Misunderstood
Chapter Five
A Weasley Tragedy
Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot to this story. All characters that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling and Scholastic and all them people.
Author's Note: I'm sorry! I know it's been a while, since I've updated, but I had to make a whole bunch of cookies for school, and still… this chapter has to be one of the worst I've ever written. I'm very sorry, but I hope you continue to read it. Thanks for all your reviews! ~*Carey*~
"Dad… go back and apologize… please. I… lied, and I'll face Grandfather if you go and get mum." Ron cried, lying to get his father to go back to his mother.
Mr. Weasley sighed and looked at his son. "Ron, I know when you're lying. This has nothing to do with you. This is your mother's decision. The fact is… she chose her father over her husband, and that doesn't work in marriage. It's probably killing your mum right now that I left her, but I have a responsibility to you as a father, and she has responsibility to you as a mother. Your mum also has a responsibility to me as a wife, one that she's not attaining too well right now. It's kind of how I messed up the last two times I saw you. I didn't bother to see if you were lying. I was only told from your mother and your grandfather that you were out of control. I'm sorry for those hateful things I said. They were meant for your Grandfather. I love you and I am proud of you. You should always know that. Despite how angry I get, I always love you kids. This whole problem will probably blow over soon enough. I mean I messed up a few weeks ago with you. Your mum's messing up with me, but we'll be back together soon enough. I promise you." Mr. Weasley said.
"Why are you proud of me?" Ron asked.
"What do you mean?" Mr. Weasley asked incredulously.
"Oh you meant the others…" Ron said dejectedly.
"No, no Ron… I meant you. You didn't think I was proud of you?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Well after I lost the car in second year, I never thought you were too thrilled with me." Ron said grimacing as he remembered the incident.
"I was upset with you, but I still had more reasons to be proud of you to even recall it. I mean that same year, you saved Ginny and cleared an innocent man's name." Mr. Weasley said.
"Harry saved Ginny, and Harry cleared Hagrid's name." Ron said.
"And you helped. Don't underestimate yourself Ron. Do you think Harry would've saved that stone in your first year, if you hadn't been there to help him through that chessboard? You sacrificed yourself." Mr. Weasley said.
"Chess is the only thing I'm good at, and it's only a game." Ron said.
"You're great at a bunch of other things, you just don't credit them. Believe it or not, Ron, you make me very proud. You risked your life for your sister's only a few weeks ago. I didn't even know about that. I was too exhausted to see the truth about Ginny, and I am extremely sorry." Mr. Weasley said.
"Well after that time I pushed her in the mud, and you spared me mum screaming for that lecture about what it is to be an older brother, I've never been able to hurt her again." Ron said. "Speaking of Ginny, I can tell you where she's at, since we're no longer at Grandfather's."
"If she's having a good time wherever she is, I'd prefer her to stay there. You shouldn't even be here, but here is better than your Grandfather's." Mr. Weasley said nervously.
"That's what I've been saying from the start, but at least Ginny's not in any danger." Ron said.
Mr. Weasley hugged Ron tightly. "I love you." Mr. Weasley said.
"I love you too." Ron said. "But I also love mum, despite the fact that's she's being rather thick at the moment. Dad, I don't want to be the reason for you and mum to split up."
"I thought we established that you're not." Mr. Weasley said.
"The twins, Ginny, Percy, Charlie, and Bill won't see it that way if things don't get better." Ron said softly.
"Mention a few weeks at your Grandfather's and they'll see it that way. Ginny already knows, without knowing, and Percy… Percy's been wrong for a bit now as it is. I don't reckon we'll hear from him anytime soon. Things will be better though, in time." Mr. Weasley said.
"So you and mum will definitely make up?" Ron asked hopefully.
"I'm almost a hundred percent sure she'll come around. If she doesn't, then we'll still be all right." Mr. Weasley said. "We always manage."
"You're right, I reckon we will be all right." Ron said. "Don't you have to be at work though?"
"I do, but I'm not leaving you here by yourself when the warning's still here. I need you to come to work with me." Mr. Weasley said.
"All right, I need to work on my holiday assignments anyway." Ron said standing up. "Wait, are you sure you want me to come with you?"
"Yes." Mr. Weasley said firmly.
