Chapter Sixteen

Journeys And Acceptance

Author's Note: My apologies on the delay of posting… My friend came up from Delaware, I've been to the movies, and I've been working. I'll update sooner from now on. Again I apologize for keeping you waiting, I know how it is to wait for updates so sorry!

Ron ran as fast as he could out of the castle doors, out of the castle gates, and turned into a fox and ran to the village of Hogsmeade, unsure of what he was going to do or where he was going to go, but one thing was for sure, he couldn't stay there anymore. Once he got to the forest behind Hogsmeade, not the Forbidden Forest, he smelled for danger. As foxes were part of the Canine family, and as Canines could smell almost anything, Ron could tell if there were any other animals around him, and though none smelled of danger, there were lots of animals here. He smelled the food that villagers were cooking and eating. He could smell the scent of people, though they couldn't see him. Ron was careful to stay inside the forest, afraid to come out. It started to storm. Ron thought the hardest thing now was finding shelter to duck under, but it came easy enough. He cuddled up in the hollow of a tree. He'd stay there until the storm passed, or so he thought.

Ron was in shock when he smelt the scent of people growing closer and closer to him. Surely, no witch or wizard hunted foxes, right? Ron couldn't move back any further, but the scent of people was growing stronger and stronger. Suddenly, it was so strong that Ron knew they were standing right outside his tree. Ron listened for voices, but there were none. Only the sound of feet crunching leaves and twigs as they stepped. Then he saw a hand it was reaching toward him. It grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out of the tree. Ron wouldn't bite unless it was necessary, but he wanted to know who had found him. Was it McGonagall, the Ministry could trace Animagi; to make sure people didn't abuse the privilege. Or were villagers actually so smart they knew he was there?

To Ron's surprise not only was it McGonagall, but also Grandfather was with her. He had dragged him out. Ron started to back up rather quickly, but Grandfather kicked him hard in the ribs, causing him to whimper. McGonagall said a spell that forced Ron back into his human force. Ron clutched his ribs, as he stood up. Grandfather grabbed Ron by the hair.

"I reckon You-know-who must've made you crazy, you've lost your damn mind all right, running away from school." Grandfather says.

"Let go of me." Ron yells.

"John, John, I'll take him from here." McGonagall says.

"No, he needs to be punished!" Grandfather says.

"Don't you think I've been punished enough? You left me to die!" Ron reminds him.

It earned him a hard punch across the face.

"John! Please, Mr. Weasley is under our custody during the school year. I'll take him to the castle, and we'll take care of this." Professor McGonagall says.

"And let him runaway again? I think not. Look what you're supervision has done already." Grandfather says.

"Yours wasn't any better!" Ron says.

"May I remind you that hadn't you earned that suspension, none of it would've happened!" Grandfather says.

"I earned a suspension, but I didn't deserve everything that followed!" Ron yells.

"Keep taking that tone with me, you'll be grateful for it when you get home." Grandfather says.

Ron couldn't believe how cruel his Grandfather was being. He wasn't caring like he had been at Christmas. All the guilt must've slipped away, and he was back to being cruel again.

Ron turned himself into a fox and ran as fast as he could, following the train tracks as a guide to go south. It would bring him to London anyway. He stayed out of view as he ran running through forests. He knew McGonagall and his Grandfather probably still could trace him, but he didn't care. He ran for hours in snowy hills and plains. He was halfway home when he had to cross water. There was the railroad, or there was the freezing ice water. Deciding that the train was only used for transportation back and forth for the holidays, he decided to try and use the railroad. He carefully trotted on the tracks that were kilometers above the water, and went for kilometers until the next patch of land. He was about halfway to the other side, when he smelt it. A train was coming. He had no choice but to jump.

Ron's insides froze when he hit the water. It was so cold it burned. His lungs hurt. He submerged and doggy paddled a few more kilometers until he reached land. Land was above him; he couldn't climb up the cliff, unless… Ron transfigured himself human again and knew he was getting sick. He coughed and shivered as he daringly climbed the cliff. The rocks that he grabbed onto were slippery, and he knew that if he fell, he'd die from hitting the rocks at the bottom. He had to keep himself from falling. He carefully climbed up the cliff and brought himself to more snowy plains. Ron transfigured himself into his fox form, and he ran through the snow trying to get warm, but he was only getting weaker. With no food in his system, with freezing water around him, running was not the best choice though it was efficient.

Ron's run brought him to Platform 9¾. He went through the barrier and ran out of King's Cross Station. He was subtle as he left the station without anybody knowing. Muggles would make a scene if they saw a fox in any public place. So Ron slyly slid out, always watching his back. It had been a forty-eight hour non-stop journey to get to London, but that was only the beginning.

Ron knew that if he were indeed going to get to America, he'd need to start by heading west. Ron ran through rain and snow. Ron wouldn't dare eat rabbits, although the fox in him begged him too. He wouldn't eat anything on the streets or in the trash, although if he had to run much more he would have to, and he knew he would be running much more, but he still wouldn't bring himself to steal or eat off the street.

