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Mum's going to kill me.
Ronald Weasley cautiously paced in front of the winged gargoyle that guarded the incumbent Headmaster's office.
He wasn't supposed to be the one who went back to finish his studies at Hogwarts. There were supposed to do it together. It really should've been Hermione.
She was the first out of the trio that was expected to come back for an 8th year. She nearly did. If it wasn't for the amazing offer she received to apprentice a Healer in Germany, Ron was certain she would've.
Harry was registered to attend at the beginning of the semester. But, of course, they just had to invite the Boy Who Lived himself to be a part of the inaugural class of Aurors the year the Ministry was rebuilt. That's not to mention that his best mate and little sister were now married and expecting their first child.
The trio was split up and, just as everyone expected, Ron was the one left behind.
No one was more surprised than Ron when he received his offer to be Head Boy.
"Ronald Weasley!" His mother screeched a month before school began. "What did you do now?"
Ronald ran down the stairs to see an enraged Molly Weasley holding a letter addressed to him from Hogwarts.
"Must you cause such trouble so soon? We've barely buried your brother." Molly said, blinking away furious tears.
"Mum, I have no idea why they would be owling me. Could we open the letter first?" Ron said as she cautiously approached his mother.
Molly tossed the letter to Ron and crossed her arms. He opened the letter and read it aloud. It was an invitation, from the newly appointed Headmistress herself, to be this school year's Head Boy.
"George!" Molly exclaimed as she began climbing the stairs. "Is this your idea of an elaborate prank? It is simply not the time."
Ron didn't blame her for not believing it immediately. He could barely believe it himself. He read and re-read the letter hourly over the next month. It wasn't until he received his Head Boy badge that it truly set in.
He was Head Boy, a title he had coveted since he knew of it. Sure. Did he have to share a suite with the Head Girl, just so happened to be Pansy Parkinson? Yes. But, she wasn't that bad. At least she wasn't Malfoy.
The more he got to know the witch, the more he saw that she was sort of a Slytherin Hermione. If there was such a thing.
Compared to Parkinson, Ron was the relaxed Head. When she would immediately remove points for small infractions such as being out past curfew, he would tell them to get to their dorm and let them off with a warning.
That was how he got to this point. He was summoned to Headmistress McGonagall's office this evening. Earlier this afternoon, he was caught by Parkinson for giving a hall pass to a Hufflepuff 1st year to head to the dorms early. The boy was homesick and missing his brother who died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Parkinson must've snitched on him to McGonagall and now he would be stripped of his Head Boy badge. Or worse. Expelled.
He heard footsteps echo off the walls as some walked up the stairs behind him. He stopped pacing and faced the gargoyle directly as Parkinson stood next to him.
"Hello, Weasley." Parkinson said as a way of acknowledging him.
"Parkinson." He grunted in response.
"McGonagall summoned you, too, then?" Parkinson inquired as she stared straight at the gargoyle.
He turned to face her as he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You don't know what this is about?"
She, in turn, furrowed her eyebrows. "Why, on earth, would I know what this is about?"
Ron turned back to face the gargoyle. "I only assumed you ratted me out about the Badger incident."
"As if you sending a 1st year out of class is worth my time. I have plenty of more important things to deal with." She scoffed. "Besides, it was out of protocol so I would've been in my full right to report the incident. It's not like I expect you to follow protocol anyway."
Ron turned back to face her. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Suddenly, the gargoyle shifted to reveal a spiral staircase leading up into the Headmistress's office.
"Exactly what I said. Now, let's go, Weasley." Parkinson whispered harshly before she started up the staircase.
Ron gave a low grunt and started up the staircase behind her. They, both, stopped at the entrance of the office to see a seated McGonagall awaiting the two Heads.
"Mr Weasley, Miss Parkinson. Please come in." She said with the firm voice they had known for so many years.
They walked in and had a seat across from the Headmistress.
She sighed deeply and began, "I apologize for calling this meeting on such short notice. A matter of great importance came up and it simply could not wait." McGonagall looked as worried as they've seen her since the battle.
Ron and Parkinson looked at each other with furrowed eyebrows then looked back at their Headmistress.
"A priceless artifact has recently been misplaced. This artifact is one of great importance to, not only Hogwarts, but the Wizarding world as a whole." McGonagall paused and clapped her hands together. "The Sword of Gryffindor is missing."
Ron nearly fell out of his chair. "The Sword of Gryffindor? How did that bloody thing get misplaced?"
McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the young man. "Mr Weasley, I must caution you against using foul language."
Ron huffed as Parkinson jumped in, "Surely you have some idea of where it may be?"
McGonagall smiled. "That I do. Thank you, Miss Parkinson."
Ron rolled his eyes and muttered, "Perfect Parkinson."
Parkinson whipped her head to face Ron.
McGonagall continued, "I have reason to believe that the sword could be in one of the neighboring hamlets around Hogwarts."
Parkinson turned back to McGonagall. "Hogsmeade?"
"Unfortunately, not. This hamlet is one that is mixed with muggles. It's called Aranshire, just east of the castle." McGonagall said. "My request is that the two of you, being Head Boy and Girl, travel there tomorrow evening to retrieve it."
"How are we supposed to retrieve a magical sword from a muggle hamlet without drawing attention?" Ron abruptly asked.
"Did you forget what date it was?" McGonagall asked patiently.
Parkinson gasped, "Tomorrow is Halloween."
~
"What exactly is the plan, then?" Ron asked as he pulled a fencing uniform over his thin, muscular frame.
Parkinson huffed from behind the closed door. "We are going in costume to Aranshire as muggle partake in this halloween custom called trick or treating. This is a custom where people travel home to home in costume asking for a trick or a treat. But I suppose muggles are boring since they normally leave with candy."
