Charlie's response came two days later, offering to have his friends pick up Norberta in the Astronomy tower. Ron passed this along to Harry, who brusquely told him they'd handle it. Draco was equally insufferable, dropping thinly veiled dragon threats in every class.
But Ron was wholly apathetic, focused on his final preparations. He raised his Wizard's Chess to Purple LV1 against the Room, practiced flying to Green LV7 and recorded a symphony of the frog choir for Fluffy. Everything needed to be just right.
Eventually the fated night arrived. Ron headed straight for the Room, creating a perfect replica of the Slytherin Common Room. Then, he unfurled the Marauder's Map and waited.
At around 10 o'clock, Hermione and Harry's names exited the Gryffindor Common Room, headed down to Hagrid's hut. In the Hut, they stalled a little, before heading back up to the castle with Norberta in tow. But as they approached, he noticed Draco's name slipping out of the Dungeons.
Ron was surprised. How had Draco known tonight was the night? But then he noticed Draco meeting with the Bloody Baron in the dungeons. So, he'd planted a spy… Regardless, his name rushed off to McGonagall's office at once.
"Well, I guess it's my turn." Ron grumbled, retrieving the two-way mirror. "George."
The mirror shimmered, and on the other side reflected a blurry image the of a nervous Hermione, with Harry in the background. With the quality of the twins' two-way mirrors, communicating across the Hogwarts grounds was already the limit.
"Ron, what is it? What's happened?" Hermione's garbled voice asked panickily, before being shushed by Harry next to her.
"Draco's left the Common Room."
"How'd he know it was today?" Harry asked accusatorially. "If you sold us out…"
"I think the Baron told him."
"Oh no!" Hermione cried. "We saw him lurking outside the Common Room, but we were already under the cloak. I thought…"
"It doesn't matter. We've got to do it today." Harry said firmly.
The two faces quickly disappeared, replaced by Ron's own, his gaze then returned to the Map. Harry and Hermione continued their trek to the Astronomy Tower, having a close call with Filch along the way. Minutes after they arrived, Draco and McGonagall appeared, but they left shortly after.
Finally, at midnight, four names descended on the Astronomy tower. The long-awaited dragon transfer occurred, but Ron could already see Filch's name bounding up the hall. Moments later, the four names flew off, Norberta in tow, and Harry and Hermione moved to leave. But when they turned, Filch was waiting for them. They'd gotten caught, just as intended.
Once they were gone, Ron stealthily exited the Room, rushing to the Astronomy tower. There, at the top of the tower, lay a bundle of silvery fabric, sitting out on the landing. It was the invisibility cloak. He pocketed it at once, before rushing back to the Room.
Only once inside did he finally relax. Then, a wide grin spread across his face. The final piece of his plan had finally fallen into play. Holding the cloak in his palm, he manifested it onto his panel.
[Invisibility Cloak (Gold) LV7 12071214/14000000]
Ron's jaw hung open. Gold Level? How powerful was that? Counting six zeroes, he saw it was an entire three levels above Purple. As expected of a Deathly Hallow. He wondered if the Philosopher's Stone was also at this level.
Unfortunately, he couldn't keep the cloak for long. Eventually Harry, and more concerningly Dumbledore would come looking for it. He was only borrowing it as one last security measure for his heist.
The next day, the whole school was in outrage after Gryffindor lost one hundred points and Slytherin twenty. Slytherins didn't know whether to be proud or furious of Draco, while Gryffindors were most certainly furious at Harry and Hermione. Relations between the four houses had also plummeted to an all-time low, putting a noticeable dent in Ron's bottom line, but he wasn't too bothered, instead working with Hermione in the library to prepare for her trip into the Forbidden Forest.
"You know Hermione, you might be the first person ever to study for a detention." Ron joked, while flipping through a thick book on dangerous woodland creatures.
"Stop laughing!" She said angrily. "This is serious stuff. Hogwarts: A History says there are all kinds of dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest. Trolls, Centaurs, Acromantulas. There are even rumours of Werewolves living there."
"Really? Werewolves?" Ron laughed. "You do realize those are just ordinary blokes twenty-nine nights out of thirty? And last I checked, there isn't a full moon this weekend."
Hermione's expression softened slightly at his reassurance, but she still looked quite afraid.
"Alright how about this, have you still got George's two-way mirror?" Ron asked.
