Author's Note: Useless drabble or you know, another one shot :) Let me know if you love it or hate it.
"Fred and George tried to get me to make one [Unbreakable Vow] when I was about five. I nearly did, too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental," said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. "Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since."
"They've all had their breakfast dear and Ginny and I will be back just after lunch." Molly Weasley was rushing about the kitchen with her daughter underfoot.
"Just go Love, everything will be under control. I promise you." Arthur spoke as he sipped his morning tea. He had only just returned home from his night shift at the Ministry and though he was a bit tired he was fully prepared to handle his rowdy sons for a few hours.
"Charlie and Bill are out back flying," Molly explained as she headed towards the fireplace with Ginny in tow, "Percy is up in his room and I think Ron is playing with the twins."
"Very good," Arthur nodded, "Give Aunt Muriel my love."
"Bye daddy!" Ginny smiled as she followed her mother.
"I'll see you later my little Love," Arthur smiled at his youngest child.
The silence that took over the house when Molly and Ginny finally left was deafening. Off in the distance Charlie and Bill could be heard hollering in the backyard as they practiced their Quidditch skills.
Arthur finished his tea, enjoying the silence. After placing his dirty teacup in the sink he abandoned the kitchen for his study. His hope was to get just an hours worth of work in while his children all seemed content with playing amongst themselves.
"Okay now hold my hands."
Arthur paused just outside the door to his study as he heard his son's voice.
"Like this?" Ron asked.
Arthur smiled softly to himself as he leaned against the wall just next to the doorway listening intently. He often found himself in this position when he was lucky enough to overhear his children playing without their knowledge. During his experience with being a father, he had quickly learned how amusing and precious the conversations between his children could be when they thought no one else was listening, and so when he encountered the opportunity to hear one he always took it.
"Yeah just like that," George replied, "Good job Ronnie!"
Arthur smiled at these words. He could nearly picture Ron's face, which he was sure held a look of sheer joy. Ron often tagged along behind his older twin brothers and sadly most of the time Fred and George could not be bothered to play with him. And when they did it usually didn't last long before Ron was crying about them being mean towards him and so it was a treat to hear the twins treating him so nicely.
"Now what should the promise be?" Fred asked.
"The book says that whatever it is he has to do it so make him give us all his pocket money," George replied.
Arthur raised an eyebrow at the mention of "the book"…surely they weren't.
"Wicked," Fred smiled before turning back to his attention back to his younger brother. "Okay now say what I say," Fred instructed, "I Ron Weasley."
"I Ron Weasley," Ron repeated obediently.
Arthur nearly tripped over his own two feet as he turned bolted into the study. His worst fear was confirmed as he spotted Fred and Ron sitting across from each other on the floor, hands intertwined. George was just next to them and on the floor next to him was Bill's wand as well as a book on magic that they clearly borrowed from a top shelf in the study.
"What in Merlin's name are the three of you doing?" Arthur demanded in a loud voice.
Fred quickly dropped his brother's hand and scooted backwards several inches.
"We were uh just playing," George quickly attempted to explain.
"Playing?" Arthur yelled as he eyed up the twins, "With your brother's wand? Playing with dark magic?"
"We were just joking around dad," Fred said.
Arthur shook his head as he willed his temper to calm.
"Ronald go to your room," he demanded.
Ron wasted no time listening and within seconds he scampered out of the room and could be heard climbing up the stairs.
Arthur reached down and picked the book up off the ground. "Where did this come from?"
George eyed his brother before he began to speak. "It was lying on…"
"Before you answer," Arthur cut his son off, "Let me remind you that the penalty for telling an out right lie in this house is a soapy mouth."
Arthur didn't miss Fred's eyes widening at these words.
"We took it from the shelf up there," George replied as he pointed to a shelf behind his father's desk before his eyes went downcast.
"A shelf you are both aware that you have absolutely no business borrowing anything from," Arthur replied, "And Bill's wand? Is he aware that you have it?"
Arthur knew the answer to this question. Bill, though he was very capable of getting into mischief when he wanted to, would have never allowed his younger brothers to play with his wand.
The twins shook their red heads in silence, confirming their father's thoughts.
"And are either of you at all aware of the level of darkness of the spell you were about to perform on your brother?" Arthur all but yelled the words.
His temper was still flaring though he was trying hard to reel it back in.
"It was just a joke dad," Fred tried to explain.
"We just wanted him to give us his pocket money and…"
"The spell you were doing is called an Unbreakable Vow! And if you would have succeeded in casting this spell that was just a joke," Arthur cut off his son, "and your brother didn't do exactly as you said he would have died."
The twin's heads snapped up.
"Yes," Arthur nodded, "Ten years from now…twenty years from now…if Ron would have kept any of his money for himself he would have died!"
Arthur shook his head in frustration with the situation as he quickly whipped his own wand out of his pocket and cast a silencing spell on the room.
