Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Hey everyone, and thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad everyone is still enjoying the story.

As for using potions and other methods to try and persuade Harry to go to Hogwarts, I want to be more subtle than that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with those kinds of plots, I just want to take things in a different direction.

Now, this chapter, I really enjoyed writing. This takes a dive into the world of some well-loved characters and their reactions to Harry not attending Hogwarts. These characters will definitely be involved in this story so that we can study the ripple effect that will come from Harry's decisions.

I hope you guys enjoy it!

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Ronald Weasley entered the dining room of his ramshackle home, The Burrow. It was time for yet another meal, and the table was crowded, as it usually was when dinnertime approached, especially during the summer. The smells of roast chicken, roast potatoes, broccoli, and treacle tart filled the entire house, and Ron felt his mouth water as he took his seat. His mother, Molly, was bustling around, putting the finishing touches on the meal.

It had been a beautiful day, and Ron, Fred, and George had spent the majority of the day playing games of Quidditch in their yard. Fred and George, his twin brothers, had been obnoxious gits as usual, but what else could you expect from the Terrible Twosome? They loved to take the mickey out of Ron, and even though he knew it was all in fun, it got on his nerves to no end, which only made the twins partake in the activity even more. "Annoying Ron" seemed to be their favorite pastime, along with "Picking on Percy".

But Ron didn't feel much sympathy as far as Percy was concerned. He was the most stuck-up, busybody prat you could ever come across, in Ron's opinion. He never shut up about following the rules, and always seemed to have his nose deeply buried in some book or other. He never liked to have fun and play Quidditch with his siblings - he didn't seem to even know the definition of the word "fun". Fred and George's favorite thing to say to him was that he constantly had a stick up his arse.

At that moment, Ginny stomped into the room, a fierce scowl on her face. She elbowed Ron as she took her seat, which was next to him. Ron turned to face her with a glare to match her scowl. He knew she was livid with him, Fred, and George because they refused to let her play Quidditch with them. They didn't want her to get hurt; she seemed like a tiny little thing in comparison to them. Her fierceness, though, could sometimes scare him, and even Fred and George, who were certainly not frightened easily, were sometimes intimidated by her. She was always sick of her older brothers' overprotectiveness, but she would have to get used to it. They weren't going to let her play a sport which could severely injure her.

Molly began putting plates down in front of the family, and said sternly, "Ron and Ginny, would you please stop making those awful faces at one another? How many times do I have to tell you not to fight with each other?"

"I'd be fine with him if he'd just let me play Quidditch. I'm angry with Fred and George, too," she stated, giving them glares as well. The twins just smirked at her, their identical faces full of mischief.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ginny," Molly sighed. "If it was up to me, none of you would be playing that game. It's downright dangerous, and one of you could fall off your broom."

"Oh, give it a rest, Mum," said Fred, still smirking.

"Yeah, Mum, we're big boys and can take care of ourselves. We've just got to protect this little lassie here," said George, who winked at Ginny, whose only response was to glare harder.

"Blimey, little sis," said Fred. "If you look at us like that any longer, your face will freeze that way. Do you really want that, Gin-Gin?"

"Don't call me that!" Ginny shouted, banging her fist on the table.

"That's enough, all of you!" Molly said very sternly. "We're going to have a nice meal, and you will stop arguing this instant."

"Yes, ma'am," said George cheekily, causing Molly to scowl at him.

"So, Mother," Percy said, his face never losing that serious expression it always held. "Where's Father?"

At that moment, the door opened, and the very man, Arthur Weasley himself, came into the house. He entered the dining room, calling, "Hello, everyone!" He walked over to each family member, greeting them all in turn. "My, that smells divine, Molly," he said appreciatively, admiring the lavish dinner his wife had spent a long time cooking.

"Thank you, Arthur," said Molly, smiling at her husband. "Come on and sit down. We were just about to get started."

Arthur complied, taking his seat. He gazed around at his family, a smile on his face.

