Using the prompt 'scandal'


Chapter Eleven

Ron Weasley: a good man turned killer! by Evelyn Greenhope

On April 5, we all woke to the news that Ron and Hermione Weasley had been murdered in the early hours of the morning in their Huddersfield home. It was a devastating blow to not only their family – their teenage children in particular – but to the entire wizarding community.

Over the years, they have made a name for themselves by helping to defeat the darkest wizard of all time, appearing on chocolate frog cards and most recently, playing a leading role in the changing of the Ministry of Magic.

How is it possible that two people who defeated Lord Voldemort were killed in their home without so much as a fight?

It is still unknown who is behind this heartbreaking loss, but rumour has it that not so long ago, Ron Weasley was involved in the murder of a child in a small village just outside Bristol. The news of this event was kept quiet by the Ministry and the Aurors, but it has come to my attention that it was Ron's wand that cast the spell on that child.

So, what could cause a man who once fought for the greater good to kill an innocent child? And it poses the question – was Ron and his wife really murdered, or was he the murderer?

Well, I have the answers right here. After speaking to many people who knew the family as well as looking into their lives (not only in the past few years, but their time at Hogwarts too) I have found much evidence that perhaps the young Weasley family weren't as 'good' as we thought they were.

"He was a bit scary sometimes," confesses Dennis Creevey – the younger brother of a victim of the Battle of Hogwarts. "I stayed well away from him in most of my time at Hogwarts."

Theodore Nott agrees: "They accuse Slytherins of murdering people for a hobby, but look at them now. They deserved what they got."

It seems Ron Weasley still has those loyal to him, though. One being his fellow Gryffindor, as well as ex-girlfriend – Lavender Brown-Finnigan.

"I know Ron; he would never kill anyone. It was heartbreaking to learn of his death. Those poor children; it's never easy to lose one parent, but to lose both..."

Lavender was the victim of a werewolf attack in the Battle of Hogwarts, but has since found happiness with husband, Seamus Finnigan.

I never had the misfortune to meet Ron Weasley; I started Hogwarts when the three friends (Ron, Hermione and Harry Potter) were supposed to be in seventh year, but were instead gallivanting around the world in search of a way to destroy Lord Voldemort.

What they were doing was once considered heroic; brave. But were they really brave? Much evidence points to the three of them thinking they were above the rest of the school. I have heard that Harry Potter (or, as he was known then, "The Chosen One") was nothing more than an arrogant prat who was constantly trying to act as the hero to get attention.

It's strange to think that three people we all once admired could turn out to be cold-blooded killers.

It was Ron Weasley who led that attack on the village and it was Ron Weasley's wand that killed the child. How are we supposed to worship three supposed 'heroes' when one of them – if he were still alive – should be locked away in Azkaban?

Think about it, readers, before you claim what a wonderful man Ron Weasley was. There was no sign of forced entry into their home, nor was there any evidence that either of them fought a third party that morning.

It didn't seem to bother Ron Weasley that he had killed a child, so why on earth would he be concerned about murdering his own wife? I suppose we should all just be thankful that someone so dangerous is out of the picture and that his children were safely in the walls of Hogwarts when it happened. Otherwise, we might have been looking at a triple murder.

(For a further look into their lives, please turn to page 12).

"Who does she think she is?" Rose cried, throwing the copy of the Daily Prophet aside in anger. How could someone write that about her dad? Someone had broken into their house and killed her mum and dad and now everyone was going to think he had done it. It was wrong. Her dad was a good person; he didn't deserve that.

Her parents' faces stared up at her from the paper, their expressions bright and happy. Part of her was glad that they weren't around to see what that stupid woman had written about them.

Ginny picked up the paper and scanned over it. Fury etched her face the further she read down the page. "What is this nonsense?" she hissed.

Harry, who was sitting beside Rose at the table, remained calm. He had been the first to read the article and had tried to get rid of it before Rose or Hugo had seen it. But Rose had woken early. She was now wishing she hadn't seen it.

"It's all lies!" Rose cried, tears stinging her eyes. They were tears of fury. How could someone say such a thing about her dad? It didn't make sense.

Harry placed a hand on her arm and looked at her. His eyes were soft; gentle. His tone matched his expression. "I know, Rosie."

"You said Dad didn't lead the ambush into the village!" Rose interrupted, snatching the paper from her aunt's hands. She scanned down the page until she found what she was looking for. "It was Ron Weasley who led that attack on the village..."

"He didn't; that woman hasn't done any research. She has just written what she wants to believe."

"No one's going to believe this, are they?" Rose then asked. She directed her question at Harry, but she was really asking both of them. Something so revolting – so wrong – couldn't possibly make people believe that what she had written was true.

Harry and Ginny shared a glance and Rose knew instantly what they were thinking.

"They can't!" she cried. "It's not true."

"Rose, you have to understand," Ginny began. "Once something is published like that, it can't be taken back. Everyone who knew your dad will know that it's a whole load of rubbish, but those who didn't..." She didn't finish, but Rose knew what she was going to say anyway.

Those who didn't know her parents were going to believe it. They were going to think her dad was a murderer.

"What's on page twelve, then?" Rose asked.