She nodded, retrieving the small hand mirror.
"If you run into any werewolves, or Acromantulas or anything, you can contact me, and I'll give them a proper scolding."
She rolled her eyes, but he could see her clutching the mirror with a slight smile. They continued chatting and laughing well into the night.
The week blasted past them, and soon it was Sunday, the evening of Hermione's detention. It was also the perfect time to seize the stone.
Yes, all his planning had been for this. Because not only were Harry and Hermione going to be in the Forest, but so was Quirrell, his greatest competitor. Moreover, with Harry at risk of facing Voldemort, Ron bet his left knut that Dumbledore would be there. It was the best opportunity he'd get.
There he stood, in the Room, packing the expanded pouch he'd gotten from Blaise with every necessity. Scent-removing sprays for Fluffy, a broomstick for the keys, Hermione's book on chess tactics and more. Then, he waited, Marauder's Map in hand, watching as the halls cleared.
At eleven o'clock sharp, Filch arrived at the Great Hall, taking Hermione and Harry. The three names departed, but Ron didn't relax until finally, 'Albus Dumbledore' followed them. Perfect.
However, soon after, 'Severus Snape' went from the Dungeons into the Third-Floor corridor. It seemed Dumbledore wasn't a fool and left protection for the Stone. But Ron planned for this.
Leaving the Room, Ron threw on the cloak before rushing to the Gryffindor Common Room. He only had one last thing to pick up. Knocking on the Fat Lady's portrait, he awoke her with a start, much to her annoyance.
"Password?" The Fat Lady demanded.
"Err… I don't know it."
"No password, no entry." She said simply, before preparing to return to sleep.
"Wait!" Ron called out. "My friend Neville's in there and I'm sure he's worried sick. Can you just call him out?"
"You're the Weasley in Slytherin aren't you?" The Fat Lady asked.
He nodded.
She scrutinized him, before disappearing with a sigh. Moments later, the portrait swung open, and out walked Neville, eyes blood-shot. It was clear he couldn't sleep, kept up with worry for Harry and Hermione.
"Ron? What're you doing out here?"
"We need to talk."
***Chapter 16***
Ron awoke the next morning with a headache and a missing sock. Otherwise, he and Neville were fine, unlike Draco, Harry and Hermione all scared stiff from their detention. With only three of them, they hadn't split up, so they all saw the hooded figure in the forest. But with end-of-year looming, fear quickly faded into panic.
The last weeks of his first year passed by swiftly and uneventfully. End-of-year exam rush brought a small business boom as students studied so hard they broke their quills. Then exams came and went as he effortlessly breezed through all but History of Magic and Astronomy.
Finally, the night of the last exam, Ron watched on the Map as the trio of Harry, Hermione, and Neville, tried for the stone. Eventually, he felt the two-way mirror warming up in his pocket as he retrieved it with a smirk, feigning a yawn as he activated it.
"Hermione? Do you know what bloody ti-ti-time it is?" He yawned, seeing the frazzled girl holding up the mirror at such an angle to hide the chessboard around her.
"Listen Ron, I don't have time to explain, but I need you to help me win a chess game!"
"A chess game? At this hour? Who on Earth are you playing?"
"Ron!"
"Fine…" He grumbled, getting out of bed as he whipped out the board. "Lay out your position for me…"
With that, Hermione set out her position, hardly a lost game, but definitely down a few points. Fortunately, Ron was not unaccustomed to playing losing games, and quickly found a pathway to victory.
That said, he did have some frustrations, including three particular pieces Hermione refused to let him sacrifice. While he knew the reason, he couldn't help but be frustrated at how she had to choose a castle, a bishop and a knight instead of a king and two useless pawns.
Still he played with what limitations he had, ultimately attaining checkmate after 69 moves. Afterwards, Hermione offered him an emphatic thanks, then before he could ask any further questions, she severed the connection.
Of course, Ron knew the truth. He only wondered if he had left behind the surprise that he had been planning for one particular turbaned Professor…
The next morning, he heard at breakfast that the trio were all in the Hospital Wing.
By the time Ron had arrived, the Hospital Wing was already crowded by Gryffindors. Seamus and Dean excitedly asked questions, Oliver Wood frantically ensured Harry was alright and the twins were carrying a massive toilet seat.