"So, how was your day at the Ministry, Father?" asked Percy, truly looking interested. Ron knew that Percy's goal in life was to one day work there. He had become even more of a prat as of late; the Hogwarts letters had arrived a few days ago, and he had become a Prefect. Ron was excited and nervous about his own letter, and had asked whether the family could go to Diagon Alley soon and pick up their supplies. Percy wouldn't stop puffing himself up, speaking oh-so-importantly about how it was his responsibility to make sure his little brothers followed the rules. This started Fred and George off on an endless round of teasing, while Ron just glowered sullenly at Percy.

"Oh, it was extremely interesting to say the least," said Arthur, taking a bite of his dinner. "This is terrific, Molly. Well done."

"Thank you, Arthur," Molly said, looking delighted. "What happened today that made it so interesting?"

Arthur then said two words which perked up the entire table, even Percy. "There's some very fascinating news about Harry Potter."

Ginny came alive next to Ron, her brown eyes wide. "Harry Potter?" she said, her voice going up in pitch. "What about him?"

Arthur smiled indulgently at his daughter, and then began to explain. "As you know, several Hogwarts staff have friends and family who are Ministry workers," he said, "and you know how fast gossip flies around the place. I have it on good authority that Harry does not wish to attend Hogwarts in September. Apparently, he said no to his acceptance letter."

"He WHAT?" Ginny gasped in shock, and the rest of the family looked dumbfounded as well. "But he's HARRY POTTER!" Ginny exclaimed, her innocent eyes as wide as saucers. "What do you mean, he doesn't want to go to Hogwarts?"

"I mean precisely that, Ginny," said Arthur. "He wants nothing to do with magic, and wants to stay with his Muggle relatives. I've even heard it spread around that he wants his magic removed."

"Blimey!" Ron said, flabbergasted. Ginny's mouth was wide open, but no words escaped it. Fred and George stared at each other in disbelief. Percy looked scandalized by this news, and Molly's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed in disapproval.

Ever since he could remember, Ron had been regaled with stories about Harry Potter. His parents had told him some things about what life was like during the war; his uncles, Gideon and Fabian, had been murdered by Death Eaters when Ron was very young. He couldn't remember them, but he knew Percy, Bill, and Charlie could. Bill, who was now in Egypt, and Charlie, who was now in Romania, remembered other details of the war vividly as well; they had often said they were extremely glad Ron did not have to grow up in that kind of violent world. Harry, at fifteen months old, was extraordinary; he was the only one who had ever survived a Killing Curse. Not only that, but You-Know-Who had been defeated because of him. Awe and wonder were two emotions that always went with his name.

Since Molly and Arthur were close with Dumbledore, they knew that Harry was living with Muggle relatives, which most of the wizarding world did not know. Dumbledore had offered Molly and Arthur the chance to join his organization who fought Voldemort, the Order of the Phoenix, but they respectfully declined as they had young children to raise. It was not that they did not want to fight, but the prospect of dying and leaving their children alone was not something they wanted to happen, and joining the Order was an enormous risk. Even without being a part of it, they had been in danger anyway; Voldemort was picking people off one by one, but directly fighting him was like signing your own death warrant. Dumbledore had understood their decision, and maintained a close relationship with them over the years.

When Ron had been told that Harry was around his age, he had grown very excited. Would they be friends at Hogwarts? Would Harry Potter be in Gryffindor, like Ron hoped he would be? What did his scar look like? Did he remember anything about that night?

Fred and George made it their life's mission to tease Ginny mercilessly about him, too. Every time his name came up in conversation, Ginny would blush scarlet, her brown eyes full of adoration. It was as though she pictured Harry as a white knight in shining armor who would come and sweep her off her feet. Molly and Arthur always indulged her childish notions, and were always telling Fred and George to lay off her.

Fred and George themselves were interested by his story, and Ron sometimes heard them discussing questions they'd like to ask him when they met. Even Percy was interested; he wondered about Harry's upbringing and what his life had been like among the Muggles.

"I don't understand it myself," said Arthur, watching his family's reactions. "I don't think I've been so surprised in a long time."

