Ron's eyes flew open and his entire body jolted. He gasped and sputtered as he sat up and tried to figure out where he was. Light filtered in through a single small window in the roof of his attic bedroom, little dust specs flew around gently in the beam of light. His posters, books, and other miscellaneous belongings scattered around the room, all placed exactly as he left it. Ron took deep breathes as he waited for his heart to stop pounding, then flopped onto his back once more. The pillow was damp with sweat underneath his neck, so he turned it over and thought of the images that had been plaguing his dreams. A blue room smeared with lines of light spinning past his vision. Silvers masks with slitted eyes, a room with scaled planets floating in darkness, and those fucking brains.

He lifted his right arm up to examine it. A wide and noticeable white scar wrapped around his whole arm like a ribbon, reaching all the way to his chest. On his left arm was a mark that matched. He was pale, so he had hoped that when the scars turned white, they wouldn't stand out so much. But the freckle-less scar tissue practically glowed next to his normal skin.

Deciding he was not going to get anymore sleep, Ron thought he should get up out of bed and make himself presentable, like a real productive person.

That quickly made plan just as quickly flew out the window. There was a line at the bathroom which included both his sister and soon to be sister in law. Fluer smiled at him and wished him a good morning in her thick sweet accent, but had a look in eyes that said she would fight him if he dared tried to get between her and her shower. Not ready to interact with anyone yet, he went back up to his bedroom and laid down again, not bothering to change from his tank top and pajama pants.

The end of fifth year had been beyond overwhelming. The O.W.L.s should have been enough. But then the stuff with Dumbledore's Army happened, and the battle at the department of mysteries...he hadn't yet admitted to anyone but himself how badly scared he was of the inevitable danger. Even with all Harry's teachings, he felt terribly unprepared, and his performance at the battle at the Ministry proved as much. It was a miracle that none of his school friends had died. Since coming home, it was all he could think about, how easily things could have been worse had the Order not shown up when they did.

His mind drifted were it often did when he was feeling bored and self-piteous. To his ideal girlfriend, existing only in his mind, who would be comforting him now if she existed with cuddles and supporting words. Not in the overly bearing way his mother would, or the fed up unsympathetic way his friends often did, but a perfect balance that only a human in a fantasy could. An image of Hermonie briefly entered his mind. Never happening. He deflated a little more.

On top of it all, he felt guilty. Because no matter how awful he felt, how strained and anxious and lonely, Harry was probably having a much harder time.

Sirius was dead, and Harry was off to live with those awful muggles again. Ron remembered earlier that year when he thought his dad might die, and his stomach clenched. Thank Merlin for that at least...But how long would they continue getting lucky? Would somebody else in his family die next?

He remembered Hermione's comment about him having the emotional range of a teaspoon. Maybe he could sympathize with Cho more these days. But at least he wasn't crying all the damn time.

But Harry had not spoken to him since then. After the first few unanswered letters, Ron had stopped trying to reach him. Maybe his friend just preferred to mourn alone. But Ron couldn't help but stress at the absence of communication. Maybe he was angry with him, since Ron had been a useless idiot during the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Getting hit in the head by that unknown spell, then falling over himself and giggling at the plant Uranus. Injuring himself by summoning the brain. The memories made him burn with shame.

He was interrupted from self loathing by the shrill scream of his mother. "RONALD! L-LETTER!"

Well, she sounded strangely startled about something simple like post. He sprang out of bed and rushed down the attic latter. He realized why when he got to the kitchen.

There was a massive bloody bald eagle perched on a chair at the table. A letter it had just dropped laid in from of it, with his name on it. Bald eagles were not native to England, or the eastern hemisphere for that matter. Ron had never seen one that wasn't in a picture. Merlin he never realized exactly how big they were. He stared at it in frozen shock and the eagle stared back, mildly annoyed. It cawed at him, and the noise made both Ron and his mother jump in surprise. The noise was almost as shocking and impressive as the sight of it. The large bird continued to stare at him.

