Through The Eyes Of Ron
Chapter Two
Where The Grass Is Green And The Girls Are Pretty
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot to this story. This is just fan fiction, I'm writing this for fun and for free. Any characters you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling, and all them smart, rich people.
Author's Note: This is fan fiction, a story idea from the brain that's mine entangled with J.K. Rowling's world and characters. I'm writing this for me, and posting it on Fanfiction.net so I have it saved. I'm not trying to impress anybody I'm just writing and saving that's all. Don't flame me if y'all don't like it, but if somebody should happen to enjoy it, please feel free but not obligated to leave a review. ~*Carey*~
"Don't worry about it. Molly, Arthur told me everything, and I do know of the Malfoy family. They probably own more money than half of the vaults in Gringotts' Bank, but they get it because they sell out to evil. They use that to get their way, and naturally I know my grandson isn't a troublemaker. Sure the lad will get into a fight or two, but that's probably nothing compared to what the Malfoy's youngest gets into. Besides, inheriting my temper, and his father's temper, you can't stay mad at the fellow. Ronald won't be a problem here. He's known that since he was five he was always more than welcome here. Ever since you forgot him at that family reunion. I've never met a boy who spoke with such honesty, and if somebody makes him mad, he'll let them know." Grandfather Weasley said to Mrs. Weasley before having a coughing fit.
"Are you all right?" Ron asked with concern.
"Yes, I'm fine." Grandfather said.
"Are you sure you don't mind? Ron can be quite a handful and an eater, and Erin said she wouldn't mind taking him, and I hate imposing like this, but we just want him to get an education." Molly said.
"Ronald's not an imposition. I can't thank you enough for sending him my way." Grandfather said happily.
"Well, I have to go home, if there's any problems, send an owl to me, and I'll come get him." Molly said anxiously.
"Ron's a good boy, there won't be any problems. Just go already before you change your mind." Grandfather said.
"Ron, I love you. Please behave, and if you need anything owl me." Molly said.
"I will, but I won't need anything." Ron said reassuringly.
Mrs. Weasley hugged and kissed her father-in-law before hugging and kissing Ron. Then she disapparated.
"The Cork school allows you to come home on the weekends if you wish. I'd like you to come and visit me as often as you can on the weekends. I'm not saying you have too, but I'd like to see how you're doing."
"I'll come home every weekend." Ron promised.
"I'd love that, but if you wish to hang out with friends you make, then I won't hold it against you." Grandfather said.
"Family comes first." Ron said reassuringly.
Ron loved his grandfather very much. His paternal grandparents had always loved him, and he definitely was their favorite grandchild, and the Weasley's had many grandchildren.
Ron could still remember that family reunion. His mum had wanted to show off Ginny, and she told Ron to stay with his father, but his father who had been catching up with his brothers, sisters, and cousins had told Ron to go back to his mother. Ron, wanting to stay out of trouble, had decided to stay out of everybody's way, as Percy advised. When he had asked Percy how to stay off of his parents' nerves, Percy told him not to bug them, and to stay quiet. So Ron stayed at a corner table, and when everybody had started to leave, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were both a little tipsy sent only six redheads through the fire. Ron hadn't known they left, but when only three relatives remained, he began to get worried. That's when his grandparents finally got to know him and love him, and they insisted on having him every other weekend. Ron spent many weekends over his grandparents' home. He stopped this when he started Hogwarts.
"Do you still have my Chess set?" Grandfather asked.
"Yes." Ron said happily. He pulled the chess set and the pieces out of his trunk and they had a good game of chess.
"So tell me about the fight." Grandfather said.
"He started it, and I won." Ron laughed.
"That's my boy. As long as you didn't start it and as long as you win that's what counts." Grandfather said. "So was there a reason behind the punches?"
"He called one of my best friends a mudblood." Ron said.
"That's a Malfoy…" Grandfather said shaking his head disapprovingly as he moved his bishop. "Are you scared?"
"Of leaving everybody I know, to start off again without even my brothers to show me around? In a way I'm a bit nervous, but I guess I'm a bit excited. I mean the last time I started at a school; I got the two best friends anybody could ask for. Now I get to live with you and start at another school. Things can only get better from the way I see it. I mean I get to come home to visit you on the weekends, and nobody really knows me here. So I'm more excited. Everything will be great." Ron said.