"More lies," Harry replied bluntly.

"I want to read it."

"No, you don't."

Ginny picked up the paper and flipped to the said page number. After reading it, she looked even more furious than she had on the first page. "...it appears that Hermione Weasley had been unhappy in her marriage as she was seen frequently around Muggle London and Diagon Alley with either Harry Potter, or a much older man... it is more than likely that this is the reason Ron Weasley chose to kill his wife that morning – he found out about his wife's affairs." She spread the two page spread across the table.

There was a photo of her mother in Diagon Alley with Harry, and another one by a Muggle shopping centre with Rose's grandfather – her mother's father.

"This is just complete and utter lies," Ginny said.

"I told you," Harry replied, his tone remaining expressionless. He leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his coffee.

Rose frowned. "You don't even care," she accused, regretting it instantly. She knew he cared; he probably cared more than most. He was just very good at hiding his pain.

"Rosie, I have seen enough articles in my time about myself that..."

"This isn't about you," Rose argued. "This is about everyone thinking my dad is a cold-blooded killer when the person who killed him is still out there."

"I know..."

"Do something about it," she pleaded. "And get rid of that paper. I don't want Hugo seeing it." Harry had tried and failed to prevent her from reading it, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let her twelve year old brother see anything that was in that paper.

Harry pointed his wand at the paper. "Incendio," he muttered and it caught alight, becoming nothing but a pile of ash on the dining table.

"Oh, I will be doing something about it," Ginny said fiercely. "Tomorrow morning, I will be walking up to that insolent child and telling her exactly what I think of her and her article. She had no right!"

In that moment, Rose had no doubt that her aunt meant what she said. She loved Ginny dearly, but if truth be told, she could be quite scary sometimes. If she wasn't so furious at the journalist for writing what she did, Rose would possibly feel sorry for her.

"And the Aurors are working really hard to find who did it," Harry added. "It's our number one priority. You don't kill two well respected Ministry members and get away with it."

Rose couldn't help but wonder if Harry was talking the way he was on purpose. It was as if he didn't care. She knew of her uncle's troubled childhood, though. Perhaps he had just become immune to that kind of thing. Even when it was two people he cared for deeply.

"You do miss them, don't you?" Rose asked him. "You miss Mum and Dad?"

Harry looked at her with a soft expression and then nodded. "Every day, Rosie," he told her. "Every day."

Rose couldn't begin to imagine how she would have reacted if she had been the one to find her parents there. It must have been hard for Harry – her mum and dad were his best friends. "It must have been hard finding your best friends like that," she said quietly. "I'd be devastated."

Harry nodded. "Watching friends die is hard," he said. "But your mum and dad were much more than just friends, Rosie. They were family and I loved both of them very much – we all did."

"You're not going to make us go and live in the Muggle world, are you?" Rose then asked him. Ever since the funeral and her two grandmothers had had that big argument about where she and Hugo should live, that question had been playing on her mind. She didn't want to leave the wizarding world. Yes, she had family who were Muggles, but she was a witch and that was how she had been brought up. It was who she was. Her parents wouldn't want her to never use magic.

"Why would you think that, Rose?" Ginny asked, finally taking a seat at the dining table. It seemed she had been too distracted by the article to notice she was standing before.

"I heard... at the funeral," Rose said. "Me and Hugo both did..."

Harry and Ginny shared a glance. It was Harry who spoke. "Everyone just wants you to be safe," he told her.

"We'll be safer here, where we can use magic," Rose said and Harry nodded.

"You can't blame your grandparents for thinking they can keep you safe too, though."

Magic has killed my daughter and two of your sons!

Her grandmother's words came to mind. No, she couldn't blame them.

"Should... should we go and see them?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "That is up to you, but I'm sure they would appreciate it if you did."

"They're worried they'll never see us again now that Mum isn't here, aren't they?"

Harry nodded. "They didn't say as much, but I think that's their main concern."

"They never did like Dad all that much."

"They did, Rose. I know they did. They loved all four of you very much."

"Can we go and see them today?" Rose asked.

"I have to work, but..." He looked to Ginny. "Would you mind taking them?"

Ginny shook her head. "I have to work too," she said. "But, I suppose I can –"

"No, don't worry," Harry interrupted. "I'd actually like to go with them."

Ginny nodded. "I'll send them an owl and let them know you're coming." She smiled at Rose and then left the kitchen.

Harry patted her hand comfortingly. "Don't worry too much about what the paper said. We know that that isn't true, and that's all that matters."

"I just don't think I can handle hearing everyone talking about my dad like that. He'd hate it."

"I know he would. But he'd also tell them where they could stick their story, too. Believe me, I've seen him do it before."

Rose grinned. It was nice being able to remember her parents with people who knew them as well as she did. And Harry had many more memories of them that she didn't have. One day, she would ask him to tell her everything he knew. She would love to hear everything he knew about them.


And here is chapter 11. This chapter is dedicated to Nayla (The Original Horcrux) because she apparently has no patience. And thank you to DobbyLovesSocks for her lovely beta-ing once more.

Oh, and UnicornsandRainbows2009 for reviewing every chapter :)

And to everyone else for reviewing.

I hope you like.