Ron sat down in his father's office. Mr. Weasley and a warlock called Perkins were the only ones who worked in the department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. Usually, they just did paperwork, but both Perkins and Mr. Weasley were in and out of the office. Both Perkins and Mr. Weasley were working behind Fudge's back for Dumbledore and had to acquire certain tips from other departments such as the aurors and hit wizards and deliver messages to other offices in the Ministry. Half the wizards in the Ministry disagreed with Fudge and sided with Dumbledore, though to keep their jobs, they couldn't let Fudge know everything, but he did know a few things.
There was a knock on the office door and Ron looked up from his History of Magic book. Both Perkins and Mr. Weasley were out of the office. He opened the door to find Percy standing there looking annoyed, and then seeing Ron, he looked surprised.
"What are you doing here?" Percy asked disgusted.
"What did you want Percy?" Ron asked calmly.
"What happened to your face?" Percy asked.
"What happened to your brains?" Ron asked.
"Is there something I can do for you Percy?" Mr. Weasley said entering the office from behind Percy ending the battle before it could begin.
"What is he doing here?" Percy asked glaring at Ron suspiciously.
"I'm sitting here quietly and doing my homework, and dad asked you a question." Ron said evenly.
Percy looked to his father. "Why did you leave mum?" Percy asked his father imperatively.
"If your concerned about your family, ask your mother why she didn't come home." Mr. Weasley said directly.
"I did, she said because you believed Ron over her father! You've been making some bad mistakes dad. First you believe Dumbledore over the Minister and your own son, and then you believe your son over your wife and her father! You ought to realize now that you're the one who's wrong. You don't believe me, but you do believe Ron. Is he the reason you ended your relationship after more than thirty years?" Percy asked incredulously.
"Listen to me Percy. I want you to hear this one thing I have to say to you right now! This has nothing to do with Ron! Your mother made the choice to stay with her father rather than go back to the burrow with me. Your mother made the choice. She loves her father more than me, and I'm not going to fight with that. Dumbledore and Fudge is another conflict, but one that has to do with business. I don't want to discuss it, but if you want to, then I will. I would love nothing better than to ignore Dumbledore's warning and believe Fudge is right that there is no dark lord that we have to fear, but I have children to think of. If any of them were hurt or killed for being home, because I didn't listen to Dumbledore, then I'd be responsible for the death or injuries caused upon my children. Fudge doesn't have children to look out for. I do, and Dumbledore's got a thousand to be concerned for. One, of which is Harry Potter, who was traumatized by last year's events. The Diggory's have lost their son, and Fudge wasn't there to see who murdered him. Harry was there. I believe Harry as much as I believe Ron's account of events over your Grandfather's. So either apologize or leave." Mr. Weasley snapped.
"You won't be satisfied until you break everything up, will you? You broke up the Ministry, and now you're breaking up our family." Percy said before walking out of the office.
Ron had stood up and was about to follow him, but Mr. Weasley grabbed him by the hood of his robes. "Ron, this is a workplace. Percy can think what he wants." Mr. Weasley said.
"But he's wrong!" Ron said.
"And I know that. He will learn soon enough." Mr. Weasley said reassuringly patting his son gently on the back.
Weeks of days at the Ministry continued for Ron and Mr. Weasley and they bonded during the time at the office. Ron and Mr. Weasley would talk and work and have a great time just hanging out. In fact their father-son relationship was becoming a friendship, though Mr. Weasley would correct Ron if he needed to be, but Ron hadn't put one toe out of line since he came back to the burrow.
Ron was having such a great time with his father; he forgot to worry about everything else, such as his brothers and sister's reactions. The only one he really had to deal with was Percy, and Ron could careless about what Percy thought. Ron was reminded of his sister and brothers when his father owled them money for their school supplies. School was less than two weeks away. Ron mentally cursed himself.
During the time he spent at the ministry, which was every day since the last week in July, he hadn't once owled Harry or Hermione to let them know he was away from his Grandfather's. He hadn't even owled Harry a birthday card. Though an owl from Ginny let him know that she had, and sent him a present for him. She was still under the impression that he was living with his Grandfather, and she was very discreet about where she was staying, though she did mention she was fine and having a lot of fun. Ron owled her back thanking her for mailing Harry a present, explaining that he had been so busy making up his assignments that he had actually forgotten, though he asked her not to mention this. He also let her know that their father had rescued him, but he didn't want to risk her life if she was happy where she was.
