There are always two sides to every story.
Wizards may be special, but at their core, they're still human.
And as humans, they naturally experience negative emotions and desires.
The more Ron listened to all the praise and admiration being heaped on Draco Malfoy, the more unsettled he became. It just didn't sit right with him. How could things have turned out this way?
Shouldn't the focus be on his bravery—on how he stood up to Slytherin?
So what if Draco was good at spells?
Aren't all Slytherins dark wizards anyway?
Who knows what shady methods he used to boost his strength? After all, the Malfoys were known to be among the most loyal Death Eaters of You-Know-Who!
It's easy for a child's upbringing to shape their developing worldview. And with the long-standing feud between their families, paired with Ron's sensitive nature...
It was inevitable.
He pinned all the blame on Draco.
Even though Draco had probably never even met the Dark Lord.
Let alone become a Death Eater...
...
Truthfully—
If Goyle and Crabbe hadn't crossed paths with Ron on the Hogwarts Express, and hadn't gone out of their way to provoke him...
If Ron hadn't been so sensitive about his family situation...
Maybe the incident during flying class wouldn't have happened at all.
Unfortunately—
Draco had always chosen to ignore the redheaded Weasley.
He neither encouraged nor stopped Goyle and Crabbe's antics.
He simply observed their petty squabbles like an outsider.
But ironically—
That very indifference was what made Ron lash out at Draco in the first place.
Because sometimes, being ignored is the harshest insult of all...
And yet.
The so-called "vile Death Eater" Ron accused—
Was the one who, at Hermione's urging, had stepped in to save Neville.
In that moment—
Ron felt like a complete fool.
"It's all part of Malfoy's scheme! You're all falling for it!"
"Ron?"
Harry, still wrestling with his breakfast, looked up, startled by the bitterness in Ron's voice.
"Harry, you get it, right? This is all Malfoy's plot!"
"Uh... but if he hadn't acted, Neville would've..."
"That's exactly why I said it's a plot! I don't believe for a second a Slytherin would be that generous."
"Hmm..."
"I'm telling you—it must've been some kind of unknown Dark Magic!"
Harry didn't know how to respond to that.
Or maybe—
He simply didn't want to argue with his first friend.
Besides, he'd never had a good impression of Slytherin to begin with.
So he said nothing in their defense...
Still, not every Gryffindor agreed with Ron.
For instance—
Hermione, upon hearing Ron declare the Levitation Charm to be dark magic, shot him a look that screamed, "Are you serious right now?"
And then there was the chubby boy Draco had saved...
"No... it's not like that at all!!!"
Neville, who had been sitting silently with his head down, suddenly flushed red and shouted at Ron.
Everyone turned in surprise, and only then did Neville shrink back into his usual quiet self.
No one had expected it.
That usually timid and unassuming Neville Longbottom would suddenly snap like this.
Was this what they called the fury of the mild?
"When my... my pet went missing, it was Draco who helped me find it. He's not as bad as you say!"
Though he stammered, and parts of his words were lost in his timid tone, his meaning came through clearly enough...
Now, the other Gryffindors were curious to see how Ron would respond.
After all, it was a fact—they'd seen Draco help Neville with their own eyes.
Feeling all the surprised eyes turning on him, Ron, ever sensitive, turned bright red. Whether it was from embarrassment or frustration, even he didn't know.
"Neville, you... you..."
Ron glared furiously at Neville Longbottom, who had just made him look like a fool.
Seeing more students gathering around, Harry quickly stepped in to defuse the situation.
"Neville, Ron's just in a bad mood. He was only joking."
Unfortunately—
Ron, already humiliated by someone he thought of as a coward, wasn't ready to back down.
"No, Harry. I'm going to expose that Death Eater's true nature..."
Even now, Ron clung to his belief.
What he didn't realize was that someone had stepped up behind him.
"Oh, you stupid Weasley. How about a wizard's duel?"
The voice interrupting him belonged to none other than Goyle and Crabbe, who had conveniently "just happened" to be passing by.
They leaned in close, whispering something only Ron could hear.
And when Goyle repeated that all-too-familiar line—"stupid Weasley"—it cut deep, echoing words that once came from Draco himself.
"A wizard's duel, huh?"
"Fine! I pick Harry as my second!"
This sudden turn of events left Harry, still sitting nearby, staring at Ron in stunned silence.
"........"
Wizard duel?
What was that supposed to be?
And didn't they still barely know how to cast spells...?
...
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
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