The next day is a Hogsmeade weekend and Ron whines as he sees Harry and Hermione walking outside the school with Luna Lovegood, Daphne Greengrass, Fleur, Viktor, and a young blonde girl that had been introduced as Fleur's sister. He's pulled away from the window and whining, drug to the empty potions classroom and given a list of potions, instructions, and Umbridge makes sure he doesn't bring anything else back to the table, watching as Ron starts chopping items he drops into the cauldron.

"However did you convince him to work quietly?" Snape asks. Then he sees Ron's mouth moving. He's been a teacher long enough to learn to read lips. "Ahhhh, I see. You removed his voice, clever."

Madam Umbridge hit him with a stinging hex. "Language Mr. Weasley, just because I can't hear you doesn't mean I don't understand what you're saying. Quit whining, insulting my parents marital status, and get to work."

Ron continues to complain the entire time he's working, yelling at the top of his lungs when Umbridge hexes him every time he even thinks about stopping. Five long hours later the container is filled with vials and the paperwork is in an envelope Severus takes into his office to send to the ministry Monday as Ron runs for the Great Hall, shoving people aside at the Gryffindor table to get the best spot and getting hexed by the teachers at the head table.

"Mr. Weasley, there is plenty of room for everybody. You do not need to shove to get to the trough before the others like a common pig." McGonagall says firmly. "Go to your room, the elves will bring you a plate."

Ron makes a rude gesture her direction, then silently screams when McGonagall grabs him by the ear, dragging him away from the table and out of the great hall.

"Until you can learn some manners, you can have your meals in your room." She returns his voice down the hallway, that way she doesn't have to hear his histrionics. A house elf pops in a plate of food and goes away.

"I'm surprised the little brat didn't try to shove his sister away from his mother's teat, after all he was hungry." she says sourly as she walks back to the Great Hall. She apologizes to her lions before picking up her napkin and starting to eat again.

In Hogsmeade a group of Hogswart, Beauxbaton, and Durmstrang students have put together tables in the back room of the Hogshead and are waving hands as they talk in a variety of languages.

Fleur smiles at how Harry and Hermione are interacting, they might think they're nothing more than friends but she can see how they care for each other. Neville and her younger sister are talking about . . .ahhh plants. It seems Longbottom has quite a green thumb and wants to rebuild his family's greenhouse business that had been put aside when his parents were injured. She makes a mental note to write to Papa later that night. the Delacour family had been herbologists for years and were more than happy to help find a new business venture.

"Are you okay Harry, you've got a strange look on your face?" Seamus asks.

"I just had a thought of how things might have been, if the death eaters hadn't been taken out over the summer I'm sure one of them would have tried putting my name in the Goblet. And nobody believed I didn't do it because 'of course you wanted the publicity, you're the boy-who-lived'." Dean snorts, recognizing Ron Weasley's voice.

"Hell, if you're going to think of what if, why not have Ron not having failed his first year three times so he's a fourth year too."

Across the table Luna smiles.

"The nargles say the bad man can't come back thanks to how the world has shifted."

"A seer?" Viktor asks, recognizing the 'not quite there' gaze from several of his fellow students.

Harry nods. "The teachers announced when she entered school that she was a seer and might seem a little strange, if anybody bothered her they'd be punished."

"Do you take divinations? It is supposed to help a seer live a normal life." Madam Maxine asks from a nearby table.

"Our teacher is a drunken joke. Nobody takes the NEWTS unless they have the gift. That, history, and potions are usually self-taught at the NEWTS level."

"History?"

"A ghost, who has been stuck on the Goblin Rebellion for decades. From what the older students have said, there's only one question about the Goblins on the OWLS. If you want to pass them, you study on your own."

Madam Maxine shakes her head. "Let me introduce you to my history teacher, while she is here she can tutor students if you want, she says she is bored."

After dinner that night Madam Maxine and her history teacher talk to Albus and Remus. They're both shaking their head after they see pensieve memories of some of the classes.

"I do not like the idea of students sleeping in class, but I can understand it hearing that man drone on." She looks at Remus and starts talking about her class plans, Remus nods and hands over his notes on what he's teaching the older students, they're talking as they walk out of the Headmaster's office.

Back at the Burrow Molly is on a mission, trying to find everything her son had stolen because he wanted it. She can't remember him bringing home anything beyond the bags from the stores when she took them shopping but she never investigated them either. Now she's going to be looking.

"Oh god, what a mess. If his dorm was this bad, no wonder none of the other students liked him." Hurriedly opening a window, she flicks her wand to send the smell that's almost physical out the window. Turning around she shakes her head at the state of the room, the bed unmade and clothes hanging out of the dresser drawers.