It was the last week of August and Ron sat in his father's office reading the latest Quidditch news, when Fudge walked in, while rapping on the door. He spotted Ron and looked at him disapprovingly.
"Where's your father?" Fudge asked.
"He's at a muggle's house obtaining a cursed scarf." Ron said.
"A what?" Fudge asked.
"A scarf that's cursed to strangle muggles sir." Ron explained.
"Oh, well then where's Perkins?" Fudge asked.
"He's with him altering some muggle's memories, sir. The muggle got the scarf at a party sir." Ron explained.
"Tell them that I want to see them both the minute they return." Fudge said.
"Yes sir." Ron said.
Mr. Weasley and Perkins didn't come back to the office for an hour, in which they had spoken with Fudge about Dumbledore and such, therefore causing an argument to stir.
"What did you do with the scarf?" Ron asked interestedly.
Mr. Weasley raised a crate.
"You should give it to Percy as a Christmas present." Ron said happily.
"You're a bit more chipper than usual, any reason in particular?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Mum owled you." Ron said excitedly.
"What did she say?" Mr. Weasley asked inquisitively.
"I didn't read it. I just recognize her handwriting. Maybe she's sorry, but has too much pride to apologize in person. You know how we can be." Ron said hopefully.
"Don't get your hopes too high there." Mr. Weasley said taking the letter from Ron.
"You want me to do fill out the paperwork, Arthur?" Perkins asked.
Perkins didn't want to be too involved, but he did know that Molly and Arthur Weasley had separated, and this was the reason Ron was brought to the office with Mr. Weasley, everyday. Though Perkins didn't mind, Ron could keep interesting conversation, and was teaching him to play wizard's chess when they weren't running around the Ministry or the villages of muggles. Perkins also thought that Mr. Weasley would've brought Ron to the office even if he hadn't split up with Mrs. Weasley, as the two got along very well. Mr. Weasley hadn't been happy since summer began and Percy had sided against his family. Even through the separation, Ron had managed to keep a smile spreading across his dad's face.
Perkins waited for Mr. Weasley to respond, but when he didn't, Perkins saw Mr. Weasley reading the letter with a look of dejection. He looked up from the letter forcing a smile for his youngest son.
"No, Perkins, I'll get this one." Mr. Weasley said and swiftly got to work.
"What did the letter say?" Ron asked timidly.
"She just wanted me to make sure you got to King's Cross for the Hogwarts Express next Friday. She said she got an owl from Ginny, and that her friend's parents would take her to King's Cross." Mr. Weasley said.
"That's Grandfather corrupting her. I bet you if you were to see her alone, she'd ask you to help her leave him! He hated that she left him the first time. I reckon he's taken her wand away so she can't apparate away! I bet-"
"Ron!" Mr. Weasley snapped startling Ron with the harshness of his tone. "I'm trying to work."
"Sorry." Ron said backing away from him. Ron kept himself busy the rest of the workday, and didn't speak a word to his father until they got to the burrow.
"I'm not hungry dad, I just want to go to sleep. I'm tired." Ron said as his father started up dinner.
"Ron, I'm sorry for blowing up at you. I just don't want to think about the possibilities. From her letter, I think she sounded just fine. She'll be at King's Cross, so I can see her then, but her father loves her and he doesn't have control over her. If anything she can't leave him because of the guilt she'd feel for doing so, but the guilt of hurting you should overweigh that, and as it didn't, I think she just likes a richer life style." Mr. Weasley said.
"Mum's never cared about money. She'd get worried, but she knew we'd always manage." Ron said.
"So how are the cannons doing?" Mr. Weasley asked brightly changing the dinner conversation to something optimistic. Ron's remarks about the Quidditch teams certainly brightened his father's mood and he even got his father to laugh over dinner.
"You know I'm very, very proud of you for being so strong over the summer, and for putting more effort into your work. I love you very much, and ever since you've been back to the burrow you've been a reminder of normalcy. Thank you for that." Mr. Weasley said on the night of August 31st when Ron was going to bed.
