He woke up in St. Mungo's with a slight headache and a deeper hunger than he'd ever felt in his life.
He sighed and opened his eyes only to close them again so he could adjust to the light. He was in a yellowish room and a woman sat in a chair next to the bed. She had purple hair and a slim physique. He sat up and she looked at him.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Tonks, I'm an Auror, nice to meet you Ron" she replied. "I'm your guard, just for precaution," she said.
"Why? Have I done something wrong?" Ron asked.
She laughed "well I don't think so, I'm guarding you not keeping you. It's for your family's peace of mind, your brother Charlie just stepped out for a moment."
"But he's in Romania," Ron said.
"Well, now he's here, for you" she replied.
"For me" Ron's memory came to him although the details were still fuzzy. "What happened after I passed out?" he asked.
"Well, the Healer's took care of you, gave you some blood replenishing potions and well, maybe you should hear the rest from your family."
The door opened then and Charlie walked in wearing muggle jeans, shoes, and button-up. His hair looked like he's just stepped out from a wind storm. His eyes had dark circles under them.
"They didn't have any vanilla but plenty of sugar," he said holding the coffee.
"Charlie," Ron said, he hadn't seen him in a long time. Charlie's eyes widened and he set the coffee down on the table and sat on the bed next to Ron to pull him into a hug. A gentle one like he was afraid Ron would break.
"Ron, thank Merlin, they said they weren't sure when you'd wake up," he said. Ron hugged back much tighter than Charlie had hugged him.
"How long have I been sleeping?" he asked.
"About a week, I came as soon as I got the fire call but unfortunately couldn't pack much. We've been taking turns watching you until you woke up. Of course, it took us two whole days to convince Mum to leave you so she could sleep" Charlie said, pulling away from Ron only to ruffle his hair gently.
"What happened after I got to the hospital? I don't remember anything" Ron said.
"Well, after they replenished your blood, you got a high fever. You… um" Charlie hesitated "The vampire that attacked you didn't just bite you, he turned you."
Ron stared at him dumbfounded, he'd heard of Vampire's that were capable of turning wizards and witches into vampires but it wasn't common in most circles. Sometimes babies were turned in order to save their lives because of a health issue and then they were adopted by vampires.
Charlie looked at him with concern, it was odd that way having brother's that much older than you. They tended to worry over their youngest siblings like parents.
Of course, Bill and Charlie were much cooler than his parents but still. "Is Bill in Egypt?" Ron asked and Charlie snorted.
"Are you kidding? Of course not, you almost died Ron," he replied.
"Ginny almost died too," he said.
"Yes but mum owled us after she was rescued and safe. You were still hospitalized and injured," Charlie replied.
"What about Harry and Hermione?" Ron asked.
"They visited while you were asleep still, they looked pretty worried. That's some good friends you've got Ron" Charlie said looking him in the eye.
"Yeah, they're great" he agreed. He had so many questions, he didn't know where to start. "Tonks, what happened to the vampire who attacked me?" he asked.
"Well, he's being imprisoned by the vampire council. He was evaluated by some of them and he's crazed. We've been working with them to find him for weeks but not a peep. It's likely he was hiding in muggle heavy areas hoping to get prey. We… found some of his victims that weren't turned," Tonks replied.
"So what happens now? Am I allowed to still attend Hogwarts?" Ron asked.
"Yes, Dumbledore actually came to see you and talk to mum the 2nd day. He said he was willing to accommodate you and speak to your mentor" Charlie explained.
"Dumbledore did? How did you hear? And what mentor?" Ron demanded.
"Slow down, Ron, I don't have all the answers," Charlie said.
"Unfortunately Madeye carrying you into St. Mungo's covered in blood caught the attention of the Daily Prophet. So your being attacked by a vampire is common knowledge" Tonks said. "I wouldn't worry about it, though, there's other news that everyone's preoccupied about now."
"Madeye carried me?" Ron asked, he'd heard of him, one of the best authors in the Ministry but still a little mad.
"Yes, all incredible but newly sired vampires need a mentor to help them with their new-found senses and other educational stuff. Vampires have a culture that requires respect" Charlie explained and Ron knew this was coming from his time in Romania.
"Oh," he said, he hoped his mentor wasn't like Snape or, Merlin forbid it, Lockhart.
"Yeah, well I'm gonna notify a Healer that you're awake. They'll give you a check-up and you probably can go home. It'll be much more comfortable" Charlie said heading out.