It had taken him a week, but finally he reached one of his destinations. Plymouth. There were ships here. The only problem was getting on them. He hid behind some crates and watched and listened.

"Those crates over there need to be shipped tonight." A man says pointing to the crates in front of Ron.

"Where they headed?" Another man asks.

"Boston." The other man says.

Ron remembered from a geography class in Primary school that Boston was in Massachusetts where Salem was. He had to get in those crates, somehow.

He did it very carefully. When everybody was on a lunch break, he transfigured himself into human form and climbed into one. Then he transfigured himself back into his fox form and he curled into a ball underneath boxes.

Later that evening, he felt the crate move it was dark inside the crate, so he couldn't see anything. He felt himself hit the ground. He figured the muggle contraption swung him onto the boat. He stayed awake the whole bumpy ride. The water must've been roughed, not that he knew anything about the English Channel or the Ocean. He could just feel the boat rocking roughly. He would've thrown up had he had any food in the last few days.

The boat ride lasted a week. When they arrived in America it was five in the morning. The crate was emptied on American soil, and Ron snuck out in his fox form. There was a hazy mist in the air, and Ron ran to the forest, as it was beginning to snow. Ron was glad for less complicated thoughts, he was emotionally drained and extremely sick. Had it not been for Grandfather and Voldemort he'd not have been able to endure the journey.

Now that he was in Boston, he still had to travel to Salem. Only he found out when he started to travel north, that he wasn't in Massachusetts. He was in America, but he had gotten in a crate that was shipped to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Ron wanted to cry more than ever. The thought of the journey being longer and harder overwhelmed him. Ron had no time to cry though; he'd better waste any energy he had left on running. So he ran northwest to Richmond. He followed signs that said Washington 'so many miles' until he got to Washington, D.C. Then he followed signs to Philadelphia, which Ron knew was north. Ron thought that the whole of the United States was north at the moment.

He ran to Baltimore and swam under the Delaware Memorial Bridge to get to New Jersey, where he followed the turnpike, in the woods, going north. Ron took the turnpike through New York and followed signs that read East Hartford/Boston. He was going towards Boston, in Massachusetts. He was finally getting somewhere after traveling for at least fifteen hours. He kept running. He saw a sign that read N.H.-Maine/Boston. He was almost there. He had to be.

Finally, after nineteen hours of running in snow he was in Boston. He followed signs to Salem, and after another half hour, he finally reached his destination.

He entered the school slyly. It was two in the morning. He ran upstairs in the shadows and runs up to the sophomore dorms. He runs into dorm ten. Everyone was sleeping. Ron transfigured himself back into his human form, and he shook Derek awake, covering his mouth to keep him quiet. Derek was in shock as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes and still saw Ron, though he looked extremely sick, wet, and hurt, it was Ron.

"How?" Derek asks in a whisper.

Ron gestured toward the door without saying anything. Derek understood that Ron didn't want anybody else to know and talking in there would wake somebody, if not everybody. So Derek followed Ron down to the Rec room in only his boxers. Though, he brought his blanket with him. They took a seat on the armchairs. Derek gave Ron his blanket.

"No, you don't have too." Ron says sneezing.

"You need it. Let's go down to the nurse. How the heck did you get here?" Derek asks.

"I ran, swam, and hid in a crate on a ship coming here, and then I ran and swam some more." Ron says. "I don't want to go to the nurse, I've runaway. All the authorities probably know about me. I just can't go back." Ron has a coughing fit.

"You probably have pneumonia among other things. You really need to see the nurse. In the morning Ms. Turner could work out things with your parents and you could stay here maybe. On the summer you could stay at my house. My mom won't mind. She would love to take you in really." Derek says.

Ron sneezes and shivers.

"Come on you have to go to the nurse." Derek says.

"No." Ron says.

"Don't make me carry you." Derek says.

"Let it go, all right? I'm fine." Ron says stubbornly.

Derek throws Ron over his shoulder and carries him out of the Rec room and downstairs to the nurse's office.

"Nurse Web!" Derek yells.

Nurse Web came running out to Derek in a nightgown tying her robes around her. There had been no patients so she was sleeping.

"Derek, what is it?" Nurse Web asks.

Derek puts Ron down shutting the door.

"Mr. Weasley? How?" Nurse Web asks.

"Its not important. I'm fine." Ron says but has a coughing fit.

"Oh dear. That sounds terrible. Derek put him in bed two." Nurse Web says.

Derek picked Ron up and dropped him on bed two.

"How did you get here? I thought you left." Nurse Web says.

"He ran away." Derek says.

"Thanks a lot Derek, now everybody's going to know, and I'll have to go back!" Ron says.

"I won't tell anybody. How did you manage to get here though?" Nurse Web asks.