"Thanks for saving me. You're my hero." Ron admitted. "I love you dad. Maybe you and mum can resolve your problems, when I'm away."
"Hopefully, but don't you worry about that. Get some sleep. You're getting up early tomorrow." Mr. Weasley reminded.
"Nothing unusual after this summer." Ron said smiling at his father. His father hugged and kissed his son goodnight before he retired to bed.
A rat crept into the burrow at three in the morning followed by a wizard wearing the mask of a death eater. It was an old balding rat containing one silver paw. It crept into the house, leading the way for the wizard, finding only two occupants there one, in his former room, and the other in the parents' bedroom. It squeaked around the parents' bedroom, waking Mr. Weasley, while the wizard roamed quietly around the bedroom just below the attic.
"What the-?" Mr. Weasley asked groggily as he awoke to the sound of something, footsteps, possibly? He got up and jumped seeing a rat. He started to chase the rat around the room and down the stairs with his wand out ready to repel it away, but just as he reached the back room where Errol perched, he heard footsteps behind him.
"Ron, go back to bed, it was just a rat, nothing to worry about-" Mr. Weasley gasped turning around seeing a death eater with a grin on his face and his wand out.
"I've waited a few years to do this…" A cold voice jeered.
Arthur Weasley gasped and swished his wand. Just as the stunning spell left his mouth, the death eater performed the killing curse.
The rat transfigured himself into the death eater with the silver hand that he was. "Did you kill the boy?" Peter Pettigrew asked.
"No, I got something better in store for him." The cold voice laughed. "Go bring his wand back to his room and place it on his dresser."
Wormtail transfigured himself back into the rat he was and did as he was told.
Ron awoke with a start. He had overslept! It was eight o'clock. Why hadn't his dad woken him up? He didn't know how he was getting to King's Cross Station, but he assumed it by some sort of car, and a drive to London would be a little more than three hours! He dressed quickly and made sure he packed everything. He lugged his trunk down the stairs and ran up to his father's room. His father's door was open, but he was nowhere in sight.
"Dad! Dad! Come on, dad we're already late as it is! The Hogwarts Express leaves at eleven like every other year! If we're getting there by some kind of car, I've already missed it! Dad, where are-?" Ron couldn't breathe. His chest caught in his throat. His dad was lying on his back on the kitchen floor staring at the ceiling with horror and anger in his eyes, and he didn't blink or seem to see Ron.
Ron kneeled down beside his father's body. "Daddy, dad… Please, please wake up!" Ron said croakily shaking his father. He fell back feeling his father's frozen skin. He checked for a pulse or any sign at all that he was alive. There wasn't one.
Ron's world had come crashing down around him. His hero was dead! The one member of the family, who trusted Ron without a doubt when he was in his right mind, was dead. The one member of the family who cared if Ron was hurt or not, was dead! His father, whom he confided so much in over the summer alone, was dead. He couldn't be dead, he couldn't! Heroes didn't die! They couldn't die! His father couldn't die!
Ron needed to owl someone for help, anybody, but the one person who he needed to write to, was the one that he'd need to write for!
It seemed as if Mr. Weasley had been dead for a while, but there was still the possibility that a murderer was around, as the warning had never been lifted and the evidence of danger in the area lay right in front of him, but Ron couldn't move. He couldn't do anything but cry. He couldn't careless if someone came in and killed him right now. He wanted to die! He had nobody left. That's what it felt like. Mrs. Weasley hated him, Percy hated him, once the twins, Bill, Charlie, and Ginny found out that he was responsible for the breakup of their parents, they'd hate him too. His friends wouldn't understand. They couldn't possibly understand the amount of pain he was in as he choked over his father's dead body. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible.
It was going on noon and Harry Potter and Hermione Granger finally found some sign of the Weasley's on the Hogwarts Express when they walked into a compartment occupied by seventh year Gryffindors.
"Fred, George!" Harry said happily.
"Hey Harry!" The twins said happily in unison. They were still overwhelmingly grateful for the gold Harry gave them for their joke shop at the end of last year.
"Do you know where Ron is?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"He might be with Ginny. I haven't seen him all summer." Fred said.
"Yea, we've been over Lee's. Ginny and Ron had to go to our grandfather's." George explained.