"I think it wants you to open the letter." His mother said.

"Oh! right..." He cautiously reached for the letter. He didn't think the bird would attack him, but if it did it could probably take a finger. Ginny wondered in to see what the commotion was, fresh-faced and clean from from her shower.

The front of the letter spelled out his full name and address, 'Ronald Bilius Weasley, The Burrow, England' and the back had a fancy blue wax seal with a crest he didn't recognize. He slowly began to remember something from almost a year ago, that had been forgotten in the chaos of his last school year.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Ron cracked the seal and pulled out a letter.

" 'We are happy to inform you that your request for the student exchange program at Guadalupe school of magic has been accepted' " He read aloud, " I applied at the beginning of last August, and completely forgot."

"Oh my, Ron! Congratulations!" She beamed and hugged him, kissing his forehead. But she couldn't completely hide her underlying expression of concern.

She's thinking we can't afford this. Thought Ron. Bill had already had to pass up a similar opportunity to go to Castelobruxo because of the family's financial situation. Ron continued to read the rest of the letter out loud.

"Guadalupe school of magic is an alternative education facility originally founded for students afflicted with lycanthropy. It has since then expanded to include many kinds of students to whom do not fit in the traditional system for magical education, or otherwise chose not to attend a traditional school. There is still a large population of students with lycanthropy, so if you wish to accept this exchange opportunity you will be required to vow not reveal the identity of any student or their lycanthropic status to any other person or body of government without their consent. Guadalupe takes the safety and security of its students very seriously and there are consequences should you decide to betray that sense of safety. With that in mind, If you accept this opportunity, please send a response with Aetius, the eagle who delivered your letter within three days. Meanwhile he will likely find the nearest body of water to go hunting in-" Aetius had already taken off out through the window. " All expenses will be covered by the program-" He saw his mother visibly relax. " Including uniform, books, supplies, travel, etc. Please let us know of any specific needs for your lodging and an international portkey will be delivered to you shortly." Ron finished and laid the letter down on the table.

"Whoa," Ginny said. "Are you gonna go?"

"Dunno," Ron responded simply.

"Well, I understand if you don't want to leave your friends. But now would be the time to make some foreign allies, which is what programs like this are partially about." His mother said. "It would be a good opportunity" She added.

He sat down at the table with the letter in front of him. His friends. Shit. He thought of battle at the ministry, of Harry's unhesitating bravery and Hermione's unrivaled mind. His own uselessness. No doubt, they could survive just one year without him. But would they be angry about it? Think he was abandoning them? Voldemort had just returned...

But this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, And none of his brothers had ever gotten the chance to study abroad, maybe he'd finally have something that was just his, and maybe he learn something that would make him more useful in the approaching war. He envisioned himself coming back at the end of the year, transformed into a teammate of equal skill to his two best friends. Someone with an air of coolness and confidence that drew people in. It was silly, but one can dream.

"Yeah, Alright, I think I'll do it."

Later that night Ron sat down to write his response letter. Not completely sure how formal he was suppose to be, or who he was actually writing to, he ended up writing an awkward:

Yes, I'd love to attend your school this year. I accept the vow and promise not to tell anybody about who is and isn't a werewolf.

-Ronald Weasley

He sent it off before he could stress too much and rewrite it again. If he did that he might never respond in time. Aetius had appeared in the kitchen almost immediately when he finished the letter, and took off with it without so much as a second glance at Ron.

The Response appeared just a few days later. The large eagle, now a familiar sight, perched on the back of a chair at the kitchen table. Two envelopes placed in front of it this time. One looked exactly as the previous one did, with his name in neat fancy writing and a blue seal. The other just said "Ron" scrawled in round, bubbly handwritten letters.

He read the formal one first.