"I ran from Hogsmeade to London. I had to swim part of the way. Then from London I ran to Plymouth, and I hid in a crate that I thought was going to Boston, but it ended up in Virginia. I ran here and had to swim through a waterway." Ron says shivering. He was still soaked.

"Go take a hot shower, dress in these, and come back out here. Have you eaten anything?" Nurse Web asks.

"Not for two weeks." Ron says.

"What do you mean?" Derek asks.

"I was running the first week, and the second week I was in a crate coming here." Ron says.

Nurse Web felt Ron's forehead. He was burning up, though he had cold sweat on his forehead. He was shivering, and his teeth would be clattering, but he was trying to hide the fact that he was cold and sick.

Ron got off the bed to go take a hot shower. Derek saw him walk toward the door.

"Where you going?" Derek asks.

"To take a hot shower, like she says." Ron says.

"In here." Derek says pointing to the bathroom.

Ron comes out dressed in warm pajamas. He wasn't as cold anymore, but he was still sick. He got under an enchanted heating blanket and rested against the pillows. He was in comfort, despite the hunger pangs and the fact that he couldn't breathe without having a coughing fit.

"Take these." Nurse Web says.

There were four goblets.

"What are they?" Ron says.

"One's a sleeping potion, one's a calming potion, one's a pepper-up potion, and one's to fight off the pneumonia and anything else you might've caught. You realize how lucky you are to have not died from Hypothermia." Nurse Web says.

Derek enters with a tray of food. There was steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob and cornbread. He placed the tray next to the potions.

"Tea will be here shortly." Derek says and just a few seconds later it appeared on his bedside table.

"You shouldn't have. Thank you both." Ron says. Ron drank the potions and ate the meal greedily. He remembered finishing his tea before passing out.

Ron awoke the next morning to find Bill next to his bed. Ron sat up painfully. This couldn't be happening. He didn't travel two weeks just to get sick and go home the next day. He knew he should've kicked Derek.

"Calm down." Bill says reassuringly.

"I'm not going back." Ron says, but he had lost his voice, and his throat hurt.

"Tea?" Bill asks not hearing him.

Ron rolls his eyes and lays back. It was no use. Ron started building himself up again inside. He knew that if he were to go back he'd be a walking talking machine with no feelings. His grandfather'd punish him worse than ever, as well. He would have nothing to live for if he went back, except Hermione. That was a big exception, though.

"Hello?" Bill asks.

Ron closed his eyes wanting Bill to go away.

He woke up again around mid-afternoon. His parents were at his bed. "Do you even think about how worried we get when you pull stunts like this?" Mrs. Weasley asks calmly.

"Dumbledore said that my only problem was not having a way of transportation. I got here fine. You didn't have to pay for it and Grandfather didn't have to waste a sickle on me." Ron says. His throat still hurt, but his voice had returned to him.

"You didn't have our permission." Mr. Weasley says.

"I couldn't stay there another minute." Ron says.

"You could have, you chose not to… you didn't like the fact that things weren't going your way, and you ran." Mr. Weasley says.

"You make your assumptions. It doesn't matter anyway." Ron says bitterly. "I just don't see why I have to worry about anybody else, if nobody worries about me! Nobody cares that I'm not happy! I was a month ahead of everybody at Hogwarts and that pissed the Professors off and it gave me nothing to do. I wasn't learning anything. Nobody gave me a second chance over there either. You'd think after everything I'd have learned, and people would give me a second chance, but McGonagall called me a liar in front of the class."

"Yes, you'd have thought you would learn something from everything that happened, but you haven't learned not to runaway." Mr. Weasley says.

"I'm not going home with you. I didn't travel for two weeks just to get sick and go home to be punished. Its not fair!" Ron says.

"No, that doesn't seem fair." Ms. Turner who was listening from behind the curtain says. "I'm Ms. Turner, the guidance counselor. The students come to me with their problems, and I sort them out. The students get along with their peers and teachers well. It makes learning most enjoyable if students get along with their teacher's. At Ron's age its important for them to be heard and respected, because while they're still children they're beginning to grow as adults, and it gets harder for them, and unless they have somebody who will listen to them, things won't get easier."

"Life isn't always easy, Ms. Turner." Mrs. Weasley says.

"Learning should be, and it is here. Your son told me about the Professors at Hogwarts." Ms. Turner says.

"It's only in their job description to teach." Mrs. Weasley says.

"But why teach if the children won't learn? Ron told me that he usually did horrible at Hogwarts." Ms. Turner says.

"It's because he's lazy. I have five boys ahead of him, and they've all done remarkable, even the twins who have a short attention span did well." Mrs. Weasley says.

"It's easy to expect the best from your children, but they're all different people. They all have their own needs." Ms. Turner says.

"I understand that, but Ron cannot stay here." Mrs. Weasley says.

"I understand that, but I think you should have a conference with his teachers." Ms. Turner says.

"We don't have them there." Ron says.

