Icy blue eyes looked up, under long lashes and then a hand came up to put a hand across his back. His own hand took his waist and in a twirling fashion they danced.
"I am sure she likes you," a slightly deep voice, a girl's French accent commented to him.
Then the image changed and he was pulling Harry away from something. Harry clawed him desperately and he held on.
Morphing images shifted to a woman who resmbled a toad. He stared down at his hand as it carved "M-O-N-S-T-E-R," in bloody letters.
Ron sat up, gasping like someone held him under water. "What's wrong? Ron," Charlie was beside him once again and Ron covered his ears. It was another once those sensory overload things.
"My music player," he rasped. A moment later, he was wearing the head phones. He closed his eyes and Charlie hand rubbed his back. He leaned into it, it was comforting.
It didn't take long for him to recover and he took off his headphones and stopped the player. "Does that happen often?" Charlie asked.
"No, it hasn't happened in a while," he replied, stiffly. He didn't tell Charlie that was the worst moment he's ever had.
"But it happens?" Charlie asked, Ron nodded "okay, well. Don't worry, I'm not gonna dig so much. You need anything though?"
"I wouldn't mind some tea," Ron replied "and a hug," he said. Charlie grinned and did exactly that.
Xxx
If there were moments in life to speed up, Ron would prefer this moment in life to move right ahead. Charlie had greeted him when he woke up, oddly in the morning, he must have exhausted himself. Apparently Charlie had put him in his bed and he slept for about 8 hours, long for him or any vampire.
He also cheerfully informed him that dad was speaking to Mum and his siblings. If Ron could get any paler than he was, his face might resemble blank parchment. He dressed and brushed his hair then teeth.
He wasn't really hungry yet so he waited impatiently with his older brother. The door opened and he stood stiffly, unsurprisingly his mother lead the way. She was wearing the brand new, deep purple robes he'd bought for her. He wasn't sure how to feel so he waited.
"Ronald Billius Weasley!" she said then held out her arms with a frown on her face. He hugged her immediately.
"I'm sorry, Mum, really," he said. "It was a lot to take in and I know it wasn't right to keep you out of it."
"Your father told me all about your talk. It's unusual for him to be so upset in place of me. So just once, I'll let you off the hook, alright?" she asked. "Besides, I've already had a talk with Donovan." His poor tutor.
Ron nodded "yes, Mum," he whispered, he had trouble speaking considering she was squeezing him so tightly.
"Now, this doesn't change anything in this household. You clean your room, you do dishes, I don't want to hear about how being royalty-"
"Yes, Mum, I know," Ron sighed loudly.
"Now," she pulled them away and her eyes squinted as his earrings.
"Before you say anything, there are earrings I need to wear for ceremonies and things," Ron said.
"Oh and you need this one here too?" she asked, pinching near his bar peircing. He flushed "but I do like your hair, it always much better shorter than long. Who cut it?" she asked.
"Uh, Don's son did," Ron replied.
"I'll have to meet him in a bit, now…" Mum turned to the rest of his siblings gesturing they move forward. Ron perked, all of them were wearing the new robes he bought.
Ginny looked good in light blue like he thought she would. "Don't think you've won us any apology by buying us these," Ginny said, punching him in the stomach.
"Right," Ron nodded once he'd recovered then Ginny squeezed him in a quick hug.
"But I like them a lot, you didn't have to get school robes too," she said.
"If I have new robes, I want everyone to have them," Ron said. "There's no perk to being a Prince otherwise," he said.
The twins only smirked "today I think we'll let it slide but the jokes will be coming," Fred said.
"I can't wait," Ron said glad that when it came to twins, it would take a lot to rattle them.
"I don't understand how this system works, why did Mr. Grey decide to pick you?" Percy asked, always the skeptic.
"I'm still trying to figure that out," Ron admitted "but I want to be part of this world, not because of what I am, but what I want to be."
Percy's looked at him with wide doe eyes "wow, I've never heard you talk that way, Ron."
Heat spread across his face "Don's lessons included diction, vocabularly, and public speaking. Sometimes it just comes out," he said.
"Like Romanian?" George asked.
"What?" Ron asked.
"Sometimes, you answer us in Romanian instead of English if we catch you not paying attention," Fred grinned.
"He's that good, already? It's only been several months," Bill asked.
