Disclaimer: How do I own Harry Potter? Let me count the ways. 1... 2... Wait, I don't.

A/N – I haven't posted a new fic in a long time. I've been suffering through some terrible writer's block, but this screamed out at me. Somewhere in there is a quote from the first book. That was the basis of this story.

Ron is faced with a very difficult decision concerning good and evil. Which way will he pick.

No Such Thing As Good And Evil

By: Hopeful Writer

"All right, Weasley, I've got ten minutes before he'll be back. Come with me and keep your damned mouth shut, got it?"

Ron nodded quietly, fearfully, but followed Draco Malfoy through several hallways until they reached a deserted room in a deserted corridor. His mind was reeling and he couldn't help wondering why he was doing this.

"Look." Malfoy's hushed voice broke him out of his thoughts. He was pointing to a small diamond in the shape of the Dark Mark. Ron shivered subconsciously. "This is it, Weasley. This is what the Dark Lord wants, but can't get. He needs you to get it for him. Why you, I may never know, but he said you've got to get it. Dumbledore'll be here in a minute, just grab the diamond and come with me. You give it to the Dark Lord, and when he gets all-powerful, maybe he'll spare you and your" cough "family." Malfoy's grin grew malicious. "Maybe he'll give you some money for it, too, Weasley."

"Couldn't resist that last jab, huh, Malfoy? Even when I'm the only one who can help you." Ron's gaze turned dark as he glared at the other boy. "Why did you ask me to do this? Why the bloody hell did you think I would do something like this?"

Malfoy returned his harsh stare. "Look, it wasn't my idea. I could have used any Weasley. You're just the easiest to get to. Just take the damn necklace, Weasley. Think about it. You take the necklace, you can have anything you want. The Dark Lord will make sure of it. You'll never have to take hand-me-downs or live in the shadows of the all-too-famous Potter or anything else. You can get anything. You'll have power like you've never dreamed of."

Ron felt his ears turn red and his fists clenched. "What makes you think I want to help you?"

"You're not just doing it for me," Malfoy hissed. "You can have anything you want, Weasley. You'll see. You could be rich and famous beyond your wildest dreams. Just take the damn necklace before the old coot gets back. Take it and give it to the Dark Lord. He knows how to repay those who help him."

You could be rich and famous beyond your wildest dreams. Malfoy didn't know it, but he'd hit a nerve there. Hell, throw in brilliant and Ron would have done it in an instant. It was one thing to be poor. It was quite another to be poor and overshadowed by everyone.

I can't do this, Ron thought desperately.

Sure you can, another voice in his head spoke up. All you have to do is take the necklace, bring it to the Dark Lord—

And throw my best friend to the dogs!

Aw, what kind of best friend is he? He left you to duel with Malfoy today so he could go to Quidditch and be with your little sister.

I told him to go. He didn't want to.

But he did.

Ron reached out for the necklace, while Malfoy watched with sparkling eyes. "Go on, Weasley," he coaxed.

Keep going. Take it and you'll be rich and powerful.

But this is wrong! He's evil! Malfoy, Voldemort, they're all evil!

There's no such thing as good and evil, only power – and those too weak to seek it.

That's not true! Is it?

Of course it is. I'm your conscience. I don't lie to you. Take the necklace and you're strong; you can have anything you want. Walk away and you're weak; you'll always be overshadowed by your brothers and your friends. You'll be nothing!

Ron had to admit his conscience made a good argument. He grasped the necklace firmly in his hand and pulled it from its pedestal.

Malfoy was beaming. "Come on, let's get out of here. You can give it to the Dark Lord yourself. He's going to reward you with things you haven't even dreamed of dreaming of."

Ron stared at the little diamond in his hand with a mix of horror and joy. What did I just do?

You did the right thing. You got the necklace. Now you're going to get what you deserve.

Ron shook his head furiously, and Malfoy gave him an odd look. What I deserve is a life imprisonment in Azkaban! If I give this to Voldemort, and he regains power and kills Harry and takes over the world, it'll all be my fault. I can't live with the guilt.

Ron lifted the necklace over his head and, with Malfoy's narrowed eyes on him, brought it crashing down to the earth to shatter into millions of pieces. "What the fuck?!" Malfoy yelled. "You arse! Do you know how much trouble you're going to be in, how much trouble you got me in?"

Ron stared at the shattered pieces for a minute before turning on Malfoy, wand outstretched and eyes gleaming. "Petrificus Totalus!" he cried. Malfoy stiffened and fell to the ground next to the necklace. Ron ran.

He ran all the way back to Gryffindor tower, which was blissfully empty. Well, almost empty. Hermione Granger was sitting on a couch near the fire, reading a thick book. Taking one look at Ron's flushed cheeks and too-bright eyes, she closed the book and motioned for him to take a seat next to her. "What happened?" she asked as he obliged.

"It was a trick," Ron gasped, closing his eyes against the tears that threatened to flow. "Malfoy wanted me to get this necklace for You—for Voldemort. I almost did too. He kept telling me that Voldemort would reward me beyond my wildest dreams, that I could have money and power. Dammit, Hermione, I could have been the one everyone talks about."

She stroked his cheek lightly. "It wouldn't have been anything good, Ron. What did you do?"

He frowned. "I smashed the necklace and petrified Malfoy and left him there. I didn't know what else to do."

"That's fine. I'm sure Dumbledore will find him soon."

"He'll probably tell Dumbledore I was part of it." Ron groaned.

Hermione patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. You're side of the story will be more believable than Malfoy's. Dumbledore knows who to put trust in."

Ron felt the tears coming back. "I almost broke that trust," he admitted. "I was so close to giving in. I'm so sick of everyone always being better than me. For once, I was the only one who do something and I didn't even manage to do that."

"Ron." Hermione placed her hand under his chin and forced him to look at her. "Why didn't you do it?"

"Because... because if Voldemort wins because of that damned necklace, I couldn't live with the guilt. If he hurt Harry because of it, I wouldn't be able to live with it."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him in an awkward hug. "Ron, you're the most loyal person I know. You had the opportunity to get everything you've ever desired and you turned it down for your best friend. You do a lot of things that are really great. Just because it doesn't make the papers doesn't mean anything. Malfoy's a dumb, spineless git who's trying to be a good little boy for his father. Don't ever let him rope you into something like this again. Promise?"

Ron smiled down at the top of her head. "I promise."

A/N – The end! *sighs* Ah, I finally killed that damned writer's block. No need for reviews. If you wanna chat with me, drop a line to [email protected] or IM me at WritinGal73. Bye -- HW