"Have you seen Ginny then?" Harry asked.
"I thought I saw her in a compartment down the corridor that way just a bit." Fred said pointing.
"Thanks." Hermione said and she left the compartment with Harry just behind her peeking in to different compartments, finally finding one with Ginny talking with Colin and Dennis Creevey. She knocked and entered and Harry stayed outside to listen. He didn't want to be seen by Colin, he was obsessed with him.
"Hermione!" Ginny cried happily.
"Hey Ginny. Colin, Dennis." She said nodding, acknowledging everyone.
"How was your summer?" Ginny asked.
"It was fantastic… I-" Hermione started, then she remembered why she was there. "Ginny, have you seen your brother? I haven't heard from him, since he got grounded by your grandfather, and I'm having trouble finding him."
"Well, Ron got me out of there, and I've only heard from him once, since the tenth." Ginny said.
"So he didn't come with you to Platform 9 and ¾?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"No, I came with Colin." Ginny explained.
"Well maybe he's in another compartment. I'm going to look for him." Hermione said leaving the compartment.
Harry looked at Hermione apprehensively. "Maybe we should let Hedwig find him?" Hermione suggested.
"Good idea." Harry said assuring himself that everything was all right.
Everything wasn't all right though. Everything was oh, so terribly wrong! Ron still sobbed over his father's dead body holding onto his father's hand, trying to reassure himself that he was having a terrible nightmare. Just a terrible, terrible nightmare!
Pop! Somebody apparated outside the burrow and let themselves in. "Arthur, are you home yet?" Perkins called. "Arthur?" His voice grew nearer as he made his way to Ron. He gasped. "Oh my God. What happened? He's not… he can't be…" Perkins said disbelievingly as he kneeled down next to Ron who didn't seem to notice Perkins was in the house.
Ron didn't notice he left, nor did he notice his return as well as the appearance of other Ministry workers.
"Oh God!" Percy cried with disbelief. He fell into a chair and tried to keep from crying or passing out, but tears couldn't help but fall.
"What's going on here? Oh God… Arthur!" Fudge gasped. He walked forward and pulled Ron to his feet pushing him aside. "What happened?"
Ron couldn't answer he was still crying uncontrollably.
Hit wizards were there, and looking around the burrow for anything suspicious.
"Ron!" Percy snapped.
Ron was in shock. He didn't see or feel anybody around him. He passed out.
A Hit Wizard checked the last spell on Mr. Weasley's wand to find it was the stunning spell. They found another wand at the bottom of the spell and checked the last spell done by that wand. Shouts and cries were heard from the Hit Wizards as they ran to Fudge.
"Do you know whose wand this is?" One of the Hit Wizards asked Fudge.
Fudge looked, but couldn't tell.
"That's Ron's wand… why?" Percy asked hoarsely.
"Because the owner of this wand murdered your father." One of the hit wizards said.
Ron didn't know if he fell asleep or what, but he had no recollection of where he was or how he had gotten there. He was in a room that had all white walls, he couldn't figure out where the door was until he walked over to the wall just a few steps away from the bed he'd been resting on. Ron walked back over to the bed. He laid down and decided he needed to sleep, something strange was going on around him, and he didn't know what, but he needed to lay down before he collapsed from shock.
He tossed and turned, and woke up in the same place. He finally just gave up on sleep and thought about everything that happened. He sighed deeply.
Then he heard a latch on the door click. A woman in a uniform entered the room with her wand pointed at Ron.
"I am Hit Witch Diane Watson, and I'm in charge. Any sudden movements, outbursts, or fits, and I will not hesitate to stun you. I have two hit wizards outside listening for commotion. If you get passed me somehow, they will stop you, and the consequences will be worse, do you understand?" The Hit Witch asked.
"Yes, madam." Ron said in a barely audible whisper.
"Good." Diane said.
"May I speak?" Ron asked.
"You may." Diane said.
"Where am I? How did I get here? And Where's my father? Is he all right?" Ron asked in a whisper.
"You're at the Ministry of Magic, in a quiet room. We stunned you and transported you here by means of a portkey." Diane explained.
"My father, what about him? Where is he?" Ron asked.
"He's dead." Diane said softly.
Tears rushed to Ron's eyes, and he laid back down covering his face with his hands.
