Chapter 3 – Ruddy week


Ron looked himself over one last time in the mirror by his front door before leaving. The reflection was of an athlete who look liked he played way too many years at Quidditch. Tonight's ceremony was supposed to give his body a rest from the sport. The people attending his Retirement party had no idea that he was going to do more than just that by the end of the night.

"Thirteen years. Four teams, Three League Cups, and one semi-final finish at the World Cup as the Starting Keeper." Ron thought of the words his agent, Stan Lipinski, would say of his Quidditch career as he was the host emcee at tonight's banquet. Followed by a few of the cheapskate owners, "Mr. Prince was a determined player who played with a desire to win - blah, blah, blah."

Ron smirked at himself as he imagined what a few of the owners really wanted to say about him. He demanded more money than twice the Minister of Magic salary. He balked and refused to let us make any player trades or cuts that were detrimental to the team. He was the most difficult player I ever had to deal with and I for one him happy that he's retiring so I don't have to see him storming into my office whenever he felt like it.

Ron laughed as for the first time in his life he felt rather impressed with himself to come from such obscurity to having Quidditch League owners come to his Retirement party and kiss his arse over a plate of Beef Wellington.

Oh if those bloody owners could've seen me after I got out of the hospital fourteen years ago. Merlin, they be the one's laughing.


Fourteen Years earlier after getting out of the Hospital

Ron felt miserable and he made sure that everyone around him knew it. He hexed the twins twice after they attempted to cheer him up in his room and yelled at his Mum anytime she mentioned the status of Harry still in the hospital. Ron told her right quick that he didn't want to hear about Harry bloody Potter and how he was slowly recovering under the stolen love of his scarlet ex-girlfriend. He wanted nothing to do with Harry or Hermione and he made it clearer when Hedwig showed up with some of Harry's letters that he was as un-welcomed as his master.

"And don't you ever come back here!" Ron screamed out his window as he shot a few hexes at a startled Hedwig who was quickly re-routing his flight back to the hospital.

-Knock- -knock-

Ron lost his smile at frightening off Hedwig to bewilderment at who was stupid enough to bother him in his room. He hadn't stepped a foot outside his room for an entire week and made it clear to everyone that he didn't even want to.

"Ron, it's me" Ginny announced in a week voice from behind his door.

"BUG—" Ron stopped himself as the realization that there was someone else just as hurt as he was.

Ginny, oh Merlin – No! Ron thought of how hurt and alone his sister must've been feeling as he shoved his own pain away and rushed to his door.

"Ginny, I'm sorry." Ron declared as he gave the counter-spell to the magical locking spell on his door.

As Ron opened the door he saw his sister wearing a face of anger at him. However, Ginny also had puffiness around her eyes where she must've been crying for days and it was obvious her anger was more for show than anything else. His heart leaped to her defense as he instinctively reached out to hug her for sympathy.

She pushed him back before he enveloped her with a hug as she was determined to be strong. "Let go of me. You've been acting like a git for an entire week and I'm sick of it."

Ron's anger and pride was quick to return as he wasn't about to get lecture like his Mum tried three days ago.

"I told everyone to leave me alone. What I got to do to get that through your thick heads?"

Ginny didn't even flinch as she kept on rowing with him.

"Thick? The only thick one around here is you, Ronald Weasley. You've been acting like a git long enough and I'm not bringing another plate of food up here ever again. So if you want to starve to death up here, fine by me!"

With that Ginny stormed downstairs leaving Ron with a decision of being obstinate and hungry or humble and well-fed at the family table downstairs. His decision didn't take long after smelling his Mum's cooking and the growling from his stomach. He swallowed his pride and headed downstairs toward his usual seat at the family table. He quietly settled into his seat before looking up at the rest of his family.

What he saw was a mixture of looks from his family. He got a look of pity from Bill his older brother. Fleur was carrying a look of disgust at having to eat her mother-in-law's cooking yet again. Fred and George were both carrying a look that the hex they received this week from Ron wasn't going to go by unsettled. Charlie, however, was trying to offer Ron a smile and support but it was short-lived as Percy seemed to be determined to carry a conversation about how well the Ministry was cleaning up from the last battle. It brought frowns out of the rest of his family, himself included.

"Oi, Percy, shut your flap about the Ministry or will stick a—" Fred griped at his older brother.

His Mum was quick to interrupt and come to the aid of Percy yet again. "You will do no such thing! That goes for the both of you and I better not see any of your silly little inventions coming out during dinner."