Ms. Turner sighs.

"Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, might I have a word outside?" Ms. Turner asks.

"Sure." Mrs. Weasley says. She wanted her son to be happy, but she couldn't let him stay. They would never be able to afford to see him. She follows Ms. Turner outside the hospital wing.

In the end, Ms. Turner came back to talk with Ron. She took a seat next to Ron's bed.

"Ron, sweetie… I have some good news and some bad." Ms. Turner says.

"Tell me what good will come out of not being here?" Ron asks miserably.

"The bad news is that you will have to go home with your parents. The good news is, your parents won't let your Grandfather near you again, and you won't be punished, but you have to return to Hogwarts. Whether, you take a break for two weeks, or what it doesn't matter, you have to attend classes there. It's where you live. I know that the best way to handle any situation is to confront it not run from it. You ran all this way because you were humiliated. You're sick, hurt, and going back. Luckily, you aren't going to be punished for this. However, it was really stupid of you to run all this way because of one professor." Ms. Turner says crossing her arms and watching Ron expectantly.

"I didn't run all this way just because of humiliation. I wanted to come back here. I miss everybody here. I miss the education, the educators, my friends." Ron says.

"But you'd miss home even more. You've known Derek for two months, but you have family and close friends who you've known for years. Which is stronger?" Ms. Turner asks.

"Honestly, they're both equal. I've never had as much fun as I've had here. Nobody knew my background, and they liked me, and respected me. I don't get respect or anything back at Hogwarts. I get disappointed looks and rumors mumbled. I'm a younger brother to five, and a best friend to the famous kid. Here I was the cool kid." Ron says.

"You can be the cool kid anywhere. You just have to be yourself. Derek has a personality, and I can understand why you'd miss him, and the other children, but I'm sure you'll see each other again soon." Ms. Turner says.

"You don't understand. I don't like learning anymore. I can't sit still and listen to teachers drone on and on about a lesson I learned a month ago. Even if I hadn't learned it before, I wouldn't be able to sit still knowing that teachers made learning important and fun." Ron says. "Nobody listens to me over there. Nobody's given me a second chance."

"In these boring classes have you ever asked a question, to try and learn?" Ms. Turner asks.

"Honestly, no." Ron says.

"So try that. Your parents say that if you do well the rest of this year, they will consider letting you come here next year. Derek's mother would love to have you, but right now it's not an option." Ms. Turner says.

"I have to go back?" Ron asks.

"Yes." Ms. Turner says. "I'm truly sorry Ron, it was always a pleasure to have you, but I know running from anything is never an answer."

"Thanks for everything." Ron says miserably.

Ron arrived back at Hogwarts the following morning; only he would be staying in the hospital wing, while Madam Pomfrey nursed him back to health. Ron was now taking two daily calming potions, to keep him under control and somewhat tranquil. Ron was also taking a week's worth of potions for whatever he had in his system. Ron had a critical case of Pneumonia, and Madam Pomfrey wondered how he hadn't caught Hypothermia with everything he went through. It was the blizzard of '96 in America and always much colder in the United Kingdom.

Ginny visited him daily, trying to reassure Ron that he never did anything wrong, and that she knew that he loved her deep down. Ron still hated himself for risking his sister's life for Harry's skin. Risking a sibling's life for a friend wasn't something one could forgive easily. Ron felt forgiving yourself was ten times worse, because it would be like forgetting and not caring, and Ron did care very much about his youngest sibling. Ginny was the closest to Ron out of everyone in the family. Even though she could be annoying, Ginny would be there for him if he needed her, and he'd always be there for her. Ron still felt horrible for endangering the one life he was always taught to protect.

Ron could still remember his father's lecture after he had pushed her in the mud when she tried to hang out with him when he was with Tobias in Primary school.

"Ron, you're an older brother, and to a younger sister, which gives you more responsibility than having a younger brother would. You need to protect her. Your mother and I knew you would make a great brother when she was born. We knew we could depend on you to protect her, and I know you have. Your mum and I both know that you didn't throw a doll at Fred. We knew Ginny had had a temper tantrum after he beheaded a previous doll of hers. We heard her yell that the twins shouldn't stop at one, and then we heard the porcelain break. Only, when we got up there you said you were mad at Ginny and the twins and to punish them both you broke her doll by throwing it at Fred. We knew Ginny wasn't crying because her doll broke. We knew it was because she was afraid of getting yelled at. She's always been your mother's perfect angel, because you make sure she doesn't get into trouble. To sacrifice your puffskein for Fred's silence was more than I could've expected of a big brother. I don't understand why you would protect her at home, but hurt her at school." Mr. Weasley had told a six-year-old Ron.

Ron regretted terribly lending Fred his only friend in the world his pet, puffskein… Fred had used it for bludger practice, and Ron never saw it again.

Mr. Weasley handed Ron a stick. "Break that." Mr. Weasley says.