"I need you to come with me. The minister wants to ask you a few questions." Diane said.
Ron nodded and stood up, following her, shakily, down the hall to the Minister's office, which was huge. The hit wizard followed Ron in for security.
"Sir." Diane said, attracting the Minister's attention.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic looked up and then looked down at Ron, his face full of disgust.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Fudge asked.
"I beg your pardon?" Ron asked quietly.
"Why did you kill your father?" Fudge asked.
"What?" Ron asked. "I didn't kill my father."
"You were crying over your father's body, out of guilt nonetheless… The evidence is all there on your wand, the last spell performed from your wand was the killing curse." Fudge said.
"What? That's not true! I never performed that in my life!" Ron said defensively. "I was crying because my father was dead! I woke up and found him dead, he was the only person I had in the world, and I woke up to find him dead!"
"You have six brothers and sisters, and your mother, and your father was the only person you had in the world?" Fudge asked.
"My mum hates me, because her father hates me, and my dad split up with my mum, because her father was an abusive drunk, and she didn't believe him. My dad believed in me! Why would I kill the only person who ever really cared about me?" Ron choked.
"I don't like to try and fathom the minds of murderers." Fudge said.
"I'm not a murderer!" Ron sobbed. "I never performed that curse. Professor Moody said that nobody at my age could do that curse, and I'm probably the worst student in my year, I couldn't possibly perform it."
"You think you got this all worked out, using an excuse like that? You thought we'd believe that, but your wand says different. Not to mention, that your behavior this summer has been atrocious. Beating up muggles, running away, getting arrested by the muggles for fighting muggle authority, and you punched your sister, what would make me think that if you could punch your sister that you couldn't kill your father?" Fudge asked.
"First of all, I never beat up any muggles, they'd start fights with me, and I'd do what I could to defend myself, and half the time, it was a cover story for my Grandfather, who came home drunk all the time! I ran away because my Grandfather was going to kill me! I got arrested for running away after curfew. I was trying to get away from the muggles, because I knew they'd bring me back to my Grandfather's! And I would never ever harm a hair on my sister's head! Ask my sister! My grandfather was beating me because he was drunk and Ginny woke up to go to the bathroom and heard him yelling and she tried to stop him, and he hit her. He loves my sister, and hit her on accident, but all the same he still hit her, and I was made to lie and say that I did it so that it didn't happen again. I'd risk my life for Ginny's and she knows that! I never killed my father. I didn't kill him!" Ron yelled.
"Stupefy!" Diane yelled stunning Ron. "Sir?" Diane asked the Minister for more instructions.
"I want him sent to Azkaban immediately. Until his trial, he's to stay there." Fudge said.
Diane sighed. "Yes sir."
The sorting ceremony had just ended and Dumbledore was speaking of Voldemort and Cedric Diggory, and new precautions taking place at Hogwarts this year. Harry, Hermione, the twins, and Ginny paid no attention to the Headmaster as they whispered about Ron's absence. Harry used Hedwig to search for Ron, and even searched every compartment himself with the help of the twins and Ginny, but Ron had never boarded the Hogwarts Express.
"I think he might've ran away from my Grandfather's. They didn't get along at all." Ginny said anxiously thinking of possibilities that would explain Ron missing.
"Ron would've started to run away ages ago, and he would've made it to London in time." Fred said.
"What if he didn't have his school supplies?" George asked.
"Well it doesn't matter seeing as he's not here at school." Hermione said.
"No, I think he means he probably got to London or was heading toward London and realized he didn't have money for school supplies, because he ran away, so maybe he just gave up and settled somewhere." Harry offered.
"You should use Hedwig to find him. I mean, we'll talk to one of the professors about transportation and everything, but we got to reassure him he's not in any trouble, or he won't go. He can be stupid, but he's not dumb enough to walk into a trap." Fred explained seriously.
"A trap?" Ginny asked uneasily.
"Yea, you know mum could easily owl him saying she's you and that everything's fine and to meet him somewhere, in which she'd just take him to Grandfather's and kill him." George explained.
"But what if your mum wasn't the one who tried tricking him? I mean with everything going on… An auror said the Death Eaters could use him to get information on me. I tell him everything I know." Harry said worriedly.