"Ron, speak in Romanian," Ginny said like it was neat trick he'd learned.
"Fine," he said, english, then "my twin brothers are probably the dumbest people to walk the earth. In fact, their heads might explode if they didn't share the same brain cell 90% of the time," Ron said in grammatically correct Romanian though not politically, it should be noted.
Charlie coughed to hide his laugh.
"Wow, what did you say?" Bill asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just something random. I can't read or write yet. I'm still getting past the alphabet," he said.
"It's still impressive dear," Mum commented, adjusting the collar on his shirt. He resisted a a pleased grin that threatened to take over his face. "Are you eating enough?" she asked brushing his cheek, now she was was just being fussy.
"I'm fine, Mum," he said pushing her hand down as the twins snickered.
"Alright, well since we came all way here you might as well show us around. Since we may come around often in the future," Mum said. In that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Ron said, and Sol walked in afterward.
"Hey," Sol greeted. He was dressed androgenously, with a long white button up, the buttons undone further down then Ron ever dared. His black slacks were tight fitting and his bangs draped over his forehead. His complection seemed darker.
"You look better," Ron said stepping forward and Sol smiled.
"I've completely recovered from being poisoned. I see you have too but your hair is atrocious," Sol said and Ron's hand came up. He hadn't looked in a mirror lately, he ran a hand through.
"Always the critic," Ron muttered.
"Someone has to be, when others tip toe around you it's maddening. Now, I came to meet your family," Sol pushed Ron gently to the side. He put on his winning smile "hello, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Sol Grey."
"Donovan's son, goodness you look like your father." Mum said.
"So I'm told, I can see where Ron got his beautiful red hair. Do all the Weasley's have red hair?" Sol asked, immediately connecting with his mother. Flattery would get him everywhere.
"You're sweet, and in our immediate family yes. You can call me Mrs. Weasley" Mum replied, glancing to Ron as he walked closer. "Although I think Ron's color has recently gotten darker. Bit like my fathers," she commented.
She hadn't mentioned that to him? "interesting," Sol responded with, taking her hand then bowing. Ron crossed his arms, he really was such a flirt. "Well, shall I go in order then?"
"Best to, I find," Mum replied with an amused beam. Sol greeted each of his siblings.
Xxx
Sol offered them a tour and Ron got permission from his mother to go find where Harry and Hermione were. He was walking for a moment when he realized the castle was enormous so finding them wasn't going to be so easy.
"Excuse me," Ron stopped a guard who bowed before focusing his attention "I have guests staying here, a girl with brown curly hair and a boy with glasses," he said in Romanian.
"Yes, your highness, I know of them. the girl asked where the library is so I led her. The boy I am unsure," he explained.
Ron smiled, leave it to Hermione to find a library no matter where she was. "Thank you then," he said then strode off toward the library. He discovered that she sat at a table there, nose already in a book. He quietly edged toward her.
"In a whole new castle and you lock yourself in a library," he said close to her ear. She yelped and her hand went up and smacked his wand which he brought to protect his face.
"Ron!" she said, exasperated "don't scare me like that, not after last night," she said.
Ron pulled out a chair and sat next to her "sorry, what are you reading?" he asked.
Hermione held it up: Anatomy of a Vampire by Jolee Vilhelm translated in English. "This is written by an actual vampire unlike anything I've searched for in wizarding stores. Why isn't this available?" she asked.
Ron looked at the other books near her: Romanian Vampire Monarchy, History of Vampire: Romania, and other similar books with the topic of vampires in the name.
Ron didn't have to think very hard to know the answer "because those books aren't meant for wizards, not ones who are still fighting about who deserves to be a wizard."
Hermione closed it and turned toward him a bit "you mean that people might turn it against vampires if they knew everything?" she asked.
"It's possible," Ron said.
Hermione looked to the book "But a lot of fear comes from the unknown. Like if you look at a dog in the dark you can't see it clearly to tell if it'll attack you. But in the day you can see it's tail wags and it's pose is relaxed, so you can see it's friendly," Hermione explained.
"You're saying that information about vampires might take away the uneasy unknowing about us? So because they know how we work, it won't be as scary?" Ron asked.
"Right," Hermione said.
"Maybe," Ron said and Hermione worried her lip, he glanced at it then at her eyes "what is it?" he asked.
