Chapter 19

Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face.

Today was Monday and everyone looked excited. Grace followed the other students through the corridors. At one point Hermione suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her along. Grace felt a little helpless but went with it. After what happened during the Quidditch match last week Hermione had become much more attached to her. She would always share everything that happened to them, what they encountered, or constantly offer her snacks. She had even invited Grace to stay at her house during the holidays. Grace had gotten used to this new level of affection after a few days.

“If Snape’s teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I’m skiving off,” said Ron as they headed toward Lupin’s classroom after lunch.

Grace glanced at Ron for a moment, then looked away.

Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes hung more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes. Nevertheless, he smiled warmly at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape’s behavior while Lupin had been away.

“It’s not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?”

“We don’t know anything about werewolves,”

“Did you tell Professor Snape we haven’t covered them yet?” Lupin asked, frowning slightly.

The babble broke out again.

“Yes, but he said we were really behind. He wouldn’t listen!”

“Two rolls of parchment!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll speak to Professor Snape. You don’t have to do the essay.”

“Oh no,” said Hermione, looking very disappointed. “I’ve already finished it!”

Grace chuckled. “It’s okay, you’re not alone.”

They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a Hinkypunk. It was a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.

“It lures travelers into bogs,” said Professor Lupin as they took notes. “You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? It hops ahead, and people follow the light… then…”

The Hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.

When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Harry among them.

“Wait a moment, Harry,” Lupin called. “I’d like a word.”

Harry looked back at Professor Lupin, then nodded to Hermione, Grace and Ron, signalling them to go on ahead without him.

Seeing Harry and Professor Lupin seemed to be talking about a serious matter, Grace decided to wait nearby.

“Are you going to wait for Harry?” Grace asked, looking at Hermione.

“Of course,” Ron answered abruptly, not even bothering to look at her. “You can go if you have something to do. We don’t need you here.” He crossed his arms over his chest, looking annoyed, as if just talking to her was a waste of his time.

Grace frowned. Lately, Ron’s attitude had been getting worse and worse. At first, she was willing to tolerate it, but her patience had its limits.

“Ron!” Hermione shouted, looking shocked and angry. Grace had only asked nicely, yet Ron kept being rude to her for no reason.

“What? She asked a question, I’m just answering her,” Ron mumbled. He finally glanced at her but looked away quickly, knowing he had crossed a line but too stubborn to apologize.

“Ron.”

Ron stiffened hearing Grace calling his name coldly. “W-What?”

“Harry and Hermione are your friends. You can say whatever you want to them, and they might understand you or be patient with your attitude. But… I’m different, Ron,” Grace said as she moved closer until she was standing right in front of him.

Ron gulped and took a step back. This was the first time he had seen Grace without her usual warm smile. Her expression was cold and indifferent, and for a moment, she looked just like those strict pure-bloods who carried so much authority and weight in every word they spoke.

“W-what do you want?” Ron’s voice trembled slightly.

Hermione stood nearby, looking worried. It was her first time seeing Grace like this too, but she didn’t step in or stop her. She understood that not everyone could tolerate Ron’s moods and rudeness the way she and Harry did. Both were her friends, and she didn’t want them to fight, but deep down she knew Ron really needed to hear this.

Grace stopped moving and looked straight at him with cold indifference. She had tolerated him enough already.

“I am not your friend, nor your enemy, so don’t think you can just say whatever you want to me and I will let it go,” she said firmly. “You are rude. I was talking to Hermione just now, yet you answered in her place, speaking for her rudely. That is wrong in every way. Just because you are her friend and Harry’s best friend, you think you can be rude to anyone around them?”

Ron opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He looked away, his face turning red, feeling both embarrassed and defensive.

“You think I don’t know why you act like this?” Grace continued, her voice not raising but every word hitting him hard. “You are jealous, aren’t you? Jealous that Hermione spends time with me, jealous that Harry practices spells with me, jealous that I seem to fit in easily while you always feel like you are standing in someone’s shadow.”

Ron flinched as if he had been physically hit. His eyes widened, shocked that she had seen right through him.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Grace didn’t give him a chance to interrupt. “You feel insecure because you are the youngest son in a big family, always wearing hand-me-downs, always compared to your brothers. Then you became Harry’s best friend, and suddenly everyone looks at Harry, everyone talks about Harry, and you feel like you are just… the sidekick. And now I come along, and suddenly you feel like I am taking your place, taking your friends away from you.”

“That’s not… I didn’t…” Ron stammered, his face burning. He wanted to deny it, to shout that she was wrong, but deep down he knew every word she said was true.

“Listen to me carefully, Ron Weasley,” Grace said, her tone becoming a little less cold but still firm and serious. “Your friends are not things that can be taken away. Hermione is your friend because she likes you, not because she has no one else to talk to. Harry is your best friend because he values you, not because you are just there. Do you really think being rude, being jealous, and pushing people away will make them stay? Do you think treating me badly will make you more important to them?”

She took a step closer again, looking him straight in the eye.

“If you want to be respected, if you want to feel important, then earn it. Be a good friend, be kind, be brave… you already have those qualities, Ron. Instead of getting jealous every time someone else gets close to them, why don’t you trust them? And why don’t you trust yourself a little more?”

Ron’s face turned bright red instantly. His eyes flashed with anger and he opened his mouth to snap at her, ready to shout that she didn’t know what she was talking about. He wanted to tell her to mind her own business, to say she was wrong, to say she was just being annoying like everyone else.

” You- you don’t know anything about it!” he burst out, his voice tight and shaky,”Y ou think you’re so clever just because you’re good at spells and everyone likes you? You don’t know how it feels-” He stopped abruptly.

Because as he yelled, he looked up and met her eyes. She wasn’t looking angry or triumphant or mocking him. She was just looking at him, calm, serious, and strangely gentle. There was no judgment in her face, only understanding. It was the kind of look that showed she wasn’t guessing or making things up. She knew. She saw right through him, straight to all the messy feelings he had been hiding even from himself.

And suddenly, as he stood there staring back at her, the anger drained right out of him. The words he wanted to say died in his throat. He realized with a sinking feeling in his chest that every single word she had spoken was exactly what he had been carrying around inside him for months. It was what he had been too proud to admit, too scared to say out loud, even to his best friends.

His shoulders slumped. His mouth closed tight. His ears burned hot, bright red now not from anger, but from pure shame. He looked like he wanted to run away and hide, but his feet felt heavy and stuck to the ground.

For the first time, he didn’t feel angry or annoyed at her at all. He just felt deeply ashamed, because she had said out loud everything he had been too scared and proud to admit even to himself.

” I have been patient with you because I know you are just a child, and I understand where these feelings come from,” Grace said, her voice softening a little. ” But understanding does not mean I will keep tolerating you. If you keep acting like this, one day you really will push everyone away, and then you will have no one to blame but yourself.”

She paused, letting her words sink in.

” Hermione and Harry are your best friends, Ron. Treasure them, instead of worrying about losing them. And learn to be a little nicer to people around you. You are a good person, I know that. But right now.. you are acting like a spoiled child.”

Grace turned away, leaving him standing there stunned and silent. She looked at Hermione, who was staring at her with her mouth slightly open, clearly impressed.

“I will leave first, see you later,” Grace said gently, patting Hermione’s head.

With that, she walked away, leaving Ron standing there alone with his thoughts.