"Don't even start." Fred warns loudly causing nearby Gryffindors to look at him worriedly.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked. He hadn't meant to upset Fred. In all honesty, he hadn't meant to say it out loud.
"Don't say things like that, ever." Fred said warningly.
"I apologize, I didn't mean to say that out loud…" Harry began. "I wasn't thinking it, really…"
Fred rose from his seat and walked quickly out of the Great Hall and out of the castle.
"I didn't mean it, honest!" Harry said quickly to George.
"I know, but he's worried that that is a possibility." George reassured Harry.
Harry looked up to see everybody watching the group of now four Gryffindors with interest. Harry hadn't realized that the hall had gone completely silent until now.
The four looked apologetically up at the Headmaster and the staff and listened as Dumbledore mentioned a curfew and Harry saw Professor Snape leave for the dungeon doors.
Professor Snape found Fred Weasley at the village of Hogsmeade in Honeydukes. It was surprisingly quiet tonight.
"Mr. Weasley, where is your brother?" Professor Snape asked coldly.
"I don't know." Fred said rolling his eyes, as if it were obvious.
"Was he on the Hogwarts Express?" Professor Snape asked.
"To my knowledge, no. I was at Lee's all summer." Fred said with a shrug, sipping a butterbeer.
"What happened between you and Mr. Potter?" Professor Snape asked with interest.
"Nothing. I'm just tired, and I wanted to leave the feast. Suspend me, why don't you?" Fred suggested, as he rolled his eyes again.
"I don't have that power, sadly." Professor Snape said icily.
"Oh no, poor you." Fred said rolling his eyes.
"Did you owl your parents at least, asking them their knowledge on your brother's whereabouts?" Professor Snape asked.
"Yes." Fred said becoming agitated.
"Mr. Weasley, I am trying to do you a favor by helping out. The least you could do is show some appreciation." Professor Snape said warningly.
"Professor McGonagall, we were trying to figure out where Ron was, and suggesting possibilities, and I thought of something stupid, and said it out loud without knowing I did. I didn't mean to make him upset!" Harry insisted to Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore in Professor McGonagall's office.
"You couldn't have waited until after Professor Dumbledore finished to attract everybody's attention?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"No, I wasn't trying too. We weren't trying to. It was all of us talking, not just me! Ginny, Hermione, Fred, and George were all talking. We were wondering where Ron could possibly be. I didn't mean to interrupt you Professor Dumbledore, I was just worried about Ron!" Harry explained earnestly.
"Nobody knows where Mr. Weasley is?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"No sir." Harry said pleadingly.
"What did you suggest that made Mr. Weasley so upset?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Well he said that Ron might've runaway from his Grandfather's. That's where he was supposedly staying, because the burrow, the Weasley's home wasn't entirely safe. They said Ron and his Grandfather never get along, and that one of the reasons he probably wasn't on the train, was because he probably ran away. He said we needed to assure him to come to Hogwarts, so he would know it wasn't a trap for Mrs. Weasley to catch him and punish him, and I thought about what Ms. Figg said about the burrow not being completely safe, and that it was imperative that of all people in the burrow, that Ron be moved out, because he knows as much about me as I do. I thought that Voldemort might've gotten to him. All anybody needs to do is torture him for answers about where I stay during the summer or anything they needed." Harry explained.
"I'll go to his home tonight. Why don't you eat here and head up to bed?" Professor McGonagall suggests as a platter of sandwiches appeared on the table.
"I want to be sure that he's all right." Harry said.
"You can find out first thing tomorrow morning." Professor Dumbledore said leaving no room for argument.
Harry didn't sleep all night worrying about where his best friend in the world was. Hermione was his best friend, but if he were stuck with her all year, he'd spend the majority of it in the library, and he wouldn't be as happy as he would be if he had Ron with him making comments about everything, always saying whatever was on his mind, and this year with Voldemort on the rise, he'd need a friend like Ron, more than ever.
Author's Note Again: I'm really sorry about how poorly this chapter was written. Check back in two days for the next chapter. School's out for twelve days, and I've made all my presents. I have to go to the mall on Monday to get a present for my mom, but other than that, chapters will be posted more frequently. Happy Holidays! ~*Carey*~