Ron looked at his father as if he were mental, but did as he was instructed

"Easy enough, right?" Mr. Weasley asks.

Ron nods.

Mr. Weasley got two sticks this time and handed them to Ron. "Break these now, together." Mr. Weasley says watching.

Ron couldn't do it.

"It's easy to break one by their self, but two together are unbreakable. Could you imagine seven sticks for each one of you? It wouldn't be possible. I want you to stick together, watch out for your sister, and stop picking on her. Can you blame her for admiring you? You're the most brilliant person she knows. She may grow out of that, but you should be good to her while it lasts. Your sister won't stay five forever." Mr. Weasley says.

Nine years had passed since then, but Ron still remembered the lesson. It was a lesson he'd never forget.

"Ginny, you seriously wouldn't hate me if I forgave myself? I'm not saying I can now, but if I ever can forgive myself, would you be mad?" Ron asks.

"No! I'm upset at how stubborn you're being. You should forgive yourself already, its not like you're fighting with Hermione, this is yourself, and it's driving me mad that you won't forgive yourself because of me." Ginny says.

"I feel like I failed you Ginny." Ron says.

"Ron you don't have to protect me." Ginny says.

"Yes I do Ginny, I'm your older brother." Ron says.

"Not by choice." Ginny reminds.

"Maybe not, but still." Ron says.

"I understand, but don't be too hard on yourself." Ginny says.

Fred and George came to visit Ron, but Ron found that the main reason they came was to borrow Pigwidgeon, and he let them.

Ron returned to lessons on a Friday afternoon during Potions. He felt a bit drowsy still and he had already known how to make the potion. He let Harry brew his potion for a bit, while he laid his face on his arms, resting his eyes.

WHAM! Snape slammed something hard down onto the table Ron and Neville were working at. Ron didn't remove his face from his arms, nor did he jump or open his eyes.

"What?" Ron muttered in way of response.

"Mr. Weasley, I will not tolerate disrespect in my classroom." Snape says.

"I wasn't awake to bad mouth you, I don't know what you're talking about." Ron says into his arms. Snape heard every word though.

"You were sleeping in class, therefore showing me no respect." Snape says.

"Teach me something new, and I'll stay awake for it." Ron mumbles.

"Ten points from Gryffindor and a detention, Mr. Weasley for your cheek." Snape hisses.

Ron looks up as if to say something, but sneezes on Snape's robes.

While every student in the room was in complete shock, Dean couldn't help but laugh. Ron put his head back down and started coughing into his arms.

Snape still looked at Ron with disgust, as if he were going to kill him.

"That's ten more points from Gryffindor, five for Mr. Thomas' opinion, and five for that disgusting move, Mr. Weasley." Snape says.

Ron waited until his coughing stopped for a second.

"You can't possibly take points away for me having a cold." Ron says coughing some more.

"If you're sick, you should be in the hospital wing." Snape says.

"That is bullshit!" Ron yells packing up his bag.

"Language, Mr. Weasley. Maybe you can clean your mouth out when you're polishing the trophy room." Snape says.

Ron storms out of the room. He was edgy from being sick.

"You cursed at a professor, and it doesn't help any that it's Snape. Ron, how stupid are you?" Hermione asks as she and Harry watched him in clean the trophies in the trophy room. They weren't allowed to help, or they would have.

"Very stupid, but not for that." Ron says coughing.

"You're still sick?" Hermione asks.

"No," Ron says sarcastically.

"Why are you out of the hospital wing then?" Hermione asks.

"I was tired of being restrained to a bed all day." Ron says.

"But you're sick." Hermione says.

"We've established this." Ron says.

"You can't be out of bed when you probably have pneumonia!" Hermione shrieks.

"I doubt Madam Pomfrey would allow me out of the hospital wing if I still had pneumonia. I probably just have the common cold, its not unexpected. It'll go away in a few days." Ron says with a sneeze.

"Bless you." Hermione says. "I still can't believe you dared to go to America, and actually made it there."

"I still can't believe you both took Malfoy's word over mine." Ron says.

"Is that why you ran away? No offense Ron, but you didn't exactly offer anybody, not even me a word. Of all people you'd think I would understand. I told you what happened to me last year." Harry says.

"I just wanted to forget it all, and you can't forget if you have to relive it over and over to explain." Ron says.

"You can't accept it unless you get it out of your system." Harry says.

"I've talked about it a couple of times, but it doesn't change anything. It still happened, I just feel guiltier, and all I want is to forget about it." Ron says.

"You're never going to forget it. It's something you'll always remember. You can move on, but stuff like this you can't forget. I know what I'm talking about. I still can't help feeling that Cedric's death is my fault. I have nightmares occasionally, but they've become less frequent." Harry says.

Ron thought about it, well at least nobody had died because of him, it was only what could've been that tore him up inside. Ron was glad that he took sleeping potions. He didn't want Harry to know he was mental. Harry was his best friend, but would he still be if he found out about Ron's sanity? He had to know.