Ronald Bilius Weasley

We're happy to hear you will be joining us for our next school year. In one week, Aetius will drop off an approved international portkey that will activate at exactly 7:00 am your time on the 10th of June. You will arrive at a tourist destination called Colter Bay Village. There will be No-Maj, or muggles as you call them nearby so we ask that you do not perform any magic, and dress inconspicuously. Two of our most esteemed students will meet you there and lead you to the school's entrance. Have a good rest of the summer.

A small jolt of panic shot through his chest. A week? The school year wasn't suppose to begin for months. Why did they want him to travel over so soon? He was hoping he'd have some time to figure out how to tell Hermione and Harry that he'd be leaving them for a whole year. He took a deep breath, and opened the second letter.

Hi Ronald

My name is Tony, I'm one of the "esteemed" students that will be meeting you in Colter Bay. I'm in our school Young Leaders program along with Joshua, who you'll also be meeting soon. Thought I'd send this letter so that you could get to know me a little bit before you pop on over. What did you think of the bird? I think it's hilariously overdone, like, we might as well have enchanted the envelope so that little fireworks forming a star spangled banner would come out when opened. I was very tempted to try it with my own letter but Josh convinced me not to. You should thank him. And I also wanted to warn you that we will be hiking in order to get to the school, so pack lightly! Me and Joshua are going to be bringing snacks and drink so don't worry too much, you'll make it. As you know, Guadalupe was originally founded for kids with lycanthropy and has since expanded to other kinds of students who just couldn't get traditional education. I wanted to let you know, I'm a werewolf, but Joshua is not. With that aside, I love dancing, coffee, long walks on the beach and ripping out the throats of my enemies. I look forward to getting to know you better.

I'm kidding, see you soon!

-Tony

Ron stared at that last line. Unsure how to feel. At least this bloke had a sense of humor? He was starting to wonder if he had made a mistake. But it was too late to back out now.

Ron awoke on the morning of his departure the same way he'd woken up a week ago, anxious, heart pounding, with images of vague nightmares fading away in the morning light. He was still exhausted, but couldn't go back asleep weather from excitement of leaving for a new country or stress that his dreams had been causing. He sat up in bed but made no move to get up and do anything. His bag was already packed and sitting next to the door. It contained just a few muggle outfits, since he would be getting a uniform upon arrival, a cauldron (collapsed, currently), and some muffins his mom had baked. He'd taken Tony's warning to heart and packed very little. He wasn't bringing his broom. But only because his mom promised to send it over after he got there. He didn't care if he wasn't playing quidditch, he wasn't letting go of his new broom.

Pig was not going with him. The little owl would not be able to cross the ocean to send Ron's letters. He could barely believe that Aetius did. He thought of bringing him for the company anyways, but owls got bored without a job to do. So after sending a few final letters for Ron, Pig would stay with Ginny. Ron had sent Hermione a letter almost as soon as he had finished reading Tony's. He'd hoped she'd be a bit more encouraging, or less likely to hate him than Harry.

He was right. Her response was supportive, and he even thought he might has suspected a hint of jealousy. He knew he shouldn't but he kind of liked that the tables were turned. Somebody was jealous of something he had. The feeling went away when he remembered that she probably deserved it more. Maybe if he got the chance, he would ask the headmistress to consider Hermione as a candidate next time.

Dear Ron

That's amazing! I would have loved the opportunity to do something like this. Not only could it broaden your mind and expose you to wizard culture outside of Europe, It's a really good chance to make foreign allies. I've read about Guadalupe and while there's not a lot of solid information on it. I do know that the headmistress there, Anais Renaissance is a friend of Dumbledore's. Apparently she got a lot of backlash for founding a school just for werewolves, and Dumbledore is one of the few that support her. Seems that most governments, especially our Ministry is against letting werewolves gather like that because of the whole business with Fenrir. Maybe they think she's creating an army of werewolves to overthrow Congress. Just like Dumbledore was supposedly building an army of students? Anyways, you must keep me updated on everything you learn over there. I wonder if they offer classes there that Hogwarts doesn't?