"What in Merlin's name could the Muggles have done to him to make him reject our world?" Molly said, looking furious. "I told Albus at the time that we'd have been willing to take him into our family! But he was so adamant that Harry had to stay with those Muggles. And now ... now he doesn't even want to take his place at Hogwarts! And removing his magic? What a preposterous notion! Not that that can ever happen," she sniffed, her fists clenching.

"It's ... it's insane!" Ginny cried out, her face crestfallen. "I wanted to meet him so much!"

"Ah, it's quite ruined the fairy tale for you, hasn't it, Gin kins?" Fred teased, ruffling his little sister's hair fondly.

"Can't sweep you off your feet when you go to Hogwarts in a year's time if he's not there, can he?" George joked. "Poor little lass, what're you gonna do now?" Snickering, both he and Fred pretended to weep into their glasses of pumpkin juice.

"Will you two SHUT UP?" Ginny yelled at her brothers. "It's not funny!"

At the same moment, Percy said crossly, "Can't you two take ANYTHING seriously? This is important! What if his accidental magic gets out of control, and he hurts the Muggles without meaning to?"

"Fred! George! Leave Ginny alone! Ginny, do not speak so rudely to your brothers," Molly said, sounding tired. "Is anyone planning to do anything about it?" she asked Arthur. "Percy brings up an excellent point. Harry has to learn to control his magic!"

"Apparently Albus went to Harry's home to try and convince him," Arthur replied. "It didn't work. He's very against coming to the magical world. I wonder what his life has been like." He looked fascinated, and Ron knew that his dad's obsession with Muggles was kicking in.

Molly glared at her husband. "Not now, Arthur!" she said in exasperation. "I'm worried about the poor boy! Do they have any plans to help him with his magic at all?"

"Well," said Arthur, looking chastized, "there was a staff meeting yesterday about it. Charity Burbage, who teaches Muggle Studies and isn't too fond of the wizarding world herself, has offered to tutor him in his home if Albus can't find him someone else that isn't a Hogwarts professor. If she does it, it will be a lot of extra work for her."

"Why doesn't she like the wizarding world?" Ron asked, baffled.

"I'm honestly not sure what her problem is," Arthur answered. "But that's what the plan is, for now."

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Later, as Ron lay in bed, the conversation at dinner churned around and around in his mind. It was unbelievable to think that Harry Potter, of all magical children, was saying no to the wonder of Hogwarts. Ron had heard so much about the school growing up, and his stomach tied itself in knots when he thought about taking his place there. He longed to find his niche, to discover how he could be different from his brothers. He felt as though everything that could be achieved had been done already by them; how could he make an impression on people that was all his own?

He hoped that Harry would be able to be convinced to come and join his year. What could possibly be better about the Muggle world than the wizarding one? And why the bloody hell would he want to get rid of his magic? The whole thing was absurd, truly ridiculous.

He couldn't imagine not playing Quidditch or not eating chocolate frogs. He couldn't imagine a world where the dishes didn't wash themselves or the fireplace didn't turn green with the arrival of someone. Arthur had told him all about aeroplanes and fellytones, but he'd never understood his dad's pure and utter wonder at the creativity and ingenuity of the Muggles.

He also thought about what his mum had said, about how they were willing to take Harry Potter in when his parents had died. Molly Weasley had a big heart, but Ron doubted it would have been possible to afford to take care of him too; the Weasley family was strapped for finances as it was. Ron couldn't help but envy the children he saw who had brand new robes and other material things which they took for granted, when he got the hand-me-downs his brothers had worn. He also sometimes felt resentful of Ginny for being a girl, and therefore being the one to get the new outfits.

Sighing, Ron settled down into bed and felt sleep start to creep over him. His last coherent thought was that this evening had definitely not been a normal one. Harry Potter refusing to come to Hogwarts was not a notion he ever would have entertained. In his opinion, this whole thing was flat-out wrong.

And with that, he fell asleep, his mind full of the disappointment that his dream of teaching Harry about the wizarding world might never become a reality.