Fred and George both frowned and gave a small glance over in Ron's directions before they slumped their shoulders in momentary defeat or in their case - retreat. Ron didn't study them any longer as he looked over at Ginny sitting beside him. She was rolling her peas around on her plate and listening into the conversations as usual, but she definitely lacked the confidence to join in. He felt guilty at not having thought about her also being hurt by Harry cheating with Hermione. It was somewhat understood that after the fall of Voldemort that Harry would rekindle his relationship with Ginny. To which Ginny had remain a virtual un-dateable girl as she refused offer after offer from the rest of the male population at Hogwarts. She remained faithful to the day that Voldemort would die and Harry would come back to her.

Ron's heart felt pain for his sister's lost and his anger toward his ex-best friends only increased ten-fold. He silently slid his hand over to her and squeezed her hand for comfort. She almost jumped from the touch and then immediately jerked her hand away in anger. For whatever reason, Ron could sense from Ginny's scowl that she didn't want any sympathy from him or anybody else. As he started to get red-face under his little sister angry stare he noticed that he hadn't touch a single thing on his plate. For Ron not to be woofing down food was clearly noticeable to the rest of the family, especially after his Mum called him out on it.

"Ron, you haven't touched anything since you come down. Now eat up."

Ron merely grunted compliance at his Mum and everyone else who was suddenly appraising his actions. Unfortunately his actions were about to go far worse then he ever imagined.

"Now Ron, I realize that… matters are a bit awkward with Harry—"

"I don't want to talk about it," Ron snapped as his mum before she even finished her statement.

His mum seemed to be understanding of both Ron and even Ginny, but for some reason she kept trying to press a point.

"I understand, Ronald, but never-the-less I've been informed by the Order that certain un-savory elements might be coming after Harry, especially after the death of You-know-who. So the Order and I, as well as Arthur, feel that it will be best—"

Ginny shrieked in fear and Ron dropped his fork before his Mum could finish her sentence aloud around the family dinner table.

"NO BLOODY WAY!" Ron roared to his Mum with as much absolutism as he could muster.

His Mum gasped in air at what Ron had just said and how he said it.

"Ronald, watch your language at my table or I'll fill your mouth with soap."

"Mum, he's not staying." Ron declared, ignoring his Mum's anger for using profanity at the dinner table.

His Mum seemed to be fidgeting with her hands and apron before she tried to calmly reply back. "Well… that is… we certainly will take your suggestion into consideration and hopefully—"

Ginny reached over and squeezed Ron's left hand in fear giving him the strength to push on against his Mum's wishes.

"Mum, he's cheating with Hermione!"

"Ronald, I'm not saying—"

-Click-

The noise of the Weasley family clock clicked with a spoon moving toward traveling. As Ron looked closer his eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was the picture of a smiling Harry Potter on a small silver spoon.

"You didn't," Ron muttered in shock before turning his head around to hear voices outside the Burrows front door.

Fred and George immediately jumped up into a defensive stand between Ron and the front door.

"Now, Ron, no need to get bent all out of shape over this," implored Fred trying to calm down Ron and the situation.

"After all, he'll be staying in our old room not yours." George added, with his hands up and out to stop Ron from running to the door and beating a certain someone to death for trying to step a foot into his house.

"Ron, Ginny in spite – of certain – I consider him a member of this family and he's our guest until it's safe for him-"

-Knock- -Knock-

Ron looked in horror at the front door to the face of his father who hanged his head to avoid his stare. Bill, Percy, and Charlie all followed suit as they didn't want to make eye contact with him either. The twins carried looks of worried on their face not for his sake but for what they thought he would do to their financial backer and friend, Harry. Fleur seemed totally oblivious to it all as this didn't even concern her. She was probably more interested in telling his Mum how well she could cook better than her. Even Ginny looked away by trying to look calm as she stared straight ahead as if nothing was about to happen.

"I'm coming," his Mum bellowed to outside.

Ron couldn't stand to see him for even a second and turned to make a hasty retreat upstairs back to his room. In the process he noticed the sneer of contempt as if he was a coward from Fred and George as they were guarding the path to the door. He ignored it and started making his way upstairs, but by then it was too late.

"Hello Lupin, hello Harry. Come in, come in you must be famished.

Harry seemed to be in a cheerful mood as he warmly replied, "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm glad to be out—"

Ron stopped climbing the stairs as the sound of his ex-Best mate's voice was like fingernails scrapping across a chalkboard to him. He turned and looked down at Harry standing at the door with Professor Lupin with as much anger as he could muster.