"We didn't know," Fred said his eyes full of worry at his father's sudden use of his wand.
"Honest," George added in as he watched Arthur walk behind his desk, pulling the chair out.
Arthur had heard enough.
He was sure that the twins were being honest. Of course they didn't know how serious the spell was…how could they have known? Still they did know not to play around with magic. They did know never to touch anyone's wand. They did know that they weren't supposed to touch the books that they couldn't reach on their own. And if they had followed all of those rules they wouldn't have been playing around with an Unbreakable Vow in the first place.
"Come here Fred," Arthur spoke as he sat on the chair. "George into the corner you go."
There was no mistaking the look of sheer horror that have overcome the twins face. Arthur wasn't shocked by seeing it either. No doubt they knew what they were in for and by the looks they were sporting it seemed as though they thought they were dreaming.
George had already quickly found his feet and was moving towards the nearest corner.
"But dad you can't…"
"I promise you I can Fred," Arthur cut his son off, "Now walk your self over here young man because if I have to get up and get you I'll just keep walking into the kitchen and get your mother's wooden spoon as well."
Fred frowned deeply as these words and stood up slowly taking a step towards his father.
Arthur could understand the hesitation.
In the Weasley household, Molly was the disciplinarian and all the children knew it. Though he had been a father for just over fourteen years and though he had seven children he had never officially doled out a spanking. Of course he had given a few swats in passing to Bill and Charlie over the years but they were mostly for effect or because Molly gave him that look silently telling him he needed to do so.
Arthur processed patience that his wife could only dream of. It was part of the reason they worked so well together. He knew his children weren't perfect but he felt that his wife handled their misdeeds just fine and that there was very little reason for him to step in, and he appreciated that.
Today though…today he would handle his boys.
Fred was still walking slowly towards him, fidgeting with every step.
"Fred Weasley I am going to count to three and if you are not standing in front of me by the time I finish…"
But Arthur's threat was never heard as Fred hurried his walking with his father's promise of counting.
Molly was often known to count when her children were not moving fast enough for her liking and Fred hated it more than anything.
Dreading what was to come and knowing that he had more than one spanking to administer before this whole affair would be over, Arthur wasted no time lecturing.
In one swift movement he guided his son over his knee and quickly took hold of the waistband of Fred's pants, pulling them down only as far as they needed to go.
"Daddy no!" Fred whined loudly as he realized what had happened.
Arthur ignored his son's whines and instead focused his attention on the boy's twin.
"George put your nose back in that corner this instant!"
George immediately obeyed and Arthur sighed to himself. How on Earth did his wife manage the two of them on a daily basis? He hadn't even begun punishing anyone yet and already he was exhausted.
Not wanting to make his son wait any longer for his fate, Arthur raised a hand and brought it down smartly onto his son's backside.
Fred immediately began kicking his legs and twisting his body away from his father's hand.
"You can fight me all you want on this," Arthur spoke in a stern voice, "But it will not stop me from completing your punishment."
At these words Fred settled down some, though his feet kept kicking as he cried loudly.
He was nearly half way done when he felt Fred grab a hold of his robes.
"Daddy I'm sorry," Fred cried as Arthur delivered the last few swats to the red bottom before him.
He finished and abruptly righted his young son, re-dressing him just after his feet hit the floor.
"Into the corner with you," Arthur said before he called his other son over.
Unlike his brother, George wasted no time getting from the corner to where his father sat. And unlike his brother, George already had tears falling from his eyes.
"I'm real sorry daddy," George pleaded as Arthur positioned the young boy just as he had his brother.
He had to force himself to ignore the pleading along with the tears as he knew if he didn't he'd nearly be crying himself. Once again he found himself wondering how in Merlin's name his wife dealt with such things.
Time seemed to slow down as he delivered the second spanking of the morning.
He righted George just as he had his brother and pulled up the boy's trousers before sending him back to the corner.
"Fred come here please," he spoke the words in a calm voice.
Fred turned around to reveal a face covered in tears, his eyes a dark red from his crying.
"Come on Love, we need to have a talk," Arthur beckoned him gently causing the child to approach him much faster.
Once close enough Arthur pulled his son into his lap and for several moments spoke to him gently.
"Straight to your room then," he finally said before placing a kiss on Fred's head.
Fred nodded, brushing away the last of his tears as he climbed down from his father's lap and headed in the direction of his bedroom.
Arthur sighed as he watched Fred go. He eyed up George who still had his nose in the corner, his shoulders still shaking which told Arthur that the boy was still crying.
"Alright Georgie," Arthur said in a gentle voice, "Come here Love."
George turned around and literally ran to his father, wrapping his arms around the man's neck as soon as he was close enough.
"I'm so sorry daddy," the boy sobbed.
"There, there," Arthur hushed the boy as he gently rubbed his back, "I know you are."