"But you aren't mental." Ron says.

"Neither are you." Harry says.

Ron rolls his eyes. "Yes, I am." Ron says.

"No, you're not, you're fine." Harry says.

"You saw me get sick after Malfoy taunted me. If I weren't taking a sleeping potion, I'd be trapped in nightmares. If something reminds me of what happened, I'm there again. I can't tell myself to wake up, because I'm in a different world. I have no control over it. I can't wake up." Ron explains.

"You're only making your problems worse by not facing them head on." Harry says. "I don't think postponing them helps any at all either."

"You don't understand Harry, I get sick every time I have a nightmare. I can't sleep right, I get emotionally drained." Ron says.

"So you're just going to not dream anymore?" Harry asks.

"I have to send an owl now." Ron says. Ron leaves the trophy room and heads for the owlery.

Harry and Hermione follow him. They caught up with him, just as he was grabbing Pig. Ron pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket and tied it to the owl's leg and threw him out the window.

"Dumbledore told me you couldn't accept anything, until you understand it, and if you keep postponing dreams it'll only get worse. You should try to go without the potion tonight. We share the same dorm, so I'll be right there." Harry says.

"I can't." Ron says.

"Why not?" Harry asks.

"I don't want anybody to see me crazy." Ron says.

"Having nightmares doesn't make you crazy." Harry says.

"They're not just nightmares." Ron says.

"Just try it." Harry says before he leaves.

Hermione walks over to Ron. She smacks him.

"Ouch! I'm glad I came back." Ron says.

"Well, don't expect me to kiss you, your sick, and I don't want to catch whatever you have." Hermione says. "You were actually going to leave me for America?"

"No! I wasn't leaving you, I was just er… going there for a bit. I was leaving Hogwarts, not you." Ron says.

"You've got to stop running away every time something doesn't go your way." Hermione says.

"In America they gave me respect. Here, Snape hates me and disrespect is an understatement to how he treats us. I thought I could deal with everyone else, but McGonagall called me a liar." Ron says.

"You were lying." Hermione says.

"Still, she should learn to trust me." Ron says.

"She's not stupid Ron. I think after the twins, the Weasley name has lost her trust." Hermione laughs.

"Yes, its always the twins and my older brothers who screw things up for me. I hate it." Ron says.

"So, you think McGonagall's not trusting you has nothing to do with your own account of things? You've ended up in the Forbidden Forest three times now, you've had countless detentions, and you can't lie very well." Hermione says.

"Still, she should give people second chances." Ron says.

"She's given you plenty of chances! She's a fair teacher." Hermione says.

"That's easy for you to say she gives you respect, but still it's not the point. I liked learning in America. Lessons were better than the weekends. And the people who teach History of Magic made the subject interesting." Ron says.

"You like lessons better than the weekends, because all your friends went home then, and anyone who isn't Binns could make History of Magic sound interesting." Hermione says.

"If you had been there for a day, you would understand." Ron says.

"I do find it weird that you enjoyed learning, but I'm thinking it might be the friends, or maybe the teachers made it easier." Hermione says.

"It was both." Ron says.

"Everything isn't always easy Ron. You should know that. With You-know-who, and life itself… it's not always going to be fair, and definitely not easy. You have to learn and sometimes it's the hard way, but without the challenges, how would you grow?" Hermione asks.

"By drinking milk?" Ron asks. "That's what the muggles say anyway. Calcium gives people strong bones."

Hermione slaps him. "I mean how will you grow as a person? If you have everybody always helping you, and something really complicated comes your way, you'd be lost." Hermione says.

"Of course I wouldn't. I'd use that compass spell you taught Harry, and find my way back." Ron says sarcastically.

Hermione smacks him again. "You know what I mean. All right, let me try and explain it this way… let's say all your tests are multiple choice and true or false… somebody tells you there's an essay question, you'd be in a lot of dung." Hermione says.

"I thought I knew what you were talking about, but then you get all bookish on me, and I kind of went blank." Ron says.

"If people made everything easy for you something complicated would overwhelm you." Hermione says.

"I get that, but how are you supposed to learn from a ghost who drones on and on, about something you already know?" Ron asks.

"You used to be able to. In a few weeks, you'll be on the same level as us, and you'll get used to everything again. Obviously, its not your favorite way of learning, but think of it as a challenge. You get decent marks learning here… if you win I'll reward you by doing a month's worth of essays for you. If you lose, I'll punish you with books to read for fun." Hermione says smiling.

"I'll take the challenge." Ron says. "I wouldn't mind getting great marks on essays done by somebody else, and I won't lose, because I won't read for fun. Reading and fun are two words that just don't go together."

"Kiss on it." Hermione teases.

Ron kisses her.

That night Ron didn't take his sleeping potion like Harry had asked. He didn't know why, maybe he thought Harry could help him, and if it meant being embarrassed to erase it all from his memory he'd do it. Ron fell asleep.