"You stopped yourself replying," Hermione pointed out "you have something to say,"
Ron sighed "well, your always saying that knowledge is power. Isn't it also possible that if they knew everything about us they'd use what they know against us. The death eaters last night knew that we'd have the kind of reaction to smoke from Vampire's Fall," he said.
"That's true but I think it just evens things out right? Enemies know something but so do all the possible allies," Hermione said. Ron closed his eyes and sat back "what now?"
"You're smart as always Hermione," Ron replied opened his eyes to look at her as she hid her smile as she ducked her head.
But, she underestimated how prejudiced wizards were as a whole. Hogwarts was one miniature version of what it would be like in the real world.
Ron blinked sitting up "what is it, Ron?"
"Just thinking that we're it, aren't we? We end up with the jobs of our generations before us, right?"
"Well, there's a gap before we actually are allowed to make decisions, job training and-"
"Hermione," Ron interrupted, "listen, I think…" he stopped. Hermione waited and his elatedness drained out of him. "Nevermind, it's dumb-"
Hermione stood up suddenly and took Ron's hand "Ron, nothing you've said lately has been dumb now that you've been using your brain. So help me, Ronald,"
"What are you harping on about?" Ron looked away, his face flushing.
"Oh honestly," Hermione grip tightened and it kind of hurt it a bit.
"I think… that you can change an entire populace if you can change how it's future thinks," Ron finished "you're bruising me, by the way."
Hermione dropped his hand and he rubbed it a moment. The pain melted away fairly quickly. "Then we'll do that," Hermione said.
"What?" Ron asked.
"We'll change our future for the best. So, we start with Hogwarts," Hermione stood proud and Ron knew that she'd never forget this.
"Right," Ron said.
Xxx
After their conversation in the library, Ron decided they ought to look for Harry. They stepped out of the library once Hermione had taken notes on everything she'd found.
She also declared she wasn't leaving this castle until she got all the information she wanted. "Where do we even start looking?" Hermione asked.
Ron spotted the mural of the girl in the red gown with yellow eyes he'd seen the other night. "Hello," he walked closer to the wall. She took a sweeping curtsy and smiled "oh," he bowed in response "have you maybe seen a boy my age around here? He has dark hair and wears glasses?"
The girl nodded then spread out her arm left and began to twirl along the wall. "Thank you," Ron followed and Hermione caught up.
"I didn't know you could talk to the paintings," Hermione said in shock.
"Hm? What wouldn't you be able to?" Ron asked.
"Because nothing moves like that in the muggle world, Ronald," Hermione huffed. "And they certainly don't understand you," she said.
Ronald grinned "well, if you haven't discovered it by now, it's magic" he tugged on a lock of her hair before speeding up to follow the gown wearing girl.
They found Harry looking out a window on the upper levels. "Great view, hey?" Ronald mentioned and Harry turned.
"Sure, it's great," Harry agreed then "so…"
"My family's here on account of, well, everything," Ron said.
"Hm…" Harry nodded and stared at Ron, he wasn't sure that look was all about. Sometimes he could pretty eerie with those bright green eyes, in fact they probably matched the brightness of most vampires.
"What is it?" Ron asked.
"Just thinking that I don't want you to stay here while we go back to Hogwarts. It's not the same without both of you," Harry mentioned looking out the window.
"If I have to fight my way back to Hogwarts, I will. I'm not going anywhere," Ron promised.
Harry grinned back at him "thanks, Ron. I just can't believe how much has happened this year, can't we have one normal year for once?" he asked.
"Sure but it wouldn't be our style, right?" Ron said.
"I suppose not," Hermione sighed "but it might be nice to have a normal enough summer at the least."
"We'll see," Harry smiled.
END BOOK 1:
NEXT BOOK SET DURING GOBLET OF FIRE:
BLOOD PRINCE.
This chapter took a while because I was finishing up finals in my college. So sorry about that and it was difficult to know where to end it. I'm already planning the next book because officially this is the end of the first book in this one. I may or may not create a new fic with a collection so it's easier for me.
This first one was poorly planned so I'd like the next one to be planned well so I appreciate the patience. Look out for another chapter marked for creating a collection and I also plan to drop some deleted scenes that while they were fun, I didn't put them in because of one reason or another.