"Dear, did you have to make such a mess?" Arthur asks from the doorway.

"I haven't even started. This is how our beloved son left his room when he went back to school. Because he expects somebody else to pick up behind him."

Arthur sighs.

"Dear, what are these?" Molly holds up a pair of dark blue trousers of an unfamiliar material that had been tossed in a corner.

"I believe they're muggle. . .genes?" Arthur says. "The muggle-born students wear them when they're not in class."

"How would Ron have them? He's never been in London except when we're going to the train."

"I don't know dear."

"I've never seen him wearing these around the house." She holds them up. "I don't think they'd even fit him."

"Neither have I dear. But remember, it's not whether he knows what they are or not. It's just that he wants them."

"Well, that boy is getting a rude awakening. I'll ask Harry or Hermione if these need special laundering." Molly starts folding everything, stripping the room of everything but Ron's second-hand clothing and the bed.

"What did he think he'd do with all this yarn?" Arthur sighs, making a box that he starts putting yarn, needles, and books into. Molly looks over everything and sighs.

"I won't need to order yarn for years."

"What are these?"

"Muggle comics, I know Flourish and Blott has a small selection of them. Hermione was saying how they come out monthly and something the stories continue. Sometimes the publishers will collect the stories and print special editions, they are much more expensive than the normal comics." Arthur shakes his head.

"Why would Ron need five fancy fountain pen sets? They don't allow them at the school."

"He doesn't need them Molly, he wants them."

Molly shakes her head as they head to bed. Knowing Ron, everything isn't hidden in his room so they'll have to check the others over the next few days. The other children will understand, after all it's not like this is the first time she's went through their things. No, she can't say she snoops, she's just a concerned mother and wants the best for her children. Her children wouldn't dare have secrets from her. Or so she thought until she saw everything that Ron had been hiding in his room.

The next day the announcement is made and a sign-up sheet is passed around, the top spots going to students who would be taking their OWLS that year.

"Madam Maxine?" Harry asks as he follows her to the room that had been set aside for her teacher's classes. There are books at each desk, along with ink, quills, and parchment.

"Oui, Monsier Potter?" she asks.

"I did not realize that you took students so young?"

"Ahhh, you speak of Mademoiselle Delacour? She is not a student, her family is off on a business trip inspecting businesses they own or have interests in in other countries and there was nobody at home to take care of Gabrielle. Her parents asked if she could stay with her sister this year." She smiles as Harry and Hermione settle at the same table, obviously something they've done before.

They break for lunch and a commotion at the entrance to the Great Hall has them looking, they see Percy, Molly, and Arthur dragging Ron into the room. Percy calmly conjures a chair for his mother as she pulls Ron over her lap and begins blistering his ass with stinging swats.

"You.Do.NOT.Shove.Younger.Students.Away.From.The.Table.So.You.Get.A.Good.Spot.To.Eat. There is enough food to go around and every spot at the table is a good spot." Soon her hand is hurting just as much as Ron's ass is by the sounds he's making and she waves it to stop the stinging. Smirking Snape hands her a paddle he conjures.

"Thank you Severus." She takes the paddle and lays back into her son.

"Now apologize for making a spectacle of yourself yesterday." Ron mumbles something.

"Speak up." his father orders.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Now let me eat." he starts to rush to Gryffindor table.

"Nope, like Minerva said yesterday, until you can learn some manners you're eating in your room."

"But they're only giving me one plate of food. I'll starve." he howls as he's drug away by his brother.

The first task is on before they know it and Ron is left in the tent as the others go out to to try to get the egg. He's taken out last and screams when he sees a Hungarian Horntail waiting on him. Forgetting about the egg, he runs screaming away and trips, getting up and running again when the last sausage he'd eaten that morning. . .Minerva had allowed him to eat at the Gryffindor table since he said he needed the extra food to be ready for the task makes him fart. Just then the Dragon breaths a flicker of flame and his ass erupts in flames.

"YYYYYYYYEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!" Ron is propelled several feet in the air.

"I'll give him a seven on distance but the landing sucked." Hermione cackles, leaning against Harry's shoulder. Ginny hears her from her spot on Harry's other shoulder and laughs, the comment soon making the rounds of the stands while Ron is busy rubbing his ass on the ground trying to put his ass out. Damn, that was worse than eating that entire bag of extra spicy chiles.

Somebody starts clapping and soon everybody is standing up as the dragon is taken away.

"Are you seriously applauding Mr. Weasley's performance?" Madam Maxine asks.

"Hell no," one of the twins shouts. "We're congratulating the dragon."

The dragon, almost as if she had heard them turns and bows to the audience.