First he dreamed of Ginny…

Ron had come out to the backyard. He saw his twin brothers grinning wickedly, whispering, trying not to laugh, and looking at the roof. Ron looked up as well. Five-year-old Ginny was on the roof.

"What is she doing up there?" Ron asks Fred.

George sniggers.

"She thinks she can fly without a broomstick, she's going to show us, by jumping off the roof." Fred whispers.

Ron's eyes had flashed with panic.

"Are you crazy, she'll get hurt. I'd better get mum!" Ron says.

George grabs Ron's shoulder. "You going to be a snitch like Percy, are you?" George's eyes flashed dangerously.

"No! I'm just going to stop her, she'll get hurt!" Ron cries and wriggles free from his brother's grip.

Ron runs into the house, and up the stairs and climbs through Ginny's bedroom window onto the roof.

"Fred, I don't think this is safe! How do you know I won't fall?" Ginny asks on the edge of the roof.

"Ginny, don't move!" Ron yells.

Ginny fell forward in surprise of hearing Ron behind her. She caught the edge just barely.

"Ron help!" Ginny cries.

Ron ran to the edge of the roof and grabbed his sister's wrists just as her fingers slipped

"Please don't drop me Ron!" Ginny cries.

Ron pulls his sister up on to the roof.

Ginny hugs him and cries.

"Thank you Ron." Ginny sobs.

"You've got to stop listening to Fred and George." Ron says.

"RONALD PATRICK WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley's furious bark came from Ginny's bedroom.

The twins had framed him once again. Ron put a hand on his sister's shoulder, letting her know he'd take the blame, and helped her inside.

The only problem was, when he climbed inside his sister's bedroom window, he wasn't in his sister's bedroom. He was in somebody else's house. He left the girl's bedroom, and went down the stairs where he lost his balance. His knees had collapsed from under him.

Hermione was on her knees leaning over two dead people. They had to be her parents. They had wide glassy eyes that were filled with horror.

Ron walked over to Hermione and touched her shoulder trying to be strong, and trying not to throw up.

"Hermione… Hermione… I'm so sorry. Please you have to come with me now, before it's too late. Please Hermione!" Ron sobs shaking her shoulder.

She fell back onto her back. Her eyes were glassy and full of hate. She was dead. Ron held her and started choking. This couldn't be happening.

Hermione blinked. Ron looked at her, her eyes were turning red, she was grinning, and she blinked.

Hermione's dead body was now Voldemort. He had left the dead bodies and returned to the burrow where he was tied to a chair. Voldemort watched him and then grinned as he looked at the window. Ron follows Voldemort's gaze. Ron hears Ginny scream and sees her fly toward the ground out of the window. He didn't save her!

Ron busted free from the ropes, or Voldemort had released the magic from them, therefore Ron was able to run to the backyard. Ginny lay dead in a puddle of mud like the puddle Ron had pushed her in to get her to leave him alone at the primary school. Her neck was broken, and she was dead. He wasn't there to save her. There was an explosion, and the burrow had been set to flames. He saw his parents trying to breathe through the windows. They had been in the house! Ron couldn't save them. Ron fell down and cried. He heard his Grandfather's voice from a distance.

"Did all those people have to die for one address? When will you ever learn?" Grandfather asks.

He looked up and instead of seeing his Grandfather he saw Voldemort.

Ron gasped, but awoke in an armchair in the common room. Nobody had seen or heard his nightmare. Ginny was writing an essay, the twins were planning a prank, and Hermione and Harry were working on their homework. Everybody was in the common room. Ron sighed deeply. He was all right… he was fine…

The window flew open with a strong gust of wind that killed the fires in the candlelit room and in the fireplace. Everyone started screaming. Somebody's strong hands came upon his neck and gripped it tightly.

"You had your chance, they all had their chances. AVADA KADAVRA!" Voldemort cries.

Ron was killed; he was falling, falling, falling into an endless pit… he fell.

Ron sat up gasping for air. He was soaked in sweat and he was shaking madly. Ron's vision was blurry for a bit, but when it cleared up, he was in his bed in his dorm. Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall as well as all the fifth year boys were around him watching him.

"Mr. Weasley, what do you see right now?" Professor Dumbledore asks.

"W, w, w, where's G, g, Ginny?" Ron asks his voice trembling.

"She's sleeping in her dorm. I'll get her for you." Harry offers.

"S, s, she's a, a, alive?" Ron asks hopefully.

"Very much so. Mr. Weasley, I assure you no harm will come to her, while I'm here." Dumbledore says.

Ron wanted to ask a million questions, but he couldn't say one word without stuttering. He fell back on his bed as tears of frustration made their way down Ron's cheeks. It was no use.

"Mr. Weasley, I need you to come down to the hospital wing. I'll give you a calming potion and a sleeping potion." Madam Pomfrey says.

"Do you have tissues?" Ron asks feeling his nose starting to run.

