.

”Yeah, I probably will, but I’ll find someone other than you to do it. I wouldn’t want to cut into your ‘study’ time,” Ron said a bit smugly, then looked around the crowd. “All that swinging around made me hungry. Let’s go eat!”

Cheers rose again as everyone followed Ron into the castle. Hermione stood there red-faced, watching them go. Snape stood on the steps as well, looking at her.

”That’s quite the form, isn’t it?” he asked her.

Hermione nodded numbly.

”And Weasley has enough sense to utilize what he knows to up his marks. Good show on his part,” the wizard said. “I know you’re happy for him.”

Then Snape turned and walked back inside the castle, heading for the dungeons.

Hermione stood there a moment longer, then followed, her brows furrowed.

Ron’s form wasn’t a gryffin, but it was still impressive and agile. It was also overexposed.. What grated on her nerves the most was that he wasn’t going to share what he’d discovered, but use it for himself. It didn’t register to Hermione that this was the same mode of operation she was using for her NEWTS. She was thinking about all the times she’d discovered something when they were searching for the Horcruxes and shared that information.

But that had been a life and death situation. Information had to be shared.

This wasn’t a search for the Dark Lord’s fragments. These were the NEWTS, and that made it a completely different Quidditch game.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.