"Ron… Listen mate—"

The word 'mate' coming from his lips was the most sick and vilest thing he had ever heard. He didn't he realized he pulled out his wand and was aiming it at Harry's chest. Upon seeing the anger directed at Harry, Professor Lupin stepped in front of a guilty looking Harry blocking Ron from hexing him.

"Hello, Ronald, I'm happy to see you that you're alright." Professor Lupin diplomatically said in his most cordial of voices to defuse the tense situation.

The twins however weren't going to attempt diplomacy and immediately shot off a few spells of their own. Fred's spell missed his head, but George's didn't. Ron felt a huge roll of laughter bellow out of his mouth as if someone was tickling his entire body. It was the Rictusempra spell, like the one he got in the Dept. of Mysteries, except this time Ron was determined to make a better showing of himself.

"HAHAHA! Reducto! HAAHA!" Ron shouted while holding onto his stomach as he started giving belly laughs.

Oh how he hated that bloody spell. Unfortunately, Ron wasn't thinking clearly as he not only missed Fred and George but managed to hit his Mum's china cabinet behind them.

-CRASH!-

The cabinet blew up in a thousand pieces sending wood, five generations and two wars carried china porcelain flying throughout the living room. Professor Lupin jumped heroically to shield Harry with his body while Fred and George weren't so lucky. They took the brunt of the blast and flying pieces that knocked them straight down to the floor. Their backs were covered with splattered blood and pieces of wood and porcelain wedged into their backs. Even his mum managed to get a few scrapes on her face as chards of porcelain flew across the room like shrapnel hitting her in the arms, chest, and cheeks.

"HA-HA! Fred? HAHA George? HAAHA!"

"Boys! My China!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked in anger as she pointed her wand at the debris that landed on top of the twins and magically levitated it off them before directing her anger at Ron.

Ron's only reaction to this carnage he caused was to continue laughing under the laughing spell. It was Professor Lupin who had the where with all to end his laughing torture.

"Finite Incantatum."

Ron instantly felt the spell lift and quickly took the initiative.

"Expelliarmus!"

Professor Lupin's wand went flying out of his hand and Harry held his other arm to stop him from getting it. Harry bravely stepped in front of Lupin looking directly at an enraged Ron.

"Now, Ron, please calm down and don't do anything more that you'll regret." Harry pleaded to him with his right hand close to his wand in his pants.

By now everybody including those that were in the kitchen was watching Ron from the living room. He knew he was in trouble and he probably should've calmed down but one look at his crying sister and he didn't.

"Levicorpus!" Ron thought before Harry could yank out his wand. "Calm down? No, I don't think I will."

Harry yelled, "Ron, stop!" as his heel was wrenched upward and he was dangling upside down with his clothes hanging off him.

"Ronald! You put him down this instance!" His Mum roared at him as she pointed her wand at him.

"Mum, stay out of it—"

"Impedimenta!"

Ron was hit with so much magic that the blast flew him backward against the staircase wall and then bounced him down the steps before he finally stopped crooked on the bottom step.

"Aggh!" Harry screamed as he also fell to the living room floor.

"Harry!" His Mum, Fleur, and Ginny bawled as they ran over to him.

"Ron!" His brothers Charlie, Bill, and Percy bawled as they ran over to Ron as he was shaking his head to clear it.

Ron shook his head to see not only his sister but his own mother helping Harry up. He felt like he was being betrayed all over again. He pushed his brothers' aside and picked up his wand.

"Maybe, I should go stay some—," Harry suggested to his mum and the family.

"No, I won't hear of it! You're staying here-"

"Then I'm leaving, but for good." Ron's anger and pride demanded for him to say something about how he felt about his Mum siding with the bloody Chosen One.

"Ronald Weasley! You… you-"

"Save it. I guess Malfoy was right after all." Ron stated as he walked toward the front door and purposefully bumped Harry in the shoulder on the way.

His last statement caught everyone in a gulping silence at his reaction and statement. He wasn't even aware of what he was going to say next as he merely spitted out whatever he felt at the moment.

"He said the Weasleys' are nothing but a bunch of Blood Traitors but I would've never imagined he would be right about them betraying their own blood."

-SLAM!-


Present Day

Ron frowned at his image but decided it wasn't as ruddy as anything else he owned. In his haste to have his Retirement Party three days before November 9th; he had to forgo the tailoring of a proper Dress robe to wear. Of course what he was wearing was most certainly better than what he wore the last time he was allowed at the Burrow. That infamous day he had lost his family and left with only the shirt on his back. He often wondered to this day if his picture was still on a spoon on the family clock. He wouldn't be too surprised to hear if it wasn't.