Ron nodded then yawned, stretching arms over his head. Being a vampire didn't seem to sink in very well, he didn't feel any different at all. The most he felt was uncomfortable because the hospital shirt felt very scratchy on his skin.
Over the next hour, a Healer came in and checked his vitals, asked him questions about how he felt which he responded he was starving, and finally had Charlie sign a sheet of paper. Tonks walked out of the room for a moment so Ron could change out of the shirt. After that, he slipped on his shoes and they walked out to the fireplace on one wall.
Stepping into the living after traveling, he found Bill on the couch reading. He looked just as tired at Charlie did. "Ron? What are you-?" then Charlie stepped out the fireplace followed by Tonks. Bill stood then and pulled Ron into a hug, a gentle hug.
"You know I'm not going to break, I feel fine," Ron said and Bill hugged a little tighter.
"You scared us badly" Bill replied.
"Yeah well, it's not like I went looking for a vampire" Ron replied.
"Merlin, your skinny," Bill said, taking his shoulders and giving him a once over.
"You sound exactly like mum" Ron replied, preparing himself a lot of affection from people as he walked into the kitchen.
"Ron?" his mother stood first and walked over to him quickly. His mother wrapped him in her arms and he took it despite the red coming over his face at the amount of attention he was getting.
When she finally let go, another redhead took her place, Ginny. "Ron" Ginny squeezed him harder than Mum did. Ron rolled his eyes fondly and of course hugged his only little sister. He glanced up to see Harry and Hermione sitting at the table. He smiled at them.
Ginny stepped back "alright anyone else wants to manhandle me now?" Ron asked.
"Ron! You almost died" Hermione said, glaring but her words didn't match because she held out her arms. That was Hermione Granger for you, she didn't ask just demanded.
"Yeah, well," he shrugged, pulling her gently into yet another hug. "I'm not usually very touchy-feely is all" he mentioned, flushing a little. Hermione had gotten a lot curvier since he last saw her.
Hermione stepped back and the twins took their turn which was more slapping him on the back and ruffling his hair. Being nuisances as usual "Fred, George, be careful he just got out of the hospital" Mum said.
"Molly, he's fine, looks better than ever although a little paler all things considered," Arthur said. Everyone chuckled.
"So your really a vampire, then?" Percy asked when he got his turn, Percy surprised by pulling him into a hug. A rare thing for 'no-touching' Percy Weasley.
"I guess," Ron said, finally less claustrophobic as everyone sat down. They all went their own conversations. Mum offered Tonks some tea.
"Well the eyes kind of give it away, don't they," Harry said glancing at Ron.
"Not to mention the… uh, ears" Geroge commented.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked.
"You don't know?" Hermione asked and Ron stood up.
"Ron, where are you going?" Mum asked.
"To the bathroom," Ron said then walked to the bathroom downstairs. He walked to the mirror immediately and his jaw dropped. His eyes were no longer the blue he'd always known but one eye was silver and the other gold.
He turned his eye staring at his eyes which completely confusion. He knew that Vampires had strange eye colors, purple, yellow, gold, grey, silver, red, and orange but he never knew they could have both colors.
To be honest it was cool and it would make him stand out instantly possibly even more than Harry with his electrifying green eyes. Even his hair seemed to be a darker color of red. Although considering his circumstances standing out may not be great for him.
He brushed his hair behind his ears and his jaw dropped, his ears were slightly pointed. "Well, you wanted to be different," he said to his reflection.
"Ron" he turned to find Harry in the doorway, he frowned.
"I'm fine, I'm sorry Harry," he said, feeling like a horrible friend now that he got a good look. Harry was thin as always but his cheeks were a little sunken and even though he and Hermione constantly tried to send food Harry's way in case the Dursley's decided Harry didn't need food but it wasn't enough.
And then when Harry's was frustrated at negative attention, Ron would think about how much he wanted some attention for once.
"Sorry? What are you talking about?" Harry asked looking more worried than before.
"Just that… I'm not always the greatest friend" he said walking out of the bathroom.
Harry shook his head "no, you're my best friend," he corrected "I don't know what you're on about but shape up. Also, a man's here to see you" he said.
Ron smiled then followed Harry back to the kitchen. Yeah, Harry was his best mate for a reason. "A man?" he said.
"Your new mentor I guess."
