Chapter Text
Ron eyed the only open spot on the table, deciding his hunger was bigger than the pain of sitting between Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Perhaps he could’ve asked Nott to move and let him sit next to Neville, but both boys were having a heated discussion about potions and he didn’t want to butt in. He sat and started serving food on his plate, as always dinner didn’t disappoint -pasta, garlic bread, Caesar salad and a chocolate cookie was what he got- and he started eating quietly while listening to all the conversations around him.
He wished Harry wasn’t off to practice with Ginny, damn, he’d even rather listen to one of Hermione’s lectures on Wizarding World discrimination right now, he was bored as hell.
“Haven’t you seen professor Hagrid’s new creature?” he heard Luna’s voice. Wait, was she speaking to him?
“Sorry?”
“Don’t apologize Ron, I asked if you’d visited Hagrid recently. He told me last week he’d get a new package and I was wondering what it was” The girl smiled at him kindly.
“Oh, no, sorry Luna. Harry went alone this week” he smiled at the girl, not really interested in the conversation. He didn’t even think to wonder why the girl was sitting with them, too busy trying to take the mushrooms out of his pasta.
You see, Ron had always been a bit of a picky eater. But he’d always felt guilty of leaving food on his plate, even at Hogwarts, so he’d eat what he disliked constantly without ever getting used to the flavor. But mushroom’s slimy texture just wasn’t worth it. He was trying not to be too obvious, while wondering if there was a spell he could learn for this... would that be more obvious though?
“Hey” whispered Blaise next to him. He heard Luna’s talking on the background, rambling about creatures, nargles, hippogriffs and what not. The redhead raised an eyebrow to the Slytherin.
Why was he speaking to him? Sure, they’ve been civil lately, per McGonagall’s request, but that didn’t mean friendly. All-but-kind face causing no reaction on the Slytherin, he continued. “Don’t you like those?”
Great, now he had to explain himself. Exactly what he didn’t want. “No, I kinda don’t” he wasn’t going to give the Slytherin anything else, he barely repressed the need to scoff.
“Can I take them off you?”
What? Ron looked at Blaise surprised and his expression probably gave him away, because Zabini softly laughed while pointing at the mushrooms in the side of the Gryffindor’s plate.
“Sure?” Wasn’t that weird? They weren’t even friends. He remembered the times Ginny had refused to drink from his same cup because ‘that was just nasty’. However, it looked like the Slytherin didn’t care, as he took the mushrooms off Ron’s plate with the fork and directly into his mouth, continuing his conversation with Luna.
“Do you remember Ginny’s pigmypuff? It was so cute” said the girl laughing fondly, remembering the tiny pink creature.
“I don’t think so. I’ve seen puffskeins though, and they weren’t very cute”
It went like that, Ron half answering Luna’s questions while she and the Slytherin enthusiastically talked, eating pasta while Blaise ate the mushrooms.