He chuckled under his breath. He could hear her soft grunts and the rustle of fabric as she wrestled with her pilot costume. He smiled as he completed his final touches on his costume. "How are we going to find the sword from a candy hunt?"
"You're dressed as a fencing champion." She said as she flung open the door between them. "If you end up holding a sword, people will just believe you weren't smart enough to know that fencing is done with blades. It's a common misconception."
Pansy stood in front of him with a dark, lace gown with a pointy hat to match. Ron would've started laughing if her makeup wasn't so alluring. She really was a witch.
"Erm, alright, then." Ron responded quickly. "How, do you reckon, we get there?"
"Aren't you captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team?" Parkinson asked as she raised a singular eyebrow.
Ron chuckled in amusement. "You know, a Pureblood girl sharing a broom with a boy is considered to be quite intimate."
Parkinson rolled her eyes as she started towards the door. "Good thing, then, that I don't consider you in that fashion."
Ron grunted and followed behind her.
The fly over was uneventful. Parkinson had a steady grip the entire ride over. She had definitely flown before.
They landed around 3 kilometers south of Aranshire, just enough space to hide the broom in plain sight. Then, they made the 30 minute trek to the hamlet. As they approached, the lights seemed to get brighter. There were children running around with baskets full of sweets, dressed in a variety of whimsical outfits.
Ron got lost in the bright colours that surrounded them. He felt Parkinson grab his hand and he turned his head to face her.
Parkinson shrugged, "Not a lot of people over 12 are wandering about. It may be more believable if we act like a love-sick couple."
Ron felt his eyes widen in shock. Parkinson rolled her eyes in response.
Ron started. "Parkinson, you want to act like we're-"
"-A couple. Yes. It can't be too hard. Draco and, your girl, Granger do it everyday." She stated.
"But, Parkinson, they are actually dating." Ron said.
"Correct. It's just for tonight. No need to make such a deal about it." She said. "And, if this is going to work, you'd might consider calling me by my given name?"
Ron just stared at her.
She narrowed her eyes at Ron, "You do know what my name is, correct?"
"Yes, Pansy, I know what your name is." He cried. "I just can't believe this is really happening."
"Don't be so dramatic, Ron. It's just until we find the sword." Pansy said as she began walking towards the hamlet with Ron in tow.
They approached the first home, hands still connected, and Pansy knocked on the door. The door opened and revealed a pear-shaped older man.
"Why, hello, good sir! We were just participating in our annual custom of the candy search and thought we might check your home. Would that be alright?" Pansy asked in a sudden cockney accent.
Ron looked at her in bewilderment.
As did the man. "Erm. Hello, young lady. I have the candy right here. Take as many as you like." The man held out a bowl full of wrapped sweets.
Pansy plastered on a polite smile and continued speaking, "Thank you, sir. Unfortunately, we were hoping to also have a tour of your lovely home in this search. You see, my Ronny-Poo and I are looking into purchasing a flat. We would love to see some comparable properties."
The man furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you here to trick-or-treat or are you here to scope out the place? I'm not too gullible. You understand? Grab your candy and get out."
Ron pulled Pansy away and behind a bush before she could say anything further.
"Ronald." Pansy said as she pulled her arm away from him. "I was just getting somewhere."
"Yes, you were. You were just getting us caught." Ron whispered harshly. "And Ronny-Poo? You can't be serious?"
Pansy crossed her arms. "You liked it when Brown called you Won Won. How is this different? How is it worse?"
"It doesn't matter. Just. Can we focus on finding the sword? Your plan couldn't have just been going door to door until we find it. No one is going to let us look inside."
Suddenly, they heard a bell from across the courtyard. "Haunted House! Starting in 1 moment! Come on inside and see all of our antiques and the ghosts that loiter inside."
Ron and Pansy looked at each other instantly. They made their way to the home just in time for the doors to close behind them.
Ron walked around scanning each room for the sword while Pansy kept a tight hold on his hand. Finally, Ron had enough. "Will you stop? No one else is here. It's just us. You can stop acting like you like me now."
Pansy stepped back. "What makes you think I don't like you?"
"You bullied me and my friends for years." Ron said incredulously.
"No, that was Draco. I simply bullied Granger." Pansy replied factually.
"I suppose that's true. But now you always complain about me not following protocol." He said.
"I used to complain. Everyone liked you better because of it. Now, I just expect you not to." She responded, still holding tight to his hand.
He rolled his eyes. "Yes. You expect me to break the rules. You don't even see me as a boy."
"I expect you to break protocol when you realize that it's worth it. You save children from premature grief. You help our peers everyday through your mercy and your breaking of protocol. I would never ask you to change."
He looked up to meet her eyes. Were they always so bright?
"And you're right. I've never seen you as a boy. You sort of skipped that stage in my eyes. You were just there for the longest time. Then, all of a sudden, this year, you were a man. A man that is caring, compassionate, funny, and intelligent."
He pulled her in and rested his forehead on hers. He brought his finger to lift her chin up and lightly pressed his lips to hers.
They ripped apart suddenly as they heard a scream. Ron grabbed the first thing he could find and took off. They ran throughout the house to find a young girl who had been scared by a scareactor in the house.
Pansy's widened as she saw what Ron grabbed. It was the Sword of Gryffindor. Ron chuckled as he noticed for himself. He put the sword in his holster, grabbed Pansy's arm, and pulled her in his embrace.
Pansy lifted her head up to face his. "You know, the Head Boy and Girl fraternizing is technically against protocol."
Ron smirked against her lips. "Protocol, be damned."