"I hope so, Ronnie, I hope so." Grandfather said.
The next morning Grandfather drove Ron to the train station and saw him aboard the train to school.
"Here's a ticket home for whenever you miss me." Grandfather said.
"I'll be back on the weekend." Ron promised.
"Make some friends." Grandfather said.
"I'll try." Ron said hopefully.
"Cork School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. The finest school for witches and wizards in the country." Headmistress Professor O'Malley said showing Ron to his dorm. The Headmistress was about ninety, or not as old as Dumbledore, but pretty old. She reminded Ron instantly of Professor McGonagall with her tone, and the only thing that differed in appearance was her hair. She had short white hair and she didn't wear glasses. "You have the option to return to your Grandfather's home on the weekend, and to be honest, with your record, I encourage you to visit your Grandfather every weekend. I don't want trouble from you, and when students are not kept busy, they're more often in trouble than not. Here's your dorm. Leave your trunk on your bed, but grab your books. I'll show you to your first lesson."
Ron grabbed his books feeling a bit angry. Already the school was prejudiced against him.
Ron followed the Headmistress to a Transfiguration classroom.
"Professor McGonagall, you have a new student." Professor O'Malley said.
"McGonagall?" Ron whispered, not sure that he heard her right, but before he could ask the Headmistress, she had left. Ron looked up expecting a twin of Professor McGonagall, but found not a woman Professor, but a man. Professor McGonagall had white hair with quite a few gray hairs. He looked to be about sixty, but Ron was sure by the wrinkles in his face he was as old as his wife, and Ron thought the Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts was at least eighty.
"Does my new student have a name?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Ron Weasley." Ron answered.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Weasley. Why don't you have a seat?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Ron nodded, but as soon as he sat, he couldn't help but raise his hand.
"Mr. Weasley, you have a question already?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"I'm sorry, you don't have a sister or a cousin who teaches at Hogwarts, er… do you?" Ron asked.
"You went to Hogwarts?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Up until today, yes sir." Ron said.
"So you know my wife then." Professor McGonagall said.
"Oh." Ron said.
"We're right on the same page in teaching, so hopefully you won't be behind." Professor McGonagall said.
It turns out they were exactly on the same page.
Ron left the lesson with a few assignments for homework. It turned out that while Professor McGonagall wasn't as strict as his wife, he handed out just as much homework, possibly a bit more.
Ron was looking for his next classroom. Ron was looking in every window for a Charms classroom. He was looking in one window when he felt his legs tighten up. He went to walk, but fell face forward on the concrete floor.
Everybody passing by laughed loudly at the new student lying face down on the floor. Ron pulled his wand out of the pockets of his robes and performed the counter curse. He got up and grabbed his bag, which had fallen on the floor.
"Oh no." Ron muttered. His bottle of ink, which was in his bag had broken when the bag hit the floor. This caused people standing by to laugh more. Ron could feel his ears flushing red. Ron cleaned up the ink with a spell and repaired the broken bottle with another. This was not the best way to start out at a new school. Somebody already obviously didn't like him, and he had lost a lot of his ink supply. A bell rang for class and everybody departed. Ron had no idea where the Charms classroom was. Nobody had offered to show him either. Ron pulled out the train ticket from his pocket. He was considering using it now. He had only made it through one class, and he was already going to be in trouble for being late for a class, which he still had no idea where it was.
"Are you lost?" A girl's voice asked.
Ron turned around and saw a girl with blonde hair in two braids wearing a Cork uniform and glasses.
"Yes, see I'm new here, and I'm supposed to find some Charms classroom, and I don't know where I'm going." Ron said.
"You're looking for Professor Monroe. I was sent to find you. I'm Allison, by the way. You must be Ron?" Allison asked.
"Yes, it's nice to meet you." Ron said.
"The pleasure's all mine." Allison said leading Ron towards the charms classroom.
They entered the classroom. Students started sniggering, and Ron heard, "That's him." "That's the kid."
"He was lost Professor." Allison said taking her seat.
