Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter 15 Aragog

With Dumbledore and Hagrid gone, the entire school grows more solemn. In a Herbology lesson Harry notices spiders heading to the Forbidden Forest. One night, with the invisibility cloak, Harry and Ron set out for the forest. There they discover Aragog, a giant spider,  he reveals Hagrid's innocence and hints at other things. When the boys go to leave, though, they are attacked by Aragog's numerous children. They escape with the help of the now wild Mr. Weasley's car.

Snape swept past Harry, making no comment about Hermione's empty seat and cauldron.
"Sir," said Malfoy loudly. "Sir, why don't you apply for the headmaster's job?"

HE WILL BE THE HEADMASTER. :O
Also, I think it's excellent how JK keeps mentioning Hermione's absence. She's brought the problem very close by having Hermione be petrified and she's not going to let the characters or the readers forget that because action needs to be taken and quick.

"I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger --"
The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Malfoy's last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Malfoy went unnoticed.
"Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands --" 

RON WEASLEY

One point for you.

Ernie took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're in the same boat now, and, well --"

He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it.

Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Harry and Ron.

That was very decent of you, Ernie. It takes guts to admit you're wrong and apologize. I award you with two points.

"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure he was guilty," said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining one and one made two.

You know what, I'm taking away three points from Mister Cornelius-jerkface-Fudge. Hmph. One more point from Lockhart as well.

Ron read the message, swallowed hard, and looked sideways at the empty seat usually filled by Hermione. The sight seemed to stiffen his resolve, and he nodded.

How is it not obvious that Ron and Hermione would end up with each other? Right now, of course, I think that Ron thinks of her only as a friend. He defends Hermione very often in this book. Hermione's petrification is Ron's source of determination and courage. Does he want to follow the spiders into the Forbidden Forest? Heck no! He's terrified of spiders and everyone fears the forest. But he's going to do it anyways because Hermione has been harmed and this business of petrifying needs to stop.

Standing up for someone and gaining your courage from them isn't exactly a sign of romantic feelings. That's not what I'm trying to say. What I'm trying to say is that Ron defends Hermione. Ron finds reason to continue on in Hermione's petrification. Not Harry but Ron.

Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, openmouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner.

"it;s been here all the time!" said Ron delightedly, walking around the car. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild...."

The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Aparently it had taken to trundling around the forest on it's own.

I like to think the car stayed in the forest, alive forever. It would eventually become a sort of Hogwarts legend.

I heard there's a possessed car in the Forbidden Forest.

It's not possesssed! Harry Potter, the one who defeated Voldemort, made it enchanted.

Yeah, I heard he rode it to school one year and crashed it into the forest. That's why it's there.

Over time facts get muddled, you know.

Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air. The car screeched to a halt in front of Harry and Ron and the doors flew open.

EVEN THE WEASLEY'S CAR IS AMAZING. That's it, every Weasley gets one point, including the car.

"Ron -- that girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom," said Harry, ignoring Neville's snuffling snores from the corner. "What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?

Ron rubbed his eyes, frowning through the moonlight. And then he understood, too.

"You don't think -- not Moaning Myrtle?"

Now you're getting somewhere!