"Alright, that's it!" Madame Pomfrey cried over the yells of students. "One visitor at a time, and the rest of you lot out!"
Many were upset, but seeing Madame Pomfrey's fierce gaze, they could do nothing but obey. Fortunately, Ron was allowed to stay, finally getting a look at them.
Neville was worst off, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, stroking a small green vine on his bedside table. Next to him, Hermione's brow was furrowed, reading a parchment with a broken wrist and bruises all over. Meanwhile, Harry seemed relatively fine, only clutching his scar from time to time.
"Don't worry, Madame Pomfrey says it ought to be healed soon." She informed Ron. "She's been telling me all about the magic behind it and it's really quite fascinating. It's a shame we haven't got much about healing in the curriculum."
He nodded, making a mental note to self-study. Most healing fell into Charms anyway, and it was good insurance.
"So, what in Merlin's name happened to you lot? One minute you're asking me for chess tips, the next you're all in the Hospital Wing!"
"Well, it's a long story…" Hermione started.
From the beginning, she told Ron the entire story, with Neville occasionally jumping in. Much like in canon, they used Hagrid's flute pass Fluffy, bluebell flames for the Snare—with Neville taking a cutting—and Harry's flying for the keys. But once they reached the chessboard, they were stumped. Finally, she remembered the mirror, contacting Ron to help them through it.
"A life-sized chessboard? Bloody hell, I'd love to get a look at that." Ron marvelled.
"It was terrifying." Hermione shuddered. "I was almost convinced we'd lose Neville at one point."
"Was he the reason you wouldn't let me sacrifice the knight on F4? It was the best move to make!"
Hermione just huffed angrily, before continuing the story; only this was where it got interesting. Through the next door, they found the troll unconscious and they rushed to the next room. There, they saw the thief.
"Quirrell?" Ron feigned shock. "You mean the same Quirrell who stuffed garlic into his turban because he was afraid of vampires?"
"It wasn't garlic under there…" Neville muttered, the trio all shuddering.
"What? Did he buy onions by mistake?" Ron joked.
But none of them laughed.
"It was Voldemort." Harry finally spoke.
"What!" Ron cringed. "Like… a dark mark?"
"No, it was horrible…" Hermione whispered. "We heard arguing at first, Quirrell and someone else. At first, we thought he was mad, talking to himself… But then we saw it, a whole other face, coming out the back of his head!"
"Bloody hell… how'd you escape?"
"Quirrell was injured." She explained. "Half-burned and going purple in the face. He could barely wave his wand by the time we made it through… still, if it wasn't for Harry, we'd be done for."
Ron was surprised for a bit, but then he remembered the little contingency he'd planned. So, he'd actually done it after all.
"You should have seen it, it was brilliant!" Neville jumped in. "Quirrell couldn't do anything to Harry. Then, Harry grabbed him, melting his face by just touching him. In the end, he wound up scarpering with his tail between his legs."
Quirrell escaped? Ron was surprised by this development. Still, with his severe injuries, he ought not to be a threat, right? He listened on as Hermione finished the story.
"With Quirrell beaten, we heard a scream, then Harry fainted. Dumbledore arrived not long after, taking us to the Hospital Wing before checking on the stone."
With that the story finished, and the Hospital Wing fell silent, save for Madame Pomfrey's humming. Ron could tell despite their excitement; the trio must have been terrified.
"Alright, that's it. Next time you lot decide to have a midnight rule-breaking adventure, you've got to invite me." Ron finally interjected.
This broke the sombre mood as they all laughed. Then, they chatted for a while about everything from exams to the upcoming Quidditch matches. Finally, Madame Pomfrey chased out Ron, but just before he left Hermione spoke.
"There's just one thing I don't understand." She muttered, looking over the parchment in her hand. "I've read this riddle a dozen times and Quirrell chose the right vial… So why was it poison?"
"I dunno, maybe the riddle was fake, and all of them were poison." Ron offered. "That was Snape's challenge, right? Seems like something he'd do."
"But that makes no sense! Why offer a riddle at all? Or choices? And what if Dumbledore needed to check on the stone?"
"Besides, Dumbledore mentioned that when he made it through, the stone was already gone." Harry said. "Someone else must have gotten it… but who?"
"Guess we'll never know." Ron said.
Then, he departed with a ghost of a smirk on his face.
He'd done it.