Summary: 30th October 1981. To protect the newly christened "Boy Who Lived" Dumbledore asked Arthur and Molly for a sacrifice: Their youngest son. AU.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It is owned by Ms. J.K. Rowling and whoever else she has sold the rights to. This fan fiction is made for entertainment purposes only and I don't benefit financially from it.
30th October 1981
"Had there been any other way out, I would not have asked you for this Molly. Please understand."
"No! Arthur, tell him, there has to be another way out. He is Dumbledore, for God's sake. He can create ways." Molly almost yelled to her husband, ignoring the white bearded man who made the plea to her.
"Lower your voice, Molly. You don't want Bill or Charlie to hear this, do you? And we should first hear him out, don't you think, before reaching any decision?"
"Hear him out? HEAR HIM OUT? Hear out the man who wants to take my baby and turn him into some kind of heartless soldier? I'm not going to spend even a second in the same room as him. You can make the decision. He's your son too Arthur, in case you've forgotten." Arthur flinched while Molly shrugged her husband's hand from her shoulder and moved towards the door.
"Please Molly; the person who destroyed him tonight is also a child. Harry Potter. And I've reasons to believe that he is the only one capable of fully vanquishing the terror we had been living in for so long." Dumbledore was almost pleading.
"You Know Who is already gone. And even if he returns, Harry Potter is the capable one. Then why not train him? Not that I believe a child to be our savior, but if you are so sure, then train Harry Potter to be that fabled soldier of yours, and leave my baby alone." She responded from near the door. She did not turn to look at him, but she made no further efforts to move out, indicating she was listening.
Molly Weasley/Prewett had always been stubborn; and fiercely protective of anything she deemed hers. Dumbledore was coming to realize that if he wished to get what he wanted, he would have to reveal at least some of his cards. The aura of being "Dumbledore" did not apparently extend to females hell bent on protecting their children. He smiled despite himself. Molly Weasley was one woman who would have stood up to Tom himself, just like Lily Potter had done tonight. He respected bravery and loyalty above all, and Molly Prewett was a very respectable woman. It was one of the reasons for choosing her child, not that he was ever going to tell her that.
But he knew he will have to give her some reasons, and correct ones. Arthur may come out as an absent minded man, but could still be sharp as a blade. He finally sighed, drawing the attention of the couple to him.
"Molly, Arthur." Dumbledore moved forward bringing his wand to his forehead and drawing out a silvery mist with its tip. "There is more to the happenings tonight. There was a prophecy. A prophecy made to me. Here, I'll show you."
xXxXxXxXxXx
Molly and Arthur's reactions to the news were completely different. Molly was gasping with her hand on her mouth and tears in her eyes. Arthur was looking absent minded as ever, but Dumbledore could recognize the calculating look in his deep blue eyes behind those glasses. The reactions were exactly what he hoped for. Molly's motherly instincts and Arthur's intelligence were the things he was relying on to get him what he needed.
As he expected, Molly spoke up first.
"Oh, that poor boy! That poor-poor boy! Having to live with such a destiny hanging over his head. He is orphaned and the whole wizarding world is celebrating the poor luck of the child. I can't even imagine…" She broke off mid sentence and started shaking her head while crying in her hands.
"But Dumbledore, sir, how can we be sure that You Know Who will be returning. And in that case would it not be better if we make Harry ready for the destiny?"
"Yes, it would be, but keeping Harry alive to reach that goal would be the more pressing concern. He is going to his muggle relatives' home for a few reasons. Neither would the Death Eaters, who would be looking for revenge but blinded by their prejudice, look for him there, nor would they find him there. You gathered, I suppose, that Lily Potter invoked a blood magic with her dying breath that kept the baby Potter alive?" At Arthur's nod he continued, "Her sister and nephew have the same blood in their veins. I've strengthened their home by blood wards. As long as he calls that place home, he could not be harmed there. But training him away from there may not be very possible."