"You must be Ronald Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Professor Monroe, the Charms teacher here at Cork." Professor Monroe said cheerfully. Professor Monroe had to be the youngest Professor Ron ever saw. She looked to be in her late twenties, or early thirties, and she was rather attractive for a Professor. She had wavy dark brown hair that actually looked black and just came down past her shoulders. She had brown eyes and a great smile.
"Nice to meet you." Ron said still stunned at how young his teacher was. Ron started heading for an empty seat in the back row, but Professor Monroe wouldn't let him.
"Nobody sits in the back row." Professor Monroe said.
Ron looked around. There wasn't anywhere else to sit. Then the empty desk in the back of the classroom was levitated to the front. He had to sit next to one of the kids who had laughed at him earlier.
"Where did you leave off in your previous Charms lesson?" Professor Monroe asked.
Ron shrugged.
"You don't know? You have to know." Professor Monroe said.
"I don't pay attention." Ron said.
"Well you're going to pay attention in here, or you can pay attention in detention after class, do you understand?" Professor Monroe asked.
Ron nodded.
The bell rang to end class.
"Cian? Cian, take Ron to Defense Against the Dark Arts with you please." Professor Monroe said.
"Sure." Cian said.
"Enjoy your first day Ron." Professor Monroe said.
"Thanks." Ron said.
Ron followed Cian, the classmate who had laughed at him when he entered, and whom he was sitting next to. Cian had curly blonde hair.
"So you're Ron?" Cian asked on their way to their next class. Ron nodded. "Never try walking when somebody puts the leg locker curse on you. You look like a real idiot."
"Were you the one who performed the curse?" Ron asked.
"No, but if it were me, I wouldn't tell you." Cian said. "I mean after all, aren't you in here for nearly killing somebody?"
"No. I got into a fistfight with somebody calling my best friend a mudblood. That person came off a bit worse, but he didn't even need to go to the infirmary, and because his parents have money and mine don't have as much, my only option was to come here." Ron explained.
"You should've killed him then. I come from muggle parents, and to be honest we're not real rich either." Cian said.
Ron smiled. He actually made a friend.
Ron found the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor to be exactly like Professor Moody from his previous year. He was bald, and his face wasn't scarred, though it was wrinkly. Professor Chambers had everybody entranced with his words and tone of voice. Ron kept waiting for him to shout out Constant Vigilance every five minutes, as Moody would've.
Ron followed Cian out on the grounds to the greenhouses. Professor Sage was very snappy, and she'd lecture a student, whose mind would wander, for no less than five minutes. Ron fought hard to pay attention, even though he already knew the uses of Gillyweed. Ron couldn't help but notice how much green was in Ireland. It was amazing how green the grass was.
Just as Ron was sure Professor Sage would snap at him, the bell rang, ending class. Ron followed Cian across the grounds to the Care of Magical Creatures Class. Professor MacDonald was a teacher in his early fifties. He spoke to Ron at the beginning of class, saying how his daughter, Natalie attends Hogwarts, before he taught the class about the Augurey, or the Irish Phoenix.
Finally, the last lesson of the day was Divination. Ron wondered what a Divination without Professor Trelawney would be like, but wouldn't have to stop wondering, because it turned out that Professor Trelawney's twin sister, who was just as crazy as the Professor Trelawney at Hogwarts, taught the Divination class at Cork.
By the end of the week, Ron had a few friends, and couldn't wait to go home and visit his Grandfather. His Grandfather was waiting for him with a smile when he arrived at the train station. They drove home, with Ron telling his grandfather all about his first week.
"Grandfather, I'm so glad to be home." Ron said at dinner. "I wanted to come back here after my first lesson. I was so lost."
"Ron, you'll always be allowed here, you can be in the middle of a lesson and run home. I'll always be here for you." Grandfather said.
"That's why you've always been my hero, because you will always be here for me. I mean, when I was five, you wouldn't leave until you knew I was safe, and when I got in that fight the other day, you let me live with you, no questions asked. Then when I told you I felt like coming here after the first lesson, you said I could've. I knew you would've let me too, but I wanted to give things a second try, so you wouldn't think I was a baby, and I knew you never would, but I'm glad I tried again." Ron said.
Grandfather was in tears. "Never in my life have I been told I was a hero." Grandfather said.
"That's probably because people always thought you already knew." Ron said.
Grandfather hugged Ron. "This is why you're my favorite grandchild." Grandfather said.