"Yes of course." Madam Pomfrey says.

Ron tried to move, but couldn't.

"I'm stuck." Ron says.

Harry and Neville helped him up. Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey helped him down to the hospital wing.

Ron awoke the next afternoon with a sore throat and a headache. Madam Pomfrey wasn't in sight. Professor McGonagall came up to Ron with a tray of breakfast and a cup of tea. She put it on the bedside table.

"Mr. Weasley, I wanted to apologize. I didn't call you a liar, I called your excuses lies, because that's what I thought they were. I believed you might've overslept. I haven't given you the credit you deserve, and I haven't been the best teacher… I've taken a lot of guilt over the months you left us. I felt that made me a bad teacher. I was so overwhelmed with guilt that I forgot the rest of my students. I made an unwise decision to stop caring so much about my students' lives. This way I'd be able to teach and keep things normal, but when you lose a student things are never normal afterwards.

You've mastered advanced magic; you're an Animagus, before the class knew how to be. You're intelligent, and you didn't even have to excel in my class for me to say that. You don't know how many times Professor Snape has said you're too smart for your year. Ms. Granger has always been smart for her year, but she's able to stay on the same page as everybody else. I knew you were intelligent, all your family members showed their knowledge, but you held yours back. You were being lazy. You didn't have to read tons of books like Ms. Granger to be intelligent, the twins showed their intelligence through their creativity. I'm not saying that you all use your brains wisely, but I think that what makes each one of you different, is how you use your intelligence.

When you ran off, I didn't blame you, but I never in a million years would've believed that a young man of fifteen could run to America and survive everything you have survived. What I don't understand is how you could be so brilliant over there, where nobody knew you, when you're lazy here, and everybody knows you." Professor McGonagall says.

"Everybody knows me here, and they know my brothers, and if I did anything it wouldn't matter, because my brothers probably did it first. I had a fresh start over there, and the lessons were more intriguing. I mean the teachers were alive and enthusiastic about History of Magic, and the teachers in Potions were grand, I mean they were completely the opposite of Snape." Ron says.

Professor McGonagall nods and sighs. "It wouldn't kill you to put a little more effort into your work." Professor McGonagall says standing up.

"I intend to give my best efforts beginning Monday. I'm on the same page as everybody else now." Ron says.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'll be in to check on you later in the evening, and before I forget… Mr. Potter wants to know when the next practice is. We'll need you to get us into the international school competition. Oh, and Professor Dumbledore has asked me to let you know that your Great Hall and Hogsmeade restrictions are removed." Professor McGonagall says. She smiles at Ron before leaving.

When Ron was eating lunch Harry, Hermione, and Ginny came to visit him. Ron finished his lunch quickly so he could talk.

"Ron, I'm sorry about telling you not to take the potion, I didn't have any idea as to what I was talking about. I didn't know." Harry says.

"Its all right. Maybe I'm better for it." Ron says patting Harry's shoulder.

"He said you mentioned me and Ginny in your nightmare. What happened?" Hermione asks taking his hand softly.

"It was weird, I remember this time when Ginny was on the roof when she was five, and Fred and George convinced her she could fly without a broomstick if she just jumped off, but I got her in time. My brothers framed me of course, but when I went back inside the house… it wasn't my house it was your house, only I don't even know what your house looks like. I just went downstairs, and your parents… they were killed, and you were crying over them, only you weren't crying… Voldemort had killed you when you were crying, and when I tried to get you to move, you fell over, and you were dead.

Then Voldemort came out of you, and I was back in my kitchen, and he was grinning and looking out the window. I looked out the window… and Ginny fell past outside. I ran outside somehow, and Ginny fell, because I hadn't caught her, and she was dead. Then the burrow went up in flames, and my mum and dad couldn't get out. Then I woke up, but I was in the common room and everybody was there, but the window flew open and blew out all the candles and the fire in the fireplace. Everything was dark, and then he killed me. Then I woke up." Ron says. "I didn't save either one of you."

"It was a nightmare. You couldn't save us, not even in a nightmare, and not in reality either." Hermione says.

"You've saved me plenty of times. Let me save you some guilt… if I die, which is a very rare if… I wouldn't blame you. You're the best brother I have. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George wouldn't let me hang around with them. You always had my back. You always saved me from a lecture, from a possibly fatal prank… I'd die grateful to you for everything you've ever done for me. Nothing is your fault. You-know-who is the murderer. I love you, and I hope you feel better." Ginny says giving his brother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She leaves the hospital wing.

"Ron, what could've been and what's happened are two completely different things, which I'm grateful for. You're alive, you were able to survive You-know-who, and nothing's going to happen to my parents… or me." Hermione says.

"Yea and thanks to you, I'll live too." Harry adds sarcastically.

"Thanks to you, I can accept that." Ron says to Harry.

"You can accept that I'm living? Couldn't you accept that fact before?" Harry jokes. Ron hits him.