"And You-Know-Who?" Dumbledore sighed. Arthur was not easily distracted. Like a chessmaster, he had the ability to look at both the large and small pictures at the same time. It was as much a boon as it was a curse.
"He is not dead, Arthur. He is inexplicably rooted to this plane of life. He has something which prevented his soul from moving on. I have some ideas but even I'm not sure what it is." Dumbledore stated with an extravagant hand gesture. "He might be in less than living state, but he is not dead. And I've no doubts that he is going to return for his revenge. And then, Harry would be in the biggest danger of his life, every moment of his life. And whoever I might be Molly, I will not be able to be with the boy, every step of his life at Hogwarts. That is the job for a friend, a companion, which is where the littlest Weasley son comes in."
"But, but… there would be many little children going to Hogwarts with Harry, why my son? Why not the Longbottom's child? He is the same age, isn't he, Arthur?" However much Molly felt for little Harry, of course, it was not the poor child's fault, she could not get over her own problems. They were humble down to earth family with nothing much to offer.
"Yes. But he has not displayed any sign of magic till now. Forcing him to learn in such circumstances might create problems for him. Moreover, Alice and Frank are unable to have any more children."
Even before completing his statement Albus knew he had made a serious miscalculation, and would now have to tread on glass to prevent further damages.
True to his fears, Molly flared up immediately. "So we should give up our child since we have many to spare. I think not, Dumbledore. One child or thousands, parents love all their children."
To Dumbledore's surprise, Arthur interrupted before he could.
"Molly, don't. He doesn't mean it like that. It would be an honour to have our child protect the future savior of the world. Our little baby would allow other children, his own siblings, his little sister to live in a better world. Won't you want that Molly? Think of little Ginny. Would you want to live in a world where she is forever shunned for being a blood traitor? And our baby won't be gone. It will allow him to survive better himself, won't it? Who knows, it might be his destiny to be Harry Potter's friend, anyway. It will be better for both him and Harry Potter. Please just think it over Molly."
"But still, Arthur, why our child?"
"I'll answer that Molly. First, your son will bear your sense of loyalty and justice. Your entire family has been on light side for generations, and even the external additions have turned light. Then, there is a huge chance Harry Potter would be a Gryffindor. Almost all Weasleys have been in Gryffindor. And looking at both of you, I'm sure; he'll be a talented wizard." Dumbledore responded.
Molly looked up from her hands. "It is no guarantee that either Harry or my son would end up in Gryffindor."
"True Molly, as usual. But there is one more reason for choosing your son. Harry is a Potter, Ronald is a Weasley."
Albus found the calculating look in Arthur's eyes before the significance of the fact dawned on Molly. He knew he had won the round. The next question from Molly almost confirmed his victory.
"But what about little Harry? His muggle relatives…"
"They will have no other choice but to look after him. Don't worry about him Molly."
"Won't he be trained as well Dumbledore, Sir? It would not do if he is unable to protect himself in the end."
"Don't worry Arthur, he will be trained appropriately."
Molly only cried harder at this. The twinkle in brilliant blue eyes returned. Finally!
"I've currently got some affairs to manage, so alas, I'll have to hurry. But I'll soon return for little Ronald."
What Albus Wulfric Percival Brain Dumbldore had kept from the Weasleys was how Harry would be trained. He felt he should really not push his luck any further, especially when he had already obtained his objectives.
xXxXxXxXxXx
That Night, the entire wizarding world celebrated the gain of freedom and security after years of fear and oppression. That Night, Harry Potter lost his parents and happiness. That night, Ronald Weasley was sacrificed.
A/N: I've not seen many Ron centric stories, and even those written, rarely foray into Ron's story pre-Hogwarts. This is an obvious AU, with a different upbringing for Ron. It probably won't be very long. I hope it was an acceptable and enjoyable beginning.
I've tried to keep the grammatical and spelling errors to the minimum, but if you find any, please point them out in your reviews.
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Updating might not be very regular, and I apologize in advance for that.
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