It wasn't unlike George to become overly remorseful after being punished.
Arthur held the boy as he patiently waited for his sobs to subside and once they did he cleared his throat before he began repeating the words he had spoken only moments ago.
"You know why I had to punish you, yes?"
George nodded into his father's chest.
"I know that you couldn't have known how horrible that spell is but you broke several other rules this morning didn't you?"
Another silent nod.
"And I trust this will never happen again?"
"It won't," George croaked into his father's chest.
"And I want you to know that I absolutely hated punishing you but if you ever do something so foolish again I won't hesitate to repeat my actions. I love you George, as I love all you children and I can't allow one of you to be hurt as a result of foolishness."
Arthur's words were met with a silent nod.
"Now I want you to head up to your room and rest a bit before lunch," Arthur instructed gently.
He may have never administered a spanking before but he had certainly been on the receiving end a time or two in his youth and he could clearly remember being exhausted afterwards.
After one more quick hug, George slipped down off his father's lap.
Unlike Fred who had instantly obeyed and headed to his room, George stood in front of Arthur silently.
"Go on," Arthur urged, "A bit of a rest will make you feel much better, trust me."
But instead of leaving George opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice. "Are you gonna spank Ron?"
Arthur sighed softly to himself. He honestly hadn't decided the fate of his youngest son yet. On one hand Ron very well knew better than to play around with magic and on the other hand the poor boy had been sent to his room nearly twenty minutes ago and the wait alone was probably punishment enough.
"I hardly think it's any of your concern George," Arthur said softly, "I know you certainly wouldn't like it if Ron knew the details of your punishment."
George considered this for a moment before he spoke again. "Don't spank him dad…he didn't know the spell was bad…we made him do it."
Arthur smiled softly at these words before he leaned over and placed a kiss on George's forehead. "Your concern for your brother is very sweet and I promise you he will not be punished harshly…now up to your room with you please and if you would be so kind to send Ron down here."
George nodded a defeated nod before the red head turned and disappeared out the door.
It was a long several moments before Arthur's youngest son appeared in the doorway, looking positively dreadful.
It was obvious that Ron had been crying, most likely since he had been sent to his room. It was also obvious from his body language that he was expecting the same punishment his brothers had received.
Arthur fought hard to keep the right amount of sternness on his face as he beckoned the young boy over to where he sat.
Once Ron was standing in front of him, Arthur looked down into the eyes of his young son.
"Alright Ron can you tell me what you did wrong this morning?"
Ron slowly nodded once before he spoke in a hoarse voice. "Played with magic."
"Exactly and you know you aren't to do that, don't you?"
Ron nodded once more. "But daddy I wanted to play with Fred and George and they said I had to."
"And what are you supposed to do when someone tries to make you do something you know you aren't supposed to?" Arthur asked knowing his youngest son knew the answer to the question.
"Tell you or mum," Ron whispered, fresh tears threatening to fall.
"And why was it that you did not do that?"
Ron shrugged. "I didn't wanna be snitch."
Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked down at his youngest son. He could certainly understand the boy's predicament. After all, what child wanted to be a snitch?
"Do you know what would have happened had the spell worked?" Arthur didn't want to scare his son but he knew Ron needed to be aware of how serious magic could be.
Ron shook his head as he shrugged.
"Had the spell worked and had you ever again kept any of your pocket money for yourself you would have died."
Ron's eyes grew huge as they filled with tears.
"Now Fred and George did not realize this so do not feel that they did this with the idea to kill you or even hurt you but this is exactly why your mother and I have warned you all time and time again not to play with magic."
Ron nodded, wiping away the few tears that had escaped the corners of his eyes.
"Now your brothers were punished for their actions and they are upstairs taking a nap until lunch…no doubt on their stomachs."
Once again Ron's eyes grew.
"Now you just spent the last thirty minutes in your room and I'm not going to spank you on top of that but in the future if I ever catch you playing around with magic I will personally take a slipper and spank you until you can't sit for a week."
Ron quickly shook his head. "I won't daddy."
"I love you Ronald Weasley and you are far too important to me to lose you because you didn't want to snitch on your brothers. Understood?"
Ron nodded quickly.
"Now I want you back up in your room, the last time I was up there it looked as though a troll had swept through the place and I think cleaning it up this morning would be the perfect punishment for you."
Ron's face fell at these words but he kept all protests to himself. After all, compared to his brother's punishment his was hardly anything.
It was nearly three hours later when Molly Weasley walked into the study to find her husband hunched over his work.
"What in Merlin's name is going on around here?" Molly questioned with a small smile on her face. "The twins and Ron are all fast asleep and Ron's room is spotless."
Arthur looked up from his work to see his wife raising a suspecting eyebrow at him. "Busy morning?"
"How about we talk about it tonight after the children are in bed," Arthur suggested setting down his quill, "Tell me how is Aunt Muriel doing?"
The End