-Hermione

He procrastinated writing to Harry until the last minute. Not knowing where they stood in their friendship currently made Ron weary. He knew if he didn't send a letter, that if Harry had to hear it from Hermione, it would be a disaster. If last summer taught Ron anything, it's that Harry hated being kept in the dark. Which is why it was a little hypocritical for him to be doing it to Ron, but whatever. The letter ended up being extremely short, and hastiness extremely evident.

Dear Harry

I got accepted into an Exchange program. I'm going to America for the whole school year. I'll write, hopefully you'll write me back. See you at Christmas.

-Ron

He sent it off last night right before bed. Now, with just an hour or so before he was due to touch the portkey, it looked like he wouldn't get a response. Which was fine, he didn't want to know what Harry thought of this at this point.

He got up showered without resistance since the rest of the house was asleep. Then had a minor crisis about what to wear when he arrived. He sort of wanted something that covered the scars on his arms, but it was June, and he heard America was much hotter than England. Most of his muggle clothing was exactly like the rest of his wardrobe, hand-me-downs with holes, stains of forgotten origin and faded colors. He put on his favorite T-shirt. It was light orange with white letters that spelled out some tourist spot he'd never visited. It was faded, but had no stains or holes, and the cloth was soft and breezy. With jeans, he had a choice between too short or rips on the knees. He chose rips on the knees.

There would be no making a first impression that didn't scream obvious poverty. Oh well, might as well get that over with right upon arrival. Everything in the open, scars, money, he'd find out sooner than later what kind of people he was dealing with.

He went downstairs to find his mother cooking pancakes. She was busting with pride and giddiness. She showered him in kisses and praise and Ron found himself glad the twins were not present. His father was there, he simply gave Ron an encouraging smile and sat down to eat with him. Ron ate pancakes until he felt sick, then sat at the table tapping his fingers in anxiousness. His head hurt, and the lack of sleep had his body feeling weak and achy. Ginny did not make an appearance, and Ron pretended that he didn't care.

Aetius the Eagle appeared suddenly with a cracked coffee mug. Dropping it on the table as he had done with the letters. He eyed Ron and waited. Ron had started thinking of the bird as a very irritated and impatient teacher. "OK, ok, I know, I'm ready. See?" The hoisted his bag over his shoulder. Aetius looked unimpressed.

With just a minute left on the clock, his father said, arm around his wife, "We love you son. I'm proud of you." Ron felt his chest fill up with warmth, and thanked Merlin again that his dad was still here.

"We'll see you at Christmas!" His mother added, teary eyed.

"Thanks, I'm..." He tried to think of what say, that would sounds genuine.

The coffee mug started to glow.

"I love you too!" He got out quickly and grabbed the portkey.

When Ron landed, the first thing he noticed was that he seemed to be in a room at some sort of inn. The second thing he noticed was the girl, sitting on the edge of one of two double beds. She had beautiful light green eyes, which were looking at him with a sense of surprise. Her skin was a shade or two darker than terracotta, and dark tight curls framed her face and tumbled down well past her shoulders to her mid back. She was wearing short, pink striped pajama pants and a black t-shirt.

Oh no, no, oh fuck! Just a few seconds after reaching arriving in America and he'd already done something inexplicably magical in front of a muggle. What kind of international trial would he face for this? His dad- it was the flying car incident all over again. Why would the portkey send him-?

"Joshua!" The girl suddenly shouted, cutting through Ron's silent panic attack. A boy popped his head into the room from a door in the back. He had a toothbrush in his mouth and toothpaste on his lips. His hair was light brown and disheveled, a bit longer on the top then the sides. His skin was light and clear, and he had a squared jaw.

"He's here!" She turned back to him. "Hi, Ronald, I'm Tony." She smiled brilliantly.

AN: Please read an review guys, this is only my second fic.